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A6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday July 19,2000 T h e O akville B eaver Ian Oliver Publisher Neil O liv e r Associate P ublisher Norman Alexander E d ito r Kelly Montague, Advertising D irector Steve Crazier C irculation D irector Teri Casas OfhceManager M ark D ils Production M anager Riziero Vertolli D irector o f Photography Metroland Printing. F\jt*shxig & Ctetnbuiing Ltd., includes: Ajax/F>ckering News Advertiser. Alkston Herald/Courier. Arthur Enterprise News. Barrie Advance. Barry's Bay This Week. Bolton Enterprise. Brampton Guardan, B u rlin g to n Post. B u rlin g to n S hopping News. C ity Parent. CoingwoocVWasaga Connection. East Mark Mrror. Erin AcKocaia'Caritry R outes. E tob ico ke G uardian. Flam borough P ost. G eorgeiow n mdependent/Acton Free Press. Hamston Re^e*. Hi/oma Business Tmes. Kingston This Week. Lindsay This Week. Markham Ecnomist & Sun. Midland/Penetanguishine Mirror. Milton Canadian Champion. Milton Shopping News. Mississauga Business Tines. Mescsauga News. 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H E JiN qkB dlFuN d fajhZd (&iI%^rDs FOR BUSINESS E X C E g N g 467 Speers Rd., Oakville O nt L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-2809 Circulation: 845-9742 I*CNA T '* _ Canadian Community N ew sp a p ers A ssocia tion T V A U C T IO N BRONTE TH E IUTTERFLY C if o / M f in O n t a r i o VI LLi d | o a k v ille g a lle rie s | SKa Su b u riian N e w sp a p e rs of Am erica JJI The . . Tow n o r lo x * arfafttUitt Editorials Burglar paradise It should come as a surprise to no one that Oakville is a favourite target for house burglaries. If you're a thief, what better town to case out than one which boasts one of the highest income levels in the country But Halton Regional and is also close to highways and Toronto? Police are not only aware The fact is that many homeowners don't o f home burglaries, really give security the attention in deserves. they ' re alarmed at the Each week the Oakville Beaver publishes a doubling o f such feature called Crime Watch which details car thefts and house burglaries. Part of that fea incidents this year ture explains how entry was made to the compared to the first six house and in most cases it was simply from months o f 1999. an open garage door or unlocked garage The other most popular method of entry is via unlocked windows. It's a problem that's easy to fix but few people believe that they will be victims. But Halton Regional Police are not only aware of home burglaries, they're alarmed at the doubling of such incidents this year compared to the first six months of 1999.(Oakville Beaver July 14, 2000.) Police will be delivering `Lock it or lose it' flyers to Oakville houses to inform residents how to protect their property and themselves without turn ing their homes into virtual prisons. The fix for the situation is clearly awareness and police will review security concerns for interested homeowners. But the onus is clearly on residents who should remember to lock their doors and windows and install burglar bars on basement windows, another favourite entry point for thieves. For those vacationing, installing light timers in different rooms should be automatic and could deter a burglar. Be careful, be smart, be informed and be safe. to swerve and Neglect (THE SAFETY OF OBIEIgi L e t t e r s t o t h e E d ito r 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 Letter of the Week Ed. note: The following letter was sent to Halton Regional chair Joyce Savoline -- a copy was also filed with The Oakville Beaver for publication. R ecently, I read that the Region had given $6,000 to the local Gay community in order for them to have a picnic, supposedly to prom ote th eir cause. I was quite disturbed when I read of this donation by our Region, but it was already an accomplished fact, so there did not seem to be any reason to complain. It was also mentioned, at that time, that only one person had complained about the donation. Had I heard sooner, then I would have been the sec ond to voice disapproval. Then there was a report in the local paper that the picnic was a success, as nearly 100 people showed up. Let us give them the benefit of the doubt with the fig ure of 100, then that works out to $60 per person. At that rate, not one cent would be required from any of those attending that affair. I would have thought that those people would have expected to come up with some cash for their party. Any picnic that I have ever attended, I have had to contribute to the cost. It is expected. I do not seek a free lunch from anyone, nor should this group. Or anyone else, for that matter. It just happens that my name is Pryde. I'm not Gay, nor is any of my family, which totals 19, with grandchildren. But I believe that if we are all to be treated fairly, then consideration should be given to my request. At $60 per person, I'm certain that we can have a great picnic, probably with enough money to have it catered. We won't have to cough up one red cent. As a matter of fact, if we have money left over, we can donate it to a charity of your choosing. We would call this the "Straight Pryde Picnic." Do you like that idea? This letter is done with tongue in cheek. I do not expect any donation from the Region, nor would I accept it if someone were foolish enough to offer. I ju st hope that in future, your council will use some com m on sense when handing out money. This is taxpayer money that you are dol ing out, and it should be done with great care. You might well be am azed at the am ount of money you can save in the course of the year if you just say NO to special interest groups, Gay or otherwise. D ouglas Pryde Cost of north land is exaggerated I have been following with interest (and concern) the ongoing debate regarding the development of the huge tract of land north of Hwy. 5. According to the June 23rd Beaver, councillor Liz Behrens, head of the steering committee for the develop ment plan, calculated the cost to taxpayers of purchasing the environmentally significant land as $197 million, lead ing to a 54% tax increase for residents. This calculation was based on purchasing 988 acres of $200,000 per acre. Where did councillor Behrens get this inflated figure from? After a quick check of some recent real estate sales and current properties for sale, I cannot find any transaction which justifies a valuation of $200,000 an acre for primari ly