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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, January 27, 2012 · 6 Opinion & Letters 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 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 OakvilleBeaver is a division of David Harvey Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief Daniel Baird Advertising Director ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor 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 United Way of Oakville (UWO) took a huge leap of faith -- in the face of tough economic times -- and it paid off. The UWO raised a whopping $4 million -- a record. It did so with the help of many generous Oakville residents. And it did so on behalf of the many Oakville residents who are struggling, some with the twists and turns that come with the journey called life, some because of tough economic times. The UWO put it on the line to help local people. It called on residents to assist. It also called upon a lengthy list of community leaders -- not the least of whom was campaign chair Jeff Zabudsky, whose day job is president and CEO of Sheridan College. In turn, Zabudsky called in staff and students. Sheridan surpassed its fundraising target of $75,000 for the campaign, raising more than $81,000 -- with more than 30 per cent of the goal being attained on the first day. That's impressive. Zabudsky also called on Mayor Rob Burton. In his turn, the mayor drew support from Town of Oakville employees and Oakville Transit, which hosted a bus pull to launch the 2011 campaign back in September. Already staunch supporters of the UWO are Ford of Canada and the local CAW. Businesses across town got in on the action, fundraising, hosting events and collecting the much-needed dollars. Just a few weeks ago, Zabudsky appealed to The Oakville Beaver to run a letter to the editor when it looked like the campaign was not going to meet its target. It was a plea for people to get involved, to donate. And donate they did. That's all in addition to the many hardworking volunteers who hail from all over town -- people like former Oakville Chamber of Commerce chair Gerry Popp and Faisal Saab, the 2011 and 2010 recipients of the UWO's prestigious Lloyd Duncan Memorial Award for Outstanding Volunteerism. Zabudsky tipped his hat to the volunteers at Tuesday's celebration event, calling them "the lifeblood of the United Way." At the end of the day, however, the pride can be worn by people whose very pride may need a boost -- the more than 30,000 people the UWO assists through 30 local agencies and more than 60 programs. 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. Oakville did it! Don't feed the coyotes I want to thank The Oakville Beaver for featuring my dog Chachi's story, Second dog won his fight, Jan. 18, following our encounter with a coyote. There are three things I want people to learn from our experience. It may seem to go against instinct, but do not turn your back and run. Act as large as possible and yell, stomp, kick and don't stop until the coyote is gone. I had a chance to put this into action on Jan. 18, the day the story was published, when we had a second encounter while on a walk on a main road. I want to urge people not to feed coyotes. Feeding them makes them less afraid of humans. You may think you are helping the animal, but you are interfering with nature, and making things worse for your community. The last thing is that there are no easy answers to this problem. Having said all that, I would like to know how my four year old is supposed to "act large?" Or how, in the face of fear, holding a pet, or a child in your arms, you are supposed to follow that same advice? On Jan. 31, the Town of Oakville will be holding another seminar on How to Live with Coyotes. The problem is, I don't really want to live with them this closely. Living with them, when they are in the woods and ravines is one thing, but I am not really willing to accept we have to just live with potentially aggressive wild animals roaming our streets, attacking our pets, and jumping our fences hurting our children. I understand the solution is not simple, but if the Town continues to build north, then there should be a better plan in place. We can't just keep building and assume the problem will solve itself. Kim Ramsahoye, Oakville Letter to the editor 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. What was intention of photo? I am writing to voice my disgust at the picture of the dead coyote on page 3 of the Jan. 20 paper. After so many months of informative editorials (including Wednesday's), articles and information sessions, you chose to disrespect the death of an animal that had a right to be in our midst. I find it very disturbing that an editor would choose to print the photo. What was the intention of printing the picture of the dead coyote being dragged by its tail from where it was shot? Was it to prove that one was shot and killed and everything is under control? My understanding is that under no circumstances, unless someone's life was directly in danger should that coyote have been shot. It saddens me that an eight year old was bitten by a coyote and, while I understand that the coyotes are becoming increasingly brave in their quest for food, I only hope that the right coyote was killed and not a random one just to please humans. Printing the photo of a dead coyote does not help humans or animals. M. Knox, Oakville By Steve Nease neasecartoons@gmail.com Pud