The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, October 10, 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 We support Halton Region's plan to reduce the biweekly number of garbage bags residents will be able to place curbside before a user-pay system kicks in. This April 1, residents will receive complimentary bag tags to affix to any garbage bags beyond their three-bag limit (currently there's a six-bag limit) they place at the curb on their regularly-scheduled waste collection day. Five months later, on Sept. 9, 2013, after having had ample opportunity to monitor and adjust their waste habits, residents will be asked to pay $2 for each tag they affix to garbage bags beyond their limit. There will be some exemptions for those with diaper/ medical condition-related waste as well as a two-week exemption for everyone immediately following the December holiday period. While some municipalities have similar limits to free waste collection -- Durham's bi-weekly limit is three bags and Peel's weekly limit is two bags -- other municipalities, like Wellington (Guelph), charge residents for every bag collected on garbage day. We don't believe the Region's tag concept is as much a tax grab as an incentive for residents to be less wasteful. The goal here isn't to raise significant revenue, but to reduce the waste ending up in the landfill and, by doing so, extending the life of the dump. Regional staff say a three-bag limit could extend that life by four years, creating a savings to the region of $15 million. Halton has been a leader in waste diversion among GTA municipalities with a rate of 57 per cent. That is due, in part, to 85 per cent of homes already placing three garbage bags or less at the curb. Only two per cent of Halton homes don't participate in the weekly blue box program, while 70 per cent are regular users of GreenCart since its launch in mid-2008. Next year's three-bag limit is part of a larger plan to boost Halton's diversion rate to 65 per cent through a series of waste strategies through 2016. The reduced bi-weekly bag limit is the logical extension of existing regional waste programs -- including Blue Box recycling and GreenCart organic waste collection -- that have greatly extended the life of the dump. In order to help Halton homeowners reduce waste, the Region is also planning to expand its Blue Box program to include additional items. With this boost to the Blue Box program will come a larger 22-gallon container to hold the additional recyclable items. Hopefully these initiatives will convince more of us to divert our waste and maintain Halton's place among the greenest communities in the GTA. 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. Three bags full Best wishes for Rod in his battle 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. Bronte plan needs BIA support I was interested to read about the Bronte business action plan created by the Town of Oakville's Economic Development Department for Bronte businesses and the Bronte BIA. In 2004, while working as an independent management and marketing consultant, I won a contract to create a detailed marketing strategy and plan for the Bronte BIA. The strategy included many of the same recommendations as those provided in the Town's report, such as attracting similar-themed businesses, restricting certain areas to certain types of businesses, and event planning. As part of this strategy, a corporate identity for the BIA was created, which to this day, is seen on signage in Bronte. However, I unfortunately found myself caught between the BIA's desire to market the area and business people who were unhappy with the BIA of the day and its costs. The lion's share of the marketing report was therefore never implemented by the BIA or the businesses. With countless strategies over the years, which ultimately indicate what is old becomes new again, I might suggest perhaps there are deeper issues at play with respect to Bronte's business successes or lack thereof. Ward 1 Councillor Ralph Robinson, who was involved when I worked with the BIA, indicates as much in his quote, "The plan would fail unless the Bronte BIA gets behind it." In my experience, strategy must be embraced by all to succeed. Otherwise, why is the Town spending money over and over again on behalf of private business people who don't seem to know how to go about achieving their own success? Margaret Mercer, Oakville Re: Rod Jerred in fight for his life, Thursday, Oct. 4, 2012 I was really upset to read about Rod's battle with cancer. He gave me a chance to write for The Oakville Beaver when I first moved to Oakville, and I ended up freelancing for the paper for years because of him. He's an excellent editor and he helped me hone my skills so that eventually, I began writing for many national publications as well. In reading about Rod's struggle with melanoma, I'm struck by his strength and optimism, and by how he refers to each day as a Bonus Day. I often take what I have for granted and am reminded by Rod that I should be grateful for good and bad days, my health, and my family. My thoughts will be with Rod and his family as he undergoes radiation, and I pray that he's able to take part in the experimental drug therapy program he mentions. We're lucky to live in Ontario, which has some of the best oncologists and cancer treatments in the world, and we should not take this for granted, as cancer is more than likely to hit someone we love in our lifetime. Now, as Rod begins what is sure to be the toughest battle of his life, I'm going to count every day as a Bonus Day. Shelley Sanders, Oakville Get the latest news by visiting www. oakvillebeaver.com