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

A6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday July 7,1999 The Oakville Beaver OPINION Ian Oliver Publisher Neil Oliver Associate Publisher Norman Alexander Editor Kelly Montague, Advertising Director Martin Doherty Circulation Director Ten Casas Office M anager Mark Dills Production Manager Riziero Vertolli Director o f Photography M etroland Printing. P ubishng & D istributing L id ., includes: Ajax/Pickenng News Advertiser, A fcton HerakVCourier, Bame Advance. Barry'S Bay This Week. Bolton Enterprise. Brampton Guardan. B otngton Post. Bering!on Shopping News. City Parer*. CoingwoodW &saga Connection. East York M tror. Ean AdvocatoC ountry Routes. Etobcoke Guardan. Ramborough Post. Georgetown Independent/Acton Free Press. H uorta Buaness Tmes. K ingston This W eek. Lindsay This W eek, M arkham Ecnom ist & Sun. M idland/P enetanguishine M irror. M ilton C anadian C ham pion. M ilton Shoppng News. M cscsauga Busness Tm es. Mssissauga News. Napanee G lide . Newmarket/Aurora Era-Bamer. Northumberland News. North York M rror. O akvie Beaver. Q akvie Shopping News. O dtm ers Hockey News. Crifca Today. OshawaW hitby/CJarington Port Perry This Week. O ven S a n d Tribune. P eterborough This W eek. P icton C ounty G uide. R ichm ond H iB/Thom hi/Vaughan Liberal. Scarborough M im a, StouftaAe/Uxbridge T rtxne. Forever \tx n g . C ity o f Mark Guardan - RECOGNIZED FDR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community ( ? C N A 467 Speers Rd., Oakville O n t L6K 3S4 (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 C S I k P ^ Suburban Nowspa ■ f ■ ̂ % of Amorica THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: O L Pittmrmgfar- YMCA " " " ' l/f l f o ^ ^ S u n i v i n s S tte yI Strategies for LTFE TV AUCTION THeS J OAKVLLE CENTRE JiNqlE Bell Fund United Way ol Oakville Editorials Leadership anyone? The leadership vacuum in the ranks of the country's conservatives is more like a black hole. At the root of the problem are the two main players in a game where the winner could begin to think of ousting the rul­ ing Liberals in Ottawa. Reform Party leader Preston Manning wants to be a national political force so bad he can Reform Party leader can taste iL .that's the trouble. He can taste it but h e'll never get to chow down as a Reformer. wants to be a national taste it..that's the trouble. He can taste it but 'p o l i t i c a l fo r c e SO b a d h e he'll never get to chow down as a Reformer. That's where Progressive Conservative leader Joe Clark comes into the picture. Actually he's barely in the picture but he's visi­ ble. Clark, you may recall, was once the prime --( minister of Canada and would love an opportunity to lead again. We don't think so. But being the political animal he is, Clark has seen the future and it doesn't include two right wing parties, ergo his latest attempt to try and begin a merger process with the Reformers. Published reports indicate Clark has made overtures to two Reform MPs, asking that they co-chair Tory policy conferences. It reminds us of the Trojan Horse saga. By asking Reformers into these pol­ icy sessions with party insiders, Clark is gambling that the two ideologies will begin to blend. And since the PC boss is the architect of this plan, it makes sense (at least to Clark) that the Alberta boy will head the resulting party. As for Preston Manning? Well the Reformer stands to be a man without a party unless he begins manoeuvring to cut Clark off at the pass. If there's to be a United Alternative, Manning wants to be the leader. The big question for most Canadians in all of this posturing is...aren't there any other people out there who want to offer some political leadership? 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 O ther options for coyote control Please tell me that with all the brain power residing in the Town of O akville that som ebody, somewhere, may have a viable solution to our coyote-dog prob­ lem. As a cat owner and former dog owner in a suburban part of town, I am facing the problem of what to do with a skunk who has burrowed beneath our garden shed. My cats are basically back­ yard cats and not streetwise. I am afraid to let them stay out past dusk or before 9 a.m. in the event they are sprayed or possibly bit­ ten by a rabid skunk. What to do about it without killing it? This particular skunk or its ancestors used to live (presumably) some­ where on the open land adjacent to the QEW. C onstruction on these lands has been steady over the last few years. He has nowhere else to go. What are we doing? Should species of animals be wiped out because of our overdevelopment? Can we not include animals in our long range plans and leave some space for them? When con­ templating any new idea, concept or invention, we should also ask of ourselves "Will this be for the good of all?" and think a little beyond immediate financial grat­ ification. Amusements added to Festival I would like to take this opportunity to comment on a phase of the successful Waterfront Festival. Robertson Amusements of Orangeville arrived at the Outer Harbour Park area in Bronte early in the week of the event and set up all the rides and midway displays. They appeared to be very well organized, had good solid-looking equipment and appeared to have a good layout. When the show began, we attended along with children and grandchildren, were actually there a few times and found the atten­ dants to be very friendly and the rides and games well handled. The show ended at 5 p.m. on the Sunday night and by 8 a.m. the next morning, they had everything packed up and had left the park. They left the park area where they had been, spotless, as if they had never been there in the first place. We congratulate the Festival organizers for having such a well- run company as part of the Festival offering quality of service for all. Bruce Hood It seems such a long time ago in my thinking when I could hardly wait for construction to com m ence to block out the sound of the highway. Now, when I see so much develop­ ment, with no natural areas left between, I am filled with a sad­ ness -- what unsuspecting rabbit, and other animals are being bull­ dozed as they sleep? Where will the soaring red-tailed hawks go for food? As a temporary solution, is there some way the coyote-dogs that are destined to be trapped and shot could be relocated far­ ther north? They should not be destroyed. Did you ever think that maybe if we stop killing the animals that we share the earth with, that we might then learn to stop killing each other? It is my hope that we will find the balance necessary to main­ tain all species equally. Jan e t Fitzgerald C r i c k e t e r t a k e s c o l u m n i s t s t o t a s k o v e r c o m m e n t s proofread Diane Hart's effort of June 23rd, but to say it was difficult to read is an under­ statement. The "Comment" of June 30th is even more worrying. Now, I can see that William Thomas tried his best to be humorous. But he obviously does not realize that Oakville is home to a large number of people from other parts of the world -- many of whom played Just a quick note to say that as an Oakville Beaver subscriber for many years, I have become accustomed to the innocent mistakes that help give each issue its own character. I must admit that I am not an avid reader of the Beaver, and fail to read every issue from cover to cover. However, the "com­ ment" articles of both June 23rd and June 30th caught my eye. I do not know if anyone Views on France skewed by w riter's bigotry After reading William Thomas' recent column on France, I wish to protest most strenuously. Where on earth was the editor to allow such a vicious tirade to make it into print? I began reading, expecting to be amused by a cranky picture of another nation's foibles but after a couple of paragraphs, I was stunned. Had we gone to war with France and I had missed the announcement? Thomas' picture of France is completely skewed by his bigotry. I too have visited France. My brother is married to a French woman and lives there. One of my sister-in- law's cousins was shot, as a member of the underground during the war. When we were in B ritanny, a total stranger came over to shake our hands when he learned we were from Canada. It is easy for people who have never had war on their own soil to take cheap shots at people who have endured conditions we cannot imagine. Esther W ellington or watched cricket for much of their lives and still follow the game with knowledge and pas­ sion. A game which is far more skillful, ath­ letic and subtle than, say, baseball. Maybe, I get too upset when my beloved game is criticized because I used to be a pro­ fessional cricketer in England. Mr. Thomas states that the World Cup of Cricket is now underway, with the final on July 20th. According to my sources, the competition started in late May and the final was played on June 20th, with Australia easily defeating Pakistan!! In his attempt to explain the rules of the game, he borrowed the words from a famous tea towel. However, even these were not copied correctly. Perhaps, I'm being pedantic, but these authors must realize that from time to time, their offerings will be read and that their qual­ ity must improve. Isn't it the duty of a paper to inform and educate? Peter Ranells Pud by Steve Nease r ) tiJeJy m T- V >' \ ' V , ' \ ' , W < 1 t / , \ \ d \ ' » •■ W\\\ • 1 w \ V . V ac \ \ \ ' ' r v* ' \n L e tte r o f th e W e e k Roadwatch scheme a sham says motorist Last week, The Oakville Beaver printed an article on the new Community Roadwatch program. I would like to know what is going on with it? Today is Monday, July 5th, 1999. The time is 8:15 a.m. I was on my way to the Oakville Garden Variety Store at 1311 Sixth Line. I was travelling south on Sixth Line approaching the intersection at McCraney which has a four-way stop. I stopped at the sign and watched as a little red car heading west on McCraney proceeded through the intersection without even slowing down. I made it to the store and was on my way back. Same intersection going north this time, same little red car heading east, went right through the intersection without stopping or even slowing down. Luckily, or so I thought, I was able to get the licence plate number. I thought I would go home and phone the police to report this "Menace of the Road." Then I realized that I had my cell phone, so I pulled off to the side of the road and phoned Halton Regional Police. Much to my surprise, I was told that unless I could positively identify the driver of the car, there was absolutely nothing they could do! They would not even take the plate number to give a warning to the owner of the car. They told me that the car could have been loaned to someone and basically, tough!!! They said he would be caught sometime. I find this very upsetting because by the time any­ thing is done, it could be too late for someone. Lori Archer Clerics & gay pride parade didn't mix A friend called me on Sunday, June 27th, insisting that I turn my television to Channel 57. There was such a sense of urgency to his voice, that I immedi­ a te ly feared the w orst. Had w ar broken out in Kosovo? Had the entire State of California slid into the Pacific Ocean? The first thing that stared out from the screen was a nearly naked posterior. In the background was a float carrying a message about the joys of being gay or lesbian. It was the Gay Pride Parade from Toronto, and was it pathetic. It smacked of a small town Santa Claus Parade with no snow, but lots of bare buttocks and breasts. It was all quite tasteless. Guests of honour at the parade included a couple of well-known Liberals. A lot of their supporters must be asking themselves just why Allan Rock and Dalton McGuinty would want to be seen in such a raucous display of non-conformance. At one point, a group of people who carried signs that identified them as "Anglicans in support of gays and lesbians" were on camera for an extended period. They laughed and cheered their support for the homo­ sexual cause. The Anglican Church of Canada is facing bank­ ruptcy through lawsuits brought about by charges of homosexuality in the church. With that in mind, how appropriate is it for Anglicans to celebrate the gay and lesb ian cause? W hat is the o ffic ia l view of the Anglican Church towards these people who are in effect supporting those who threaten the very exis­ tence of their Church? P eter E . Sticklee 1 OPINION 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-2809 Circulation: 845-9742 Editorials Leadership anyone? Other options for coyote control Bruce Hood Janet Fitzgerald Cricketer takes columnists to task over comments Esther Wellington Peter Ranells by Steve Nease Roadwatch scheme a sham says motorist Lori Archer Peter E. Sticklee