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A6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday March 15,2000 T h e O a k v il l e B e a v e r Ian Oliver Publisher Neil Oliver Associate Publisher Norman Alexander Editor Kelly Montague, Advertising Director Steve Crazier Circulation Director Ten Casas OfficeManager Mark Dills Production Manager Riziero Vertolli DirectorofPhotography Metrdand Printing, Publishing & Detrtouting Ltd.. includes: /^ax/Pickering News Advertiser, AJliston Herald/Courier, Barrie Advance. Barry's Bay This Week. Bolton Enterprise, Brampton Guardan, Burlington Post, Burlington Shopping News. City Parent. CottngwoodA/Vasaga Connection. East York Mirror. Erin Advocata'Country Routes. Etobicoke Guardian. Ramborough Post. Georgetown Independent/Acton Free Press, Huronia Business Times, Kingston This W eek. Lindsay This Week. Markham Ecnomist & Sun. M idland/Penetanguishine Mirror. M ilton Canadian Cham pion. MiUon Shopping News. Mississauga Business Tmes. Mississauga News. Napanee G tide, Newmarket/Aurora Era-Banner, Northumberland News. North York Mirror, Oakville Beaver. Oakville Shopping News. Ctdtmers Hockey News, OrtSa Today, Oshawa/Whitby/Oarington Port Peny This W eek Owen Sound Tribune, Peterborough This W eek. Picton C ounty Guide, Richmond Hill/Thornhill/Vaughan Liberal. Scarborough Mirror. Stouffville/Uxbridge Tribune. Fcrever Young, City of York Guardan OPINION RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: O n ta rio Com m unity N e w s p a p e rs A ssociation W E L C O M E ||t W g,, o,, x n TM r r aSlN , b r o n t * THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: p b u t t e r f l y W CNA S ', r* C anadian Com m unity N e w s p a p e r. A ssociation S u b u rb a n N e w s p a p e rs of A m e ric a M im u I A * j I V ^ L ^- i* 1 , 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax; 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-2809 Circulation: 845-9742 SK IJ^ward O akville <S^ln>aSs JiNqlEBdl FuNd TV AUCTION rtS w S ? E d ito r ia ls Say it isn't so With Prime M inister Jean Chretien ready to run again for the Liberals, it looks like all bets are off on who will succeed him. Political pundits have been reading their tea leaves in anticipation o f what the PM m ight decide about his future. Not surprisingly, poll Surprisingly, it looks like the old w ar horse is going to seek a third m ajority governm ent. This, respondents m Quebec despite a poll that indicates Canadians o f all politi voted 75per cent agamst\ the prime minister cal stripes would like to see him exit the scene. seeking another term So why stay on? and ju st 21 per cent For Chretien the answer is as simple as it is dis wanting him to run appointing. He has no great design on new legisla again. tion, changing governm ent or anything else...he ju st w ants to better the record o f his hero, form er prime minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier. That's not good enough. Not surprisingly, poll respondents in Q uebec voted 75 per cent against the prime m inister seeking another term and ju st 21 per cent w anting him to run again. Nationwide, 35 per cent believe Chretien should run again. But when the Liberals m eet tomorrow in O ttawa for their biennial conven tion, Chretien can take som e solace in know ing that 60 per cent o f Canadians think he's doing an adequate job, while 30 per cent believe h e's not. Party politics is about renewal and the federal Liberals have an opportunity to take that needed step but w on't dare stage a putsch to oust Chretien as leader. And why would they? The Opposition parties are in complete disarray. The fed eral Tories under yesterday's leader Joe Clark are doomed to toil in the political wilderness, the N D P under A lexa M cDonough are spinning their wheels and the Reformers are self destructing as they try to reunite under the Canadian Alliance banner. That leaves the Bloc Quebecois. With an ego too large to do the right thing, Chretien will fight again and win, leaving the likes o f Paul Martin and Allan Rock to dream of what might have been. Letters to the Editor The Oakville Beaver welcom es your com m ents. All letters must be typed, signed and include the writer's address and phone number. Send to: Letters to the Editor, The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, Ont. L6K 3S4 N o r u n n in g a w a y fr o m s tu d e n t v io le n c e The recent new s, about a sixy ear-o ld M ic h ig a n g irl g u n n e d dow n in h e r sc h o o l by a c la s s m a te , r e m in d e d m e o f w o rd s from a 1974 song: "W h a t if y ou k n ew her, and found h e r d ea d on the g ro u n d , H ow co u ld y ou ru n , w h en y o u know?" T h e so n g w as b a s e d on th e shooting o f four students at K en t State U niversity in Ohio. T w e n ty - f iv e y e a r s la te r , school violence in C olorado and A lb erta ag ain sh o c k e d a c o n ti n en t; o n ly th is tim e it w as th e s tu d e n ts w h o w e r e s h o o ti n g other students. Y our n ew spaper rep o rted so m e re sp o n se by the lo c a l p u