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Page 6 ~ HaltorrHills This Week; Saturday, October 34/4992 EDITORIAL ~ The police protest Thousands of police officers from across Ontario marched on Queen's Park Monday protesting the government's new use-of- force regulations. It was frightening to see the "boys in blue” marching on the government demanding to be heard. Frightening because of the power that the police hold. Police ask us everyday to obey the laws of this country but it is awful hard to obey police when they don't obey their own superi- ors. Metro Toronto Police --the group that started the protest -- have ignored Chief William McCormack who ordered the officers back ifito full uniform. Here in Halton Region, the brunt of the growing police protest has missed us. Our officers do not appear all that upset with the new regulation requiring them to fill in paper work when a firearm comes out of its holster. The local officers can be seen wearing blue ribbons in support of their fellow officers but that's about as far as things have gone. Local officers have been filling in a report when they draw their service revolvers for about 10 years. What is important is that the cops are not upset with just this new regulation, they are fed up with a government that is not lis- tening to them. When the NDP took power after the last provincial election, government leaders promised the NDP would run the most open and accessible government in the history of Queens Park. Premier Bob Rae has said that he will not talk to police until after they end their job protest -- wearing baseball caps that say “Police and public safety first" while on duty and letting minor infractions go unnoticed or with a simple warning. If any other labor movement marched to the steps of Queen's Park in protest, the NDP politicians would be lining up to talk to them -- even if the group was in a confrontation with its manage- ment. So while it is frightening to see police defying authority it is equally frightening to see that the “open government" really is not that open after all. A word of thanks Dear sir, The Coats for the Needy Drive was a great success. The people of Halton Hills came through with fly- ing colors and showed us their gen- erosity with their donations. During this drive we collected, cleaned and distributed about 3,000 coats free of charge to the needy. About half of the coats were picked up by the people of Halton Hills and the balance was given to the Love in Christ Food Bank for fur- ther distribution. ank you Halton Hills and all you wonderful people. At this time I would like to thank a few businesses who made it pos- sible with their support: Halton Hills This Week Ted Tyler Transport Georgetown Knetchel Food Market Howell Plumping Barragers Cleaners St. Albans Church, Glen Williams Vi Haines who started this project. Lions Club of Georgetown Thanking you Yours truly Mani.Mitera Letters Welcomed Halton Hills This Week wel- comes your letters. Letters must be signed and include your full name. and address. Names will be with- held on request. Halton Hills This Week reserves the right to edit, revise, or reject any letters on the basis of factual errors, punctuation, spelling errors or as a result of space limitations. Send your letter to: The Editor Halton Hills This Week 232 Guelph St., Unit 9 Georgetown, ON L7G 4B1 Halloween S¥-1 A [ge t- hy Olea ce) ol-) gece | Please take care and watch for little ghosts and goblins Dave’s Diversions A ring of antlers in the woods By David Featherstone As the brilliant fall foliage disap- pears from the trees, white-tailed deer gather in the woods and fields to perform their own ritual of autumn. The rut, the annual season of courtship commences. Bucks, replete with splendid antler racks, compete for the affections of the does. Buck antlers begin to develop in April. Bone material is deposited at the point of growth by a network of blood vessels. These blood vessels operate beneath a cover of velvety skin which covers the growing antlers. Antlers are very delicate during the initial stages of growth. Bucks become reclusive until their antlers harden late in the summer. Contrary to popular opinion, antler racks do not necessarily increase in size with age. Antler growth is often tied to age during the first two or three years of life. However, once mature, the antler racks of bucks largely reflect their physical condition. Older bucks, in poor condition, often have smaller racks than bucks in their prime. By late summer, the flow of blood to the antlers is shut off. Attendant with this loss of fluid, the velvety skin dries and the antlers harden. Bucks remove this velvet by rubbing their antlers against saplings and bushes. This rubbing continues, throughout the fall, enabling bucks to mark out their territ In mid-October, bucks construct scares under suitable tree branches to announce their presence to avail- able does and rival bucks. An over- hanging branch is chewed and often broken. Bucks rub facial scent along the tree branch as a sophisti- cated form of communication. Pawing vigorously beneath the branch the buck will clear an oval on he ground. The antlers are raked through the scrape giving rival bucks and idea of the size of his rack. Finally, the buck urinates on the scrape as a sort of scent signa- ture marking the scrape as his own. Antlers serve primarily to announce the status of a buck dur- ing the November rut. Although pitched battles among the bucks are indeed fought to determine supremacy, most encounters involve a lot of posturing and bluff- ing. Bucks with smaller antler racks retreat. Dominant bucks then mate with available does within their ter- Titory. Soon after the rut, hormonal ley- els drop, initiating a process during which buck antlers are discarded. With the loss of their heavy racks, bucks feed voraciously as winter approaches to regain fat reserves lost during the hectic autumn rut. In this manner, buck prepare them- selves for the harsh winter ahead. A biologist by profession, David Featherstone devotes a large portion of his spare time to volunteer groups which are working to protect and enhance the environment. David hopes to provide readers of Halton Hills This Week with a mix of interest- ing and informative outdoor and nature articles. YE [HIS WEEN parece eee Edttion, is pub- Saturday at 232 Guelph St., pee Ont. L7G Be and is printed in Oakville ich QE. Web Print Inthe eve aon ‘error advertising goods or eel not be sold. Advertshg is merely an offer to sell which may be withdrawn at any time. PUBLISHER: Ken Bellamy REAL ESTATE MANAGER: Kathy Toth EDITOR: Scott Kline CIRCULATION nes Marie Shadbott PRODUCTION R: Kathloon To HALTON HILLS THIS WEEK IS INDEPENDENTLY OWNED & OPERATED. TI PHONE: 873-2254 — FAX:873-3918 For Pete's Sake by Roe sO, eas By you we, ITs WW) LONG'S Brats MIDNIGHT RITUA BEEN COINE ON Fon? $-THEATRE MANAGER? SOUNDEP LIKEA REAL J. CINCH JoB i THE iS CLASSIFIEDS... 8 rae z 2