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6 -The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday, February 26, 2003 editorials and letteks Till: OAKVllLE IIEHKII IAN OLIVER Publisher 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 337-5610 Circulation: 845-9742 JILL DAVIS Associate Publisher TERI CASAS Office Manager Editor in Chief' MARK DILLS Production Manager KELLY MONTAGUE Advertising Director RIZIER0 VERTOLLI Photography Director STEVE CROZIER em ulation Director ROD JERRED Marutymy Editor THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: NEIL OLIVER lrrtn jP iftitfm g&D rtrtu n j IE rcu *s A * t t ,9 V > .* r r g W m r tM tA fc S jiItn d lC c u wk T T x j IrtHxmt ***i B r a *Vanc* B a r r y *ft* Th* Wo*, B c ftr Ira ro rw V r t r v c t c oG u a r O a nE is ln p c nP o s t . D u tq tr`?> u *'jN e w .C * iP r n n t< _ '· * «* » r « i xfftOKO U K 'itrt U n a . Fro Uho:M\\'o rerj PaAre, Ew»a*a GuJflfcm Funtxrougo Pout Gwrjtfcwo Mix G y u d u nC ta ffp c rM r o n Sorxij N m n G IM S * . E ra B m e r. 'ic irrtrc e rtu o News Ua7\ > c * VM rv. Oc*vlh Bower QaMte H r tn O t d b m a oN o o d y M n » * O i» o T o d iy . OteMvYAiC* Perl Pony Ths Week. 0**r Sorrt Irtu v Pammkn O oanrvw . Pe&rtOTvgf> The Wo#. P ctr Cu/ff Gude fkf*ncn3 MfclhrYAVa^an liW criK rf.V ttr F mP f W S sH a m e c nR *vo tt/ c r w B in n c BH m » jy A yT h oV V M kln ls *r I,B W w * . K b rtfa m (a n o n c t& S wM c to tJ^ w ie a r g a c ftn e W r r L to o tS c u to c u ^M r~ j Fo m » ^uiq . Cfjrrt Gu»3on fc ftrt. Recognized for Excellence by -- I Ontario Community Newspapers Association / v ^ v* t » A Canadian Community Nwspapers Association s jB a i H a lt o n H c a lt h c a r c YHeA Qw m M ^yhhem J/hnml c ro n s r y ^ o o M iw | oakvllle galleries | Ttw <)*»·*· Mftyi »«J DsirO R I A L K t T A T K B O AR D 5 J*<0tB*fund O O/ihriHt f ) V//w /fllv SK Suburban Newspapers erf America F O RBU SIN ESS BcCflieNCJ f» a 6 f/W ^73 5*77 irte v W IM w ag What's the excuse? Excuse us for having little sym pathy for the 2.000 Halton high school students who may not grad uate this June because they could n't sacrifice 40 hours of their time. It's not as if the Class of 2(X)3 hasn't been acutely aware of this new provincial requirement for earning a high school diploma. In a region as large as Halton there is no excuse for not being able to find a place to volunteer. On any given week in Oakville here are endless fundraising events held by non-profit organizations that would welcome the efforts of an enthusiastic student. Other fine organizations whose sole purpose is to rid our society of awful diseases including cancer, multiple sclerosis, AID S and A LS, to name a few. would be able to put a young volunteer to good use. During such holidays as Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas, area food banks wouldn't likely refuse an extra pair of hands to unpack, sort and pack the foodstuffs that lit erally make a difference in people's lives. The United Way alone supports 36 member agencies including Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Community Living Oakville, Halton Helping Hands. Red Cross and St. John Ambulance. There's probably a volunteer opportunity out there to suit just about any youth's interests. Down the road, the experience may help the individual get their first job. Not all the blame should rest on the shoulders of these students. Certainly parents must accept some responsibility for not providing more support and guidance to get their sons and daughters out in the community where they can make a real difference. No matter how people feel about this province's current government, it's hard to find fault with having 40 hours of volunteer work a condition of receiving a graduation diploma. What possible evil could one derive from volunteering? Volunteers are the unsung heroes of our communities. Without the programs and services they provide every day, our towns and cities would wither and many people's lives would be thrown into chaos. We would hate to think some of these Halton students have elected not to volunteer simply because there is no money in it or they couldn't be bothered. That would be shameful for them, while leaving the bleakest of outlooks for the future of society. