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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, June 13, 2012 · 6 Opinion & Letters 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 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 OakvilleBeaver is a division of David Harvey Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief Daniel Baird Advertising Director ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor Riziero Vertolli Photography Director Sandy Pare Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production Manuel garcia Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution KIM MOSSMAN Circ. Manager Keep pets safe It happens every spring or summer -- a moment of utter stupidity (or insensitivity) that leads to the death of a dog. This year the victim was a chocolate Labrador-Weimaraner mix, left alone in a car in sweltering heat Sunday while its owners allegedly spent hours in a shopping mall. The poor canine suffered a horrible death as the 32C temperature outside the vehicle soared inside. By the time passersby noticed the animal at the Vaughan Mills shopping centre and notified emergency personnel it was too late. The dog's owners, Matthieu Arbour, 21, and Angele Lazurko, 20, of Val Caron, Ont., are charged with causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and will appear in court on July 10. If that wasn't bad enough, the owner of a Chihuahua was charged after her dog was left in a hot car Monday at Sherway Gardens. A passerby called police after spotting the dog in an unattended Toyota SUV. Rescue crews used a "slim jim" to pry open the car door and retrieve the frightened pup hiding under the front seat. The dog had been in the car for about an hour when crews arrived. The Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) says a dog's normal body temperature is about 39C and that dogs can only stand being 41C for a short time before irreparable brain damage or death occurs. Leaving a window open does little to help an animal in a hot car. The only way to ensure its safety is to leave the dog at home. It is mind-boggling that some pet owners still need a reminder that hot weather poses hazards to pets, just the same as it does to humans. For the sake of all involved, if you have a pet make sure it is protected from the heat. Letter to the editor Heroic MPs sought to oppose bill Open letter to Oakville MP Terence Young, filed with The Oakville Beaver I would like to thank you for your much appreciated voice on Parliament Hill to get life saving anti-retroviral drugs to victims of HIV/AIDS in Africa. Although we have not yet succeeded, you were one of the Conservative MPs who always made it clear to your government you would continue to support this effort. We need your voice now, more than ever, to express our grave concerns about the Omnibus Budget Bill C-38, which will likely be voted on tomorrow (June 14). As you know, the Act bundles many initiatives into one omnibus bill, which include, but are not limited to, changes in: Immigration, Environment, Natural Resources, National Policing, Food Safety, Culture, Health Care spending... and the list goes on. This serves to make the proposed legislation unwieldy, all-encompassing and resistant to a thorough analysis by opposition parties, citizens and non-Cabinet members of the Conservative Party of Canada. With respect, this bill must be divided into smaller, more manageable pieces to allow sufficient time for analysis, debate and compromise, prior to being passed. Canada is a nation of distinct regions and traditions, bound by one uniting value. We, as Canadians, cherish our human rights, our social conscience, our environmental responsibility and our status as peacekeepers on the world stage. We believe in a society that See Appealing page 7 Democracy is a complex issue Re: Letter was misleading: reader, Friday, June 8, 2012, The Oakville Beaver Ms. Barreto has taken Ms. Sandford to task for her `definition of democracy', which is rather ironic. According to Ms. Barreto, Canada is a democracy on the sole basis of holding regular elections. By that criterion, the Soviet Union and all the East Bloc countries of Europe were democracies as they, too, held regular elections. The criteria for determining democracy are far more complicated. Her view is sadly quite common among our citizens who lack understanding of what should be the democratic process in this country. It is hardly democratic when a party with 39 per cent of the popular vote can form a majority government and then ram through legislation in the form of an omnibus bill containing all sorts of policies, which were not in their election platform and which go against the wishes of the majority of citizens. Democracy in this country really is facing a crisis the likes of which it has not faced before. George Brett, Oakville 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. Fear of designation is unfounded Re: Small business is heart of downtown, Thursday, June 7, 2012, The Oakville Beaver While I agree entirely with Ms. Rinella that small business is the heart of downtown, I believe that much of the hype and fear-mongering in opposition to designation is entirely baseless. The first meeting in November to announce the designation of our downtown was hijacked by a number of the loud, the powerful and the self-important; so much so that those of us in favour of See Designation page 7 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. 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