The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday February 28, 2007 - 7 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Oakville MPP responds to BVRA letter I wanted to clarify some information presented in a Letter to the Editor by a Brian Miller in the Feb. 21 edition of The Oakville Beaver. I've always respected and encouraged citizen participation in civic affairs. It is, however, crucial that such engagement must be fair, balanced and representative of the legal realities that govern the planning regime of our communities. It's very easy to stand on the sidelines and throw stones. It takes much more work and commitment to actually effect real change. During my 18 years as both a Regional and Town Councillor representing Bronte, I became acutely aware that the planning system that was in place was neither adequate to protect the heritage of Oakville, nor representative of the wishes of Oakville residents. Often when I voiced that opinion at Oakville and Halton Council I was either a lone voice or in the minority when it came time to vote. When elected as MPP to represent our community I knew that finally our case would be brought directly to Queen's Park. I asked the first government question during this term of Provincial Parliament. I chose to ask the Minister of Municipal Affairs how he intended to move forward on the issue of OMB reform. As Halton's representative on the earlier GTA Task Force on OMB Reform, I was a coauthor of the report that had been left on the shelf by the previous Tory government. I was determined to see it move forward to achieve the results endorsed by all elected councils in the Greater Toronto Area. I am happy to report that although not receiving the media coverage I had hoped, legislation to reform the OMB was given Royal Assent late in 2006. From this date forward, Oakville's municipal presence in planning matters will finally receive the due consideration that any reasonable citizen would deem balanced in future decisions. Unfortunately, as the course of law allows, OMB appeals filed before that date are subject to the Tory legislation in force at the time of appeal. This equally applies to all parties in a subject proceeding and applied to the Bronte Quadrangle hearing. Yes, the changes have been a long time coming. What Mr. Miller may not realize as a relative newcomer to this movement, is that while it is the McGuinty Liberal Government that may have implemented the long overdue changes, his convenient criticism stands on the shoulders of many. People like former Mayors Harry Barrett, Bill Perras and Ann Mulvale, Councillors Peter Arch, Gord Reade, Jackie Cutmore, Norm Connally, Bonnie Brown, Ralph Robinson and the wonderful volunteers from the West Oakville Ratepayers Association. People like Robert Koolen, Walter Allan, Barbara Ann McAlpine, Flo Reynolds, Nancy Clarke, Lyn Estall and Bill and Donna Hill from the Bronte Historical Society who fought long and hard for the type of reform we have finally seen implemented by this government. The Sovereign House in Bronte stands today as a testament to those individuals who rolled up their sleeves and made it happen under trying circumstances. I want to extend my own personal thanks to those individuals who chose the hard road to real reform and didn't choose the easy position of armchair quarterback after the fact. We now have a new council and mayor with not only a renewed sense of purpose, but thanks to the McGuinty government reforms, they also have the legislative tools necessary to finish the job. I hope to be invited to the Bronte Village Residents Association to discuss how we can all constructively ensure the manageable growth of our community while preserving what is special about living in Oakville. KEVIN FLYNN, OAKVILLE MPP Inventory Clearance from March 1-March 15 25-75% OFF All in stock items Some exceptions apply 245 Lakeshore Road, Oakville Tel: 905-844-5363 Fax: 905-844-5428 www.pinocchios.ca