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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, May 5, 2010 · 6 OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5571 Classified Advertising: 632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742 --Open 9-5 weekdays, 5-7 for calls only Wed. to Friday, Closed weekends Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Canadian Circulation Audit Board Member THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America Canadian Community Newspapers Association ATHENA Award NEIL OLIVER Vice ­ President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The Oakville Beaver is a division of Media Group Ltd. DAVID HARVEY Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director SANDY PARE Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution SARAH MCSWEENEY Circ. Manager Excellent Care for All The Province has introduced the Excellent Care for All Act designed to make us all breathe a little easier when we are faced with having to enter hospital -- whether planned or due to an emergency. Apparently in Ontario we need a piece of legislation that will "foster a culture of continuous quality improvement where the needs of patients come first," according to the Province's website. Wow, it's a good thing the Province is working on this as we were under the misguided impression that the needs of patients were supposed to come first. Some corners of the health care sector are gushing over this proposed legislation. "We believe that this new proposed legislation will provide hospital boards, executives and health professionals with the clarity and tools they need to meet the public's increasing expectations regarding quality, patient safety and accountability," said Ontario Hospital Association Board Chair Dr. Kevin Smith. Don't get us wrong, we are all for better health care. However, we find it incredibly frustrating that we need yet another piece of legislation telling people they should be doing their jobs properly. The proposed legislation includes requirements such as: · Quality committees, which would report to the hospital board of directors on quality-related issues (the government's words, not ours). · Annual quality improvement plans where each hospital would be required to create and publicly post a plan. · Executive compensation that would be required to be linked to achieving improvements set out in the annual quality improvement plan. We like this idea, but why is it not in place right now -- like any other business? If your CEO is doing a good job, reward him or her, if not, find another one. · Patient relations process to address patient, client and caregiver relations. We need a `patient relations process'? Whatever happened to a hospital ombudsman or staff simply in charge of patient care? The list goes on. This newspaper has written much about the decline in health care in our community, from wait times to lack of beds to an overflowing ER to issues with long-term care to a lack of physicians. Our health care system has been on life support for years. It will take more than a piece of legislation called the Excellent Care for All Act to right this mess. However, we are sure the politicians like the name of it. 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 416-3401981. 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. Letter to the editor Transit system assures access for all Re: This is suburbia, we enjoy our cars, Oakville Beaver, April 30, Even if the majority of Oakville residents do prefer cars to public transit, there is still a substantial minority either unable to own or drive a car. The poor, new immigrants, the elderly, young people, people with disabilities, and yes, as hard as it may be to believe in Oakville, even people who voluntarily choose not to drive a car, all rely upon public transit. Governments do not exist only to look after the needs of the majority, but to ensure the needs of all citizens are met. This letter brings up a more serious issue of whether we should expect some sort of direct return to ourselves from our taxes. It is a selfish and socially destructive notion that we should only pay taxes for those services we directly benefit from. For example, we may not personally benefit from public funds to make public spaces wheelchair accessible, but we indirectly benefit from living in a society where all citizens can contribute to the community. The danger of withdrawing from taxes, a danger all too real in Canada after decades of tax cuts, is that it undermines the programs that promote social cohesion, ripping apart the very bonds that bring Canadians together. The only basis for a peaceful and productive society is a certain basic level of equality amongst all citizens, whether it be equal access to education, or health care, or, in this case, to mobility. Lastly, given that there is substantial concern about air quality in Oakville, and given the huge proportion of air pollution caused by vehicles, it only seems to make sense to try to encourage means of transportation that reduce emissions into the air we breathe. All the convenience in the world cannot make up for living in a toxic environment. JAMES EDE OAKVILLE FEDERAL NDP CANDIDATE Letters to the editor The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4, or via email to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. Status quo depends on cheap oil Re: `This is suburbia, we enjoy our cars,' Oakville Beaver, April 30. Like Sylvia Barreto, my family and I have been enjoying the freedom and convenience of being a multi-car household in Oakville. Public transit, as it exists, does not meet our needs and the thought of being forced to take the bus to work and shopping is not appealing. (Disclaimer: I work in the auto industry.) Still, one must take issue with her point of view that our present behaviour will not change, so the transit lobby should stop trying. This statement gets to the heart of our relationship with the world around us and the heart of our perception of reality. The status quo in Oakville, by world standards, is so comfortable that it is easy to ignore the fact that history shows there have been countless examples of behaviour changes being thrust upon people against their will by forces much larger than us. Wars, volcanoes, climate changes etc. make a mockery of puny humans' attempts to keep things just the way we like them. As just one example, if you haven't heard of Peak Oil, you owe it to yourself to learn about it even if you decide not to believe in it. The two main problems with continuing urban sprawl ad infinitum, as Sylvia Barreto suggests, are first that it gobbles up our best farmland at a ferocious rate, and second that the only thing that makes it sustainable is a continuing supply of cheap oil. If we ignore the recommendations of, for example, the Sewell Report, and make little to no effort to create "walkable communities," the next spike in oil prices that lasts longer than a few weeks will bring our comfortable way of life to a grinding, miserable halt. When the next major war starts and gasoline is $12 a litre or is unavailable, it will be too late to rebuild cities designed to function only when gas is $1 a litre. Let's continue to enjoy this wonderful town, while guiding future growth and transportation toward more responsible and thrifty use of our natural resources. ADRIAN RATELLE, OAKVILLE