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Dear Sir: Please allow me to correct Jeff Gill, president of Planned Parenthood Ontario, who recently replied to letters from D.J. Dooley and M. Murray regarding abortion "rights" and mandatory sex classes for Kindergarten (and older) chilâ€" dren. ~_Gill argues that an abortion is just as legal (or illegal) as a tonsilâ€" lectomy. This is just plain wrong. mme there are no abortion laws in nada anymore, there are laws in place to facilitate the medical comâ€" munity in their profession to treat illness and disease: including tonâ€" sillitis. Carrying an unborn child is not an illness, nor a disease, and can hardly be compared to chroniâ€" cally infected tonsils. + ith many _ Progressive Conservatives pinning their hopes on leadership hopeful Kim Campbell, last week‘s ‘debate‘ must have been a major disapâ€" pointment. Anyone who watched the staged program, had to come away from the night bored to tears but also aware that Ms. Campbell certainly isn‘t the next best thing to sliced bread. More like chop suey on her performance. And one of the things that was quite disturbing about the event, was the nextâ€"day coverage of the event given by the national media. Most of it left those who watched the candidateâ€"exchanges and positions on the issues, wondering if they had were in the same auditorium. M'VI"He“E)\-"&whelming bulk of the coverage was concentrated on Campbell, and the other soâ€"called frontrunner, Jean Charest. ds 9. t But the problem in this particular forum was that neither Campbell nor Charest had dnything concrete to say. Neither of them detailed in any way, how they would specifically deal with the deficit or social service funding crunch. These ‘minor‘ matâ€" ters were left up to the likes of longâ€"shot candidates Garth Turner, Alberta MP Jim Edwards and Toronto area MP Patrick Boyer. In contrast, abortion is the only ELECTIVE medical procedure that Planned Parenthood feels should be directly state funded. This is an interesting bias from an organizaâ€" tion which claims to want to be the impartial champion bf "access to facts". While we acknowledge that candidates like Turner have nothing to lose by going on the offensive, it was a breath of fresh air to actually hear a politician produce a document with his particular views. That pragmatic approach by Turner, is the kind of thing voters were hoping to find in Campbell. They were left wanting. We were also left wondering why Boyer is the darling of the intellectual section of the PCs. He was particularly uninspiring. And while Edwards, already dubbed a Mike Wilson clone, was subdued, he espoused some policies that he thought would make a difference to the country. reat changes are taking place on and above our earth. The ozone level means t ultraviolet light readings are becoming as important to note as the temâ€" perature. And despite our efforts, the Great Lakes continue to be used as sewâ€" ers and dump-Jit&s by too many municipalities and industries. Our skies are becomâ€" ing clearer but there are continuing environmental problems over which we seem to have little control. We got some policies from Charest, who said he‘d change the income support system but in Campbell we got the standard waffle and platitudes that voters and taxâ€" payers, don‘t want to hear anymore. x f * The clearing of the rainforests, the use of environmental warfare by some counâ€" tries to attract industry, the seeming inability of nations to help one another on enviâ€" ronmental issues....the list is almost endless. For the average person, the problems appear overwhelming and insurmountable. But as we mark earth week and Earth Day tomorrow (April 22nd) let‘s strive to help out Mother Nature in our own way. Whether it‘s just composting or looking at the use of household chemicals, we can each make a little difference. And that, to us, is what Earth Day is all about. % NX ”'Car'npbell‘s handlers tried to do some damage control after the disastrous showing and on Monday, they had her releasing a series of plans she would pursue if elected party leader. § mea‘ Asokee ; ; Gill uses this "access to facts" rallying cry to avoid Murray‘s objection that the forcing of Kindergartenâ€"aged children to withâ€" stand mandatory sex classes is an infringement on parental rights to educate their children in the areas of faith and morals. The issue here is proper beliefs; and the final arbiter of beliefs should not ever be trusted to a state body (eg. the Third Reich). Besides sex educaâ€" tion, classes do not prevent teen pregnancies. Virtues do. Two decades of massive sex education spending in the USA has produced a false security for teens who deduce from the deluge of "facts" that its OK because everyone is _ These views came just two days before the next candidates‘ debate which takes place