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6 Independent & Free Press,Thursday, June 16, 2011 OPINION Dream dies "The plan says we want the best industry has to offer... auto wrecking plants please go elsewhere." --Town consultant Mark Conway, speaking about the 401 Corridor, Sept. 28/99 Okay, so no wrecking plants. But a 683-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant and a 1.4 million sq. ft. trucking distribution centre are perfectly fine for the 401 Corridor (i.e. 401-407 Gateway Business Park) in the eyes of Town council. With its unanimous "wholehearted" approval to a zoning amendment that would allow First Gulf to develop a 95-acre property fronting on Steeles Ave. and Fifth Line for an American-based tenant, council has all but abandoned its dream of once having the Corridor lined with "prestige industrial" offices. With the possibility of two major shopping centres at either end of the Corridor (along Steeles Avenue) setting up shop in coming years, and TransCanada Energy's generating plant already in place, the head office haven the Town once envisioned the Corridor being is all but gone. That folks, is the price to be paid for wanting new arenas and libraries and other services. That's not to say council is wrong for granting the zoning amendment to allow for a trucking centre (a second one, actually). It's simply the price that must be paid to accommodate the wishes of the majority of residents. Council had no other options to generate the needed money that will come from these projects. In this case, Hornby has been served up as the sacrificial lamb. There undoubtedly will be a widening of Steeles Avenue to accommodate the increased traffic which will see hundreds of trucks wind their way to Hwy. 401. Traffic along Steeles will undoubtedly be worse than it is now, which often is terrible. Jobs, an estimated 500-600 alone at the truck plant, will be created and the Town, Region and school boards will see millions of dollars in taxes and development charges flow their way. But one can't help feeling the Town has sold just a little bit of its soul. 905-873-0301 Publisher: Ken Nugent General manager: Steve Foreman (sforeman@theifp.ca) Retail advertising manager: Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@theifp.ca) Managing editor: John McGhie (jmcghie@theifp.ca) Distribution manager: Nancy Geissler (ngeissler@theifp.ca) Classifieds Kristie Pells (classified@theifp.ca) Accounting Rose Marie Gauthier Editorial Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@theifp.ca) Ted Brown: Photography (tbrown@theifp.ca) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@theifp.ca) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@theifp.ca) Letters policy Letters must include an address and daytime phone number. Anonymous letters will not be published. Letters should not exceed 150 words and may be edited for content and/or length. Publication is not guaranteed. Email: jmcghie@theifp.ca Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1. Steve Nease Letters to the editor UCHS board made right call Dear editor, As a member and supporter of the Upper Credit Humane Society, I wanted to respond to the claims made by Barb Johnson (UCHS could have afforded OSPCA fee, June 7 letter). Firstly, at the annual general meeting of the UCHS, the membership in attendance (approximately 70 per cent) voted unanimously against re-affiliation with the OSPCA. The membership was forewarned of their important responsibility regarding the vote in this decision, and all exercised their right to vote, and have had an impact in one of the larger decisions in the UCHS' history. It saddens me deeply that Barb Johnson, a former volunteer with the UCHS, has taken such drastic measures to denigrate the credibility of the UCHS membership, and continues to, in my opinion, bully the board of directors in an attempt to circumvent the democratic process at the UCHS, and push her opinion onto others who have already made an informed and responsible decision. Ms. Johnson has had every opportunity to work with the UCHS to help shape the future of the society and voice her opinions in a constructive way which could benefit the animals. Overall, the decision not to be affiliated with the OSPCA has saved the UCHS thousands of dollars since January, and will save nearly $15,000 per year. This is a $15,000 increase in funds per year which are directly used to benefit homeless, injured, and lost animals in our region, without any adverse impact to the community which we share and love. Ms. Johnson should stop with the politics, so the dedicated staff, volunteers, and board members can do what matters most-- care for the animals in our area. Ryan Bensen, Halton Hills mals in the communities it serves. One does not have to be affiliated with an organization to hold itself to high standards. All the animals that come into the shelter or are picked up by the animal control officer are treated with the utmost respect and provided with the best care the UCHS can offer them. The dedicated staff and volunteers pride themselves on their work and it is shameful to see a small number of people trying to darken the image of the UCHS. The public attack on the chair of the Board by certain members of the community is disgraceful. The decisions of the UCHS are made by the entire board, not just the chair, and the decision to not be an affiliate of the OSPCA was voted on by the membership. My hope is that these few people will realize that keeping the doors of the shelter open to serve the animals is, and always should be, the number one priority of the UCHS. Isn't it the animals that matter here, not the politics? I would encourage the public to drop by the thrift shop or the shelter and see for yourselves the hard work, dedication and pride the staff and volunteers have for the UCHS. Kelly Robertson, Rockwood WEB POLL RESULTS (Go to www.independentfreepress.com) There are plans for a truck distribution centre on Steeles Avenue that will see 240 trucks entering the centre each day. Do you support council approving a zoning change to allow the centre? · Yes (59%) · No (41%, ) Board `responsible' Dear editor, Since when is being fiscally responsible a bad thing? The UCHS board has made many difficult decisions in the past year to ensure that the shelter doors can remain open to serve the lost, abandoned and injured ani- The Independent & Free Press The Independent & Free Press is published Tuesday and Thursday and is one of several Metroland Media Group Ltd. community newspapers. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.