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Wednesday September 29, 1999 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER absolutely incredible people here doing some amazing things - people like Louise Arbour come to mind. And people like A drienne Clarkson and John Ralston Saul, brave souls who actually want to come under the relentless scrutiny o f the m edia. How m any truly superb candidates are w illing to enter that fish bowl existence? Not many any more. Here we have two intelligent peo­ ple who bring more than money and a private school education to this once cerem onial post: they bring ideas. And in battered old Ontario, it looks good. No, it looks great. o O A K V I L L E 8 4 5 -6 6 0 1 C o u n c il & S t a n d in g C o m m it t e e M e e t in g s Monday, October 4,1999 Council Meeting Council Chambers 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 12,1999 Community Services Committee 7:30 p.m. - Oakville Room Administrative Services Comm. 7:30 p.m. - Bronte Room Wednesday, October 13,1999 Planning & Development Council Council Chambers 7:30 p.m. Monday, October 18,1999 Council Meeting Council Chambers 7:30 p.m. C o u n c i l & C o m m i t t e e T o u c h t o n e P h o n e L i n e 815-5959 Temporary Cafeteria Help The Town of Oakville requires temporary cafeteria help to work in the Town Hall Cafeteria on an as needed basis. Experience balancing cash and preparing light meals (no grill) is required, as are good communication and customer service skills. Apply to: Human Resources The Town of Oakville P.O. Box 310 1225 Trafalgar Road Oakville, Ontario L6J 5A6 NOTICE OF SURPLUS AND SALE RE PART OF LOT 18, CONCESSION 1, SOUTH OF DUNDAS STREET TAKE NOTICE THAT: CLUB A M onth ly D iscount Day for Shoppers aged 55j H O W D O Y O U F E E L A B O U T T H E P A R K I N G O F V E H I C L E S O N T O W N R E S I D E N T I A L S T R E E T S ? Shop: Ms*l - Fri - 9:30 am to 9s00 pm • Sat - 9:30 am to &00 pm • Sun. - Noon to 5s00 pm Clarkson's appointment as GG a refreshing move W e w ould like to know w hat you think. Make plans to attend a PUBLIC MEETING on this tow n-w ide review o f O akville parking policies and regulations T h u rsd a y , O c to b e r 7 th , 1999 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. (Presentation starts at 7:30 p.m.) O akville & Trafalgar Rooms, O akville Municipal Building, 1225 Trafalgar Road (at W h ite Oaks Blvd.) For further information, please c Mr. Dave Bloomer, R Eng Assistant D irector - Operations Departm ent of Public W orks Tel: 905.845.6601 e x t 3303 Fax: 905.338.4159 e-mail: dbloomer@town.oakvill 1225 TRAFALGAR ROAD • OAKVILLE, ONTARIO • L6J 5A6 jn ta c t i.on.ca Let's call the appointm ent of Adrienne C larkson as our new Governor-General exactly what it is - refreshing. For the past several weeks, all we've heard is sniping - as a former journalist she should never have been in line for the job, far better that she be head of the CBC (yawn); that as a non-elected person, she's not qualified; that she's a left-lean­ ing activist (heavens!); that she has­ n't the diplomacy needed for the job nor does her husband John Ralston Saul; that she simply is a wrong fit. Nonsense. * It's really all because she's not one of us now, is she? She em igrat­ ed to Canada from China; she's a former journalist and we all know journalists are either stupid or rude or both ; she's older than her hus­ band (yeegods!); she's a left-leaning activist (it only gets worse) And they are both sticking up for sorry old public education. All the establishm ent types are writhing in agony at this point, you know. They can't stand it: not only is this couple different (and for heav­ en's sake they don't even live in Rosedale), but they are going out o f their way to stand up for public edu­ cation. Instead o f jo in ing the quiet but stealthy exodus into private edu­ cation, they are actually determ ined to fight for the education they got - public education. You can see all those establish­ ment types going nuts. Far better to have someone with true panache, happening to mention in ju st the right spot how much they miss play­ ing field hockey on the headm as­ te r's lawn or something. But saying, actually saying that you came from public education and that you are w illing to fight for it instead of watching it disappear into a sea of mediocrity? T hat's the rub, you know. If this team of intelligent erudite wholly refreshing people were appointed and they had the right backgrounds (read: UCC; Havergal) would we hear such a huge backlash o f petty 1. The Council for the Corporation of the Town of Oakville at its meeting of September 20,1999 declared certain lands surplus. These lands are described as follows: Part of Lot 18, Concession 1, South of Dundas Street, Town of Oakville, Regional Municipality of Halton, designated as Parts 4, 5,6,7,8, 9,10,11 and 13, on Plan 20R-13043. 