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Page 4~ Halton Hills This Week, Saturday,’ February 20, 1993 ° ~ Editori Abusing the system Author Edmund Burke once said: “Liberty too must be limited in order to be possessed.” What better way to illustrate this than by taking the case of the Halton public school board. It was recently discovered that more than $100,000 was spent to answer 247 requests from the public in 1991 and 1992 for information under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act - 97.2 per cent of those requests coming from Oakville residents! Education director Bob Williams said most of the requests were of a “frivolous” nature. Only he and the persons requesting the information will ever know that for sure. But there are some grounds to believe Williams might be right. Take for instance last fall when in a single day one person made 69 requests. We all know that the key communicators issue and the con- struction of the new Oakville Trafalgar High School ruffled a few feathers, and anyone wishing information on the matter has every right to receive it. But to continuously make requests with the intention of exacting revenge on the school board is a blatant abuse of the FOI Act. One of our readers, Lorie Jocius, is right in asking why the entire region should be paying valuable tax dollars.for the self- satisfying agendas of a number of special interest groups in ile. And how about those parents making legitimate requests on behalf of their children? How much longer have their requests been delayed? “The love of liberty is the love of others; the love of power is the love of ourselves,” writer William Hazlitt once said. There seems to be a small number of Oakville residents who seem deter- mined to disrupt the normal functions of the school board, and have certainly managed to do that. But in doing so, they have also managed to redefine the concept Norval e of th “Behind the plow... The plows were busy on ray when a Deajor winter storm hit our area. The hill on Hwy. 7, between aad 1 S SP for drivers, heading home. Photo by Laura Salverda of freedom of information to suit their personal agendas. + Oakville Free Press Journal Rutherford’s efforts lauded To the Editor: Many will remember that our mayor, two years ago, invited resi- dents to write to him with their concerns over the plans to recon- struct Main Street. Over 60 personally written letters were received by the mayor and the clear message was that the plans were not acceptable. Because the staff report on Main Street at the time was received for information only, ht se that the pro- ject was o On ie 25, 1993 town council approved a resolution, moved by Councillor Gail Rutherford, that requested the town engineer “to provide other options for the recon- struction of Main Street that reflect the concerns expressed by Council and the community... Council instructed that Halton Region be advised that the Main Street reconstruction plans had not been approved and that this fact must be considered in the planning for the Main Street watermain. On Monday night council was told by staff that they had not advised Halton Region of Council’s resolution as they did not want to throw away three years work. Staff said that last month on Jan. 6, they approved the region’s watermain project but did not feel required to inform council. Now we find that our town has spent well over $100,000 on the Preliminary Design Report for Main Street South, dated Nov. 1992. Although the presently approved right-of-way is 20 meters, the report assumes there will be a 30 meter right-of-way for Main Street north of the 15th Side Road through Silver Creek Valley to Maple Avenue. Also, staff advised that another report will have to be prepared because the process to produce an Environmental Study Report was begun too early. Councillor Rutherford’s efforts for a more sensible and sensitive approach to the reconstruction of Main Street show that she under- stands how passionately many of us feel about our Town. Her determination and resolve to make Council responsive to the quality-of-life issues that are so important to the people here are sincerely appreciated. Jan Ferguson Georgetown Cancer Society offers thanks To the Editor: The Spectacular New Age Vaudeville Show for 1993, held Feb. 12 and 13 was an outstanding success with three sold out perfor- mances. Halton Hills (Georgetown Unit) of the Canadian Cancer Society was the beneficiary of the shows and very grateful thanks are extended to all involved. Our