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A6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday September 22, 1999 T h e Oakville Beaver OPINION Ian Oliver P ublisher Neil Oliver A ssociate P ublisher Norman Alexander E ditor Kelly Montague, A dvertising D irector Martin Doherty C irculation D irector Teri Casas O ffice M anager Mark Dills Production M anager Riziero Vertolli D irector o f Photography Metroiand Printing, Publishing & Distributing Lid., includes: A*ax/Pickering News Advertiser. Alston HerakyCoiner, Bame Acktance, Barry's Bay This Week. Bolton Enterprise, Brampton Guardan. Burtngton Post. Btrtngton Shoppng News. City Parent. Co*ngwoocVWasaga Correction. East York Mrror, Erin Atvocat^Country Routes. Etodcoke Guardan, Rantwroucfi Post. Georgetown mdependent/Acton Free Press. Htrcria Business Times. Kingston This Week. Lindsay This Week. Markham Ecnormst & Sun, M idand/Penetanguishine Mirror. Milton Canadian Champion. Milton Shoppng Ne*vs. KAssesauga Busness Tries. Msscsauga News, Napanee Gude. N e w m a rke t/o ra Era-Banner. Norihurrberland News. North York Mrror. Qakvie Beaver. Oakvile Shopping News. Odtmers Hockey News. O iia Today. OshawaAMitby/Clarington Port Perry This Week. Owen Sotnd Tribune. Peterborough This Week. Piet on County Guide. Richmond HiH/Thomhill/Vaughan Liberal. Scarborough Mirror. StoufMne/Uxbndge Trtxne. Forever Y ang, City o('fork Guardan 467 Speers Rd., Oakville O n t L 6K 3 S 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 RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: TH E O AKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD O FFIC IAL M E D IA SPONSOR FOR: E d i t o r i a l s Safety issues Delegates from across North America, Western Europe, Chile and South Africa gathered this week in Mississauga to talk about making communities safer through better design. The official name of the gathering is The International Crime Prevention T hrough Environm ental Design Association. It's composed of architects, community planners, police and security consultants. One of the most interesting views com­ ing from the conference, which ends today, is that much can be done to deter criminal activities if residences and infra­ structure are properly planned. The GTA is rife with a specific single family residence style. A large garage protrudes in front of the house, with the actual living space playing second fiddle to the home for the owners' vehicles. That, say architects and security consultants, is an open invitation to thieves who can usually gain easy access to the garage and then enter a home through a connecting door inside. And since neighbours rarely take an interest in each other's activities, something that should appear out of the norm, doesn't register with them. Basically, everyone agrees that more of a people presence is the best deter­ rent to burglaries and assaults. So it seems the older generation of architects and planners had it right all along. Build homes facing the street with porches and windows to show that people are home and thieves will look elsewhere. Neighbourhood Watch programs also help but here again, when apathy comes into play, everyone loses. When volunteers don't come forward, such programs are withdrawn, as has happened in Oakville. The bottom line here is visibility. When residential and commercial areas are well lit and people can be seen, criminal activity will lessen. It's pretty basic stuff but something to think about in this age of cocooning. 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 B u i ld h o m e s fa c in g th e s tr e e t w ith p o rc h e s a n d w in d o w s to s h o w th a t p e o p le a re h o m e a n d th ieves w i l l lo o k elsew here . B/Ed LEAFS TICKETS/. lottery R e s id e n t r e g r e ts o p p o r t u n i t y t o h e lp On Tues., Sept. 14th, I was given a won­ derful opportunity to be an ambassador for Oakville and I failed miserably! A couple from London, England, asked me for d irec tions to the GO station . We were at Lakeshore and Trafalgar Roads and I told them it was too far to walk, especial­ ly in the noon day sun. They asked about buses and taxis but I cou ldn't help them there so I insisted on driving them myself, pointing out that I, as a former Londoner, would be happy to do them a favour. I learned they had arrived in Toronto