Ontarians Agree: Conservative private school giveaway a shameless political ploy

    Momentum Builds Against Conservative Scheme

    TORONTO, Aug. 3 /CNW/ - Across Ontario, the Conservative plan to take
$500 million away from the 95% of kids who go to Ontario public schools has
met with condemnation.

    A sampling of some comments from recent letters to the editor:

    -  "This is nothing more than a naked, shameless ploy to garner minority
       votes." (Jack Foote, Cobourg Daily Star, July 31)

    -  "John Tory's proposal to fully fund faith-based schools, although well
       meaning, is ill-conceived and preposterous." (Peter Jones, Sault Star
       (and Sudbury Star), July 31)

    -  "Public reaction to this proposal appears to be running anywhere from
       3-1 to 5-1 against, depending on the source." (Al Eizinas, Simcoe
       Reformer, August 2)

    -  "John Tory doesn't seem to understand what public education is all
       about... I think we can all see this for what it is: a lame attempt to
       grab a few votes from Ontario's devout religious voters." (Cathy
       Greentre, Simcoe Reformer, August 2)

    Reaction from school board officials:

    -  "It's going to take a ton of money out of the public system...The
       costs are just going to be phenomenal." (Carl Pitman, Chair, Hastings
       and Prince Edward DSB, Belleville Intelligencer, July 28)

    -  "Anything that takes funding away from a system already in place is
       going to do considerable damage." (Angela Lloyd, Chair, Kawartha Pine
       Ridge DSB, Peterborough Examiner, July 28)

    -  "The latest pre-election policy announced by Ontario Progressive
       Conservative Leader John Tory is a bad idea." (John Hendry, Trustee,
       Waterloo DSB, KW Record, July 28)

    And if that wasn't enough, his own MPP's don't think it's a good idea:

    -  "I would say it's not something that would be popular..." (Norm
       Miller, MPP, Parry Sound-Muskoka, Parry Sound North Star, August 1)

For further information: Christine McMillan, cmcmillan@liberal.ola.org