b lic s c h o o l b o a rd an d quoted D irector Papke as saying, " ... w e w a n t to e n s u re a h ig h level o f safety for our students. " D u r in g th e r e s t o f 1 9 9 9 T h e B eaver had various reports about teen violence in O akville, includ ing an O ctober editorial stating: "T h e m e ssag e is q u ite clear. E xpose boys to enough violence ... and th ey 'll respond in kind." V io le n c e a t T o r o n to h ig h schools in February w as quickly and w id ely re p o rte d . A lso last m onth, tw o students at O akvilleT rafalgar H igh School w ere cru elly assaulted by a gang o f other stu d e n ts an d su sta in e d in ju rie s in c lu d in g a fra c tu re d sk u ll. It to o k a lm o s t o n e w e e k fo r th e lo c a l m e d ia to h e a r a b o u t th is attack. Those representing the O THS victim s pressed for a tough stand by the school system , including e x p u l s io n o f s tu d e n ts . Y ou rep o rted the principal as saying it's up to the board to determ ine if anyone is expelled. My local tru ste e te lls m e th a t ex p u lsio n can only happen if recom m ended by the superintendent. A nother parent w as inform ed by D irector (D u sty ) P a p k e 's o ffice th a t the in it ia t iv e f o r e x p u ls io n m u s t c o m e fro m th e p r in c i p a l. O akville school trustee M arianne H aw th o rn e, w ho rep rese n ts the p art o f O akville w hich includes O TH S, did not attend the M arch 1st b o a rd m e e tin g w h e re th is in c id e n t c o u ld b e d is c u s s e d . N obody has been expelled. T he principal is quoted in the m e d ia as s a y in g , " L e t m e te ll you, this is not going to be m in i m ized. " The next day that prin cipal m et w ith the victim s' repre s e n ta t iv e s . T w o d a y s la te r , another m edia source quotes the v ic tim s' rep rese n tativ es as sa y ing, "T he school seem s to think th is w a s a s im p le s n o w b a llthrow ing incident.." This not-soisolated incident included an ice ball striking som eone in the face, p u n c h in g , k ic k in g , an d r a c ia l s lu r s . T h a t 's s o m e s n o w b a ll Fight! T h at's som e snow job! L a st s p rin g , on th e h e e ls o f C olorado and A lberta, your paper reported D irecto r P apke as say ing th at all p rin cip als had been asked to review their safety poli c ie s. H o w 's th a t fo r e n s u rin g c o n s is te n t s ta n d a r d s o f sa fe ty th r o u g h o u t H a lto n ? In D ecem ber, the d ire c to r's annual rep o rt w as issu ed - sch o o l v io lence is not discussed. A lso that m onth, there cam e a report o f the S tr a te g ic P la n S te e r in g C o m m itte e - a c o m m itte e c o c h a ir e d by th e sam e S uperintendent S helsw ell w hose area o f schools includes O T H S. School violence is once again not discussed. P aren ts - w h at if y o u r ch ild was one o f the victim s? D o you see any solution the school board is offering to prevent the victim s b e in g f u rth e r v ic tim iz e d ? D o you see how the school board is en su rin g the safety o f stu d en ts? A re w e going to run aw ay from th e re a lity o f sc h o o l v io le n c e ? P erhaps w e sh o u ld reflect upon the question that song ended w ith over a quarter o f a century ago: " H o w m an y m ore?" Letter of the W eek Glen Abbey becoming next Mississauga The H om e D epot was refused permission to build on the North Service Road near Dorval. Now Canadian Tire wants a spot near the Country Squire. The site in question does not back onto residential prop erty; in fact it is a rather barren piece o f land. There are no old oaks, only a couple o f lonely pines. W hy would anyone question this proposal? T h e re a re a c o u p le o f c o n s id e ra tio n s th a t I h ope Canadian Tire takes into account. The property is on the North Service Road which has no adjoining streets to han dle the overflow traffic. T he lights at Dorval are already a n ig h tm are on w eek en d s an d o u r ch ild ren are not safe crossing the intersection. We are forced to drive them w hich adds to the num ber o f cars on the roads and deprives them o f the freedom to walk in their own neighborhood. We chose this neighborhood for the quality o f life it afforded. T his has deteriorated lately with the infill devel opm ents along Dorval. It's difficult to explain to children why the trees are gone and the precious safety and enjoy ment o f our everyday lives is not taken into account when decisions to build on environm entally sensitive land are made. I feel attached to that land that Canadian Tire wants. W hat's wrong with a few open spaces? Perhaps w e could beautify that area by planting som e trees. Then I could tell my kids that O akville is still the special place we picked out for them to grow up in. Otherwise it just seems that m o re an d m o re G le n A b b e y m o rp h s in to Anytown, Mississauga. H ow d o y o u sa v e a sm all n eg lec ted field that has become a symbol o f m y discontent? Many hands made Dream Home Lottery a success Thousands o f other prizes are being delivered or are in the