FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 27, 2004

KENNEDY IS PUTTING STUDENTS LAST IN CARDEN & DALTON

(Queen's Park) - Haliburton-Victoria-Brock MPP Laurie Scott today spoke out today about the Education Minister Gerard Kennedy’s unwillingness to help solve a school busing issue affecting students from the former townships of Carden and Dalton.

During previous school years, some 150 elementary and secondary school students from Carden and Dalton were bused to Orillia-area schools that fall under the jurisdiction of the Simcoe County District School Board, rather than the local school board.

In a letter dated March 9, 2004, Laurie Scott and Simcoe North MPP Garfield Dunlop asked Minister Kennedy to re-introduce a Progressive Conservative regulation that would allow the cross-jurisdictional transportation costs for these students to be funded on a per-kilometre, per-student basis. If approved by Cabinet, this regulation would allow the students to continue attending the Orillia-area schools.

On May 3, 2004, Laurie Scott followed up on this letter with a question in the Legislature to Minister Kennedy. He responded "I undertake to the member opposite that we are exploring that now and will report back to her further on our success”.

Five months after writing the letter, Laurie Scott & Garfield Dunlop finally received a response. “We had to wait five months for a response, and then we received a form letter signed by Kennedy that doesn't even address this specific issue," said Laurie Scott. "This government claims that they want to put students first, but they are totally ignoring the parents and students in Carden and Dalton. We are just days away from the beginning of a new school year, and the Minister has still not helped these families."

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