Ontario Community Newspapers

Whitby Free Press, 12 Feb 1992, p. 9

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WHTYFREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1992,, PAGE 9 Teacersnowi Lfhweek o)f wr4.ue mag ByMarlo Boucher No >n 1eeting between, the. separate. schooboard 'and the secondary achool'teachers' union has yet been planned.for this week, while'the work-to-rule by the teachers continues, now in its fifth week., The 290- secondary teachers began the work-o-le on Jan. 13 and the.two sides'have yet te resolve nine outstanding issues. .Last week, over 400 -students protested the work-to-rule by picketing the board's headquar- tes in Oahawa. Tom Oldmian, chairpesnc tebard,'said the board met with situdent ceuncils from dif- ferent sichools te, assure, students. that the quglity cf theireduca- tien*would net 'beafl'ected., «We've said we'd do. everything possible in the .best.interests cf the students and, we w'ill con- tinue te, do that,» he said. The board told, the students that the teachers will continue te, mark exanis and attend > all clases he said. Odan said the',board aise told studenta that secondarytea- chers have- excellent qualifica- tiens but. the problem remains the lack cf funding from, the prvnial gcvernment. «Te work-to-rule was initia-'. ted by the federationand.they're the only one who can step it," he said. Oldman said the board was te meet last night and tonight te further discuss the situation'. The board heped, te arrange a meeting with the union later in the weelc eras soon as possible. 'Mhe board wants te meet but the, mediater-has:te -determine when the time is right,» he said. Theunion is leoking for a 4.5 per cent increase effective Sept. ,1991- and- an additional 3.25 pet cent increase effective Feb. 1,- 1992. -The board's loffer aIse, cails, for a.4.5 per cent increase fromi Sept. 1, 1991 but with! a raise cf1. per cent as cf Feb. 1 1992. This would raise l~e salaries cf 60 per cent cf the 'teachée by eight per cent, including incre- mients for increased experience durig the past year. Te average. salary would mhove up to $54, 153, from $51,330 and the maxim um sal-' ar4to $62,634, from $59,344., he saie offer was accepted andratified by the 910 elemen- tary .teachers andthe, 19 French secondary teachers. VIE WPOINT: Draw. the.fine On growth PROM PAGE 6 It seems illogical and unreasonable, especially in these. tougher econormic times, to seriously consider other alternatives. These are the saine arguments used by the luxnber comparies in B.C., the cattie ranchers in the Amazon rainforest the ivory dealers in Singapore, the cil ýcompanies in the Arctic, the chemnical comparues in the' U.S., and-on and on. Since we look at everything L:froni a hunian point of view, our needs always 'take precedence ovrany vaguely understood needs of other species. Iii these more environmientally-aware nineties,. we. do sometimes convince ourselves that we should do. the right thing and consider r the needs of other species. Our j consultants tell us" that everthing can be preserved and insulated by the engineering cOf buffer 'zones,, water diversion thniques, 'clean' construction niethods, and fencing. Eve n "*hen 'theé -ls good ill, there is stili the question cf cost. H-ow much is this presérvation wrth?- However, the most iportn question is: how can we Cengineer' a ýno-impact solution, for an intricate web cf organic ,and ta really knewvery much about? We wouldn't even know we were 'accidentally' lilIling everythiing until it was aIl over. But !' isn't denying, development on these'lands for enviromnintal reasons alin te saying, man does not belong anywhere on this earth? The simple answer is that we cannot be everywhere at our current levels cf material wealth. 799BLORSDUR OHA A The Future ÏB REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE with ioffffufoi Otherwise the world would self-destruct. We have to set limits on.our activities se as te reduce'our demande on tfie earth. We need te draw our ewn 'Unes in the sand' te restrict our impact, te liniit our inistenceon merethings and te change ou r models of success away froni growth te no-growth. 1 We have te, change the way we think about ourselves and -our world -- for eur ewn good. The' basis for'this change has te be away froni the idea that the earth is here for us te use as we see fit. We have te accept that other species matter for their own sake, net just fer their usefulness te us. Thise idea that a marsh, a piece cf wilderness, standof trees, or a sparrow, is valuable for. its own sake is a radical',concept. It gees completely against the, way: we have treated every other livingthing on this planet. But we have te maice the transition te thinldng aleng these Unes. This is the only way we will be able te save the earth. If' developers, gevernment officals and the rest, cf us ail had begun this new way ef thining ten years, ago, we may have stilI decided te .go ahead with the deveopmnt.After ail, we. do need' te live somewhere. On .the other hand, it is much mere likely that w'e would net have had this debate. in, the firat place. We, would have founid new ways of living that could respect other formes cf life And keep us warm and dry. Opinio'ns expressed are those Of thze author. <a>.. RESTAURANT 0 Beat Chinese Food in, Town0 SevingDurham for 32 Ywwm cCHNE FOODBIWE DAILY c 0' Reéduced Reuce Lunich* Dinner-799"l1I O Regular Menu Available O, N Dine-i and Take-Out Service N 107 BROCK ST. S.,' WHIT-BY 1 PAGING SERVICE CENfRE

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