Re: Catholic boards adjust stance on  gay-straight school groups (Tribune, Feb. 7)
Catholic school boards’ stand on gay-straight alliances is the best argument in favour of one publicly funded school system  yet!
Wellington Catholic District School Board chair Marino Gazzola’s statement that gay students who discuss their sexuality publicly “could put themselves at risk” is the  clearest proof of the need for gay-straight alliances in Ontario’s publicly funded schools. Premier Dalton McGuinty has shown great courage in standing up to support some of the most vulnerable and at-risk kids in our schools.
The stance of Gazzola serves to yet again highlight the need for one publicly funded school system in Ontario. Is it not enough that non-Catholic  ratepayers must pay taxes to fund two public systems, one of which their  children are not welcome to attend and also one to which they need not apply should they be teachers?
No longer is it enough for non-Catholic ratepayers to put up with the wasteful redundancy of two publicly funded systems; now they must also know that their tax dollars are being put to work supporting intolerance.
Other Canadian provinces have put an end to the public funding of religious schools, and Gazzola’s views are a good starting point for the discussion to begin in Ontario.
Graham  Timms
Guelph