The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

6 - The Canadian Champion, Tuesday, February 16, 1999 SCOMMENT THE CAAINCAPO Finally, sense prevails At this stage it's difficuit to know how effectively the terrible rift between Halton Catholic teachers and the school board has been repaired. Welcome news that marathon bargaining had led to a three-year deal carne Monday morning. This in and of itself is novel and refreshing. Usually, one-year deals are struck when a union is anxious to get back to the bargaining table in hopes of extracting more concessions. Tise fact that a three-year agreement was reached may indicate that the teachers finally realized how serious the board was in its position. Once the teachers were threatened with a Iockout they immediately called for negotiations to resume, and wisely, since there was littie to be gained with legisiation stacked against themn. On top of that, if they had allowed further disruption to the school year for students, animosity among parents could have built up even higher. That was already affecting the board, as the flight of students to public high schools had begun in eamnest. Although no details of the proposed seulement have been released, we can only hope that it marks the beginning of a time of relative sta- bility in Catholic schools -- a cooling off period. Perhaps, if we're lucky, it will even mean the start of a new era in which both sides have a more clearly-defined understanding of each other's powers and limitations. O UR R FADER S WRI [TE Lots of support from communîfty Woman says she's willing to donate shown in recent snow storms DearEdAitor: 1get out. I have enco eed may bessings this 1 live on Martin Street and I am» grate- year as we whine and lainent over the fui for my neighbours wbo pitclsed in amount of sflow recently. and gave me a generotas hand witb Thsecommnûty spit*hown by people soboîg etn i fieadee hep1ing each ode u a enteei helpings ith Widers. dous -- frot tseghur oneighorad TakyuMltnadt i hs h frein flentds and ovctrI tee was a lot he ofercdoingmlf.~ b of gentline support that 1 experienced A anl lose n t if.b igt Air ehf46 nintbimh lgtn At ny office alone 1 beard repcatedly ariother- of others lielping out single mothers, MngolliSKoeth senior citizens and caregivers nedfing to Milton +THE CA4NADIANV CHAM<PION Box 248, 191 Main St. E., The Canadien Champion, pabllshed every Tueaday and Friday Miton, Ont. L9T 4N9 ai 191 Main St. E., Milton, Ont., L9T 4N9 (Box 248), la one of The Metrolanit Printlng, PublIohing & Distrfbatlng Ltd. group of oab- O~O'~2A1 aban companies wtoich includes: Ajax / Pickering News (905)878-2341i Advertiser; Allioton HeraldlCoarier; Barrie Advance; Brampton Gaardian; Borlington Paont; City Parent; Colllngwood / W asaga Editorial Fax: 878-4943 Connection; East York Mirror; Etabîcoke Goardian; Georgetown lndependent/ Actoni Free Preoo; Kingston This Week; Lindsay This Advertising Fax: 876-2364 Week; Marlcham Economiot & Son; Midtand / Penetanguishene Classified: 875-3300 Mirrar; Misoisoanga News; Newmarket I Aurora Era Banner; Northumberland News; North York Mirror; Oakville Beaver; Orillia Ian Oliver Publisher Today; Oshawa I Whitby I Clarington / Port Perry This Week; Peterborough This Week; Richmond Hill Tharohil I Vaughan Neil Oliver Associate Publisher uiberal; Scarborough Mirror; Unbrldge IStouffville Tribune; Bill Begin General Manager Today'a Seniors. Advertislng os accepted on the condition thai, in the avent of i Rob Kelly Edizor typoîraphcal error, that portion of the advertluing opace accu- Karen Croes Circulation Manager pied hy the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance Megrfor signature, wiIl not be charged for, but the balance ut the Teri Casas Office Mngradvertloement will be paît for at the applicable rate. The publioher Tino Coles Production Manager reservea the rlght ta cutegorize advertioemento or decline. portion or sales to open baby ward Dear Editor: I recently was thilled to fend out my husband and I are expecting our second cisild. I'm flot as ner- vous tis time because I know a lit- tie more tise second timie around. However, wisen you are pregnant anything can bappen -- miscar- niage, pre-mature labour or even pre-mature birth, and if you are liv- ing in Milton you must now go to, Georgetown or Oakville in order to deliver your baby. I can't tell you how nervous we were with my first baby. We live on Ontario Street and it took four minutes and two seconds to get to Milton District Hospital. You may laugh but wits any pregnancy you just pray you'll get tisere on time, that the baby will be healthy and you botis will be treated wits tise best care possible. For myseif it was tise most won- derful time to share wits my bus- band. The Milton nurses and doc- tors set my mind at ease, wisicis made my isusband's life easier. Now that four-minute ride has tumned into at least 30 minutes or more, and much longer for tise win- ter births. That's cruzy! In tisat haif-hour anytising couid isappen. I honestly think the Milton people are lettîng the hospital board of directors get away with a lot. So 1 ask you Milton, are we wiIl- ing to let others make such an important decision for us? I believe a Milton doctor stated hie already had 'a doctor to fili the position needed to re-open tise ward, but tise board didn't want to pay tise higiser salaiy. Let me ask you, are your family members and future members worth it? I tisink so. If Milton stays tise saine population or grows, tise economy will benefit wben couples know they can depend on our isealts system and stay in Milton to maise tiseir families. I selI products for Regal Greetinga and Giftu and I'mi wilI- ing to donate 10 per cent of every sale to tise re-opening of tise Milton maternity ward, and I ask otiser retailers to step up to tise challenge. Tise hospital isas fundraisers. Let's put pressure on tisem to raise funds for tise re-opening, too. Thse nurses everywisere including Oakville and Georgetown give tiseir best but tise added stress, I'm sure, is unnecessary and unfair to tisem as welI as tise new mom. So please Milton, let's try our isardesi to re-open tise maternity ward in Milton and put our own nurses, doctors and money back to work. Kim Harrison Milton Pud by Steve Nease