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OPINION In theory it seems like a good idea a civilian body with investigative powers that keeps a watch- ful eye over this provinces police forces. When police are accused of overstepping their bounds while conducting their duties, its the SIUs job to ensure that police officers didnt criminally abuse the power they wield. However, in light of Ombudsman Andrarins report released last week, it appears to us the SIU is nothing more than a toothless tiger. Marin announced a full-scale probe into the civil- ian agency on June 7, 2007 after receiving 20 com- plaints about the SIU. An investigation body must remain at arms- length from the agency which it is probing. However, Marins report uncovered a culture within the unit where police basically tell SIU inves- tigators what to do. Marin also determined that the SIU and the police are too chummy and went as far as calling the organization impotent. In fact, many SIU investigators are retired police officers. Theres no doubt in my mind that an SIU inves- tigation is one which is currently done through blue-coloured glasses. There is no doubt that there is a police bias in their approach to investigations, Marin said at Queens Park. Clearly, this agency has failed in doing the task for which it was created ensuring police officers and services operate within the law in which theyre sworn to uphold. But the problem is not the fault of the provinces police services. In 18 years and a caseload of thousands, the SIU has only laid 73 charges. Huh? Its time to change the ethos at the SIU, maybe even in the Ministry of the Attorney General. SIU not serving its purpose Steve Nease LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dear editor, I am a volunteer at the Georgetown Bread Basket (food bank). While I was there recently con- tributing my time I was very sad- dened to see the number of food items that are missing from the shelves. Many shelves were totally empty of items. There are many reasons that someone has to visit the food bank to supplement their own pantry and it was hard and disheartening to restrict mothers/fathers for items that they count on getting for their children when the supply is low, such as canned pasta. I know that with rising gas prices, interest rate increases and just day-to-day expenses we all have a hard time making ends meet sometimes, but, if you are able to, please think about adding a few items to your grocery basket and place it in the food bank bins that are set up at every grocery store in Georgetown and Acton. Saturday, November 1 is the yearly food drive the Scouts put on in Georgetown. However, on this day there was not one, or a very limited number of, the following items available at the Georgetown Bread Basket: canned pasta, canned pasta sauce, canned meat, canned tomatoes, canned corn, canned vegetables, canned fruit, cookies, cold cereal, crackers, condiments, large canned juices, instant coffee, flour, salt and pepper. November 1 is still a few weeks away and the problem is now. The food banks are great organi- zations run by volunteers but the supplies are required to satisfy their purpose. Please be aware and help out when you can. Monica Donaldson, Georgetown Local food banks can use your donations 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 General manager Steve Foreman (sforeman@independentfreepress.com) Retail advertising manager Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@independentfreepress.com) Managing editor John McGhie (jmcghie@independentfreepress.com) Distribution manager Nancy Geissler (ngeissler@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 Seatbelt safety blitzes will be held across the province this month. How often do you use your seatbelt? All the time (89%) Most of the time (9%) Rarely or never (2%) 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 6 Acton/Georgetown, Friday, October 10, 2008 Dear editor, Re: Sept. 10 letter Dirt, ragweed make park an absolute mess. I am extremely happy that you have printed this letter to the edi- tor. To me it just illustrates once again how reactive rather than proactive our Town council can be. In addition, the six-figure bureaucrats who have little or no accountability are also to blame. While they stress the future they can barely look after the pre- sent or recent past and this Dominion Garden Park shamble is a perfect centering point of dis- grace. Include this with the number of illegal apartments in town and buildings they are located in which are not up to code, or safe, and are just plain eyesores in general. I challenge the council, the overpaid bureaucrats, and the mayor to solve these issues today rather than tomorrow. Paul Madonia, Georgetown Town should tackle problems today, not tomorrow Dear editor, I am both amazed and appalled as I walked my dog around and through the Georgetown South community this past week (he gets two walks a day and I have a variety of routes that I take). I found that every field and park in the area had warning signs indicating that the grass had been sprayed with pesticides and to Keep off! First of all, didnt the Town decide to abandon this archaic and haz- ardous practice? Secondly, if it has not been abandoned help! Must every field and park in the area be sprayed at the same time so that there is nowhere safe to walk, for dogs to run and children to play? To the Town and all of those peo- ple in the community who continue to expose the rest of us to these haz- ardous chemicals by selfishly and ignorantly spraying their lawns: WAKE UP and get your priorities straight! Would you rather have your health and a less-than-perfect lawn or an immaculate lawn and cancer. Because thats what it boils down to. Jodi Boleychuk, Georgetown Resident is appalled by spraying of parks