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OPINION There are three things you can count on happening in the coming days: (1) The Toronto Maple Leafs will lose a hockey game; (2) Winter jackets will replace bathing suits in Ontario; (3) Stephane Dion will step down (be forced out) as Liberal leader. Try as some Liberals might to put a good spin on Tuesdays election results (Stephen Harper didnt get a majority; Most of the 416 area stayed Liberal red), there is no disguising the fact that Dion, as leader, was an unmitigated disaster. Despite two years of trying, Liberal party strategists couldnt convince voters that Dion wasnt a nerdy pro- fessor who struggled speaking this nations primary lan- guage. He was doomed to failure. As the world economic struggle muscled its way to the forefront of the campaign, many voters began to lean towards Harper and the Conservatives, forcing Dion and the Liberals to shuffle their much-vaunted, but ill-conceived and ill-timed, Green Shift plan to the backburner. A stronger than usual showing by the NDP and Jack Layton, coupled with Green Party leader Elizabeth May squeezing her way into the debates, only added to the Liberals woes. While the knives are certainly out for Dion, what about the other leaders? The Blocs Gilles Duceppe is hardly worth mention- ing. Layton has likely bought himself time with a good campaign that saw the NDP gain seats and popular vote but still finish fourth. May may have made noise this election, but the Green Party is still virtually a fringe party having elected no members (again) and gaining only 7 per cent of the vote. Prime Minister Harper once again has been given the keys to the car but voters will not allow him to drive it unsupervised. Surely, in these uncertain economic con- ditions it would be in Harpers and the countrys best interests for him to make a concerted effort to work with the other parties in ensuring Canada ride out this storm. Showing he can lead effectively, without the partisan gamesmanship he seems to enjoy, may eventually lead him to the majority he covets, but has yet to earn. Election post-mortem Steve Nease LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dear editor, I wanted to write and thank the organizers and all of the restau- rants that participated in the recent International Flavours afternoon in downtown Georgetown. What a wonderful experience it was to be able to sample the food of our local dining establishments. We are so lucky to have such a wide variety of menus with flavours from around the world right here on our doorstep. My only com- plaint is that it was very difficult to choose only five of the many venues that were participating in the event! Judging by the large number of people taking part in the festivities, it was a successful venture for our downtown merchants. I hope that this menu of venues becomes a much-anticipat- ed annual event! Susan Detmers, Georgetown Taste of downtown a successful venture 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 October is Fire Prevention Month. Do you heed safety warnings from the fire department? Yes. I usually read safety information released by the fire department. (84%) On occasion I will read safety information. (0%) No. I rarely read fire safety information. (16%) 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 Dear editor, Id like to recognize a couple of retailers who are trying to become part of the solution to our growing problem with plastic bags. As if there werent already lots of reasons to shop in our lovely and increasingly vibrant downtown, I discovered that if I purchase gro- ceries at either Foodstuffs or MacMasters Meats, Ill get my good- ies in a compostable bag. Once I have my groceries safely tucked away in cupboard or fridge, I can use the bag for my kitchen com- post bucket and put it out later in my GreenCart. Now, if we could just get the other major grocery stores to do this. Monique L. Attinger, Georgetown Retailers commended for use of green bags Dear editor, Regarding Christie and Sandras recent experience with the little lost kitten (Letter: Be responsible and keep cats indoors), let me answer on behalf of one no-kill shelter. We physically have No room at the inn. These days no cat that has not been quarantined and test- ed for communicable diseases like feline leukemia or feline AIDS or FIP can be put into the general population of a shelter without compromising the health of all the other cats. If the quarantine room is full there just isnt physically the room to take in all the many cats and kittens that are abandoned or surrendered. All of the shelters are run with- out government funding and rely on public donations to continue our work. We are all on a shoe- string budget. It is not cheap to spay and neuter, test and feed and provide litter for these cats. We would dearly love to save all of them and it hurts when we have to turn away peopletrust us it does. But until people learn to spay and neuter and keep their cats indoors this will continue to be a problem of too many cats; not enough room. I am sorry if these wonderful young ladies where surprised but that is the reality of shelters. Yes kill shelters have room because they make room. We dont because we dont want to end a life to take in another life. Sadly this does lead to not being able to take in more cats that we can financially and physically take care of. This is not fair but until more people do what needs to be done it will continue to be the way it is. I am very happy to see this kit- tens owners were found and thank the young ladies for caring for her until then. I also acquired a kitten in this fashion, finding a stray and ended up keeping her as I had room at the time. Let me end by saying all shelters hope that someday we will not be needed. Debra Hayes, Georgetown Cat shelters hope to one day not be needed 6 Acton/Georgetown, Friday, October 17, 2008