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A 6 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday, Septem ber 29, 2004 E D IT O R IA L SA N DU T T E R S TUI! OAKVILLE BEAVER 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax; 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-3824, ext. 224 Circulation: 845-9742 Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver Is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. IA NO LIV ER Publisher TERI CASAS Office Manager N EIL O LIV ERAssociate Publisher M A N U EL G A RCIA Production Manager JILL D A V IS Editor in Chief R IZIER OV E R T O L L I Photography Director R O D JERRED Managing Editor A LL Director of Distribution K E L L YM O N TA G U E Advertising Director CHARLENE H A LEX A N D RIA CA LHOUN Circulation Manager D A N IEL BA IRD Advertising Manager THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL M EDIA SPONSOR FOR: ^ I oakville galleries | | ............... 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O o fc M to O rtv rte S to cp o gN em O W O m a ra H o c fc rj M e w i O rtta lo d e * . 0*w m fm s> (;Q ainrmfcrt P u n yT r«W e e k .O w a n S o u n dT rtn re P a * i* n tc nO tter* *P uttrtooj^ T h u A wP irto nO xx* iU to e.Itcm ndrm 'T h o n ir* V * ig r» t icen tf S c a rto ro u g hM m * .S to u iN * * U » tn d je T rtin e F o rm e r'topg0*o f* * *G u rd an Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association a Canadian Community Newspapers Association J j Halton Healthcare OA KV I L L E .LCOMK^t rA G C ) N t T i * l»V> o N T A e I o i TV AUCTION SK Suburban Newspapers of America A TM fe ^ a Y TM C A M ra r m gr O A K V tl.lt Fugitive should be sent home O nce ag ain , C an ad a is being p lay ed fo r a fool in the case o f an in te rn a tional outcast seek in g refu g e in o u r country. T his tim e it's co nvicted d eath -sq u ad lead er A nibal d o s S an to s w h o is try ing to w ork o u r system in o rd e r to esc a p e serv in g a lengthy p riso n sentence in his native M ozam b iq u e. W hat crim e did he co m m it? He only led a hit squad that m u rd ered a lead in g in vestigative jo u rn a list in that country. He then broke o u t o f the h ig h -secu rity prison w here he w as supposed to be held for the next 28 years. A fter gain in g his freed o m - as a fugitive - he h ead ed fo r T oronto, w here he w as arrested at P earson Intern atio n al A irport. In a d e sp erate attem p t to stay here, he has rep o rted ly filed fo r refu g ee statu s on the basis that he w as w rongfully co n v icted o f his crim e. U nderstan d ab ly , C a n ad ian s w ith fam ilial ties to M o zam b iq u e are o u t raged at w hat they see as a trav esty o f ju stic e . P erhaps it's tim e m ore C a n ad ian s felt likew ise. For all the praise o u r co u n try receives in tern atio n ally fo r its hu m an itarian approach to w orld issues, w e a lso seem to be an easy target fo r in te rn a tio n al terrorists, m u rd erers and o th e r un d esirab les. D os Santos' case isn't the first, n o r is it likely to be the last tim e C an ad a's soft-sided national secu rity p o licies have been ex p o sed fo r all to see. It w as ju s t last sprin g that the K h a d r fam ily m ade a m o ckery o f o u r nation's em b arrassin g ly easy re-en try p rocess. A fam ily w hose m em b ers w ere su sp ected in e m b a ssy b o m b in g s, boasted about ties to al Q aed a, w ere linked to O sam a bin L aden and w h o se m atri arch believes A m erican s d eserv ed w hat they g o t on 9 /1 1 , w as w elcom ed back w ith o pen arm s d esp ite th e ir ex trem ist view s and co n n e ctio n to m assm urdering terro rist factio n s. C an ad ian c itiz e n sh ip - d o n 't get ca u g h t te rro r izing abro ad w ith o u t it. We said back then th at C a n a d a 's perceived inaction only stre n g th en s o u r nation's reputation am o n g ex trem ists as an e asy co u n try to enter, and rem ain. D os S an to s b ein g p resen t on C an ad ian soil is p ro o f o f that. W hile he rem ain s u n d er arrest in C an ad a, th ere's little d o ubt that he's en jo y in g a m ore c o m fo rta b le stay then th e o u tlo o k he faced in his h o m e land. N H LP L A Y E R S A R EN O TG R E E D Y / T H Esms N O TB L U E , v T H E R M Q R E , / I L) GRASS IS NOT GREEN, AND THE POPE IS N O T C A T H O L IC ! LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Setting the record straight on mayor's campaign expenses Re: Letter from Glen Ritchie and response from Mayor Ann M ulvale ( The Oakville Beaver, Wed. Sept. 15) Mr. Ritchie's remarks require a response and a setting straight of the facts. On the night of the municipal election on Nov. 10. 