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A6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday March 14,, 2001 T he Oakville Beaver Ian O liver P u b lish e r N e i O liver A ssociate P u b lish e r N o rm a n A lexander E d ito r K elly M ontague, A d v e rtisin g D ire cto r Steve C ro zie r C irc u la tio n D ire cto r Teri C a s a s O ffice M an ag er M a rk Dills P ro d u ctio n M an ag er Riziero Vertolli D ire cto r o f Photography Metrdand 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, B urlington Post, B urlington Shopping News, C ity Parent, ColSngvvood/Wasaga Connection, East Nbrk Minor, Erin Advocate/Country Routes, E tobicoke G uardian, Flam borough Post, G eorgetow n Independent/Acton Free Press, Hamston Review, Huronia Business Times, Kingston This Week, Lindsay This Week, Markham Ecnomist & Sun, Midland/Penetanguishine Mirror. 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Scarborough Mirror, Stouffvilla'Uxbridge Tribune, Forever M xrg , City of Mark Guardian OPINION RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: O nta rio Com m unity N e w s p a p e rs Association THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: 1 I YMCA O F O A K V I L L E u t v i v i> U f ^ p t 7 e p I Strategiesfor O K H m J iN q lE B e I I F u N d seasi JThhena J^ m ard O ^Ohe 0 (Q a k i'ille ^ h v a rd s FOR BUSINESS EXCELLENCE 467 Speers Rd., Oakville OnL L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-2809 Circulation: 845-9742 · G N A Canadian Com m unity N e w s p a p e rs A ssociation TV AUCTION TH E IONTE BUTTERFLY O N T " A R 5 M O ffru t I own | o a k v ille g a lle rie s | SKt S u b u rb a n N e w s p a p e rs of A m e rica I m a m a m toUvMIt Editorials Here's to Halton One of Prime Minister Jean Chretien's common themes when he makes speeches is to tout Canada as the number one country for people to live and work. While some might doubt the findings of the United Nations, for most of us, this country is a great place. T. And following an extensive telephone Halton residents believe survey, it seems that Halton residents are the region is Ogreat Spot to I pretty pleased with living here and the live but they' d like to see I services provided in the region. ' >i some kind of solution to It should come as no surprise that the our traffic woes. top three issues of concern to Halton resi dents are education, road-related infra No kidding. structure and health care. But the most interesting finding was that just 5% of respondents believed restructuring of local and regional gov ernment was needed in Halton. This point is even more important when taken in context with the Province's recent decision to let Halton determine its own political future. The same decision was taken out of the hands of HamiltonWentworth residents where forced amalgamation has resulted in huge prob lems. The survey is very much one conducted in an affluent area where concerns over taxes concern only 13% of those residents who would comment. Hardly a vote for change. And for those who live and die by quantitative measures, the viewpoints of residents about growth are worth noting. When asked about the impact of Halton growth, 54% of people said it had a negative influence, with half of them saying the impact was strongly negative. O f the 45% who said growth was a positive influence, only 13% believed it had a strongly positive influ ence with 32% believing growth was somewhat positive. And the number one reason why people believed growth is negative? Go to the front of the class if you said road congestion and gridlock. Like that came as a great surprise to Halton officials. Honk if you like Halton. Children' s Choir fO RV B U S IN E S S StT H E A R T S Letters to the Editor The Oakville Beaver welcomes your comments. All letters must be typed, signed and include the writer's address and phone number. Send to: Letters to the Editor, The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, Ont. L6K 3S4 More paving no answer to transportation woes Re: Progress-Paving, Oakville Beaver edi torial, Feb. 23, 2001. Your comments on these announcements are very proper and rightly you accommodate the cynical among us. We widen the QEW, to go where? At the recent meeting one gets assurances that apart from badly-needed correction o f the inter change at Hurontario, no other improvements are forecast. Question: Why is Cawthra Road bridge so wide, why are these improvements in progress at Hwy. 427? Are we all blind? Paving creates pollution in addition to the environmental problems of the infernal com bustion engine. Gridlock is tied to our Olympic success. Is there no limit to our reluctance to call a halt to this destruction? Rail transportation: Halton will soon be home to two rail transfer term inals. More belching dirty fuel monsters and irreplaceable farmland lost forever. O f course, Halton in common with the Niagara peninsula was host to electrical rail systems in 1900, so well pro moted at the museum on Campbellville Road. Sadly, one doubts if any `transportation engi neer' has even `ridden the rails' to know the pleasures and comfort. What fun it is to take the Metro-North Railroad (yes, crowded maybe) from Stamford, CT. to New York City. There are 28 trains running between 5 a.m.