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OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, March 27, 2009 · 6 OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5571Classified 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 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 SARAH MCSWEENEY Circ. Manager A sure sign of spring With the first day of spring having arrived late last week, we take a moment to recognize a sign of the season's arrival that is as common as the sighting of a robin or crocus. (Note: Robins migrate more in response to food than temperature so spotting them during a warm winter isn't unusual and shouldn't be counted as a sign of spring.) However, one creature -- an unwanted one -- that usually surfaces at this time of year is the autobreakinis thiefus. In layman's terms -- thieves who break into cars. These pesky critters seem to multiply in numbers when the weather turns a bit warmer and many vehicle owners are only enticing them by leaving their vehicles unlocked, according to Halton police Det.Sgt. Murray Drinkwalter. "Theft from auto is a crime of opportunity," said Drinkwalter. According to police, a disturbing number of vehicles that are broken into have been left unlocked by their owners, while in nearly another one-quarter of all vehicle breakins, the owner wasn't sure if the car was locked or not. If even half of the owners who weren't sure about their vehicle's security status hadn't locked their car, the statistics regarding unlocked vehicles being broken into approach half of all vehicle break-ins. That's an open invitation to thieves. Anyone who has had the misfortune to lose a wallet or briefcase with important personal papers knows the time and hassle involved in having bank cards, credit cards and personal identification replaced. There's also the cost to consider of replacing CDs, GPS systems, cellphones, etc. not to mention losing money which, astoundingly, many people leave in their vehicle For the split second it takes to lock your car, is it really too much effort to avoid the loss of personal property? At the very least, residents should put valuables in the trunk and out of sight of would-be thieves. By taking these steps perhaps we could make autobreakinis thiefus an extinct species. 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 Trail users should be ashamed of the trash left behind My family and I have lived in Oakville for the last couple of years. I think Oakville is a beautiful town and one of the reasons we chose to live here was because of all the beautiful parks, pathways and ravines. Last fall, my husband and I decided to "Adopt a Trail" and give back to the town we now call home. Our responsibilities with the adoption of the trail are to walk the trail a few times a month, pick up any garbage that we find and notify the Town of any maintenance issues that may arise. Last fall I made my first sweep of our 1.2 km trail; with garbage bags in hand, I collected three bags of trash and recyclables. In February after all the snow melted, I headed out again and collected two more bags of garbage. BY STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.com Just this past week, I was out on the trail and noticed more garbage, so out I went. To my horror I collected six bags of garbage. This time I did a thorough job, along the path, up the hillside and down into the ravine. I found everything imaginable -- household items, outdoor planters, pop cans, glass bottles, water bottles, dog dropping bags (filled), paper and a lot of plastic bags. To all the residents whose houses back onto the pathways or ravines and to the people who use the path system, please put your garbage either curbside or in the garbage cans provided on the pathways. If everyone does their part, Oakville will be a clean and beautiful town to live in. KIM LAWLOR Pud This week's poll This week's question is: Which level of government is responding better to the struggling economy? · Federal Conservatives · Ontario Liberals · Neither To vote, visit 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. Frustrated by transit service I know everyone has heard this story over and over again, yet maybe it is time for Oakville Transit riders to stand up and say enough. Having come from Toronto just under four years ago with an abundance of buses and trains, I was See Transit page 11