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w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, M ar ch 28 ,2 01 9 | 8 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the news- paper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca editorial@waterloochronicle.ca facebook.com/waterloochronicle @wlchronicle WHO WE ARE VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague Regional General Manager Nelson Parreira nparreira@metroland.com Regional Director of Media Heather Dunbar hdunbar@starmetrolandmedia.com Sales Lead/Advertising Representative Michelle Stevens ext. 795062 Advertising Representatives Cassandra Dellow ext. 795066 Jan Bodanka ext. 795072 Delia Medina ext. 795065 Regional Editor Mike Wilson Reporters Adam Jackson Bill Jackson Namish Modi CONTACT US Waterloo Chronicle 475 Thompson Dr. Cambridge, ON N1T 2K8 Phone: 519-886-2830 Fax: 519-623-9155 Web: www.waterloochronicle.ca Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 200 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Delivery For all delivery inquiries, e-mail customerservice@metroland.com or call 519-894-3000 OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA EDITORIAL Whoever thinks the teenage years are an extended picnic in the sunshine should walk the halls in one of Waterloo Region's public high schools. Half of the students will have "low well-being." Many will be struggling to get the sleep or proper nutrition they need. As a group, they feel less positive about friends, adults and after-school activities than they did just a few years ago. Only one in four is deemed to be thriving. These are the sobering findings the Waterloo Region District School Board discovered when it questioned 27,428 students in grades 4 to 12 last spring in a volun- tary, online well-being survey. The results are a call to action - for the school board, teachers and parents alike. Just two out of three students in the region's public board earn their diploma within four years of high school, a rate in Ontario's bottom quarter. If we can help high school kids become more resilient, they might not only be happier but more academically suc- cessful, too. To be fair, the survey results are a cause for concern but certainly not panic. The board measured students' optimism, happiness, self-esteem, absence of sadness and general health. Those who responded negatively to just one of these five measures were deemed to have low well-being. This is the first time such a survey has been taken, too, which means nobody knows whether the situation is improving, deteriorating or the norm. It's also worth noting that far from being a carefree, idyllic age, the teenage years have always been difficult. The region's public board is absolutely right to be concerned about the welfare of its students and is using this survey as a tool to improve their lives. Here are a few suggestions worth discussing: be- cause transitions are often so disruptive to young lives, the board should look harder at phasing out middle schools for Grades 7 and 8, leaving only one transition from elementary to high school. Starting the high school day later - at 10 a.m., for instance - might allow students to get more precious hours of sleep. Teens generally need more rest than other age groups. Teaching practical coping skills such as time man- agement could help too. And just as schools promote physical health, they could find new ways to enhance mental health. Some students advocate teaching "mind- fulness" - focusing on the present moment, exploring the broader perspective on life that can make daily challenges more manageable. Why not offer such clas- ses? Philosophy has its consolations. Our schools work hard to teach teens about the world. Now, it seems, they also need to teach them how to be happy in it. STUDENTS' 'LOW WELL-BEING' A CALL TO ACTION Recently there's been some discussion about the province's review of re- gional government. A few people have even suggested someone wants to set up a City of Halton. I am happy to write today to set the re- cord straight. Yes, the Ontario govern- ment has launched a re- view of regional govern- ment in Ontario. The sys- tem has been around for al- most 50 years and the review covers all eight re- gional governments and Simcoe County. The minis- ter of municipal affairs and housing, who launched the review, has said that "the outcomes of the review are not predetermined. This is not an exercise to amal- gamate municipalities." We want to find oppor- tunities to make it easier for residents and business- es to access municipal ser- vices, methods to make municipalities open for business, possibilities to cut red tape and duplica- tion, and save costs. Most importantly, we want to streamline the de- livery of efficient and effec- tive local services that re- spect taxpayers' money. Jim Bradley, chair of Ni- agara Region, a respected former Liberal minister and MPP, told the media he plans to be part of the con- sultation process for the months to come as part of that review, adding, "it's in- cumbent upon municipali- ties to participate, as op- posed to sit back and wait for whatever happens to happen." "This is not unexpected. The new government said it would be looking at re- gional government as many other governments have done in the past," he said. Your government wants to make sure regional gov- ernments are working hard and working smart to deliver services to their communities. We are com- mitting to listening to the views of local leaders, busi- nesses and residents - and we will also be consulting online. We should welcome the opportunity to find ways to be innovative and do things better, at all levels of gov- ernment, and be account- able to the taxpayers. People expect their gov- ernments to be account- able - at every level. Effie Triantafilopoulos is the MPP for Oakville North-Burlington. SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT ON REGIONAL GOVERNANCE REVIEW ONTARIO GOVERNMENT AIMS TO CREATE BETTER ACCESS TO MUNICIPAL SERVICES, WRITES EFFIE TRIANTAFILOPOULOS EFFIE TRIANTAFIL- OPOULOS Column