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OPINION We in the United States are very lucky, in a way thats easy to take for granted. We are surrounded by two great oceans, and by two nations we count as friends. Think of the fate of other nations, and how much of their histories have been shaped by hostile neighbours. Generation after generation, they live in fear, resentment, and competition harmful to the interests of all. Lost in rivalry and distrust are the advantages of regional friendship and stability. What a blessing it is for the United States to have in Canada a neighbour we fear only on ice rinks and baseball diamonds. These words were spoken by John McCain, the Republican Partys candidate for the presidency of the United States, on his recent trip to Canada. While McCains trip may have been a simple game of political one-upsmanship for the folks back home, he touched on a salient point that we, as Canadians, often take for granted. As McCain rightly pointed out, many neighbour- ing countries around the world do not enjoy the peaceful existence we do with our nearest neighbour. In our nations 141 years of history we have never needed to be worried about an invasion, economi- cally crippling embargoes or sanctions, etc. We have, more often than not, been keepers of the peace. That is a claim many nations cannot make and those countries have paid a severe price for their willingness to wage war. That said, when called upon Canadians have shown their willingness to fight for democracy, and are doing so now around the world, especially in Afghanistan. Next Tuesday, as we celebrate our nations birth- day we hope everyone could pause a moment to think about the great benefits our country offers its history of inclusiveness and non-aggression, its political stability, its beauty and natural resources, its great minds and its brave citizens. When compared to many nations, Canada stands tall. Its a fact we far too often take for granted. Happy Canada Day! Canada stands tall Steve Nease LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dear editor, My family and I recently moved to Georgetown. Its a wonderful place to live; the air is fresh, the people are friendly, and this area is so green and beautiful. We chose Georgetown because it is far from city pollution, and close to the greenbelt. I have had Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) for the last five years and even small amounts of the chemicals found in pesticides, fragrances, fabric soften- er, etc make me extremely ill. I have noticed that recently everyone has started spraying pesti- cides on their lawns. I went out for a walk a couple of days ago and I had to cross the street and run with my mouth covered each time I saw a little warning sign. In Toronto, Oakville, and increasingly all over North America, lawn pesticides have been outlawed. Everyone loves a beautiful lawn, but we must also realize the conse- quences of using pesticides to achieve it. Not only are they extremely dangerous for someone like me, they are damaging to us all. These extremely poisonous chemicals are cancer-causing, neu- rotoxins, and extremely damaging to the immune system, especially for children. Georgetown cares about its chil- drens future. We have crossing guards to protect them when they cross the street; we should also keep them safe from the silent deadliness of pesticides. Fatima Khalifa, Georgetown Pesticide use puts our children at risk 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. E-mail: jmcghie@independentfreepress.com Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1 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) Distribution manager Nancy Geissler (distribution@independentfreepress.com) ADVERTISING Advertising co-ordinator Jennifer Christie (jchristie@independentfreepress.com) Retail Sales: Jennifer Spencer (jspencer@independentfreepress.com) Brendan Louth (blouth@independentfreepress.com) Amy Sykes (features@independentfreepress.com) Andrea Lefebvre (alefebvre@independentfreepress.com) Brendon Stevenson (bstevenson@independentfreepress.com) Real estate: Sue Spizziri (realestate@independentfreepress.com) Classifieds: Kristie Pells (classified@independentfreepress.com) ACCOUNTING Rose Marie Gauthier, Michelle McEachern 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 STAFF DIRECTORY Send us a letter! Phone: 905-873-0301 Fax: 905-873-0398www.independentfreepress.com Something bugging you? What do you think? Below are the results of our most recent online poll. For the current poll go to www.independentfreepress.com Do you take part in the annual Glen Williams or Acton Canada Day celebrations? Yes (36%) No (64%) The Independent & Free Press is published Wednesday and Friday and is one of several Metroland Media Group Ltd. community newspapers. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. THE INDEPENDENT & FREE PRESS (This letter was sent to Mayor Rick Bonnette and a copy was made available for publication.) Mr. Bonnette, We in Ontario are all going green, so lets be first. As you know I wrote to our local paper and addressed that Halton Hills council should be innova- tors not followers. In Halton we have great farmlands that must be kept at all cost. We can have working eco-farms. For example, windmills alongside of corn, wheat and our dairy cows. Now, what if Michael Chong, our MPP, became an innovative govern- ment player showing the world stage that all Canadian levels of govern- ments are working together for a greener tomorrow? Halton can bring together a new viable industry to our local farmlands together with major builders as innov- ative new farmers. Welcome builders! I remember when the Ontario gov- ernment was trying its hand at deregu- lating the energy market. An innova- tive group of individuals set up a wind tower at the CNE at a cost of $3.5 mil- lion which powers more than 1,000 homes, which was sent back into the energy grid but with todays technolo- gy those 1,000 homes can be 10,000 homes and cost a fraction of the $3.5 million. Here is my look at innovation using the old technology cost of $3.5 mil- lion: $3.5 million divided by 1,000 homes = $3,500; 2,000 homes = $1,750; 3,000 homes = $1,167 and 4,000 homes = $875. Homeowners may invest in the windmill condo share market tax-free ... hello builders! Shares in the windmills can help offset homeowners property tax bills by transferring the generated hydro to the grid which then can be used by our town to offset their costs. The cost of the new market share can be factored into the homeowners purchase price. Future (builders) farmers or existing farmers can work their land and become viable players. Lets keep our land and work it for a cleaner tomorrow. Waldo Paquete, Georgetown Builders, Town should consider use of windmills Dear editor, The generosity of this community has exceeded our expectations. Your donations of perennials will beautify our grounds ... and then some! Thank you from our home to yours! Carm Cimarrusti, program manager, Extendicare Halton Hills Extendicare grateful for plant donations 6 Acton/Georgetown, Friday, June 27, 2008