Opening and closings not to be taken lightly

Out with the old and in with the new.

The Region of Durham and the Durham District School Board (DDSB) should both consider that old adage very carefully as they each continue to work through the kinks regarding one of their facilities.

For the region, the incinerator is finally firing, but the chemicals it’s pumping into our air are quadruple the “allowable amount”.

Now, the region assures residents that these levels are nothing to be concerned about and we don’t need to snap on the cotton masks just yet.

Seriously? Since when does the region have the right to set its own limits on what is environmentally acceptable?

The incinerator has faced nearly a year of delays, costing Covanta, the company that is building this glorified crematorium, millions of dollars in late penalties. Is the rush to the finish line merely a compromise of quality? We hope not.

While the region struggles to bring in the new, the DDSB has its hands full while it considers a move to get rid of the old.

At stake is Central Collegiate Institute, a staple of the downtown Oshawa area for decades.

Due to declining enrolment numbers and sad looking projections for student population into 2023, DDSB has been looking into shuttering the school for good.

The committee responsible for gathering the information and recommending a course of action has met with the public four times since the process started, and each time they were told to save the school.

Not only is Central Collegiate the only high school in downtown Oshawa, but its serves a special purpose. Teachers, students and parents have all come forward to stress the importance of the trades and alternative learning classes offered at this school. Also, the students say they don’t want to be moved to a different location and be packed like “sardines” into Eastdale CVI, a high school that is already bursting at the seams.

For the school board, it’s simply a numbers game. For the students, it’s about their coming of age, their social and emotional lives.

The school board needs to consider the impact of its decision on the students before it closes this educational institution for good.

Out with the old and in with the new isn’t always the way to go.