2003. Mayor Ann Mulvale was declared the Mayor by a margin of 15 votes over her two challengers, Rob Burton and Richard Serra. The Town Council had the authority under the Municipal Elections Act, within thirty days after the election, to require that its Clerk hold a recount, to be conducted in the same manner as the original election count, in this case, by the tabulation of the votes cast using the electronic vote counting equipment used on election night. Neither of the challengers, Mr. Burton or Mr. Serra. requested Town Council to do so. Mr. Burton and his legal counsel attended the Town Council meetings at which the election was discussed and did not make any request of Town Council. Instead. Mr. Burton commenced a legal action pursuant to the recount and controvert ed election provisions of the Municipal Act seeking a variety of forms of relief, including recount. Mr. Burton named the Town of Oakville, its Clerk Cathie Best. Ann Mulvale and Richard Serra as Respondents in his court application. The Town and Cathie Best engaged outside legal counsel to defend the application on their behalf. Mr. Serra did not respond. As the application went to the heart of the electoral process and could have affected the Pit bulls are dangerous Re: Punish owners, not dogs - Sept. 10 editorial. I couldn't disagree more with your Sept. 10 editorial. Attorney General Michael Bryant should impose an Ontario-wide ban on pit bull terriers, and I would strongly support such a ban. My small dog and I were terrorized in our central Oakville neighbourhood two summers ago by two pit bull terriers. We man aged to escape unharmed physically, but the same pit bull terrier who attacked my dog, went on to attack again within a year, criti cally wounding a much larger dog, who required extensive, emer gency surgery to address life threatening injuries. I'd like to describe what happened to my dog and I. in our downtown Oakville neighbourhood, in the context of your editori al. On an evening walk with my dog, we passed by an apartment building when a man emerged from the building with two stan dard-sized pit bull terriers. Suddenly, one of the pit bulls raced at full speed towards us, with teeth bared, clearly in attack mode. My leashed dog screamed, jumping backwards, and in that sudden movement, accidentally slipped his collar over his head. I tried to scoop him up in my arms but he ran for his life, with the pit bull easily gaining on him. Scrambling after them, without regard for my own safety. I tried to grab the pit bull's collar from behind while fully expecting to see my dog killed: somehow, he managed to wriggle free as the larger dog's jaws came down upon his back and neck, and ran towards the road where I feared he would run out into traffic and be killed nonetheless. The pit bull owner stood by. struggling to restrain the other leashed pit bull, which was snarling and ready to join the attack. Somehow, the pit bull owner, yelling, managed to get his dog under voice control. In those few seconds, I was able to scoop my dog's trembling body up into my shaking aims. The pit bull owner apologized to me. I held up my hand to him in a "stop" signal. I could not speak and simply could not accept an apology after he had emerged from that building without hav ing his dog in firm control. At home. I called the police and the animal control department of the Town to report die attack. As neither one of us had been physically harmed, there were no grounds in the Town's or police view, to sanction the dog owner, or even to caution him. Nonetheless, I warned many of my neighbours, and discovered that several families with young children were avoiding the neigh bourhood park, out of fear of these dogs. Several months later, a couple was walking their larger dog in that same neighborhood park, when one of those two pit bull ter riers attacked their dog, causing life threatening injuries. The pit bull was on leash and escaped control of its owner. I have heard that the pit bull has now been put down, but its sibling still remains. Two years later, I remain vigilandy aware of other dogs as I continue to walk my dog in my neighbourhood. I try to enjoy our walk, while watching to see if the dog approaching us is leashed and under control of its owner. I often cross the road to the other side, rather than pass close to a dog and owner who I don't know. Pit bulls have been bred for aggressiveness. While this may be the act of irresponsible breeders, that doesn't change the outcome for the breed. Even in the hands of a "good" owner, is it worth risk ing violent injury and trauma to allow this breed? What good does it really do to fine or jail the "bad" owner, after a child or a much loved pet has been mauled or killed? The day my dog and I were attacked by a pit bull in our neigh bourhood. I was robbed of something precious: the ability to walk my dog around the block without concern that iny dog or I might be injured in the course of this very normal activity. That feels like punishment to me, all in the name of not infringing someone else's right to