Editorial

As I sit down to write this editorial, I find that many things need my attention. Do I focus on the new school year, complete with neighbourhood school closures? Or on the amalgamation of the cities and townships in the Ottawa-Carleton region into a new mega-city? What about the municipal elections in November or, an issue close to my heart, helping to revitalize many of MAW’s committees? I suppose I could sit back and watch the Olympics and let someone else survive the pressure to participate and succeed. But then, I never have been known to stay silent at a meeting. If I’m going to have opinions, I need to turn off the television and get involved.

The challenges that face our communities pull us in many directions. Often we spend valuable energy and time arguing with each other instead of combining our efforts to solve problems. Throughout Ontario, perhaps across the country, urban core citizens are being pitted against suburban citizens and neither is being well-served by public officials. This “Us Vs. Them” mentality is the ace in the hole for any government who would rather we fight amongst ourselves instead of finding solutions to really tough problems. For example, the quality of educational programs at First Avenue Public School, the early French Immersion school both my children have attended from the beginning, has been nickel-and-dimed to death in recent years while the majority of the parents have stood idly by. There was no hue and cry when the Ministry of Education decided that junior kindergarten would no longer be taught in French even in early immersion programs. First Avenue was one of only a few schools in the Board to offer this program. At a community level, only a small core of parents (working through the Home and School Association) have been willing to work to have more schools built in the suburbs or in trying to save urban schools slated for closure. I think many of the parents hoped the whole issue would magically go away.

Schools, hospitals, community centres and organizations like Mothers Are Women, are a vital part of our community and each depends upon its volunteer component. As parents, it is important that we show our children how important it is to volunteer and work together for the common good of our communities. We also need to learn and to teach that a “Win-win” outcome is better than “Win-lose” - even if we’re on the winning side. For example, I have clean drinking water and I’m willing to pay a little extra to ensure that everyone is so fortunate. And I certainly don’t want anyone dying because the emergency ward has been shut down due to overcrowding or lack of budget. I plan on letting my political representatives know that I want to be seen as a participant in decision making and not solely as a taxpayer. I certainly do not wish anyone to suffer so that I can get a tax refund. The clock is ticking on so many important issues. For the good of our communities, we all need to get involved.

Lisa Menard

E-mail: homebase@mothersarewomen.com