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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, July 23, 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 Voters have power Premier Dalton McGuinty has reversed his government's position on two controversial policies in recent weeks, an indication Ontario Liberals actually care about, and respond to, the concerns of taxpayers. While the Liberals' about-face is, no doubt, deeply rooted in political aspiration and vote-gathering, it also proves the power -- the real power -- is still in the hands of the people, where it belongs. In the face of massive concerns by consumers and merchants alike, the Liberals have, at least temporarily, withdrawn the ability of merchants to extract unregulated eco fees from consumers, a political hot potato that left taxpayers burning mad. True, it took the muscle-flexing of retail titan Canadian Tire and its step back from the program before McGuinty's gang really started to pay attention to the concerns of taxpayers, but they eventually listened. The same holds true of the Liberals' planned changes to the curriculum for students in Grades 1 through 8, originally slated for implementation this September. When parents, religious groups and other conservative organizations ramped up their opposition to the new curriculum -- in particular, sex education that could start as early as Grade 1 and include information on genitalia, masturbation and samesex couples -- McGuinty once again bowed to the wisdom of voters. All this is good news for C4CA supporters who are fighting the proposal to build a 900 megawatt gas-fueled power plant in close proximity of homes, schools and businesses in southeast Oakville. Like the Eco-tax and early childhood sex education, it doesn't take a genius to see the folly behind the Liberals' bad legislation. Unlike, the latter two, the power plant opponents are facing an uphill battle in convincing voters this is a province-wide issue. But there is still hope. Even the most arrogant of democratic governments needs the confidence and the votes of its constituents who, all too often, simply accept the decisions and the wisdom(?) of their elected officials. The lesson to take away? If taxpayers make enough noise, politicians have to listen: their jobs, and their future income, depend on it. 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 416-3401981.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 Young responds to Flynn's letter I have received numerous emails and calls regarding Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn's letter Harper a disgrace says Oakville MPP, Oakville Beaver, July 21. On first appearance it was to thank and congratulate our emergency services and police personnel for their hard work and professionalism during the G8 and G20 summits. These dedicated public servants certainly deserve our thanks. Regrettably, that letter was dominated by a nasty partisan attack on the Prime Minister of Canada, bizarrely blaming him personally for the violence that occurred at the G20, despite the fact that such violence occurs at every G20 conference worldwide. I quote Flynn: "Harper knew exactly what he was doing in attracting international violent protesters and anarchists to the normally peaceful streets of Toronto, all in the name of his personal vanity." Then Flynn indicated Premier McGuinty will not allow it to happen again "no matter what Stephen Harper wants." This defies logic, and the facts. Flynn's government was an eager supporter of the G20 back in November. His boss, Premier McGuinty was quoted in the Globe and Mail online Nov. 18: "For me, it's a great honour to be able to host the G20 and I am anxious to welcome them." Putting Toronto on the global map was "a great opportunity for us," he said. The Liberal government spent thousands of dollars on a promotional video, billboards, a website in nine languages and `on-site' activities for the summit. Does Flynn think that was all in the name of Premier McGuinty's personal vanity as well? In fact it was a unique opportunity to jointly promote Ontario and Canada for tourism and See Prime page 7 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. Oakville MPP should get own house in order While reading Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn's letter, Harper a disgrace says Oakville MPP, Oakville Beaver, July 21, I had to laugh at the absurdity of his content. The letter starts off with "All Canadians in the Greater Toronto Area." Is not Flynn the MPP for the Town of Oakville and should he not be more concerned with his own constituents concerns? I will admit there are negatives and positives for any city that hosts a G8/G20 gathering but, this appears to be nothing more than political grandstanding by an MPP whose own performance just lately for all of his constituents in Oakville has been inadequate. The Provincial Party that Flynn represents has bounced from one fiasco to another and has levied taxes, both seen and hidden, that will cost individual Ontario taxpayers far more than this summit has or will cost. I would strongly suggest Flynn get his own house in order before writing letters such as this. GORD MACKENZIE, OAKVILLE BY STEVE NEASE neasecartoons@gmail.com Pud