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to demolish the finest example of modern industrial architecture in Oakville. And curiously, or rather typically, not a word of protest or con- cern has been registered by anyone in town....not town officials, architects or interested citizens. More’s the pity. The building in question is, or rather was, the Shell Research Centre located on the north side of Lakeshore Road West about one kilometre east of Burloak There are a host of ironies surrounding the announcement earlier this month, Dfive L/lev. When it opened 24 years ago, it was hailed as a major achievement in not only industrial architecture but also for the way it which it was placed on the site. Hundreds of healthy trees were saved, poorer specimens culled and grass plant- ed.The result was what all industrial sites could be but never are. Design professionals were so impressed with the main building, that they hon- ored its architects, Shore Moffat and Partners, with the Massey Medal for Architecture. Seven years later an addition to the main building itself received an Ontario Association of Architects Design Award. ._ . . . ‘11-. . unuunv . .uvv--.._v-. Of course none of this means much to corporate Canada these days. What matters most is image and Shell pushed all the right buttons when it decided to rip down its award-winning buildings. Shell, true to these politically-correct times, held a press conference which was organized for one purpose only-to deflect any possible criticism area resi- dents or elected officials could raise about the demolition’s impact on the envi- ronment. A unuuvnu Company officials have followed the travails of the adjacent Permâ€"Canada refinery and it wanted to leave town in a blaze of public goodwill. No need to worry about dust, possibly polluted lands, removal of underground fuel tanks, use of the land after the demolition, we were told. “Leave it to us.” v- ulv nu... w...- _.v -__~_ _-., And so we heard from an environmental group spokesperson, the demolition company owner and more, who assured everyone that the whole process would be painless. How ironic then, that not one word was mentioned about the building’s aes- thetic merits, the atmosphere in which Shell scientists worked where they could take a break and look out over trees and enjoy the cool lake breezes . “any u my»... _ _- -__ Had this fa*cility beenhoused in an histon'c structure, you can bet special inter- est groups would have lobbied hard and successfully in saving that building. But industiial and commercial buildings aren’t ‘sexy’ for the aveiage citizen. .z' “WVRWW YRZWE """"" wwmwwmmmwmmm fill affegijjfiitfis \éontactnéa‘regarding Ford plan u“.- unu “in“ vv--_.----- There are some indusâ€"Eti'aihuiiaings that have been saved in this province but they are few and unless you go hunting for them, you’d never know of their exisâ€" tence. It’s a sad commentary on how the public judges architecture. wuuv. -. u .. u...â€" -v..___-_, Industrial buildings, by their very nature, aren’t usually as visible as their com- mercial brothers and they suffer because of that fact. The towers of Chicago built by the likes of Mies van der Rohe and others are classics and any attempt to rip them down would be opposed. But there is some hope. In Toronto, the landmark Tip Top Tailors building is getting new life and the Harbourfront development shows what can be done to existing industrial structures. After the demolition of the research centre site has been completed, the land will be seeded and tended until Shell can develop the prime 625 acres for hous- ing. In a year, most people will have forgotten the building, its architects and those who toiled there. In the 1990’s, nothing is forever, not even a 24 year old gem of industrial design. Most won’t mourn the loss but we do, not only for the building’s demise but for what it says about our society, aesthetics and the concept of permanence Dear Sir: Further to the letter in the Wednesday, Aug 17th edition, regarding the FordD Motor Company, which has had an operation in Oakville for more than 40 years. It is the largest industrial/commercial tax- payer and the largest single employ- er. Ford chose to meet with the Ward Councillors, democratically elected by the people of Ward 3, part of whom surround the Ford plant, to discuss their research and plans conâ€" cerning the consolidation of existing vents into one air quality tower along with the construction of a second tower for the paint plant under con- ‘f struction. :; But it soon could be if the federal lgovemment is serious about a trial Iballoon it has been floating to help ;the cash starved Canadian ' Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). The Councillors and staff involved suggested that the leaders of three Residents’ Associations be contacted. Ford immediately agreed and the consultation took place. The representatives were presented with (CAD) computerized drawings showing the simulated visibility of the tower from Maple Grove Shopping Centre and from other :locations. A full presentation on the technology, where it had been previ- Iously deployed, costs, benefits, etc. :resulted, followed by an open {response to questions. The issue of the Conservation Authority â€" properly raised with Ford - results, as I understand it, This comes in the shadow of the federal government’ 5 announcement last February that it was looking at ways to help the CBC become more financially independent. In a story revealed last week, the federal government is