Best contradiction

Congratulations on The Chronicle's win for Best Overall Community Newspaper of 2007, and the Outstanding Photojournalism award and most important, I believe, Best Education Story award by the Quebec Community Newspapers Association.

It’s too bad that the QCNA awards didn’t have a category for ‘best contradictory education quote’. You would have won that one too. Remember, the Dec. 11, 2007 article, Teachers don’t need guidelines: QESBA?

Marcus Tabachnick, chairman of the Lester B. Pearson School Board, (then) president of Quebec English School Boards Association, and (then) president of the Canadian School Boards Association said (concerning books):

“As always, when new programs are introduced, we want to be sure the teaching materials are in place on time, in English for the English system.”

Funny, in the past two months the Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers, the Quebec Home and Schools Federation Association, and just recently, the Central Parents Committee of the Pearson Board have written letters to Education Minister Michelle Courchesne complaining that the lack of English textbooks puts the English students at a disadvantage when following the curriculum reform.

Finally, at the May 26 board meeting, the proposed secretive and punitive code of ethics for the commissioners of the Pearson board, failed to be adopted, because it contravened the basic principles of Bill 88. It calls for openness, transparency, answerability and, most importantly, democracy in elected school boards. Negligence, arrogance, and extravagance do not belong in the management of school boards.

Bravo to Education Minister Michelle Courchesne and her goals for the future running of school boards.

Chris Eustace

Pierrefonds

Cash grab

The other day, I was given a speeding ticket for travelling 76 km/hour on the Highway 40 west service road, less than 500 metres from where I exited the highway. I was speeding. I deserved the ticket. But what angers me is the location of this speed trap. It is very difficult (and dangerous) to drop from 100 km/h to 50 km/h within such a short distance. The peculiar intersection at the corner of Jean-Yves Street and the service road is dangerous enough without having cars forced to stop in the bus zone. Unfortunately, I suppose, the police were certainly raking in the customers. I certainly hope the income from this cash grab will be directed towards re-planning the whole interchange in that area.

I must agree, however, with a column from an earlier date suggesting that the “reckless speeding” on service roads may not be the best focus for making our streets safer. As I watch the many cars cruising through the stop signs on residential streets where people are walking, cycling, or chasing soccer balls (Brunswick and Berne, Lantier and Silverpine, Argyle and Granada, Windermere and Arlington), the phrase “why aren’t the cops monitoring this” often comes to mind. Focusing efforts to improve drivers’ habits around pedestrian and park areas may not be as profitable for the city, but would likely be applauded by the public at large.

Let’s ticket the law-breakers, but can we also try to make the residential streets safer?

Thomas Powell

Kirkland

Go green this spring

Spring has arrived and the annual yard spring clean-up has started in earnest. Huge piles of plastic bags filled with leaves and scraped off dead grass wait to be picked up at the end of every driveway. Why we have to send this valuable natural fertilizer to already over-filled landfill sites is beyond me. Leaf litter and all dead vegetation decompose very quickly when spread around hedges, vegetable and perennial gardens. Also, the decomposing material supports all sorts of beneficial life forms and becomes an important part of the food chain. Unfortunately, we replace this natural resource with artificial fertilizers that are made out of petrochemical byproducts. This supplement cannot support any kind of life and does not interact with nature’s food chain giving us only a short term solution. Using artificial fertilizer puts vegetation on a temporary life support.

Being green does not require a huge effort; just let nature do its work. To do this, though, old habits have to change and have to be more nature friendly in our landscaping practices.

Istvan Tihanyi

Pointe-Claire