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Regaxding Tracy Morency‘s Feb. 13 letter in the Chronicle Itself to Blame), please allow me to clarify some facts. First, it is unfortunate Morency sees student transportation fundâ€" ing as an issue that pits Catholic school boards against their public board friends. As the information provided below will show, nothing could be further from the truth. Here are the current facts about student transportation in Ontario â€" based on a 2007 survey of the Engâ€" lish language school boards in Ontario that currently have transâ€" portation policies (28 Catholic and 31 public boards responded). 10 + (Catholic School Board Has Only Morency used outdated 2004 data in her letter: The Waterloo Catholic District School Board‘s walking distance for students in junior kindergarten to Grade 8 â€" the distance criticized by Morency as overly generous â€" is 1.6 kilomeâ€" tres; exactly the provincial median among boards of all stripes. Of the 59 boards answering the survey, 66 per cent (22 Catholic and 17 public boards) maintain walking distances of less than two kilomeâ€" tres. Among public boards alone, 55 per cent maintain walking disâ€" tances of less than 2 kilometres. This shows very clearly that the determination of walking distances is a boardâ€"byâ€"board decision and, Morency‘s protestations notwithâ€" standing, absolutely no case can be Time to clarify some of the facts surrounding transportation WATERLOO CHRONICLE * Wednesday, February 20, 2008 1396 King Street North ST. JACOBS 519â€"664â€"2286 At Stone Crock, we love to see you corning back for more! Over your next four evening visits, you can save up to $50 off dining with these valuable coupons. Restaurant & Catering made that Catholic boards have been any better or any worse than public boards in crafting transâ€" portation policies. Of the 59 responding boards, six Catholic (22 per cent) and 14 public boards (45 per cent) maintained walking distances of greater than two kilometres â€" clearly showing two xilometres â€" clearly showing s yet again that walking distances are New lpe(_llcal_ S_ChOOl not a Catholic vs. public issue but are determined on a boardâ€"byâ€" board basis to meet local needs. The $400,000 transportation funding shortfall Morency criticizes Catholic board chair Wayne Buchâ€" holtz for pointing out to the Chronâ€" icle is an historical fact â€" just as is the approximately $1.2 million public board transportation fundâ€" ing shortfall Morency describes in her letter. The fact is, the Waterloo Catholic District School Board‘s decision to eliminate noonâ€"hour transportation of kindergarten stuâ€" dents beginning in September 2008 will place the board within its transportation funding allocation â€" a testament to the efficiencies we have found within our system. Rather than criticize the Catholic board for providing stuâ€" dents the best transportation servâ€" ices obtainable within available funding, Morency might instead work with the public school board to find creative, cost effective ways to reduce walking distances for public school students. I trust these facts will help Chronicle readers understand that student transportation is a complex issue that the Waterloo Catholic District School Board is handling efficiently, costâ€"effectively and in a manner completely in line with a I i 5 11 1 Up to Up to 1 ~? 1P ~? .> I l * * l I ® e l | Off Dining ; Off Dining j Valid 4 pm â€" 8 Valid 4 pm â€" 8 pm Effom omm . I Durrhace an evenina entrée l I Purchase an evenina entrée l Purchase an evening entrée _ * * _ Purchase an evening entrée or dinner buffet, receive _ J | or dinner buffet, receive at Stone Crock. at Stone Crock. $665¢60 (g5oni $5 555610 otzave "one couponperperson. 1 [ ‘onecoupoopar parson: 1 Clip & Save! These coupons are also available at majority of Ontario‘s school boards. That is totally fictitious â€" we are graduating increasing numbers of doctors each year. Rather than needing more doctors and offering large bonuses (read taxpayer‘s dolâ€" lars) what we really need are citiâ€" zens and politicians willing to jump outside the box. t the risk of sounding rude or Aarmgam. 1 have to say I‘m getâ€" ting extremely tired of reading about a supposed physicians shortâ€" age (Re: Business Matters, Jan. 16). You may not be aware of the fact that Ontario medical students are heavily subsidized (again read taxâ€" payer‘s money) by the provincial government. I personally don‘t have a probâ€" lem with helping dedicated stuâ€" dents offset their lengthy educaâ€" tion. It only makes sense to invest in the people who might become our future healthâ€"care providers. That being said, why do we have a government and medical associaâ€" tion that turns a blind eye to the fact that, for over 15 years, 30 to 45 per cent of all Ontario graduates leave our province and most pracâ€" tice south of the border? grads should p:x‘ back the people who subsidized them Excuse me, we the residents of 11 &$ss$$5wn% Roger D. Lawler Director of Education Waterloo Catholic District School Board t rEadin a ans snon. _ Pesticide supporters Jn 160. ___ should prove it‘s www.stiacob: Ontario have paid for at least half of their education. I firmly believe we would have no physician shortages if the higher powers that be would make it mandatory that each subsidized graduate practice somewhere in the province for at least three years. Where is our political moxy? Controlling, you say. Well these stuâ€" dents can choose to get their eduâ€" cation south of the border. I am a grandmother, retired fedâ€" eral intelligence analyst and recentâ€" ly honorary Canadian observer on a pesticide committee in the U.S. Why do we need "unassailable numerical evidence for the carcinoâ€" genic effect of pesticides on a large segment of the population" before proceeding with municipal bylaws? Why not turn this argument around, i.e. demanding proof that these products are nonâ€"toxic, before they can be used. Can Mr. Tom Fahidy prove that pesticides do not have carcinogenic effects and are nonâ€"toxic to humans and pets? Obviously, he cannot. Re: Ban Proponents Can Pult Out His Weeds, by Tom Fahidy, published in the Chronicle on Feb. 13. Besides, the exposures are cumulative and combined affect young children drastically, with U.S. scientists estimating them to nonâ€"toxic to kids [\U& BAKERY 4 ] Pork Cordon Bleu.............. $1.69/ea. Boneless Chicken Breasts ..... $4.99/lb. Turkey Kolbassa.................$4.49/lb. fiififfi%mg Ham ............... $4.49/lb. Marbie Cheese ...................$6.89/lb. D When your card is full, enter it into our monthy draw for a Stone Crock pie! Stone Crock Bakery 519â€"664â€"3612 1402 King Street, ST. JACOBS Waterloo be up to 100 times as vulnerable as adults are. Measuring the toxic effect of pesticides is a very complicated matter and the onus on proâ€"pestiâ€" cide activists and axeâ€"grinders, who often have a vested interest in keeping the product legal, should be to prove that they are nonâ€"toxic. Besides, there is much more to public health than statistical eviâ€" dence, simplistically understood. Children walking beside recentâ€" ly sprayed lawns are exposed via inhalation to a toxic breakdown of product (notâ€"tested on rats), with the residues going directly to their brain, bypassing the liver which is the cleansing organ. Yes, proponents of a full ban such as myself do have a problem with soâ€"called properly adminisâ€" tered and controlled application of pesticides. I have personally witâ€" nessed such applications and am not impressed: literally rivers and rivers of toxic herbicide sprayed by men wearing shortâ€"sleeved shirts (endangering their own health, just so their employer could pretend that the product was safe). _ Besides pesticides can be toxic in minute quantities, especially when dioxinâ€"contaminated in the process of manufacturing. (Dioxin has been linked to cancer, diabetes, infertility, neurological diseases and impaired child development.) I am an owner of an attractive suburban lawn, maintained withâ€" out any pesticides, as was done from time immemorial prior to the invention of herbicides during the Second World War. K. Jean Cottam