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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, June 27, 2012 · 6 Opinion & Letters 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5566 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 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Canadian Circulation Audit Board Member THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America Canadian Community Newspapers Association ATHENA Award Neil Oliver Vice ­ President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The OakvilleBeaver 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 KIM MOSSMAN Circ. Manager Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty has missed the mark on several issues during his time at the helm of this province. The passage of Bill 13 -- the province's anti-bullying bill -- earlier this month was not one of them. Despite opposition from Catholic Church leaders who accused the government of trampling "religious freedom" over changes that would let Catholic students call their anti-homophobia support groups "gay" clubs, if they choose to do that, and from the Progressive Conservatives, McGuinty's Liberals, with NDP support, got the bill through. The PCs said they would not support the bill because they claimed their own Bill 14, had tougher accountability measures. Even NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo said some important amendments to Bill 13 were thanks to PC suggestions. "Because of Bill 14 there is a better definition of bullying," she said. "Also, there is a look at cyber-bullying -- these are all aspects of Bill 14 going into Bill 13." Enough playing politics. There is plenty of credit to share. This bill should have received support from all parties. Period. The opposition from the Catholic Church is another matter. McGuinty was bang-on when he said Ontario has "fundamental values that transcend any one faith." Gay-straight alliances and other clubs provide students with much-needed support. The use of the word `gay' is not a threat to the Catholic education system. A stubborn refusal to accept current societal norms is. A recent poll conducted by Forum Research Inc., found 48 per cent of Ontario residents disagreed with taxpayer support of Catholic schools while 43 per cent agreed with a continuation of public funding. Eight per cent were unsure. Food for thought, to be sure. And, while students may be saying farewell to homework, as school is about to break for the summer, they should remember bullying is just as wrong outside of school. Keep in mind the message delivered as Iroquois Ridge High School students this year joined alumni Jasmine Richards, who has appeared in Disney's Camp Rock and on Family Channel, to make the music video for the song You Have The Power. The video that features Mississauga rapper Kody (Cody Ervin) was inspired by gay Ottawa youth, Jamie Hubley, who committed suicide as a result of ongoing bullying. The video is on YouTube.com and the song is available for purchase at the iTunes store. It is bang on. 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. A worthy score Letters to the editor The Oakville Beaver 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 reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. Well beyond kids being kids Members of the Anti-bullying Coalitions of Ontario (ABCO) are outraged by the recent video of a Rochester, New York bus monitor bullied by mean youths. In the 10-minute video, 68-year-old Karen Klein is relentlessly taunted with a stream of profane, degrading and threatening insults. Despite Ms. Klein's best efforts to ignore the bullying, she ultimately is reduced to tears. Karen Klein said, "I was trying to ignore them. I was hoping they'd go away and it doesn't work. Trust me, they didn't go away." Reaction to the video has been strong and has prompted an outpouring of support including, an international fundraiser aiming to give Ms. Klein a vacation. Fundraising proceeds have reached more than $400,000. This video is shocking, but it is a scenario members of the ABCO are all too familiar with. This type of verbal bullying is inflicted upon thousands of children every day on school buses, in schoolyards, and in classrooms across the province and country. Nearly one in three students in the province report being bullied, and school buses are the No. 2 place for bullying occurrences. Unfortunately, when bullying happens to children there isn't the same kind of reaction there has been to this example of bullying. "This happens to kids day after day and nothing. I guess it is only unacceptable behaviour if done to an adult." -- Lynne MacIntyre -- Guelph Anti-Bullying Coalition. The ABCO urges parents, educators, and caregivers of all types to watch this video as a concrete example of the epidemic bullying has become. This is what is happening to students and how children are behaving when they think See Children page 7 Re: Hospital is on time and target, The Oakville Beaver, Friday, June 22, 2012 What a refreshing surprise. The new hospital is on time and target. Congratulations to the Halton Healthcare Services Board and all those responsible for this accomplishment. Too bad Ward 4 Councillor Allan Elgar had to rain on their parade. The lights at the construction site have been there for several months now. Why does he wait until now to bring forward a complaint? Shame on the Beaver for ruining such a feel-good story and to the residents of the area, of which I am one -- you think the lights are bad now, wait until the area is fully developed, it will look like a neon sign, so buy thicker drapes. You knew the hospital was going to be there when you purchased your home, so stop complaining. Rob McLean, Oakville Hospital will be well lit Letter to the editor A few weeks ago, our vehicle was involved in a hit-and-run in the Walmart (Dundas Street and Trafalgar Road) parking lot while we were in the store. Two people noted the licence number of the car, giving us the make, model and colour. When we got back to the car, we found two notes describing the event. We would like to thank these two people who were diligent in taking the time to give us the information, enabling us to proceed with follow-up. Many thanks to you both. M. Morrison, Oakville Thank you