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School councils and helpers are important n the spirit of Thanksgiving. IWalcr]oo's former CAO Bob Robertson gave local citizens a bad case of heartburn by dropping an $8.3 million lawsuit on city hall last week. There were probably a few tears cried in some beer mugs over the Oktoberfest weekend with the thought that another big taxpayer bailout was in the works. Kind of makes you wish that Tom Stockie was still around. His buyout only cost the city $750,000. City can‘t afford any more surprises But before anyone hands over the keys of the city to Robertson, one must remember that these are still simply allegations that must be proven in court. _ And realistically, no judge is going to hand him a multiâ€"millionâ€" nother school year is upon Aus, and it‘s shaping to be an interesting year. > Now that we are all settled in, for the most part anyway, to our rouâ€" tines as far as school and fall activiâ€" ties, ts a perfect time for parents to look at becoming involved with their school council. For those of you who aren‘t aware of them. every school has one. Putting it simply, its a group of parents who meet, usually monthly, to discuss issues pertaining to their particular school and school comâ€" munity. Waterioo Region needs more Block Parents ending your children off to Ssch(ml for the first time can be a bit nervous for most parents. That first morning your child is excited, you the parent a bit nerâ€" vous of "letting go" and trusting your child to remember all you‘ve taught them. You review some safety rules, walk the route, pack their lunch, say goodbye, wish them a good day. and say see you tonight. You go off to work with a tear in your eye but a good feeling your child is growing up. A sixâ€"yearâ€"old boy, in the Camâ€" bndge area. headed off to school to start Grade 1. The mother had done al} the propert preparation However, at lunch time this boy was a little overwhelmed and conâ€" fused and went home for lunch like he had always done. Upon arriving home no one was there â€" What a great feeling, end of story, right! Well not quite for one family this year, let me share their story. No problem, he thought, Fll go ask my neighbours for help He went to three different neigh bours who all said they couldn‘t help him. OK, l go to the corner store to get help. He went there. but was not offered any assistance The principal, a teacher repreâ€" LETTERS TO THE CHRO! CHRON Sure, it‘s going to cost the city some money to settle this case. But it might be more of a case of "Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it." The city entered the nationwide CAO search process so the successâ€" ful candidate would not be tainted by the RIM Park fiasco. dollar windfall for one day of work. â€"They trusted that the process and that the candidates themselves would be beyond reproach. sentative and a community mem ber also make up the council But with revelations about Robertson‘s past employment histoâ€" ry coming to light, there was no way his selection was going to stand the tempest of public opinion. The citizens of Waterloo clamâ€" ored for his removal or resignation. They got it, and now have to live The discussions are informative, lively and informal, It‘s a great way for parents to find what‘s happenâ€" ing. both locally and regionally regarding education. There is also an umbrella organiâ€" zation of school councils, called the Waterloo Region Assembly of Public School Councils. Each local school council sends a member of their school council to attend biâ€"monthly meetings to discuss issues sysâ€" temwide and regionally. They are a great group of dedicated volunteers who work to improve education for every school in the region, working That‘s fine, I‘ll walk to Nana‘s house, but when he got there she wasn‘t home. So, the stary had a happy ending, what‘s the big deal. All this time the little boy kept thinking of what to do next. After leaving Nana‘s house he was spotâ€" ted by three older boys who recogâ€" nized him and knew he should be at school. They approached him and went back to the school with him where they took him to the principal for help. This is why we exist. We work closely with the Waterloo Regional Police and both school boards. We, of Waterlao Regional Black Parent program, say "The big deal is that it might not have been and this should never happen again!" Our police liaison made us aware of this incident so that we might prevent this from happening again. «We need more Block Parent families to display the familiar red and white sign saving "yes. we are available io help." We need Block Parents all across this region. The two points we want to make *We recruit and train school rep COMMENT DITORIA| NICL] with the consequences. But it shouldn‘t be an $8.3â€"million misâ€" take. In the city‘s defence, they mainâ€" tain Robertson wasn‘t exactly forthâ€" coming in divulging the controverâ€" sial land deal he oversaw in Maple Ridge, B.C. That lack of disclosure is something Robertson will have to overcome in his legal brief. As for breach of contract. Robertson could only have one year‘s salary coming to him. â€" _ While this case gets lost in the shuffle of the courts over the next few years, the lesson is learned. The city has to have a better out clause with the next candidate, just in case. After all, Waterloo can no longer afford any more surprises when it comes to the CAO‘s office. both with the board and trustees Becoming involved in the school council is not an onerous task. There are plenty of opportunities to join committees to look at specific issues, or just come out and hear what‘s happening. [ would suggest trving to get out to at least one meeting and see for yourself what‘s happening with your school council. 