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w w w . o a kv ill eb ea ve r.c o m O A KV IL LE B EA V ER Th ur sd ay , D ec em be r 3 0, 2 01 0 6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5566 Classified Advertising: 905-632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742 The Oakville Beaver 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.Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. United Way of Oakville Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America NEIL OLIVER Vice-President and Group Publisher, 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 WEBSITE oakvillebeaver.com ERIC RIEHL / OAKVILLE BEAVER TRONIC TITANS: Holy Trinity's robotics team received a donation from local Ford dealerships for its recent Ford Test Drive 4 Ur School event. From left, in back, Jacob Rampertob, Fallon Burnr, Taylor Williams and Ali Africa. In front, teacher Mike Perosevic, Oak-Land Ford General Sales Manager Lou Macwado, Sales Manager Randy Winterle, team captain Luke Franceschini, team mentor Roger Balech and principal Colin McGillicuddy. ATHENAAward Letter to the editor When has it become legal for the government to give one persons money to some- one else? My husband received a $335 cheque for Sales Tax Transition Benefit from the Province of Ontario. I received nothing so I called the information number on the let- ter and was told that this payment was for both of us. When I asked why my share of the refund was given to my husband, I was told that it was policy that the first person whose income tax return was processed would get all the money, even if the other per- son filed earlier. In our household, this is not a problem. But one can well imagine that there are many situations where the spouse would not even know money had arrived. I am par- ticularly concerned with immigrant wives who do not fully understand the system. I am also concerned with women in abusive relationships whose share of the money has been sent to her partner. While it is true, that sometimes the full amount has been sent to the wife, the prin- ciple is wrong. Ones share of a refund should not be given to another person, unless the owner of the money is a minor. To identify the source of this policy, I called the Ministry of Revenue where a woman told me that in a marriage there should not be any problem about who gets the cheque. I agreed that ideally, there should not be a problem, but in reality there is a problem. Thats why we have divorces and womens shelters. At that point she hung up. I still dont know who made the policy that, based on the analysis of two income tax forms, only one filer will get the money. It is interesting to note that when we each have had to make income tax payments, the government would not accept the full amount on one cheque, but insisted on sep- arate cheques for each income tax filed. ELKA RUTH ENOLA, OAKVILLE The citizens of Oakville have worked very hard over the past two years to make their wishes known about the deteriorating air quality in our town. We have rallied at Queens Park, held info sessions, which were packed to capacity, raised money through numerous events, erected signs, engaged the Town Council and re-elected those who share our view and were prepared to take real action. Never in the history of Oakville has a topic so galvanized people to speak with one voice. Members of Council can have little doubt what the electorate are asking them to do. In any democracy, compromise is essential; the Towns Health Protection Air Quality Bylaw fairly balances the need for business to compete, while protecting the air we all must breathe. This bylaw must be passed. DOUG WADE, OAKVILLE Province gaffes on rebate Bylaw must be passed The Oakville Beaver is a division of Lets gaze into our crystal balls and see what the new year willbring. The British government has deemed 2011 to be The Year of Speech, Language and Communication. The United Nations is calling 2011, The Year of Chemistry (honestly, what does that even mean?). The Chinese call 2011, The Year of The Rabbit. And believers in UFOs fully expect 2011 to be The Year of Disclosure (that were not alone). Like Mork, ALF and ET didnt establish that eons ago. As we close out 2010, your correspondent finds himself like a thick slice of leftover turkey on a roll. Thats right. Things are going my way. Im feeling good. My life is stellar. Im walking tall. Looking more ruggedly, rogue-ishly handsome than ever before. Which is why I feel confident in telling you that, unofficially speaking, I believe 2011 will be The Year of Andy. Of course, if I want an entire year dedicated to me, I might need to up my game a bit. So, Ive inked my annual list of New Years Resolutions to ensure that Im worthy of owning 2011. You know, Ive always wanted to be able to play a musical instrument. I asked for a drum kit as a kid and my parents bought me bongos. Which would have made me incredibly cool at the time if Id been hanging around the Tropicana with Ricky Ricardo. Over my lifetime Ive picked-up (and put down) the guitar innumerable times, never learning how to play a single chord, but looking undeniably edgy nonetheless with that six-string slung over my shoul- der. Well, this is my year to learn an instrument. Currently Im torn between the banjo and the glockenspiel. Both are rockin cool. This is also the year Im going to grow my mane halfway down my back and start wearing it in a ponytail. Ive always admired middle-aged men who (better late then never) get tattooed, pierce their ears and grow ponytails. Its like theyre flipping the bird at the aging process, society, and Luigi at the local hair salon who insists men get their hair cut every three weeks. Im going to lose 10 pounds. I dont know if I necessarily need to lose 10 pounds, but everyone from celery-stalking supermodels to corpulent contestants on The Biggest Loser all have this on their list of New Years Resolutions. And who am I to go against the grain, even if it is going to be my year? Ironically, Im going to cook more and eat less as I learn to pre- pare healthier fare. Im going to exercise more, return to medita- tion (a practice I once preached as part of a healthy lifestyle), and avoid the Internet particularly Twitter and Facebook, which are as addictive and inane as an episode of The Kardashians. Which is to say, Im going to spend my time more wisely, reading books (before books go obsolete), trying to better myself and the world around me. Finally, for the sake of my sanity, Im going to stop taking Sarah Palin personally, and quit letting that vacuous, attention- monger get to me. Raising my blood-pressure every time she opens her mouth. Getting my blood boiling as I incredulously see her popularity increasing by inexplicable leaps and bounds. Because, just as 2011 is surely going to be The Year Of Andy, I fear its increasingly looking like 2014 might be my worst nightmare that is, The Year Of Snippy Sarah The Prickly Palin. Yikes. Happy Year Of Andy, everyone! Andy Juniper can be visited at www.strangledeggs.com, con- tacted at ajjuniper@gmail.com, or followed at www.twitter.com/thesportjesters. Saying goodbye to 2010 and ushering in The Year of Andy Andy Juniper