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6 Oakville Beaver Weekend Sunday Novem ber 1 4 ,1 9 9 9 T he Oakville Beaver Ian Oliver Publisher Neil Oliver, Associate Publisher Norman Alexander Editor Kelly Montague, Advertising Director Martin Doherty Circulation Director Teri Casas OfficeManager Mark Dills Production Manager Riziero Vertolli Photography Director MetrolancJ Printng. Pubtehng & Ostnbutng Lid., ndudes Ajax/Pckemg News Advertiser. Alston Herafct/Couner, Bame AcVance, Barry's Bay The Week Boton Enterprise. Brampton Guarden, Burtngton Post. Burfngton Shoppng News. City Parent. Co*ngwoodM6saga Connection. East \fark Minor. Em Advocato'Country Routes. Etobcoke Guarden. Ramtxxough Poet Georgetown Independent/Acton Free Press. Hurone Busness Tmes. Kingston This Week. Lindsay This Week. Markham Ecnonmst & Sun. Midiand/Penetanguishine Mirror. Milton Canadian Champion. Milton Shopping News. Mississauga Business Times. Mississauga News. Napanee Gude, Newmarket/Aurora Era-Barrier. Northumberland News. North York Minor. Oakvile Beaver. Qakvile Shopping News, ddtmers Hockey News, Oriia Today. Oshawa/Whitby/Ciarington Port Perry The Week. Owen Sound Tribune. Peterborough The Week. Peton County Guide. Richmond Hill/ThomhiH/Vaiighan Liberal. Scarborough Mirror. Stouflvie/Uxbndge Tribune. Fa & er 'rbung. City of York Guarden RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: 1 *^ 1 I H 1 i* = jr Ontario Community Newspapers Association THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: f f j t T vmca j MsH ft S K 't Suburban Newspapers of America 1 U n . c d Wa, ot Oakville 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 JiNqle Bell Furvd E d it o r ia ls Fair is fair When the provincial finance ministers meet tomorrow in Toronto to discuss issues of common interest, transfer payments is sure to be the number one topic. Usually when the country's political money people get together, it's usually an occasion to boast about what a great job they're doing individually. But tomorrow all the provinces will be united B ut tom orrow a ll the against Ottawa and their ammunition has been provinces w ill be united given to them by the federal government itself. against O ttaw a a n d their Im agine being som eone like E rnie Eves, watching as his federal counterpart, Paul Martin, am m unition has been extolls the virtues of his policies that created such given to them by the a large budget surplus. Eves knows where a lot of that cash has come from...the reduction of propor federal governm ent itself. tional transfer paym ents to the provinces by Ottawa. It makes the feds look good, while the blame for funding woes is borne by the provinces. Brilliant politics, this. Even Quebec is in lock step with Ontario and the other provinces. La Belle Province just wants transfer payments restored to levels seen in 1994, when Ottawa first began slashing the transfers. As one of the `have' provinces, Ontario has been a source of cash for Ottawa to dole out to other provinces in need. That's one of the keystones of a true federal system. Ontario accepts huge numbers of immigrants both foreign and domestic, which strains the province's infrastructure, so it's important that Ottawa realizes this engine of the national economy needs more of its own money back from the federal coffers to ensure the engine helps power not only itself, but also the rest of the country. It's only fair. i x l / l / l Canadian A i r l i n e s MERGER MAN IA SA L E / WE GET THE PROPELLERW E GET THE SHAFT. A m u s ic a l m a tc h m a d e in h e a v e n It would surely be a match made in heaven. Or hell. Or wherever the heck it is great matches are made. Most people my age have long ago heard and answered their voca tional calling. I know what you're thinking: hey, old columnist, most people your age have heard and answ ered and retired from their vocational calling. But never mind. The fact is, I find myself pushing 30, or 40, or one o f those big old num bers, and I'm still unsure of what I want to be when I get big. That is, I was unsure of what I wanted to be until this very week w hen M uchM usic, our n atio n 's music video station, announced that it was on the prowl for a new VJ. T h e next R ick `T he T em p ' Campanelli or Rebecca Rankin or E rica Ehm or S teve A nthony (where on earth is the once-ubiquitous Anthony these days anyway?). It's a higher calling, for sure, the opportunity to work for this musical fly,' ministry. But I honestly think I'm the man for the job. F or starters, I know m usic. Every night I play along with the two REM and U2 records at a time co n testan ts o f R ock and R oll when the vast m ajority o f the Jeopardy. And every night I crack Canadian record-buying public was open a king-size can of whoop-butt still walking about in white disco on these know-nothing sadsacks. suits. Seriously, I can spot a musical Suffice to say, when it comes to trend a mile away, and I'm rarely music trivia, few people on this w rong in my m usical instincts. planet are as trivial as me. Okay, okay, there was that time I Further, I've always been on top may have mentioned in writing, in of `the next big thing' in the music a national publication, something business. In the early 1980s, I had X JM ANDY Ww JUNIPER about how a certain `w orthless' Madonna was a `flash-in-the-pan' surely to be outlasted in the indus try by m ore talen ted singers like...C yndy Lauper. B ut never mind! Finally, although I am admitted ly an Old Geezer by the Old Geezer Standards set by my ch ild ren -- apparently you're an Old Geezer if you wear an undershirt or,heaven help you, a toque before the first snowfall-I still have my finger on the pulse of the alternative music scene. On my CD player you'll find the likes o f L ucinda W illiam s, Wilco, Paul Westerberg, Sloan, Old 97s, G olden Sm og, W heat, Whiskeytown. But enough about me. What is Plld By Steve Nease. MuchMusic looking for in its VJ Search 2000? According to Denise Donlon, vice-president o f m usic programming and general manager of MuchMusic, the station wants people who can communicate with the camera, people who have a pas sion and thirst to be a living, breath ing part of the music industry. To apply, you have to submit an "attention-getting tape" and, appar ently, decking yourself out in your finest rain gear and opening up for the camera is not considered "atten tion-getting". Further, you have to fill o u t a co n te st en try form . Questions include: Describe your personal style. List the last three CD s you p u rch ased and y o u r favourite three CDs. What are the burning issu es th at co n cern Canadian youth? And so on... Now, I'm not saying that no one else should bother entering this contest, that I'm a lock for this job, but already I can close my eyes and picture my first interview as the newest member of MuchMusic VJ stable. `Today, we're talking with teen pop sen satio n , B ritn ey Spears...Britney, what makes you such a talentless bubblehead, and are you aware that you'll be com pletely irrelevant and forgotten in about one year?" Call me, Denise. We need to talk salary. And perks.