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6- The Oakville Beaver, Friday March 2, 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 Minister's response offensive While Ontario Energy Minister Dwight Duncan may not be losing any sleep over the province's temporary gasoline shortage, a cavalier remark he made during a recent television interview likely did little to satisfy consumers on the verge of panic. During a Tuesday night national news report on the shortage of gasoline at some Ontario gas stations, Duncan responded to a question about the seriousness of the shortage by saying: "So? So? Did everyone get gas? So what?" So what? If the energy minister can't get his head around how the image of closed gas stations might raise concern among consumers, perhaps Premier Dalton McGuinty needs to ask himself if Duncan offers the right approach for the job. If the province's energy minister feels it's no big deal for consumers to live with the uncertainty of the availability of gasoline -- in some smaller Ontario communities the local supply has reportedly run dry -- he needs to get his head out of the oil sands. So what? Until alternate `green' fuel sources become more universally viable or provincial and federal governments commit funding for a seamless GTA public transit system, gasoline remains the lifeblood of Ontario's economy. Without it people can't get to work, consumer products can't get to market and Ontario's economic engine would simply grind to a halt. While the premier has taken the right approach by requesting that Ontarians remain calm -- the province maintains that only 10 per cent of Ontario's 3,800 gas stations have been closed at any one time -- the energy minister's flippant remark gives the impression he is either unaware or dismissive of an even greater fuel crisis on the horizon. While Imperial Oil has predicted crude oil production at its recently fire-damaged refinery in Nanticoke, Ont., would be back to normal in a couple of weeks, the recent shortage shines a light on a North American oil refining industry that is losing the struggle to meet demand. One industry spokesperson noted construction of new refineries has not been able to keep pace with an ever-growing demand. New refineries are both expensive -- one can cost up to $6 billion to build -- and viewed as nearly impossible to get built in Canada due to changing environmental attitudes. While Dwight Duncan offers a so what?, we would respectfully offer a question back to him -- What is he and the Liberal government doing to lessen Ontario's dependency on gasoline? 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 The Oakville Beaver, Feb. 28 edition printed a response from Kevin Flynn, MPP, to a letter written earlier by Bronte Village Resident's Association President (BVRA), Brian Miller. I thank you for giving Mr. Flynn a chance to respond to Mr. Miller's letter in the pages of the Beaver. At first glance I thought Mr. Flynn might reasonably answer Mr. Miller's concerns and comments. However, although you gave Flynn Oakville MPP's response doesn't answer residents' concerns ample newspaper ink, it was wasted on campaigning, more excuses and what appeared to be further spreading the blame amongst many community members for development issues in Bronte. Who is Mr. Flynn referring to as "standing on the sidelines and throwing stones"? Certainly not the BVRA? They are one of Oakville's most vibrant and concerned community groups -- fighting the good fight and doing on a volunteer basis, what our elected officials don't seem willing to do. Most importantly, Mr. Flynn didn't explain why he told the BVRA he would look into the appeal process of the Shell House Lands and yet never followed through. In fact, there are still no answers and no individual(s) willing to explain what ensued with the Shell House Lands. Conveniently, Mr. Flynn didn't even go there in his letter. So thank you Mr. Flynn for always BY STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.com smelling like roses, while dressing down those who seek answers and accountability. We do not want smoke and mirrors. Come provincial election time you will again be seeking votes and support from residents. We've given it to you in the past (over 18 years worth according to you) and you will no doubt want it again. We elect you. When does your support for us begin? WOLFGANG ZENKER MP's remark condescending Bonnie Brown's condescending comment in Wednesday's Beaver refers to our brave military, police and border guards as `men with guns'. She apparently does not understand. First, it's brave fighting men and women in our military, like heroic Michael Wright from Oakville. Second there are thousands of brave Canadian men and women who carry guns. I've met many of them while volunteering with Crime Stoppers and Community Policing. They drive around all hours of the day and night to help keep our families safe. Others stand on guard at our borders. There were thousands In Bosnia, Haiti, Korea, and in two World Wars to whom we owe a great debt for our freedom. God Bless them all. Bonnie's comment denigrates these heroic people and reflects a profound misunderstanding of national - and local security. TERENCE H. YOUNG FEDERAL CONSERVATIVE CANDIDATE- OAKVILLE 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