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Wednesday March 10, 1999 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER A7 COMMENT S h e h a s t h e p o w e r . . . a n d k n o w s h o w t o u s e i t Hah, you may laugh. Scoff, even. When you think power, who comes to mind? CEO's, presidents, corporate lawyers? Monica Lewinsky? Not a chance. My sister Dayna has real power. And you know why? She has children. Not, I might add, just one or even two. She has three children, all under the age of five. I know, I know. You can't quite believe your ears...three children? Under the age of five? Has the woman lost her mind? What power can she possibly have, unless it is the power to lock herself in the bathroom every day. But she does, you know. She's got lots of power. Oodles of it. And it's all at her finger tips. The moment she whispers over the phone tha^ she has three children under the age of five, people run. Sales clerks DIANE HART all over the country have been known to drop whatever it is they are doing and serve my sister. They move. They practi­ cally fall over themselves to get this woman what she wants. Why, just the other day, Dayna need­ ed to find a snowsuit for one of her sons. Does she schlep the boys to the store, like I did just a few weeks ago when my own son had to replace his winter coat? Nope. Not her. She just rings up a store and asks them what kind of snowsuits they have on sale and what sizes. Well. Let me tell you I did the same thing a few weeks ago for Drew. I called for snow boarding jackets and they all said the same thing: "We can't give you that information over the phone, it has to be personal shopping." Okay, I said, chump that I am, polite Canadian to the core. Off I go to make the rounds. I even endured one less than impressive sales clerk who looked me up and down in my usual fancy dress and sniffed when I asked if snow boarding jackets were warm: "Well they are built for activity. They aren't going to keep you warm standing around at the mall." What a shame, I responded, I suppose my son will just have to keep warm light­ ing cigarettes. And I left, never to darken their door again. Of course, this was the same place where a simpering woman with a smile that didn't meet her eyes tried to convince an intractable Drew that the coat he was trying on was absolutely perfect. He looked unimpressed, but too polite to say so he simply shrugged. I explained that he didn't like the hood. She simpered: Oh, but you know hoods are cool." So much for that sale. As Drew said later, never trust an adult who says some­ thing is cool. But Dayna, she's always been a lot smarter than me. She just purrs over the phone that sure, she knows they can't give that kind of information over the phone. That's fine. That's okay. And wouldn't she just be happier than any­ thing to bring all of her children over to their store and try a few of the coats on? She'd be more than happy to bring all of her children - oh, by the way, did she mention that she has three children under the age of five - and she'd just love to come over and browse a few minutes. She loves to browse. And so do all of her kids. At the same time. Oh, and did she happen to mention that she has all boys? Three boys...under the age of five? Man, do they hop to it. She has clerics practically falling over themselves to get to those sale racks. Drop the phone and root through the racks until they find the coat in the exact size. And they do it in seconds. You want service, just tell them you'll bring the kids over. All of them. I think they'd probably custom design one for her if she asked. Like I said, this is a woman who has power. Real power. And it's only a phone call away. Three children under the age of five. You can't get better than that. Letters to the Editor Protect escarpment We take nature's gifts for granted and we assume that gov­ ernment will pro­ tect what they have promised to protect. Not nec­ essarily so! The rich heritage of the escarpment lands-a treasure for all Ontario, are under threat of loss by the grad­ ual nibbling away by urban develop­ ers. It starts with just a few small bites followed by more and more. The public needs open space and to preserve a natural e n v i r o n m e n t becomes more urgent as the pop­ ulation of Halton grows so rapidly. The current issue is a move to take 76.6 acres out of the protected area for urban use just across from the brow and slope of the escarpment-and this is just the first bite! A total of 335 acres could be lost if the first issue is not resolved to protect our open space. Do we allow this change that will benefit very few and be a sig­ nificant loss for all citizens and future generations? The mandate of the Niagara E s c a r p m e n t Commission is to protect 'protected lands'. Let's see them do it! E.A. Engell NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETINGS ZONING BY-LAW AMENDMENTS "RIO" RESIDENTIAL ZONE FILE NUMBER: 42.03.49 Please be advised that two public meetings will be held to discuss a proposed Zoning Amendment The first meeting will be an information meeting hosted by the Planning Services Department At this meeting, details of the proposed amendment will be presented, and public concerns noted. This meeting will take place on Tuesday, March 30,1999 commencing at 7:00 p.m. in the Trafalgar Room at Town HaO, 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville. The second meeting will be a public meeting hosted by Town Council, at which time a staff report and recommendation will be considered. Based on the content of the report, the proposed Zoning By-law Amendment may or may not be considered for approval at a future meeting. This public meeting will take place on Monday, April 26,1999 commencing at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Town Hall, 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville. THE CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF OAKVILLE PROPOSAL FOR DIGITAL ORTHOPHOTO SERVICES PROPOSAL NUMBER PROP-9-99 SEALED PROPOSALS for the above will be received by the Clerk's Department, on or before 12:00 NOON, local time on TUESDAY. MARCH 23,1999 Address: 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville, or by mail to P.O. Box 310, Oakville, Ontario, L6J 5A6, Telephone (905) 338-4197 Specifications, Proposal forms and Proposal envelopes are available at the office of the undersigned. The Corporation reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and the lowest or highest as the case may be will not necessarily be accepted. R.J. Coumoyer, C.I.M., P. Mgr. Director, Purchasing and