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A6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday November 29. 2000 T h e Oa k v il l e B e a v e r Ian Oliver Publisher Neil O liver .Associate Publisher Norman Alexander Editor Kelly Montague, Advertising Director Steve Crozier Circulation Director Ten Casas Office Manager M ark Dills Production Manager Riziero VertoK Director of Photography Metroland Printing. Pubishng & Distributing Lid., ndudes. Ajax/PickBring News Advertiser. Alfcston HerakVCouner. Arthur Enterprise News. Barrie Advance, Barry's Bay This Week. Bolton Enterprise, Brampton Guardan. B urlington Post. B urlington S h opping New s. C ity Parent. CoUngwoocVWasaga Connection. East Mark Mirror. Erin Advocate/Country Routes. E tobicoke G uardian. Flam borough Post. G eorgetow n Independent/Arton Free Press. Harriston Review. K ro n e Business Tmes. Kingston This Week, Lindsay This Week. Markham Ecnomist & Sun. M idland/Penetanguishine Mirror, M ilton Canadian Champion, Milton Shcppng News. Messsauga Business Tmes, Mssssauga News. Napanee Gurie, Newmarket/Auora Era-Barrier, Norttxmbertand News, North Mark Mirror. Oakvie Bearer. Oakvie Shopprig News. Oldtimeis Hockey News, O r*a Today. OshawaWhitby/Clangton Port Perry Tfts Week. Owen S ouid Tribune, Palmerston Observer. Peterborough This Week. Picton County Guide. Richmond Hill/Thomhill/Vaughan Liberal. Scarborough Mirror. Stouffvia'Uxbridge Trtxne, Forever Mxng. City of Mark Guardan O P IN IO N RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: O T -M H 1 YMCA P rtpvm g for Tomorrow t Hnlth C m OFOAKVIAE I Strategies for L E F E m JiNqU BeII Fund b r LC O M F. 'A G O N m ltb JAthena O f'^ e CD JAward Oakville TV AUCTION 467 Speers Rd., Oakville OnL L 6K 3S 4 (905) 8 4 5 -3 8 2 4 Fax; 3 3 7 -5 5 6 7 Classified Advertising: 8 4 5 -2 8 0 9 Circulation: 8 4 5 -9 7 4 2 f^ C N A Canadian Community Newspapers Association otOakvilfe T A R ii I O FOR BUSINESS EXCELLENCE o n I e B it tt e r f ly O N o a k v ille g a lle rie s town Newspapors of America S K * Suburban o r lo /iim O & iU t C h ild r e n 's C h o ir FOR U BUSINESS*THf ARTS m. HrtavWtt Editorials Canada's party When the Reform Party took a look at the results of the 1997 federal election, they knew something had to be done to make them a more relevant party to voters across the country. Their method was simple. They changed their name to the Canadian Alliance; they changed their leader, swapping one pentecostal voice for another and then tried to pull in disaffected Progressive Conservative supporters. This rebirth was simply a way for Reform to reinvent itself while attempting to shut down other right-of-centre parties. And so, the Family Coalition Party decided it was better to throw in their funda mentalist Christian doctrine with Alliance as the only way to gain a lever to have their right-wing views on abortion and other issues, brought to the fore. The result was that large numbers of former FCP members either ran under the Alliance ban ner in Monday's election or took roles as campaign managers for Alliance candi dates. Oakville MP Bonnie Brown will return to Ottawa to represent us and we don't have a problem with that But Monday's results again showed that without a united alternative to the federal Liberals, there is simply no way they will be ousted from their place of power. Alliance and the Tories will never merge and the NDP will remain a marginal party that has just seen the last election run by its leader, Alexa McDonough. There is no better scenario for the Liberals. For Brown, victory must indeed seem sweet. During the May 1997 federal elec tion, Brown was 1 of 20 Liberal MPs targeted for defeat by the National Citizens' Coalition. Their `Operation Pork Chop' as the campaign was dubbed, was an attempt to defeat those first term MPs who were seeking a second term and there fore cement their MP pension package. This time out, it was the Progressive Group for' Independent Business that papered Oakville with signs to raise the issue of mas sive funding rip-offs in the Human Resource Development Canada, where Brown is Parliamentary Secretary to Minister Jane Stewart. It didn't work. Conservative candidate Rick Byers simply got steamrolled like most other Tories in the country and his party dodged a bullet in just winning enough seats to retain official party status in the Commons. Oakville NDP candidate Willie Lambert announced his retirement from cam paigning and for Green Party candidate David deBelle, it was experience. Election 2000 again showed why the Liberals are Canada's party. 