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6- The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday July 5, 2006 www.oakvillebeaver.com OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-3824, ext. 224 Circulation: 845-9742 Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: IAN OLIVER Publisher WEBSITE oakvillebeaver.com NEIL OLIVER Associate Publisher JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor KELLY MONTAGUE Advertising Director DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Manager TERI CASAS Business Manager MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution ALEXANDRIA CALHOUN Circ. Manager Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd., includes: Ajax/Pickering News Advertiser, Alliston Herald/Courier, Arthur Enterprise News, Barrie Advance, Brampton Guardian, Burlington Post, Burlington Shopping News, Caledon Enterprise, City Parent, Collingwood/Wasaga Connection, East York Mirror, Erin Advocate/Country Routes, Etobicoke Guardian, Flamborough Review, Georgetown Independent/Acton Free Press, Harriston Review, Huronia Business Times, Lindsay This Week, Markham Economist & Sun, Midland/Penetanguishine Mirror, Milton Canadian Champion, Milton Shopping News, Mississauga Business Times, Mississauga News, Napanee Guide, Newmarket/Aurora Era-Banner, Northumberland News, North York Mirror, Oakville Beaver, Oakville Shopping News, Oldtimers Hockey News, Orillia Today, Oshawa/Whitby/Clarington Port Perry This Week, Owen Sound Tribune, Palmerston Observer, Peterborough This Week, Picton County Guide, Richmond Hill/Thornhill/Vaughan Liberal, Scarborough Mirror, Stouffville/Uxbridge Tribune, Forever Young, City of York Guardian Our national idiots Since when did Canada Day turn into an excuse to be a drunken moron? While the youths caught on camera urinating on the National War Memorial in Ottawa on Canada Day aren't the first Canadians to make a drunken spectacle of themselves on a holiday weekend, they are likely the first to do so on such a national, public scale. Rather than settling for the role of Village Idiots, these youths are our National Idiots. Unfortunately, their disgusting behaviour points to many unsettling trends in our country. For many people Canada Day is not a celebration of our country's greatness, but an excuse to get plastered. The desecration of a war monument is also a sign of how little Canada's proud heritage means to at least some of our youths. According to the Web site for Veterans Affairs Canada, the intent of the monument was to create figures which would express the idea that they are "alighting on the world with the blessings of Victory, Peace and Liberty in the footsteps of the people's heroism and self-sacrifice who are passing through the archway below." But somewhere along the way, the monument became a convenient place to hold a drunken party. Unfortunately, this incident has sparked a call for increased security measures at the national monument. Which is really a shame because each security measure reduces the public intimacy the memorial should have with its intended audience. Hopefully these idiots will be caught and, with any luck, they will come before a creative judge who can somehow make the punishment fit the crime beyond the normal monetary fines for public mischief convictions. May we suggest a lengthy community service sentence at a Legion Hall, or a lengthy research project on the sacrifices made by the people this monument represents. We would like to suggest throwing them in the armed forces for a couple years, but that likely wouldn't do them or the armed forces any good. The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Please keep out of my backyard, homeowner warns Town Stay out of my backyard! And, for that matter, stay out of the front garden, also! Having owned my property in Oakville for 33 years; having paid my takes for 33 years; and having bought every single tree, shrub and bush, etc., I strangely enough consider them mine. Mine to do with as I please, within reason. I'm a tree person; they are not only good for the environment, give shade, offer privacy and, with the exception of the Town's maple on my front yard, relatively easy to deal with. I regularly have an arborist elevate them, remove dead branches, and keep them in good order. But, about two months ago, a 40-50-foot pine was obviously dying, suffering as a result of its proximity to a 40-foot chestnut tree. My arborist, who does not recommend the unnecessary felling of trees, recommended removing it. Which I did. To think that should the tree bylaw pass, I would have to pay the Town $300 for the permit to do so, is totally unacceptable. It is my tree, on my property. I'm not clearing my property; I have so many trees that the demise of one doesn't even show. I think Oakville residents need to fight this proposed bylaw. It is a money grab, pure and simple. They justify it by referring to Mississauga's tree bylaw, but they don't tell you that under that bylaw you can remove up to four trees in any one calendar year ­ free. Quoting directly from Mississauga ByLaw (0474-2005): "When a Permit/Permission is Not Required to Injure or Remove a Tree-- A permit is not required to injure or remove a tree under the following circumstances: a. to injure or remove within one calendar up to four (4) trees each with a diameter greater than 15 cm (6 in.") There are seven more categories under this heading but they do not apply to these circumstances. Back to the Town's tree -- it's a nuisance tree, drops crap for months, seriously interfering with my magnolia; has cost big bucks to elevate and remove dead branches from as well as having it sprayed when it developed some sickness turning the leaves white and causing them to fall early. I didn't bill the town for looking after its tree and I don't expect them to bill me when I'm looking after mine. PAT MELHUISH More letters can be found in the Opinion section of www.oakvillebeaver.com. The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206,Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981.Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Pud BY STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.com