Letters to the editor

In reference to The Chronicle’s article Squeaky rail gets the grease in the Aug. 20 issue, Ian Auchinleck, the train passenger, had only the ‘small’ fine of $110 for four riders without tickets. My teenage daughter received a $215 transit fine for “fraud.” She was accused of traveling on the STM-run metro using her student fare pass without the proper identification, this despite she had with her proper, up-to-date, identification from the AMT proving she was, and still is, a student here in Montreal. She has traveled on the commuter train, for the past six years, paying each year for ‘proper’ ID. and a monthly student pass, and will do so again this month. A $215 fine while carrying regulation ID, and a fully paid transit pass, seems ludicrous just because the AMT and STM couldn’t get their act together and demand students buy into their $10/year ID racket twice. And this city implores us to adopt public transit! Not only does this fine seem unjust, it leaves me wondering how my family will fare with the new OPUS system when a) one high school student uses the monthly commuter train and bus b) one CEGEP student uses the monthly commuter train and metro c) one husband who uses the commuter train only traveling between zone 3 and zone 2. Who is going to explain the system clearly so I can figure out what needs to be purchased to keep each of them legal?

Even though I have lived in Pierrefonds for 24 years, I have never attended a municipal council meeting. I had no reason. Streets are ploughed in winter, garbage and recycling trucks come by year-round and last year four fellows promptly came over from the city when I noticed a coyote roaming in my back yard. Nonetheless, when I read in The Chronicle the invitation of Marcus Tabachnick, chairman of the Lester B. Pearson School Board, to the borough of Pierrefonds/Roxboro, “if they want to sit down and talk we can come to an agreement”, it brought back memories, and some worry. ('Borough weighs in on child obesity,' Aug. 27)

When I was a teacher and governing board member at Pierrefonds Comprehensive High School, I remember an agreement made between Pierrefonds and Pearson, to spruce up the school’s auditorium. I recall at governing board complaints about the sluggishness of the school board because of its tangled web of committees and consultations, to meet a timely completion date.

Anyway, on Sept. 2, armed with The Chronicle article, I went to the Pierrefonds-Roxboro council meeting. As a frequent attendee at Pearson meetings, it was a bit of a culture shock. There were many people present; some asked questions of the mayor, and all got clear answers.

Interestingly, the first people to speak didn’t have questions. Two teens gave a four-page presentation on a seminar they attended in Richmond, B.C. It was about global citizenship and social responsibility issues.

Anyhow, my mini address to council went something like this: School boards do not have a monopoly on matters dealing with the wellness of our youth. It is everyone’s concern. In the West Island, we are blessed with many people, groups and organizations that are willing and capable to help our kids.

However, it has been my experience that when it comes to any initiative undertaken involving organizations and the interests of students, it is a lot more efficient to deal directly with the schools. Keep in mind, many governing boards also include a community representative and some schools have leadership programs. Furthermore, school principals know what is needed.

Bottom line: School boards own buildings and are merely service providers; schools belong to students, parents, and the community. Finally, as far as invitations go, think of the line from a poem written by Mary Hewitt many years ago:

“Will you walk into my parlour?” said the spider to the fly.