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A6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday September 6,2000 T h e Oakville B eaver Ian Oliver Publisher Neil Oliver Associate Publisher Norman Alexander Editor Kelly Montague, Advertising Director Steve Crazier Circulation Director Ten Casas OfficeManager Mark Dills Production Manager Riziero Vertolli Director ofPhotography M etroland Prim ing. P ubishrig & D istributing Ltd., includes: A*ax/Rckering News Advertiser. A listo n HeraJcVCourier, A rthur Enterprise News. Barrie Advance. BarryS Bay This W eek. Bolton Enterprise, Bram pton Guardian, B u rlin g to n P o s t. B u rlin g to n S h o p p in g N ew s. C ity P a rent. C oingw ood'W asaga Connection. East York Minor. Em A dvocate'C on try R ou te s. E to b ic o k e G u a rd ia n . F lam borough P o st. G eorgetow n mdependent/Acton Free Press. Harriston Review, H u o ria Business Times, K ingston This W eek. Lindsay T his W eek. M arkham Eenom ist & Sun, M idiand/P enetangm shine M irror. M ilto n C anadian C ham pion. M ilton Shopping News. 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JinqL B tll FuncI S '. n s TV AUCTION UniW W ay J^thau jj^ m a rd .© ^~£)he __ w a rd s (Q a k v ille 467 Speers Rd., Oakville O nt L6K3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-2809 Circulation: 845-9742 f ^ C N A \ T i Canadian Community Nawspapars Association FDR BUSINESS EXCELLENCE TH E BRONTE SUTTERFIY C f o / d f in d ONTARI O |o R « m u | o a k v ille g a lle rie s | SKY Suburban Newspapers ol America 0 ^ Children's Choir me " K * V BLEfrESKTHEAKTS Editorials A fitting end Thanks to the presence of Tiger Woods, the number one golfer in the world, interest in this week's Bell Canadian Open is at its highest peak ever. With Woods in the field, the entire tournament has already sold out. Attendance at this year's tournament is guaranteed to set a record, and the television ratings will be high both in Canada and south of the border. Interest in the Canadian Open has never been greater, which is fitting, because sadly, it will be the last time the Canadian Open is played in Oakville for the foreseeable future. Since 1977, Glen Abbey has been the home site for the Canadian Open for every year, except on two occasions when the tournament was moved to Montreal. But Glen Abbey's lock on the Canadian Open ended last year when the Royal C anadian G olf A ssociation sold the gold course to ClubLink. Next year the tournament will be played at the Royal Montreal and the following year it will move to Angus Glen in Markham. While the Open will likely return to Glen Abbey sometime, there is no definite date set for when that might occur. Financially, the loss of the Open will be felt in Oakville. While it's hard to determine just how much the tournament has boosted local business, there's no denying it did bring tourists and golf fans to the community. And while many television golf announcers, both in Canada and the United States, seemed to locate Glen Abbey in Toronto, every now and then an astute commentator would remember that the golf course is locat ed in Oakville. So, if you already have your Canadian Open passes, enjoy them. The rest o f us will be watching at home with a lot of pride, and a tinge of sad ness, as Oakville's close association with the tournament comes to an end. But at least with Tiger Woods in the lineup, the end of an era will not pass unnoticed. 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 3S 4 Production aims to put spotlight on teen suicide Six years ago, I spent a week in a large urban Vancouver high sch o o l w here my com pany, DanceArts Vancouver, was per forming in the school's auditori um. As the mother of a then pre adolescent daughter, I was pro foundly shaken by the teen world I encountered in the school. This experience led to the creation of an in-depth workshop process -- the beginning of the ICE Project. O ver a tw o -y e ar p erio d , 250 teens from diverse backgrounds came together to explore their thoughts and feelings about the issues and realities they face. O ne issu e th at cam e up repeatedly was suicide. The sta tistics are startling. Canada has the third highest rate of teen sui cide in the industrialized world -- particularly high in the abo riginal population -- and the rate continues to climb. Suicide is the second leading cause of death (after motor vehicle accidents) for C anadians aged 15 to 29. Since 1950, the suicide rate for m ale youth has increased by 268% and, for female youth, by 133%. One out of every 10 teenagers today will attempt sui cide by the age of 24 (Source: Health Canada). But the stats reveal only part of the reality. Suicide is a symptom of a whole set o f issues teens are facing today, and Canada has no nation al strategies to deal with the problem. In our workshops, we incor porated the games and theatre techniques o f B razilian artist Augusto Boal, in groups led by David Diamond of Vancouver's Headlines Theatre. With frank ness and p assion, the teens shared their stories, thoughts and feelings about their lives and the world they live in. What they had to say was both surprising and alarming. They talked about how hard it is to believe in anything in a w orld that seem s to be falling apart: the school system, job opportunities, the environ ment, and their own fam ilies. They spoke about peer group labeling, dom estic and public violence, the omnipresence of values learned from television and the movies, and about how desensitized and numb they often feel: that they belong nowhere, that their only value to society is as consumers, and that they often invoke anger or fear in adults m erely by th eir p resence. Although most revealed their longing to fit into a community, for many the only goal was sim ply survival. The cu lm in atio n o f these workshops is a full-scale, highenergy, live production entitled ICE: beyond cool -- a combina tion of dance, theatre, music and special effects, with a cast of 15 young professional actors and dancers. When we received let ters from teens saying that seeing the production had prevented them from committing suicide, we decided to mount a national tour. For the next two years, we worked to bring together school boards, health and social welfare agencies, pay/lesbian youth groups, service clubs, arts groups, youth-run agencies, crisis lines, the police, and parks and recre ation people in eight cities across Canada, to support this colossal project For a long time, it seemed an improbable dream but now. Through the collaboration of many agencies, corporations and individuals, the tour has finally become a reality. Our teens have been taught how not to reveal them selves. This is all the more reason to be there for them -- to really listen to what young people