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A6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday August 16,2000 T he Oakville B eaver Ian Oliver Publisher Neil Oliver Associate Publisher Norman Alexander Editor Kelly Montague, Advertising Director Steve Crazier Circulation Director Teri Casas OfficeManager Mark Dills Production Manager Riziero Vertolli Director ofPhotography Metroland Printing. PuMshng & Dctnbutng Ltd., indudes: Ajax/Pickering News Advertiser, Alkston Heraid/Courier. Arthur Enterprise News. Banie Advance. Barry's Bay This Week. Bofton Enterprise. Brampton Guardan. B u rlin g to n P o st. B u rlin g to n S h o p p in g New s. C ity Parent. Coingwoocywasaga Connection. East York Mrror. Erin Advocate'C a/nry R outes. E to b ic o k e G uardian. Flam borough P o st. G eorgetow n Independent/Acton Free Press. Hamstcn Review. H troria Busness Tmes. Kingston This Week. Lindsay This Week. Markham Ecnomist & Sun. M idland/Penetanguishine Mirror. M ilton Canadian Champion. Milton Shoppng News. Mcsesauga Buaness Tmes. Mississauga News. 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JThhena ^~£jhe W ft BUSINESS EXCELLENCE JiNqk Bell Fuiw I ^iJAxoard Oakville ©Awards ' 0 T T t^ TV AUCTION 46 7 S p eers R d ., O akville O n t L 6 K 3 S 4 (905) 8 4 5 -3 8 2 4 Fax: 3 3 7 -5 5 6 7 C lassified A dvertising: 8 4 5 -2 8 0 9 C irculation: 8 4 5 -9 7 4 2 (+ C N A Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America otO atoiife T tl E BRONTE I UT T E R F L Y C % dd fin d O N T A R I O TOWW Of J o | oakville galleries | S K * mm Children's Choir A O R (/O U S T b E S tC T H E A F T S Editorials C orporate sell o u t Perhaps w e really sh o u ld n 't be upset or surprised to learn that tw o m ajor Canadian com panies -- Canada Post and the Bank o f M ontreal -- have paid $50,000 each to be prem ier sponsors o f a trade m ission to China with Prim e M inister Jean Chretien, provincial prem iers and highlevel bureaucrats. W hy should we be upset that the Canadian governm ent will give spe cial privileges on a trade m ission to any com pany w illing to fork over $50,000? O th er p riv ileg es are also b ein g o ffered for lesser am ounts, $ 10,000, $5,000 and $3,000. After all, w hile w e like to think the governm ent o f Canada should be looking, after our best interests, there's been a nagging suspicion lately that Canadian governm ents -- federal and provincial -- are really looking after their own particular special interest groups. W hile many have suspected the governm ent was for sale to the highest bidder, this trade m ission to confirm it. The real surprise is that the trade mission sold out for such a cheap price. W hen the governm ent o f C anada asks the private sector to sponsor its activities, then you can bet that the governm ent is indebted to those pro viding financial assistance. W hy else w ould the com panies put up the financial support unless they expect som ething in return? Surprisingly, the only tim e politicians seem to forget they owe som e thing to their sponsors is when taxpayers are concerned. W hile we tend to pay millions and m illions o f dollars to run the country, taxpayers' interests seem to take a back seat to those o f corporate sponsors. For $50,000, C anada Post and the Bank o f M ontreal are getting a fullpage advertisem ent in the tour guidebook. Just as a rem inder so the politi cians and governm ent d o n 't forget w ho they serve, perhaps we could also get a full-page advertisem ent stating "This trade mission and many other governm ent perks are brought to you by the taxpayers o f Canada." M aybe then, they w on't forget us. Letters to the Editor The Oakville Beaver welcomes your comments. 