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OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, September 2, 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 OPA spin doctors need more time Pardon us for not doing any cartwheels over Friday's announcement by the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) of a one-month delay in awarding the contract to build a gas-fueled power plant in southeast Oakville or Mississauga. Residents were expecting to learn exactly who was going to build and operate the 850-900-megawatt gas-fired power plant in late August, along with whether the power plant was going to be located in southeast Oakville or one of three nearby Mississauga sites. Over the summer, residents in both Oakville and Mississauga have been united in their protests against the plant being built in their neighbourhoods because it would add more stress to the heavily-polluted Clarkson airshed. They held well-attended protests in Mississauga and Oakville and even picketed Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty in Mississauga. We're not convinced the one-month delay is a sign the OPA or the Ontario Ministry of Environment are listening. Rather, we think the OPA and the Province are going to use the next 30 days to attempt to win over their opponents. Good luck with that one. Our skepticism is based on the fact that none of the four applicants are being asked to meet any additional environmental standards. Instead, the OPA's Bruce Chin said: "Now we're looking beyond the power plant and we're looking at all the sources of emissions in the airshed in the southwest GTA and we're saying, `Is there anything we can do, that the Ontario Power Authority can do, to make the airshed cleaner by partnering with local industries and being informed by local communities." What the OPA hopes to accomplish in the next month is anyone's guess. Perhaps, it has finally realized its opponents are genuinely concerned about the quality of the air they and their families breathe. But without asking any of the four applicants to improve their emission levels from their proposals, we have some difficulty believing the delay will amount to much more than a public relations exercise. 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 Listen to power plant objections In response to Mayor discusses power plant concerns with premier, The Oakville Beaver, Aug. 26, many thanks to Oakville Mayor Rob Burton with the help of Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn for taking the plight of Oakville and Mississauga constituents to the premier. Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty should be reminded that these decisions (about power plant locations) are not `difficult,' if current and unbiased facts are considered in their formulation. Yes, Ontario needs `an adequate, affordable and reliable supply of electricity,' but we do not need the wasteful overproduction of any commodity, and certainly we do not require that power be produced here in Oakville or Mississauga to add to the haze over the GTA. We are located on one of the largest power grids in the world, so power can be connected anywhere in Ontario. There are other less-polluted and less-populated locations, which would welcome the opportunity to upgrade a coal-fired power plant to maintain established jobs. Do we really need every job in the province to be located in the GTA? The air in Oakville and Mississauga is already super-saturated with pollutants. If the premier's `constituency is Ontario, 13 million strong', then he should spread the good and the bad associated with the installation of a gas-fired power generating plant. If he listens to the communities speaking to him, Mr. McGuinty's, decision will become less difficult. DAVID HARRIS 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. Thanks firefighters On behalf of the entire Sanderson family, we wish to publicly acknowledge, and thank, the members of the Oakville Professional Firefighters Association. One of the first casualties of ALS (or Lou Gehrig's disease) is loss of mobility. Without adequate access, an ALS patient could literally spend their last days completed isolated. Because of the compassion, willingness and hard work of some pretty special men, Ian is now able to take his grandkids for rides on his power chair, and walk with me on a warm summer's evening (well, maybe not warm). The deck, the ramp and the stairs have made our lives more like everyone else's, and we are deeply and humbly grateful for that. Special thanks go to Andrew Lee, who persevered until end...always cheerful, always patient and always resourceful. To all of you who are so much more than `the guys on the trucks', our deepest gratitude. IAN AND JODY SANDERSON Nothing to cheer about In response to the letter Conservatives blind to potential of renewable energy, Oakville Beaver, Aug. 28) written by Connie Laurin - Bowie, I will be brief. The Liberal government of 13 years was not exactly "sterling silver" when it came to the environment. Is that going to radically change? Answer that question at the nomination meeting please. By the way, I am non-partisan. DAVID BALL Thanks hospital staff I would like to extend my thanks to all the staff at the Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital who cared for me on Friday, Aug. 21 when I was there for day surgery. In this day and age with so much health care bashing, I cannot stress enough what a high level of care I received. From start to finish, the staff was amazing and caring. To all the staff, thank you very much. SANDRA BLANE