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Wednesday January 26, 2000 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER A7 COMMENT M a r t in d e f t ly a v o id e d N H L b a ilo u t b a c k la s h time. It was blind stupidity that got the plan hatched. A nd that's w hat the peo ple said. It's probably w hat Paul Martin Jr and the prim e m inister thought about it right from the beginning. W ell, you can tell him and his finance m inister their instincts were right on. T he deal w as a dead one from the beginning. A nd it could have been far worse for this governm ent had they not m oved so quickly - I heard Don C herry w as threatening to scream at the w hole lot o f them from his perch on H ockey N ight in Canada. T h at's one hockey gam e I w ouldn't have w anted to miss. Paul M artin Jr. is one federal Liberal, at least, w ho isn't hiding in the bushes these days. In fact, he's proba bly feeling pretty good about the past week or so. It w as he, after all, w ho stood firm about the now ill-fated, incredibly ill-tim ed hockey bailout last week. If they w ere going to bail out the hockey m illionaires and ow ners on the backs o f taxpayers, he said, it was not going to be announced in his budget. In a stunning reversal, the govern ment pulled the plug on the federal g o v ern m en t's bailo u t package for C anada's N H L clubs ju st three days after it w as announced. At an initial new s co n ference, Industry M inister John M anley, w ho once had stated vague leadership intentions, said the governm ent w as w illing to com m it m il lions to N H L hockey because it w as as essential part o f the country's cultural fabric. Well, Paul M artin Jr. m ust have seen it com ing. T he m an, after all, is no dum m y. H e m ust have know n the national outrage a bailout o f m illion aires w ould occur, particularly at a time o f crisis in em ergency rooms, across the country. N o, the federal finance m inis ter, you can bet, w as not having it as part o f his budget. A nd so, Industry M inistry John M anley w as forced to m ake his anno u n cem ent separately, and then another em barrassing about-face ju st three days later bringing him self and not the finance m inister to a crashing halt. T he cynics am ong us m ay say it w a,s in fact, a clearly-orchestrated move by one leadership candidate to torpedo a w eaker-but-never-rule-him out candidate, and it m ay not be too far from the truth. So w h o 's to say the M artin w orkers knew the w riting w as on the wall and here was the perfect opportunity to do two things - drow n a potential leader ship candidate and give the perfect im pression o f listening to the people. Best o f all, their m an, the finance m in ister, is untouched by it all. By refusing to have the hockey bailout contained in the finance portfo lio, M artin did him self a huge favour: he has em erged relatively unscathed despite the serious blow to the govern ment. DIANE HART Just im agine if he had bow ed to the w ishes o f others hoping to have the announcem ent o f the hockey bailout contained in next m onth's federal bud get: it w ould have appeared as a sidebar instead o f the front page news it was last week. A nd he w ould have taken all the blame. Any fault would have been laid at his doorstep, not at the door o f the less powerful industry portfolio. H indsight, o f course, is alw ays 20/20, but it always is am azing ju st how far governm ents go with a bad pol icy. How could anyone not have seen the outrage by the public, particularly at a time Canadians are deeply troubled about health care, homelessness, pover ty and the fraying o f the social net w ork? How could anyone not have lis tened to backbenchers, the only ones who seem to still have some connection with the people? But no. It takes a year before a plan is form ulated and then announced. And ju st hours before it is scrapped, as it should have been right in the begin ning. But I have to hand it to the finance minister. W hen the plan cam e to him, he sent it right along to the industry minister. M artin w asn't about to be hit in the head with a puck or two. N ot on your life. Unlike others, though, I suspect this is an issue that will rem ain long after M anley has left town and he did that already on the w eekend, to his great relief I suppose. No, this is the kind o f story that may fade aw ay a little but lingers in the m inds o f hockey-m ad and hockey-hating C anadians fo r som e G uys should be m ore like th eir dogs W atching Ja k e clim b o ut o f bed an d im m ed i ately beg in a se ries o f stretch es b efo re he starts his day -- it o cc u rre d to m e