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 C ouncil m a d eright c h o ic eo nn o rth e rnd e ve lo p m e n t Oakville Town Council is to be c o n g ra tu la te d fo r th e ir re c e n t detailed review and approval o f the vision for North Oakville. After many m onths o f study, com m ittee m eetings and public delegations, Council has moved forward with an important initia tiv e th at w ill h av e a p o s itiv e im pact on o u r c o m m u n ity for decades to come. The many mem bers of the community who took the time to provide their consid ered in p u t to c o u n c il on th is strateg ic issu e are to be c o m mended as well. Approval o f the concept plan for development north of Dundas Street is an important first step to planning for this area. Now the co m m u n ity can m ove forw ard w ith m ore d e ta ile d secondary planning for these lands and more specific actions to deal with the important issue of open space. The vision put forward in the Hem son report reflects a sound balance am ong en vironm ental, e c o n o m ic and so c ia l n eed s. Indeed, the vision provides for an almost equal division of the lands n o rth o f D u n d as am o n g open space, em ploym ent and residen tial uses. It is crucial in our planning w ork that we provide for more employment land in Oakville, so th a t we can o ffe r m ore "livework" opportunities for Oakville residents. Imagine the traffic con gestion benefits that would arise if few er people from O akville n eed ed to d riv e e lse w h e re to work! O akville's heritage trails and recreational areas are among its most important community assets. They contribute significantly to our quality of life. It is particularly encouraging that Council - while approving the vision - also created a special task force to provide the Town with advice on how we can best maxi m ize the open space in N orth Oakville. T he O a k v ille E co n o m ic Development Alliance was creat ed by Oakville Council in 1999. The OEDA board adopted as its objectives the following goal: To promote economic developm ent with the co-operation and partici pation of the community through the support of strategic economic ob jectiv es, w hich enhance the financial health of the community and maintain its high quality of life. I am confident that, through the advisory group established by C o uncil, and through the sec ondary planning process, we will achieve these goals. Letter of the Week Bronte Bill comes to the rescue again While returning home from our long bike ride through Bronte and vicinity on Sunday morning, in the distance we could hear the meowing of a cat. Where was the sound coming from? Was it up in a tree? No, there it was right on the roof of a house, on the highest point glued to the shin gles. Scared to jump. Below on the street, a crowd was collecting -- gazing up at this poor kitty. An elderly couple called to it; it wouldn't move obviously frightened. No budging this cat. It wasn't going to jump to the pavement below. Perhaps, the fire department should be called to the rescue. Before you knew it, there out of the second storey win dow appeared the old gentlem an still dressed in his Sunday finery, proceeding to somehow walk along the ledge and somehow coax the kitty to come down to him. Propped up on a few big tin cans, he was able to get his hands tapping on the roof close to the cat, hoping it would come to him. After much "here Lovey," he grabbed her and took her inside. We, as onlookers, applauded his feat for a man his age to even attempt the maneuver frightened us a little. He succeeded. I'm glad because this gentleman was one of Bronte's most loved citizens; the one and only Bill Hill. Mrs. Hill watched as her husband rescued the cat. This truly was a rescue from the heart, once again showing us how compassionate this man really is. Tom McCormack, Chair, OEDA Does Oakville needa marina restaurant? I moved to Bronte a year ago. Every day I enjoy my m orning coffee watching nature wake-up and thank God for the beautiful view in front of me. Even with its very high popula tion density, with all of the apart ments and townhouse and marina, Bronte is a very quiet area. I never saw congestion, except of course during the w eek on L akeshore Road. It is a quiet area where you can go for a walk along the lake on the William (Bill) Hill Promenade, see the beautiful nature and inter esting wildlife. On weekends, you see families picnicking and flying th eir k ite s, p e o p le w alk in g or cycling, young parents with their strollers and seniors just enjoying the quietness of the park. People com e and park alo n g O n ta rio Street just to sit in their car and relax. I was told that the park was for the boaters. Boating is a seasonal and weekend activity. On w eek ends, boaters park their cars and sail away. This park is also used for special events during the year. A butterfly park is to be built in the near future for the enjoyment of everyone. Will the butterflies visit this