The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

A6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday October 27, 1999 T he Oakville Beaver Ian Oliver Publisher Neil OfiverAssociate Publisher Norman Alexander Editor Kelly Montague, Advertising Director Martin Doherty Circulation Director Ten Casas Office Manager Mark Dills Production Manager Riziero Vertofli Director o f Photography M efroland P rinting, P ubishing & D istributing Ltd., includes: A jax/Pckering News Advertiser. AAston HerakVCouner, Barrie Advance. Barry's Bay This W eek. Bolton Enterprise. Bram pton Guardian. B urington Post. B u ln g tcn Shoppng News. C ity Parent, CoingwoocW Vasaga Connection. East York M irror. Erin Advocata'C ountry Routes. Etobicoke G uardan. Flam borough Post. Georgetown Independent/Acton Free Press. H trcn a Business Tm es. K ingston T his W eek. Lindsay T his W eek. M arkham Ecnorm st & Sun. M idland/P enetang uishine M irro r. M ilto n C anadian C ham pion. M ilton Shopping News, M ssissauga Business Tm es. M bsesauga News. Napanee G lid e . N ew m arket/A irora Era-Banner. Northum berland News. N orth York M rror. O akvie Beaver. Q akvie Shopping News. O ldtrners Hockey News. Crifca Today. O shasvaAM iitby/Clarington Port Perry This W eek. Owen S a rd Tribune. P eterborough T his W eek. P icto n C ounty G uide. R ichm ond H ill/ThornhU /Vaughan Liberal. Scarborough M irror. S touffvifle/U xbridge T rtxn e , Forever M xng, City o f'rb rk Guardan OPINION RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association or America THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: ^ C N A 467 Speers Rd, Oakville Ont L6K3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-2809 Circulation: 845-9742 SK Editorials Political o p p o rtu n ism Say it isn't so Jean. Anyone poring over the musings o f some Canadian politics commenta tors recently, must have come across a disturbing column by James Travers. According to the columnist, Ottawa is abuzz these days about speculation that But like anyone cursed Prime Minister Jean Chretien will call an with too much hubris, election next year, possibly in the fall. Chretien W hat m ak es th is h y p o th e sis hold risks making a major water is the simple fact that the federal Liberals believe they are the government politicalblunder if of Canada...permanently. Their job is to he thinks that a renewed lead and it's up to the oth er political m ajority government is party also-rans to make up the opposi a sure thing. tion. Then toss in the m ix o f the P M 's looming `retirem ent' and the possibility o f Finance Minister Paul Martin taking his place, and we have the makings of a fine political soap opera. But like anyone cursed with too much hubris, Chretien risks making a major political blunder if he thinks that a renewed majority government is a sure thing. Once the election is called, anything can happen. One only has to remember the folly that was the Ontario Liberal govern ment of David Peterson. He will live forever in Canadian political texts as the premier who, despite having a comfortable majority, decided to head back to the electorate far from the end of his term. The result, you'll recall, was the election of the NDP under Bob Rae. Yea, that's another story. The federal government won't have to go before the voters until well into 2002 but we doubt that the PM will wait that long. Given the way he's kept Martin dangling for years, it's clear Chretien doesn't want the businessman to succeed him. Timing is everything in politics. The question is whether the prime minis ter will read the signs properly. Former goalie Gary carr brings hisowm s t y l e TO THE ONTARIO LEGISLATURE SPEAKER' S CHAIR L e t t e r s t o t h e E d it o 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 Throne Speech was an em pty document I am not su rp rise d by the Throne Speech. Tories have not disappointed anyone. People knew all along that this government is o b liviou s to the m ajo rity o f Ontarians including the average worker, the college and university students and the sen io rs. T h is Speech from the Throne has re affirmed what people knew already i.e. "not to expect any better from this government for the rich and well-off'. The average worker is paying the interest on the millions of dol lars that this government borrowed to finance their tax cuts. In this Throne Speech, there is no plan to reduce the debt. The government has no intention of giving a relief from the burden of paying interest to the average Canadian. They can do this by paying o ff the d ebt rather than the tax cuts that benefit the rich more. Any benefits that the average Canadian might have real ized have ben