2. This notice is in compliance with the Town's By-law 1995-71. 3. Copy of Reference Plan 20R-13043 showing the lands to be sold is available for inspection at the office of the Manager, Realty Services at the address shown below, by appointment by calling 845-6601, extension 3022 during normal business hours (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m ). Maynard Millman, AACI Manager, Realty Services Legal Department The Corporation of the Town of Oakville 1225 Trafalgar Road Oakville, Ontario L6J5A6 tJQ DM THE OVERNIGHT? BY PERMIT ONLY? A GOOD IDEA OR NOT? A re you concerned w ith any o ther parking rules and regulations? START S mm THIS MONTH! a t m u m c iN T im s t o w s REGISTER AT THE CUSTOMER SERVICE KIOSK (ACROSS FROM OAKVILLE SPORTS) 11 tOOAM-1 :0 0 PM, THURSDAY SEPTEMBER SO Hopedale MaH 3sd l i n e & t R e b e c c a * 8 2 7 4 2 2 2 9 • w w Lhcp t r f i l f f l i i l a i Q D IA N E H A R T sniping? It's just like that marvelous book Harry Potter and the S orcerers' Stone, where the despicable Draco M alfoy points out snootily to Harry that there are two kinds of wizards - those that are like him and the "riffraff" to be avoided: "You'll soon find out some wizarding fam i­ lies are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." To w hich Harry, to my son's delight, responds coolly: "I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks." T hat's really w hat's being said in the editorial pages and columns in the National Post and the Globe and M ail isn 't it? That the pair just aren't like us. More than that, they have no intention of trying real hard to be like us, or to be like that model of sheer ennui, our own eminently forgettable Hilary Weston. Fareshare Bingo went over the top Our request for advertising for our Annual Monster Bingo was generously granted by The Oakville Beaver. The coverage was superb and very much appreciated by Fareshare Foodbank. The "Bingo" was a huge success, netting the Foodbank over $8,000. These funds are sufficient to cover the administration costs of Fareshare Foodbank for the next year! Three cheers for Daniel Baird, Retail Advertising Manager and all of the "Beaver" staffers who worked with Fareshare on this fundraising project. M ary N ieuw poort Bingo Co-ordinator Fareshare Foodbank Can you im agine A drienne C larkson sashaying about some society gala, making it into one of those society columns about what kind of hors d 'oeuvres were served? But I can certainly imagine her re-inventing the role of governor general, making it a far more vital position than it's been in the past. Already she's changed it; they've changed it. Already we think of this post as a team, a partnership. And already we think of it as vastly changed from the mostly ceremonial one of the past. I mean, half the time no one even knew who the governor general was in this country. So this is good, really. Sure, it looks bad when you've got people like Adrienne Clarkson and John Ralston Saul going after some elderly lady neighbour for some overhanging soffit or som e­ thing.....but who hasn't been petty about their own stuff? Neighbourhood disputes are petty and no one is immune. And they're not perfect people. Bright, imaginative, some say bril­ liant, but perfect? We shouldn't expect that at all. They will make mistakes, to be sure. But why must we start the snip­ ing the day the announcement has been made. I think two comments have become my favourites: the columnist in the National Post who w ondered, w ide-eyed, what was happening in Ottawa, how could the prime minister ever have imagined a person like John Ralston Saul hav­ ing an actual conversation with, say, a M aritimes fisherman? Better than even that outrageous comment was the pursed lips of Globe columnist Jeffrey Simpson who went out of his regal way to tell everyone about the way Ed Schreyer m outhed off before the M anitoba elections, say­ ing that it d idn't dignify the post of a former governor general. So, why must a governor general, former or current, be demure and always do the predictable? Here in this country we have an odd way of criticizing what ought to be celebrated. We have some 11 COMMENT / Apply to: TAKE NOTICE THAT: Shop: Ms*l - Fri - 9:30 am to 9s00 pm • Sat - 9:30 am to &00 pm • Sun. - Noon to 5s00 pm 2. This notice is in compliance with the Town's By-law 1995-71. A GOOD IDEA OR NOT? Hopedale MaH DIANE HART COMMENT