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ntario‘s Municipal Act should be as familiar to Oany local politician as a stop sign is to a motorist. However, the sad difference is that while the Highway Traffic Act has penalties for violators, the Municipal Act doesn‘t. And that lack of accountability, enforcement and penalties constitute the greatest inadâ€" equacy of a law intended to govern the conduct of municipal government. If the goal is to bring greater accountability and integrity to local government, the first and foremost step would be to amend the Municipal Act to include a mechanism for investigating complaints, as well as penalties for those guilty of violations. Citizens conâ€" fronted with a secretative local council often have nowhere to turn. The politicians know that fully well, and use it to their personal advantage. For that very reason, we believe the Ministry of Municipal Affairs should establish a complaints comâ€" missioner to hear citizen concerns and enforce the act. This could function in a very similar way to how the Information and Privacy Commissioner currently enforces the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Presently. responsibility for enforcing the Municipal Act rests with the Minister of Municipal Affairs. And, with all due respect to recently appointed minister Chris Hodgson, the actions of his predecessors have contributed to a culture of secrecy and disregard for transparency and openness. Al Leach was minister when. in November 1996 his personally appointed mediator Gartner: Church attempted to get a liquoredâ€"up group of Fâ€"â€"_â€"'â€"â€"â€"’ Hamilton city and subâ€" B urban councillors to QI{RQNICLE buy _ into _ municipal hDI 1 ORlAL | restructuring. ind Municipal Act remains flawed without penalties Yes, there likely would be an initial flood of comâ€" plaints. But that can not be regarded as an obstacle to the solution. but rather as a measurement of the enorâ€" mity of the problem. Similarly, minister Tony Clement was at first oblivious, and then seemed quite unconcerned that his appointed Hamilton transiâ€" tion board may have violated the Municipal Act by holding a private lunch meeting on Feb. 29, 2000. So, while these previous ministers of municipal affairs seem to have thumbed their noses at the Municipal Act and failed in their responsibility to proâ€" vide open government, where can citizens turn for a defense of local democracy? In the past, when the most serious violations have occurred, the most effective action has been court action against the offending municipality or politicians. The idea was that, while the Municipal Act did not proâ€" vide for penalties, a court ruling could mean that any future infractions might be found to be in contempt of the court. Clearly, what is needed most is a change to the Municipal Act itself to ensure accountability, a mechaâ€" nism for complaints and enforcement, and penalities for violators. This week the Ontario Legislature will debate and vote on Liberal MPP Caroline Di Cocco‘s private memâ€" bert‘s bill to impose penalties upon councillors who parâ€" ticipate in illegal secret meetings. The bill is based on a similar provision in Michigan‘s Open Meeting Act. But that‘s an onerous, time consuming and costly process, Most average, lawâ€"abiding citizens are relucâ€" tant to take such action, even against politicians who show less than stellar regard for the law, not to mention that the politicians are generally having their legal costs paid for from the public purse. What the Ontario Municipal Act needs more than anything else is a provision for penalties. Until then, any other amendments are merely cosmetic changes to a toothless dog. While we believe penalties should be much greater than the $1,000 Ms. Di Cocco is proposing, this is still very much a pragmatic first step in the right direction. CHRONICLE EDITORIAL COMMENT People on both sides of the border helped make the sun shine for some special kids What was intended to be a oneâ€"day trip to Walt Disrey World became a threeâ€"day odyssey for children and parâ€" ents, volunteers and their families. In the midst of it all, wonderful people on both sides of the border pulled togethâ€" er to ensure that Sunshine children and those looking after them had their needs met and that they were able to enjoy themselves in Orlando. No condition justifies indiscriminate, wanton cruelty and destruction It mhay prove impossible to suffiâ€" ciently recognize everyone‘s contribuâ€" tions to this effort, but we will try. Hearty thanks to the Optimist Club of New Hamburg, which sponsored and participated in the Dreamilift, and to the doctor, physiotherapists, nurses, oneâ€"onâ€"one caregivers, and the volunâ€" teers who participated as buddies for the trip. You made the needs of the chilâ€" Its aim, through education is to challenge and thwart the scourge of racism and intolerance. This letter emerges from the monstrous events of Sept. 11, 2001. he Waterloo (Ontario) County THolocaus( Education Committee is an organization composed of members of the Jewish, Christian and Moslem faiths. War widows‘ pension a gender issue for the 21st century No just, peaceâ€"loving individual witâ€" nessing the current suffering in New e current controversy regarding the masculine impression in the words of our National Anthem (in all thy son‘s command, etc...) draws attention to the financial situation facing war widows; ie. inequality with the male servicemanâ€"husband. This was the main topic of conversaâ€" tion among the 250 widows who particiâ€" pated in the recent National Biennial Seminar of The War Amps of Canada, held in Toronto Aug. 6 â€"11, 2001. The issue is disarmingly simple. The monthly pension for these widows â€" all of whose preâ€"deceased husbands were