The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Wednesday March 28, 2001 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER A7 COMMENT Politicians caught up in their Oscar moment Best actor: Rahim Jaffer. Best supporting actor: Hedy Fry. In the Roman amphitheatre of this country, packed full of blood-thirsty Gladiator types screaming for revenge, we have our own Hollywood moments, every day of the week. It's called Parliament. And last week, it was especially weighty with hammy actors all vying for an Oscar f o r the best performance. We may not have the pouty Russell Crowe flexing his muscles and eye brows, trying unsuccessfully to sound humble. We may not have an efferves cent Julia Roberts in a nifty vintage Valentino refusing to budge from the stage despite the frantic waves from the "stick man" below. V , HSL J M ; h 1 DIANE HART k But w e've got all the evil backstabbing and theatrics that put Gladiator in the #1 spot Sunday evening. O f course, it's a little different in our wee arena. We don't have the fashion highs (Michelle Yeoh's stunning tiger-like dress shimmered) or lows (Bjork's swan dress made by a friend; Jennifer Lopez's transparent undress, popular with the males of this household). No, we may not have the sparkly glitter of Hollywood. But we've got enough ham actors to sink a ship. W e've got Joe Clark, the old guy himself surprising just about everyone with his dogged performance. He may be stuffed into a musty comer in the House of Commons but what the heck. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, that's our Joe. And then we have the prime minis ter, once again displaying the blind stubbornness that is his Achilles heel in politics. Still singing the same old song about the little guy from Shawinigan: just like Bob Dylan mumbling through Things Have Changed via satellite. But what of the rest of the cast and crew in Ottawa? Are they not deserv- School taxes should be portable for better service Every time I read an article about the Ontario school system I get a little more irritated. I am part of a silent but growing group of two income families who send their children to private schools (in our case a JK program). Why, because the Ontario school sys tem refuses to address our needs. Today more and more families are living with two incomes and paying for some sort of a private school or pro gram. Why, the short answer is a 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. public school day that has been- unrealistic for some time. Just visit any public school around 9 a.m. and you will see the mad dash of par ents dropping off their children while attempting to get to work on time. Alternatively some parents use the many "kid corals" that have sprung up around Oakville (private before and after school programs @ $45/week) Recent history has proven that try ing to change the public and Catholic school systems is a lost cause. Yet something needs to be done. W hat is needed is choice and portable funding. I pay taxes too and it is time for our school taxes to become portable. I would love to have a choice of institu tions and have my portion of the public Letters to the Editor taxes dollars follow that choice. For example, the issue with the Halton JK program is of no interest to me because it is not even close to addressing my needs. The private JK my daughter attends for $ 160/week includes. - 5 day a week program - School hours for drop off/pick up 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. - Breakfast - Snacks - Hot lunch - Nap time - Structured environment: play and learning time - Open door policy - School trips - Safe environment - Does not close for March Break, Christmas holidays or summer vacation My daughter loves her school, teachers and her friends, more impor tantly, she looks forward to attending her school every day The only problem is - our second child is on a waiting list...Is anybody listening? ing of some of the Hollywood gold and glitter for their stellar performances last week? Surely we can hand out a few Oscars to the supporting actors here in this country. We have an annoyed Rahim Jaffer, the man who allowed himself to be impersonated on radio and continues to represent citizens in the country's top political arena. I must have missed something on this Oscar week of per formances (call it star struck, I admit it), but can anyone tell me why the man is still in Ottawa after agreeing to what amounted to condoning impersonation of a duly elected m ember of Parliament? And why his own party has the gall to ask someone else resigrfin the same week? A testy Jaffer told reporters he has nothing else to say: just following the guidelines of any scriptwriter who wants to keep his job in Ottawa: read the statement; no further comment. Despite the incredible account by the radio broadcaster who thought he was interviewing Jaffer, and tried many times during commercial breaks to ver ify it, Jaffer will make no other com ment. He is now on the backbenches, suitably punished, the party notes. A little later, the Gladiator types in the crowd were calling for the head of one Hedy Fry. Did she too cross over the lines of the actors guild and imper sonate someone or allow herself to be impersonated? Did the Secretary of State have her hand in the till? What, pray tell, did she do???? Whereas we are left wondering just why it is a Member of Parliament doesn't havp to resign for what he does, we must listen to shouts from the crowd to have Fry resign for some thing she said that was dumb. Dumb, sure. But com pared to allowing yourself to be impersonated? There is no comparison, cry