heartiest thanks are extended to Edgar Thatcher and Victor J. Hanson; their Associate Producer, Larry Scott; Stage Manager, Ann Thatcher; and Musical Director, Paul Thompson; for their many tal- ents and the time they spent in organizing such a super event. Sincere thanks go to The Cheri Lindsay Dancers, Lois Fraser, Doug Reansbury, Dave Bootle, Allisson Bobor, Freddy Wonder, the Acton Baptist Puppets, B.I.G., and Brent Cooper, for a wonderful show that will last for a long time in our memories. Special thanks are extended to all the “behind the scenes” workers who, through their many talents, had the show down to a fine art. Many thinks to Heather Clarke, Roseanne Pattison, Doug Pattison, Glenn McClure, Bill Corrigan, Garth Gourlay, Donna Griffith, Barbara Baerg, Brian Collier and Brian Hewson at Escarpment Sound. We wish to thank you, the pub- lic, for your ongoing support of the ancer Society and for always being there when needed. We thank our special sponsors, Wm. McNally Construction Limited, Johnson and Associates, Neilson’s, NRS National, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Goebelle, MacAdam, Alexander, Re/Max, Goodlet’s, Jake’s Auto Clean, Dominion Gardens, Haltel, Carl’s Catering Company Limited, Georgetown Rent-All, The Cleaning Man Inc., Paul C. Armstrong Insurance Brokers Ltd., Georgetown Home Hardware, Georgetown Fruit Market, Halton Rapid Print, Young’s Pharmacy, Hallmark Greetings and Gifts, Fay’s Restaurant, Christiane and Kodak. Special thanks go to Theresa Rodobolski of Pictures and Presents, and to Linda Donais- Weir, for the donation of framed prints which were raffled off to make extra money for the Georgetown Unit of the Canadian Cancer Society. This is always an extremely successful raffle and their thoughtfulness and support is very much appreciated. We wish to also thank Jack Pignatell, of Pignatell Insurance and Investments, for hosting the reception, in the Gallery, after the performances. The coffee and deli- cious desserts at the reception were courtesy of Cakes of Elegance, Main Street, Georgetown. Thanks to all those special peo- ple who sponsored our In Their Honour section of the program for the many donations they made in memory of loved ones. A very special “Thank You” goes to our local newspapers for their wonderful coverage of this event, as well as the great job they did reporting items leading up to “The Spectacular New Age Vaudeville Show for 1993”. Halton Hills This Week and The Independent have given us super coverage all along and we express our deepest gratitude to them for a job well done. Marlene Kelman Communications Chairperson Georgetown Unit of the Canadian Cancer Society To the Editor: About one year ago our family left the concrete confines of the city, for a better quality of life and moved to Georgetown. Today the same builder whom we purchased our home from is planning a third phase of development. This project will be built on River Road on property adjacent to Varian Industries, extending pre- cariously close to the Credit River. I am of the opinion that Law Developments proposed construc- tion in an environmentally protect- ed area should be monitored by both the Town of Halton Hills and by the Ministry of the Environment on an ongoing basis. Testing should be performed prior to construction as well as during Development requires monitoring and after completion of this pro- ject ject. Protection of our waterways and green spaces must be our first pri- ority as guardians of our children’s future. What we are as a communi- ty allow to happen today will either overshadow or brighten our children’s tomorrows. The town council being respon- sible to a community committed to a greener earth, should pay more attention to who is building what and where it is being built. Protection of an already wounded ecosystem should take precedence over the-creation of greater tax revenues. Sincerely, Michael Foley, Georgetown AM! ErLUNe OUT IMCOME TAX FORMS ALAIN, | SEE. For Pete's Sake YEAH- | DID MINE A CouPLE OF mons AO - THEY'RE HARD To FIGURE IS YEAR re \ BS, by Roe WEU, IF YOU HAVE Ant LIE THROUGH my TEETH. wn 7 ¢, ey ye JHIs WEEK Halton Hills This Week, Weekend Edition, is pub- lished every Saturday at 232 Guelph St, Georgetown, Ont. L7G 4B1, and is printed in Cabville by Q.€. Web Print In the event of typographical error fein! goods or services at wrong price, /ices may: not be sok, Advertsing is merely aeaael which may be withdrawn at any time. 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