Link to mayor Jackson blog.
Link to the Council Election.
Election for the School board and the Municipality of Delta is round the corner. It is considered by me to be a citizen’s duty to try and ascertain, in a short period through minimal exchanges, who to vote for and who not to.
One way would be to vote for someone I know. But, I would personally like to do it not based on my personal friendship, but on issues and who might be better suited to serve the school board.
Education is a complicated subject and has many many elements to it. I also know, that most items considered important in the discussions regarding schools, curriculum, buildings, facilities, computers, wages of teachers, etc etc, all have two sides of the story and are not always black and white.
I can say that from my own life experience, as follows
- I was born and schoold in India.
- I went through my entire school tenure barefeet (had no shoes).
- I attended most of my classes under a tree.
- English was my third language and I did not study even the elementary A,B,C,D till class 4, or till I was almost 9 years old.
- And in spite of all that, I had no problem studying Marine Engineering in English in college and going through higher education in UK and USA with flying colours.
- I had no problem gatecrashing into high end job field globally, having worked for years in Hong Kong, then Miami and then Vancouver in responsible executive positions, in a field of work that required me to interact with, literally, people from across the planet.
I also know that in future, new generation kids, unlike me, would not even have to set foot on these lands in order to take jobs away from local kids. They will do that living right where they are, with nothing more than a click of a mouse.
Thats the future, when it comes to competition in education on a globally flat playing field.
I do not write all this to belittle the school system here. Not at all. I write this to put in my own perspective on what makes a good education and if shoes, buildings, computers, curriculum, high paid teachers etc etc are the only criteria which decides quality of education being imparted to our children (Canada’s children are like my children today), or if there is something else, that gives a child the magic touch of not just education, but a mindset that will move them forward in a quest not just for information, but towards a wisdom that teach them to step outside a box and think different, think independent, think human.
Anyhow, I had to select a few questions, to pass to the candidates, and I selected on GMO/pesticide as one, and forced vaccination of kids as another, to ask the potential candidates.
I would have liked including school vegetable garden as another, to use lawns not to grow grass and use cosmetic pesticides on them, but to actually set up vegetable gardens for school children to learn to grow food, and same time learn soil, biology, genetics, nutrition, health, climate, water purity, composting, and nature. Not only that, should in the future some calamity hurts the existing globalized and industrial agriculture system (our vegetables coming from Mexico and California, instead of from local fields), then those kids will likely know how to save themselves as well as handle a national crisis.
But, I did not include that – I should have. So now I have two questions. Out of which many folks responded to the first one – GMO and pesticide. Few have responded to the second one – forced vaccination of children. I find it unfortunate, but understand that candidates might be afraid to comment on this topic because there is a very powerful medical-industrial-political lobby that pushes for forced or coerced vaccinations on an increasing number of kids and are very intolerant of dissenting voices of caution.
I have had the benefit of reading a lot, exchanging views with scientists and professionals and learning first hand from them. I am also aware that, especially in North America (Canada and USA), science has now become biased and one sided. That is because unlike in the past, public tax money is not used to fund higher science education & research. Scientific research is now entirely funded by the industry, and they have no interest in funding any project or any scientist that might find problem with their products. As a result, science in North America has lost its objectivity and neutrality. This is so sad.
As a result, reading “mainstream science” which the curriculum promotes everywhere, is likely to bring up students with one sided bias on science issues. This is going to hurt the continent, and the people, now and in future. But the industry to day, more or less drives Canadian policy and politics, to a very large degree.
Anyhow, to bring myself to the present, I believe GMO and pesticide are, next to climate change, the most serious disaster or threat facing Canada. Pushing back at it would need politicians to stand up to very strong lobby and forces and powerful foreign corporations that appear to dictate terms with Canadian politicians higher up.
So, if a candidate was willing to stand up against such odds – it is my belief that he or she would be capable of critical thinking, have strength of character, and be able to solve other lower level problems that will always come up – be in crime or substance abuse in school, or, more importantly, how to prepare our kids to face up to competition on a global platform.
As reference, I might include a few external sources on issues of Vaccinations. I am mostly a food security activist and would like to see Canada safe itself from losing her food and seed sovereignty, but understand that kids vaccination might be another trigger for keeping a some unfortunate children affected by forced vaccines of untested and unproven record (untested by any independent body where dissenting scientists have not be gagged).
I consider it my duty, as a citizen of a democratic nation, to be involved and to make my assessment the best way I can, and to pass that to other fellow voters, the best way I can.
From Donna Burke
Hello Mr. Mitra,
From Laura Thomas
Hi Tony,
From Corinne Atwood
Hi Tony
From Phil Hurt
From Brad Sherwin
Hi Tony, thanks for your note.
Hi Tony. Thanks for your note.
From Nicolay Slater
From Laura Dixon
Dear Mr. Mitra,
I have read your email with interest, however I am not a candidate for Councillor in the Municipality of Delta, rather I am running for the office of School Trustee. Boards of Education exist under the School Act and we do not have the ability to enact by-laws. We do have a Sustainability Policy that deals with conservation, protection, education and regulation that guides our work for our facilities.
In addition we, have a robust curricular and extra-curricular programs for students regarding sustainability and the environment. We regularly have student delegations report to the Board at our meetings on their learning and their activities such as science projects, student led committees or district supported initiatives. I am impressed by their passion and dedication to improving the environment and the support they receive from our staff and I have every confidence that our future will be in good hands. Please read more at the following link: http://facilities.deltasd.bc.ca/deltagreen
What is DeltaGreen?
The Delta School District has taken a proactive role in environmental stewardship for many years. Facilities have been constructed, renovated and retrofitted with energy conservation in mind, schools and other District sites have undertaken paper recycling programs and other waste reduction measures, custodial practices have changed to reduce packaging and incorporate more environmentally friendly cleaning products, and a number of other initiatives have been implemented to do our part in greening our operations. However, we need to do far more in the areas of climate action, conservation of non-renewable resources, water and the environment, and contribution to sustainable region principles established by Metro Vancouver. DeltaGreen is the strategy the Delta School District has developed and follows to bring us to sustainable excellence. Click here to view District Policy #4510 – Sustainability.
Thank you for your interest in the upcoming local elections,
Laura Dixon, School Trustee Candidate
Delta Board of Education, SD37
A few references
The Vaccine Autism Cover-up: How One Doctor’s Career was Destroyed for Telling the Truth
I actually read quite a few books, in clouding one from British doctor Andrew wakefield, where he found possible links with MMR vaccine and sudden onset of autism in kids, and wrote an article on the need to further investigate this issue and not to rush kids through the MMR vaccine, and suggested kids be given individual vaccines for those diseases instead for now (MMR : Measles, Mumps and Rubella).
Dr. Wakefield eventually wrote a book, explaining each and every step of events that lead to his writing that article and subsequent witch hunt he was subjected to, including destroying his medical career. Why ? Only because he raised a cautionary note against possible ill effects of a new combined triple vaccine ?
He as a result was hounded out of business by the pharma industry and the medical profession that is beholden to it.
I might tweak this page a bit in the next few days, and include more responses from candidates, if I receive any. I am scheduled to leave for Ontario and Quebec for some work shortly, and may not be around to follow up on it after the next few days.
Another link : US Doctor Suzanne Humphries on the dangers of Vaccine
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I wish everyone well and request the residents of Delta to come out and vote in large numbers, to vote decisively, and to exert control over the democratic process.
I also thank the candidates for their efforts to contribute to our society by wishing to be public servants in an important field.
Thank you/ Tony Mitra/ tony.mitra@gmail.com