the day before, and this was their free day and had d ec id ed to take th e ir to u r g u id e 's advice and visit his home town. However, they had only been here for a couple of hours, so obviously hadn't seen more than the downtown area. If I hadn't been so preoccupied with my errand, I'd have offered to show them the beautiful spots around Oakville, including beautiful Bronte which I know they would have enjoyed. To my regret, I dropped them o ff at the sta tion and con tin u ed on the errand. They will still be in Toronto and if their courier sees this, I hope he'll get in touch with me because I would like to apologize to Jan and Jim (if I remember their names correctly), for my lack of hospitality to my fellow countrymen. Joyce Jackson Canadian political landscape a scary place For long periods of time, say, these last three months of sum­ mer, Canadian politicians seem to behave norm ally then, all o f a sudden, it's like they all went off their medication on the same day. I mean in a matter of a couple of weeks, the Canadian political scene has become quite scary. The NDP suddenly want to be the Liberals. All the Liberals want to be prim e m inister. The Progressive Conservatives want to be anything except Reform ers. The R eform ers want to merge with anybody who has a postal code outside of Alberta. Jean Chretien is the only per­ son in Canada who wants Jean Chretien to run again for prime minister. Brian Mulroney wants to be rehabilitated. Joe Clark wants to lead th is country out o f its g rea test econom ic period in decades. Svend Robinson wants to go home. Glenn Clark might be the first p rovincial p rem ier to make his own vanity licence plate. Lucien Bouchard wants to be all things to all Quebeckers, espe­ cially the pure non-foreign types. Mel Lastman needs to be on rital- in. And Mike Harris want to be single again. It's so frightening that the three vacant federal ridings have posted "No Vacancy" signs and the two independents have applied for ■ l # f l WILLIAM THOMAS All The World's A Circus marriage licences. Has every politician in this country gone nuts? What we need is B oris "Buy Me A D rink" Yeltsin who, during short periods o f painful sobriety, fires every­ body every Monday morning. In this country, the political sands are sh ifting faste r than Wasaga Beach straining under the feet of Mike Duffy. I t's like a wacky horse race with no rules, thoroughbred politi­ cians running against each other without a clue as where they'll finish and unsure of where they started. So, let's now go to Fort Erie Racetrack for the fall classic. The Politicians' Plate -- two miles around a muckraked track where our e lected o ffic ia ls get even dizzier than normal. " It's a beautiful day here at Fort Erie Racetrack for the inau­ gural running of The Politicians' Plate and I can honestly say with a field of 15 -- I have never seen so many horses' asses in one place before. They're all in the gate except for Free Porch ridden by Glenn Clark who's being padded down by track security. "A lso, the b londe filly, H ollyw ood Kim, who usually looks good early but fades fast when surrounded by geldings, is refusing to go in. "Now they're all in. "They're at the post! They're off!!" That's Lyin' Brian immediately being cut from the field by the Mountie Musical Ride and being detained in the paddock. "That's Iron Mike racing to the front to take the lead, all alone. NDP with Alexa McDonough up is struggling to move from the left into the centre of the pack where it's already overcrowded. "Suharto's Pal, ridden by Jean Chretien, is so far dominating the centre while Preston Anti-Freeze settles in on the far right. "Coming up between Suharto's Pal and Preston Anti-Freeze is PC Comeback with Joe Clark aboard. Unfortunately, Joe Clark has lost his number so nobody knows who he is. "T hat's Money Man M artin and Allan Rock & Roll coming up to challenge Suharto's Pal trying to force him to run off his pace and then re tire early and, oh m y...Jean C hretien aboard Suharto's Pal has just maced Allan Rock & Roll and good lord...com­ ing out of nowhere Tequila Sheila has slashed Allan Rock & Roll across the face. 