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o-Thse Canadien Champion, Fniday, January 18, 2002 COMMENT '\\ \*THE CAN4DANCHAMPION - Box 248, 191 Main St. E., The Canadien Champion, published every Tuesday and tniday ai 191 IF T HI E Milton. Ont. L9T 4N9 Main St. E. Milton, Ont. L9T 4N9 (Box 248), s one of The Metroland Priînting, Publistning & Cistributing Ltd. group ot siubsiban companies which P A I ncludes: Ajax/Pickering Newas Adveensser, Alliston Herald/Courier, Banrie (905) 878-2341 Advance, BrYs Bay This Week, Bolte Entnnprise, Brampton Suandian, Bunlinglon Post, Burlingion Shopping News, City Panent, City ot York Editortal Fax: 905-878-4943 Advocate/Cnsntry Rnutes, Eitocoke Suardian, Flambonough Post, Fnnever g AderisngFa. 0587-264 Ynung, Genngetown IndependentlActon Fnee Pness, Halnon Business Times, T gr-aE U V U Adetsn a:958620 unonia Business Times, Kingston This Week, Lindsay This Week. Markhannm I ~ I M N Classiied: 05-87-3300 Economist & Sun, Midland/Penetanguishene Minnnn, Miton Shopping News,lj Clasifie: 90-8753300 Mississauga Business Times, Mississuga News, Napanee Guide. Circulation: 905-878-5947 Nassaguweya News, Newnarkittlurora Ena-Banner, Nortthumberland News, M AFC I ~ /L. 01~ North Yortk Mirnor, Oakville Beaven, Oakuclin Shopping News, Oldtimens Ian Oliver Publisher Hockey News, Onahui Today, OshawaWhty/laington/Port Perny ahs Neil Oliver Associate Publis/ter HillThornhillNfaughan Lîhenal, Scarhonough Mîrnor, Stouttsitte/Uehnridge Tribune Jili Davis Editor io Chief AdueOîisîng is uccepted nn thn condition tsat, in the nuent nf a typo- Karen Smith Edutor graphical enron, that portion et the advedîisîng space occupird hy the enro- neous item. togniher wîth a reusonabte altowance tor signature, null not ha Wendy MeNab Adrertiseg Manager charget ton, but the balance on the udoadtisement witi be paie ton ut thn appti- Steve Crozier Circulation Manager cabte note, Tht publistr raserons the rîght to cotagorion adverdisements or Teri Casas Office Manager dcie Pi Thir Milton Canadian Champion isa Reayciabie Praduct 5 Tim Coles Production Manager ~#- \-ri Two-ti*er healili care is out of the question Ernie Eves' recent comments suggestmng a two-tier health care sys- tern would benefit Ontarians is disturbing to say the least. Mr. Eves, who's aimaing to be the next leader of the provincial Progressive Conservative Party, last week said a pay-as-you-can health care systemn would help alleviate the long waitmng periods for somne essential medical services. Mr. Eves said he and other Ontarians should be able to spend their disposable incomne to help themselves or farnily memrbers access ade- quate health care the saine way people can pay for superior vetermnary care for pets. Flaws in Min Eves' logic are obvious. For one, a great number of Ontarians live at or below the poverty line. It's doubtful the tern 'dis- posable incomne' gets tossed around too often by themn. r Ontarians pay for health care through taxation and as such should be assured access to it. A two-tier systemn wouldn't speed up waiting peri- ods. It would simply mean those who could afford. health care would receive it; those who couldn't would have to get back in line. There's little doubt oui health-care systemn needs to be miproved. Waiting lists for essential services shouldn't be common place. However, mnstituting a pay-as-you-can systemn isn't the answer, and it's up to Ontarians to make sure that doesn't happen. OUR READERS WRITEr Reawder beliaeves Town Hall should stay put, but changes needed to Council Chambers (The following letter was ad.dressed ta the Town of Milton, Mayor Gord Krantz and town coun- cil members and a copy was filed with The Champion.) Dear Editor: Re: Regarding tise location of Town Hall. 1 believe our Town Hall sisould stay where it is. Wisen we re-mod- eled it, waa it not supposed to have served for tise next 50 years? If you utilized tise existing court- yard and reduced the saze of tise mayor's office, you sisould isave enougs roomi for tise next 20 years. 