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6 -mTe Canadian Champion, Fniday, December 14, 2001 +THE CAALNCHAMPION Box 248, 191 Main St. E., The Canadien Champion. publistied euery Tuesday and Ffiday at 191 Milton, Ont. L9T 4N9 Main St. E., Milton, Ont., L9T 4N9 (Box 248), is une ut The Metrutand Pninting, Publiseing & Distnibuting Ltd. goup of suburban cumpanies ottich includes: Alauicuern Ntews Adnertiser, Atliiton Henuld/Cuner Bannie (905) 878-2341 Advance, Banry's Ban This Week, Boltoen Entetytise, Brampton Guatdian, f Bulntotn Post, Burlington Shopping Ntews, City Parent, City ot York Guardian, CulngwuudlWasaga Cunnection, East York Mîrtut, Erin Editorial Fax: 905-878-4943 Aduncateleunnuy Routes, Etobicuke Guutdian, Ftumbunuugh Post, Funevet Young, Georgetown IndependentiActon Fiee Press, HauCun Business limes, Advertising Fax: 905-876-2364 Auronia Business Times. Kingston This Weeu, Lindsay IThis Week, Martiham Ecunomist & Sun, Midtand/Penetangulshene Mirru, Menuei Shopping News, Cîassified: 905-875-3300 Mississaugu Business limes, Mississauga News, Napunne Guide, Nassagaweya Ntews, Newmarket/Aurona Ena-Banner, Noethumberland News, Circulation: 905-878-5947 Rorte Yode Mirton, Oatunitie Beaner, Oakuitie Shopping Ntews, Gidtimens Hockey Ntews, Grillia Todae, Osteawaitittdbn/Ctarington/Port Perry This Ian Oliver Publisher Week, Peteerborouge lhis Week, Picton County Goide, Richmond RltilThorneittNaugtan t.rbera, Gcareonouge M ro, Stoutto leflbridge Nel Oliver Aouociate Pubiuher Tribune. Aduedisiog is accepteit on thee condition thati e e ent ot a type- Wendy McNab Adnermoing Manager graphical ennor, that portion of the adoertîsng space occuped tep ttee e o- Karen Smith Editor mtous item, togeteer wfth a neasenaete attowance tor signature, wtt flot be ctearged tor, but the batance of te adertesement wl tee pai ter at the appi Steve Crozier Circulation Manager cabte rate. The pubtîsen reserues ttee rigt tonu categoiz eadventesements or Ter! Castas Office Manager dectene. Tim Coles Production Manager tI ffBoe Caradae Chrampion e oa Boetvtae Pleedax It's simple. If you're ____________ drinking, don 't drive + O UR READERS WRITE With the holidays fast approaching and festive celebrations reaching their peak, we want to remind motorists of the dangers of drikig and then getting behind the wheel. Mixing alcohol and drivmng is flot only senseless, avoidable and irresponsible, it's iliegal. Police are out mi full force to. drive home that message as the Reduce Impaired. Drivmng Everywhere (RIDE) camnpaign bas been stepped Up. Last year, during the OPP's five-week holiday RIDE initiative, a total of 456,149 vehicles were stopped at roadside checkpoints across the province, mncluding Milton. As many as 890 12-hour suspensions were issued and 460 persons were charged with crin-inal code alcohol-relat- ed charges. More than 400 90-day licence suspensions were also issued. In other words, for every 338 drivers stopped at a RIDE checkpoint, one driver was either charged with an impaired driving-related offence or was issued a i 2-hour licence suspension. During the saine period, the OPP investigated 42 fatal collisions in which 46 people were killed. More than 30 per cent of the collisions were alcohol-related. And those are only the OPP figures. They don't include statistics from Halton Regional Police. It's unhelievable, but motorists are still drinking and drivmng. Some people just don't get it. Are you one of those people? Teachers have been too easy a target for the Ontario government, stresses reader Dear Editor: T7his letter is in reoponse to your editorial 'Retirement gratuities bringing big pressure' that appeared in the November 27 Champion. The Halton District Sehool Board ion't the only board to fond itseif in a fiscal crisis. Newspaper headlines acroos the province recently announced that ochool boards everywberc are in a fiscal croois. Some of those headioes usclude 'Board otili waating for provincial cash' (Brampton Guardian), 'Morley woes wonry