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Collision snarled local traffic for hours (Continued from page A1) 33-year-old Hamilton man was eastbound in the right lane at Sixteen M ile Creek. For a reason as yet undetermined, the truck struck the right cement barrier, veered across the lanes and struck a gray Buick that had been travelling to the left o f the truck, ram ming it into the guardrail. The Buick driver M ichele D eM ichino, 50, o f Toronto - was rushed by air ambulance to Hamilton General Hospital w ith life-threatening injuries. The truck driver was not hurt. The eastbound QEW between Dorval Drive and Trafalgar Road was entirely closed for several hours, as was the left lane o f the westbound highway. Drivers were routed o ff Dorval to eastbound Speers Road, where traffic sig nals were altered to accommodate the increased traffic. The investigation remains ongoing and charges arc pending. Witnesses are being encouraged to contact Const. C. Bourne at 905-681-2511. The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday April 30, 2003 - A3 i ------------------------------- Riziero Vertolli · O akville Heaver A helicopter a irlifts an inju re d m oto rist to the hospital fro m the accident site on the eastbound lanes o f the Q EW , near Dorval D riv e on Monday afternoon. Oakville NDP candidate was political prisoner in Pakistan By Howard Mozel OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Anwar Naqvi - political activist, poet and former prisoner of conscience - is the NDP's Oakville riding candidate in the next provincial election. Bom in India and immigrating to Canada by way of Pakistan. Naqvi's social empathy was first inspired by his greatgreat grandfather (executed by the British in 1857) then later solidified by his own strug gles against injustice. Today, the retired lawyer and married father o f three has his sights set on tackling the many issues he sees as vital to the con tinued health, success and well-being of every Ontarian. Intent on running an issues-oriented campaign. Naqvi explained that healthcare, education, transportation, poverty, urban sprawl and hydro are among the key planks in his platform. "1 think it's my duly to do something for my province, my country and my town," he said. Bom in India in 1936. Naqvi's social conscience was ignited by stories of his great-great grandfather, who was killed for his part in a revolt against the British. As a result. Naqvi's political activities began early at age 16 when he worked tor the Socialist Party. " 1 saw the need for struggle, for free dom." he said. Moving to Pakistan, Naqvi studied to become a lawyer at the University of Karachi and from 1970 through 1988 he ran a successful practice. The political situation in his adopted country was fraught with peril, however, but Naqvi " vigorously resis ted" martial law and spent nine months in prison lor his activities. "We always knew politics was a very dangerous game." said Naqvi. whose letters from jail have been published in a bxxik. Oakville NDP candidate Anwar Naqvi (He has also written a novel and several volumes of poetry.) Even though democracy was restored in 1988, Naqvi realized that enough was enough and he decided to come to Canada where he could raise his family in safety. "What I wanted from Canada I got," he said. "It's a great place. We are very lucky here." Needless to say. Naqvi's background lends him a unique perspective on the free doms that many Canadian-bom residents often take lor granted - especially the right to vote. "They don't know how powerful this is in the hands of the people." said Naqvi. who has also immersed himself in Red Cross activities while in Canada. A former two-temi president o f the Ontario Liberal Riding Association in Niagara Falls and vice-president o f its sister association in Hamilton, Naqvi joined the NDP because of what he maintains are that party's clear-cut policies and consistent stand on social issues. The Liberals, he says, have gcxxl policies, but don't act on them, while the Tories focus on the rich and implement changes which deprive the poor. Naqvi is worried about privatization "creeping" into healthcare across the coun try and he is opposed to any two-tier sys tem. He is concerned about Ontario's doc tor shortage, which he believes can be alle viated in part by lowering university tuition fees and helping to accredit foreign physi cians. European and American-trained doc tors should be allowed to practice immedi ately to help till the gap. Naqvi has no axe to grind with private sch(K)ls, but wants to see the public system sufficiently funded so that it takes a back seat to no one. One component would be a special tax on the " very wealthy" to create an education excellence fund so that every young person has equal access to the best schooling. Naqvi is also calling for a less con frontational relationship between the gov ernment and teachers and a 10 per cent reduction (to start) in post-secondary tuitions. Close to Naqvi's heart is the plight of the working poor and homelessness. Among the measures he believes are necessary to start alleviating their plight is a S10 a day daycare system and a long-overdue increase in the minimum wage. Child poverty is also shameful, says Naqvi. and should likewise be taken seriously. Rather than pay lip serv ice to this disgraceful situ ation. governments of all levels need to set concrete targets and follow through on them - with no "gimmicks." "Poverty is a curse for anybody," he said. " You have to get to the root causes." As for the contentious lands north of Dundas Street. Naqvi says at least five more years o f cautious planning and consensus is required to sort out the best use for the prop erties there. A system based on who has the most legal muscle is not the way to solve the situation, he said. Transportation - especially issues per taining to Highways 403 and 407 - is also high on Naqvi's list of concerns. Instead of building the 403 through Oakville to Hamilton as a free roadway, he maintains, the province allowed a private consortium to build the 407, an expensive toll highway. As a result, the 403 ends at Trafalgar Road, a situation which funnels traffic onto the already overcrowded QEW with thou sands of fed-up drivers taking alternate, local-road routes like Upper Middle. P la n ts . There's No Better Place. S in c e Father's Day Run benefits hospital The OTMH Charitable Corporation is holding the 7th annual Classic RunAValk on Father's Day. Sunday. June 15. Register for either the 3- km walk or the 5-km run and collect pledges from friends, family and colleagues to support Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital. This year all proceeds from the event will be directed to the Maternal/Child Program. The event is at Wallace Park, between Reynolds and Allan Street, just south o f the hospital. The run is at 9 a.m. and the Walk at 9 :15 a.m. Run Prizes will be awarded to: Top Three Male and Female Finishers in the " Open" category. Top Three Male and Female Finishers in the "Masters" (40+) and Top Three Male and Female Finishers in 14 age groups from 10-70+. A ll Run and Walk participants are eligible to win a wide assortment of Draw Prizes. Registration and Pledge Information and Forms are available at the OTMH Main Lobby. Front Desk at 327 Reynolds St.. Oak-land Ford Lincoln at 570 Trafalgar Rd.. The Running Room at 156 Lakeshore Rd. E. and on-line at www.runningroom.com\eventregistration. Visit The Largest Selection of P la n t M a t e r ia l IN SOUTHERN ONTARIO Thousands of perennials in production for you. Shade trees up to 20 feet. 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