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OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, April 3, 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 No time for tax grab Who cares about consumers? Apparently not Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, whose government last week announced a blended GST/PST (Goods and Services Tax/Provincial Sales Tax) that will hit already cash-strapped consumers where it hurts the most -- their pocketbooks. Despite the Liberals' plan to temper the harmonized taxes with a host of consumer-friendly measures, those feeling the pinch of the provincial budget speech most will be the little guys, the taxpayers who, primarily, will foot the bill for McGuinty's business-friendly initiative. Slated to take effect mid-2010, the new harmonized tax (HST) will shift the responsibility of the PST from industry to taxpayers, adding an additional eight per cent to the cost of everything from heating homes to grabbing a burger. Designed to ease the pain of the recession-wracked business sector, the HST's victims will be those who purchase end products, rather than those who manufacture them. But, already burdened by a faltering economy, lost jobs and escalating food, energy and transportation costs, few consumers will have money left over to purchase anything other than the bare necessities. How will that help these businesses? What McGuinty giveth, taxpayers might take away. While bolstering the business quarter in hard times makes economic sense, that aid should not come at the expense of citizens who already shoulder one of North America's heaviest tax burdens. It's little wonder Ontarians often feel compelled to cross the border to shop, where their hard-earned pennies can be stretched just a little bit further. While McGuinty says he has no fear of paying a political price, as have other provincial governments who imposed a harmonized tax, he can only hope Ontario residents have short memories. 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 Ward 4 accommodation compromise leaves parent fuming Re: Compromise reached on Ward 4 elementary school accommodation plan, Oakville Beaver, March 27 Once again our Halton District School Board Trustees have made a last minute decision. This decision has not taken into account what the director recommended in his earlier report. The trustees have unanimously accepted a plan that will see approximately 150 students move to Lorne Skuce Public School for the 2009/2010 academic year before moving to the new Palermo Public school. I, as an affected parent, would like to know when this idea was first shared with the public? I have participated in the focus groups, attended numerous accommodation meetings, and read all the board minutes, school council items and the newspaper articles relating to Ward 4. Nowhere did I ever see the Lorne Skuce plan mentioned. Isn't this, the outcome that the PARC process is supposed to avoid? My child currently attends Grade 1 at Forest Trail and we fall within the boundaries of the new Palmero School. I want to remind the trustees of the goals in the Director's Report # 09038 presented Feb. 11: "minimize the movement of students as many students may have experienced multiple moves and - maximize the use of existing facilities within Ward 4 Oakville." My child will now be forced to attend school outside of Ward 4 boundaries and my child will attend four different schools in five years. This does not match what the director stated in his report. I had a lot of respect for Director Joudrie when he realized that students have come from their home school to Pinegrove and then to Forest Trail and would possibly go to another school. To quote report # 09038: "It was deemed not appropriate to have these students move again," so Pud BY STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.com This week's poll This week's question is: Mayor Rob Burton recently told the Oakville Chamber of Commerce the economy was showing signs of recovery. Do you agree?? · Yes · No 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. See Parent page 7