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The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday March 6, 2002 - A7 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Tories must be accountable for Walkerton tragedy The letter from John Shaw ( Oakville Beaver, Wed Feb. 27, McGuinty wrong to blame provincial government fo r Walkerton tragedy) contains many dis crepancies and misleading statements to the facts. There deserves a clarification o f what happened in Walkerton. why and how the blame does point, to a greater degree than they will admit, to the Tory govern ment. Our tax dollars paid for the Walkerton Report, so let's look at it. The Tories were warned that public safety was being compromised by their cuts to the environment ministry. They didn't listen to those warnings, and as a result people suffered and died. The report says clearly on page 35: " In February 1996, the Cabinet approved the budget reductions in the face of the warnings of increased risk to the environment and human health." What would have been the result, had they not proceeded with these reduc tions? The report states clearly on page 34: "(without) The budget reductions... MOE would pursue proactive measures that would have identified the need for continuous monitors at Well 5 ...-- steps that would, respectively, have prevented the outbreak or reduced its scope." There were further warnings. In 1997 the Minister of Health took the unusual step of writing to the Minster of the Environment to request that legislation be amended, or assurances be given, to ensure the proper authorities would be notified o f adverse results. The Commissioner of the Environment's annual reports repeatedly warned of the inevitable results of cutting the MOE budget by more than 50% (not 30%, as Mr. Shaw claims). The Tory govern ment's response was to remove the com missioner from the job, but to do noth ing about the warnings. Now, Dalton M cGuinty and the Ontario Liberals are calling for an entirely different approach. They have outlined solutions to ensure the safety of our drinking water. These measures include immediately rehiring the water inspectors and enforcement officers so that tougher regulations can be enforced. The inquiry report zeroed in on improper chlorination and monitoring practices o f the local Public Utilities Commission, and said the environment ministry "should have detected those practices and ensured that they were corrected." How else can the govern ment know that public safety is being protected?" This tragedy happened because the Tories declared war on government and destroyed its ability to protect people. They are very proud of saying that they "made the tough decisions" and "did what they said they were going to do." However, the policies that led to the Walkerton tragedy and the trashing of environmental protection across the province were not included in the Common Sense Revolution platform, and were enacted through omnibus bills that were (I believe) deliberately crafted to mislead the public. Now, when it comes time to stand up and take responsibility for their actions, they continue to mislead the public, hide the truth, and point fingers else where. Clearly. Dalton McGuinty and the Ontario Liberals have plans to improve the government's responsibility to pro tect our drinking supply, and our envi ronment as a whole. That sounds like a welcome change. DAVID DEBELLE HaltonSearch.c^Km T h e A lp h a C o u rse Oakridge Bible Chapel will begin The Alpha Course on Tuesday March 19 at 6:15 p.m. T h is 10 week practical in tro d u c tio n to the C hristian faith offers answers to some key questions. Each weekly session begins w ith an informal dinner, followed by a large-group learning time, and ends with small-group discussion and interaction. Join the thousands w ho have found answers to their questions about life and G od and how they relate. To learn more about the course, call (905) 849-0977. Oakridge is located at 2250 Eighth Line between Dundas St. and Glenashton Drive <3> O A K V IL L E (9 0 5 ) 8 4 5 -6 6 0 1 THE CORPORATION OFTHETOWN OF OAKVILLE PROPOSAL FOR JANITORIAL BUILDING MAINTENANCE AT VARIOUS MUNICIPAL FACILITIES PROPOSAL NUMBER PROP-10-2002 SEALED PROPOSALS on forms provided will be received by the Town Clerk, 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville, Ontario, L6J SA6. until 12:00 noon, local time on TUESDAY, MARCH 26,2002 Specifications, proposal forms and proposal envelopes may be obtained from the Town of Oakville Purchasing Department, 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville, Ontario