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A6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday March 7,, 2001 T he O akville B eaver Ian Oliver Publisher Nei Oliver.Associate Publisher Norman Alexander Editor Kelly Montague, .AdvertisingDirector Steve Crazier Circulation Director Ten Casas OfficeManager Mark Dills ProductionManager Riziero Uertolli DirectorofPhotography Metroland Printing. Publishing & Distributing Ltd.. includes: Ajax/Pickering News Advertiser. AHiston Herald/Courier. Arthur Enterprise News. Barrie Advance, Barry's Bay This Week. Botton Enteronse, Brampton Guardian, B urlington P ost. B urlington S h o pping N ew s, C ity Parent, Collingwood/Wasaga Connection, East Mxk Minor. Erin Advocata'Country Routes, E tobicoke G uardian. Flam borough Post. G eorgetow n Independent/Acton Free Press. Hamston Review, Hurone Business Tmes, Kingston This Week. Lindsay This Week. Markham Ecnomist & Sun, Midland/Penetanguishine Mirror. Milton Canadian Champion. Milton Shopping News. Mississauga Business Tmes. 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L6K 3 S 4 (905) 8 4 5 - 3 8 2 4 Fax: 3 3 7 -5 5 6 7 Classified Advertising: 8 4 5 -2 8 0 9 Circulation: 8 4 5 -9 7 4 2 WCNA Canadian Com m unity N e w s p a p e rs Association ^OTTc& T H E I R O N T E B U T T E R F L Y TV AUCTION O N T U n ite dW ay o fO akville A R I O a h JThhem ( FOR BUSINESS EXCELLENCE J^ward Oakville <§/bvaS& d h t/M f tiu J TOWN OF H O | oakville galleries | mMSBFfS M rM rW H * SK S u b u rb a n N e w s p a p e rs of A m e ric a B O a C O jU C h ild r e n 's C h o i r FOR U BUSINESSKTHE ARTS m a c E d ito ria ls Water, water everywhere We wonder if George W. Bush received any advice from Ontario Premier Mike Harris before he put forward the notion of drilling for oil and natural gas in wilderness parks in Alaska. For it seem s the p rem ier has been T h e P r o v i n c i a l g o v e r n m e n t is \ exploring the idea of building electrical p o w e r p la n ts in som e o f O n ta r io 's lo o k in g a t p a r t n e r s h ip s w it h provincial parks for the past two years. p r iv a t e p o w e r c o m p a n ie s t o A nd in the true m eaning o f tw o 's c o n s t r u c t h y d r o p la n t s in company, three's a crowd, the Province P r o v in c ia l p a r k s . S o u n d decided to get input on the idea from its ow n M in istry o f N a tu ra l R e so u rc e s n u tty ? S ta y tu n e d . (MNR) and some hydroelectric compa nies. Note that neither the Ministry of the Environment nor any other environ mental group was consulted before the `Toward a New Business Relationship' report was completed. Call us crazy but if you're considering going into natural areas with con struction equipment and other infrastructure, isn't it just possible that the envi ronment just might be a minor consideration? To date the MNR, which is responsible for Provincial parks, has been opposed to building hydro projects in those areas. That has always been their policy. But this report suggests that potential sites for hydro facilities should be looked at everywhere instead of putting up `no development' signs on greenspace. All of this talk of hydro power reminds us of the water assets we have right here in Oakville - Bronte Creek, that happens to run through a Provincial Park. We can just see it now. The Province sees the creek valley as a natural dam to hold back the water that would drive a power plant. Just think of the recreational uses for the water being held back by the dam. And the tourists. They'd come for miles to see an `urban' hydro facility. Such a scheme may have once seemed ridiculous...no more. T oronto rolls o ut RED C A R PE T FO RIOC- Letters to the Editor The Oakville Beaver welcomes your com m ents. All letters m u st be typed, signed and include the w riter's address and phone num ber. Send to: Letters to the Editor, The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, Ont. L6K 3S4 N ew T o s t ' s c h o o l h a s lin k w ith p a st I submitted the names Postville and Post's Comers in the name the new school contest because I think history is important. Post's Comers and Postville were the origi nal names of the village where the new school is being built. The Oakville Historical Society and some long time residents of Oakville also submitted one or the other of these names. The school board formed a committee that could pick up to five names out of the approx. 