SERVING THE MAPLETON COMMUNITY
THE
COMMUNITY NEWS VOLUME 51 ISSUE 11
DRAYTON, ONTARIO
1 Year GIC - 2.45% 3 Year GIC - 2.80% 5 Year GIC - 3.10% Daily Interest 2.40%*
638-3328
THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2018
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UGDSB concludes public engagement workshops on long-term accommodation By Jaime Myslik
Shuffleboard league launched - The Seniors Centre for Excellence in Drayton hosted a shuffleboard “Try It� and registration event at the PMD arena on March 1. Martin Duimering and Grace Duimering took practice shots at the event. League play began on March 8 at the PMD arena. Photo by Caroline Sealey
ERIN - In February the Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB) held four public engagement workshops as part of its LongTerm Accommodation Plan (LTAP). Parents, teachers and stakeholders from across Wellington County, Dufferin County and the City of Guelph had the opportunity to participate and express what they are looking for in their schools. The workshops were held at Orangeville District Secondary School on Feb. 8, Centennial Collegiate Vocational Institute in Guelph on Feb. 12, Centre Wellington District High School in Fergus on Feb. 21 and Erin Public School on Feb. 28. The Feb. 20 workshop scheduled for Norwell District Secondary School in Palmerston was cancelled due to weather. The goal of the public workshops was to share information. “Our planning staff
will be providing information regarding population growth trends, accommodation, enrolment trends, etcetera,� said superintendent of finance Glen Regier at the Erin workshop. “But it’s also an opportunity for us to hear from our school communities.� Senior planner Heather Imm explained the LTAP is a strategic review of the board’s facilities and enrolment. “We need to do that to ensure that the board’s accommodation needs are accommodating the number of students that it serves and the needs of the communities throughout our full jurisdiction,� she said. In an interview with the Community News, UGDSB planning manager Jennifer Passy explained the board has not undertaken a comprehensive long-term plan since 2007. “We have done other capital plans to respond to ministry initiatives like full-day kindergarten leading up to 2014 when full implementa-
tion was required,â€? Passy explained. “This was the opportunity to now take a fresh, holistic, board-wide approach to look at what the board’s needs are on a go-forward basis and identify priorities for future processes to address some of the accommodation issues.â€? Those issues could include school overutilization (when school enrolment is 110% over capacity), underutilization (enrolment less than 80% capacity), imbalances and program needs. The board has emphasized the LTAP will not include any recommendations about school boundaries or changes to programs or schools. “It will look at identifying areas or schools that require another process or additional study,â€? Imm said. “It could be an accommodation review or it could be a boundary review, an impact study, something like that.â€? Each workshop focused on different school areas. The presentations showed the projected utilization SEE BOARD Âť 3
Seniors centre hosts first International Women’s Day Luncheon By Caroline Sealey PALMERSTON - Guest speakers at the Seniors’ Centre for Excellence’s first International Women’s Day Luncheon reflected on equality, empowerment and changes women make in the community. The luncheon, held on March 8 at the Palmerston United Church, featured Janice Benson and Brenda Rawlings from the Raw Carrot and Sharon Lewis of 100 Women Who Care Guelph. “It’s a new and different way of looking at things,� Benson said. “The Raw Carrot was started by two women at the Presbyterian church in Paris, Ontario. Brenda and I approached the ladies and asked if we could be their first franchise in Mount Forest.� The Raw Carrot is a nonprofit enterprise that has a social purpose. Operated by volunteers, the organization employs people with disabilities on social assistance to
Women’s Day speakers - Brenda Rawlings and Janice Benson, left, of The Raw Carrot and Sharon Lewis, right, of 100 Women Who Care Guelph were the guest speakers at an International Women’s Day Luncheon on March 8 at Palmerston United Church. The event was organized by the Seniors’ Centre for Excellence. Photos by Caroline Sealey make gourmet soup. The enterprise is inspired by the R. Lupton quote, “Little affirms human dignity more than honest work. One of the surest ways to destroy self-worth is subsidizing the idleness of able-
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bodied people. Work is a gift, a calling, a human responsibility.� “People on social assistance want to and can work. Set the scene so they can work,� Benson said. “If they have mental, physical or
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intellectual disabilities, we work through it.� The enterprise uses the Mount Forest United Church’s kitchen facilities to prepare soups and work under the church’s charitable status with assistance
WEEKLY WAG
“In our society, the women who break down barriers are those who ignore limits.� - Arnold Schwarzenegger
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from grants, donations and community groups. The organization has received unexpected blessings in the form of four parttime employees and numerous volunteers who have developed a community of people working together. The organization considers John 13: 34-35 to be at the core of its values. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.� (NIV) “We have grown to the point that we need to make a decision about expanding or staying where we are at,� Benson said. Rawlings, who is married to a farmer, fits easily in the kitchen as she has prepared many meals for farm workers and family. Rawlings was hesitant to join the venture in the beginning after being unemployed for 15 years and experiencing mental health issues. Because of her past,
Rawlings can talk with the enterprise’s four employees about their disabilities as she understands what each one is facing because of her own experiences. “Mental illness still has a stigma attached to it. Someone with this illness is scared to go out in the community, they lose confidence in themselves and what they used to be able to do,â€? Rawlings said. She added she enjoys working with the employees and the volunteers and is always finding new, safer and easier ways to improve productivity in the kitchen. The facilities at the United Church are inspected on a regular basis by public health and strict nutritional labelling is applied to each package of soup. Employees work on Tuesdays from 9am to 2pm and on Wednesday mornings. They are allowed to earn up to $200 without compromising their social assistance benefits. SEE INSPIRING Âť 3
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