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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, November 23, 2011 · 6 OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 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 Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: C Canadian Circulation Audit Board Member A THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association S Suburban Newspapers of America o Canadian Community Newspapers Association ATHENA Award NEIL OLIVER Vice ­ President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The Oakville Beaver is a division of DAVID HARVEY Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor 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 School name fitting tribute For some it may have been long overdue, but it was heartening to see Oakville's newest high school named in honour of D-Day veteran Garth Webb last week. The Burlington resident, who was the driving force behind fundraising for the establishment of the Juno Beach Centre in Normandy, France, will have his name affixed to Garth Webb Secondary School at 2820 West Oak Trails Blvd., in northwest Oakville. It is scheduled to open in September 2012. Webb was in the running to have his name on a new Burlington elementary school earlier this year but lost out to longtime local educator and community leader John Boich on a random draw of a name after a tie vote. The decision by Halton District School Board trustees to finally recognize Webb pays tribute to his war service and especially his work on the Juno Beach Centre, which would not exist today if not for his determination and diligence to make it happen. It is a richly-deserved tribute and will ensure students, for decades to come, will recognize the sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform. Reached at his Burlington home earlier this week, Webb said he was gratified by the honour. "I'm very proud. I didn't apply for it. I'm thrilled and delighted," he said. "It's very exciting," said Webb, 92. Now that the school board has seen fit to honour Webb, the City of Burlington should do the same and name a street after him. With the Alton subdivision ongoing, now is the perfect time to make sure one of the streets has Garth Webb's name on it. It will ensure his hometown -- and not just Oakville -- has a lasting physical reminder of Webb's enormous contribution to Burlington's place in the world. The final and ultimate honour for Webb -- the Order of Canada -- is yet to come and, hopefully, will happen in the near future with the knowledge Webb has been nominated for the honour. Webb has already earned the Golden Jubilee Medal (2002) and Meritorious Service Decorations (2003), in addition to a fistful of war medals for his Second World War service. Given his work to get the Juno Beach Centre constructed, we hope the Order of Canada is presented to this great Canadian at the next opportunity. 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. Letter to the editor Thanks Oakville Santa Claus came to town on Nov. 19 for a parade in his honour answering the question All I Want For Christmas. It was definitely the nicest weather we've seen for the parade and the theme saw the most original floats ever. We don't know how many thousands of you watched along the route, but we calculate that close to 1,500 people were a part of the parade itself. A huge thank you is extended to: · Everyone who came out to watch -- it is hard to believe, but the numbers of Oakville residents grew again this year lining the streets of Downtown Oakville and Kerr Village; · The community groups, schools and businesses that worked so hard putting together the outstanding entries this year. Volunteers from many of these groups put in hundreds of hours to ensure their entry was entertaining for the children of Oakville. The quality of f entries was certainly the best that Oakville has ever seen. Santa made note of those who put in that extra effort and has definitely included them on his nice list; · The topsoil companies, garden centres, trucking firms, towing firms and others who donated the use of a truck or flatbed to the parade entrants' for use in the parade -- we notice how shiny the cars and trucks were and know that the parade wouldn't be possible without your generosity; · The close to 150 volunteers who came out very early Saturday morning to assist with the parade. These volunteers were wearing costumed characters and inflatable costumes, escorting the costumed characters through the parade, acting as parade marshals, assisting with traffic or serving hot chocolate; · The businesses and homeowners on Lakeshore, Robinson, Reynolds Felan, Stewart and Kerr streets for their patience and understanding for the disruption to their businesses and homes See Lots page 12 Letters to the editor The Oakville Beaver r 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@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver r reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. Celebrate l b symbols b l of f all ll cultures l Calling the Christmas tree the illuminated tree in the Oakville Clocktower Square is a mistake. If Oakville wants to be a truly multi-cultural community then it should celebrate its rich diversity rather than initiate a bland non-identity. Rather than such timid attempts at not offending, let us boldly and publicly recognize the special signs of each culture's seasons so that we can all be encouraged to have greater respect and understanding for those whose beliefs and practices are different from our own. Mervyn Russell, Oakville Get rid of f those mulch volcanoes A television show recently aired a segment on the care of trees. It was an alert, warning of the dangers of mulch volcanoes. Here is an excerpt from their site: "Piling mulch up around trees is also a bad idea, and not only because it makes a tree look like it's perched on a volcano. Excessive mulch causes rot in the trunk, creates a home for insects..." They also warn the roots will not grow naturally and can literally kill your tree. When you look around your neighbourhood, work and almost everywhere most landscapers and city workers have done this. Google it, check it out... you'll tear down your volcano as we did. Debbie Kincaid, Oakville