tonight in Montreal. If the going was tough in Toronto, it should really be interâ€" esting this evening where the perfectly bilingual Charest is assured of a good showâ€" ing. "doing it". This has resulted in "higher" per capita teen pregnanâ€" cies. Is this really effective educaâ€" tion? This is why simply arming people with bare facts (like how to build an Aâ€"bomb) while providing no Moral or Ethical framework for decisionâ€"making can produce catasâ€" trophic results. ‘Chilling‘ version of democracy not for him "~OPINION Gill tells us that the Abortion Services Task Force was formed because doctors have been harassed into reducing the overall availabiliâ€" cmmiteninananinbnnnnintineninnnmiemnsnstints EDITORIAL Feet of clay ty of abortion services. The Task Force‘s recommendation to issue blanket Injunctions against Proâ€" Lifers creates an interesting double standard: Residents‘ group says thankâ€"you Dear Sir: A big thanks to everyone who helped make the River Oaks Association Of Residents (R.O.A.H.) "first ever Easter Egg Hunt‘‘, held earlier this month at the River Oaks Recreation Centre such a roaring success. Many thanks for the contributions from our generous sponsors; Abbey Oaks News, Action Paper & Packaging Co. L1d., all wrapped up ... in Oakville, Hilroy (Division of Abitibiâ€"Price), Induâ€"Med, John C. Goudey Manufacturing Limited, Kerr Brothers Limited, Longo Brothers‘ Fruit Markets, McDonald‘s Restaurants of Canada, S.P.I. Advertising Specialties Limited, Tim Horton Donuts, Tootsie Roll of Canada and Twentieth Centuryâ€"Fox (Home Video). We would also like to thank all of the participants; Canadian Cancer Society, D.A.R.E. (Halton Regional Police), Oakville Humane Society, River Oaks College Park Community Consultation Committee and especially Clowns In Christ (St. John‘s United Church) and the 12th Oakville Pathfinders Council. The latter two groups showed just what the youth of today are made of and proved that a bright future definitely lies ahead for Oakville and its young people. R.O.A.R. also extends a thankâ€"you to McGruff, courtesy of Halton Regional Police Crime Prevention, R.O.Bear, courtesy of River Oaks Public School P.T.A. and of course the Easter Bunny. A special thanks to the counter parts of the above mentioned for their warm and friendly assistance in bringing all three characters to life! Thanks also go to our esteemed V.LP.‘s who judged the coloring contest and presented the prizes, Mayor Anne Mulvale, regional town councilior Liz Behrens, town councillor Sean Weir, public school board trustee Debbie Marklew and separate school board trustee Gerry O‘ Halloran. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the rest of R.O.A.R.‘s own board of directors and their various family members, who helped make the "first ever Easter Egg Hunt‘" a day to remember. They all deserve a special thankâ€"you for all their hard work. Finally a thankâ€"you to the approximately eight hundred (800) children who attended and the community at large who also deserves.a big pat on the back for their overwhelming turn out and very generous food donations on behalf of Oakville Fareshare Food Bank. A guestimated 3,000 pounds of foods were donated in lieu of admission. B PHONE CALL845â€"5585 * Susan Ramsayâ€"Roddick R.O.A.R.â€"V.P./Publicity Committee Chairperson n t SPEAK YOUR MIND Got a gripe? Give us a call. Readers are invited to express their opinion on a topic of their choice by calling 845â€"5585, box 5250. All callers are allowed 45 secâ€" onds to express their opinion and must provide their name, address and phone number for verification. A cross section of the responses will be published in next Wednesday‘s Oakville Beaver. Striking picketers can shut down the operations of a company while they are standing up for a better deal (possibly putting people in other, dependent companies, out of The Oakville Beaver welcomes your comments. All letters must be signed and include the writer‘s address and phone number. Letters should be typed, doubleâ€"spaced and addressed to: Letters to the Editor, The Oakvilie Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakvilie, Ont. L6K 384 467 Speers Road, Oakville, Ont. L6K Classified Advertising: 845â€"2809 Circulation: 845â€"9742 or 845â€"9743 845â€"3824 Fax: 845â€"3085 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER QVI work) while Christians cannot stand up for their beliefs by picketâ€" ing (or even praying) anywhere near an abortion clinic. In closing, 1 find Gill‘s version of democracy particularly chilling: the majority rules and we "cannot tolerate the notion that anyone‘s beliefs are superior to others". We have all seen what happens when political "leaders" govern by Opinion Poll (which is how Gill determines the majority in his letâ€" ter). Public policy becomes an ineffective, unfocused stew of iniâ€" tiatives