What a Blast

What a Blast

picture from nfreview.com

Season's first major storm wallops Niagara

With quotes from PETER DOWNS, AND TIFFANY MAYER St. Catharines Standard Saturday December 20th ,20008 http://www.scstandard.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1356110&auth=PETER%20DOWNS,%20AND%20TIFFANY%20MAYER%20STANDARD%20STAFF

<<< Winter's first major blast left Niagara virtually paralyzed Friday as it pummelled the region with heavy snow and howling winds. Schools across the region opened for the last day of classes before the Christmas break, but were forced to shut down by noon. Numerous municipal offices also battened down the hatches by midday and cancelled nonessential services for the afternoon.

St. Catharines roads crews were out in full force throughout the day, plowing and salting the city's busiest streets. "We're concentrating our efforts on the main roads right now," manager of operations Bob Riediger said at about 11 a. m. The city had about 20 of its own trucks on the road and was calling in independent contractors to help out with snow clearing.

City crews sprayed roads Friday with anti-icing liquid in anticipation of the first big blast of winter.

Meanwhile, Niagara EMS put an extra ambulance on the roads Friday because snow-clogged roads were causing some delays, operations manager Kevin Smith said.

Niagara's public and Catholic school boards cancelled bus service early Friday morning, but kept schools open for students who could make it on their own.

But by noon, both boards decided to close all schools and had to call families to make arrangements to pick up every child.

Brock University and Niagara College also closed at noon.

picture from imatt

Environment Canada is forecasting more snow every day in Niagara for the next few days, including a dump of about 20 centimeters Christmas Eve.>>>

So here is where there needs to be reform in my opinion:

Why are school boards and universities so greedy that they have to be pen no matter what to receive the funding that the government of Ontario gives them that they open for half days when the weather is going to turn for the worse.

IF THE SCHOOL BUSSES AREN’T RUNNING NEITHER SHOULD YOU.

picture from flicker

We send (our) children on the buses, which are driven by PROFESSIONAL drivers and their company pulls them of the road and yet the school boards send their employees to work.

If the school boards wanted to get creative how about picking up teachers on busses. Or if the Unions were smart they would bargain using the busses as a stakeholder or when to work indicator.

<<< Concerns over safety while on campus and in traveling to and from the campus will be paramount to the University's decision to close. In addition, in making decisions to close, the University will recognize the impact that other closures in the region have for our faculty, staff and students. With those factors in mind, decisions will be based on a variety of information such as:

· Weather reports from Environment Canada

· Accessibility of campus roadways and parking lots

· Reports of road and highway conditions for Niagara and Hamilton

· Status of public transportation

· Closing of school boards, Niagara College as well as other businesses and services >>>

http://www.brocku.ca/alumni/policy/iwp.php

So if yellow school busses are funded by the school boards which are funded by the tax payers, doesn’t that mean that school busses are PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION??? This especially goes for the lucky NOTL Edenites who travel for free making that bus EXTRA public. But don’t get me started on a school which should NOT exist in a public board.

Its time to wake up our public schools and post-secondary institutions. Call or write your MPP and get them to think about why these institutions stay open when only to close.

P.S. I will give Brock credit though. From 1964-2005, the school only closed during the Blizzard of 1977, once in the 1980’s on a Friday afternoon and in 2003 on a Tuesday night after 5 PM when most people had gone home anyways. I had to go to school that day even though EVERYTHING was open as I had an honours seminar in Public Admin with Professor Kernaghan and four other students. They have since closed about four times and redone their policy which still needs work.