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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, September 5, 2012 · 6 Opinion & Letters The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 905-845-3824 Fax: 337-5566 Classified Advertising: 632-4440 Circulation: 905-631-6095 -- 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington 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: 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 Circulation Manager Back to school September is here and children have returned to the classroom in force. That means we all have a responsibility to be more watchful on the roads. This is particularly important at times of day when students are gathering outside the school -- including when classes start, lunchtime and after school. Here are important safety tips, provided by InsuranceHotline.com, to keep in mind when driving on or around school property this fall. · Always stop for a school bus when the lights are flashing. In Ontario alone, more than 800,000 children travel by school bus every day. Children have a limited sense of danger and are often excited and energetic when getting on or off a school bus. Watch out for children who may dart out from between stopped school buses or parked cars. Failing to stop for a school bus carries a fine of up to $2,000 and six demerit points. · Observe the posted speed limits. It's important to slow down as you approach a school zone and watch for children who may run out into harm's way. Posted speed limits in school zones are typically either 30 kilometres per hour or 40 km/h. Travelling at a slower speed gives drivers time to stop safely in case there are children crossing the road unexpectedly. Respect your school's posted pick-up and dropoff areas to avoid creating unnecessary traffic congestion and unsafe conditions. · Obey the crossing guard at all times. Whether you think they're right or not, obey crossing guards at all times. Children expect that crossing guards will only allow them to cross if the situation is safe, so disregarding a crossing guard's instructions can have serious consequences. · Don't pass other vehicles in a school zone. This is a dangerous practice that's prohibited in school zones. When passing other vehicles, you may be travelling quickly and your overall visibility is reduced. Children crossing the street won't expect you to be passing and won't be prepared for your car being in a different lane than usual. A new school year is underway, let's do what we can to help it conclude successfully for all. 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. Houseplant needs new home Letter to the editor 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. Where do house plants go? We have a predicament -- and I wonder how many other Oakville residents have the same problem. Our lovely indoor Benjamina plant has become too big for our home. We've had it for about 12 years, given it lots of loving care, and it's very happy. It looks beautiful, but at about two metres tall, it's now too much for our living room. So we started looking around for someone who would be pleased to have it for free. We called the Town of Oakville, but they didn't want it and didn't have any suggestions. We called retirement homes in Oakville, but they said they have enough plants. We called the Royal Botanical Gardens, which couldn't take it and said we should call retirement homes. So there's our predicament. I don't want to toss this living plant into the garbage. What do other residents do? This issue must come up regularly. I'd appreciate any suggestions readers may have. And if anyone would like to give the Benjamina a new home, I'd be pleased to hear from you. Doug Lincoln, Oakville Marineland protest emotional for reader Recently, I attended the Marineland public protest in Niagara Falls. It was my first time attending a demonstration. The protest was held on the roadside in front of the main entrance gates to Marineland. When I first arrived I was truly in awe and it was very emotional. There were more than 500 people there, stretched along the road for hundreds of metres. The protestors were made of up of people from all ages, young-adults, middle-aged men and women, seniors and many parents brought their children. Recently, the front page of the Toronto Star shed some light on a matter of animal rights to all its readers. The articles opened up many eyes to the unforgiving realities of animals in captivity. In addition to alleged constant understaffing, and out-dated training methods, these animals are allegedly abused through neglect, inadequate housing, are sickly, and yet they are still expected to perform. Water quality logs were presented by former employees allegedly exposing inconsistent water quality problems that went on for months. The Toronto Star articles shed light on the death of baby beluga `Skoot' who endured a battery from two males for two hours, because no trained staff was around to intervene. Photos and videos showed a seal that was blind and a dolphin with skin coming off in chunks from harmful water quality. For most people, this was new information, but unfortunately many concerned citizens have been protesting at Marineland for more than 20 years. Marineland has been shamed in the past, but these past indignities seem to have been forgotten. The main justification for keeping Marineland open and keeping animals in captivity is that people argue it provides educational value and conservation efforts. This is more true with some places over others. But Marineland is nature inside an amusement part. It is independently owned and regulated by a selfregulating organization (CAZA), which means it is not regulated by the government. Today, there is still no high-standard of care enforced by the government for the animals in Marineland, no conservation efforts, (and) little educational value. The last matter regarding the capture See Award-winning page 8