'Very shortsighted'

Ken Hayward's letter, which appeared in the Wednesday, November 23, 2006 issue of the Orangeville Citizen shocked and disappointed me. It shocked me to hear Ken protest the movement of immigrant people to Dufferin County and it disappointed me to realize there are still people around who do not welcome the gifts which new immigrants have to offer.

It is very shortsighted on Ken's part and on the part of other people who think like Ken to think that they can stop change.

Change is inevitable whether one welcomes it or not. I embrace the arrival of people from diverse cultures to Orangeville. It adds to the character of our town and enriches the lives of us all.

How flat and one dimensional our lives would be if we were only exposed to people from British ancestry.

While Ken's concerns about Oak Ridges Moraine and other environmental issues is admirable, they do not diminish the fact that immigrant people have just as much right to enjoy Dufferin county's environmental treasures as anybody else does. The land belongs to the people who live in this land of ours which is supposed to stand for freedom and equal rights for all.

It is very shortsighted to think we can or should keep Orangeville small. I am only a tutor, but I have had the pleasure of working with students or various cultures and I can assure you that they are among the most hardworking, polite and motivated of any I have met.

Let's hope the Ministry of Education follows through in support for our newly arrived immigrant students and increases funding to English as a Second Language programmes in order to acquire culturally appropriate textbooks and other course materials which will facilitate speed of learning as well as make these students feel comfortable.

My heart sings when I see culturally diverse students walking in the streets of Orangeville. I can't understand how anybody could complain about such a wealth of new talent in our town.

Janet Bellinger

Orangeville