4 | THE COMMUNITY NEWS | MARCH 21, 2019 THE
COMMUNITY NEWS Published by W.H.A. Publications Limited P.O. Box 252, Fergus, Ontario, N1M 2W8 905 Gartshore Street, Fergus Telephone 1-844-843-5410 Fax 519-843-7607 drayton@wellingtonadvertiser.com Published on Thursdays Deadline: Monday at 10am Subscriptions $58.79 plus HST in Canada Dave Adsett, Publisher Chris Daponte, Editor Patrick Raftis, Reporter Aryn Strickland, Reporter Alicia Roza, Graphic Designer
Ontario Community Newspaper Association
38th Annual
Drayton
March 27 & 28
FARM SHOW Presented by the Drayton Kinsmen
Canadian Community Newspaper Association
Circulation: 7,845
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YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER
EDITORIAL By Patrick Raftis
Mystifying math While the news cycle has largely moved on to the back and forth between Ontario Premier Doug Ford and ousted (from the Tory caucus) MPP Randy Hillier, whose accusations that fealty to Ford has become more important than representing constituents among the Conservative crew ring pretty true, it’s hard not to cast a backward glance at last week’s announcements regarding education. The Ford government revealed changes to Ontario’s education system on March 15, including increased class sizes for high school and upper elementary grades, and new elementary math and health education curriculums. “Our plan will modernize the classroom, protect the future of the education system and ensure that Ontario students will acquire the skills they need to build successful lives, families and businesses right here in Ontario,” said Education Minister Lisa Thompson. Maybe, but only if they’re building successful lives in Doug Ford’s Ontario, where the only math the government would like you to know is that beer costs a buck a bottle and a carbon tax will bankrupt the province. While some old-timers are applauding the announcement of a back-to-basics math curriculum that includes a return to emphasis on rote learning of times tables, it’s hard not to wonder who that will help. Math basics need to be taught, but they should hardly be the focus. The advent of calculators and computers has meant that while students need to understand math principals, the basic grunt work can be handled electronically, leaving young minds free to concentrate on more intricate and important tasks. Farmers don’t plow fields with horses anymore, for much the same type of reasons. It can be done, but why would you? While the health and physical education curriculum appears not to have been dialed all the way back to the 1950s, as many feared it might be under a leader who was compelled to cozy up to social conservatives long enough to win his party nomination, the new version does delay introduction of topics such as sexting, contraception and sexually transmitted infections until halfway through Grade 8 which, unfortunately, is going to be too late for some. Perhaps the biggest lesson imparted by the new education approach is that this government actually thinks you are stupid. Otherwise, why would they even try to sell a plan to increase class sizes as symbiotic with Ford’s election promise that “not one single person will lose their job.” That of course evolved post election to “no front line workers” will lose their jobs (tell that to all the front line workers already facing layoffs due to program changes). Thompson is now pushing the line there will be “no involuntary job losses” due to the education changes. Attrition may sound like a painless way to cut, but unions are predicting there could well be 16,000 to 20,000 fewer teachers working in Ontario four years from now. In addition to the impact on current students, that kind of talent exodus bodes poorly for the future of education in general. Many bright young people have already been discouraged from entering the education field due to difficulty in finding full-time employment upon graduation in recent years. What impact this purge will have on the profession is difficult to imagine. Still, with a Tory majority, there’s no stopping the plan, so we might as well get ready for the “new” math. Try this one: if beer costs one dollar, how much does it cost to drink enough to forget, at least for a little while, that Doug Ford is premier?
Farming showcase - The Annual Drayton Kinsmen Farm Show will be held at the PMD arena on March 27 and 28. The event features the latest in agricultural technology and also provides an opportunity for farmers and farm suppliers to talk shop. From left: Annelies and Margreet Mohle of Palmerston talk to Nieuwland Feed sales rep Nathan Marzo and nutrition and management advisor Jesse Flanagan at the 2018 show. Community News file photo
Drayton Farm Show a celebration of tradition, evolution By Aryn Strickland DRAYTON - One of the draws of the Drayton Farm Show is that very little about the show has changed in the 38 years since it began. The family-friendly show is full of time-honoured traditions like a collectable model tractor. The main focus of the twoday event, according to 2019 farm show chairman Chad MacKay, is the chance for community members who work side-by-side all year to celebrate their rural roots.
“It’s basically almost a social event, so you get to see all of the vendors in person ... the vendors like ... to sort of (engage) with the people that they work with,” said MacKay. He added the show offers “a mixture of different businesses from the various sides within the agriculture field – from barn painting businesses and manure removal to robot barn cleaners and feeders. “I think [the show] still suits the people that work on the farms and own the
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farms to get out and see what’s going on in the rest of the agricultural (world),” MacKay said. Some of the new equipment will be on site this year, he told the Community News. “We’ve got maybe 15 vendors bringing equipment to park outside for people to take a look around and actually see some of the bigger stuff,” he said. The two-day show, sponsored by the Drayton Kinsmen, takes place on March 27 from 11am to 10pm and on March 28 from 11am to 9pm at the PMD arena in Drayton. Half of the $5 admission fee is donated to cystic fibrosis research, a cause that the local Kinsmen support at a national level.
The rest of the proceeds are put toward various Kinsmen projects in the community. There are displays, information booths and educational opportunities suited to rural and non-rural visitors of all ages. Show-goers will see a few new faces among the exhibitors, with most regulars returning. Tractor Collectible One of the main attractions every year at the Drayton Farm Show is the diecast model tractors for purchase. This year the featured collectible is the Farmall Blue Ribbon tractor. Tractor collectors can pick up a model tractor at the Drayton Kinsmen Farm Show booth.
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