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 N ewd e a ln e e d e db e tw e e nm unicipa lities&P rovince Now that the (municipal election) ballots have been properly counted and victors declared, it is now time for municipalities across the province to being their work. One of the first orders of business for the Association of M unicipalities of Ontario (AMO) is to take the Province up on its offer to forge " a new deal" . M unicipal A ffairs and H ousing M in iste r Tony Clement, announce his desire to develop a new provincial/municipal relationship at the AMO C o n feren ce in O ttaw a this past August. The m inister said: "I have hard your calls for more authority in the areas where you have responsibility. I understand your frustrations and your aspirations. A new deal can offer m unicipalities more authority. But it m ust also mean m ore accountability, in the delivery of safe and effective services." AMO and municipal leaders throughout Ontario agree with Minister Clement that the best place for this new deal to be articu lated is in a new Municipal Act. The current Act sets out the fundam entaL operating relationship between the provincial and municipal orders of government, but it is an ancient piece of legislation, dating back to the late 1800's. Over the past century there have been many ad hoc amendments to the original legislation, which when looked at in total, have created a very restrictive cli mate within which municipal governments have had to operate. AMO has long called for anew and mod em Act and Minister Clement has signalled his desire to accom m odate that request. Now the hard work on how this new deal will be arranged is beginning. I want to share the values that municipal leaders feel must be adhered to in order to create a new and improved provincial/municipal relation ship-one which is based on mutual trust and respect, the same principals the government is seeking from their federal counterparts. A new relationship must facilitate gov ernment relations, not thwart our respective authority or confound the electorate as to which government, provincial or municipal, is accountable for the different services and responsibilities. The public is becoming increasingly weary of the intergovernmental squabbling and finger-pointing. Municipal councils want to stand before their elec torate in 2003 and say we have done the job that the property taxpayer elected us to do. Secondly, there must be a recognition that m unicipalities have matured. While constitutionally, we are "children of the province," we are not infants. The need to oversee and, in some cases, intrude on local decision-making, especially local tax deci sions, impose highly prescriptive processes, forced alternative service delivery, especial ly without the required labour framework are recipes for an ineffective new deal. Ontario has seen some remarkable eco nomic growth and there is much more that we can do to strengthen our communities and continue to enhance our quality of life. We need to lessen the exposure residential, industrial and commercial property taxes presently have to the incorrect placement of funding of income redistribution programs, such as social housing and welfare. But we must have the right new deal, so that we can take municipal government confidently into the 21st century. A n n M u lv a le Letter of the Week Som eonemust alw ays playthe Grinch I am a single working mom and I don't have a lot of spare time. I had just finished volunteering seven hours of it the Century 1/Miller Salvation Army Food Drive that took place on Sat. Nov. 25th. Then, Mr. `Highgate Court', you called and told me that wasn't good enough and proceeded to slam the phone down. Your bag of food had not been picked up. At first I was shocked that the Dr. Jekyll who was generous enough to give the food in the first place, could then turn so quickly into a Mr. Hyde and demonstrate such rudeness. But...Mr. `Highgate Court', you were right. I normally would like to concentrate on the number of great volunteers that we do get for this successful annual food drive. We make a difference and should all be very proud of that. But you have forced me to see that we need more. We don't have enough volunteers to cover the entire town of Oakville and due to an unfortunate mix-up, some bags reached your area by mistake. Perhaps next year, Mr. `Highgate Court', you would volunteer your time, and maybe some friends, and we might then have an opportunity to cover all of Oakville. Wouldn't that be great? Anyone who would like to volunteer next year, call Mary Kay McKoy at Century 21 Miller 845-9180 now. We'll add you to the list and call you next time. Merry Christmas