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

A6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, August 4, 1999 The Oakville Beaver OPINION Ian Oliver Publisher Neil Oliver Associate Publisher Norman Alexander Editor Kelly Montague, Advertising Director Martin Doherty Circulation Director Teri Casas Office Manager Mark Dills Production Manager Riziero Vertolli Director o f Photography Metroiand Printing. Publishing & D istributing L id ., includes. Ajax/Pickering News Advertiser. A *ston HeraicVCouner. Barrie Advance. Barry's Bay This Week. Bolton Enterprise. Brampton Guandan. Burtngton Post. Burtngton Shopping News. City Parent. CoingwoocLW asaga Connection. East York M inor. Erin Advocata'Country Routes. Etobicoke Guandan. Ramborough Post. Georgetown independent/Acton Free Press, H ironia Business Times. K ingston This W eek. Lindsay This W eek, Markham Econom ist & Sun. M idland/P enetanguishine M irror. M ilton Canadian C ham pion. M ilton Shopping N avs. M sscsauga Busness Times. Mssissauga News. Napanee G lide . Newm arket/Airora Era-Barrier. N orthurberland News. North Yak M rp r. C akvie Beaver. Q akvile Shopping News. Oldtimers Hockey News. CnSa Today. O shaw aW hittyC laringtai Port Perry This Week. O ven S a n d Tribune. P etertxxough This W eek. P icton C ounty G uide. R ichm ond HiH/ThomhiiiA/aughan Liberal. Scarborough M irra , StouffviHeAJxbridge T rtxne , Forever V ang. City o f Mark Guardian 467 Speers Rd„ Oakville O n t L6K3S4 (905) 8 4 6 -3 8 2 4 Fax; 337 -5567 Classified Advertising: 8 4 5 -2 8 0 9 Circulation: 8 4 5 -9 7 4 2 RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: ( j c n a ' S K Y o T , THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: T y m c aB off---- ( V k V L L E Preparing far Tomorrow s Health Carr u ng c>tnet »QFE TV AUCTION iP U c J S . united W ay Jin q I e B eII F tN d of Oakville E d i t o r i a l s W h a t p r ice g lory? It would be easy to call Steve Vezina the bonehead of the year. It would be easy to call him a cheater, who finally got caught. It would be easy to rip into Vezina for letting down his teammates and country. But Steve Vezina, the goaltender who cost Canada a gold medal in roller hockey at the Pan Am games by failing a drug test for steroids, is as much as victim as he is a villain. In the pursuit of athletic perfection, or on a more practical level, in pur­ suit of an athletic professional career, the 23-year-old aspiring roller blade and hockey player did what thousands o f other athletes across North America, and probably around the world, are guilty of doing. He tried to get an edge over the other athlete. The drugs Vezina has admitted to taking are common among pro hock­ ey players who don't have to submit to doping controls. Before Vezina was a rollerblade goaltender at the Pan Am games, he was an aspiring pro hockey player. In an apology, o f sorts, to his country and teammates, Vezina points out the Mark McGwire shattered the major league baseball season homerun mark with the aid of the steriod androstenedione. Instead of admitting his wrongdoing, Vezina points the blame at the rules which cost his team a gold medal. But what Vezina, and other athletes taking steroids, don't understand is the harm they may be doing to their bodies. Steroid use is not only frowned upon because it is regarded as cheating, but also because the effects of long-term use of steroids are not known. There is deep concern that it can cause kidney failure, lead to cancer and cause other health problems. Unless he wakes up and realizes his error, someday Vezina, and other athletes like him, may be m ourning more than just the loss o f a gold medal. 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 STEROID G R O W T H STEROID SHRINKAGE Letter of the Week Fundamental justice at stake TVagic events once again ay out for strict gun controls Peter Krysmanski, chair o f the Oakville Stop-CN-In-Their-Tracks Committee is to be com m ended for his tire less efforts aimed at securing a just resolution to noise problems emanating from CN's Oakville Yard. Indeed, much has been written about this deplorable situation, particularly in terms of securing financial assistance for the many hom eow ners a ffec ted . Mr. Krysmanski's July 28th letter: 'Oakvrlle MP doesn't understand,' was get another attem pt to show that justice lies at the heart of this matter. The Canadian Transportation Agency has ruled on behalf of the homeowners, ordering CN to recognize our legitimate concerns. In turn, CN has been granted the right to appeal the CTA decision to the Federal Court of Canada. Conceivably, the matter could end up in the Supreme Court. Have we merely won a Pyrrhic victory? Unless outside funding is forthcom ing, such is the case. Short of going into seri­ ous debt, the individuals in our community cannot possibly fund an SCC challenge. It should be obvious by now that the real issue is fundamental justice. Either the justice system is accessible to all, or it is not. The rights and freedoms spelled out in our Constitution, though inspirational, aren't worth the paper they're printed on if individual citizens cannot secure recourse in our halls of justice. Far from an east Oakville problem, this situation touches each and every Canadian c itizen . For i f ju s t one person cannot access the justice system for monetary rea­ sons, then that is justice denied. And jus­ tice denied seriously diminishes us all as a society. Peter D. Pellier That terrible tragedy in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 29th, which killed nine persons and injured many others, will renew calls for greater gun control in the United States. There will be much talk but, unfortunately and most tragically, nothing will be done. On a per use basis, guns wreak more havoc, injury and death than any other con­ sumer product. Studies tend to show that: O A home with a gun is three times more likely to be the scene of a homicide and five times more likely to be the scene of a suicide than a home without a gun. □ Family and other intimate assaults are 12 times more likely to result in death if a firearm is involved. □ Gunshot wounds are five to 15 times more deadly than knife wounds, and far more deadly than wounds from weapons such as clubs or fists. □ A gun in the home is 43 times more likely to kill a member of the