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6- The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday August 27, 2008 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: NEIL OLIVER Vice ­ President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The Oakville Beaver is a division of IAN OLIVER President Media Group Ltd. DAVID HARVEY General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director SANDY PARE Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution ALEXANDRIA ANCHOR Circ. Manager Punishment does not fit crime The 2007 crash that claimed the lives of Rockwood couple Andrew and Henrietta Miller, aged 66 and 65 respectively, was tragic in so many ways. It was tragic that the husband and wife, whose car was stopped at a level railway crossing, were pushed into the path of an oncoming GO train after drunk driver Ingram Rahim Bakhsh plowed into the rear of the Millers' car. It was tragic that, at the time of the crash, Bakhsh had prior drinking and driving charges still before the courts. In fact, Bakhsh had already been involved in three such incidents in Peel in 2006. He pleaded guilty to two of them last week, with the third set of charges stayed. In addition, the court heard that this individual had been charged and convicted of two incidents of drunk driving in the U.S. in 2000 and 2001. It was tragic, too, that Henrietta Miller volunteered weekly at Maplehurst -- the very facility where Bakhsh has been in custody since the crash. It was tragic that the Rockwood couple sponsored Alcoholics Anonymous, which helps people, not unlike Bakhsh, with their drinking problems. It was tragic to hear the Millers's daughter describe how her family's life had been turned upside down since the horrifying crash. But perhaps what was most tragic was to hear the Crown attorney state afterward how the case has "lifted the bar for this type of offence" and that Bakhsh fit the description of "worst offender, worst offence." With Bakhsh already having served more than a year -- and getting various amounts of credit for it -- he has only five years and two months left to serve. That is the real tragic aspect of this case -- that a person whose record of drinking and driving spanned nearly a decade and whose utter disregard for the well-being of others ultimately led to the death of two innocent people. 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 This summer, after visiting a patient at Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH), I returned to the parking garage. The elevator was not working, so I took extra time to climb the stairs to the third floor. Upon leaving the building I found myself behind seven other cars waiting in line to exit. It was stop and go until I reached the parking kiosk. At $2.50 per half hour, I estimated my time to be just under 90 minutes and had $7.50 ready. The attendant informed me my charge Parking costs at hospital need to be re-evaluated was $10. I asked what my time was and was told 91 minutes. " You are charging me an extra $2.50 for one minute over when I was slowed down by an elevator that was not operating and after spending an additional four minutes in line?" I asked. The attendant told me that is the system. I told her it needed to be changed and there should be a grace period to allow for these delays. She said there is no grace period so I told her I would not pay the extra $2.50. She then accepted the $7.50 on condition I gave her my name, phone number and licence plate. I said I would welcome a call from the management, which, at this writing, I have not received. It's time that the hospital re-evaluates the parking rates and policy. And while I'm on the subject, is there any discount given to seniors who must often visit friends and relatives in the hospital? If the hospital really is a caring place, there should be. MIKE HALL This week's poll The Oakville Beaver has added a polling feature on its website oakvillebeaver.com. A new poll will be posted every Wednesday with the results of the poll published in the following Wednesday edition of The Oakville Beaver. This week's question is: Now that you've seen what Beijing can do presenting the Olympics, do you think Toronto could have done as well? · Yes · No To vote visit oakvillebeaver.com Last week's poll: Prime Minister Stephen Harper is challenging opposition parties to topple the Conservative minority government and go to the polls this fall. Do you support a fall federal election? · Yes: 31.43% · No: 68.57% Recent changes to The Oakville Beaver's e-mail service have resulted in changes to e-mail addresses of some staff. Oakville Beaver employees who used to be contacted @haltonsearch.com can now be reached @oakvillebeaver.com. For example, Managing Editor Rod Jerred can now be reached at rjerred@oakvillebeaver.com. 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 BY STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.com