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, O ct ob er 1 3, 2 01 0 6 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5566 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. When Ontario Superior Court Judge Susan Himel struck down three core components of the Criminal Code provisions surrounding pros- titution recently, her intent was to protect sex workers from engaging in dangerous transac- tions. Fair enough. But by openly condoning prostitution, Himel has left Canadas murky prostitution laws open to a lot of ugly interpretations. While prostitution is technically legal in Canada, until now vir- tually every activity associated with it was not. In her ruling, Himel said it now falls to Parliament to fash- ion corrective action. Does the landmark ruling mean a bawdy house can sprout like a pesky dandelion smack dab in the middle of a residential cul-de-sac? If the decision, which is being challenged by Queens Park and Ottawa stands, it will be legal for prostitutes to openly chat and solicit cus- tomers along main streets and okay for anyone to run a brothel out of a home or make a living through prostitution. Critics of the ruling argue courts should not be allowed to rule on issues that have social, moral and public policy repercussions. We agree. The voice of the public in this case needs to be heard simply because the issue affects our neighbourhoods and communities. Hand this issue to our elected legislators, namely the members of Parliament to tackle. A referendum on the issue would give the average Joe not john a chance to vote, based on the consequences of Himels decision, on their neighbourhood and children. 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 typo- graphical 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 Let Joes not johns decide 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 Landowner grateful for efforts of C4CA and Town The Oakville Beaver is a division of Editors note: This letter was sent to the Town of Oakville and filed with the Oakville Beaver for publication. I wish to take this opportunity to com- mend you and your staff for the efforts invested in responding to the proposed power plant in south Oakville. The approach adopted by the Town was fair to all involved and resulted in current updates to the Town Official Plan that will hold it in good stead in the future when assessing applications of this nature. I accept that power plants are neces- sary and believe that Oakville's work will set a standard for other municipalities (and hopefully the Province) for assess- ment of the appropriate locations, which respect the proximity of sensitive adjacent land uses. While I am grateful to the Province for undertaking steps necessary to make the determination that the facility in south Oakville is no longer necessary, I believe it would not have happened with- out the efforts of C4CA and the Town. For this, as an owner of real estate neighbour- ing the proposed facility, I am grateful. LYN TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND AND ASSOCIATES Critics of the ruling argue courts should not be allowed to rule on issues that have social, moral and public policy repercussions. We agree. This is the sign we have on our lawn at Dunedin Road. It looks much better than the old one. Power to common sense. ALAN MORRISON, OAKVILLE Sign of celebration Thank you to all the hardwork- ing community groups who took up the fight against the power plant. The countless hours of door knocking, phone calls, letter writ- ing and all the other actions taken are so much appreciated by those of us who live in Oakville. You all made a difference and you all should be very proud. SANDRA BLANE, OAKVILLE Thank you What a nerve to call this a victory. Are Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn, Mayor Rob Burton, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, and George Smitherman going to pay the $355,000,000 penal- ty to TransCanada? What a bunch of inept politi- cians. PETRA BATES, OAKVILLE Inept politicians Re: Power Plant Stopped, Oakville Beaver, Oct. 8 I would like to thank The Oakville Beaver for its balanced report on the end of the power plant issue, which put credit where credit is due on the shoulders of the men and women of C4CA and the resi- dents associations, who fought tirelessly to avert this unhealthy and unneeded poten- tial blight on our town. However, the front-page picture of Mayor Rob Burton being hoisted into the air followed by Oakville MPP Kevin Flynns full-page, inside front cover ad gives the impression they are the heroes of the day. Both of those men came late to the party and it is Doug MacKenzie and Frank Clegg who should be wearing laurel leaves today. It is shameful to see politicians taking credit for other peoples victories. JACQUELINE CURTIS, OAKVILLE Politicians trying to hog credit