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A 6 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday, September 18, 2002 EDITORIALS AID LETTERS THE OAKVILLE BEAVER 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax; 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 337-5610 Circulation: 845-9742 IAN OLIVER Publisher NEIL OLIVER Associate Publisher JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief KELLY MONTAGUE Advertising Director STEVE CROZIER Circulation Director TERI CASAS Office Manager MARK DILLS Production Manager RIZIERO VERTOLU Photography Director ROD JERRED Managing Editor Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd., includes: Ajax/Pickering News Advertiser. AJIiston Herald/Courier. Arthur Enterprise News, Barrie Advance, Barry's Bay This Week, Bolton Enterprise. Brampton Guardian, Burlington Post, Burlington Shopping News, City Parent. Cdlingwood/Wasaga Connection. East York Mirror, Erin Advocate/Country Routes, Etobicoke Guardian. Flamborough Post, Georgetown Independent/Acton Free Press, Harriston Review. Huronia Business Times, Kingston This Week. 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Markham Economist & Sun, Midland/Penetanguishine Mirror, Milton Canadian Champion, Milton Shopping News, Mississauga Business Times, Mississauga News, Napanee Guide, Newmarket/Aurora Era-Banner, Northumberland News, North York Mirror, Oakville Beaver, Oakville Shopping News, Oldtimers Hockey News, Orillia Today, Oshawa/Whitby/Clarington Port Perry This Week, Owen Sound Tribune, Palmerston Observer, Peterborough This Week, Picton Comity Guide, Richmond Hill/Thomhill/Vaughan Liberal, Scarborough Mirror, Stouffville/Uxbridge Tribune, Forever Young, City of York Guardian THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community I Z L ? # I Newspapers Association H a lto n H ealthcare S · r· R · V · I · C · E « s YMCA \j%thaw m^nwara mm O © R O N T B V t/TT E | o a K v ille g a l le r i e s | W ELCO M F^t I V a GON ub ( O V A Canadian Community Newspapers Association i O a fa ille tfk FO R BUSINESS E XC ELLENC E Jinge B eH F und ""S l N C H 1 » 3 0 S3E7 £ r» u tvij Stratagaafar *k * * M O ft SKY Suburban Newspapers of America TV AUCTION United My ot Oakville The Oakville, Milton and District C h ild r e n 'sC h o ir Have your say Over the summer, the Oakville Beaver has published numerous let ters to the editor -- both pro and con -- regarding the Salvation Army's Lighthouse shelter. It is safe to say the Salvation Army's proposal to build a 40-bed emergency homeless shelter has proved to be one of the more contro versial items in the community's recent history. In the face of tremendous public opposition, the Salvation Army with drew its proposal to build the shelter on an Eighth Line site in the Iroquois Ridge community in north Oakville. In the wake of that withdrawal, Halton Region established a 15member Emergency Housing Advisory Group to develop criteria for the selection of a site for the shel ter. While the Salvation Army with drew its proposal for the Eighth Line site, it is still among the potential sites under consideration. The advisory group is expected to present its final findings on Oct. 21. On Thursday night, the members of the public are being invited to express their opinions on the criteria and guidelines for the shelter. However, the region is hoping the meeting won't deteriorate into the shouting matches which have been exhibited in the past. In June, when the Salvation Army tried to present its plans for the Eighth Line site to a meeting of Iroquois Ridge residents they were essentially chased out of the building. Thursday's meeting is aimed at being a constructive meeting. The Region hopes to establish a set of cri teria for not only the Oakville site, but for any future sites in Halton. Instead of handling questions from the floor, the Region is setting up numerous round-table group discus sions. Remember, the meeting has been set up for public discussion and not bickering as has been displayed in the Letters to the Editor over the summer. Anyone with legitimate concerns and constructive suggestions for the advisory group should attend this meeting. This is your chance to have your say, and, perhaps, make a point or two. But if you just want to be disrup tive, point fingers, spread rumours or make wild unfounded accusations, then please stay home. That's not the purpose of this LETTERS TO THE EDITOR More reasons why Hate crimes offense to community Oakville isn't special Re: Oakville was special, Letter to the Editor, Oakville Beaver, Sept. 4. I'd like to add my thoughts to the "Oakville Was Special" letter. I have lived here most of my life, and I truly think things are "out of control." Perhaps others will think about this too: · Time to vote "green" - w e're going to suffo cate! · We drink water from bottles, next: breathe canned air? · Stop cutting down trees (they clean the air) ·The fruit and vegetables we buy could be (and used to be grown on Oakville Land) Now we build houses and install more sewers. · Bad air days should be treated as "snow days" ie: leave the cars at home, don't use elec tricity, save water: don't flush for "number one". Slow down, learn to ride the bus, bike, walk with friends/family. · Time to support government, industries that promote clean & safe environments. Disposable diaper manufacturers print instructions suggest ing dumping the contents into a toilet for proper disposal. The people who "stoop and scoop" leave their plastic bags to pile up in garbage cans in our parks. · Lots o f attention on children and youth behaviour: "don't drink, don't smoke, don't do drugs - but here's a free condom." · Stop telling us what not to do, give us a (preferably free and outdoors) place to do it. (ie: skateboarding, roller blading, street dances) · (Shell Park is great, but we need more of these areas to accommodate the need) · Perhaps the crime rate would drop if people had places to go: ie: coffee houses with band nights, jam m ing sessions, slot car racing, or just a place to play board games, cards whatever. On another note: I thought that Cornwall Road was built as an alternate route to the QEW. All the buildings along there have slowed up traffic again with driveways and traffic lights. The same thing happened to Speers Road. These are a few things that really bug me. Hopefully enough o f us will be bugged to do something about it. I would vote for anyone or any company/industry who would give a feeling of hope. Oakville was special... JAN M . C A R N A L L We, the co-chairs of the Halton Interfaith Committee express our deep sadness and regret to hear about hate crimes