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f 6 weekenpf r ujrpy ihovember 1 97 syu 11 m m ii 1 fstb at- teachers not breaking laws only contract dear editor any laws fusion then anything else re teachers setting a bad letters such as this one are teachers are staging an illegal example bullies indicative of a poor understand- walkout thereby breaching a please inform hj davidson ing of the system and hisher mutually binding agreement that teachers are not breaking comments cause far more con- between the board and the come to the source for genuine values on a variety of brand name items for yp your famify bankruptcyliquidation centre 5328 hwy 7 east 1 block east of mccowan markham est 19s9 new merchandise will arrive regularly kii x check us out v hi j office supplies stationary pet supplies mirrors videos video games its not too early to shop for christmas we have something for everyone on your list visit us today designer and brand names at phenomenal clothing bridal gowns cowboy boots hats jewellery hair dressing supplies household items christnjas items you name it weve probably got it if you dont see it ask for it lots of parking and a play area for the kids i dont miss our i public car auction every sunday at 555 deriisbh i mastercard we are open 7 days a week monday tuesday 10am6pm wednesday to saturday 10am9pm sunday noon 5pm receive an extra 5 discount off your bankruptcyliquidation centre purchase with this coupon photocopies not accepted expires dec 197 teachers on the other hand the gov ernment is trying to give itself regula tory powers bill 160 to systematical ly shred destroy all boardteachers agreements in ontario and impose its own terms such agreements were negotiated in good faith by all parties involved and this process epitomizes the founda tions upon which a democratic society is built the teachers believe that if one party can go ahead and unilaterally invali date a contract which was signed and sealed in good faith then the other party the teachers have the same right that my friends is democracy we all have equalrights also on the same page a letter writer talks about teachers being bullies because they defy a democratically elected govern ment remember that this government was elected using a democratic process which may not generate a true demo cratic majority please note that even though this process may generate a majority government because a party has 50 per cent plus of the available seats in a legislature it does not neces sarily mean that it has received the majority of the votes of the people in ontario for instance in the last provincial elections held in 1995 there were 4158370 valid ballots cast only 65 per cent of the eligible voters in letters ontario decided to vote and about 40 per cent of the ballots cast were in favour of the current government the last available census states that there are almost 1 1 million people living in ontario and every single ontarian is governed by a body which was elected with about 16 million votes therefore asserting that this govern ment speaks for all ontarians or that this government represents the majority of ontarians is a faulty state ment ifkwan ho leung loves democracy so much as indicated in hisher article then heshe does not understand bill 1 60 because one cannot be a defender of democracy and at the same time support bill 160 in conclusion i would ask your read ers that before coming to a conclusion on this issue teachers vs bill 160 to do the same thing i ask my students research topics using reliable sources and then formulate a conclusion which can be substantiated by facts our stu dents are very knowledgeable and intelligent individuals respect their opinions and lets not try to influence them with our own this letter is not intended to influ ence anyone it is simply meant to be factual and clarify certain issues lorenzo rossi via email parent concerned over bill dear editor i as a parent of three children ages 9 5 and 3 have been following the teach ers strike very closely i am opposed to the governments bill 160 1 can not and do not believe these changes will improve my childrens education we have proof of this by all the changes that had to be made two years ago when the govern ment then cut 12 billion dollars from our childrens education we experienced class size increases and the cancellation of our junior kindergarten program we lost a full time librarian and a full time physical educator our schools are down to the bare bones how much more can be cut my blood runs cold when i hear mike harris on the television announcing what the teachers are doing is ille gal what mr harris is doing is morally illegal in forcing us toaccept bill 160 he denied that the government had a plan to cut funding of over 12 billion over the next two years to our schools this we now know is a lie how can he be trust ed my belief that we live in a democratic society is wavering we have seen the effects of his cuts by the closing of hospitals and the recent school funding he is leading us to believe that the teachers are the bad guys they are not asking for salary increases they are not getting strike pay they are making a stand by speaking out for our children and their children and the future of our children and their right to the best education available this strike belongs to all of us and it is time we lend a hand and show our support by joining the teachers on the picket lines or calling our local mpp julia munro at 6403753 and voicing your opin ion you can also send it in writing by mail julia munro felcher blvd box 9 rr 3 stouffville ont l4a 7x4 fax 6405180 a concerned parent carole averill economist sun presents decision a special section devoted to the 1997 markham municipal election featuring profiles and photos of candidates an opportunity to present your message to the residents of markham distribution saturday november 8th please call the economist sun for information at 2942200 or fax 2941538