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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, August 6, 2010 · 8 Letters to the editor Promoting nuclear disarmament Continued from page 6 DND lands were Surrey Park Re: DND land ready for demolition, July 30, Oakville Beaver The paper updated us on the plans for the DND property at Dorval and Rebecca. I see that your reporter is still referring to it as Ortona Barracks. As a former army brat who lived there from 1958 to 1966, I can tell you that those army quarters on Tudor and Hanover Streets were collectively referred to as Surrey Park, and that we knew Ortona Barracks to be the main army base formerly located at the northeast corner of Rebecca and Kerr Streets. Surrey Park has a nice ring to it, and it may be useful information for any future developer of the property. G. A. WEIR, OAKVILLE number of them could be launched by anger, accident or mistake. One or more might fall into the hands of religious/political fanatics. After the explosion of one such weapon, no adequate medical or rescue response would be possible. It is therefore, crucial, for the survival of all life on this planet that these weapons be abolished in a negotiated, supervised and verified manner. Please communicate your support to Mayor Burton and also urge our federal government and political parties to promote global nuclear disarmament. BARBARA BIRKETT, PHYSICIAN FOR GLOBAL SURVIVAL BEV LEFRANCOIS, WOMEN OF HALTON ACTION MOVEMENT STEPHEN DANKOWICH, DIRECTOR, OAKVILLE COMMUNITY CENTRE FOR PEACE, ECOLOGY AND HUMAN RIGHTS MERVYN RUSSELL, CHAIR, OAKVILLE COMMUNITY CENTRE FOR PEACE, ECOLOGY AND HUMAN RIGHTS Just steer clear of Giant Hogweed Re: Pesticides can be safe way of controlling dangerous weeds, July 29, Oakville Beaver Never has the saying follow the money been more obvious than in the letter to the editor from Mr. Hepworth, CropLife Canada. When one Googles CropLife Canada, we discover the board of directors of said company consists of executives of large agribusinesses. No wonder Mr. Hepworth is in favour of bringing these dangerous chemicals back to the public. The bottom line has been affected. I sincerely hope your newspaper will print a well researched letter from the opposing view of an organization like Gardens Off Drugs whose only interest is the health of our families, pets and environment. When I was a kid, 65 years ago, my parents knew, and took the time and trouble to teach me what poison ivy looked like, and I learned not to touch it. Surely we can do the same with such an outstanding weed as Giant Hogweed, and let a little education solve the problem rather than bringing back the deadly big guns. JUDY EMMERT, OAKVILLE Pesticide-free is the way to go Re: Pesticides can be safe way of controlling dangerous weeds, July 29, Oakville Beaver Here we go again. I have become immediately angry after reading this. It is insulting and inaccurate. "Fear and misinformation," indeed. Some of your readers may recall that I had an accident with pesticides in May 2000. I started researching and writing the Beaver. This resulted in the birth of Gardens Off Drugs. We worked so hard to educate the public and we succeeded in making Oakville a wonderful example for all, pesticide-free. A much safer place for our children. I have, since then, been battling non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in my spine. I have undergone extensive surgery, two kinds of chemotherapy as well as radiation. I believe that pesticides almost killed me and I am not out of the woods yet. You may say, you cannot prove it was pesticides that caused your cancer. I know my body and I know without a shadow of a doubt that it did. It is my hope they will be able to finally prove it when I die. In Sunnybrook, where I am treated, I was presented with a book written by my oncologist, Dr. Kevin Imrie. This book clearly states, "nonHodgkin's lymphoma has been associated with exposure to pesticides, chemicals, radiation and bacterial and viral infections." How can you claim pesticides are safe and well-regulated? There must be an answer for controlling these weeds without resorting to pesticides. I believe they are not safe. I believe they almost ended my life. KAREN SANDFORD-ALBARDA, Let's all support Frank Zamuner's swim Re: Calling on swimmers to jump into fundraiser July 29, Oakville Beaver I read the recent article about the second annual Swim For Mental Health, and thought how fortunate our community is to have people like Frank Zamuner willing to make a difference in the lives of others. I was especially moved to read that this fundraiser is held each year at Brookdale Pool. Back in 1996 when we first began rallying the community to save Brookdale Pool from closure, never in our wildest dreams did we think of someone being able to use the pool to raise thousands of dollars to better the lives of people suffering from mental health issues. When it was rebuilt in 1999, we talked about the young people, families and seniors who would swim there. How exciting that in addition to this, our community pool is being used as an avenue to raise money and awareness in order to save lives in Oakville. Three cheers for Mr. Zamuner. He saw a need and is doing something about it. Let's all support Mr. Zamuner next week in his bid to swim 1,000 laps to reach his goal of $30,000. PAM DAMOFF, OAKVILLE CATCH THE WAVE THAT SAVED BROOKDALE POOL Oakville Votes October 2010 C'mon Oakville ... On August 11, power down Oakville! Power Pledge Today! Take the Let's show Ontario we're committed to energy conservation. On August 11, Oakville is competing to save more energy in one day than any other Ontario municipality! Join us by unplugging your electronics, turning off the lights and air conditioning, and heading outside for an electricity-free day. By making a small commitment, you can save money and electricity while helping the environment. Learn how at www.powerpledge.ca and earn 20 Air Miles reward miles just for signing up! RETHINK, REPLACE, REDUCE