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6- The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday July 15, 2006 Commentary 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 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. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Guest Columnist IAN OLIVER Publisher NEIL OLIVER Associate Publisher TERI CASAS Business Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager KELLY MONTAGUE Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution ROD JERRED Managing Editor WEBSITE oakvillebeaver.com Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd., includes: Ajax/Pickering News Advertiser, Alliston Herald/Courier, Arthur Enterprise News, Barrie Advance, Caledon Enterprise, Brampton Guardian, Burlington Post, Burlington Shopping News, 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 Rights don't grow on trees Gerry Nicholls Vice-president, National Citizens Coalition will soon become a tree slave. That is I will still have to rake under my trees, still have to prune my trees, still have to care for my trees ­ but I just won't own my trees. In the very near future Oakville's Town government will for all intents and purposes own my trees. That's because the town council wants to pass a law making it illegal for residents to cut down trees on their own property without official government authorization. So say I want to cut down a tree in my backyard to make way for a pool. First, I will have to contact some bureaucratic tree guy and ask for permission to cut down the tree. The bureaucratic tree guy may or may not give me his approval, it's hard to say. Even Town officials admit permits could be denied for "purely cosmetic, convenience or arbitrary reasons." But let's say the bureaucratic tree guy is in a good mood and he grants me permission to cut my tree down. I then have to pay $250 per tree for the permit. And I may also be forced to have replacement trees planted or to make a "contribution" to the municipal Tree Replacement Fund. Now there are a lot of things wrong with this tree law. First off, it means the creation of a whole new town tree bureaucracy and secondly it imposes a huge financial penalty on residents who already pay excessive property taxes. But the real problem with this law is that it infringes on my right to private property. If a tree is on my land shouldn't I have the right to do whatever I want with it, whether that means dressing it up with garish Christmas decorations or cutting it down if that's what I have a mind to do. In theory, yes. In theory, as a citizen of a free society, I should have the right to use my own property pretty much as I see fit. But the reality here in Canada is quite different. Here in Canada we don't have the right to private property. That's because back in 1981 when they were drafting our Charter of Rights and Freedoms they left that important right out. Why? Because certain provincial governments were worried entrenched property rights would make it difficult for them to expropriate property and nationalize businesses. Besides the Charter was never really meant to protect our rights. As columnist Lorne Gunter once pointed out, the Charter was "about empowering the state, about making it the gatekeeper for politically correct rights." Like for instance the "rights" of trees. One of the reasons the Town wants the tree bylaw, for instance, is to "educate" us residents about the benefits of trees. Well, I for one don't need such an education. I already love trees. I think they are beautiful and worth preserving. But I also believe there is something even more beautiful and worth preserving: our individual freedoms. Gerry Nicholls is an Oakville resident and can be reached at gerry.nicholls@sympatico.ca Gerry Nicholls RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America I THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: ATHENA Awards United Way of Oakville TV AUCTION Friends and family provide valuable support network "So how are you doing?" wrote Melanie. I looked at the e-mail and wondered if I should really tell her honestly how I was doing or politely respond with a "fine, thank you." Melanie, or Mel as she is fondly known, has been a longtime freelance writer for The Oakville Beaver and other Halton division newspapers for more than 15 years. The longevity of our relationship allowed me the right to really tell her how I had been doing. "Well to be perfectly honest, Mel, this has been one horrible year. It started with my dad having a heart attack Christmas night. Luckily, angioplasty seems to have taken care of that. But now my poor mom has just undergone surgery for breast cancer. That was just five weeks after I had back surgery for a second time. Other than that things are going OK." I didn't mention to Mel that my sister-in-law had brain surgery recently to remove a tumour. It didn't take long for Mel to respond to my e-mail. "Geez, girl," she wrote. "Make sure you use your support network." I thought about that for a minute and wondered what she meant by a support network. Did she mean the colleagues in my newspaper family? The neighbours? Our friends? Our family? If she meant all of them as the support network then I am truly blessed to know such wonderful, caring individuals. Having worked in the industry for 25 years, I have come to know so many great people. Whether it's the managing editors of the Mississauga News and Brampton Guardian or the editors, reporters and Jill Davis photographers from Halton division, they have been there for me. From friendly phone calls, to bringing me lunch while I was recuperating (thanks Karen and Wendy) to leaving me funny messages on my home answering machine (thanks Bob) to sending "hugs" via e-mail, I never once faced a challenge alone. When I began worrying about missing time from work, I received reassuring e-mails from my two bosses, Neil and Ian. Just get well, they wrote. In a time where corporations are often painted in a cold and distant light, my newspaper family is incredibly devoted to ensuring that its employees' needs are taken care of beyond the office walls. Peter and Kendra from human resources spent time checking up on me as did so many other people, too many to mention in this space. Lou, Debbie, Helena and Kelly have all dispensed advice and listened with patience. My good friend Julia sent me a present the day prior to my surgery. I think it may be the first time a cab driver has ever delivered a night dress to someone. Even hair stylists Tony and Damian are part of my growing network. And, of course, where would I be without the love of my family? My sister Liz, her husband and daughters and my brother Mike have all rallied around my parents and me embracing us with such love; how could we not feel better? However, it is my husband, my forever friend, a soul mate, who always lets in the sunshine when the skies darken. So when I look back at these past few months, I feel incredibly fortunate. Thanks to my family, friends and my extended newspaper family I know I will never walk alone. Jill Davis, Editor-in-Chief Halton Media Group, can be reached at jdavis@haltonsearch. com. Andy Juniper is on vacation.