The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

A 6 - The Oakville Beaver, Tuesday D e c e m b e r 24, 2002 E D IT O R IA L S A N D L E T T E R S THIS OAKVILLE REAVER 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 TERI CASAS Office Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief KELLY MONTAGUE Advertising Director STEVE CROZIER Circulation Director MARK DILLS Production Manager RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director ROD JERRED Managing Editor Metroland Printing. Publishing & Distributing.Ltd., includes: Ajax/Pickering News Advertiser, Alliston Herald/Courier, Arthur Enterprise News, Barrie Advance, Barry's Bay This Week. Bolton Enterprise, Brampton Guardian. Burlington Post. Burlington Shopping News, City Parent, 0 Connection. East York Mirny. Erin Advocate'Co^jfiy Routes. Etobicoke Guardian. Flamborough Post, Georgetown Independent/Acton Free Press, Harriston Review, I Business Times, Kingston This Week, Lindsay This Week. 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 County Guide, Richmond Hill/Thomhill/Vaughan i Mirror, Stpuffville/Uxbridge Tribune. Forever Young, City of York Guardian THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by O ntario Com m unity ; Newspapers Association Halton Healthcare f i Y MOC A fO A K V T U S | oakville galleries | ( C N A Canadian C om m unity Newspapers Association W ELCO M F.f^t Xl/AGONiTM " r si.vcm 1930 Betfurxi B U S I N E S S R elay For U to sun Sending mixed messages Suburban Newspapers o f Am erica *orrf& TV a u c t io n k J/hhaui J^ward © Oht © CHah'ille gdhvat&s FOR BUSINESS EXCELLENCE The Oakville, Miton and District r. I-- OQRFW Our committee recommended first and foremost that the posses sion o f marijuana remain illegal and that trafficking remain a crime. People who are caught with small amounts o f cannabis, would, we felt, think twice if they had to pay a substantial fine, and police officers would rather write a ticket rather than charge someone. Committee members don't want people to use substances like mar ijuana. There are health risks. B u r lin g to n M P P a d d y T o r sn e y a fte r ta b lin g th e s p e c ia l c o m m it te e r e p o r t title d W o r k in g T o g e th e r to R e d e f i n e C a n a d a 's D r u g S tr a te g y With the recent auditor general's scathing report highlighting the wasteful spending by our federal government still fresh in the minds o f most Canadians, w e're sur prised a Commons committee has chosen now to handle a hot-potato item such as decriminalizing mari juana possession. Frankly, we think there are far more serious matters the govern ment should be dealing with, but since the committee has recom mended Canadians should be able to grow and use 30 grams of mari juana for personal use and be at risk for only a ticket and fine, let's look at their recommendations. We agree the cost of prosecuting people for simple marijuana pos session is a heavy burden on our criminal justice system and that, perhaps, it is unfair a person could be saddled for life with a criminal record for opting to light up when they were a foolhardy teenager. But is the government not send ing a very confusing message to Canadians, especially its young people? On one hand we have O ttaw a's anti-tobacco and anti alcohol messages, and now, on the other, the loosening of laws on marijuana possession. How are parents supposed to interpret this for their kids? And, letting pot possessors carry 30 joints with no fear of criminal prosecution w on't help keep mari juana away from our teens and out o f our schools -- which should be at the top of the list of concerns. We hope in the months ahead, as this recom m endation steams toward becoming law, the main message, from both the govern ment and media, will be that ALL drug use should be discouraged. Have a healthy new year, every one! LETTERS TO THE EDITOR C h a r it y s h o u ld c o m e w it h Kudos to the Samuel family for their truly handsome donation towards the enhancement o f health care. Earmarked for a planned MRI at the Oakville Trafalgar M em orial Hospital, the monies launch a fundraising campaign aimed at installing an exceedingly valuable diagnostic tool. It was unfortunate this magnani mous philanthropic gesture was used to advance a political agenda. Charity should come with no strings attached. In extolling the virtues of a twotiered health care system, in condemn ing Roy Romanow for upholding the principle of universality in his R e p o rt o n th e F u tu re o f H e a lth C a re in C a n a d a , in suggesting public services n o s tr in g s a t t a c h e d rendered them unable to afford the services of a doctor. To further suggest the absence of private health care infringes on an indi vidual's freedom of choice in a demo cratic society is to miss the point entire lyWhere is it written in our Charter of Rights and Freedom s that money allows a person to jump the queue for services as essential as health care? It is because of Medicare w e're a truly dem ocratic society -- one committed to the public good, one, which attempts to alleviate suffering, one where mini mum standards are in place for all Canadians, regardless. It was the selfsame slippery slope of privatization, de-regulation and fund ing cuts which played havoc with Ontario's education system, resulted in Walkerton, and established the privati zation of electricity. PETER PELLIER such as health care are the conse quences o f government paternalism, Elizabeth Samuel demonstrated just how out of touch she is with the major ity of Canadians who deem Medicare a fundamental right. One by one, deputants to Mr. Romanow's Royal Commission reiter ated their unyielding support for single tiered, publicly-funded health care. It is a quality of life issue, which not only defines Canadian society, but also sharply distinguishes us from our neighbours to the south. Elizabeth Samuel would do well to reflect upon a Canada before Medicare-- a Canada where people suf fered because financial circumstances T h is is y o u r O p p o r tu n ity to - MAYTAG A w nana H JEN N -A IR . Dec. 28/02 11am-3pm Live Jenn-Air Cooking Chef Demonstration Everything Is On Sale! Boxing Week Dec. 2 7 , 2 9 , 30 & 31 Refrigerators (side by side, top mount, bottom mount) Washers · Dryers · Dishwashers · Stainless Steel · M icrowaves · W all Ovens · Cook Tops · Vacuums · Central Vacuums Systems I p lu s Don't Pay for 12 Months it h o a c Don't Pay the GST I V 1 * O f f e r a p p lie s o n ly o n m a jo r a p p lia n c e s the Hurry in! The deals are for a Limited Tim e Only! EJENN-AIR. M AYTAG HOOVER (* > 5 ) 8 2 9 - 9 9 0 9 store. ATM ana p « r | th * 2525 Hampshire Gate, Oakville