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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 The Oakville Beaver Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. OPINION & LETTERS 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@oakville- beaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. With just weeks remaining for candidates to regis- ter to run in this falls municipal election, theres a disturbing absence of willing participants at the school board level in Halton. Its a trend thats apparent when one views the reg- istered candidates list for either Haltons public and Catholic school boards. At the Halton District School Board, 11 trustees are to be elected on Monday, Oct. 25 four each in Burlington and Oakville, two in Milton and one in Halton Hills. Candidate registration opened in January, but fewer than a dozen people have put their names for- ward for consideration. The picture isnt any brighter at the Halton Catholic District School Board, where, again, few have put their names out as a registered candidate. So, whats at the root of all this candidate apathy? Could the modest annual trustee remuneration of about $13,000 at the public board and $11,000 at the Catholic board slightly more for the chair and vice- chair positions plus a small constituency budget be driving good people away from what can amount to a full-time job? In Burlington, two public school trustees Mary Dilly and Peggy Russell have abandoned re- election bids in order to run for city council seats that offer both higher profiles and considerably more pay. Or, perhaps its the sense that ever since the Province grabbed greater control over educations purse strings, trustees feel powerless to effect the changes that matter most to the community that elected them. There is a third explanation for low candidate turnout. Its possible that in our increasingly hurried lives, fewer citizens feel strongly enough about the impor- tance of education to actually step up and help make the system better. For ours kids sake, we hope thats not the case in Halton. Media Group Ltd. The Oakville Beaver is a division of NEIL OLIVER Vice President and Group Publisher of Metroland West 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 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 advertise- ment will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Letter to the editorCalling trustees The best there is Re: Aug. 11 Oakville Beaver, Ward 6 Councillor and federal Liberal candidate Max Khan is not serving two masters, as alluded. He is currently only elected as a Town councillor and not as an MP. By law, and tradition, he is allowed to declare himself a candidate for other elected positions without giv- ing up his council seat. If elected as an MP at the next federal election, he will make the right decision on his future with the Town council. There are numerous examples across Canada of people running for national office while holding other elected positions. One should com- pliment Max about his devotion and strong commitment to the public good. Max has been vigorously sup- porting the mayor and fellow Town councillors in strongly opposing the power plant in east Oakville which, is not part of his ward. He is not, as suggested by the writer, involved with provincial Liberal leadership, and is only a candidate for national office at this point. The letter writer is obviously addressing another agenda, using typical Conservative nastiness along with misleading statements in her com- ments. I believe the crux of her letter was to take strong offence at the Leader of the Opposition asking for progressive voters to join the Liberal Party at the centre of Canadian political life because of Harpers failure to govern properly, while using the power plant as a decoy issue. This letter is intended to clarify and point out the writers points and inaccuracies. I echo her sentiments about Oakville being the most livable town in Canada. It has become that through the hard work of people like Max Khan who has worked hard on behalf of the local popula- tion to ensure Oakville remains the best there is. TERRY QUINN, OAKVILLE LOCAL FEDERAL LIBERAL ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE MEMBER THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: ATHENAAward THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIALMEDIASPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Canadian CirculationAudit Board Member Canadian CommunityNewspapers AssociationOntario CommunityNewspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America Re: Air conditioners useful during heat alert It was not my intention to suggest that people roll down their windows while wait- ing at drive-thrus or to turn off their home air conditioning, as Marcela Inzirillo stated. It was to point out that sitting in a car with the engine running at a drive-thru, emitting harmful fumes into the air and turning up home air conditioning very high is making pollution and global warming worse. If people parked their cars and went into their favourite restaurant instead of using the drive-thru, kept their home air condi- tioner at a comfortable, yet not freezing temperature, and hung one load of laundry a week, it would make a big difference. Although Inzirillo is convinced that every- one is doing their part, I feel we all can make small painless changes to benefit the health of everyone, including the environment. The risks of not doing so are too great. HEATHER ELLIOTT, OAKVILLE Small actions can achieve a lot Re: Cyclist hit by car, July 16, Oakville Beaver I wish the cyclist on Highway 5 / Dundas Street a speedy and complete recovery. Perhaps one way to reduce such accidents would be to ask cyclists to stay on the opposing side of the highway, as do pedes- trians. It's possible the rider would have been able to see the danger that was approaching and taken defensive actions. As it was, it seems, all the action was behind and beside him and he had no chance to get out of the way. He couldn't see what was about to unfold. RONALD REA, OAKVILLE Cyclist didnt see it coming w w w . o a kv ill eb ea ve r.c o m O A KV IL LE B EA V ER W e dn es da y, A ug us t 1 8, 2 01 0 6