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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Sunday December 24, 2006 - 9 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR check us out online... www.oakvillebeaver.com CORRECTION NOTICE To our valued customers: We apologize for any inconvenience caused by an error in our flyer dated: December 15 - 19. Product: Samsung LNS4692 / Sony KLV32S200A. On page 18 of the December 15th flyer we advertised this product a $500 savings claim when in fact it is a $300 savings claim. Also page 17 Sony TV KLV32S200A is shown wall mounted and customers should be aware that the wall mount is sold separately. SKU: 10075071/10078283 221 Maurice Dr. Christmas spirit restored I am the homeowner that had my Christmas lawn display on Maurice Drive vandalized last year that was shown in your paper. My wife and I were devastated and thought we would never again go to the expense and effort that these displays require. However, we decided to give it one more try, and today (Sunday) our efforts were rewarded. At Sunday morning breakfast, we noticed two ladies taking pictures or videos of our display. Before we realized it, our doorbell rang and a young lady was offering us money towards the cost of the material and the electric bill. We of course refused the offer, but our faith in our fellowman was restored. BLAKE AND SHIRLEY TAYLOR Don't use tax money to save tree The article in the Friday edition of The Oakville Beaver on Halton Regional Council reopening the debate on saving the Oak tree caused me to consider the factors surrounding this issue. The first area I considered was if the Oak tree had had any environmental significance. A quick search on the Internet revealed that mature trees do not convert carbon dioxide to oxygen as younger growing trees do. The other environmental factor would be possible cooling effects and it appears that this particular oak is too far from the Regional building to provide any cooling effect, it would, of course, provide shade under its branches. My conclusion was this oak does not have any particular environmental value. The second area that I looked at was the population of oak trees in the Town of Oakville. My street has many oak trees on one side that were planted years ago by the Town of Oakville, they are all healthy and are well-maintained. I also took a walk along some of the trails in the area of Eighth Line. There are many oaks along these trails, along with a good mix of other deciduous and coniferous trees. It seems to me that the Town of Oakville arborist would be a good resource to determine if there is a good population of oaks in the town. I will admit there may be a shortage of trees that are 250 years old. I then took a look at the response by residents to the campaign to save the tree. I visited the website and counted approximately 160 donors that allowed their names to be posted. Realizing that there could be some donors that did not want their names to be posted, I increased the number of donors to 300. Taking the population of Oakville from the town website as 152,00 and calculating the percentage, we have 0.2 per cent of the population having donated to the campaign. I find it difficult to call this an overwhelming response. I think that the campaign itself has been well-run, with the exception of writing to Prince Charles seeking support. I think that his opinion should have no effect on local issues. I believe that the people behind the campaign have worked hard and I commend both them and the residents, who had the courage of their convictions and donated money to the campaign. They have honoured their part of the deal with the Region. I do not think that it is appropriate for this Regional Council to consider changing the commitment of the former Regional Council. A deal was agreed upon with time given to raise funds and if sufficient funds couldn't be raised, the widening of Bronte Road would proceed and the tree would have to be taken down. I think for this new Regional Council to be credible and gain the respect of the residents of Halton Region, the past arrangement must stand. I do not believe it is fiscally responsible to use taxpayers' money to support an issue that has such a low response rate from the residents. It would be a shame to see the oak tree come down. Maybe Regional Council should revisit alternatives to widening Bronte Road in this area. Do we really need another corridor to the 407 to the Queen Elizabeth Way? The time has come to decide. If you want to save the oak, donate your money now. If you don't want taxpayers' money going to save the tree, get in touch with your regional councillor and let them know how you feel. ROBERT ADCOCK