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w w w . o a kv ill eb ea ve r.c o m O A KV IL LE B EA V ER Fr id ay , O ct ob er 1 5, 2 01 0 6 w w w . o a kv ill eb ea ve r.c o m O A KV IL LE B EA V ER Fr id ay , O ct ob er 1 , 2 01 0 6 467 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 The Oakville Beaver Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. OPINION & LETTERS 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@oakville- beaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. If recent public opinion polls are any indica- tion, there is an angry electorate out there. A recent Toronto Star-Angus Reid survey indicated 76 per cent of Ontarians want a new government. The same poll said 71 per cent of respondents felt the Dalton McGuinty-led Liberal government is on the wrong track. For months Rob Ford seemingly a cross between Bozo the Clown and Vlad the Impaler if you believe many pundits has been leading the Toronto mayoral polls. Inane policies, arrests and a penchant for constantly removing his foot from his mouth, so he could put the other one in, seems to have had little negative effect among voters who apparently are desper- ate for something new. Even in the United States, a recent poll indi- cated the majority of voters wanted a new con- gressional representative regardless of party affiliation. Last month in New Brunswick, the govern- ing Liberals were crushed by the Conservatives the first time since Confederation that a government in that province has failed to win a second consecutive mandate. With the municipal election less than two weeks away, it will be intriguing to see if a sim- ilar desire for change will spread through Oakville. The decision facing voters is whether it is wiser to send experienced people back to the council table or if an injection of new blood will be of greater benefit as the Town faces many tough decisions over the next four years. Make no mistake, the winds of change are all around, but whether those winds are strong enough to reach Oakville wont be known until Oct. 25. Whether you want change or not, it is important for all voters to exercise their right to vote on Election Day. The Oakville Beaver is a division of NEIL OLIVER Vice President and Group Publisher of 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 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 editorWinds of change THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: ATHENAAward THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIALMEDIASPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Canadian CirculationAudit Board Member Canadian CommunityNewspapers AssociationOntario CommunityNewspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America I would like to reply to Cathie Shortts Letter to the Editor, in the Oakville Beaver, Oct. 1 issue. Oakville is not a city as referenced in her second paragraph. Ann Mulvale had no choice with the growth of Oakville. Previous councils and mayors had kept Oakvilles growth at such a slow rate that the Province of Ontario had to finally move in and legislate growth that was when we got River Oaks and Glen Abbey. Wake up Cathie Oakville is still a Town to those of us who actually know and love it. Im a resident in Ward 5, and I hope that with Ann back at the helm, both of our councillors will have representation with a voice on the committees within the Town. ANN BROWN, OAKVILLE Dont blame growth on previous mayor Pud BY STEVE NEASE neasecartoons@gmail.com Government spin should be ignored I can well understand the euphoria among C4CA members regarding the recent announcement by the Province that the proposed gas-fired power plant, which was to be located on Royal Windsor Drive is no more. I can also understand Oakville MPP Kevin Flynns motivation for attempting to spin this development as the Provincial Liberal government having listened to one of its MPPs (although it is more likely it finally lis- tened to the rising tide of Oakville voter dissent, and the masterful stroke of inserting Erin Brockovich into the equation). What I object to is Energy Minister Brad Duguids specious characteriza- tion of the reasoning behind the deci- sion. To suggest the provincial govern- ment has suddenly had an amazing revelation regarding future electricity supply and demand is an insult to the electorates intelligence, and a good illustration of why politicians are held in such low esteem and why voter turnout is so low. This decision has been made for one reason only to try to save Flynns seat in the 2011 provincial election. When the euphoria dies down I trust Oakville voters will reflect on this debacle being the latest in a list of expensive mistakes made by the McGuinty government in the last two years. However the provincial govern- ment seeks to spin it, we can be sure that TransCanada, and perhaps Ford also, will be seeking millions of dollars in compensation, which will be paid by Ontario taxpayers either directly in cash or indirectly through other con- siderations. No doubt at some point in the future a Conservative provincial gov- ernment will tell us that the failure of the McGuinty government to build more gas-fired power plants is the rea- son we are facing brownouts and even higher electricity bills. Is it any won- der that politics breeds cynicism? ROB HAWKINS, OAKVILLE With the municipal election less than two weeks away, it will be intriguing to see if a similar desire for change will spread through Oakville.