www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Wednesday, July 30, 2014 | 6 You've heard the phrases `Set a good example,' `Be a good neighbour.' Unfortunately, the Town of Oakville has had to go to great lengths to tell some adult men to `Please, behave.' From home to school to the playground, we do our utmost to instill proper behaviour in our young people. However, those individuals who are swearing, publicly urinating and otherwise breaking rules at our public playing elds, appear to know nothing about the rules of civilized conduct. Obviously, it's not everyone and not everywhere, but it's sad to hear some adult men -- likely responsible fathers, homeowners, husbands -- are carrying on with this type of behaviour at public playing elds. Conduct was so unbecoming that last year the Town of Oakville saw t to issue `a time out', as Parks and Open Space director Chris Mark called it. This year, the Town has assembled a specialized list of rules to curb unruly behaviour. (For our story, visit www.oakvillebeaver. com). We hope it will work, but as always there will be obstacles in assembling burden of proof. Residents living close to the venues where this behaviour occurs don't need proof. They know too well the aggravation of trying to sleep when some players don't vacate the public park at the appointed hour. They turn away from the sight of men relieving themselves in not-too-obscured locations in the park. C'mon, people, whatever happened to common decency? While the Town believes the rules will help crack down on those acting out, it's good to hear that people who use local sports elds respectfully and appropriately will no longer be punished for the actions of the minority who don't. Last year's two-week ban had a blanket effect on all men's leagues and punished all for the actions of a few. This summer, the Town has approved a new procedure for managing inappropriate behaviour by permit holders -- organizations, teams, players or residents -- who are using sports elds in Oakville. The procedure, a pilot project to be evaluated at the end of 2014, includes a new online reporting process http://goo.gl/jbGm5q and a progressive discipline approach to encourage better behaviour. In the past, Mark said, disciplinary actions have impacted user groups that are not at fault. Many players felt the punishment of all teams was unfair. The message, it seems, was received too well by those who already obey the rules, but failed to hit the mark for those who don't. Issues the Town is looking to address include aggressive or bullying behaviour, foul language, public urination, littering, smoking, drinking alcohol on public property and leaving eld lights on after play. Mark said public urination and foul language are the most common offences by permit holders this season, and altercations with residents next to sports elds are a concern. Mark noted Bronte Athletic Field, Holy Trinity high school and Shell Park as the most common venues where these incidents are taking place. So, we have a message to the repeat offenders: Please consider the effect your actions are having on various neighbourhoods. Would you like to live there or expose your children to such antics? At the very least, act your age. Act your age Editorial M U S T A N G M U S C "Connected to your Community" L E 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 52 | Number 90 The Oakville Beaver is a division of Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. VicePresident 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 RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director Business Manager Director of Production SANDY PARE MARK DILLS Ford of Canada teamed up with the Golden Horseshoe Mustang Association and Greater Toronto Area Mustang Club to host one of the largest gatherings of Ford Mustangs in Ontario. Last weekend, more than 400 Mustangs from across the ages -- including the all-new 2015 Ford Mustang -- gathered at Ford of Canada's headquarters in Oakville to celebrate 50 years of the iconic muscle car. | photo courtesy Ford of Canada MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager Director of Distribution Dog treat story was not sensationalism Re: A sad `tail' to tell, Oakville Beaver, Wednesday, July 23, 2014. I read with interest your editorial A sad tail to tell in the Wednesday, Oakville Beaver. This is not sensational journalism, but rather common sense and it is a community story that did need to be told. These treats should be investigated and it would be not in the public interest not to do so. If something is affecting the animals, it Letters to the Editor CHARLENE HALL KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager doesn't matter where it comes from; a halt has to be put in place. To lose a pet that one has had for a very long time over something that could be avoided is very devastating and everything should be done for it not to happen again. So, go ahead and investigate and let the public know what is going on -- you are rather to be commended, not condemned. Esther Farley, Oakville Proud Official Media Sponsor For: Canadian Circulations Audit Board Member Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Kiwanis award Key Club scholarships On June 26, The Kiwanis Club of Oakville Inc., awarded $6,050 in scholarships to 17 graduating students who are members of the White Oaks Secondary School Key Club. These students are Rohan Adel, Ankit Bahl, Shiv Gupta, Fahim Khondoker, Kelly Kong, Byron Liu, Mishael Liu, Sidhant Mishra, Cindy Nie, Simrah Puri, Sasa Stosic, Sonam Upadhyaya, Jason Wang, Mengying Wang, Peter Wang, Ben Zhu and Will Zhang. Any student who attends White Oaks Secondary School is eligible to become a member of the White Oaks Secondary School Key Club. Key Club, sponsored by local Kiwanis clubs worldwide, is a student-led organization which provides members with opportunities to provide service, build character and develop leadership skills. Catherine Moore, Key Club Adviser Kiwanis Club of Oakville Inc. 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.