committed recently in our community. A Muslim cab driver was assaulted as his faith was defamed. Blasphemous statements insulting the glorious name of God were spray painted on a church, as well as a school and communi ty facilities. Residents of Halton often imagine that these things do not touch them; yet only our vigilance as parents, teachers and responsi ble members of the community can eradi cate hatred and prejudice. Our hope is that fear, hatred and preju dice will be replaced by knowledge, under standing, peace and love amongst the people of our community. Please join us in standing against crimes of hatred. A. QAYYUM MUFTI, THE REVEREND MORAR M. MURRAY-HAYES, RABBI PAUL SIDLOVSKY CO-CHAIRS, HALTON INTERFAITH COMMITTEE MP's comments distort real issue of 9 /1 1 On Sept. 11, 2001, 19 terrorists committed acts of war on the United States, launching concerted attacks on American symbols of power. There is no doubt that an attack of this scale was backed and coordinated by the dictatorships in Afghanistan and Iraq, both unelected and brutal regimes that repress and murder their own people. As a result, thousands died, including 24 Canadians. It is disappointing that Bonnie Brown, Oakville's Member of Parliament, has joined Jean Chretien and Paul Martin in their clumsy criticisms of the U.S. on the first anniversary of this hor rendous event (see "Candles Lit fo r Peace " in the Oakville Beaver, Friday, Sept. 13). When they speak of "questioning the root causes of terrorism," these politicians are taking veiled shots at Americans and American policy on the very day when we should be remembering those who were lost. Their timing is immensely insensitive and their comments are mean-spirited and dead wrong. It appears that Bonnie Brown has a selective memory for world events. The attacks of 9/11 were not the first on the U.S. or on American citizens. They followed several years of attacks on U.S. embassies and military installations around the world that cost hundreds of American lives. In response, Bill Clinton and Madeleine Albright chose to pursue the very policy that Brown now recommends: "a multilateral approach to peace." By putting their faith in the do-nothing United Nations and hoping that their peaceful actions would somehow lead to peace, their policies led directly to the escalating terrorist violence that culminated in 9/11. Osama Bin Laden and his dictator friends attacked the U.S. because he saw that they had weak leadership. History has repeatedly shown that peace is achieved through strength. You can only get the respect of these international murderers by attacking them wherever they hide. There must be consequences to their inhumane acts. George Bush clearly understands this and has acted decisively to reduce the threat to the U.S. (and to us) of future such incidents. The Liberal government (which includes Bonnie Brown) voted to commit Canada to the War on Terrorism that Brown crit icizes. In fact, she was quoted as deploring "this so-called war" in Canada's national newspaper earlier in the year, at a time when Canada still had troops in harm's way. This irresponsible behav iour on her part in no way reflects the opinions of most people of Oakville. When Brown attacks the American public and American pol icy, she is giving comfort to terrorists. When Canadian politicians take the attitude that Americans were "only asking for it," they are distorting the real issue. 9/11 was caused by terrorists, backed by rich and powerful Middle East figures. For our own security, terrorists must be weeded out around the world and eliminated. Rather than lashing out at Americans, these Liberal "thinkers" should be explaining why they have allowed Canada's security to decay during their nine long years in office. We have a decimat ed military capability, a porous refugee system that is an interna tional joke, and a legal system that is more concerned with the needs of offenders than the victims of crime. When Chretien, Martin, and Brown lash out at our neighbours, they are trying to distract us from the real issue: their abject failure to provide for the protection of Canadians. G LE N H E R R IN G Don't give vandals publicity Re: Police after anti-religious graffiti vandal By reporting this act of vandalism on the front page o f the O akville Beaver (Wednesday, Sept. 11), gives these mis guided idiots exactly what they crave -- attention. These are immature acts perpetrated by ignorant individuals who don't deserve any more press besides the Crime Stoppers col umn. MS. J YURCHUK Support Car Free Day Sept. 22 Sunday, Sept. 22, 2002, is Car Free Day in hundreds of cities around the world, including Toronto. We, the members of GreenTrans, would love to be able to wholeheartedly endorse this event for the Town of Oakville. Unfortunately, Oakville has no bus service on Sundays. So, this is a request to the people of Oakville to consider making Sept. 22 a Car Free Day if you can. Walk, ride a bike, pull a wagon, or rollerblade. If you're going out side of Oakville, find a way to the GO/VIA station in Oakville and use public transit from there. GreenTrans is an Oakville-based group whose vision is "a community where every one can live in a healthy environment with easy access to a comprehensive public trans portation system." For further information about GreenTrans, call 905-842-7324. For information about Car Free Day, visit www.carfreeday.ca. L IS A S E IL E R Oakville still is special Re: Oakville was special, Letter to the Editor, Oakville Beaver, Sept. 4 Oakville is a great place to live. I love Oakville and am very proud to be living in Oakville. My parents lived in Oakville and my five children were bom in Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital. Stop and take a look around you. Look at the historic places and the history of Oakville. Just walk down Main Street, it's like a picture out of a history book. It is clean and a safe place to live. If you did not want to move to Oakville, you should have stayed in Mississauga. Yes, Oakville is unique not only in name, but the town itself. Yes, Oakville is expand ing. Yes, it may increase its taxes. That is the price you pay to live in a great town like Oakville. E VE E L L IO T Pud By STEVE NEASE M A X, X K N O W youR EL O O K IN G Forward to fWlNG HoCKEf v^-BU T YOUtL HAVE ' TAKE. YOUR HELMET OFF FoR BED W ew an t you r opinions an d co m m e n ts The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations 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., L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to editor @oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish any letter. THIS YEAR.//