designed to gain maximum approval in the Opinion Polls. No wonder we have so few true LEADERS in politics these days. True leaders stand for something ... they must BELIEVE in something and have the vision to see it through. If we follow Gill‘s version of Leaderless Democracy, we will be on the doorstep of anarchy where there is no such thing as a superior belief. When no one is tolâ€" erated to champion a cause as a superior belief, then we are in a totalitarian state and right and wrong become irrelevant and bothâ€" ersome notions. She‘s looking for a memorable laugh Please, Mr. Gill, stay away from my children. If as hoped, the result is a book with crossâ€"Canada‘ representation, correspondents whose letter conâ€" tent is included, will receive acknowledgement (unless they request otherwise). I look forward to mail from your area; anyone interested, please write me: Dear Sir: I am collecting essays or anecâ€" dotes from Canadian women which tell about the cireumstances surrounding their most memorable laughs. In order to record more about this enjoyable and fun aspect of female lives. I need to hear about a larger number of amusing to hilarious, personal laughter occasions. BEA Joyce Hibbert 867 Pembridge Crescent \Kingston, Ontario. K7M 6B5 384 VER | Brian Smith Ian Oliver Publisher Robert Glasbey Advertising Director Norman Alexander Editor e Geoff HiM Circulation .Director Teri Casas Office Manager Tim Coles Production Manager Dear Sir: On Jan. 21, 1993, we wrote the Mayor and Member of Council, requesting written answers to the following: â€"In 1984, the senior staff position carried a salary of $71,00). If this had been fully indexed by the Consumer Price Index â€" nost generous and unacceptable in industry â€" the highest step wiuld have reached $99,000 by 1992. However, the actual paid last tear was $110,400. Why has this job description been upâ€"grade¢ so markedly and how was this justified? â€"Upâ€"grading this senior position meant that all job descriptiyns for lesser positions would be revised upward. Staff salaries ind benefits are forecast at 56% in 1993, a drastic jump from unier 50% prior to 1980. Thus other essential spending is being crowded out, and basic services will have to be provided through tax increases. Why did Council not appreciate the impact of this upâ€" grading on the taxpayer? _ _On March 1, we wrote to the Mayor, and Councillor Flynnâ€" Chairman of the 1993 Budget Committee â€" focusing on tyo extraordinary items mentioned in his 1993 Final Budget Approval: â€""The increase in staff since 1984 can almost all be attribuled to opening new facilities such as three fire stations, etc. ..." This is not correct. Excluding the Fire Stations, Gallery, and Library, staff totaled 337 in 1984 and will be around 550 in 1993 â€" an increate of 63%. How do you relate this to the 42% population increase you quoted on page 197 Productivity, as measured by the populiâ€" tion to staff ratio, shows a disturbing decline from 167/1 in 1984 to 152/1 in 1992. How was this massive staff increase rational ized? 14 We have not received any answers, except three innocuous and procrastinating letters from the Mayor. Some of the first teerm â€"He outlined as a significant budget change between 1992 and 1993, the $1,490,000 required for Personnel Services and Benefits, which represents a 3.3% increase. If this item had been frozen at last year/s level, would not a negative mill rate have been achieved this year? How much is for Union and nonâ€"Union adjustments? Councillors are pushing fiscal restraint, and it is regrettable that the Mayor and Council have relinquished their accountability\to the taxpayer, and that staff salaries and numbers are out of contrdl} Kathleen and Peter Dooley Fiscal responsibility needel Basic data; Western Report LETTER OF THE DAY WEEKLY FOCUS The Oakville Beaver, published every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday, at 167 Srumu Ad,, Oaklle, is one ol the Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd. group of suburban newspapers which indludes: A'lx-PIck News Advartiser, Barrie Advance, Brampton Guardian, Burlington Ptsl, Collingwood Connaction, Etobicoke Quardian, Gao.mtown Indaper Acton Free Press, Kingsion This Week, Lundu‘r is Weok, Mar Economist and Sun, Stouttville/Jxbridge Tribune, Milton Canadian Chln::\ / Mlutulgn News, Newmarketâ€"Aurora Eraâ€"Banner, North York Mirror, Oakylle Beaver, Orllia Todu‘,‘ Oshawa/Whitby This Week, Peterborough This Wask, Richmond HII/Thornhil/Vaughan Liberal, Scarborough Mirror. | All material published in the Oakville Beaver is protected tz oopywmm reproduction in whole or in part of this material is strctly forbi Miwnngu News, Now Beaver, Orilia Todu‘,‘ 0 Richmond HI/T hornhill/\ All material published ir reproduction in whole or consant of the publisher. April 21, 1993 ZZ