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w w w .in si d eH A LT O N .c o m O A K V IL LE B E A V E R T h u rs d ay , A u g u st 1 1, 2 01 1 6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5566 Classified Advertising: 905-632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742 The Oakville Beaver 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. United Way of Oakville Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America 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 DILLSDirector of Production MANUEL GARCIAProduction Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution SARAH MCSWEENEY Circ. Manager WEBSITE oakvillebeaver.com WENDY WRIGHT / SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER ON THE GO: Wendy Wright of Oakville was among other GO Transit passengers waiting for their morning train to Toronto Monday at the Oakville GO Station when a red-tailed hawk took up a position at the construction site across the tracks. One of the commuters noted she lives close by and that this must be the male partner of a female with babies that have a nest in her backyard. The hawk wasn't there too long before it swooped across the fence and into the long grass to capture breakfast for the family and then leave and leave Toronto-bound ycommuters with a memor of nature on the GO. ATHENA Award Guest Columns On Oct. 6, Ontarians will head to the polls to vote in a provincial election. Provincial policies have significant impacts on the programs and services delivered by Halton Region. As a result, weve developed an advocacy platform, A Strong Halton for a Strong Ontario Partners for the Future, to assist the community and local candidates to better understand the chal- lenges facing the Region and to outline what Halton requests of the next provincial government. For more information, visit www. halton.ca/ontarioelection2011 Today more than 500,000 people live in Halton Region and this number will increase to 780,000 by 2031, as mandated by the Province. Ensuring that growth pays for itself is critical to regional council. The extensive growth targets set by the Province must be matched with adequate funding for the infrastructure required to support it. The com- bined municipal-provincial infrastructure needs of Halton to 2031 are expected to reach approximately $8.6 billion. Sustained, long-term predictable funding is required to sup- port services and programs needed by Haltons residents and to ensure that Halton taxpayers do not bear the burden of growth. Halton is one of the fastest growing regions in the province and demand for child care services is strong. Child care service providers are already unable to meet the demand because provincial funding has not kept pace with our population growth. Halton needs a commitment to extend and sustain Early Learning and Child Care fund- ing from the Province. Halton has seen a 52 per cent increase in calls for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in the last decade. Circumstances beyond Haltons control provincial dispatch and hospital offload delays raise urgent concerns about the ability of Halton EMS to maintain its high standard while our communities continue to grow. Halton needs help from the Province to resolve offload delays and to ensure that the 50:50 cost sharing of EMS is met and sustained. We are committed to working in partnership with other levels of government, Halton taxpayers and our community partners to promote economic vitality, fiscal responsibility, services for our residents and the protection of our natural environment. On July 26 the minister of transportation confirmed the Province will not proceed with the Niagara to GTA corridor through Burlington. This announcement was a result of the combined efforts of many individuals, community groups and local governments. In early September, provincial election candidates running in Halton will be asked to respond to a questionnaire to explain to voters how they would resolve critical issues facing Halton. The questions and responses received from candidates will be posted on Haltons website. I encourage everyone to visit the website and learn about the issues. For more information about the Oct. 6 provincial election, visit www.elections.on. ca. Please remember to vote your vote helps ensure that Halton remains a great place to live, work, raise a family and retire. Making your vote count The Oakville Beaver is a division of Gary Carr G C H lt R i Ch iary arr, a on eg on a r Cancer is an unfortunate common denominator that does not discriminate by race, colour, creed or politi-cal persuasion. Cancer can affect anyone and has affected Canadas everyman for the second time. Canadians can identify with Jack Laytons cancer fight, but perhaps we identify so completely and compassion- ately with his fight, because we identify with Jack the per- son. He represents everyman, a believable, earnest, honest and approachable person. Jack visited Oakville in June 2007 for an Oakville Chamber of Commerce breakfast. Partnering with the District Labour Council, the Chamber hosted this event drawing an audience of Chamber members, their guests and others from the Oakville business and labour communities. Charming and modest, Jack engaged with the audience as we have seen him do masterfully many times since. When Jack visited Oakville, Parliament was in a minor- ity status and the NDP was in a significant position to influence the direction of the gov- ernment. Jack spoke about his partys posi- tions and closing Canadas prosperity gap. Regardless of the audiences polit- ical perspectives, Jacks likability was undeniable. Our audience had a rare glimpse into the beginning of the orange wave. This upsurge swelled to the size of a tidal wave in the recent federal election; no one saw the NDPs Quc sweep coming. Although the Bloc Qucois and the Liberals each experienced a fall from grace in Quc, credit must still be given to Jack and his party for their success in the prov- ince. Jacks best strategy is Jack himself; his unique bal- ance of ideology and practicality. Although the Chamber is strictly non-partisan, we strive to build strong working relationships with our members and all levels of government to foster a healthy economic environment for Oakville. Our success depends on the strength of our network. Jack fosters partnerships and recognizes the power of negotiation to achieve the greater good. Thank you, Jack, for reinforcing the value of partner- ships and engagement. We wish you well and a speedy recovery. fJohn Sawyer is the president of the Oakville Chamber o Commerce and an Oakville resident Jack and Me: and the beginning of the orange wave John Sawyer Regardless of the audience's political perspectives, Jack's likeability was undeniable. Our audience had a rare glimpse into the beginning of the orange wave." John Sawyer, president Oakville Chamber of Commerce