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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, November 18, 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 Man's ' best b f friend d Hats off to the Oakville & Milton Humane Society. The agency is currently struggling to manage its animal services, a lot off-site in donated quarters, as it comes to grips with an ongoing ringworm infection outbreak. Yet, it is not faltering in its mission to assist animals in dire need. Witness its efforts to do its job even without a fullyfunctional home base, so to speak. Witness it finding shelter for non-infected animals through the kindness of like-minded animal lovers in the form of pet supply stores in Oakville, Milton and Clarkson. Witness its efforts to treat those animals infected with ringworm -- bathing cats, more than once, in a solution that turns the cats' fur yellow temporarily, but is for their own good -- a process that is expensive and must be repeated. The humane society is undeterred. At the same time, it is fundraising to support such efforts that come with a price tag over and above any funds the independently-run, non-profit society may recoup from its animal protection services contract with the municipality, or through generous donations. All these efforts strive to rescue unwanted animals or those found to be in distress, treat them and find them, as the society likes to say, their forever homes -- all while not allowing harm or the decision to end the lives of such animals to become their fate. It is both touching and impressive to see executive director of the society Johanne Golder say in today's edition, "I am so very proud of (Animal Protection) Officer Laura Mackasey and our entire Animal Protective Services Team for their tireless pursuit of justice for this great dog." Golder was speaking of Mea, a Victorian bulldog/ / Sharpei cross pet. Mea was found by Mackasey, who was following up on a complaint, last January in an unheated Milton garage. Reports at the time stated Mackasey wasn't sure at first what she was looking at when she first saw Mea, who was said to be difficult to recognize as a dog. The pooch was so skinny, her rescuers could count her ribs from afar and she lost an eye, which couldn't be saved when it finally came before a vet for treatment. Mea was found tied on a string, with only a thin little towel, amid frozen urine. There was no food or water nearby. We hear from Golder that, despite all the challenges the society may be facing, its representatives held firm to a "tireless pursuit of justice" for Mea. Thanks to these folks for speaking for those who can't. Thanks to the justice system that reassured many that the punishment can indeed fit the crime. Thanks also to all animal lovers who do their part to ensure the animals in their lives do not experience Mea's dark exposure to humans, but rather one that is befitting `man's best friend.' 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 Crime bill ap proven failure The Omnibus Crime Bill that our Conservative government is racing to get passed is a proven failure. Conservative Texans are warning us not to follow a failed fill-theprisons approach to justice, and the Canadian Bar Association, representing 37,000 Canadian legal professionals, has said the Bill "would move Canada along a road that has failed in other countries, at great expense". Mandatory sentences backfire. They take precious resources from crime prevention programs and rehabilitation, and turn minor offenders into hardened criminals. The Crime Bill will make inequality worse. It's not tough on crime, it's tough on Canadians suffering from mental illness, addictions, and poverty. It targets youth for harsher punishments, and it will put more Aboriginal people in prison. The Crime Bill threatens valuable programs. Mandatory sentences will clog the justice system and fill prisons, forcing the provinces, who pay for most of our justice system, to raise taxes, increase debt, or cut spending on essential programs like health and education. Across the country, Canadians are speaking out. Prime Minister Stephen Harper claims that Canadians support tough on crime laws, but tens of thousands of Canadians are publicly demanding their provinces refuse to pay for the Crime Bill. Québec and Ontario have already refused to pay for a strategy that has been tried, and failed. Last week the president of the See Bill page 8 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. RAK Day a resounding success On behalf of all the volunteers and organizations including schools, businesses, police, municipal employees, service clubs, faith communities and so many more, we offer our heart-felt thanks for your support and coverage of the first ever Random Act of Kindness Day on Nov. 4. From the feedback we've heard, and from direct experiences, the day was a resounding success. We are still collecting responses, photos and comments from the public about all the amazing and generous things people did for each other, but we'd love to share a few responses we've had. "I know of someone who took a long stemmed rose to several crossing guards on See Keep page 14 Pud BY STEVE NEASE neasecartoons@gmail.com