1 would also auggest tisat Council Chambers could revamped with sorte of Mohawk Raceway siot tract money. They could be made user fier rather than tise 'tbem-and-us' s we bave now. Us tise counicillors lounge aro on $500 chairs and them tise payers sit bebind a fence on $50 tan-back chairs. Also, theen tise ratepayers, il stand at a speaker stand, as i court of law, when presenting t case and tise Test cas only 1 the about haif of tise presentation. be 1 have been to a few strmai] town Our counicil meetings in Ontario and fine Milton is tise least ratepayer-friend- Iy 1 have seen. kdly 1 suggest thse fence be tomn down 'tPand tise counicillors be seated in a und semi-circle. If not so comfortable, tis te meetings would be more pro- rat- ductive. Also, with better chairs for tise fluet ratepayers and perhaps more of us in a in attendance, we would ail benefit. iseir Anthony Green hear RR2, Campbelivllle WaM #t haveyoursy on a*.Sal issue? You Sen wm»t #a »Wftto OweW 'A person, is a person., lis a person, 'is what I say Discrimination- in ail its superficial formis; - is a plague on tisis multi-cultural nation of ours. Unfortunately, its presence bas iseen especially evident following tise Septemiser 1 1 terrorist attacks. In tise wake of tise sntacks, somne individuals felt it necessary to lasis out at tise Muslim communi- ty, setting fore to, mosques and participating in verbal barassmnent. Witb alI this going on - and it's not just every- one else's problem, this bappened in Halton too - il wanned my beart to see students corne together last Friday to discuss ways of eliminat- ing sucis barbaric beisavior. Tise 'Taking Action Against Hate' conference held at Bisisop Reding Secondary Scisool saw bigis scisool students from across tise region share their experiences and tisougists on isow to curb this tragic trend. Wisile tisere are no concrete solutions, the stu- dents put tise wheels of action into motion. Schools from eacis of tise four ares moanicipalities developed action plans for tiseir individual scisools, as well as tise broader coinounity. The most common factor in tiseir plans was communication. T'Mis is key isecause, as execu- tive director of tise Canadian Race Relations Foundation Dr. Karen Mock said at tise confer- ence, "people are not bom with tisese negative attitudes." Environment is a major factor in tise develop- ment of discrimination and hale - it spreads like a virus fromn one person toi tise next. But througis education - a powerful form of communication - people may sec tise error in their misguided ways. Communication is also key to holding those taking part in hateful actions responsible. Prom my perspective Tisrougis tiseir punisisment, others wilI see isate/discrimination isn't okay. Discrimination reaches mucis wider tisas tise mealmns of race and religion. Sexual orientation harassment was identified by several students as. tise number one problemr in their scisools. Casual joking may seemn harmless, but if's tise seed of bigotry. If it's not nipped in tise bud, fur- tiser hateful actions cas result. Personally, 1 neyer quite understood tise need some people feel to use otisers as scapegoats for their problems. It doesn't solve asything, it only makes tiiags worse. Because of tisis lack of understanding, l've been accused masy times in my life of iseing naïve. People have told me 1 juet don't under- stand how tise world works and that 1 better leam to be more jaded - thougs not in tisose words. But 1 don't sec it tisat way. That kind of think- mng only incubates tise problemr and continues tise legacy of discrimination. A person, is a person, is a person - 1 say. Judge eseis person on tiseir actions, on who they are - not what tisey are. lt's doubtfui discrimination and hate will ever be eliminated entirely, but 1 applaud tisese stu- dents for tiseir efforts. Only through action cas unprovement be made.