are saying -- when they do speak. For more information about the ICE: beyond cool national tour, check-out the following websites: MuchMusic.com dancearts.bc.ca. J u d ith M arcuse L e tter o f th e W eek CN M ed community when train derailed It was with great concern and interest that I read both your article of Sunday, Aug. 22nd, entitled "Minor CN Derailment Upsets Residents" as well as "CN apologizes" printed in two following issues of The Oakville Beaver. The description of the derailment of four rail cars on CN's mainline adjacent to the CN rail yard as a "minor" derailment should be an embarrassment to the individual using that description. If CN's facts, as given, are correct, there were two tank cars carrying liquid propane among the four cars which left the track. The derailment of two rail cars carrying liquid propane cannot be considered a minor incident, especially when this occurred near a residential community. It must be noted that, even with the train travelling at 10 miles per hour, this 97 car freight train still took 4,200 feet to come to a stop. This is nearly three quarters of a mile! CN's increased activity in the vicinity of the Oakville marshalling yard has been characterized as a local neigh bourhood issue. As a result of this derailment, it should now be clearly evident to the Town of Oakville and all of its residents, that this is a serious safety issue for the whole town. When reading CN's apology for their failure to inform the Oakville Fire Dept, of this derailment, it should be very clear to all that CN's safety procedures are not reliable and the lines of com m unication to Oakville Emergency Services are less than secure. CN's operations in the vicinity of the Oakville mar shalling yard should be a major concern for all who live in the town. In addition, they impact all who travel through the town by road on the QEW or by GO train and VIA ser vices. Surely, as a result of this derailment and of the subse quent failure of CN to communicate expeditiously with the Oakville Fire^ Dept., our town officials will take a long, hard look at who it is dealing with and who is, in fact, directing the business of safety at the Oakville marshalling yard. Mrs. M.K. M artin Ovarian cancer group out to inform women Ovarian cancer is one of the deadliest -- I know because I heard the vague rumblings in my body, and four surgeries later, I can call myself an ovarian cancer survivor. Only four in 10 women afflicted with this hideous disease will survive -- a statistic that has not changed in 40 years. September has been designated ovarian cancer month by the National Ovarian Cancer Association (NOCA), the national voice to "shout out" about this disease. I have put my ovarian cancer experience to positive use by working with this national association to help promote awareness, education, and research into this most cruel cancer. This year, 2,500 Canadian women will be diag nosed with ovarian cancer and more than 1,500 will die. In fact, 60% of women with ovarian cancer die within five years; cure rates have not improved since the 1950s. That is why, it is essential we help educate women and physicians while increasing research fund ing. NOCA will be hosting "Listen to the Whispers" seminars across Canada in September aimed at educat ing well women about the signs and symptoms of this cancer. These symptoms include: pelvic pain, bloating gas; frequent urination; vaginal bleeding; fatigue; pain in the lower back or leg; nausea, indigestion, loss of appetite; weight loss or weight gain; and/or a change in bowel habits. Since these symptoms mimic those of other conditions or a common flu, most women ignore them, not seeking medical attention until the disease is too far progressed. It is crucial we educate women about these signs and urge women who have experienced them for more than two or three weeks to see their physicians. When ovarian cancer is diagnosed before it spreads to other parts of the body, the survival rate increases to 90%. As well, NOCA is launching a newsletter this September and has two websites active for education. Check out www.ovariancanada.org for more informa tion about this disease. Watch your coming events cal endar for a "Listen .to the Whispers" seminar in your area or call NOCA to find out how to organize one yourself. NOCA is a relatively new organization, but has accomplished much in two short years. NOCA hosted the first national forum on ovarian cancer in 1999 to critical acclaim from all participants -- survivors, fam ily members, physicians, and other healthcare special ists who were in attendance. As well, we have funded the first chair for ovarian cancer research at the University of Ottawa and established a tumour bank network for ovarian cancer with locations in Toronto, Ottawa, and soon Vancouver. NOCA is also responsible for the first national sur vey on ovarian cancer with participation from women living with the disease, family physicians, gynecolo gists and complementary healthcare practitioners. For more information about ovarian cancer or to find out how you can help us fight this disease, call the National Ovarian Cancer Association, toll-free at 1-877-413-7970. Diane Sims Co-chair, Survivors Action Group/Board Member National Ovarian Cancer Association Save children from pollution I am writing on behalf of my precious new grandchild. I just read the article in the Globe and Mail (Aug. 22nd) by Andre Picard concerning the 325-page publication of the Health of Canada's Children. Is is indeed a shocking article and should serve as a wake-up call for all of us. Dr. Trevor Hancock, chairman of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, writes `Today's children are bom with a body burden of syn thetic, persistent organic pollutants -- the consequences of which will not be known for another 50 years or so." This is, however, a 25% increase of childhood cancers in the past 25 years. "All of them believed to be influenced, at least in part, by exposure to environmental contaminants." At the same time, there has been, thanks to our polluted air, a four-fold increase in childhood asthma. There is also speculation that ADHD is linked to the exposure to environ mental contaminants. It is obvious to me when I look around Oakville that Oakville residents care about their children, but do they care enough about their children's health to put them before their perfect front lawn? Please stop spraying chemicals! My little grandson and your children and grandchildren deserve a chance to have a happy, healthy childhood and to grow into happy, healthy adults. Karen Sandford Pud Before the bell w e pia S occer , then a t rece w e played FooTBALL,T AT LUNCH w e TRADED GoMICS, THEN AT rece ; by Steve Nease W E FW E D B A SkE m THEN AFTER SCHOOL WE PACED