area if it has too much noise pollution? Why do we need a commercial building among the residential and nature setting? A restaurant would destroy the peaceful environment o f the area and the park would never be the same. A restaurant w ill create noise pollution and invite rodents from the garbage created by a restaurant. In this area, you can observe a variety of birds nesting and raising their young. I have never seen a Red-necked Grebe, I did not know the differen ce betw een a T rum peter Swan and a M ute Swan, or the difference between a Snow G oose blue phase and a Snow Goose, I had never seen a Common Goldeneye. It is so facinating that I purchased a bird book to find out more about the wildlife in the area. Last winter, I watched a Mute Swan, with damaged wing, survive the fury of Lake Ontario and the cold winter. It was inspira tional. I ju st love watching the Canada Geese even though people com plain about th eir m ess. I would rather step in Canada goose "doo" than dog "doo." Does Oakville really want to lose this beautiful site to another restaurant? What will happen to all the wildlife when a restaurant is built and bringing noise and pollu tion? Stop and think before it is too late. Once a commercial building is up, it is not easy to take it down. We, as a society, have a responsi bility to protect and save this little corner of southern O ntario for future generations and its wildlife. Human conquer, destroy, refor mat, abuse, neglect and wonder why there is not more w ildlife, green space, clean air and water. We, as a society, should w ork harder to save and protect nature for future generations to come. Please save this beautiful little cor ner of the world. Say NO to the construction to the Bronte outer harbour marina project. Birgit Stoll Ban the use of pesticides Reading an article in the T o ro n to E n v iro n m e n ta l Guide 2000, about the spray ing with chemicals, Toronto could be known as the city with a heart, a city that cares about the people and the lit tle children, and what chemi cals are doing to their health. The article stated: Stop Poisoning, stop using pesti cides, they kill birds, harm our health, pollute our water, and the air that we breathe. T o ro n to feels they are so very dan g ero u s, th at they have virtually stopped using them. W hen one hum an takes another human's life, this is c alled m urder. W h at is it c a lle d w hen p eo p le are allowed to spray lawns with poisonous chemicals? Next to cancer, chemicals are the second leading scourge in our world. It is time Oakville banned the spraying of lawns with chemicals. Give us back the Oakville we knew in years past, where we could walk alo n g a sid ew alk and not have pesticide signs staring at us. We always felt safe, and we were not afraid that we would be invaded with poisonous chemicals. People that spray do not think o f the children in the Town, and what danger they are in. W ill they have a future? Ban the use of poisonous chemicals. Legislation politically motivated I liked very much the wise tonality of your editorial "Simplistic solution" in which the thematic was the Ontario government's parental responsibility act. You observed delicately that "The issue of crime among our youth is a more complex than negligent parents." I am having a spontaneous reflection and wondering if this law was passed with serenity and placidity of judgement or perhaps was a politi cal meditation. In my opinion, those who passed this law grazed the sense of human insensibility. Giuseppe Fava Diane Bouffard Pud IVESoTSoME by Steve Nease WHISKERS/ IM USING MINE, PUD. HERE, USE SOMEHOW I NEVER1 YouRMOMfe- 'T H O U G H TM YFIRST shave W ould be 1 -- W it h a PINK ^ P l a s t ic V. Carley Art gallery deserves saving I totally agree with L. Erskine in the `Letter of the Week' (For A rt's Sake Save G allery -- The O akville Beaver, Wednesday, Aug. 9th, 2000). The town only pretends to support the arts, otherwise, why would it pay $1.2 million of taxpayers dollars to bull doze a thriving art gallery in order to make, of all things, a parking lot? There must be many others who agree with L. Erskine and me and who'should be heard. Perhaps, Mayor Ann Mulvale would like to comment on the subject in defense of the town. PAZORWnH Jp B DAISIES < O N IT - ER SHAVE. 3CWYOUR S RAZOR John Dunbar McLean (Artist)