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6- The Oakville Beaver, Friday January 26, 2007 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: THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS A DIVISION OF Media Group Ltd. NEIL OLIVER Publisher JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director TERI CASAS Business Manager MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution ALEXANDRIA CALHOUN Circ. Manager IAN OLIVER Group Publisher Which party's genuinely green? While we don't know when the next election will be held, it would appear that we do know what will be a key election issue -- the environment. Whether it is the result of an unusually warm winter in southern Ontario (combined with the almost daily images of extreme weather in other parts of the globe), or the rise of various local grassroots environmental groups, or films like Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, the state of our environment is a major topic of concern. Or maybe, many of us have finally realized we simply can't continue exploiting our environment without expecting to face serious consequences. Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Conservative government appears to have realized they can't keep treating the issue of the environment as they have in the past without also facing serious consequences. Suddenly, ineffective Rona Ambrose was shown the door and John Baird was brought in as Environment Minister to paint the Conservatives green with the help of lots of new-found cash. Baird is also blaming the Liberals for years of empty promises and inactivity over reducing curbing greenhouse gasses. There is a ring of truth to these accusations. The environment was hardly the centre of attention while the Liberals were in power for many years. The NDP, which has traditionally represented the interests of labour, may have trouble convincing people they will make the right choice if it comes down to a difficult decision between jobs or the environment. Which brings us to the Green Party. Suddenly, one of Canada's fringe parties is the only one with a long-standing genuine concern over the environment. Will this be enough to boost the party from the fringe into the political mainstream in the next election? Will it win representation in parliament? It will be interesting to see the reaction Canadian Green Party Leader Elizabeth May generates when she visits Oakville on Monday. So far, she has nearly sold out both a luncheon with the Oakville Chamber of Commerce and a political fundraiser for the Halton and Oakville Green party riding associations. In contrast, previous Green Party leaders have met quietly with a handful of supporters in coffee shops. At the very least, May should be granted a seat at the table for the leadership debates in the next federal election. Otherwise a debate over the state of Canada's environment would seem very hollow indeed. 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 No need to ram save-the-tree deal through without public input Re: Stop Whining about old tree, Oakville Beaver, Jan. 24. Your reader completely misses the point. The issue is not the old tree, but the integrity of municipal council that is in question. Faced with public opposition, they first tell us that public funds will not be used to support saving the tree and that private funds must be raised. Then when the private fundraising cannot meet the stated objectives, they do an about face and commit public funds to making up the difference. And then we find out that council did not tell us that saving the tree will mean destroying other trees and cutting a $600,000 investment in the environment to plant new trees. This last piece is crucial to make an intelligent decision, one tree versus a $600,000 investment in the environment. This isn't whining. It's about trusting Council to perform due diligence and to be honest with the voters. If they cannot get this relatively minor issue right, how can we possibly trust them to make good decisions on issues of major importance. The tree is only a symbol of a deeper discontent and lack of trust in our municipal council's ability to establish priorities and manage the public purse. It's called a lack of credibility and a lack of integrity and it is an issue that is not going to go away. If anyone has to grow up it's our municipal council. PETER SWIRZON Yea tree... Please register my complete approval as a taxpayer for the use of my tax dollars to save the oak tree situated on Bronte Road. This is an outstanding project that deserves our support and encouragement. SHARRON DEAN Pud BY STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.com ...Nay tree Please register my opposition to the use of my tax dollars and those of other Halton Region and Oakville taxpayers for the ridiculous "Save the Oak Tree" project. The many needy charities in this area could put such funds to much better use -- Salvation Army, Ian Anderson House and the United Way of Oakville JOHN TED MARTIN 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.