in receipt of maximum pension and allowances â€" is $1,365. Conversely, the maximum for a 100â€"perâ€"cent disability pensioner (mostly male) is $1,821. The war widow is expected to subsist on 25 per cent less than her male counterpart. {Interesting, isn‘t it? Should the wife preâ€" decease her husband, he would be paid at the 100â€"perâ€"cent rate of $1,821). Admittedly, the male carried the disabiliâ€" ty, but the wife spent most of her life as the caregiver. _ c _ The figures above are basic rates only. In addition, when the pensioner was alive, he would be in receipt of Exceptional Incapacity and Attendance allowances totailing another $1,887; thus on the death of the pensioner, the family dren a priority and provided a warm, caring atmosphere far away from home. To the Rotary Children‘s Centre, which provided medical support for the Dreamilift and allowed their staff to participate as buddies, thank you for your constant ongoing support. To Skyservice, the aircraft carrier for the trip, a warm "thank you" for constantly communicating with us and providing extra staff to assist the volunteers. To media representatives who stayed with the group in Orlando and other media sources at home, thank you for your concern and your support. To Brantford Corrections Services officers, Sunshine is grateful for your assistance lifting the children on and off the plane and being available on short notice. To John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport, we express our appreciation for efforts to ensure technical and logistical details were completed. We thank the amazing parents for their unfailing trust in our care for their York and Washington can help but feel intense pain and severe outrage. _ However deep our sadness and horâ€" ror, it is critical that we not give expresâ€" sion to our revulsion in the same terms as those who perpetrate vicious slaugh â€" ter. Whatever the ills in the world, no condition | justifies indiscriminate. wanton cruelty and destruction. It is imperative, therefore, that every nation, every religious group, every income would decrease from $4,164 to $1,365. Imagine the plight of the widow who must suffer an immediate drop in her living standard of $2,800 a month. What about equal rights between men and women? We took the matter to Gerald Merrithew, Minister of Veterans Affairs, and were told in a letter dated May 8, 1991; "No government funding available:" We then placed the issue before the Human Rights Commission and were advised to go to the courts. The Ontario Court (General Division) on Jan. 20, 1994, decided that the legislation could not be changed by a court. This was upheld by the Ontario Court of Appeal in a Judgement dated Dec. 1, 1997. In other words, the Justices said: "Get the Act changed." The War Amps is currently developing a nationwide petiâ€" tion for presentation at the opening of the fall session of Parliament. The original basis for the discrepancy between a male pensioner and a widow was established by Parliamentary comâ€" mittees back in 1919. At that time Parliament said pay the pensioner the same as cleaning staff in the public serâ€" vice. The cleaners were all male; so were the exâ€"servicemen. When it came to setâ€" ting pension for a widow, the governâ€" ment allowed the discrimination to conâ€" tinue. The soâ€"called "char ladies" in the tOG children. We were proud to have earned such a level of confidence in the community. _ â€" â€" Our special thanks also go to the Orange County Sheriffs Office in Orlando. The sheriffs have always proâ€" vided tremendous support on past Dreamilifts. But this time, their caring touched us beyond anyone‘s expectaâ€" tions, and their boundless energy in recruiting other community groups and businesses to help out ensured combfort, safety and fun for the kids and volunteers. And finally, we thank the kids. Their courage, youthful spirit and readiness to make the best of their situation, even though they didn‘t get to the Magic Kingdom, was an inspiration to us all and made our efforts worthwhile! These outpourings of support, genâ€" erosity and courage are testaments to the human spirit. 0 â€" â€" individual renounce and condemn the extremist elemnents in their midst. They must repudiate the extremist elements which advocate hatred and promote gratuitous violence and which, thereby, distort the essence of all religions to foster love and respect for all human beings and harmony among all peoples. public service were paid 75 per cent of the salary of a male cleaner. No governâ€" ment would attempt to establish pay rates on such an unequal basis t@day. The War Amps has been waiting its chance to see the legislation changed since the decision of the Ontario Appellate Court. Now there is evidence to indicate that the government has abanâ€" doned its discriminatory policy between men and women. For example, in 1992 surviving widows of Hong Kong veterans received the same as if the husband was alive (ie. $24,000). The "parity" principle applied, as well, to the current special payment for merchant seamen. The amounts ranged from $5,000 to $20,000 and were paid in full to the widow if the merchant mariner had died. Surety the words of O Canada are intended to reflect male and female equality. There are probably less than 6,000 widows alive who would benefit. In their declining years the authorities must recognize that, in their role as spouses, these gallant women helped to look after their men disabled by war. Now that the war widows are on their own, their penâ€" sion should be equated with the amount that would have been paid to their menâ€" folk, had the wives died first. S Lili Pasternak, Waterioo County Holocaust Education Committee â€" Bill Rockwood, executive director, Sunshine Dreams for Kids CBO, The War Amps