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w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, F eb ru ar y 20 ,2 02 0 | 6 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the news- paper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca editorial@waterloochronicle.ca facebook.com/waterloochronicle @wlchronicle WHO WE ARE VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague Regional General Manager Nelson Parreira nparreira@metroland.com Regional Director of Media Heather Dunbar hdunbar@starmetrolandmedia.com Advertising Representatives Cassandra Dellow, Jan Bodanka, Matt Miller, Lisa Humphreys, Sheri-Lyn Blair, Chris Rego Managing Editor Doug Coxson Online Editor Adam Jackson Reporters Bill Jackson Namish Modi CONTACT US Waterloo Chronicle 475 Thompson Dr. Cambridge, ON N1T 2K8 Phone: 519-886-2830 Fax: 519-623-9155 Web: www.waterloochronicle.ca Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 320 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Published letters will appear in print and/or online at waterloochronicle.ca Delivery For all delivery inquiries, e-mail customerservice@metroland.com or call 519-894-3000 OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA OPINION When Canada passed a set of rules governing Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) in 2016, the federal govern- ment knew they were just a starting point. It knew, and said publicly, that the laws would need to evolve. It had to have known that because the new guide- lines were quite restrictive they would face legal challeng- es. What it might not have predicted is how quickly that would happen. Late last year the Superior Court of Quebec ruled that it is unconstitutional to limit access to assisted death services to people nearing the end of life. The challenge was launched by Quebec residents Nicole Gladue and Jean Truchon, both of whom suffer from incur- able degenerative illnesses and had requested assisted death, only to have their requests denied because their deaths were not "reasonably foreseeable." Justice Chris- tine Baudouin also invalidated the section of the Quebec law that states MAID applicants must be "at the end of life." Neither the Quebec nor the federal government chose to appeal the Quebec ruling, which means the struck sections of the law now need to be replaced by new ones that do not violate the constitutional rights of people seeking MAID, but also protect people who could be victimized if the law was applied too liberally or improperly. There is no questioning the soundness of the Quebec ruling, either from a legal or a common sense perspective. It's a complex, deeply personal matter, and the stakes could scarcely be higher. The more accessible the law is, the greater the potential for abuse. There is a prevailing sense that the government must improve end-of-life care, especially palliative care, while it broadens eligibility to MAID. No one wants a situation where people choose MAID because a lack of proper pallia- tive care gives them limited options. This is a matter Canadians feel strongly about. Recent public opinion data suggests a strong majority of Canadi- ans want broader access to MAID services. And so the government is moving toward a broader ap- proach. Obviously, it should not rush. But neither can it tread water because we now have a court ruling which states the existing law is unfair and violates the constitu- tion. Public data shows that about 6,700 Canadians have ac- cessed assisted dying services since the law was past four years ago. We don't know how many have applied and been rejected, but we do know that the most common reason for being rejected is that death is not "immediately foresee- able." That's unfair. The government needs to ensure more people can access MAID to end their lives with dignity, and on their own terms. MOVE CAREFULLY BUT QUICKLY ON ACCESS TO 'MAID' SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA Art can be a unifying force and a key component in building community within a school. As a parent of the K-W Bi- lingual School for the past 14 years, one of my favourite collaborative art projects is a bright and colourful mural the students made last year, which reads: "Together We Can Do Something Wonder- ful." Our youngest daughter will be graduating from Grade 8 this June, and I find myself reflecting on the many ways our staff and teachers foster respect and kindness, regardless of the subject matter they teach. Inspired by Canadian as- tronaut Chris Hadfield's per- formance of David Bowie's Space Oddity on the Interna- tional Space Station, the K-W Bilingual teachers and students wrote and recorded their own rendition of the song in hopes of connecting with Hadfield through his virtual "On the Lunch Pad" Q&A school program. It worked. The students packed the school gymnasi- um just before lunch for a 30- minute Skype call with Had- field as he fielded questions on everything from space food and weightlessness to life on Mars. I'll also never forget the pride I felt seeing Joan O'Malley, who sewed the first red maple leaf flag ever flown, sing the national an- them with students, teach- ers and parents - all wearing the colours of Canada and holding a giant Canadian flag over their heads. We were thrilled with the timing of O'Malley's visit, as it marked the 50th anniver- sary of not only the red ma- ple leaf flag, but also of K-W Bilingual School. The insti- tution was founded by a small group of parents seek- ing bilingual education for their children at a time when there was no French Immersion offered in the re- gion. With a strong emphasis on family and long-term re- lationships, parents tend to be very involved with their kids' education at the school, often through after-school activities ranging from ka- rate to robot-programming to Operetta. It's easy to become pessi- mistic about the future, giv- en all the challenges our world is facing. But I find in- credible optimism knowing there are places like K-W Bi- lingual School out there, where teachers impart stu- dents not just with facts and figures, but with the collab- orative problem-solving skills that will serve them well in an increasingly com- plex world. Together, I hope and be- lieve, they will do something wonderful. Marshall Ward is a freelance writer and artist. 'TOGETHER WE CAN DO SOMETHING WONDERFUL' SCHOOL HELPS CREATE FEELING OF INCREDIBLE OPTIMISM, WRITES MARSHALL WARD MARSHALL WARD Column