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OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, August 28, 2009 · 6 OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5571 Classified Advertising: 632-4440 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 Regional 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 Revealing speech Someone should ask Halton MP Lisa Raitt how she views her role as the Minister of Natural Resources. Does she see herself as the guardian of Canada's vast natural resources or its broker? Based on her comments at last week's Oakville Chamber of Commerce luncheon, we fear it is the latter. In hindsight, we shouldn't be surprised or disappointed by the contents of her speech. After all, Raitt is a Conservative Cabinet Minister and she was speaking at a Chamber of Commerce meeting -- supposedly filled with local CEOs and owners of small businesses. Exactly the type of audience that might enjoy a speech about how Canada's large supply of carbon fuels will help drive the country's economy into prosperity. Unfortunately, however, her speech may have also revealed that the first-term MP may not have a solid grasp on her constituency, yet. While the economy may still be the No. 1 concern of most Canadians, the environment is not far behind, especially in Oakville. Perhaps their thumping of former Liberal Leader Stephen Dion and his Green Shift in the last federal election has the Conservative government believing Canadians' concern for the environment is overblown. They have certainly acted that way on the international stage and have rigidly opposed any global commitments to reduce Canada's carbon footprint. However, Raitt and her colleagues would be wise to look at the gains made by the Oakville Green Party in the GTA ridings, including Oakville in the last federal and provincial elections. Those gains clearly showed that voters who live in the heavily-populated communities of southern Ontario are looking for some alternative solutions to the problems that threaten the environment and the quality of their lives. So for those people, the Minister of Natural Resource's speech was a major disappointment. It gave the clear impression that the environment will always play second fiddle to the economy while under the guardianship of the Conservative government. What a pity. 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. Letter to the editor Conservatives blind to potential of renewable energy Halton MP and Minister of Natural Resources Lisa Raitt is clearly unapologetic for her government's lack of political will to take a progressive stance on the environment and the economy. To discount renewable energy as insignificant "in the foreseeable future" reveals this government's real intentions. The current government has pushed back carbon legislation three times and the current proposed regulations are vague at best. The Canadian Industry Program for Energy Conservation to which Lisa Raitt refers took into account past activity that companies themselves took without the government funding -- it was an ex-post program that allowed companies to access capital if they took some type of activity. Hardly something to take credit for. Canada emitted 721 metric tonnes of green house gases into the atmosphere in 2006. That's approximately 24 tonnes per capita. They shouldn't be taking credit for a program that decreased that figure by less than one tonne per capita, while the overall per capita rate has grown by over three tonnes per capita throughout the entire conservative term because of their policy decisions. The Conservative government has a "do no harm" policy for the oil and gas industry. What about a "do no harm" policy to the environment and our planet? The economy and environment are inextricably linked and countries that understand this are creating new technologies and entire economies of the future. The government must provide policy frameworks that will create investments in clean technologies, which will spur new industries and an entire new sector for job growth. CONNIE LAURIN-BOWIE NOMINATION CANDIDATE FOR OAKVILLE LIBERAL RIDING Letters to the editor 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. Speeding motorist hits beloved dog This is an open letter to the lady who came flying up our street (maybe 40 houses in total, but a straight thoroughfare used by quite a few) the other day and ended up causing a lot of grief. What did you think was so important to be speeding up a residential street, chock full of kids and parents out playing, and running over a beloved dog. She was a 75-pound English Bull Dog, certainly not small, but approximately the same weight as my seven-year-old. The fact that you kept on going and only stopped when two of the adults caught up to you (after you went right See Grieving page 7 Pud BY STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.com