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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, May 14, 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 Sex and taxes If Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty learned one thing in recent weeks, it's not to step on the toes of religious groups or that of parents. And if you do, performing an about-face and folding your hand of cards is the quickest and easiest manoeuvre to perform in order to avoid further backlash. An unknown amount of parents spoke up in protest after the McGuinty government announced major changes to the Ministry of Education's sexual education curriculum that was supposed to be phased into classrooms this September. What got under the skin of some was what their children in grades as low as Grade 1 were going to be taught about their own bodies and sexuality. For some, talking about such issues was just too premature, and thought, because of the sensitive subject matter, a later grade would be much better suited for students to learn about the birds and the bees. In just 54 hours, parents and religious organizations got exactly what they wanted from the McGuinty Liberals -- a complete abandonment and turn around on work that had been two years in the making. What's interesting about this whole tap dance is the fact that it took an unknown amount of people protesting and complaining about something in a 54-hour window in order for McGuinty to re-think what perhaps should have seen more discussion before being brought forward. Something else comes to mind that prompted perhaps an even greater outcry from the voting public, and has yet to cause the premier to do back flips quite as easily-- the Harmonized Sales Tax set to empty our pockets on July 1. If back flips can be performed with such ease, perhaps McGuinty should be listening to the majority of the screaming public on a far more regular basis. He has proved he can tap dance, but is he prepared to do it again? 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. Letter to the editor Skate park in wrong location Re: Neighbours not fans of skate park, Oakville Beaver, May 12 While the recent article was informative I believe it was lacking important explanatory facts. I believe skate boarding should be encouraged. Many of my formative years were spent skateboarding. The Town of Oakville recently constructed two identical skateboard facilities -- at West Oak Trails Park (WOTP) and Glenashton Park. Only the WOTP site is the subject of criticism from the surrounding community -- issues of noise and undesirable activity. In my opinion, these issues are occurring because of poor site selection. Specifically: · The WOTP site is half the distance from pre-existing homes (vs. Glenashton); · Activities at the WOTP site are not visible to passersby on the street thereby making it ideal for those seeking seclusion; · It is lit 24-hours because it was constructed alongside an existing walking path with lights. Public parks are known to attract bad behaviour. It was a mistake to install a skate park in a location with these characteristics (this point was made to the Town when it considered WOTP for a skate park), as they serve to unnecessarily magnify known problems. Homes near public parks must accept the good and bad that come with the territory. However, a skate park adds a significantly different type of noise to the surrounding community. Skateboards make loud, screeching, banging violent sounds. This noise is very distinct from the sport fields and playground sounds at the park and it is continuous day and night. It spills over into the community to a point where you can't enjoy your back yard, open a window and can even make sleeping difficult. The other issue is bad behaviour. See Pick page 14 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 e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. Flynn standing up for Oakville Re: Time to Speak Up, Oakville Beaver, May 12 Oakville MPP Flynn has been well-recognized in the media for standing up to the Ontario government in order to voice Oakville's concerns. On numerous issues, he's stood up to the Premier and has done a spectacular job fighting for our town. It is important for us to remember what Flynn has done for us. I ask the people of Oakville, "Would you so boldly stand up to some of the most powerful men and women in the province and say `No.'?" Certain people have this quality and a strong enough back-bone to do this and Flynn is one of those people. Flynn is a perfect fit for Oakville and does a spectacular job fighting for our concerns. It is very important for all of Oakville to See Political page 14 Pud BY STEVE NEASE neasecartoons@gmail.com