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The Burnt Church dispute has been escalated by another illegal confrontation he DFOâ€"Burnt Church aaktive l Indian fishing dispute las been escalated by the iMegal occupation of a DFO office by native women there. No doubt the Miikmaq pere have legitimate grievances that need to be discussed. But this grave situation will not be defused by another illegal conâ€" frontation. Moreover, I disagree with some points made by Nina Baileyâ€"Dick in her letter (Sept. 13) about this subâ€" ject. First, the Supreme Court of Canada _ recently _ ruled _ that Canadian coastal waters such as Miramachi Bay are under governâ€" ment of Canada authority and DFO has the right to regulate fishing there for all parties involved. Over 20 other Indian bands as well as nonâ€"native fishers there have agreed to observe DFO quotas and seasons. It‘s only the Burnt Church Miikmags who illegally set more lobster traps â€" citing they are a "sovereign people" subject only to themselves In fact the Miikmags are not a sovereign nation recognized by The Supreme Court of Canada recently ruled that Canadian coastal waters such as Miramachi Bay are under government of Canada authority and DFO has the right to regulate fishing there for all parties involved. You said it QUESTION WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE IN THE UPCOMING MUNICIPAL ELECTION? T Second, wien DFO officials tried to remove those illegally placed traps, the Burnt Church band memâ€" bers physically tried to prevent them from doing their job. Canada or tiie United Nations. The officers weren‘t "stealing" Indian traps; they were removing illegally placed traps, at night to preâ€" vent an even more ugly confrontaâ€" tion. They do met have internationally accepted beirers, their own currenâ€" cy. or a parkament recognized by the world. It doesn‘t make sense that fishery personnel would jeopardize their careers, health and seniority as well Canadian ‘Millionaire‘ show was an embarrassment ‘d like to respond to the multiâ€" Itude of articles on the environ:â€" ment I‘ve read in the media lateâ€" ly. Dealing with the environment on the farm is and always has been an important part of our livelihoods It‘s not a moneyâ€"making or mediaâ€" grabbing cause, but rather just the opposite Fm $1 million (Canadian}, which statement is correct?: a) Cancel the contract of emotionless gameâ€"show hostess Pamela Wallin Ontario‘s pork producers have invested over $1 million on a wide range of environmental research projects in the last tive years, includâ€" ing everything from improving manure â€" spreading â€" techniques, odour solutions. and using pig manure to reduce scabs on pota "I guess that there should be some harmony between the school trustees, teachers and the "I thimk we have to do something about all the everâ€"expanding housing developâ€" ments. It‘s starting to get eut of control." Terry Knight COMMENT Nevertheless, â€" native lawyers have access to Canadian courts conâ€" cerning any alleged wrongdoing. What comes across to me about this dispute is that Burnt Church Miikmags want more than their share of the "common goods" placed there by the Creator; and they‘re willing to break any law in their way to do it. Hopefully peace, order, and good and compassionate government will prevail in this dispute. _ as their generous pensions by comâ€" bating crime with their own crimiâ€" nal action. Canadian Edition" c) I am Canadian d) All of the above toes. We have also invested a lot of time and effort working with other farm groups, conservation authonâ€" ties, and government partners to develop programs like the Nutrient Management | Planning Strategy, Environmental Farm Plans, and the Pesticide Safety Course No flashy media spins or press conferences, just plain old â€"fash ioned commitment to finding solu tions and scientific answers for a sustainable environment for every one Final answer: d! Sam Bradshaw, environment specialist, Ontario Pork "The (uptown) mall might be one. I think it‘s going to cause a problem with the parking. It‘s going to affect the businesses and people will just get up and leave the city." "I think it‘s the megaâ€" city issue and talk of amalgamatior ." Don MacCallum Peter Grainger, Waterioo Pat Miller ny day now, you are likely to see the first of many fresh Agaced youngsters on your doorstep â€" selling chocolate ars, or muffin mix, or citrus fruit, or some other product designed to raise money for their schools. My advice, whether you‘re willing and able to buy anything