L6J 5A6; Telephone (905)338-4197. NOTE #1 A bid dcposit/performance bond by certified cheque or Bank/Trust Co. draft for the amount specified in the proposal document MUST accompany each proposal. NOTE #2 - MANDATORY PRE-BID SU E V1S11S Pre-bid meetings for potential bidders have been scheduled for each Town facility. Prospective bidders should contact the Purchasing Department at the number above regarding the scheduled meeting dates, in order to ensure that they do not miss any of the mandatory visits. FAILURE TO ATTEND AND REGISTER AT ONE OF THE SITE VISITS FOR EACH FACILITY BEING BID ON WILL RENDER ANY BID SUBMISSION INFORMAL INFORMAL BIDS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED FOR AWARD The Town of Oakville reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and the highest or lowest as the case may be will not necessarily be accepted. R.J. Coumoyer, C.I.M., P.Mgr. Director, Purchasing and Office Services Proposal advertising is made available through the following Town o f Oakville approved website: www.vaxxine.com/opba Anti-American mindset ignores threat of terrorism While I enjoy reading the various political expressions of Beaver readers each week and have the requisite appre ciation for the cerebral opinions of oth ers. I cannot recall a time in recent memory when I found a letter to the edi tor so repugnant that it caused me to re read with utter fascination. In her diatribe supporting the outra geous remarks made by Oakville MP Bonnie Brown concerning Canada's (pathetic) support of the U.S.-led "War on Terrorism." Jayne Kulikauskas bold ly asserts that Canada has neither an obligation nor a role to be played in this international endeavor of unprecedent ed significance. Apparently, in Ms. K ulikauskas' opinion. Canadian "sovereignty" is at issue. Further, she claims that Uncle Sam isn't our friend, as he just wants to "control or assimilate us." Each time I discover a citizen of this country whose brain plays host to this offensive anti-American mindset, I dis cover an individual, who is clearly devoid o f any clue as to who ensures our economic well-being, ensures our sovereignty by watching over our geo graphic mass with the foremost military strength and, ultimately, ensures that each Canadian lives free. To despise such a true friend, neigh bour and diligent protector is to defe cate in your own experience. How people like Oakville MP Bonnie Brown, and Jayne Kulikauskas formulate their warped perceptions and beliefs with respect to Canada's interna tional position is entirely beyond me. Thankfully, there are few of them on the planet. Those who perpetrated the violent mass murder and catastrophic destruc tion of Sept. 11 embody an intense religious-based hatred which, with its absence of fear of death for a twisted cause, threatens all of us. Only the foolishly ignorant believe their loathing does not extend to Canada and the balance of the free world. Yes, America stands as a prime tar get, but only because it stands as the premier symbol of everything suppres sors of religious, political and econom ic freedom detest. In a new world where scattered handfuls of fanatics ruthlessly conspire to terminate countless innocent lives, in any manner conceivable, for a hateful cause, and unstable foreign govern ments race towards positioning nuclear and chemical weaponry against all oppositions, burying our Canadian heads in the snow and letting Uncle Sam fight for us to rid the world of this collective threat would be utterly dis graceful. With its concentrated backing of U.S. efforts. Great Britain visibly demonstrates its proper understanding of this profound global danger. In light of Ottawa's pathetic finan cial regard for our military, and the brave and honourable men and women who make it a respectable force, Oakville MP Bonnie Brown and Ms. Kulikauskas should thank their lucky stars that their American "Uncle Sam" always has their best interest at heart when it comes to preserving freedom and prosperity... what spoiled and ungrateful Canadians they are. MARK ASHMAN 1225 TRAFALGAR R O A D · OAKVILLE, O N T A R IO · L6) 5A6 You co u ld save m on ey on you r car in suran ce. To fin d ou t if you qualify, call m e you r local G o o d N eigh b o u r agent. A n d re w H eidem an, Agent 2828 Kingsway Drive 2nd Floor Oakville, ON 9 0 5 -8 2 9 -0 0 1 8 andrew.heidman.bdus@ statefarm.com Let R obin G a r v e y a n d her associates a t Oakville Kitchen C e n tr e m a k e your d re a m s a reality with e x c itin g k itc h en a n d b a t h designs. 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