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It is foolish thinking if the province believes it can save money by delaying completion of this vital road link. They should put this project on the top of its pri- ority list. Some good news Being a manufacturing facility also means there will be ample opportunities for suppliers and other serviceâ€"oriented businesses in the area, to prosper from the plant's location here. With Lear's decision to choose Oakville, it will have a ready pool of skilled labor on which to draw and a business Community eager to help the new kid on the block prosper. Ian Oliver Publisher Robert Glasbey Advertising Director Norman Alexander Editor Geoff Kill Circulation Director Teri Cans Ofiice Manager Tim Coles Production Manager with the recession, Oakville continues to receive good economic news. With the announcement this week, that Lear Seating Corp. will be setting up a plant to service the new line of mini-vans to be produced at Ford's car assem- bly plant here, the year is starting off on a positive note. While many areas of the province, notably the Niagara Region, struggle That's good news too, for the town and Region of Halton as a 'whole, which has been struggling with high unemployment levels in the region. The region's welfare rolls rose to a record-high 3,611 in December. Simply put, the plan to delay the project makes no sense from either a planning or financing standpoint. If the ministry put more effort into the plan now, it would have several benefits. It would create more jobs, an issue the New Democratic Party holds dear to its heart. It would provide better access for travellers and truckers through this high- growth area and it would cost the government less than the $235â€"million budgeted for the project. Instead, Queen's Park will drag its feet on the project for years, allowing drivers to look longingly at the bridge to no where in west Burlington. Halton is an area destined to expand at an ever-increasing rate as we head towards 2000. But instead of having the vision to invest in the infrastructure need. ed to take advantage and service growth opportunities, the province has decided to ignore the facts and drag its heels on the project. As town officials noted, the upwards of 350 jobs created by the new plant will be new positions, not just the shuffling of existing personnel to another site. Anyone who travels the QEW tluough Burlington and the QEWâ€"403 inter- change knows about the chaos and congestion in thisarea. The trouble is, the min- istry, through Queen's Park directives, says the link to hwy 5 and beyond won't be completed until at least the tum of the century, or two years after previous promis~ es for the route's completion. But like all good plans, politicians get involved and when that happens, the result is usually a disaster. This case is no exception. told area politicians that it would build a hwy 403 extension from the Hamilton-Burlington border at the QEW north eastward to link with the existing 403 in Oakville-Mississauga, it was hailed as a great day. . The idea was to divert some of the massive traffic volumes off the QEW and give them an alternative route to the 401 or the 403 at Ford Drive in Oakville. The Ontario Ministry of Transportation works in mysterious ways. When it ' OPHVI ON Question of priorities EDITORIAL 467 Spears Road, 9akville, Ont L6K 3S4 _-_ -AA. _-_ _--_ Classified Advertising: 845-2809 Circulation: 845-9742 or 845-9743 645-3824 "Fax: 845-3085 WEBEAVERI WW and Friday. aus7 u; h4.u-_ n..u.m.. . I“3 OWL“? BEWVLP‘Q'FWPVE'YEF“?! maul-alum Dun. auunv-wuwuwu mum-a. mun-u. wry.-. um... mam News. Nowmakm-Aurma Emaannev, Noml Vowk Mm. Ila Beaver, om T . Oshawa/WNW Tris Week. Petetbomum Tris Week. Edmund HI Inghan Liberal, Scamomugh Mimr. ' All maul ptblshed h the Oakvilo Beavev B pruned % mmm Any mpodmbnlnwmaorhpandttismabrialbsmlo n ' he consent 0' he publisher. Another possible consequence of closure of Paediatric services is the loss of at least one of our two Ear/Nose/I'hroat specialists. Their work comprises over 50% children. ENT surgery without Paediatric medical backup is a risky business. Last, but not least, closure of our Paediatric ward will mean job losses amongst a group of dedidated and experienced nurses and support personnel. - Paediatricians are unlikely to remain in a community where they cannot hospitalize their sick patients. Attracting new Paediatricians in the future will be next to impossible. If there are no longer enough Paediatricians to provide around the clock on-call cov- erage, should our hospital continue to deliver over 2,000 newborns a year â€"- many of whom are acutely ill? Certainly our newly upgraded Level 11 Nursery will be downgraded to a nursery handling only normal new- If our hospital loses its Paediatrics ward, children requiring hospitalization will have to be transferred from the Emergency Department to another hospital. This destination may, or may not, be Joseph Brant Hospital, depending on whether their Paediatric ward is full; a frequent occurrence during peak infections sea- sons. Children from Oakville requiring hospitalization may be sent as far as Toronto or Hamilton; ' Currently, basic health care for our children is capaâ€" bly provided by Oakville’s family physicians. Acutely ill children and newboms are usually seen by one of five paediatricians who provide 24 hour a day, seven days a week coverage of the Emergency Department and delivery suites. As a father of two young children in the community and as former Chief cf Paediatrics at our hospital, I think it is essential that the parents and future parents of Oakville understand the implications of removing Paediatric health services from our community hospital. MD says lobby for kids' paediatric ward or lose it Dear Sir: Recently, you published a front page article about the intention_of the Halton District Health Council to look into regionalizatidn of certain health services. One of the options being considered is the concentration of children’s health services at either Oakville-Trafalgar Hospital or Joseph Brant Hospital, but not both. The Oakville Beaver welcomes your comments. All lelters must be signed and include the writer‘s address and phone number. Letters should be typed. double-spaced and addressed to: In these economic timés, if is appropriate for our I suspect that including the gallery each year in the capital plans is to soften the taxpayer. By the time 1997 arrives, the first year of the project, the taxpayer will be told that it has been under discussion and in the plans for several years and now is the time to proceed. The mayor suggested to me that if a referendum was held, I would be surprised at the number of people in favor Of this pro- Ject. ’ When will the mayor and council face reality? No wonder taxpayers lose confidence in politicians at all levels. The proposed gallery, conceived by a few to be paid for by many, must beterminated now. Dear Sir: In Your Jan. 10th issue, I was pleased to read my comments made at the recent budget committee meet- ing, regarding the proposed $7-million art gallery. The Town continues to include this luxury in the capital forecast but no comprehensive study has been undertakâ€" en. What about the operating cost? An expensive cura- tor plus a back-up staff and the purchase of art-this will prove to be a very costly project for the already over- burdened taxpayer. Kill plans for new gallery The community of Oakville needs to be involved in a public discussion of what hospital services it would like to have. This public discussion has already started in Burlington where the residents don’t want to lose their Paediatric ward. Those individuals and groups in our community who care about maintaining health serâ€" vices for children should make their wishes known to our District Health Council. District Health Council to look at inappropriate duplica- tion of services. In urban areas, like Toronto or Hamilton, concentration of services in particular hospi- tals makes sense since these institutions are often only blocks apart. This approach makes less sense in outlying single-hospital communities, especially when demo- graphic studies indicate an increase in young families with children for at least the next decade. Letters to the Editor, The Oakville Beaver. 467 Spears Rd.. Oakville, .Ont. L6K 3S4 Dr. G. Egger Paediatrician Peter Dooly