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Pour nous rejoindre

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to become over-committed? The past couple of weeks have been that way for me and as a result I’ve had a difficult time getting around to writing my editorial and laying out the Spring issue of Homebase. I think I’ve promised some of my time and energy to everyone I know - I was actually glad of the winter storm we had in early April because it actually lengthened my Spring timeframe.

During the last few weeks I have had an opportunity to connect with some other MAWs and catch up with what we’ve all been doing in our spare time. I was amazed (and proud) to listen to these woman talk about all the issues that affect their lives and all the efforts and actions they’re taking to make better communities for all of us. It is a fact that no one of us has enough time or energy to care passionately about every topic. You have to pick your own causes. Sometimes that means that we might not be aware of all the ramifications of every budget cut or policy decision.

A good example of this was recently brought to my attention by longtime MAW-member, Diane Beckett. Due to severe budget cuts by the provincial government, the Ottawa Carleton District School Board is planning to close two irreplaceable outdoor education facilities - the MacSkimming and Bill Mason Centres. These centres will be closed on December 31, 2003, as a cost saving measure. Diane and other committed supporters have formed an organization called Friends of Lasting Outdoor Education (FLOE) to save the Centres (for more information contact Diane at dianebeckett@hotmail.com).

These Centres were originally part of the Ottawa Board of Education and were fully integrated into the education curriculum from JK to OAC. They were staffed with teacher-experts and students would visit many times throughout their schooling. In Grade 8, my niece, Rowan, spent two days learning what it would be like to attend school in the 1930’s. In Grade 11, Rowan spent time with her environmental biology course studying the unique ecosystem of the MacSkimming forest area. In Grade 3, my daughter, Rae, and her class visited the swampy forest edge and collected pond specimens. After a hotdog and marshmallow roast lunch, the children spent the afternoon checking their specimens under microscopes - all under the watchful, experienced eye of a biology/environmental studies teacher. Both Rae and my son, Rhys, had an opportunity to visit the working farm during JK. They collected and graded eggs, cuddled bunnies and avoided the turkeys. In the summer months these centres have offered a variety of summer camps to Ottawa-area children and all the facilities are available for organizations in the area to rent for special events such as astronomy nights and outdoor camps.

If I based my decision to close these centres on my own childhood I might be tempted to say, “Why does a school board need to own woods?” When I was little I only needed to cross the street to play in empty fields and wooded areas. That is no longer the case in 2003 for any urban area in Canada. Most children in Canada no longer have access to the woods and their parents wouldn’t let them play in them even if they did! It should be noted that Toronto also has several outdoor educational facilities and they, too, are getting ready to close their doors. What no one seems to be discussing is that, if these centres are sold, they will most likely be replaced by housing subdivisions. These centres are valuable for the support they provide to schools throughout the region, not just for their property value. Their closure due to lack of funding would be shortsighted in the extreme. There are lots of causes like this across the country. It takes the vigilance of people like Diane Beckett to alert the rest of us - giving us the opportunity to challenge bad decisions before they make life poorer for us all.

Happy Spring!

Lisa Menard
Editor
Homebase