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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, August 4, 2010 · 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 --Open 9-5 weekdays, 5-7 for calls only Wed. to Friday, Closed weekends 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: Canadian Circulation Audit Board Member THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America Canadian Community Newspapers Association ATHENA Award 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 Buying local? If ever there was an argument to be made to buy local, the sad tale of Halton's vanishing farmland provides a pretty good case study. According to a recent report to Halton's planning and public works committee, farming in the GTA -- and more specifically in Halton -- is a dying profession. The cost of land in Halton is prohibitive and more than half of the prime land actively used for agricultural purposes is being rented out by land speculators hoping to cash in on future development. The problem is, many of these rented parcels of prime agricultural land are tied up in short-term rental arrangements, making it impossible for growers to make long-term commitments to, for example, an orchard. Another pressure on Halton farms is the necessity to get bigger or perish, since stagnating commodity prices demand higher production in order for farms to survive. Further complicating the problem is the disconnect between agriculture and young people in Halton, where the average age of farmers is 55.5 years -- the second oldest in the GTA. According to one member of regional council, the Province's failure to protect prime agricultural land with its Greenbelt legislation -- combined with Places to Grow population targets for Halton communities like Oakville -- has opened up agricultural lands to development. "The issue here is the Province is talking out of both sides of its mouth about Places to Grow and supporting agriculture," said Milton Councillor Barry Lee. Consultant Margaret Walton agrees with Lee's assessment that agricultural lands were missed when the provincially-protected Greenbelt was created. "We have to finally get through to the Province that in order for agriculture to continue in the area, it has to be profitable and sustainable," she said. For consumers who believe buying foods grown close-to-home is best from an environmental and economic point of view, this report should sound an alarm that, without provincial intervention, the term `Grown in Halton' could -- like the region's prime agricultural land -- disappear forever. 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 Serving the public It looks like the faith of TransCanada's gas power plant in Oakville lies in the hands of judges. The overwhelming expert arguments and public opposition against it seem to have fallen on deaf ears at Queen's Park. Is the government afraid of being sued by TransCanada for breach of contract? Are the monetary aspects of this contract more important for the government than its negative health consequences? By waiting for the courts to decide, the government is ducking the issue, like "Pilate washing his hands." If the judgment goes against TransCanada, the government is off the hook and could not be held liable for not following through with the agreement. On the other hand, if the power plant gets the green light, the opposition would be more or less silenced and the government relieved from public pressure. Either scenario would help the government appease public opposition to this ill-conceived project. Yet, if I were to do the judging, I would throw the case back into the Premier's lap. Ontarians expect such decisions to be made by their elected officials. NICHOLAS VARIAS, OAKVILLE 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. Infrastructure a top priority Re: Letter to the editor July 28, 2010 by D.J. Murray The decision to fund the Oakville hospital from property taxes was made by the Province of Ontario, not by Halton Region. Over the last four years the combined tax increase for Regional programs and services has been less than 0.5 per cent, one of the lowest among municipalities in all of Canada. Maintaining current infrastructure and planning for future infrastructure is a top priority for Halton. Regional Council approved $362 million in infrastructure investments this year, one of the largest investments in the Region's history. To keep Halton's portion of taxes low, we are financing the infrastructure construction with the collection of development charges. Four years ago, only 50 per cent of the cost of infrastructure came from development charges. This year alone development charges will cover 82 per cent of the costs for road construction. This means developers are paying for the cost, not the Halton taxpayers. GARY CARR, CHAIR HALTON REGION Must be better way I drove from my home in River Oaks to Halton Regional Centre on July 24. I arrived at 1:18 p.m. and had to sit in my idling car until 2:05 p.m. at which time I was finally able to drop off my first waste items. There has got to be a better way to help the environment than having a very long line of cars idling for almost an hour. Can the next Special Waste Drop-off Day be improved upon? I would like to know because if it cannot, I will just drive directly to the Milton dump once a year. I think I would burn less gas and my nerves would be less frayed. PAULINE MAYNARD, OAKVILLE Don't change Centennial Square Re: Committee submits creative recommendations to mayor, July 23, 2010 I like Centennial Square, the library, the pool, the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts. I'd prefer we leave this historic celebration of Canada's 100th birthday and keep it out of the hands of corporate Oakville. The report says there are already donors/sponsors and a preliminary plan. Wow. Slow down already. RICHARD VELLA, OAKVILLE