Reginald R. Faryon: Letter to the Editor, Peterborough Examiner, Dec. 5, 1957

“Make Good Use of the Gas Money”

Sir:

One of the surprising and disappointing aspects of the recent Municipal Election is that not one candidate for Council or Board of Education mentioned the possibilities of a Junior College for Peterborough.

This, to me, is an amazing oversight because, while most of the candidates promised to do their utmost to bring new industry to Peterborough, they apparently overlooked the fact that not only would a Junior College be a very desirable industry, but probably would do more to attract additional industry than any other factor.

A Junior College would not only be the equivalent to a good sized industry, but it would attract students, visitors and other money to this city.

Only a very few Peterborough boys and girls receive an education higher than Grade 12 High School. In fact, I believe that the number of Grade 13 pupils and those going beyond Grade 13 is one of the lowest percentages to population of any area in Ontario.

This is why very few of the higher paid positions in Peterborough are held by the children of Peterborough parents. Most of these jobs are filled from out of town because the local applicants do not have sufficient education.

One of the reasons for this, besides the lack of interest in higher education in Peterborough, is the cost –and the main cost of a college education is not tuition, but board and lodging.

If we had a Junior College in Peterborough hundreds of Peterborough young men and women would be able to obtain part of their college or university education while living at home, and this would open opportunities to thousands over the years that just don’t exist today.

Furthermore, it would offer this same opportunity to not only the children of the employees, but the children of principals of new industries and businesses that might consider locating here.

With a Junior College and all it would represent, Peterborough could become the accepted Capital of that rapidly growing part of Eastern Ontario between Oshawa and Kingston.

Now that the voters have decided to sell the Public Utilities Gas Franchise to an outside Gas Company, and as I understand that the money from this sale will come to the City Council to do what they like with it, I suggest that it be used, in conjunction with funds that can be obtained from the Provincial Government and probably from the Canada Council, to establish a Junior College in Peterborough.

Let us not dissipate the money from the sale of our gas services in little things. Let us invest in something really big—the Junior College which will pay dividends for generations to come and benefit directly, or indirectly, every man, woman and child in Peterborough.

Yours sincerely,

Reg. R. Faryon