'T h a t's Captain Canada with Brian Tobin up, now even with M oney Man M artin and oh no ...ou t o f now here com es H ysterical Mel frothing at the mouth as he knocks Joe Clark off PC Comeback. Hysterical Mel is wearing blinders but no pants. "Now i t 's Iron M ike and Lieutenant Hillary neck and neck for the lead followed by Lucky Lucien w ho's back on the rail after trying to split the field in half. "T hat's Preston Anti-Freeze trying to fend off Socialist Syd with Svend Robinson in the stir­ rups, wearing the leather chaps. "Hysterical Mel seems to have bitten Iron Mike in the buttock area sending him over the rail at the three-quarter pole as Suharto's Pal starts to fade and NDP moves even more right of the centre col­ lid ing w ith a riderless PC C om eback pushing him into Preston Anti-Freeze, where their reins get tangled and they're now riding as one horse. "As they com e dow n the stre tch , i t 's C aptain C anada, Money Man Martin, and Tequila Sheila. Pud by Steve Nease Tcrdblc Terrifc>ell Tanbb/e, Letter of the W eek Residents should back RCGA plan While 400 more signatures were added to a petition opposing golf in Bronte Provincial Park, 100,000 specta­ tors showed up to watch the Canadian Open. The RCGA and Glen Abbey are an important part of Oakville. Glen Abbey has been sold and the RCGA may soon leave Oakville. Is it important that Oakville be the home of the governing body of golf in Canada? Is it important that Oakville be the home of the governing body of golf in Canada? Is it important that their flagship course, a new 45-hole golf course and teaching academy, remain in the Town of Oakville? I strongly believe it is. Beyond the prestige of the RCGA, a new golf facility will bring employment, revenue, tourists, and internation­ al prominence. Bronte Provincial Park is sadly under­ funded and, no doubt, could use the annual revenue gen­ erated by the RCGA. The net result will be a better park and a better Oakville. Ted Baker Technocracy has worries The RCMP reports allocating $50-million in gearing up for Year 2000. This shows how seriously the police force is taking the threat of social upheaval resulting from computer glitches, as we enter the Y2K millennium. Technocracy Digest (public library) explains the need for North America to prepare for the eventual breakdown of our money Price System. This is another time-bomb which could cause chaos if this scientific warning is not heeded. Each day brings us news of more destruction of the envi­ ronment on which we depend for survival on Planet Earth. Air, water, and soil pollution are threatening our very exis­ tence. North America needs an objective, scientific, adminis­ tration in order to pass on to every citizen the full benefits of our huge productive capacity. To solve our problems, we must have a more accurate means of distribution than the Price System which permits price changes every day. We know the production o f all goods and services needs ENERGY, a constant which is mea­ surable and does not fluctuate from day to day. For this rea­ son, Technocracy proposes the Energy Certificate be used to facilitate distribution. Your decision to explore the possibilities of Technocracy's proposal for a long-term plan will be the most important decision of your life. For free information, please write 303- 158 Promenade Dr., Nanaimo, B.C. V9R 6M7. Cyril Large 'Norman'survives brush with death On Fri., Sept. 20th, at 4 p.m., our one-year-old Pug Dog, Norman, broke free from his leash and was struck by an east- bound car on Highway 5 west of Brant Street. The young lady driving the car thankfully stopped and then drove Norman and my parents (who were walking him at the time) to the Watzin Veterinary Clinic in Waterdown. She then wanted to see if he would be all right but then had to leave. We would like to thank her but we do not know who she is. If anyone reads this letter and knows of the young woman we are writing about, please pass on to her a heart-felt thank you for being honest and helpful in what must have been a traumatic experience for all of you involved. Thanks to the excellent and continued care by Dr. Watzin and her staff, Norman is on his way to a full recovery! Dan and Elaine (and Norman!) Barker 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont L6K3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-2809 Circulation: 845-9742 RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Editorials Letters to the Editor B/Ed LEAFS TICKETS/. by Steve Nease