40 names that were submitted and present them to the School Board. The committee consisted of our local trustee, the chair and three school board staff people. The committee issued its report and it was circulated in the Board agenda that is made available on the net and at each public school in Halton. The committee decided to present only four names to the school board rather then the five they were able to. I read this report on the afternoon of the Board m eeting where the names were to be presented for information. (The naming process also required that each Trustee receive the whole list of approx. 40 suggested names at that meeting) I was con cerned that none of the four names had any his torical relevance and that the committee could have included an additional name according to their mandate. I then went to the Halton District School Board web site and started phoning and emailing trustees to let thqyi know why I felt a historical name was important to the school. I started this at about 3 p.m. just a few hours before they were to attend the meeting. At the Board meeting that night five trustees asked about adding Postville and/or P ost's Comers to the list of four names recommended by the committee because they had historical relevance. Motions were made regarding this and were passed unanimously. It has been said that the trustees took my suggestion because I am the wife of a local & Regional Councillor. I'm not sure what differ ence that would make to them, if anything, it would encourage them to not vote for the name I recommended. It has been said that other people didn't know they could call the trustees and tell them what name they preferred. I find this hard to believe. I learned a long time ago that if you believe in something, you have to fight for it and that is often done through petitions and talking to your local representatives. It has been su ggested th at I pushed for these nam es because I want my name on a plaque. I don't want my name on a plaque and said so all along. I would like a small paragraph on the history of Post's Comers put on the school plaque. Now having said all that, I agree with Friday's letter that this whole process of how we name new schools needs to be looked at. I believe there should be greater community rep resentation on the committee that selects the names to present to the school board. Letter of the Week Bigotry flourishing Re: Racism still alive, letters to the Editor, Oakville Beaver, Wed., Feb. 28/01 Mr. R. Dodgson complains in his letter to The Oakville Beaver that his son, of oriental race, felt and probably was insulted by a white visitor to a coffee shop in Burlington who refused to be served by him because of his colour. Perhaps, he and I, met the same person. During a recent and regular visit to a physician, I entered the office to be attended by a nurse, and not to see the doctor. As in the past, I walked up to the nurse, who knew me, and waved me on, bypassing the line of patients who were in line to be processed. She handed me my chart and I was about to sit down, when a well-dressed man in his early 60s, and yes. white, immediately broke the line, walked over towards me and shouted for all to hear "Who the hell do you think, you are. Perhaps they do this in your country, but not here in Canada. Go back to from where you came from." It is interesting that until then I never spoke a word, so there was no way he could have detected my accent. Perhaps he even felt, wrongly, that I was jumping the line. Thirty years as a police officer in Toronto and almost 45 years in Canada, never prepared me for that. I was speech less, and that was good. As for racism, perhaps it was, but bigot, narrow-mind ed, redneck or what my sons called, "white trash" was much more applicable. Unlike your son. I am white, but let me tell you, he should be proud, not insulted, that he is one hell of a lot better than this individual is. At least that's the way I felt, after suppressing my urges of punching him out. Hearsay no way to judge Grade 7-OAC school The address to the Halton District School Board by Kathy Clarke concerning Grades 7 and 8 in high schools deserves comment. As local president of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario, she may be justified in being concerned for members' jobs, despite her denial of this. Ms Clarke's claim that 12 and 13-year-olds do not belong in a high school environment is worth investigating. As parents, we had the same concern when our oldest child left what we saw as the safety o f a K-6 school (Pine Grove) to enter a large high school (Queen Elizabeth Park). We know that other parents had the same worries. As it turned out, our fears were unfounded. Our daughter has continued to thrive at Q.E. Park, and if Ms Clarke took the tim e and effort to meet the principal, staff and students in Q.E. Park, she would find out why. If she is looking for "an intellectually cooperative learning environment," she will find one there. She will also find an