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Integrity of Oak Park vision being challenged on parcel by parcel basis As a person with some knowledge of land use planning principles, I am shocked that you would pen an editorial (The Beaver, Jan. 24) on the Daimler/Chrysler Ontario Municipal Board matter when you know little about the facts. You speak to die need for jobs. How many jobs w ill be lost now that a low-employee generating car dealership with expansive surface park ing has supplanted a six-storey office building, as was contemplated for the Daimler/Chrysler site under the Town's Official Plan. Do you really think it good planning to sacrifice 300 jobs for a 42 employee car dealership? Your comment about new employment opportunities is also lost on me -- isn't Bob Salvian simply relocating his dealership from Speers Road and Fourth Line and bringing the bulk of his employees with him? Where are all these new job opportunities com ing from on the dealership site? You don't seem to realize that car dealerships were not precluded from the Uptown Core Area. Instead, these facili ties were planned for and were purpose fully directed to the southeast quadrant of Trafalgar Road and Dundas Street in a peripheral location in the planning dis trict. The planning rationale for such a locational goal is obvious, so I won't insult you with Planning 101. Due to the O M B's ruling and the lack of clarity in the Town's Official Plan policies, the entire block of land along the west side of Trafalgar Road between Glenashton and Oak Park Boulevard will now be a strip of parking expansive retail uses. These unattractive uses w ill now sup plant the upscale offices (including pro fessional offices) permitted to be built at a density two times the lot area, as well as hotels, computer production services, software and related activities, design and art-related facilities, commercial schools, fashion industry establishments and medical research uses originally planned on these lands. These lost uses would have provided for a more wellrounded. planned community that offered different employment opportu nities to complement the residents' skill force. Surely you can't believe that O akville's resident skill force is only entitled or equipped to work in retail and that they must leave their community to find higher order jobs. Perhaps you never thought that unlike professional office and research jobs, part-time jobs in retail (a la WalMart) for Oakville residents don't trans late into high-paying jobs that in turn make it difficult if not impossible to reinvest in their community (purchase vs. rent a home, pay property/school taxes, etc.). M y family moved from the Oak Park area oncc the onslaught of Official Plan Amendments began to surface, and once the original vision started to erode. 1 now feel sorry for the steadfast res idents who now realize that the integrity of the original planning vision that W'as Oak Park is being challenged on a parcel by parcel basis. ERIK JARVISTE Show your support March 4 At a council meeting in early November, it appeared that the mayor and the majority of the councillors were finally prepared to make a commitment to protecting the health of the citizens of Oakville (especially the children) from the effects of cosmetic pesticides. At that time, it also appeared as if our Town of Oakville would become an example to other communities across Canada. Councillors Wright. Knoll and Robinson each went so far as to draft a detailed motion on pesticide reduc tion. Having worked towards this goal for the past two years. 1 was overjoyed. Since then, months have passed and so far nothing has been finalized. Now we have been informed that a deci sion regarding pesticide reduction will be made at a coun cil meeting on March 4. We would like to urge all of the people who have been hoping for pesticide reduction, if not a complete ban. who spoke so passionately on this issue and all who faithfully attended all the pesticide meet ings night after night, to be present and show their support on March 4. Our council has had more than enough time and infor mation with which to make its decision. We are not inter ested in more presentations and no referendum please! KAREN SANDFORD LET T ER (IF T H EU EEk School trip reflections I read and enjoyed Andy Juniper's column about Rowdy Rapscallions, The Beaver, Feb. 9. How I can relate to this scenario -- I am a teacher and have been on several trips like the ones described with my own Grades 7s and 8s. I just wanted to otYer a few thoughts from my perspective. I'm sure that I speak for numerous other teacher/chaperones who've been on similar excursions (or who may be planning one in the near future). A few words to the young people who accompany their teachers camping (or to Quebec City, Ottawa etc.). Your teach ers genuinely want you to enjoy the benefits of extended overnight outings. It gives us a chance to experience and get to know you in a little less informal setting. Some trips, like camp ing. offer you opportunities to learn life skills