studying options from slapping a levy on theâ€" atre tickets to taxing video-cassette rentals, cable subscriptions, radios, TVs, and VCRs -â€" all in an effort to bolster CBC coffers. Excuse me, but when did hiking taxes become equated with helping a cash hungry crown corporation become more financially indepen- Lament for a building Dear Sir: Wait a minute! CBC? That’s not a EDITORIAL from the materials used as the sub- bed of a road. On finding there was a problem, Ford took immediate action. It was obviously not the intent of a multi-national corporation to cause a problem with a water- course. We do not live in a perfect world. There is always potential for prob- lems whenever residential and indus- trial operations are neighbors. The letter writer was aware of Ford’s existence before moving to this area Often, in other locations in our region and in other location in Ontario, friction exists with little co- operation from the industrial partner. Time to reconsider motives Dear Sir: Re: Burloak Plan Review The article published on the front page of your Aug. 14th issue is par- ticularly interesting. It clearly expresses the singularly selfiserving inter~ ests of the “special interest group” formed by some Rebecca Street resi- dents. A similar special interest group became involved in the pragmatic planning process in the 19705 and delayed timely constmction of appro» priate Twelve Mile Creek crossings. Today, our community is faced with a hopelessly over-capacity traffic situation on Lakeshore Road, not to mention a significant exposure with respect to emergency services. Perhaps, these people should reconsider their motives in this instance. _ A .‘._‘_A LL;- 1 Clllaya, xuvov vatllv uuvun. IVVVI‘Uhâ€"wu u.-.â€" ”n ._ _ It is unfortunate that our statutes are so structured as to permit the Minister’s involvement without recourse to the municipal jurisdiction. Harry Silversides dent? It’s like the government announc- ing that Burger King will receive a 25 oents levy on every other hamburger sold at every restaurant and fast food joint across the country, so that Burger King can become more “financially independent”. CALL845-5585 Neither the editorial, the media releases supplied by Ford, or the elected officials, wish to suggest that a perfect situation existed or was being created by this retrofit. Rather, that steps to improve an existing problem were being taken. Further, a dialogue had been established, and those steps were being explained to not only elected leaders, but leaders of neighborhood and Residents’ Associations. We live in a fast-changing world, where global situations, industrial, and trading practices have accelerat- ed time-lines necessary to seize opportunities. The elected officials of mnk‘ng is sampled on he condition ML he appl'mble mlarr‘rl'he ptblishe' reserves 1h The logic is so perverse as to be almost unbelievable. The reason that Burger King doesn’t need a tax-supported subsidy is because people voluntarily choose to buy their hamburgers â€" not unlike peopleD ooing to rent a video movie because Dthey can ’t stomch what’s on Got a gripe? Give us a call. Readers are invited to express their opinion on a topic of their choice by calling 845-5585, box 5250. All callers are allowed 45 sec- onds to express their opinion and must provide their name, address and phone number for verifiwtion. A cross section of the respons- es will be published in next Wednesday's Oakville Beaver. WEAK YOUR MINDJ The Oakville Beaver welcomes your comments. All letters must be signed and include the writer‘s address and phone number. Letters should be typed. double-spaced and addressed to: Letters to the Editor. The Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oekville, Ont. L6K 3S4 u OAKVILLE BEAVER: 1“ Oliver Publisher fifififlp‘fiwummém Robert Gin-hey Advertising Director Guardlan. Bunnnqmn Post. Colmwood . Bobboke Guardian. Gnomemwn , Norman Alexander Editor kasm MFMWPMmflM‘ Wefixmm wfim ‘67 fig'za‘azd'é’akv'mfl 334 mm 01mm 0W mwmmmwwméwm mm “a: Class-ified Advegigi'n : 84-5-2809 1"” 0”“ 0177” Manager ”W“ S-“"’°'°“°" “'"°" W Circulation: 845-9742gor 845-9743 Tim “1°“ "WWW" “may” mgqfipgunbmgrmfigmfimvmgmg-mm h :aeoepbdmhecmdhionhafinhemidalypogmph'edm,mm«m€menmmisingspaoeWbyhemm'lunxgewwhhamannanlmtouiwnmllmbodwgudlor.wmmdmmmvfllupfidwu amla,Theptblisherlesewesflpignbcatogorizeammamenisim, hmemento!Iypograd‘lcalam.Idvofl'singgoodsorservioesatIhewmngpicagoodsovsowiossmymbasoflkmswmofiumulmanyhow-twins. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER the Town of Oakville are working hard to manage the balance between environment and business, employ- ment, and economics, and sustain- able development. Sustainability, as the writer, who has a degree with an environmental focus, is aware, is not an either/or question, but a partner- ship and balance that must be suc- cessfully pursued. This Statement is not mine alone. It is one I have heard at the Oakville Canadian Club from Maurice Strong. The Honourable David Crombie of the Waterfront Regeneration Trust spoke to this theme at the Breakfast and I host in my capacity as the Mayor of the Town of Oakville. Attendees of these Breakfasts include a cross-section of people, on occasion the letter writer, as a previous member of Council and environmental consultant, has been present, thus hearing such submis- sions. I regret the tone in the letter and the closing statement that would indicate that the representatives of the public were not involved, when in fact considerable steps â€" far beyond any