1 think you‘ll be pleasantly surprised at the qualiâ€" ty of parent volunteers we have in Waterloo Region., resentatives to go into our schools to educate the students from JK to Grade 3 about street safety and the Block Parent program. If your school is without one, volunteer today, free training is available from our office. National Block Parent Week is Oct. 24â€"30. This year‘s theme is "Be Someane Others Can Depend On... Become a Block Parent". At the conclusion of this week we are hosting our second annual Halloween event at RIM Park from 1â€"3 p.m. This is a great family event with games, prizes, treats and a costume context. The cast is $5 per family with all proceeds supporting our ongoing work throughout the schools in this region. Form more information on how you can become a Block Parent, or for more about our local events, visit our _ Web site at www.sentex.net/â€"wrbpp/ or call 745â€"8410. Become a Block Parent today someone could be depending on you. Mary Wilson Block Parent Office Administrator Steve Bongelli Kitchener l ast week was an interesting one for people who watch and e interested in political affairs. The resumption of Parliaâ€" ment, the second presidential debate and local affairs dominatâ€" ed the headlines. L, along with many others, predicated the minority governâ€" ment in Ottawa would provide the country with some interestâ€" ing debates and situations on Parliament Hill, but no one foreâ€" saw the fireworks over the speech from the throne. More pomp than substance, speeches from the throne are traditionally longâ€"winded, deliberately vague elocutions of what a government hopes to accomplish during the upcoming session of Parliament. The speech is a good indication of the direction the government will be heading, and contains broad poticy objectives with very few specifics. It is essentially a strategic plan with details to be provided later in the Parliamenâ€" tary session when the government introduces draft legislation. That‘s why the drama in Ottawa surprised most Canadians. Speeches from the throne are not normally controversial enough to threaten the future of a minority government. Traditionally it is the legislation that comes after the speech that annoys the opposition and inspires them to flex their muscle and F**_*v 1 force amendments or failing that try to STRICKLY } bring down the government. Minority e mt governments are usually tested, and [ SPH\K[NG often fail or are defeated on matters of ‘ . a ‘ substance. This parliamentary session y will potentially have several matters of ‘ S °3 substance to deal with, including the $ Ei new health accord, missile defense | [ We .<% g\ . P with the U.S., support for our military, & 1% Â¥ national child care, Kyoto Accord. and C e*e monetary support for Canada‘s u% is : 2i municipalities. E%g With so much yet to come it makes Wl â€" 3. ... T M one wonder why the Conservatives SEAN and Bloc decided to draw a line in the | STRJCKLAND sand over the innocuous speech from the throne. It also makes one wonder why the conservatives would threaten to try and bring down the government over a Bloc Quebecois amendment that would see more fiscal power go the province of Quebec. More power to Quebec, by extension, would also mean more power to all the provinces, which would weaken the power of the federal government and increase the differences between the have and haveâ€"not provinces. Apparently our minority government is going to be even livelier then many first thought. But if Stephan Harper wants to build a truly national party with a national vision, he needs to think and act in the national interest. His actions this past are much more reminiscent of the Reform Party of Alberta rather than the new Conservative Party of Canada. Parliament, debates and CAOs Presidential debate â€" Round Two George W. Bush came out swinging last week and may have regained some ground he lost from the first debate. John Kerry is an obviously skilled debater and good communicator. He stays on message, delivers precise answers to questions and is telentless in his attacks on the president‘s record. It did, howevâ€" er, become apparent with the town hall format that Senator Kerry can at times seem pedantic, dry and Ivy League. Presiâ€" dent Bush, on the other hand, seemed to be more emotional and spirited this time around. In such a close race, with a record number of television viewers, the outcome may be determined by the candidate who wins the final debate next week. By the way, the format of the presidential debate is refreshâ€" ing compared to what we experience in our prime ministerial affairs. A moderator who is in control and listened to by the candidates and no interruptions allowed. Hopefully the orgaâ€" nizers of our provincial and national debates take notice and our future debates will be structured in such a way that elimiâ€" nates all the shouting and rude behaviour Lawsuit Unfortunately the City of Waterloo grabbed the headlines again with the lawsuit filed by former CAO Bob Robertson. The revelations of Robertson‘s statement of claim, if true, seem to indicate that city officials knew of his previous track record in Maple Ridge, BC. and hired him anyway. The firing only came when the media attention became too hot to handle It will be very interesting to see what the city says in response. Fâ€"mail your sean@seanstrickland.com. questions/comments S}RI(ZK,\' ? SPEAKING H [ SEAN STRICKLAND Lo