administration and staff who genuinely care about the kids. A recent survey of parents of Q.E.P. stu dents asked if the Grade 7 - OAC model was, in their opinion, beneficial to the kids. The answer was overwhelmingly "yes." As well, the fact is that 12 and 13-year-olds are in some ways more grown up than their parents were at that age, and it may be of ben efit to give Grade 5 and 6 students the oppor tunity for leadership in a primary school'. There are two realities bearing on this situ ation that seem inescapable. One is that as long as there is pressure on the bottom end of the primary school system for a year of free universal daycare (under the name of "Junior Kindergarten"), there will be a corresponding temptation to alleviate overcrowding by trans ferring the top grades to the high school sys tem. The other reality is that, of the several fac tors that make up the support system that young students need, the one that is possibly the most important but is also most down played is parental involvement. You can't leg islate that, Ms Clarke. If p arents o f students heading tow ard Grade 7 are concerned about the quality of education and the school environment in the Grade 7 - OAC schools, I urge them to per sonally investigate such a school by talking to p arents o f students there now and taking advantage of any opportunity to meet the prin cipal and staff and see the school in action. I can only speak for Queen Elizabeth Park, but this school works, and it works well. Adrian Ratelle Chair, Q.E. Park School Council More roads no answer Re: editorial `Progress - p a v in g ' -- Oakville Beaver, Sun., March 4th/01 Thank you for printing comments on the above subject which many of us have talked about for a long time. Let's all get behind the correct thinking from the editorial. It is time that all think ing residents living in this congested part of Ontario request the obvious approach to public transportation. We are all appalled of the suggestion of building yet another highway through the Niagara Peninsular and know full w ell that building more roads is not the answer. As a m eans to relieve the daily congestion on the main roads from the US, I have suggested that all long distance transports be diverted to the railway on `piggy-back.' Alex Eberspaecher Wine Columnist. Oakville Beaver Transportation solutions begin here Ed. note: The following letter was sent to Oakville Mayor Ann Mulvale and members o f town council -- a copy was also filed with The Oakville Beaver. This letter is written on behalf of a group of local residents deeply concerned about the abject failure of traditional inter and intraurban transportation policies in meeting current needs. While we dither, slavish adherence to an auto-dominated mind set perniciously erodes the quality of life for everyone. That people remain transfixed by cars demonstrates both a failure to grasp their true cost, and ill-conceived planning and transit initiatives -- initiatives which sap the vitality from our communities by exacerbating environmental degradation and travelling inefficiencies. Conventional strategies conferring priority upon private automobiles must be abandoned in favour of alternate modali ties. Public consciousness must be raised regarding the effica ciousness of transit, cycling and walking as community-friend ly options. Obviously, the problem is not Oakville's alone. It is endem ic to the entire GTA. Nevertheless, the solution begins at home. By example and moral suasion, neighbouring municipalities can be encouraged to join a Grand Enterprise -- one ultimately leading to a seamless GTA transit system. It is worth noting that, as otFeb. 1st, residents of York Region's nine municipali ties now enjoy a seamless single-fare transit service. Innovative strategies imply a significant investment of capi tal which, in turn, articulates a key role for the fecferal and provincial governments. In the United States, such funding is standard policy. Should Ottawa and Queen's Park demur, they must be shamed into paying their fair share. As an initial step, Sunday bus service should be reinstated. This would go a long way to underscoring the Town's commit ment to public transit in the eyes of the community. By maxi mizing Oakville Transit's exposure and availability, a paradigm shift in how we get around becomes distinctly possible. Our group is willing to work with federal, provincial and local officials in developing a 21st century transportation vision. Michelle Knoll Resident o f Oak Park formerly known as Postville & Post' s Comers Jorgen Poschmann Pud by Steve Nease NBaCfTlAnoNS ARE AT A critical Poin t ., ONE DONUT AND atrip" TO thetoy STORE IFYou TAKE it. FiNAL offer . Peter D. Pellier