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6 - The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday January 17, 2009 www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver NEIL OLIVER Vice-president and Group Publisher, Metroland West DAVID HARVEY General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director Metroland Media Group Ltd. includes: Ajax/Pickering News Advertiser, Alliston Herald/Courier, Arthur Enterprise News, Barrie Advance, Caledon Enterprise, Brampton Guardian, Burlington Post, Burlington Shopping News, City Parent, Collingwood/Wasaga Connection, East York Mirror, Erin Advocate/Country Routes, Etobicoke Guardian, Flamborough Review, Georgetown Independent/Acton Free Press, Harriston Review, Huronia Business Times, Lindsay This Week, Markham Economist & Sun, Midland/Penetanguishine Mirror, Milton Canadian Champion, Milton Shopping Commentary 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 905-632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742 The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council.The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206,Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate.The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Guest Columnist SANDY PARE Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution SARAH MCSWEENEY Circ. Manager WEBSITE oakvillebeaver.com Planning strong future together Kevin Flynn, Oakville MPP or many of us, the end of the year and the holiday season is a time for reflection -- a time to look back on Kevin Flynn what has been accomplished and ahead to 2009. Currently, at home and across the globe, people are filled with uncertainty. While we cannot change all that is happening around the world, there are important steps we can take to help our families at home. As a government, we are working hard to ensure all people have access to the things they need to find opportunity -- by investing in schools and training, building roads, rail, bridges and highways, investing in research and innovation, phasing in cuts to business taxes, and supporting our auto sector. Ford Motor Company of Canada is Oakville's largest employer. Throughout Ontario, nearly 400,000 families rely on the auto sector, and we're not going to give up and walk away from those families. They are our friends, our neighbours and fellow Ontarians. To strengthen our economy, we've been investing in high skills jobs through our Next Generation of Jobs fund, to retain and create high-value employment for Ontarians. We've invested in manufacturing jobs through our Advanced Manufacturing Investment Strategy. We've netted more than $600 million in contracts for Ontario through our successful trade mission to China. We signed a $6.2-billion infrastructure agreement with the federal government, and invested an additional $1.1 billion to improve municipal infrastructure, roads and bridges, expand public transit and other municipal projects. Through this announcement Oakville received $7.4 million and Halton Region received $22 million to move ahead with their infrastructure priorities without municipal tax increases. Last year saw expansion in the Second Career program to help more laid-off workers get skills training for high-demand jobs in their communities. To further stimulate the Ontario economy, we've created a 10-year Ontario income tax exemption for new corporations that commercialize intellectual properties developed by Canadian universities, colleges and research institutions. This progressive move by the Government of Ontario is the first such exemption of its kind in North America. But we also recognize in order to get through these uncertain economic times, we must continue to invest in the services that we all depend on. In 2009, the McGuinty government will continue strengthening the economy by investing in people. Which is why, for example, we recently unveiled our plan to reduce child poverty by 25 percent over five years. Ontario needs each and every citizen at their full potential in these economic times. We are going to be there for all Ontarians by investing in jobs, infrastructure and our municipalities. We are going to be there through investments in clean energy and by protecting our natural environment. We are going to be there by improving our health care, justice and education systems. These kinds of investments are essential to our prosperity. Together, we need to build on our greatest strength: our people because the true strength of Ontario is not the stuff we make -- it is the stuff we're made of. Together, our people can overcome any challenge, seize any opportunity, and build a future that not only equals our past, but surpasses it. While we may be currently living in challenging times, I am confident we will come through it even stronger, thanks to the indomitable spirit of the people of Oakville and Ontario. News, Mississauga Business Times, Mississauga News, Napanee Guide, Newmarket/Aurora Era-Banner, Northumberland News, North York Mirror, Oakville Beaver, Oakville Shopping News, Oldtimers Hockey News, Orillia Today, Oshawa/Whitby/Clarington Port Perry This Week, Owen Sound Tribune, Palmerston Observer, Peterborough This Week, Picton County Guide, Richmond Hill/Thornhill/Vaughan Liberal, Scarborough Mirror, Stouffville/Uxbridge Tribune, Forever Young, City of York Guardian RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America F THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: United Way of Oakville TV AUCTION BEAVER TRAILS TO QUEBEC: At back, Nathan Rougier, 6, his sister Elise, 8, holding The Oakville Beaver, and their cousin Isabelle Barker, 4 when the Oakville children and their parents visited their Aunt Cheryl who is presently working as an Anglican priest in the Isle de la Madeleine. Take along a copy of The Oakville Beaver on your next vacation and send it in for publication to Beaver Trails, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4 or e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. A new calendar for men, from Manuary to Novembeard B efitting an 18-year-old male, my son answered my question with a question. When asked what was up with his sudden amassing of facial foliage -- had he misplaced his razor, was he out of shaving cream? -- he asked me what month it was. When I impatiently stated the obvious -- January -- he corrected me. "No," he said, pedantically. "It's Manuary." The month, apparently, where men commune with their inner, primal man, shed all things girly and celebrate being men. Manly men. Naturally, I thought Manuary was a helluva idea (Editor's Note: occasional manly cuss words like "helluva" are acceptable during Manuary, even in a family publication). So, I asked my wife if it would be okay if I participated in marking the month of Manuary. Okay, that was a joke. I didn't ask my wife anything. I'm a man, damn it! I do what I want, when I want, how I want, if I want, so long as it doesn't affect me being there for her should she need a foot rub, a wine bottle uncorked, or her bubble bath drawn. Again, that was a joke. Seriously, though: I think men deserve a month to celebrate men. Why? Because women have taken over the world. Everything in society has gone girly. Men are now expected to read chick-lit, watch chick-flicks, groom themselves like girls -- hell, even back hair is out of fashion! -- and act more feminine than ever before. Honestly, a buddy of mine couldn't come out to play because he was going bra shopping with his wife. I told him to give me a call once he'd located her bra and his manhood, I mean really! Suffice to say, I retired my razor and dove into the deep end of Manuary. I ate Andy Juniper beef for breakfast, barbecued in a pit I'd dug in the middle of the family room. I ate without utensils. I used my shirt for a bib and my sleeve for a napkin. I burped when the need arose and sometimes just for fun. Once I burped the alphabet, just to prove I still could (turns out, it's like riding a bike: you never forget). When the time came to do our weekly housecleaning, I took a manly pass. I put a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey on the hound and took him outside to play road hockey. Naturally, we got into a fight during which I pulled his sweater up over his head and gave him the business while an imaginary crowd cheered. Talk about manly. Every night in Manuary I watched hockey on TV. In my under- wear. While drinking crazy amounts of beer. One night, my wife begged me to make love. Or shave. Or shower. I'm not sure which, cause I was kind of plastered, but never mind. Another night, desperate to get me off the couch and out of the house, she suggested a movie. Only the movie she suggested was a chick-flick. I reminded her this is Manuary, then advised, manfully, we were going to see The Wrestler. A man's movie about, well, wrestling. Trouble was, this remarkable film is flawed: it's filmed by handheld camera, seemingly by a tremulous drunk, on Rollerblades. Within minutes I was light-headed, nauseous, and crying for my mommy. Apparently, not very manly, or so my wife noted. After the movie I went home, dried my eyes, shaved, showered, then curled up on the couch to watch Gilmore Girls. At some point my hirsute son entered the room, scratching his patchy beard. I told him, for me, Manuary was officially over. And I said I was thankful that it only came once a year. "Twice a year," he corrected. "Do you not know what month precedes December? Novembeard." Arghhh! -- Andy Juniper can be visited at his Web site, www.strangledeggs.com, or contacted at ajjuniper@gmail.com.