board' (Sudbury Star), and 'Public ochool board braces for $880,000 deficit' (Simcoe Reformer). Some boards bave reported inad- equate fundo for gratuititeo, others are grappling with energy and trans- portation cost increases, wbile stili othero can't meet wage increases or benefits. tt's quite apparent that the Oontario govemment bas reduced ito level of support dramatically for public education. tt bas tumned ils back on the sys- tem. Ontario'o teachers have been talcing bits for years. Remember when Bob Rae gouged the teachers' wages and froze psy scale increases tbrough tbe Social Contract? Many of these teachers also went without a pay increase for up to 10 years. Wben tbey received an increase, it was often meagre at best. Recently, teachers weoe told that they have to psy for a perpetual recertification programn. What's ncxt - gratuities, psy, and henefit cuts? Teachers makie too easy a fali guy for the down-sizing agenda of the Tories. 1 urge readers to look beyond Halton and take a glimpse at juot bow wideopread tbe underfunding crisis in public education really is. Tom Kop.iwas Windsor We could really live without the slippery wet staff At tbis time of year, we are accustomed to see- ing snow plows, kids running around in snow suils and icicles hanging frous the roof top. But unfortunately (or fortuntely, if you think the way I do), we bave yet to see the familiar signas of winter. Maybe ibis year Christonas will be colourleso. We can always pray. But for those of us who actually like the cold weather, or rather paaticipating in various activi- ties derived from cold weather, Ibis is a radier gloomny tim of year The people wbo operate Kelso are asking for just one day or nigbt (at the vcoy least) of cold weather in order to, make artificial onow. Temperatures must bit -5 degrees Celsius before tbio ean be done. So far, our unuoually-wann temperatures bave barely given in. But maybe it will for Christmas break, and the siopes wilI ha filied with eager snow enIbusiasts. Evert though I despise snow and would rather live somewhere wiIb palm trees swaying in tbe giaif breeze, I know bow mucb flan it is toi make a snowman, onow angels and take seaiks through tbe glistening snow on a windless day or nigot. But that's bardly good reason to wish for flakes. We do have beosefits from the wbite stuff. It's a way for us toi keep in chape wben shoveling driveways. It's a dime to catch pecumonia when rolling around on tbe ground, or steppig nit a giant puddle and walking around with soaked pants for the test of tbe day. And don't forget scraping ice off the car. Now Ibat's the hast part of winter. Ob, bow I love t0 stand outside in the freezing cold, my teeIb chat- tering, my bando numb, and nid my car of the giant mounitain of onow Ibat accumulated over the course of the day. Nothing brightens my day More. Since Ibis wilt really ha my first seinter travel- ling back nd forth frous Toronto to Milton (although my forst day was in February, but snose wasn't a probleru as that lime), l'm less than arix- ious to sec if the seather seul play toi my advan- tage in the moming. l'us not holding my brcalh. Truc, tbe winter months provide us with some lime off froon the bot summer days, and true, it's a lime to cuddle by the waton fireplace wiIb Ibat special soneone. But let's face it - winter is a depressing dime of year. The sun rarely shines, the kids can't play in the park and the urge toi go outside is practically non-existent. Now I know there arc people out there wbo actually enjoy thio God-awful lime of year, like the people wbo make a living out of plowing snow off thse roads atnd tow truck drivers wbo en charge an armn and a leg for bauling your vebicle 80 km away whan the engine won't stars becauoe of the freezing temperaturcu. And l'm sure people en tbink of many reasons wby we should ha grateful we live in a count-y wiIb cver-cbangmng seasons. But we could always ski on artificial snow. And cuddle by tbe tire on camping trips. We en tive seithout the slippery sel stuif.