Mr. `Highgate Court'! K ari R ichard s Province m issing drug education opportunity Recently, our provincial government intro duced a plan to force welfare recipients to undergo mandatory drug testing for illegal drugs. The government claims this is a com passionate move to help people clean their lives up, so they can seek employment and be worthwhile citizens. Drug testing only proves an individual used a particular substance during the period of the test. Testing does not prove an individ ual is an addict. Interestingly enough, over 70% of employed people participate in illegal drug use. You would think by this announcement that there were hundreds of treatment beds available, just waiting for these welfare drug users to show up. The reality is that there is tremendous shortage of treatment beds now and if you want access to a government bed at a treatment centre, the wait could be four to 12 weeks. Where are these thousands of peo ple going to look for treatment centres if this insane plan goes through? I do not believe in drug testing but if the government is serious, why not lead by exam ple? Starting with Mike Harris and all the politicians, then lawyers, police, judges, doc tors, and corporate executives -- leading by example? I think not! It seems odd the government is not includ ing the #1 killer drug -- alcohol. A drug which can and does kill and destroy families. It is almost impossible to find someone who does not know of a person who is experienc ing difficulty with alcohol. Regardless of how many lives and families alcohol destroys, our governments encourage its use because they make a lot of money from alcohol sales. Unfortunately, the cost to society is stag gering in the courts, workplaces, and health care centres. I suggest very strongly, to our elected politicians, to take a long hard look at alcohol and other drugs including addictive pre scribed medication -- a very serious health issue that affects young and old. The govern ment should be educating its citizens on the harmful effects of overuse of all drugs and provide proper and adequate treatment facili ties to fight the disease of alcohol and drug addictions. I am convinced today's governments with their relaxed drinking laws, high alcohol con tent in beverages, talk of legalizing marijua na, and the cuts to education, would like to see our future generation stoned and stupid! Mr. Harris, you are right. There is a serious drug problem in our society, but do not zone in on the less fortunate. Show some courage and put resources in treating and educating the people of Ontario, whom you represent. Educate the public about the dangers and impact of alcohol and drug abuse. K en R o b e rtso n Taxes a political boondoggle Just as my wife and I plan to spend the largesse (up to $200 each) from the Harris government, while only giving a small thought to the fact that it is, after all, our own hardearned tax dollars, a Property Assessment Notice drops into our mail box. Our property taxes will go up roughly 27% in 2001. Am I the only one getting sick and tired of this Machiavellian giving with one hand, while taking from the other, from all levels of government? I cannot remember hearing anything of this tax increase during our most recent municipal elections. This increase will generate an enormous amount of money. Will we see, one wonders, such items as the sewer surcharge cancelled? I certainly want to know what our elect ed representatives are going to do with this money and what, if any other surprises are in store for us through 2002 and on. Ivor Davies Employee Family Assistance/ Substance Representative, CAW President, Association o f Municipalities o f Ontario D e fe a te d c o u n c illo r s a y s th a n k s On behalf of my family and myself, I would like to thank the voters of Ward 5 for their support, trust and encourage ment during my 20 years of serving them on Council. Thank you Oakville. I am grateful for the opportunities that I have had to make a meaningful difference in the quali ty of life that we enjoy as residents of Oakville. You have a new Council to lead you into the future. It will not be an easy task. Thank you to all who have expressed your regrets over the result. Your concern and best wishes are appreciated. To tall who asked, a request for a recount was considered. However, the results would not have changed. Last but not least, a very special thank you to the `re-elect Liz Behrens' campaign team who gave unselfishly of their time and efforts during the 2000 Municipal Election cam paign. You were terrific. Together, we followed the game plan and we did it with dignity and integrity. Liz B eh ren s