responsibly own a certain type of dog. I challenge you to publish the same editorial you ran on Sept. 10th. on the day you have to report that a child in our com munity has been killed or mauled by a pit bull terrier. BARBARA WALKER-RENSHAW result of the election. Ann and her campaign team considered that it was necessary that she become involved in the legal action. It is important to note that in Mr. Burton's applica tion, there were absolutely no allegations of any kind against Mayor Mulvale or her con duct of the election campaign. His. allegations all related to the electoral process and. in par ticular. alleged irregularities with respect to the electronic vote tabulating equipment. After various stages in the litigation had been con cluded. at each stage of which it was necessary that Mayor Mulvale be represented by legal counsel, Mr. Burton and his legal team agreed to a modified form of what would have hap pened if he had so requested Town Council and/or if Town Council had so ordered: a recount of the votes cast on election day. On February 27. 2004, Mr. Justice David Corbett ordered that the Town Clerk conduct the recount o f the votes cast for M ayor on November 10. 2003, and that such recount would be conducted in the same manner as the original count, that is. using the electronic vote tabulators that had been used on election day. Any subsequent court application would be restricted to any disputed ballots arising from the recount. The recount took place on March 8th through 10th. 2004, and Mayor Mulvale was declared again to be the winner o f the election, this time by twenty-eight votes. As a result, the litigation and the recount process then ended. The decision to engage legal counsel for the Mayor - the Toronto firm of Gowlings which has considerable experience in dealing with Father grateful to alert motorist On Monday, September 20, at about 7 p.m., my five-year-old daughter was riding her scooter southbound on the sidewalk on the west side of Watson Avenue in Oakville. Just as a dark Jeep Grand Cherokee going in the same direction was about to drive past her, she veered onto the street and in front of the Jeep. As I screamed at her to stop the driver man aged to swerve and avoid hitting her. I didn't get a chance to say anything at the time, but I am writing to thank the driver for being so alert and avoiding a potentially terri ble accident and possible tragedy. Thank you. C R A IG A U W A ER T ER controverted election applications - was nec essary to protect the Mayor's position and the integrity of the process due to her being named as a Respondent in the litigation. The result, of course, was the payment o f legal fees to Gowlings in the approximate amount o f $85,000. It should create a chill in the heart of any one interested in seeking public office that he or she might become a party to litigation aris ing from the process, even though that person did absolutely nothing to bring the litigation onto herself. In order to protect the office that the person had sought, that person is then required to engage in the expense of litigation, a process in which many people feel that the main beneficiaries arc the lawyers involved. That is the position that Mayor Mulvale found herself in. As a result, it was necessary for her cam paign team to apply to the Town to extend her campaign period in order that she could deal with these expenses and the necessary fundraising to offset them, and her campaign period has been extended to December 31, 2004 to accomplish that purpose. All neces sary interim statements have been filed on her behalf. Many o f her friends and supporters have rallied around to help with her expenses, but there remains almost $40,000 still owing for her legal costs. A candidate for elected office should not have to bear such expenses, especially when, as occurred here, the recount process contemplated by the Municipal Act could have been used and. as it turns out when it was used, resulted in the same outcome. The people who have worked with Ann on her election campaign team (including those who have done so every time the bell rings and who work tirelessly for her) have done so because they consider that she is and has been an excellent Mayor for Oakville. She should not have been subject to this process or this expense. JARVIS SH E R ID A N VO LU NTEER LEG AL C O U N SEL TO TH E AN N MULVALE C AM PAIG N Pud Hon, w a ke u p , I hear him CRYING/ By STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.ci M A Y B E HE THIRD TIME1 JUST W A N TS ToU&HT/ To be Picked UP A M O THIS ISTHE i FoReor' WHAT ITS LIKE TO CUDDLED. .T H E. HOUSE. H A V E .A BABY IN The Oakville Beaver is a member ol the Ontario Press Coundl. The coundl Is looted at 80 Gould S t. Suite 206, Toronto, Out, M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. 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