agricultural land. One recent sale did net $72,000 an acre, but this was a parcel with two dwellings (current use being residential). In the last two years, land has sold for as low as $21,000 an acre. Examples of land for sale at pre sent are parcels at $26,000,000, $40,000 and $80,000 an acre respectively. We have to remember these are asking prices only -- that they have not been immediately snapped up tells us something!! If we look back over the last few years, many properties have been up for sale but have not sold (generally because of inflated asking prices!). I believe the Ontario Realty Corp. owns over 1,000 acres in the area. I suggest the town actively pursue acquir ing some of this land at a nominal fee and use it in land swap deals with developers who own forests. Since the cit izens of Ontario already own it and the ORC might be anx ious to clean up its tarnished reputation, this is not an unreasonable supposition. Land prices in the area will continue to rise as develop ment proceeds. That is why the town should begin to acquire (this does not necessarily mean "purchase") envi ronmentally significant land now, while it is more afford able. The town needs to be creative and pro-active about protecting our precious forests from development instead of presenting excuses (based on questionable math) for not saving them. Valerie Thom son L itte rin g fro m car b e c o m in g ep id em ic Is it just me or has anybody else noticed the careless disregard for the cleanliness of our town? I know litter and pollution is an on-going strug gle in Toronto, but I cannot believe the number of instances in the past month that I have witnessed an individual litter right here in Oakville. This may seem quite trite and trivial in the whole scheme of worldly issues, but it drives me bonkers to see someone (of all ages and gender) throw a cigarette butt, candy wrapper, gum, cigarette pack or chip bag from their car. (All witnessed in the past month.) I can't believe that these people stopped idle at a light in front of me, are not embarrassed to toss their litter to the ground in such disrespect and laziness (and plain view of witnesses). Today, and the reason I was prompted to write, I witnessed a young man roll down his window on Upper Middle Road and toss a soft drink cup from a local fast food joint, full of ice and pop all over the busy road. I was parked right beside him and he gave no thought to the action whatsoever. Sitting beside my husband I asked in disbelief, "Did I just see that?" We were both dumbstruck. Am I overreacting or does this seem to be a reasonable beef? KM O n ta rio g o v e r n m e n t is n o th in g less th a n ty ra n n ic a l My dictionary defines democracy as fol lows: 1. government by the people or their elected representatives; 2. a political or social unit governed ultimately by all its members; 3. the practice or spirit of social equality; 4. a social condition of classlessness and equality; 5. the common people, esp. as a political force. Tyranny is defined as: 1. a. a government by a tyrant or tyrants; despotism, b. similarly oppressive and unjust government by more than one person; 2. arbitrary, unreasonable, or despotic behaviour or use of authority; 3. any harsh discipline or oppression; 4. a political unit ruled by a tyrant. Given the ill-conceived legislative agenda of the Harris government; its belief that run ning a government is tantamount to operating a business; its disregard for process; its disre spect for opposition members within the Legislature; its dismantling and privatizing of key government departments such as health care, education and the environm ent; its downloading of provincial fiscal responsibility onto local municipalities in key areas such as public transit, highways, 'social services, libraries and the cultural arts; its campaign of oppression against teachers, it is readily appar ent that, in O ntario, rule by tyranny has superceded government predicated on democ ratic principles. R egardless o f w hether the Fathers of Confederation had entered into a legislative union, conferring jurisdiction in a federal gov ernment, or a compact implying shared feder al-provincial powers, in their wildest imagin ings, never would they have supported what is happening in Ontario under Premier Harris. If either John A. Macdonald, or George-Etienne Cartier or George Brown were to witness the conduct of Premier Harris and his govern ment, both within the Legislature and behind the scenes, they would be appalled beyond words at the devolution of parliam entary process and wholesale disregard for the public good. Clearly, there's something rotten in the province of Ontario. A state of tyranny pre vails. Unless Ontarians speak out against the abuses perpetrated by the Harris government -- abuses which have lowered the quality of life for so many; abuses which not only ignore the legacies of past governments, but which seek to destroy them; abuses which openly mock the public good, then Premier Harris and his party will be re-elected. Though saddled by busy schedules, we must find the time to convey that enough is enough. Confront the swaggering bully and you defeat him. Ignore him, or run away, and he's got you. The choice is still ours. P eter D. P e llie r Thanks for community support On behalf of the Bronte Historical Society, I would like to thank you for your recent contribution to our fundraising event, `Tea on the Bluffs." We appreciated your article before the event and the delightful picture and caption that was published after our event. In spite of the rainy weather, we had a successful event although we had to move our activities indoors rather than hold the event in our lovely garden and tree-shaded area. Thank you again. We couldn't have successful events with out the support of businesses such as yours. Donalda Fordham , Corresponding Secretary B arbara Ann M cA lpine, President OSO program too dull What a disappointment! The Oakville Symphony has never sounded better BUT what a dull program they put on for our Waterfront Festival. In years past, we have enjoyed selections from Les Mis. -- the Can Can with dancers -- wonderful Mark Dubois with a part ner performing superb duets -- Viennese waltzes and the list goes on -- outstanding afternoons. This year, there was a much smaller crowd and many of those left. This is the Waterfront Festival -- let's bring back those light-hearted toe-tapping afternoons which we all enjoyed so much. Pat M atthew s