sucked back by the government through user fees and other ways. The government pretends in the Throne Speech to protect the tax payer. At the same time, the Tories increase their payroll by increasing the size of the cabinet. The premier has more than doubled his staff. Their political staff has received a 30% pay hike. The provincial debt will be on the shoulders of our younger gen eratio n s. A m ong those are the young people who have been hit by huge hikes in the tuition fees at the college and university levels. This restricts their access to higher education and hence the ability to earn higher wages. How will they be able to carry the burden of debt created by the Tories? Even more devastating is the dem oralizing effect that the situation has on the youth of our province. The Throne Speech does not address this very important issue at all. By the year 2021, about 18% of Canadians will be seniors (three million in 2021 compared with 1.4 m illion in 1998). By 2041, this number will increase to 23%. The demand for the seniors' collective and the private dwellings will more than double from 1996 to 2026. The governm ent does not think that our seniors are im portant. They make no mention of the liv ing conditions and safety of our seniors in the Throne Speech. In the past 10 m onths, the Ontario People's Legislature has sat for seven days-a pitiful demon stration of the claim in the Throne Speech that this governm ent is "working for the people". The government, in the Throne Speech, boasts about preserving the park space and protecting the en v iro n m en t in O ntario. For Halton area residents, the experi ences are quite contrary to the gov ernm ent's claims. The develop ment of the Drewry park in Milton and the th reat to the N iagara Escarpment, are two examples of the government not listening to the people of Halton. Recent news about a possible sale of the Bronte Park to develop a golf course is another example of this government's lack of vision and its intentions to benefit the rich. Let me remind them that there is no shortage of golf courses in the area. One would have to agree with Liberal leader Dalton McGuinty when he said, "Today's Throne Speech is an empty document from an arrogant government." M oh an Anand Past Liberal candidate, Halton Letter of the W eek K eep F o rd D rive th e w ay it is I write in response to a recent editorial in The Oakville Beaver concerning the re-designation of Ford Drive as a truck route. To change the use o f this road after long fought opposition from residents is to "de-certify" the original approval process. To argue that Ford Drive, a two-lane road, was suitable for trucks is absurd. The only suitable north/south route is the four-lane (mostly) Dorvai Drive. Further, to argue that the present truck ban on Trafalgar Road is unenforceable is an abdi cation o f responsibility, and an admittance o f the inability to govern. Is this what Oakville Council are saying? It seems to me more of a reluctance to hire another bylaw enforcement officer or another police officer. Ford Drive is no more suitable for trucks than Trafalgar Road and to re-designate it, is an admittance o f failure on the part of Council. A n n and C h ris W rigley Better signage needed I appreciate L.M .'s comments on signs on Trafalgar Road and its relationship to business and truck ers (O akville B eaver, O ct. 20, 1999). My assessment is that LM appreciates the mighty dollar and the willful flouting of our by-laws. As a relative newcomer, I was attracted to Oakville's old world charm, which is something to be ch erish ed -an d w ould not like O ak v ille to be know n as `Mississauga West'. On T rafalg ar R oad, we are exposed to many excesses that very few residential communities experience. O ur issues are the extrem ely high traffic volumes, high speeds (early morning and night), heavy trucks, bicycles on sidewalks, danger to people and animals, environm ental damage and noise pollution. I often hear and w elcom e police, ambulance and fire sirens which, in most cases, are respond ing to the needs of other parts of our community. I believe that Oakville residents support business and would appre ciate it if you and the BIA will sup port our campaign to have the by laws enforced. I believe that our campaign will clarify and support the truckers-in that truck routes should be properly defined with proper signs. V. Jutronich Environment compromised I have just finished reading an article concerning ecological ly sensitive lands being developed in River Oaks. How is it pos sible that this could happen? And how is it possible that it keeps happening over and over again? I am told that there are regulations to protect