www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, September 22, 2016 | 8 A `The King of Oversharing' bids a fond farewell to his readers friend recently asked how long I've been writing this column. Honestly, I couldn't count the years, not even if I used all my ngers and all my toes, so I just offered this lyric from The Old 97s: "I've been doing this longer than you've been alive." For those keeping score at home, I've written about 1,500 columns. That's around 825,000 sparkling words. For those pining for historical perspective: when I started this gig, I'd peck out my prose on a typewriter, then drive it to the newspaper. Later, I transmitted my work via a fax machine that now collects dust in my of ce. Then came computers, Internet, email. Nowadays, I just construct my thoughts in my head and send them telepathically. OK, I may have made that up. I bet you're wondering where I'm going with this. I'm going to Geoffrey Chaucer, of course, who wrote: "All good things must come to an That's Life Andy Juniper Guest Contributor end." When that truism appeared in the mid1380s, I'd already been doing this column for about 17 years. Alas, this good thing must come to end. Suf ce to say, it's been real. And it's been a ride. My original mandate was wide open, although readers tended to like it best when I wrote about family life. The column's cornerstone was humour. Humour is how I deal with things; given time, I can nd humour in most everything. Speaking of humour: I recently said to a friend the current generation suffers from oversharing. To which the wiseacre retorted: "This, from a guy who writes about himself every week. You're the King of Oversharing." Ouch. True. There has de nitely been oversharing -- strangers on the street know all the intimate details of my life. But I believe some of the best columns came out of that oversharing. I didn't necessarily want to write about, say, the death of a parent. But the week my father died, the week my mother passed, that's all that was on my mind. So, I poured out my hurt and heart, possibly oversharing. The response was incredible: an uplifting outpouring of empathy. Those types of pieces resonated, clearly touching the sensitive nerves of universal experience. I'll miss writing these weekly musings. I rarely had any trouble with the writing, but often went mad searching for a topic. In the end, these essays added up to an honest (if occasionally embellished) record of my life, a priceless diary of our family growing up. While it's cool to look back, generally speaking, I'm not a look-back kind of guy . Looking forward, I'm more than half nished my fourth novel. Ironically, for a guy who doesn't like living in the past, it's a book about nostalgia, hockey, and it's so Canadian, it should come with a complimentary double-double.... I would like to thank the Oakville Beaver for providing the space, and assorted editors for putting up with me over the years: Norm Alexander, Rod Jerred, Angela Blackburn and John Bkila.... Finally, I'd like to thank the readers. For letting me into your homes, for encouragement and support. Thanks for your loyalty, your passion, and in the words of Eeyore, the lovable donkey from Winnie-the-Pooh: "Thanks for noticing me." Juniper. Out. -- Andy Juniper can be contacted at ajjuniper@ gmail.com, found on Facebook or followed on Twitter at www.twitter .com/thesportjesters. oakville.ca Notice of Study Commencement Taplow Creek Localized Erosion Protection Municipal Class Environmental Assessment Study Manchester Crescent and Mayfair Road The Town of Oakville has initiated a Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (EA) for remedial work to address the problem of localized erosion and creek instability on Taplow Creek adjacent to Manchester Crescent, Edgehill Place, Runnymead Crescent and Mayfair Road. This project was identified as a high priority site in the 2015 town-wide Creek Erosion Inventory and Assessment Study (Creek Erosion Study). Erosion was observed in four locations adjacent to residential properties. The 2015 Creek Erosion Study and earlier studies are available at oakville.ca/ environment/creek-erosion-study.html. This EA will develop, evaluate and recommend preferred alternatives for the stabilization and rehabilitation of the creek channel and banks in these localized areas along Taplow Creek. To determine the nature of the problem, an inventory of the local physical, natural and social environment will be completed. Once the problem is fully understood, a set of alternative solutions will be developed and presented to the public and regulatory agencies for comment. The study is being carried out in accordance with the requirements of a Schedule B project as outlined in the Municipal Engineers Association (MEA) Municipal Class EA document (October 2000, as amended in 2007 and 2011), which is an approved process under the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act. The EA process includes public and agency consultation, an evaluation of alternative solutions, an assessment of the potential environmental effects of the alternative solutions, selection of the preferred solution and identification of reasonable measures to mitigate any adverse impacts. A key component of the study will involve consultation with interested stakeholders, the public and regulatory agencies. You are encouraged to provide your comments so that they may be incorporated into the planning of this project. Please contact either one of the following project representatives if you would like further information on the project, if you have any questions or comments, or if you would like to be added to the study mailing list. Kristina Parker, M.A.Sc., P.Eng. Town of Oakville, 1225 Trafalgar Road Oakville, ON L6H 0H3 Tel: 905-845-6601, ext. 3889 Fax: 905.338.4159 kristina.parker@oakville.ca Anna Howes, M.Sc., P.Eng. Aquafor Beech Ltd., 6-202-2600 Skymark Avenue Mississauga, ON L4W 5B2 Tel: 905-629-0099, ext. 239 Fax: 905-629-0089 howes.a@aquaforbeech.com Information related to the study and consultation process will also be posted on the Town of Oakville's website at oakville.ca/environment. Comments are collected under the authority of the Environmental Assessment Act for the purpose public consultation and will become part of the public record. Any personal information accompanying comments will be safeguarded in accordance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. If you have any questions regarding this collection of information please contact Kristina Parker, at 905-845-6601, ext. 3889, or kristina.parker@oakville.ca. This Notice first issued on February 23, 2016, updated September 15, 2016.