" "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice 188 MARY STREET - PORT PERRY, ONT. - LOL 1B7 PHONE (905) 985-7383 FAX (905) 985-3708 E-Mail: port.perry.star@sympatico.ca Publications Mail Registrations No. 07881 Subscription Rates: 1 Year - $32.10 6 Months - $17.65 Foreign - $90.95 Includes $2.10 GST Includes $1.15 GST Includes $5.95 GST Member of the Canadian & Ontario Newspaper Assoc. Published every Tuesday by the Port Perry Star Co. Ltd. - 188 Mary Street - Port Perry, Ont. ADVERTISING BUSINESS OFFICE Office Mgr. .........ccccevennenee. Gayle Stapley Accounting.......Judy Ashby, Janet Rankin Retail Sales......Kathy Dudley, Heather Callan EDITORIAL: Publisher................. J. Peter Hvidsten + CNA PRODUCTION Advertising Mgr. .......... Don MacLeod Trudy Empringham, Pam Hickey, Sales: Deb McEachem, Ginni Todd, Rhonda Mulcahy, Robert Taylor, Barb | aurie Thompson, Cindy Jobin, Gail Morse, General Manager ....Don Macleod Managing Editor..... Jeff Mitchell News Reporters .....Chris Hall Editorial Comment Welcome to the school crisis A few years ago, before the provincial government really got the ball rolling as it rebuilt Ontario, the education minister of the day found himself in hot water after it was revealed he had boasted to colleagues he was prepared to create a "crisis" to implement the Tories' plan for schools. Welcome to the Crisis. Here in Durham Region, where high school students should have been resuming classes yesterday, teachers working for the public board are on strike. Their colleagues with the separate board are refusing to teach the extra class many of them have been assigned, and trustees are wondering how safe it is to keep the schools open. This is the second job action in less than a year, folks. If that's not a system in crisis, aurea whatis? The ironic aspect of these strikes is that both sides agree they have been caused' by Bill 160, the provincial legislation that brought about last year's teachers' strike, in which they were backed by their boards. Now the fight is local, and as the two sides dig in, it could become more nasty. Can the local boards and their teachers find solutions despite the troubling legisla- tion? The only way to find out is to return to ~~~ the negotiating table, and work. on it. Crises call for creative solutions, and cooperation. That has to happen, before it's too late. 1Re10]0 Bell, Richard Drew, Karen Dynes iff Freelance - Heather McCrae, John B. McClelland y Deborah Tiffin i ) \ \ \ ) N R 3 R N TRY OUR NEWEST AN N\ N\ WE CALLIT THE NWEEKEND =) VHRRILL Ripe NN S STOCK MARKET WER WW JUST HAUL You IN THE. A\R AND DROP YoU ON YouR HEAD! PorT PERRY STAR To the Editor: moves to reject a fair and negotiated contract Quality public education requires profes- that respects the premise of quality education, sional delivery of curriculum and active lead- all members of the board should resign, force ership of extracurricular programs in all pub- provincial take over of the school system, and licly funded schools in the province. With this thereby expose the provincial government as understanding the provincial government's the enemy of quality public education. I urge stance on teaching in secondary schools leads the members of the board to stand up for the one to the indisputable conclusion that the principal of quality education for all sectors of government is determined to destroy quality society. Negotiate with your teaching staff education in the public sector. With this in with an eye to quality education and reveal mind, I suggest the following to our school the provincial government's true agenda, the board trustees. establishment of a multi-tiered publicly funded Come to an agreement with your teaching education system. staff even if it means contravening provincial government expectations. If the government i A A Gord Humphrey, Port Perry 1998 Water St. was completely reconstructed a few years ago. Along the lake there is now green grass, ball parks, a children's playground and a gazebo in Palmer Park, where trains used to pick up passengers earlier this century. This photo of Water Street, looking north from about Casimir, shows the street was still dirt. To the right are the railway station, water tower and other buildings which are now part of Palmer Park and the Kinsmen Beach.