such as survival training. There is a fitness component built in with games and sports, environmental awareness, teamwork, leadership, prob lem solving, and a chance to learn or refine skills such as canoe ing which will afford you endless hours of fun and relaxation as you grow older. We truly gain a sense of satisfaction as you try to experience new things. We encourage shy or hesitant campers to try something new because of the sense of accomplishment it gives you when you see that you can do this new thing. On a more serious note, an enormous amount of behind-thescenes preparation is involved -- making arrangements, com municating information to your parents, making sure that appro priate safety precautions are in place at your campsite, selecting programs which we feel will benefit you... All we ask is that you remember that the rules we ask you to follow are to ensure your own safety and that we arc taking on the responsibility to return you home safely to your parents. So when you feel like staying up and making noise in your cabin, or wander out of bounds, please remember that we are trying to treat you as young adults and set limits that your parents would probably set if they were there. When someone gets sick, we are obligated to be in charge and respond to that student's need. Sometimes we have to phone parents (Oh. the anxious moment when your parent answers the phone and we relate the facts of an incident while trying to re assure your parents that you're all right). We appreciate it when someone takes the time to say, " Thank you. I had a super time." We appreciate it even more when you understand the stress and the responsibility involved when we assume care for you while you're away. A polite. "O K, we'll quiet down now.", or "Yes. Miss, we'll co-operate", says so much and makes our lime a lot easier. Your teachers (honestly!) want you to have fun while you learn. We want you to be able to take memories away that you'll cherish for the rest of your life. Some well-placed co-operation, courtesy, and consideration are just the tilings that make us want to " bend-over-backwards" to ensure that your trip is the best experience it could possibly be -- and motivate us to arrange similar trips in the future. Responsible and well-behaved students are a joy to experience camping with. They can make (or break) a school trip. So please remember: help us to trust you. get involved in a positive way in your camp activities, look for ways to help oth ers enjoy themselves, and most importantly, let us get some sleep, too. Yours for a happy, safe, and memorable trip. BOB PURNELL. GRADE 7 AND 8 TEACHER. OAKVILLE Plans are an `ecological disaster' I wish to register a protest against the projected re development scheme for the Sharkey property at 111 Forsythe St. This massive residential and commercial structure is wholly out of proportion to the scale of lower and her itage Oakville. It will effect in a negative manner all adjacent proper ties, and even the whole of old Oakville. It could also be a danger to the entire natural structure of the creek and its bank, a danger that might extend beyond the limits of the structure itself. It is an ecological and sociological disas ter waiting to happen. FRANCES E. BALLANTYNE Abortion decision never taken lightly D.J. Dooley wrote in a letter published in the Feb. 19, Beaver that abortions are " performed for no health or other reasons at all." How preposterous to suggest that a woman would have an abortion for " no reason!" Women have abortions for various reasons, but these decisions are never taken lightly. If a women is at position in life where she is pregnant but not ready to raise a child, she has every right to terminate the pregnancy. If she wishes to have a child, it is far better for her to wait until she is financially and emo tionally ready to raise it in a loving and stable environment. PETER THOMPSON The Oakville Beaver ?s a member of the Ontario Press Council. The coondi 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 signa ture. 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 cate gorize advertisements or decline. Pud f Do W E HAVE. Y " OUSEL where' s theT* By STEVE NEASE E I THOUGHT^ 'HAVE YouSEEHTH LU M PS O F Y O UW ERE HAMMERLX GOING TO pr £&> CLEANTHE | yoNTHElKAj^V 4 Ite KIDS' We welcome your letters / in m y Nv J C B A T H R 3 0 M The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considera tions and grammar. In order to be published, letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Road. Oakville, On., L6 K 3S4. or via e-mail to editor@oakvUlebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish any letter.