Disappointed

Dear sir:
The following is part of a letter the Mid District High School Committee sent to the Minister of Environment and Energy.
Dear Hon. Sterling,
We are responding to your letter dated May 30, 1997. We are disappointed that once again the system has failed us. We realize, as minister of the environment for the entire province, that you must experience, daily, a very full agenda. We fully accept that you are unable to scrutinize all issues that require your attention by personally studying every submission.
You stated you gave “careful consideration” to our request. We believe your sincerity in carefully considering the data presented to you before deciding not to designate all matters surrounding the “multi-use” project to an assessment. Our membership’s involvement with the bureaucracy has, to say the least, been enlightening. Our understanding of the system leads us to believe that the non-elected officials put their own “spin” on the contents of public submissions when briefing your executive assistants, who, in turn, confer with you.
Your letter indicates that you requested staff of the Ministry of Education and Training to become involved with your ministry, and as a result of the ministry of education’s review, “an individual environmental assessment of the ‘multi-use’ facility would not be beneficial.” An investigation is the only means whereby this contentious issue will be fairly and peacefully resolved.
It remains our opinion that the documentation our group submitted to your ministry gave ample evidence of the necessity of a review. It was our hope, by contacting a ministry unrelated to this matter, that one of your staff facilitators with a reputation of being scrupulously neutral could conduct an independent, impartial, unbiased review at no expense to the Ontario taxpayer.
Our students deserve to have facilities which are grounded in the principles of honesty, integrity, openness, sincere discussion, community enthusiasm and district-wide co-operation.
Your letter to our group made mention that “lengthy bus rides may affect student achievement and well-being.” A letter pertaining to the busing issue is forthcoming. It is our request that you personally read its contents.
Sincerely,
L. Daw, Sec’y,
Mid District
High School Cmte