requirement - were taken to fulfill the willingly accepted obligation of a longâ€"standing corpo- rate citizen within our community. Ann Mulvale MAYOR TOWN OF OAKVILLE the CBC. But the very suggestion that the CBC’s expenditures be more reflec- tive of the revenues it generates from its programs sends the cultural elites into a frenzy. In the words of CBC, chairman Tony Manera, “revenues are not our mission, and must not drive the programming and schedul- ing of the network.” Then what does? Presumably, the mission of Manera and his colleagues is to proâ€" duce such high quality programming that it is incapable of attracting an audience. If enough people watched and listened to CBC programming, advertisers would pay for commercial air time at rates paid to successful pri- vate stations. Instead, taxpayers cough up $1â€"billion a year. \7earé ago, it could be argued that in the early 19303 a public broadcastâ€" er was necessary for national unity at a time when broadcast media was spotty at best But today, the CBC is but a flea amongst the hundreds of broadcasters worldwide with which it must compete. And frankly, it’s not doing a very good job. The CBC should be put out to pas- ture. Privatize it. First of all, we can’t afford to fund hospitals let alone TV and radio stations that few people pay any attention to. Secondly, people who enjoy the CBC will still have every opportunity to vote with their remote controls by tuning into its pro- grams Those who don’ t tune in will not be compelled by law to financial- ly support the preferences of a small minority. Finally, moving the CBC into the taxpaying private sector will make it a financial contributor to the public purse rather than a financial liability. Dear Sir: When we vote in the municipal elections this fall, remember that school trustees impact upon the most precious members of our commu- nities â€" our children and our seniors. The high cost of supporting admin- istrators in education, greatly affects the cost to seniors in their already too high property taxes, and is devastating to young families starting out because it raises the cost of new development through tax levies. The cost of educhhon on our municipal propefiy tax bill, received from the Town of Oakville, is close to a whopping 60%! In view of this, picking the tight trustee for the job should be the most important “X” we make on our ballot. As a very active member of ratepayer’s groups, several community small business groups, an active parent and grandparent, a busy com- munity volunteer, and a very concerned small business owner, I have come to realize that we spend far too little time researching the voting record of those that run for trustees in our community. The stakes are high for our children, our seniors, our property taxes, our business taxes, and the cost of new development in our community. So, why don’t we put more time into the ballot process than we do? Probably because we are all so busy trying to keep our jobs, pay our personal bills, meet ever increasing new tax demands, raise our children, fight for the preserva- tion of seniors rights, and protect what is left of our health plans. . v- ---_V... "0"“ .1 have been closelS/wnionitoring the educational systern for the last three years, and want to thank the following trustees for their dedication and service to our community. -.. n m These trustee have served us well in supporting Value for our Tax Dollar â€"- while never losing sight of the needs of our children. They have accomplished this while conscientiously maintaining a focus on quality delivery in education. These trustees made great strides in sup- porting taxpayers and parents rights to information, concerning the edu- cational system in Halton. They do this at great loss of family life, per- sonal time, and in many instances, in business development time. In my opinion, they perform this feat from within a system that frequently attempts to thwart their efforts. For this, I thank them publicly. - J, .I:_AA-J -__.:,... ....-...rw .v _..._- __-~ ,, , . _ For this reason, I wish to publicly thank, for their dedicated service to our communities, the following trustees: Linda Lane, Ward 6, Oakville; John Scheel, Ward 3, Oakville; Cheryl Reid, Ward 2, Oakville; Lynda Schreiber, Ward 1, Burlington; Diane Leblovic, Ward _ ,_ ‘1 1.-.! 7, Burlington; 4, Burlington. ’ LETTER OF THE DAYW â€" Trustees deserve support Paul Pagnuelo Ontario Taxpayers Federation The Oakvllle Beaver. pubished‘ Smday, Wanna mall; at £67 rs Rd. maisomonmmtmlam .Pubbflnga mm “gm suburban newspapers Mrldr mamas: Ajax-Flare News Advertiser. Berna ance. Brampton Guarulan. Burlington Post. Colngwood . Elobboke Guardian. Georgetown lndependerl/ Aaron FM Press. Kmton Tris Week. Undsay mu Week. Markham Econom‘st and Sun, mm“ mgn Camdlan cmrruon. Wm _ n-..m- (5...... Am. TM... m Ban], Ward 8, Burlington; and, Noel Cooper, Source: Metro Toromo Works Dept Saving our storm sewers One quart of oil ‘ " can cpntaminate over a miIlIon lines of water. 5 Lenover soapy wager {rpm washing ca? o_r cleaning paintbrushes must 99 down the household sink. 0 Pet droppings. garden and driveway swepplngs, and ashtray contents must gain the garbage. Hazardous waste down the drain ls an environmental :éno-no, but pourlng It down ,1 storm sewer ls even worse. Storm sewers run directly into rivers and lakes without 0 going to treatment 9 plants, Pollutants destroy aquatic ‘5 a0 life and spoil “'12“: ¢ waterways. Arleen Reinsborough by Catherine Fancy August 24, 1994 Caring for Our Water