or not, is to ask the stuâ€" dent salesperson a simple question: what is the money from this fundraising drive being used for? Based on experience and research, the answer may well include things like textbooks, computer software, math manipulatives, school supplies, and library books. Most of us are accustomed to shelling out money at the door to Girl Guides and minor soccer players, as well as students tryâ€" ing to raise money for trips to Quebec City. The idea of paying out of pocket for something that should be funded from tax dollars is a little harder to take. Last year, Guelph Mercury columnist Bill Penner expressed the concerns of many parents regarding the school fundraising initiatives. "We‘ve been reduced to using our kids to shill for supâ€" plies and equipment. The schools provide ‘incentives‘ for the kids: money, trips in a limo and special prizes... Schools are becoming training centres, funded by corporations whose priâ€" mary interest is in creating consumers Te and obedient pliant employees. Maybe We i I the chocolate bars are just part of the payle NEION | plan. It‘s a way of training the kids to | VIEW | work in thankless, entryâ€"level service | jobs, selling useless products to people . M e o who don‘t need them." [ Of i 4 I Fundraising for key school proâ€" (MMR m grams also perpetuates the already i * profound inequalities between "rich" . (fB a and "poor" schools. Wealthy parents | it S can simply write a cheque to the | PW ind school, something that middleâ€"class | and poor parents cannot do. Most / school boards, including those in Waterloo Region, allow donors to desâ€" |f SsCOTT ignate their donation to a particular PIATKOWSKI school. In some areas of the province, . !â€"=========â€" schools are registering as independent charitable foundations Also during the 1990 election campaign another prominent politician visited Waterloo. While here, he complained that "the provincial government, with all the resources for technolagy, for provincial advice and assessment and the scientific knowledge, has sat back and said, ‘it‘s (water quality) a municipal problem, you come up with your solution and we‘ll see if we can help 1 think they‘re going to have to be more proactive " When ques tioned about where the new money would come from to fund an expanded provincial role on the environment, the visitor insist ed that "there is ample moaney if it‘s coâ€"ordinated â€" if it‘s spent properly to meet the needs of Ontario" And who was this staunch advocate for the environment? It was Mike Harris, less than five years before he was to become premier A more serious concern is the safety of the children who are being sent door to door in defiance of the old prohibition against "talking to strangers". In 1998, Eddie Werner was abducted and strangled as he went door to door selling gift wrap and candy. The 11â€"yearâ€"old New Jersey student was attempting to win a walkieâ€"talkie by selling the most items. Calgary Bishop Fred Henry spoke out against the proliferation of school fundraising when he took part in a panel discussion of Alberta Catholic school trustees in November 1998. "I have to say I‘m amazed that you are not angry. I cannot believe that you are almost assuming as a group that fundraising is normal. It is not. It‘s an abertation. The whoie question of fundraising is simply downloading the problem on the individual schools and school boards. It boggies my mind. You people are supposed to be mobilizing and trying to do something in a concerted effort to put together an active plan and a strategy to change government policy. I‘m mad as hell. I can‘t believe this." I‘m not a Catholic, but 1 have to assume that it takes a lot to make a bishop say that he is "mad as hell". We should all be equally angry. We should join him in demnanding that adequate government funding be reinstated so that fundraising does not have to be used to fund education. A paragraph was inexplicably deleted from last week‘s colâ€" umn before I submitted it for publication (probably due to my own careless editing, although I‘m officially blaming the Y2K bug). Readers may recall that the column dealt with the contrast between the brave words of Elizabeth Witmer when discussing the environment in 1990, and the actions of the Tory government since it was elected in 1995. 1 apologize for the omission, but hope that you will agree that the additional information con tained in the paragraph below tends to reinforce my point: Wanna buy a chocolate bar? oi | ANOTHER | uce Tak yi | m | | | SCOTT | | pratkowsk |