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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, July 28, 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 Be water wise, stay safe With the Civic holiday weekend approaching, drowning deaths hitting record numbers on the West coast and tragedy barely averted for an Oakville nurse in neighbouring Burlington, we hope it will all sound a warning to everyone. Please approach creeks, rivers and streams with extreme caution -- or steer clear of them altogether -- after any significant rainfall. And use your best water safety when you, your friends or loved ones are swimming, boating, fishing or taking part in any other water activities. Eight-year-old Leif Gorrie, his teenage stepsister Abbie Ramsay and their mother Nicky Ramsay, are lucky to be alive after Leif fell into a raging Tuck Creek last Saturday in Burlington. The family lives in Burlington. Ramsay is a nurse at Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH). Abbie jumped in after her brother, while their mom quickly joined after being alerted to the dire situation by a third child, Bailey, 11. While the siblings separately managed to grab hold of some shoreline brush and pull themselves to safety, their mom was swept more than a mile downstream before Halton police rescued her. While the family is none the worse for wear, the story could have been a triple tragedy. Neighbours estimated the normally calm creek typically flows about 10 centimetres deep and two metres wide, but had swollen to 1.5 metres deep and eight metres wide following a series of heavy downpours. "Parents need to `creekwise' their children," said Staff Sgt. Dan Gheller of Halton police. The weekend's near tragedy did not come without fair warning. On Friday afternoon, Conservation Halton (CH) issued a flood advisory, noting that up to 70 millimetres of rain had already fallen in northern parts of Halton's watershed, with more expected. The advisory was posted on Metroland's Halton newspaper websites at www.insidehalton.com. Hopefully this family's terrifying brush with floodwater dangers will convince others to simply stay away the next time Mother Nature causes creeks to rise and to use their best water safety rules when anywhere near water. 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. Letter to the editor Mystery hails from England My name is Jeannette Rutter (nee Phillips) from Cornwall, England. I'm hoping your readers can help me to solve a mystery. In 2004 there was a charity auction for a local community group in Oakville. Donated to the auction was a portrait of a Master Mariner John Grenfell Phillips, St. Ives (1846-1885). The portrait drew a lot of interest from local art dealers and was purchased by a Mr. Bill Merry of Oakville. This portrait is of a very close relative of mine. He was born here in St. Ives, Cornwall, where I was also born. All his family members came from St. Ives, Cornwall and we are at a loss to understand how his portrait ended up in Canada. I have contacted Mr. Bill Merry and he can give me no more information. Would you be so kind as to put a notice in your newspaper requesting any information of the person who donated the portrait to the auction or anyone with any knowledge of any kind that will enable the family here in Cornwall to solve this mystery. Thanking you and hoping that you can help us. I can be reached at Mrs. Jeannette Rutter, Shireen, 5, Ventonleague Hill, Hayle, Cornwall, England. TR27 4EH. My e-mail is jnettrutter@btinternet.com. JEAN RUTTER, ENGLAND 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 email to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. Glen Abbey is alive with wildlife Bonnie Humphrey of southeast Oakville is asking where have all the chipmunks and squirrels gone. I have a short answer for her -- Glen Abbey. I have lived in this townhouse, which backs onto parkland for nine years. I did not see chipmunks for the first seven years. Squirrels, yes, but only in the back garden. Two years ago the chipmunks moved in, and I see them daily at the front of the house and running over the patio at the back. Not a problem, though. Squirrels apparently seem to have multiplied in the last two years and, perhaps due to overcrowding in the trees in the park at the rear, have been building nests in the trees at the front of the house near the street. You miss them Bonnie? Feel free to come and adopt a few and relieve the overcrowding here. I won't object if you take a few rabbits too (or all of them for the sake of my vegetable garden.) P.S. May I come and get a fox? LYNDA HUNTER, OAKVILLE All taxpayers deserve a break on hospital costs In the July 16 Oakville Beaver, Halton Region Chair Gary Carr is looking for the Province's help to fund expansion to Joseph Brant Burlington, Milton District, and likely Georgetown hospitals because "we have to make sure we protect taxpayers. People are fearing for their jobs, and there are seniors struggling on fixed income." Ironically, Oakville taxpayers are about to be burdened with an extraordinary share of the planned state-of-the-art hospital, plus interest. When asked to participate, Halton Region declined since it was committed to paying for new roads accessing the planned hospital. Does Mr. Carr not represent all of Halton Region, including Oakville? Are not all taxpayers of Halton entitled to protection? There are seniors struggling on fixed incomes, and others who are fearing for their jobs in Oakville. D. J. MURRAY, OAKVILLE