th a t th e re 's an aw ful lo t w e co u ld learn fro m o u r dogs. T h in k a b o u t it -- b eg in n in g w ith the m o rning e x e rc ise s and en d in g w ith a b risk w alk aro u n d the y ard b efo re y ou re tire -- gu y s b eh av in g m ore like d o g s w o u ld not be a bad idea. A t b est, our q u ality o f life w o u ld be im p ro v ed ; at le ast, it w o u ld be an aw ful lo t o f fun. F o r in stan c e, in stea d o f alw ay s in sistin g on d riv in g , a guy co u ld sig n ific an tly lo w er his level o f stress by su d d e n ly ju m p in g in to a n y b o d y 's car an d g o in g fo r a jo y rid e w ith his head stick in g out th e p a sse n g e r w indow . I f guys w ere m o re like dogs, th e y 'd be a lo t h ea lth ier. T h e ir m eals w o u ld n o t co n sist o f rich , u n h e a lth y d ish e s an d th e h ap p y h o u r w o u ld am o u n t to w re stlin g on the liv in g ro o m carp et in stead o f tw o d o u b le m a rtin is and a p o u n d o f p retzels. L ik e w ise, a guy co u ld h av e m o re fun if he got d o w n on the k itc h en flo o r on all fo u rs and ate his su p p e r o u t o f a b ow l. O ne bow l. N o co u rses to p rep a re , no d ish e s to d o, no ta b le to set. H e w o u ld n 't get in v ited o ut to d in n e r very o ften , b ut th en again he sh o u ld n 't -- b ecau se it's now his jo b to stay hom e and p ro tec t the house. A nd in stea d o f d ia lin g 911, b itin g an in tru d e r in the b u tt g u ara n tee s h e 'll p ro b ab ly n o t retu rn any tim e soon. A nd th in k ab o u t it, if a guy ran to the d o o r m ak in g ex c ite d n o ises and d ro o lin g ev ery tim e a frie n d cam e to the h o u se, a lo t m o re frien d s w o u ld co m e to the house. A nd if som eo n e gave a guy a co o k ie and a pat o n th e head ev ery tim e he d id th e rig h t th in g , h e 'd m ake a lo t less m istak e s in life. O b ed ien ce co u rses fo r guys w o u ld n 't be such a bad th in g , e s p e c ia l ly if the school had a fo o t ball team an d a pub on cam pus. L o o k at all th e e x tra tim e a guy w o u ld h av e for fun th in g s like ca tc h in g the fris b e e an d c h e w in g b ran c h es if he d id n 't have to sh av e and w ash every day. A nd w hen it is tim e fo r a bath or a good b ru sh ing -- so m eb o d y else does AllTheWorid's it fo r you! A Circus I th in k guys b eh av in g like do g s w ould m ake so cial se ttin g s m ost in te r estin g . Ju st once, it w o u ld be nice to see a guy d a n c ing aro u n d the ro o m w ig g lin g his bum w hen he w a sn 't d ru n k and try in g u n su c ce ssfu lly to keep up w ith the m usic. L ettin g ev ery b o d y at a p arty pet you m ay be a little em b arra ssin g and co ld -n o sin g the h o stess fro m b eh in d is a sure w ay to get lo c k ed in the garag e fo r the ev en in g , b u t it's so m e th in g th e rest o f the g u ests w ill be ta lk in g ab o u t fo r w eeks. A nd as far as sc ra tch in g th em selv es in fro n t o f com pany, w ell, in the b eg in n in g th is m ay have been an u n fo rtu n ate h ab it do g s p ic k ed up from guys. P lu s at p arties, you d o n 't have to in tro d u ce y o u rse lf to stran g ers and bab b le on ab o u t w ho you are and w hat you do -- y o u 'd have a c o lla r an d an I.D . tag th at d o es all that. B egging for food at th e tab le m ay not be the k ind o f th in g w om en find a ttractiv e in a guy, but i t 's the u ltim ate co m p lim en t to th e chef. WILLIAM THOMAS A nd if a guy w ho sta re s d ee p in to a w o m a n 's ey es w h ile p a n tin g fu rio u s ly co u ld be sa tisfie d w ith a sim p le bow l o f c o ld w ater, it w o u ld save th e w o m an a lo t o f tim e an d tro u b le in c lu d in g h au lin g o ut th e b ig lie a b o u t h a v in g a h ea d ac h e again. A sk an y w ife, an d s h e 'll tell y o u s h e 'd be m o re th an h ap p y to p u t h e r h u sb a n d in a k en n el w h ile s h e 's o u t o f to w n on b u sin e ss. T h e h o u se stay s n ea t an d clea n and th e h u sb a n d g ets to p lay p o k e r w ith d o g s, ju s t lik e in th e p ain tin g . I f g u y s w ere m o re lik e d o g s, th e ir w om en w o u ld be m u ch h ap p ier, too. S u d d en ly , th e y 'd h av e e v e ry th in g th e y w a n t ed: u n lim ite d k isses, u n c o n d itio n a l lo v e, lo y alty , a g re a t lis te n e r an d fin ally so m e o n e w h o u n d e r sta n d s th e "re la tio n sh ip " . F o r in sta n c e , a g u y /d o g w o u ld be p erfec t. T h ey m ay b ark an d o c c a s io n a lly g ro w l, b ut th in k ab o u t it, a guy like a d o g ca n n ev e r h av e th e la st w ord in an