-9 a.m. with 16 being non-stop and arriving in 45 min utes. Now that is the way to move people. Will we ever wake up? Let's put people in transit and try very hard to save our planet, now. G o d f re y O w e n Letter of the Week Pesticides: another view I would like to take this opportunity to offer another per spective with respect to recent letters to the Editor and the article `Turf wars'. Absent from the Beaver's reporting is any mention of the government response to the Standing Committee Report on Pesticides "Making the Right Choice For the Protection of H ealth and the Environm ent www.parlgc.ca/InfoComDoc/36/2/ENVI/Studies/Reports/en vi01-e.html. This response recognizes the benefits that Canadians derive from pest control production. These benefits include: ensuring the supply of safe, low cost food, protecting our homes, businesses and hospitals from organisms that nega tively effect human health , and protecting plants in the land scape (such as lawns, gardens and golf courses) from pests . that can seriously affect their health and appearance. It also recognises the fact that pesticides are used widely and are likely to be found in nearly every home and business. The response also outlines the current strength of the pes ticide regulatory system in Canada and the need to continue to build on that strength. Pesticide s are thoroughly tested and in many cases, more researched than pharmaceutical drugs. The comprehensive evaluation performed on pesticides by health Canada can take up to 10 years before a product becomes registered, products are evaluated for health and environmental impacts. The agency's toxicologists are extremely qualified and would not be performing their duties if they allowed a prod uct to become registered or remain registered that posed an unacceptable risk to people, pets or the environment. The response mentions'The rigorous health and environ mental protection demanded by legislation will continue to apply to pesticide products proposed for use on lawns and related uses...the potential exposure of applicators, passers by, and residents, is specifically assessed as part of the pre market approval process for such uses, including specific assessment for children." The government aims to reduce pesticide risk by launch ing a healthy lawns strategy that among things, promotes the use of IPM (integrated pest management). In IPM, the first priority is to use a wide range of tactics aimed at promoting healthy vigorously growing turfgrass that will naturally resist a certain level of pests, while allowing for less treatments. This is done through proper maintenance practices such as correct mowing and fertilization. Spot treatments and use of pesticides only where needed help to achieve pesticide risk reduction whiie ensuring the safety and costs are maintained. Well maintained turfgrass provides many environmental benefits. It improves air quality, reduces soil erosion, reduces operational costs, keeps playing fields and playgrounds safe for athletes and children, reduces health hazards from dis ease-carrying insects, reduces municipal liability, attracts tourism dollars and maintains property values. Rather than reduce pesticide use completely, most municipalities are implementing Integrated Pest Management Programs. Many municipalities, such as the City of Ottawa, have eliminated pesticide use on parks completely, only to discover that this was not a realistic or sustainable solution. Pesticides are important tools that should only be used where needed. When used responsibly in this manner, they can provide excellent protection from pest problems in the landscape and in our homes without adversely affecting human health or the environment. There is an enormous amount of scientific information available to support the safety of pest management products when they are used according to their directions. It is assumed that individuals who choose to use a pesticide take the same precautions they would with any household prod uct, be it a prescription medicine, cleaning solvent, paint or fuel - store in a safe place, read the label and follow all direc tions. M icha e l J . K e rn a g h a n Member, GREEN-TRANS H alton policing costs getting out of control I cannot help but respond to an article in your Sun., Feb. 25th, 2001, edition "Policing costs set to rise 4.82%." The article implies that people "don't mind paying for police services" and as such a 4.8% increase, or 7% or whatever in police allocation is fine with everyone. I would like to suggest that people do mind. Most people feel so disenfranchised and cyni cal about C anadian p o liticia n s and " the Canadian justice system in general that they don't bother saying anything -- they feel it will be o f no use or consequence. Furthermore, even if they do wish to say something, there is really no forum where they will be listened to and paid attention to. If the councillors truly want feedback, they should make it easier to provide this feedback. There should also be greater opportunity to par ticipate in the discussions and in the decision making process. The dissenters should not be ridiculed, but given weight. I think that the regional chair, Joyce Savoline, should listen to politicians such as Milton Mayor Gord Krantz, because they