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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, February 4, 2010 · 6 The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5571 Classified Advertising: 905-632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742 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. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Commentary Guest Columnist NEIL OLIVER Vice-President and Group Publisher, Metroland West 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 The Oakville Beaver is a division of Halton budget offers reprieve Gary Carr, Halton Region Chair n Dec. 16, 2009, Halton Regional Council approved the Region's 2010 Budget and Business Plan, delivering a 0.2 per cent tax reduction for regional programs and services and a combined water and wastewater rate freeze for Halton residents. Since my motion for a 2010 tax freeze in April, Regional Council and staff have worked diligently to ensure the 2010 budget is one that offers residents the financial relief they need. At the same time, it also works to enhance our community's core services and service levels. The 0.2 per cent tax reduction in the 2010 budget will not halt investment in the services and programs. You have told us these services and programs are important to you, including infrastructure (e.g. Regional roads and water and wastewater facilities), employment and social assistance programs, emergency preparedness, and public health. In two of the last four years, Halton has reduced its tax portion for Regional programs and services. Over the last four years, the combined tax increase for Regional programs and services has been less than half a per cent -- one of the lowest among municipalities in Canada. The budget, recently approved by Halton Region's council, will deliver to taxpayers, the second largest capital infrastructure investment program in the Region of Halton's 35-year history, with an investment of $394.7 million. This funding will be used to upgrade, expand and rehabilitate Halton's infrastructure. This funding includes $109.3 million for transportation, $252.8 million for water and wastewater, and $1.5 million for waste management. I would like to thank Regional Council and staff who showed tremendous commitment throughout the 2010 budget review process to deliver a 0.2 per cent tax reduction for Halton taxpayers to provide them with the relief they need in these uncertain economic times. To learn more about the 2010 Budget and Business Plan, visit www.halton.ca/2010budget. Gary Carr WEBSITE oakvillebeaver.com Media Group Ltd. RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: O United Way of Oakville NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER A GOOD MOVE: From left, Fern Hill students Matthew Lawson, Sean Adsett, J.J. Quondamatteo and Graham Murray face off in the semi-finals during Rotherglen's 11th annual Chess for Charity tournament. This year, the school decided to make the tournament a fundraiser and raised $1,300 to help build a school in Ecuador through Free the Children. Ten schools participated in the fundraiser including Fern Hill, Fairview Glen, Rotherglen Neyagawa, Rotherglen Erin Mills, Rotherglen Gooderham, MacLachlan College, West Wind and Glenburnie. Author bridged generational gap and created classic character T here is a general and generational reluctance for youth to latch on to things like the music of The Beatles (1960s) and the writings of J.D. Salinger (predominantly 1950s), simply because of the old(er) people who keep recommending them. Kids naturally think that if it's mom, or dad, or weird uncle Willard's cup of tea, then it surely can't be for them. However, it's been my experience that most youth eventually cross this generational divide. They hear an irresistible riff, a lick, or a lyric by the Beatles, or they are enticed by a catch-phrase gleaned from Salinger's work and they take the tumble. Head over heels. It's been that way with my three kids and many of their friends, too, proving that some treasures are truly timeless. Late last week, J.D. Salinger died. His death did not come as a shock; the famous recluse was 91. Still, his passing triggered an outpouring of emotion that echoed across mainstream media in adoring eulogies, and across cyberspace (on Facebook, Twitter, in blogs, etc.). Grief emanated from young and old alike, people united in their love of Salinger's writing and, specifically, in their connection with the author's most famous creation, the protagonist of The Catcher In The Rye, the iconic character of Holden Caulfield. In this age of information overload, remarkably little is known about J.D. Salinger. Arguably considered the most important -- and definitely one of the most influential -- authors since the Second World War, he died at his home in Cornish, N.H., where he had lived in bizarre, self-imposed seclusion for the past half-century. Andy Juniper Those who knew him -- or claimed to have known him; family, friends, lovers -- spoke over the years of a troubled soul who adhered to a monk-like routine and lived like a hermit, plagued by assorted mental and emotional problems, including battle fatigue (he was a Second World War vet). Many things written about him were unflattering. Many stories made a reader wonder whether he was a stable, functioning, at all likable human being. All stories (which, granted were few and far between) only enhanced the myth of a man who, in time, grew considerably larger than life. Similarly, recent biographies of another mythical man, Beatle John Lennon, describe a disturbed soul who oftentimes comes off as altogether unlikable. Lennon, too, had psychological problems. He had a penchant for pushing away people he loved and, at one time or another, it seems he cavalierly tossed almost everyone in his inner circle under the proverbial bus. And so, collectors of popular-culture treasures -- gems that bridge generational divides -- learn to separate man from myth, artist from mortal. We learn to simply treasure the art that made us feel less alienated. More connected. Less alone. When Lennon died -- shot by a man clutching a copy of The Catcher in the Rye to his chest, like a Bible ­ I found myself unable to speak. Words and emotions caught in my throat. I retreated to my apartment and listened to A Day In The Life. On repeat. And when I heard that J.D. Salinger had died, I retreated to my worn copy of The Catcher (the fourth or fifth copy I've owned over the years) and lost myself in the timeless words, wry wit and wisdom of young Holden Caulfield. RIP J.D. Andy Juniper can be visited at www.strangledeggs.com, contacted at ajjuniper@gmail.com, or followed at www.twitter.com/thesportjesters.