the Roman gladiators, hell bent on revenge. They grunt and roar. Swords raised, they are thrilled to go to battle. We punished our guy, continues the roar from opposition benches. We threw him to the lions of the back benches. We demand the same from the government. They want her head. They want the little guy from Shawinigan's head. T hey'll take anyone's head. They want, like any good Gladiator, to bang their armour and make a big noise. Ho hum. This is the kind of stuff that may, oddly enough, win a host of Oscars in the glittery world of Hollywood. But in Canada? Well, maybe there is a place for the histrionics of the screen. And maybe, just maybe we can have our own Oscar night. There's certainly no dearth of actors in this country. And they're all easy to find. Just drop into Parliament and watch them go to work. Russ Pfeifer 0> O A K V IL L E YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE 8 4 5 -6 6 0 1 M e e t in g s C o u n c il & S t a n d in g C o m m it t e e Monday, April 2,2001 Tow warning I would like to inform any unsuspect ing people in your readership who might become involved in the same unhappy events which I recently experienced. I was in a motor vehicle collision and while no one was hurt and no charges laid, the cars were deemed not road wor thy. The police officer who just hap pened on the scene called the dispatcher for tow trucks. The police have no con trol over which tow truck service is sent unless there is criminal activity, in which case, they have a designated service and the-vehicle goes to the Police Pound. The driver towing my car began his sales pitch before we entered the Q.E.W. on the way to the Police Reporting Centre. He offered a replacement vehi cle and to pay the $300 deductible on our insurance, if we gave him our busi ness. Oh yes, he also runs a collision ser vice. He struck me as overly solicitous, but I passed it off as `helping a damsel in distress' role. After telling me that insurance covers towing costs, and no money would be taken from me, he said my car would be taken to the "pound" -- "because that's the way things are done." Neither my husband or myself thought to question this action. Are we naive? Maybe -- but you aren't thinking too clearly in such a situation and tend to `go with the flow.' After talking with a Halton Police Supervisor and my insur ance broker and their adjustor, I now leam that this last event was not neces sary. The car was towed to his pound and he makes a tidy sum on the side, storing your car until you can contact your insurance broker who then notified their adjustor, and a collision service is chosen. This can take days if the acci dent happens on a weekend, as it did in this case. The owner of the tow truck company justifies this action by claiming this is the only way he can ensure payment for towing charges. He did admit that the driver should have given me a choice as to where the car went and he did not do so. So be warned. If you have a roadside assistance plan which includes towing, call them. You have paid for that service. I suggest that if a police officer, or any one else is present, he or she could ask a driver if they have such a plan. As I said, no one is thinking very clearly after an accident. Your car can be towed and left in your own driveway. Pay off the tow truck driver and collect from your insur ance company later. The insurance adjustor will assess your damages any where. Any chosen collision service will tow it to their premises. Meanwhile, it's not costing anyone anything while rest ing in your own driveway. As my insurance broker said, most people aren't aware of their rights because, thankfully, we aren't involved in accidents every day. While our insurance company cov ered all the costs, we all pay in the end. Oakville Town Council invites you to volunteer your skills to assist it in its decision making. Oakville Town Council appoints citizens of Oakville to various committees, boards and authorities that make decisions on issues effecting Oakville. If you apply, you could be selected to share your ideas on matters like conservation, parks and recreation and taxicab review. It is Ibwn policy that a citizen can only serve on one committee at a time. I f you apply and are accepted to serve on a second committee, you must resign from the committee you are currently serving on. WHO IS ELIGIBLE? Oakville residents are invited to get involved. To reflect the diverse nature of the Town's population, we encourage men, women, people with disabilities, native peoples, and racial and ethnic minorities to participate. HOW TO APPLY Anyone interested in applying, other than incumbents, must do the following: Fill out an application form and return it to the Town Clerk' s Department, Oakville Municipal Offices, 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville, by 4:30 p.m. Friday. March 30.2001 SELECTION PROCESS Town Council will appoint qualified candidates for the positions based on the recommendations of the Administrative Services Committee. The appointments listed below will expire on December 31, 2003. QUESTIONS? For more information, call Pat McPherson @ 845-6601, ext. 3136, or e-mail at pmcpherson@town.oakville.on.ca. Receipt of applications will be acknowledged a fte r the a p p o in tm en t process h a s b een co m p leted after April 17, 2001, at which time each applicant will be notified by mail. A d v b o r y B o a r d o r C o m m it t e e N u m b e r o f V a c a n c ie s M e e t in g S c h e d u l e Monday, April 9,2001 C o u n cil M eeting C o uncil C ha m b e rs 7:30 p .m . Tuesday, April 10,2001 P la n ning & D evelopm ent C ouncil C o uncil C ham bers 7 :30 p.m . Tuesday, April 17,2001 Com m unity Services Com m ittee 7:30 p.m . - O akville Room A dm inistrative Services Comm. 7:30 p.m. - Bronte Room C o u n cil M eeting C o uncil C ha m b e rs 7 :3 0 p .m . C o u n c i l & C o m m it t e e T o u c h t o n e P h o n e L in e 815-5959 NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING Official Plan Amendment Zoning Amendment APPLICANT - Heritage Gate Ltd. File: Z.1528.04 Please be advised that a public meeting will be held to discuss the proposed Official Plan Amendment and Zoning Amendment as submitted by the above-noted appli cant This meeting will be an information meeting hosted by the Planning Services Department at which time details of the application will be presented and public concerns noted. This meeting will take place on April 17,2001 commencing at 7:00 p.m. in the Trafalgar Room, Town Hall, 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville. Any individuals wishing to attend this meeting and speak to this matter are invited to do so. An explanation of the purpose and effect of the proposed applications, describing the land to which the proposed applications apply, and a key map showing the location of the land to which the proposed applications apply can be found below. If a person or public body that files a notice of appeal of a decision in respect of the proposed zoning amendment and official plan amendment to the Ontario Municipal Board does not make oral submissions at a public meeting or does not make written submissions before the proposed zoning amendment is approved or the official plan amendment is adopted, the Ontario Municipal Board may dismiss all or part of the appeal. Any other written submis sions and or questions may be directed to the Town's Planning Services Depart SU BJECT ment Town of Oakville, P.O. m m v Box 310, 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville, ON. L6J 5A6. Tel: 845-6601, ExL 3041 , email address: bzsadanyi@town.oakville.on.ca,. Location - The subject property is located on the east side of Heritage Way opposite its intersection with Reeves Gate. It encompasses Block 148, Registered Plan 20M-502. Ofndfll Plan - Figure N, Land Use, Glen Abbey Community, designates the subject site "HD", High Density Residential (100 units per site hectare). This would permit the development on the site of an apartment building(s) with a possible yield of 187 units. Zoning - The site is zoned "R9" Apartments (High Density). Proposal - The proponents have submitted applications involving an Official Plan Amendment and a Zoning Amendment to permit the development of 86 stacked and multiple attached townhomes in a condominium formaL Of the 86 townhomes, 24 will be in a stacked arrangement. The development is serviced by a looped internal condominium road. T\vo accesses to the development are proposed from Heritage Way. Dated at the Town of Oakville this 28th day of March, 2001. Credit Valley Conservation Board Parks, Culture & Recreation Advisory Committee Taxicab Review Committee 2"*Friday, monthly, in the morning 2nd Wednesday, monthly, in the evening As required Christine Shewchuk, Acting Clerk, Clerk's Department NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING PartSource Store 368 Speers Road File Z1617J0 Please be advised that a public meeting will be held to discuss a proposed Zoning Amendment as submitted by the above-noted applicant A Public Information Meeting will be held on Wednesday. April 11, 2001 in the Oakville Room, commencing at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 1225 Trafalgar Road. Oakville. Any individuals wishing to attend the meeting and subsequent meeting yet to be determined and speak to this matter are invited to do so. A summary of the subject proposal and a key map may be found below. If a person or public body that files a notice of appeal of a decision in respect of the proposed zoning amendment to the Ontario Municipal Board does not make oral submissions at a public meeting or does not make written submissions before the proposed zoning amendment is approved, the Ontario Municipal Board may dismiss all or part of the III appeal. > You may direct any written s submissions and/or questions o HOAD to Sally Stull at the Town's Planning Services Depart ment, Town of Oakville, P.O. Box 310,1225 tc Trafalgar Road, Oakville, o ON. L6J 5A6. Td: 845o 6601, Ext 3261, e-mail address: sstull@town.oakville.on.ca. Public notification will be provided for a future public meeting hosted by Town Council to provide an opportunity for additional public input to the proposed zoning amendment. Location -- The subject site, comprised of approximately 2.36 hectares, is located on the southwest comer of Speers Road and Morden Road in the Q.E.W. West Industrial District Official Plan -- Figure Ind. B designates the site Arterial Commercial, and Buffer Strip. Zoning -- The land is currently zoned C6, Service Station Zone. Prnprwal -- The proposal involves a zoning amendment to permit development of an automotive parts store, of approximately 6500 m2 on the former gas station site. Please Note: This proposal may be subject to changes or modifications. Dated at the Town of Oakville this 28th day of March 2001. / 5 J [f I 5 John Ghent, Manager, Current Planning Section, Planning Services Department i Trooper says: DRIVE DRY! A m e ssa g e fro m the M a y o r 's S p e cia l C o m m itte e A g a in st Im paired D rivin g John Ghent Manager, Current Planning Section, Planning Services Department Marilyn Allan 1225 TRAFALGAR R O A D » OAKVILLE, O N T A R IO « L6| 5A6