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10 THE NEW TANNER THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2006 CHURCHILL COMMUNITY CHURCH ANNUAL CHICKEN BBQ Saturday, September 30th? 5:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Quarter Chicken Dinner $9.00 Half Chicken Dinner $11.00 Churchill Community Church Town Line & Churchill Rd. N.,Acton Tickets at the door. Dinner includes chicken, dinner roll, cole slaw, potato and dessert. Refreshments will be served.Take-outs are available. 129 Mill St. E. Acton 519.853.2188 Authentic Italian food Dine In or Take-Out Tues., Wed., Thurs. - all day value Buy one pizza and get the second of equal of lesser value at half price Lunch Specials Tuesday-Friday Buy one pasta and get the second of equal or lesser value at half price also... Panzerottis now available with two toppings $7.95 Greenbelt legislation benefits Acton, growth unnecessary To the editor, I have to take objection to your editorial published on September 14. The over- riding philosophy of the Greenbelt legislation is to control urban sprawl and protect green spaces. Unde- veloped land is necessary for farmland, water purification, air cleansing and wildlife corridors. The idea behind this legislation is to better utilize the lands that are not part of the Greenbelt. It was bound to inconvenience developers and speculators. Higher density housing and industry is being dictated by building UP and not OUT. European cities understand this concept and have been employing this strategy for decades. Given the popula- tion densities of Southern Ontario, our time is long past due. The Greenbelt legislation was introduced only after much consultation. The resi- dents of Ontario understand and appreciate the broad benefits of this legislation and support it. Unfortunately, greedy speculators and de- velopers consider only their personal wealth and not the welfare of all Ontarians. Consider what is transpiring in Durham. I dont think the town coun- cillors washed their hands of anything. I believe that those members of council recognized the greater good. Hopefully, all the members of council, when voting on the Official Plan, will consider the dire need to protect our water and land resources as well. I find some comments quite disingenuous, written only to further an argument that hasnt a valid basis. Bannockburn may exist in the books, but is not a com- munity, just a little more sprawl. You mention that with growth toward the East, the benefits would be incalcula- ble. How so? What benefits would adding more residents in Acton provide? We already have access to multiple large grocery stores, arenas, a hos- pital, parks and sports venues and more churches than you can shake a stick at. In fact, we have far more services than anyone choosing to live in a small town should ex- pect. We do not need higher crime, less water and more traffic. The addition to grid- lock, that you suggest, will not come from people trav- elling to services, but rather from commuters of a larger bedroom community. People must stop think- ing that growth is always positive. Growth consumes more resources and resources are finite. It is everyones responsibility to live, act and legislate so that we maintain a sustainable lifestyle. A common concern to most, Im sure, is that, de- spite the recent growth and vast increase in tax revenues in Halton Hills, our town has difficulty meeting these increased demands without exacting yearly tax increases. As I remember it, prior to our recent growth, tax increases were very rare. In conclusion, lets not seek your perceived win- dow of opportunity. Dan Poirier, 4th Line, Acton. Two Acton churches present Alpha course Have you seen a billboard, a poster or a theatre ad with ALPHA across the top and the question Is there more to Life? We think its a really good question to ask and as local churches we are excited to be available to people in our community who are interest- ed in exploring that question and many more! says Diane Leferink of Bethel Christian Reformed Church. Two local churches: Beth- el Christian Reformed, and the new Alliance Church in Acton, will be offering the 10 week Alpha course which covers a wide range of top- ics concerning the Christian faith. Is Christianity true? Is it relevant to my life? Who is Jesus? These are only a few of the subjects for discussion which are initiated by a video presentation, followed by an opportunity to meet in small groups to discuss the topic of the evening. Food and refreshments are also an im- portant part of the evening. The goal, according to or- ganizers of the two churches, is to offer two locations and two separate evenings each week so Alpha is available to as many people as possible. We want to get the same message out there so why not work together? Bethel is offering the Al- pha course at their church on Queen St. E. while the new Alliance in Acton is offering their course at the Leath- ertown Tavern. Call Diane Leferink for more informa- tion at 519-853-4493. Canada kinder, gentler before Charter of Rights, Freedoms To the editor, The same question has been asked by many for years. The answer, say the powers that be, is that the Constitution guarantees rights to all, regardless of what they do. That in- cludes those who commit criminal acts and there is nothing can be done about it. Period. What rubbish! Prime Minister Harper was right when, during his first cam- paign, he stated that the Constitution is flawed. Of course it is flawed. The Constitution was not brought down from some holy mountain emblazoned on a tablet of stone by the hand of God. It is a document put together by humans and is so subject to error. It could be amended if more rational minds were in charge of law making. One would wonder why we needed a Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the first place. We always had rights and freedoms as long as we lived within the confines of the law. That is why so many settlers came to Canada and what so many military men and women sacrificed so much to ensure. What was needed, if at- tention had been paid to the growing trend at the time, was a Charter of Respon- sibilities. We were a kinder and gentler society when we werent so kind and gentle to criminals. If a civilized, safe society is to be main- tained, ought there not be a point at which persons who are not responsible toward their fellow man can have their rights revoked? Fail- ure to revoke the rights of dangerous criminals has restricted the rights of so- ciety as a whole for much too long. It has been said that it is better to let a guilty person go free than to condemn one innocent person. That, too, seems like rubbish. When the lives of innocent people may be at risk, it is only common sense to err on the side of caution. What can be done about tightening the laws to protect society? Probably nothing. Politicians can dictate the most private aspects of our lives. They can control what kinds of pets we have and how many, whether we can cut a tree, how we raise our children, whether we can be fat or not and where we can drink and smoke but they cannot control batter- ers, molesters, rapists and murderers? Politicians who refuse to address this issue and con- tinue to support laws that protect criminals rights should hang their heads in shame. Eileen Hutcheson, Acton. An ill-gotten gaggle To the editor, I was shocked and dis- mayed to discover my neighbour s gaggle of decorative geese had been removed by stealth over the Labour Day weekend. For months, many of us who commute along high- way 7 between Acton and Rockwood, have enjoyed the antics of this frivo- lous bunch. Their soccer match rivalled the World Cup, their game of musi- cal chairs delighted us all as we watched them fall one by one to the victor, their playful swimming party during our heat wave in July. The recent golf tourna- ment had me driving by with baited breath to see who would take the cup. Their last folly, a square dance, was a clever good- bye to the summer. When they werent there to greet me on the Tuesday after the long weekend I thought perhaps the dance had been the last hurrah and they had all flown south for the season. On my way home that eve- ning I was saddened to note a hand drawn sign expressing apologies for their absence and noting the theft of these fine fel- lows. This is no out-of-the- way hidden place. This is a well travelled highway, at an intersection. Who would be so bold, so cruel, to perform such an act? I w i l l m i s s t h e s e feathered friends who brightened my day, and sorrow for those who felt the need to do such an unkind thing to folks who only brought us all a light- er side of life, a smile to start and end our day. Dawn Hunter and Bob Handley RR2, Rockwood. Compost give away Friday Halton Regions fall com- post give away returns this Friday, September 22 and continues on Saturday, Sep- tember 23 and Monday, September 25 at the Halton Waste Management Site, 5400 Regional Road 25 in Milton from 8 a.m. 4:30 p.m. As part of Haltons strat- egy to divert waste away from Haltons landfill site, residential yard waste picked up from curbsides is recycled into rich, garden- friendly compost. Twice a year, Halton residents are invited to collect the finished product for use in their gardens. Residents must bring their own bags or containers (maximum seven per house- hold) and a shovel in order to bag their own compost.