mail for all the other lucky individuals w h o w o n in th e G r e a t D re a m Home Lottery. But the real w inner is our whole com m unity, because each tick et purch ased su pported th e C o m m u n ity F o u n d a tio n o f O akville, a grant m aking organi zation that supports a w ide variety o f c o m m u n ity in itia tiv e s . T h is y e a r's re c o rd -b re a k in g m illio n dollars raised w ill be sh ared by the O akville-T rafalgar M em orial H ospital C h aritab le C orp o ratio n and the cap ital cam paign o f the Oakville YM CA. A healthy com m unity d o esn 't happen by itself. It takes people who can see that a sm art invest ment in our com m unity now will pay even greater dividends in the future. The im m easurable benefits created by the labour and gener ous sp irit o f the v o lu n te ers and sponsors involved w ith the lottery will create a legacy o f caring for years to com e. T h e ir d ed icatio n and com m itm ent sym bolizes the very essence o f com m unity spirit in action. T h e se in d iv id u als w ere h o n o ured recently at a d in n er sp o n so re d by C IB C , b u t it is all o f O akville that should be honouring th em . W e a re very fo rtu n a te to have local people like M ayor Ann M u lv a le , D an F e rro n e , D w ig h t L acey, and P ete r G ilgan to help organize these projects... to nam e but a few. L o cal c o m p a n ie s lik e C IB C , M a tta m y H om es, L a n s in g B u ild a ll, K e ls e y 's R e sta u ra n ts, The O akville Beaver, and CH W O all p la y e d a m a jo r ro le . C IB C underw rites the project for $ 1.1m illio n a n d C IB C s ta f f s it on com m ittees, distribute brochures throughout the GTA, and provide h o u rs o f v o lu n te e r la b o u r. T h e sta ff o f M attam y H om es offered m a rk e tin g e x p e r tis e , p ro v id e d extra m edia coverage, and special e v e n ts s u p p o r t, a n d th e s a le s offices acted as ticket order loca tio n s. T h e M a tta m y tra d e s and suppliers helped to add $100,000 to the bottom line o f the D ream H om e total for the second year in a row. L ansing Buildall has been a m ajor contributor for the past five years and all outlets in the GTA served as tick et o rd er locations. K elsey 's R estau ran ts h osted the K ick-off event, catered the Early Bird Draw, donated in part 2,000 gift certificates and acted as ticket o r d e r lo c a tio n s . T h e O a k v ille B e a v e r a n d C H W O p r o v id e d extensive m edia support. V o lu n te e r s w h o s e lo g o s w e re n 't seen in th e ad v e rtisin g a lso p la y e d a s ig n ific a n t ro le. P e o p le lik e F in n H o v la n d an d Jo a n n e R o b in s o n , c o -c h a irs o f operations, and Peter Pick, chair o f finance, have ensured that the "back end" o f the lottery runs effi c ie n tly fo r th e p a s t fiv e y ears. Ticket order takers at the hospitals and the Y as w ell as other loca tio n s, sh a re in o u r su ccess. We c o u ld n 't h a v e d o n e it w ith o u t them. A ll th o s e p e o p le w h o p u r chased tickets and made this year a s e ll-o u t are to be th a n k ed as well. Because o f you, we are all winners. C atherine Shortt Treatment of Air Cadets unfair M y son belongs to the 540 G olden H aw ks A ir Cadets of Oakville. On Fri. M arch 3rd, m y son had volunteered to sell A ir C a d et tag s, w h ich is th e ir cu sto m ary fundraiser. H e was standing in front o f B usiness D epot at Oakville Town Centre II, w hich w as fine. B ut w hen he and his partner w ent over to M cD onald's to purchase a drink, my son was chased away from the frnt o f the store and told by staff that he was not w elcom e or perm itted to stand in front o f their business. I have five children, so obviously over the years I have been a b ig c u sto m e r o f M c D o n a ld 's. I w as shocked and angered by this treatm ent o f my son and the A ir Cadets of Oakville. The A ir C adets are an upstanding group o f teenagers from Oakville w ho are clean cut, well disciplined and active in the com m unity. I f M c D o n ald 's ch ases aw ay these fine young m en, then ju st w hat type o f custom er is M cD onald's looking for? Gail Stinnes P ro ject Manager, D ream H om e L ottery B rian H opkins Pud WE d id n 't in v e s t in a n e w COMPUTER S o You t w o co uld A R G U E / I SHOULD g o F ir s t 'c a u s e o ld e r ' by Steve Nease C athy Laxton-G odberson OTHS incident old new s Re: Sikhs to p u ll students fro m O TH S (Fri. March 10, 2000 O akville Beaver. X SHOULD SO FIRST'CAUSE I HAFTA 6 0 T O BED I'M , E A R L IE R / N ot again! Is there not a local news story worthy o f your front page? The OTHS snowball fight story is finished; it has been dealt with and reported. The small group o f people involved have been punished. Let us all get on with life. W hen parents consider m oving their children to another school, it is not front page news. In fact, this is beginning to sound like a very small group of people trying to impose their personal agenda on the school, school board and community. The news story is finished. W. Hillis