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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, January 30, 2013 · 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 Halton Region 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 No excuse for animal cruelty Why do people dump their pets on the coldest night of the year? Oakville is fortunate to have a well-run humane society, so there is no need for residents to unload kittens on the shelter's doorstep when it is closed. There is also no reason for someone to abandon two Persian cats along Indian Ridge Trail. The Oakville & Milton Humane Society is there for a purpose and that's to care for unwanted pets. However, for whatever reason, an individual dumped two kittens in front of the Cornwall Road animal shelter last week. The felines, one with an injured hind leg, were left in a cardboard box, their only shelter from -14C. Could the owner not have waited until the doors opened? Did they think OMHS staff would turn them away? Earlier this month, Oakville resident Beth Koreska was walking her two dogs when she stumbled across a Persian cat, curled in a ball and shivering. With the cat at the humane society, Koreska was hopeful the owner would be found. Until, the following day, she found another Persian. "I think it's cruel and inhumane. There are coyotes in that area and these cats are defenceless and can't move, plus they are screaming and crying," she told the Beaver. We have written in this space about animal cruelty cases and the need for tougher laws and sentencing. And we suspect we will continue to write for the voiceless animals until there is a swing in societal attitude. Of course, Oakville is not alone in its share of animal horror stories. Last week, the OMHS said it needed the public's help regarding nine cats that were abandoned on the doorstep of a Milton veterinary clinic earlier this month. The cats were found in two separate boxes. None of the cats is spayed or neutered, and one of the females had recently been nursing kittens. "We would like people to know that the Oakville and Milton Humane Society is a resource to the community," said OMHS spokesperson Brenda Dushko. "We will always take in people's pets in an emergency situation and in non-emergencies will work with them to surrender their pets and allow us to find them a forever home." Ghandi said: "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." Apparently there are some Oakville and Milton residents who need to be taught that animals should be treated with respect. Anyone with information about the abandoned cats is asked to call the OMHS' Anonymous Anti-Cruelty Tip Line at 905-845-1551, ext. 31. 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. Congrats to United Way Re: United Way meets its goal, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013, The Oakville Beaver I had the pleasure of attending the celebration organized to announce the reaching of United Way Oakville's record-breaking $4.2M goal (Tuesday, Jan. 22). As the representative of a United Way Oakville funded agency, I was thrilled to hear of their success but I was also touched by the diversity of their supporters. Unions, large companies and small businesses, mature citizens and young fundraisers all gathered together to create a powerful moment. It takes everyone in the community working together to create a brighter future. Congratulations to Brad Park and his staff, Chris Stoate and the campaign team for bringing our community together, for raising the level of caring in Oakville and for instigating change by encouraging us all to live united. Barbara Ferrone, executive director, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton 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. Residents upset over switch to community mailboxes News that home mail delivery is to be cancelled to all homes on the west side of Reynolds Street was received in our mailbox on Monday, Jan. 21. It consisted of a brief message that due to the "near accidental miss" of two postal workers here in Oakville -- due to a lack of a sidewalk on the west side of Reynolds Street -- mail delivery to our homes would cease permanently just one week later on Monday (Jan. 28). Enclosed were two keys to a bank of mail boxes, which have been erected on the south side of Macdonald Avenue, just east of Trafalgar Road. These boxes are located in an area where there are a total of just three (15-minute limit) parking spaces, normally used for access to the nearby convenience store. Any other parking is subject to a fine. All west-side residences from Freestone Lane north to Cornwall Road are affected. We would hope that postal workers are hired not only for their intelligence but for their physical capability of performing the job for which they are hired. We believe this decision by Canada Post is insulting, incomprehensible and totally unworthy of a democratic country like Canada where one expects fair play and intelligent decisionmaking. Many of us are seniors with health issues, yet it seems we are considered more capable of surmounting the long walk, or if one is lucky, attempting to drive and find a parking spot and attempting to find one's box among a host of others. I have contacted our local MP Terence Young and Canada Post so far to no avail. Joan and Lewis Copestick, Oakville A letter to the editor, Overruns not overly surprising, in the Friday, Jan. 18 edition of The Oakville Beaver had a word that was inadvertently removed. The sentence should have read: The root of the problem with the time and cost overruns at Loyola will, as usual, be associated with the consultants and trades. The Beaver regrets the omission and any inconvenience it may have caused. Correction