arg u m e n t. P lu s, a guy on a le ash is ev ery w o m a n 's fan ta sy : "S it! D o w n ! P la y d e a d u n til T h u r s d a y !" A nd th e re w ill be h ig h h u m o u r, be su re o f it. A w om an w atc h in g h er m an d rin k o u t o f th e to ile t o r re lie v e h im s e lf on th e b a c k tire o f th e n e ig h b o u r's ca r -- th e se are K o d ak m o m e n ts th a t ev en the g ra n d c h ild re n ca n so m e d ay a p p re c ia te . A nd g u y s c irc lin g an d sn iffin g new g u y s is w ay m o re e n te rta in in g th an w atc h in g th e m sh ak e h an d s an d ta lk ab o u t th e L eafs. Yes, h u m p in g legs co u ld be a p ro b lem , b u t w h at guy d o e s n 't o c c a sio n a lly need a g o o d w h ac k on the n o se w ith a ro lle d up n ew sp a p er? G uys b eh a v in g like d o g s -- th in k a b o u t it -- w e co u ld all go to the In te rn a tio n a l P et S h o w an d g et in fo r free. A / H A M IL T O N Jan . 28. 2 9 , 3 0 ____________ WOODWORKING C Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum Q f O A K V ILLE o u n c il & S t a n d in g C o m m it t e e M e e t in g s Fri 1 - 9 · S a t & S u n 9 - 5 Adults $7 · Youth (13-18) Monday, January 31, 2000 Planning & Developm ent Council C ouncil C ham bers 7:30 p.m. Monday, February 7, 2000 C ouncil M eeting C ouncil C ham bers 7:30 p.m. $5 admission also includes the museum · KITCHENS · BEDROOMS · BATHROOMS · WALL UNITS Custom Designs, Custom Finishes, Top Quality Cabinetry, Competitively Priced, Free In-Home Service, Lifetime Warranty W OODW ORKING TO O L S · M A C H IN E R Y · SUPPLIES SEM INAR S · D E M O N S T R A T IO N S · C R AFTS · C H IL D R E N 'S W O R K S H O P · C A R V IN G C O M P E T IT IO N Q EW to 403 to Hamilton, then follow the a irpo rt signs (beside Hamilton Airport) W W W ..o n ta rio -w o o a sh how s.com Monday, February 14, 2000 Planning & D evelopm ent Council C ouncil C ham bers ! | 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, February 15, 2000 Community Services Committee 7:30 p.m. - Oakville Room Administrative Services Comm. 7:30 p.m. - Bronte Room 4150 South Servke Rd. Burlington U n| 632-0029 Qat___ Concepts >-V For info or to enter our ir carvingI compel competition call: 905-575-0450 C o u n c il & C o m m it t e e P hone L in e 815-5959 T ouchto ne TH E C O R P O R A T IO N O F THE TOW N O F O A K V IL L E JUST MOVED? PR O PO SA L PR O P -5-2000: SPR IN G AND FALL STR EET TR EE PLANTING PR O G R A M TREE STU M P R EM O V AL SERVICES PR O PO SA L P R O P-6-2000: BRIDE-TO-BE?: SEA LED PR O PO SA L S for the above will be received by the Town Clerk, 1225 T rafalgar Road, O akville ON L6J 5A6. on or before 12:00 N O O N , local tim e on TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1 5 ,2 0 0 0 Specifications, Proposal form s and Proposal envelopes are available at the O ffices o f the P urchasing D epartm ent, 1225 Trafalgar Road. O akville, O ntario L6J 5A6. Telephone (905) 338-4197. NOTE RE C O N T R A C T SECURITY: NEW BABY? F o r fre e in fo r m a tio n a n d g ifts ... CALL 1. S O U T H E A S T 3. N O R T H EA ST Anne Phillips 842-2385 2. S O U T H W E S T 4. Pat Fairfield 842-1560 G L E N ABBEY Carol Hagen 3.38-3456 Cathv Woloschuk 847-9157 PR O PO SA L P R Q P -5-2000 The C ontractor w hose proposal is accepted shall be required to provide a Perform ance Security o f forty-five thousand dollars ($45,000.00) in the form o f an Irrevocable U nconditional Letter o f Credit. Alternately, the C ontractor may provide a Certified C heque or Bank Trust Co. Draft in the sam e am ount. A Letter o f Intent will be required with the proposal subm ission should a bidder select the Irrevocable U nconditional Letter o f Credit as a Perform ance Security. O r call toll free: 1-800-301-1104 Toronto Area: (416) 497-8111 Internet: www.welcomewagon.ca LCOM E A G O N ltd. S in c e * The CAA is pleased to announce that Mandy Parsons has joined our Travel Team. Drop in to see her, or call at PR O PO SA L P R Q P -6 -2 0 0 0 : The successful bidder will be required to provide a Perform ance Security in the am ount o f tw enty-five percent (25% ) o f the total proposed am ount in the form o f a certified cheque, bank/trust com pany draft or an Irrevocable U ncon ditional Letter o f Credit. The Corporation reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and the low est or highest as the case may be will not necessarily be accepted. R. J. Cournoyer. C .I.M .. P. Mgr. D irector, Purchasing & Office Services 1930 ( 905) 845-9681 A N eighbourhood Tradition Since 1930 Oakville Town Centre II 1225 TRAFALGAR ROAD · OAKVILLE, ONTARIO · L6J 5A6