do reflect the views of a significant portion of the electorate -- I would even say, the majority. I have been a resident of Oakville since 1950. I am a resident and a business owner. I have seen my taxes increase exponentially to the point where I am seriously considering sell ing and moving as the best option. I consider it the primary job of the elected officials to ensure that the town and the region are run in a costeffective and efficient manner. The implication given in the article is that the low crime rate in Oakville has jpeen a result of the large amount of money paid for police protection. The fact of the matter is that the crime rate all over North America has been declining. This is a factor of demographics. Older people do not get into violent crimes as much as younger people. The types of crime has been changing and overall crim e has decreased significantly. The police should be looking at a new role in the community. This fear mongering that accompanies these budget talks, implying that crime will explode if the police do not get their extra funding is just that, fear mongering and self-serving empire build ing. What I think would be appropriate is that better monitoring systems be put in place to determine the results of current funding and identify the best areas to fund in the future. I would rather see more funding for police salaries and have all new officers have at least one and preferably two university degrees. By improving the quality and knowledge of the individuals in the force, better relationships will be forged with the community. I would like to have a focus on prevention rather than enforce ment. In the long-run, this is where small investments made now will result in payoffs down the road. W o lfg a n g G .E . Ze nk e r, B .S c ., D .V .M ., M .S c ., M .B .A . Donate to War Amps online We are receiving a considerable number of inquiries from regular donors asking whether they can make their contributions to The War Amps through Charity.ca and other online charity sites conducting advertising campaigns. Our investigation indicates that the majority of these organizations deduct 8% from donations, presumably as an administration cost. The War Amps foresaw the need for secure and convenient on-donation and offers this option completely free of charge. For those wishing to do so, or form more information, please visit our Website at www.waramps.ca C liff C h a d d e rto n , C C , O .O n t., O S t.J., C A E, D C L, LLD Chief Executive Officer, The War Amps No excuse not to know the name behind school Bonnie Adams in her letter of Feb. 28, 2001, comment in effect that not many stu dents at Lome Skuce Public School could state after whom their school was named. For public record, I would like to quote from a short history of Lome Skuce Public School, which was originally published in Dec. 1998 in the Lom e Skuce Home and School A sso c ia tio n 's 4 5 th A nniversary Celebration Cookbook. Most in our school community at the time, contributed to and purchased this cookbook. The historical inform ation was collected from existing notes at the school and a former teacher and resident of the area. " (L o rn e S kuce P u b lic S ch o o l) w as named in honour of Mr. Lome P. Skuce. He was the inspector o f Public Schools for H alton within the provincial M inistry of Education from 1938 until 1958. In 1958, he became Superintendent of the Oakville School System, a position he held for four years before retiring from education to be the manager of the Halton and Peel Trust Company." C a t h e r in e E . B a g le y Big Sisters o f Oakville grateful for community support Working in a non-profit organization is such a privilege as it bring you in touch with so many generous, talented, com m it ted and caring individuals. It n e v e r cea se s to am aze me th a t no m atter how large the task seems, individu als w illin g ly arriv e at y o u r d o o rstep to help. A nd th at is w hat h appened during D e c e m b e r fo r B ig S is te rs o f O a k v ille when tw o o f our m ajor events took place. The Charity Gift W rap held at O akville Place requires volunteers 12 hours a day for 24 days, not to mention two nights of M idnight M adness. O ver 160 volunteers to o k up the ch allenge and donated over 1176 hours to this event. O f those volun teers, 100 were students who so willingly called to help. T h e S tu f f a S to c k in g C a m p a ig n is another exam ple o f where 100 businesses, in d iv id u als and schools jo in e d the cam p a ig n to s e ll $ 1 . b a g s o f c a n d y . T he O a k v ille co m m u n ity th en got on board and purchased over 9,000 bags o f candy. T h e w in n e r o f to p sa le s w as O a k v ille Trafalgar High School with 400 bags sold. O ther division w inners included M ayfair B in g o , C a n a d a T ru st, and K im N o rth . O ver 23 individuals jo in ed Club 100 by selling more than 100 bags of candy. On behalf of Big Sisters, I would like to th a n k the v o lu n te e rs, as w ell as the O akville com m unity for participating in both o f our events which raised $20,000. Your contribution, no m atter how large or small, made a difference. Thank you for caring. M a r i ly n M a r k o w Executive Director, Oakville Big Sisters Pud by Steve Nease...will return