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6 Acton/Georgetown, Friday, June 1, 2007 OPINION A slap on the wrist In a far too tragic coincidence, Ontario's new legislation to curb street racing passed into law Tuesday only hours after two Toronto men were sentenced for killing a taxi driver while speeding last year. What was perhaps even more tragic, was the incredibly lenient sentence Justice John Moore handed out to Wing-Piao Dumani Ross and his pal Alexander Ryazanov, both 20, for their role in the death of cabbie Tahir Khan. Calling it "an exercise in speed and bad judgement, not criminal intent" that resulted in Khan's death, Moore sentenced the pair-- both driving their parents' Mercedes at the time of the crash-- to a mere 12 months of house arrest. Yes, there is also an additional year under an 11 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew (that can be overridden with their parents' written permission), 150 hours of community service, a four-year driving ban and two years probation, but the pair could have faced a maximum of 14 years in prison for their dangerous driving convictions. The Crown sought a three-year prison sentence. Only hours after Moore handed down his sentence Attorney General Michael Bryant was being pressured by various groups and individuals to appeal the sentence. He should do so--and quickly-- to send the right message to others who treat the rules of the road so lightly. While Moore dealt with the semantics of whether Ross and Ryazanov actually were "street racing" at the time of the crash, the fact remains that on a cold January night two young men, behind the wheels of luxury cars, drove between 80 and 140km/h on city streets without concern for other drivers or pedestrians. While they may not have had "criminal intent" to injure Mr. Khan, surely the very nature of their actions put others in jeopardy. In the end a hard-working man, who was his family's sole breadwinner and was just days from becoming a Canadian citizen, was killed because of the reckless actions of two men who should, by rights, have forfeited their right to ever drive again. It is clear the punishment did not fit the crime in this matter and it is now up to Bryant to ensure that it does. www.independentfreepress.com Phone: 905-873-0301 Fax: 905-873-0398 Steve Nease STAFF DIRECTORY Publisher Ken Nugent Advertising director Steve Foreman (sforeman@independentfreepress.com) Retail advertising manager Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@independentfreepress.com) Managing editor John McGhie (jmcghie@independentfreepress.com) Business manager Carol Young (cyoung@independentfreepress.com) Distribution manager Nancy Geissler (distribution@independentfreepress.com) ADVERTISING Retail Sales: Jennifer Spencer (jspencer@independentfreepress.com) Adam Spinney (aspinney@independentfreepress.com) Brendan Louth (blouth@independentfreepress.com) Andrew Key (akey@independentfreepress.com) Michelle Wan (features@independentfreepress.com) Real estate: Sue Spizziri (realestate@independentfreepress.com) Classifieds: Kristie Pells (classified@independentfreepress.com) ACCOUNTING Rose Marie Gauthier, Jennifer Christie, Michelle Wimmer EDITORIAL Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@independentfreepress.com) Ted Brown: Photography (tbrown@independentfreepress.com) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@independentfreepress.com) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@independentfreepress.com) PRODUCTION: Mary Lou Foreman, Kevin Powell, Shelli Harrison, Dolores Black, Debbie MacDougall LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Town should have its own humane society (This letter was originally send to Halton Hills Mayor Rick Bonnette. A copy was made available for publication). Dear Mayor Rick Bonnette, I am writing this letter as I have recently become aware that the Town of Halton Hills does not provide its citizens, and their pets, with a local humane society. I understand that the Town employs an animal control officer, whose job is to capture and contain dangerous dogs, and dogs running at large. The bylaws state that dogs who are deemed "dangerous," are to be caught and contained for three days. The bylaws do not provide detail as to how the dog is handled after the three-day time period has expired. There are no provisions for cats. So, essentially, our town offers a dog catcher, and an unrealistically short holding period. There are no provisions for cats and other domestic pets, no adoption facilities, and no hope for the friendly dog abandoned on the side of the road. I find the current provisions unacceptable. The Town of Halton Hills is a town of rapid growth. The 2006 census shows our population to be 55,000 citizens, and growing. In your own words, you state that our town offers "urban amenities" and a lifestyle that is the envy of all, and yet, we offer no facilities for our lost and abandoned animals. I am sure there are many animal lovers in our community who feel as I, that this situation must change. It is time for the introduction of our own humane society. Jane Hyndman, Limehouse Something bugging you? Send us a letter! Letters to the editor must include an address and daytime telephone number. Unsigned letters will not be published. Letters should not exceed 200 words and may be edited for content and/or length. Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1 E-mail: jmcghie@independentfreepress.com Donations to Cadets greatly appreciated Dear editor, We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the community for their generous donations to the Air Cadet League during our tagging fundraiser on March 30 to April 1. These contributions will be used to ensure that anyone, regardless of financial status, can benefit from the cadet program. In particular, these donations pay for the musical instruments and repairs in the squadron band, where any cadet can receive free, professional instruction; sports equipment to promote physical fitness; reserving sites for wilderness survival activities; and to reduce the cost of trips so all cadets can participate. The local squadron has improved the confidence and citizenship of countless past and present cadets in Halton Hills. We realize that our generation sometimes gains a bad reputation, and it's refreshing that the community is willing to support an organization that brings out the best in today's youth. WOI Leonard and WOII Bechard, Air Cadet League Acton daffodil sale netted $7,000 Dear editor, Thanks so much to all those people who supported the annual Canadian Cancer Society daffodil sale. The money raised through our daffodil sale helps to fund research, raise awareness about cancer and provide services like transportation and emotional support to those people who are living with cancer and their families. We had wonderful weather for selling daffodils and all of our beautiful yellow blooms were sold out by early Saturday afternoon. Once again, the Acton community showed its support and more than $7,000 was raised through the daffodil sale. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped with this event-- we would not have a successful sale without their dedication. We appreciate the Acton branch of the Royal Canadian Legion for allowing us to store our daffodils at their facility and we are most grateful to Sobeys for giving us the opportunity to sell our daffodils at their store. The New Tanner and The Independent & Free Press provided wonderful publicity and we certainly appreciate your ongoing support. Cathy Gerrow, Acton branch daffodil co-ordinator Canadian Cancer Society THE INDEPENDENT & FREE PRESS The Independent & Free Press is published every Wednesday and Friday at 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown Ont., L7G 4B1. It is one of several newspapers published by Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with reasonable allowance for signature will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the acceptable rate. 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