these natural areas. The Provincial Planning Act requires regard to the protection of ecological systems... the protection of the agricul tural resources... the conservation and management of natural resources." The Region of Halton protects environmentally sen sitive areas. Zoning by-laws are in place to preserve significant environmental lands. The Official Plan of Oakville states that the Town will "... identify and protect areas that have a high nat ural value, perform important ecological functions, have high biological value, contribute to ecosystem linkages, provide sig nificant wildlife habitat, or represent the range of natural land scape types that characterize the Town of Oakville." What is happening in Oakville? Where are our elected offi.cials? Is it not their responsibility to see that the goals of the Official Plan are met? How is it possible that they could have voted unanimously to amend the official plan, to amend the zoning by-law, and to allow development on ecologically sensi tive lands? Is it necessary for residents to attend every meeting to ensure that their elected Town Councillors will not develop every remaining parcel of land? In the next few years, the last remaining rural lands in Oakville will be developed. Think about how you want that development to proceed. If you are interested in protecting and preserving the rem aining environm entally sensitive lands, please get involved. Call me at 847-9990. Also, contact the Mayor and your Town Councillors. Let them know what you think. (If you're not sure who your Ward Councillor is, you can ask at the Town Hall at 845-6601.) Renee Sandelow sky Martin should take initiative and begin reducing debt Canadian taxpayers are a self ish greedy lot, at least those who are represented by people in suffi cient authority, power, or public profile to be heard and reported by the m ed ia. O b v io u sly , A1 Palladini is such a person, and he amply illustrates my point. There is not one Canadian tax payer who did not benefit from the m oney th a t th e T ru d e a u , M ulroney, and for som e years Chretien, governments borrowed prior to the balancing of the feder al budget a year or two ago. Taxpayers became accustomed to life sty le s b ey o n d th e ir real means. The present younger tax payers (say less than 19 years of age) en jo y e d e x c e ss to y s and experiences as children; the oth ers, in short, lived "a higher life" on money they were not required to divert to taxes. Today's taxpay ers enjoyed in total an incredible ap p ro x im a te ly $ 5 8 0 -b illio n in loans on their behalf by the feder al government. Ontario taxpayers in additional enjoyed in total a further $ 120billion which their Queen's Park g overnm ent borrow ed on their behalf, and is now provincial debt additionally owed by Ontario tax payers. Palladini, however, does not want to pay off his share of the loans; he wants to leave the rep ay m en t to his ch ildren and grandchildren and later genera tions. Tax reductions will be frittered away, by such as foreign travel, etc. Some taxpayers, with unchar acteristic wisdom , will begin to in v e st in ta x -e x e m p t R R S P s. Little will be done to expand the economy. The debt has to be paid off by the money we are earning and have in our hands NOW in the present good economic times. Palladini, Harris, Manning, Klein, etc. are indulging is non-sensical se lf-s e rv in g ra tio n a liz a tio n . Unhappily, "etc." includes your editorial writer(s). I think that federal Finance Minister Paul Martin believes in his heart that taxes must be main tained at very near the present lev els so that debt can be paid off with any surplus. I hope that in the interests of his own reputation, in the interests of the responsibilities of the federal government, and in the interests of our honourable dis charge of our obligations as debtor taxpayers, the finance minister will dem onstrate the courage o f his convictions by instituting a sched ule o f vigorous debt reduction while the revenue is available. T. Lipinski By-law doesn't affect deliveries I would just like to further comment on Wed. Oct. 20th issue `Solutions Sought to Trucking Issue.' I am in agree ment with residents of Trafalgar Road trying to enforce the truck By-Law on their street. M ention was made as how were the downtown merchants to receive their supplies when truckers see the unfriendly signs. First of all, I believe these residents are trying to enforce the By-Law which reads No Trucks between the hours of 7 p.m. - 7 a.m. In no way should this affect the downtown mer chants as most deliveries are made during normal business hours and most merchants are usually closed after 6 p.m. M.V.