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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Wednesday, March 26, 2014 | 6 A long wait Congratulations to Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn. In an Ontario cabinet shuf e yesterday afternoon, Flynn was named Minister of Labour. The announcement followed the resignation of Brampton MPP Linda Jeffrey who intends to run for mayor in that city. It has been a long haul for Flynn. He has walked a very rocky road in recent years, carrying the ag of a provincial government that had attempted to build a gas- red power plant in Oakville, all the while championing his community of constituents, who were ghting wildly against the project. Then came the heavy-duty criticism after the Province backed off from building gas plants in Oakville and Mississauga, a decision that cost taxpayers an astounding $1-billion plus. It was all a very long way from the sunny afternoon when Flynn rst called a press conference at the downtown Oakville library branch to announce that, after nearly two decades in municipal politics, he would be seeking a seat at Queen's Park. At the time, Flynn, who had always been, and continues to be a defender of those in need, had support in every quarter in the town. Some thought he'd be an ideal candidate for the mayor's of ce. Instead, Flynn headed to Queen's Park. Though the gas plant asco may steal the most recent headlines, Flynn has been a vocal backer of our new state-of-the-art Oakville hospital set to open late next year. He has held hearings into the age of retirement in the workplace and has done much-needed work in the eld of mental health. He has helped secure more and more greenspace in Oakville. Over the years, we, like everyone else in town, have waited to see if Flynn would receive a cabinet post. Time and again, our local MPP appeared to be overlooked. However, he was always gracious and positive when that call did not come. Yesterday, though, he had reason to smile. Whether supportive of him or not, Flynn has more than put in his dues over the past 30 years. The promotion is deserved. To remain in politics that long is testament to that. Flynn was rst elected to represent the riding of Oakville in 2003. He served as Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, Minister of Education, Minister of Energy, Minister Responsible for Democratic Renewal and Minister of Labour, where he helped lead the provincial consultation process for Bill 211, which ended mandatory retirement in Ontario. Prior to his election, Flynn owned a successful local business, while serving as an Oakville Town and Halton Regional councillor for more than 18 years and winning six consecutive elections. He has always been active in the community, as president of the Halton Children's Aid Society, a mentor in the Big Brothers and Big Sisters program and coach of minor sports. Flynn is steadfast in his determination to see Oakville preserve as much as possible of its remaining, precious green space. As a result of his environmental work, Flynn was awarded the 2007 Halton Conservation Award of Excellence. He also understands bottom lines, the impact of high taxes on small business and the dif culties of operating a company in a changing economic climate. Congrats on the long overdue recognition. Editorial S H A R I N G S M I L "Connected to your Community" E S 447 Speers Road, Oakville ON, L6K 3S4 General Inquiries: (905) 845-3824 Editorial Department: (905) 632-0588 Classi ed Advertising: (905) 632-4440 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 Volume 51 | Number 36 The Oakville Beaver is a division of Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Vice ­President and Group Publisher of Metroland West Regional General Manager Halton Region Editor in Chief Advertising Director NEIL OLIVER DAVID HARVEY JILL DAVIS DANIEL BAIRD Managing Editor ANGELA BLACKBURN Sarah Nemet of Community Living Burlington is all smiles as she and University of Toronto dental student Jessica Milne dance to the music at the sixth annual Sharing Smiles Day, hosted by Oral Health, Total Health. It hosted 200 participants and approximately 200 volunteers at a gathering that helps dental students build positive relationships with persons with disabilities and become familiar with their unique needs during visits to the dentist. The four-hour long event included a morning carnival followed by demonstrations and guest speakers at Le Dome on the North Service Road. | photo by Graham Paine ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director Business Manager Director of Production SANDY PARE MARK DILLS MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager Director of Distribution Halton Region weighs in on waste collection Re: Oakville Beaver, March 21, 2014 Last week, our mayor commented, in confusing detail, his thoughts on "The Merton Study." It is interesting he had so much to say about an issue stated by one councillor: "Many planners and decision-makers still believe that no one really cares. One councillor said he only heard from two people." There is a reason for this. The entire Merton Study is shrouded in obfuscation. No one really knows what a "Merton Study" is. If they had called it the "Study to Develop the Saw-Whet and Deer eld Golf courses and adjacent lands with residential and commercial expansion," they would have gotten a lot more interest. The municipal planners set up a public information meeting for this study, showing several options, all of which favoured development. They also sent out two surveys to gather public input, but biased all of the questions in favour of development. It appears, after viewing the results, that the only ones interested in development were the planners and developers themselves. The outcome of this unneeded and senseless study may prove detrimental to maintaining greenspace in Oakville making it "the most unlivable town in Canada." The development of these lands will have a serious negative impact on the residents of Oakville and I am sure they will also have a serious impact on the politicians that allow it to happen. The mayor portrays himself as a great white knight in shining armour riding in to save the day. With more than 375 people turning up at the recent public information meeting to voice their objection to development in these lands (and many turned away because the hall was full), perhaps he is just trying to save an election. Remember the gas plant. Bill Robinson, president, Deer eld Members Association Letter to the Editor CHARLENE HALL KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Proud Official Media Sponsor For: Canadian Circulations Audit Board Member Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Proud Official Media Sponsor For: 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, 5040 Mainway, Burlington ON L7L 7G5 or via e-mail to; ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. 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.