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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, June 29, 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 In about a month's time many Canadians will be waving the red and white and cheering on our Olympic athletes at the summer Games in London. Our patriotism meter will venture into territory it rarely reaches. That, in itself, is somewhat sad as we have much to be proud of. This weekend -- specifically Sunday -- gives us an opportunity to warm up for the Olympics as this nation celebrates Canada Day and its 145th birthday. As the Heritage Canada website states, "We are proud of the nation we have built together over the last 145 years. Since the earliest days of our history, Canada has been a land of promise. "We have built a society that celebrates achievement and excellence, while at the same time maintaining a strong respect for human rights. "Our participation in Celebrate Canada activities brings us together, strengthens our communities, and helps us understand the significance of the citizenship we all share." One need only cast a glance at the headlines from around the world -- unrest and human atrocities in Syria, financial crises in Greece, Ireland, Spain and much of Europe, drug cartel wars in Mexico -- to realize life in Canada is pretty darn good. In Oakville, residents will have a number of ways to celebrate that fact and show off their Canadian pride with a day-long list of Canada Day celebrations happening throughout town. The Oakville Trafalgar Lions Club will kick off the day with its annual Canada Day Pancake Breakfast at the Royal Canadian Legion, at 79 Jones St., from 8-11 a.m. More than 200 merchants of the Bronte Village BIA, along with the Town of Oakville, will be hosting a free all-day family Canada Day festival at the Bronte Heritage Waterfront Park at the foot of Bronte Road and Ontario Street. The day will feature two main stages offering a variety of musical performances, a beer and burger garden, and a vendor village featuring the work of local artisans, as well as numerous activities for children, such as inflatables, a reptile show and a monster mural. Finally, a spectacular fireworks display is scheduled at dusk off Bronte Pier to cap off the night. There is fun for the entire family right in our backyard. We hope everyone pauses for a moment to realize what it truly is to be Canadian and how lucky we all are to call this country our home. Happy Canada Day! 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. Canadian pride Endearing moment at Ribfest Letter to the editor I would like to pass on a great big thank you to your very talented photographer Nikki Wesley. She featured my daughter Lexi Noden, and friends Kristin O'Neill and Marta Tkaczuk, in such a beautiful, endearing, "forever captured in my memory" picture of the girls winning the Thanks for the `beautiful' photo 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. 1,500-metre relay in the Halton Catholic District School Board track meet. The link was sent to me by a friend, and when I opened it up and saw the pic, I had no words. Nikki, thank you. What you captured of the girls took my breath away. Jimin Hong, Oakville Editorial proves to be food for thought Re: A worthy score, The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday, June 27, 2012 The editorial implicitly threatens the Catholic school system with defunding because of its "stubborn refusal to accept current social norms." Indeed, this is insidious "food for thought, to be sure." Ricardo Di Cecca, Burlington By Steve Nease neasecartoons@gmail.com Pud Last weekend, our family had the opportunity to attend the Rotary Club's Oakville Family Ribfest. We had great parking, third-row seats for the bands and jammed along to The Stingrays, a hip-hop band and The Kings. The ribs were fabulous. It was a pleasure to be able to walk the venue on pavement rather than the typical grass/ mud as we have had to do at Burlington and other sites. The Rotary Club and volunteers did an absolutely fantastic job organizing and sponsoring the event. A hearty thank you to all of them. One beautiful moment occurred, which we would like to share with you. While the bands were playing, two developmentally-challenged teens made their way to the front and began dancing their hearts out. The lads played air guitars, air drums, hip-hopped and had a great time. They definitely "rocked" their way through the performances of the three bands that we were indeed fortunate enough to see. Each of the band members, the other dancers, both teens and older people, positively acknowledged the talents of the young men. Whether it was only a smile, highfive-ing, clapping or actually dancing with the lads, it was a beautiful sight of acceptance to behold. To see such basic human kindness and respect shown to these two young men genuinely touched our hearts. Needless to say, it will be our most enduring memory of the ribfest. The Rotary's goal of the event being a "family Ribfest" was most certainly met. We would imagine that all of the Rotary members and the volunteers are thoroughly exhausted. It was worth it. Kudos and thank you once again. See you next year. The Russell Family, Oakville