Office Services Tender advertising may be viewed on the O.P.B.A website, http://vaxxine.com/opba. If a person or public body that files a notice of appeal of a decision in respect of the proposed zoning amendment to the Ontario Municipal Board does not make oral submissions at a public meeting or does not make written submis­ sions before the proposed zoning amendment is adopted, the Ontario Mu­ nicipal Board may dismiss all or part of the appeal. If you wish to be notified of the adoption of the proposed Zoning by-law amendment, you must make a written request to Bob Zsadaayi, Planner at the Hawn's Planning Services Department, Town of Oakville, P.O. Box 310,1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville, ON. L6J SA6. Tel: 845-6601, Ext 3041. Any individuals wishing to attend these meetings and speak to this matter are invited to do so. A summary of the subject proposal and a key map may be found overleaf. A copy of the final staff report, including the proposed zoning amendment, will be available for review in the Clerk's Department as c i Monday, April 19,1999 between the hours of 8:30 a m and 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday. THE CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF OAKVILLE PROPOSAL FOR THE SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF PERSONAL COMPUTER EQUIPMENT PROPOSAL NUMBER PROP-4-99 SEALED PROPOSALS for the above will be received by the Clerk's Department, on or before 12:00 NOON, local time on TUESDAY, MARCH 23,1999 Address: 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville, or by mail to P.O. Box 310, Oakville, Ontario, L6J 5A6, Telephone (905) 338-4197 Specifications, Proposal forms and Proposal envelopes are available at the office of the undersigned. The Corporation reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and the lowest or highest as the case may be will not necessarily be accepted. R.J. Coumoyer, C.I.M., P. Mgr. Director, Purchasing and Office Services Tender advertising may be viewed on the O.P.BA website, http://vaxxine.com/opba. Dated at the Town of Oakville this 5th day of March, 1999 Lynne Gough, Manager Long Range Planning Section Planning Services Department Motorist thankful YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Oakville Town Council invites you to volunteer your skills in an advisory capacity to Council. Complete an application form and return it to the Town Clerk's Department by 4:30 p.m., Friday, March 12,1999. Receipt of applications will be acknowledged after the appointment process has been completed, at which time each applicant wUl be notified bv mall Just what we needed. On a late start to fulfill an oblig­ ation in Niagara Falls before returning to Burlington to attend a funeral in the early after­ noon. Then big trouble! On enter­ ing the QEW at the Third Line a tire blew and we pulled off onto the Bronte Road exit. A small cal pulled up behind us. A young man man in his 20's offered to help. He changed the tire, a feat far beyond our capa­ bilities and had us on our way in 20 minutes. He wouldn't accept any gratuity nor give us any ID or any thought of recognition. We hope this young man felt some satisfaction for his anony­ mous, generous, skillful and thoughtful help when it was so sorely needed. Victoria McTavish Currently vacancies on Town of Oakville Advisory Committees are: Bronte District Advisory Committee - One Vacancy Interested citizens must reside within the geographical boundaries of the centre line of Burloak Drive, Lake Ontario, the centre line of Third Line and the centre line of the Q.E. W. Meetings are held once a month, when required, on the 3rd Thursday of the month at 7:30 p.m. Citizen Tmnilt Advisory Cnmmiitf - Cht* Vacancy Interested citizens should be a resident of Oakville for at least five years, have an understanding of transit and its role in the community, be able to attend evening meetings and preferably be a user of Oakville Transit. LAKE ONTARIO The subject lands are located south of Pine Avenue, east of Reynolds Street, west of Chartwcll Road and north of Lake Ontario.Meetings are held on the 4th Wednesday of the month, (as required) in the evening. Oakville Centre Board of Directors - One Vacancy Interested citizens should have a strong network of business contacts in the community and a flair for the related fields of marketing/sales/advertising. This coupled with a passion for quality performing arts in Oakville would enable the successful applicant to make a valuable contribution to the Oakville community. In a recent decision on a Land Severance Application that resulted in the creation of a new lot in the "RIO zone", the Ontario Municipal Board noted that it appeared that one provision in the Zoning By-law did not appear to support the intent of the Oakville Official Plan with regard to infilling in the "RIO zone". A minimum lot depth provi­ sion should be added to ensure that any new lot created in the "RIO zone" would conform to the general configura­ tion of the existing lots in the "RIO zone". This amend­ ment introduces a minimum lot depth requirement in the "RIO zone". Meetings are held on the fourth Wednesday of each month in the morning. Traffic Advisory Committee . One Vacancy Interested citizens should be community and technically minAtt with an interest in traffic safety and efficiency. An engineering background in the transportation discipline would be an asset on this committee. Meetings are held on the 1st Wednesday, monthly, at 7:30 p.m. Applications forms are available from the Clerk's Department at Town Hall, 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville, Monday to Friday during regular business hours - 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For farther information please contact Pat McPherson at (90S) 045-6601. extension 3136 Official Plan: This amendment may be subject to changes or modifications at the public meeting on April 26,1999. 1225 TRAFALGAR ROAD • OAKVILLE, ONTARIO • L6H 2L1 T H E C O R P O R A T I O N O F T H E C o u n c i l & S t a n d i n g C o m m i t t e e M e e t i n g s Monday, March 22,1999 Council Meeting Council Chambers 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 29,1999 Planning & Development Council Council Chambers 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 30,1999 Community Services Committee 7:30 p.m. - Oakville Room Administrative Services Comm. 7:30 p.m. - Bronte Room Monday, April 6,1999 Council Meeting Council Chambers 7:30 p.m. C o u n c il & C om m ittee T o u c h to n e Ph o n e Line 8 1 5 - 5 9 5 9 http://vaxxine.com/opba http://vaxxine.com/opba