household than to kill an intruder. □ People who carry a weapon for self­ protection are more likely to increase vio­ lence than reduce it; the weapon is also more likely to be used against the victims than by them. In the U.S., handguns are purchased primarily for self-protection, and 24,000 Americans are killed with these each year. In 1989, however, there were only 178 cases of self-protection homicide by private citizens. □ The proportion of completed suicides is highest when attempted with a firearm (92%). □ Guns are a particularly efficient way of killing: 46% of victims shot with guns will die. W hen it comes to firearm s violence, Canada is not squeaky clean. Gun violence is very much a women's issue and a youth issue. Over 40% of the women killed by their husbands each year are shot. Firearms are a leading cause of death among youths aged 15 to 24 in Canada. Between 1991 and 1995, gun-related deaths and injuries claimed more than 250 young lives and caused more than 100 to be hospi­ talized. Canada, which has stricter controls on firearms than the U.S., also has a rate of gun-related child deaths that is four times lower -- 0.4 per 100,000 population, com­ pared to 1.6 per 100,000 in the U.S. However, an international study of 26 developed countries showed that firearm- related child deaths in Canada are higher than in 21 of the other countries. Only the U.S., Finland, Northern Ireland, and Israel had higher rates than Canada, bolstering the call by public health and safe­ ty groups for stricter firearms legislation here. G un-related deaths and in ju ries are linked to a complex set of factors including the culture of violence. But strict gun control, predicated on a commitment to public health and safety, as well as the detection and deterrence of criminal activity, is a step in the right direc­ tion. Stricter gun control is a critical part of the solution. Education to counter the cul­ ture of violence, in effect, to undermine the primary demand is also fundamental. When one considers the number of guns in the United States, their easy accessibility, and the glorification of violence, it's amaz­ ing that sim ilar incidents to the A tlanta tragedy do not occur on a daily basis. Emile-J. Therien President Canada Safety Council Don't take pets for granted My dog, 'Bear,' the best friend I ever had, died on July 27th. He was only five years old. He and I shared a home in lovely River Oaks and twice a day, happily, walked through the parks together. He had a massive heart attack on my front porch, as we fin­ ished our evening walk. Prior to that, he had eaten his dinner, wagged his tail and proceeded to lick me on the knees with grati­ tude. He was too young, spirited and healthy to be taken from me so soon. I was his mom. It was just the two of us. I loved him so much that often times, I felt an overwhelming feeling come over me resulting in placing a big kiss on his head followed by a warm hug. He would respond with a big sigh of contentment and a lick back. His death is like a nightmare that I beg to wake up from. I can't believe he's gone. I can't move his water bowl or toys from their rightful spots in the home we shared together. I brought his body to the animal control and I can truly say this was the most emotional painful task I have ever had to do. I couldn't stop touching him in the car on the drive over. I kept praying that he wasn't really dead and that he would jump up from the back seat of the car and come back to me. It's now 10 a.m. the next morning and I have been crying all night. I tried to lie down this morning but I can't. I would be expecting a lick from my concerned sweet Bear for lying down during daylight hours. Is momma sick he would think while gaz­ ing over me? I could write a million pages detailing the special little things he did to make me smile and love him so dearly. For example, every day after he finished his dinner, he would run after me and lick me on the face with thanks. He picked up this habit of bowing, because the first time he did it, I praised him and hugged him. He, thereby, took up the habit of bowing to perk me up when I had a bad day. He would then spread his claws apart and prance around making me laugh harder. When it was time for our walks not only did he bring his leash, but also my shoes and socks to speed up the process. Being a large dog (Labrador mix) allowed him the luxury of not taking no for an answer. If I didn't get moving, he gave me a gentle push with his nose. Bear loved my mother and father, too. The mere mention of "Grandma's House" had him leaping into the air with joy and anticipation. My mom sewed Bear a pillow shaped like a heart and embroi­ dered it with his name. Every night, he raced upstairs to grab the pillow. Rather than run downstairs with it and risk potentially trip­ ping on it, he would stand at the top of the stairs and throw the pillow down below. He would then proceed to race downstairs and place his head on the pillow while I read the paper or watched TV. At night, he had his own little bed beside mine and couldn't sleep without making sure he brought his pillow back upstairs so nothing would happen to it. At Christmas time, his presents were colourfully wrapped. I treasure the video footage of his carefully tearing at the wrapping paper and opening his presents with delight. I took him everywhere I possibly could and hated leaving him behind even for a couple of hours. My friends were Bear's friends. He loved everyone and woke up every morning in antici­ pation to a new day's events. For those of you lucky this morning to be able to get a lick on the face by your wonderful dog, please give them an extra hug. Please don't take them for granted. It doesn't matter how busy your life is, take some special time and set it aside for your special friend that gives you so much love. Please publish this letter in memory of my Bear. I never had a chance to thank him yesterday for all the joy and happiness he brought to my life. Thank you my dear sweet Bear for loving me unconditionally and making me feel safe, needed, and very loved. Ingrid Babjak 467 Speers Rd„ Oakville Ont L6K3S4 (905) 846-3824 Fax; 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-2809 Circulation: 845-9742 SKY Editorials Letters to the Editor TVagic events once again ay out for strict gun controls