THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Feb. 16, 199 The Oakville Beaver, published every Sunday, Wednesday and Fr‘niagi at 467 R Oaknville, is one of the Metroland Printing, Publishing Distributing Ltd. group of suburb newspapers which includes: Ajaxâ€"Pickering News Advertiser, Barrie Advance, Brampt Guardian, Burtington Post, Colingwood Connection, Etobicoke Guardian, Georgeto Independ Free Press, Kingston This Week, Li This Week, Markha Economist and Sun, Stoutivilie/Uxbridge Tribune, Milton Canadian Champion, Mississa News, Newmarketâ€"Aurora Eraâ€"Banner, North York Mirror, Oakville Beaver, Orillia Tod Oshawa/Whithy This Week, Reterborough This Week, Richmond HillThomnhiMVaug Liberal, Scarborough Mirror. All material published in the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Any reproductfon Ian Oliver Publisher Robert Glasbey Advertising Director Norman Alexander Editor Geoff Hill Circulation Director 467 Speers Road, Oakville, Ont. L6K 384 845â€"3824 Fax: 845â€"3085 y P m Teri Casas Office Manager Classified Advertising: 845â€"2809 im Circulation: 845â€"9742 or 845â€"9743 Tim Coles Production Manager whole or in part of this material is strietly forbidden without the consent of the publisher. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of the advertising space occupied by the erroncous item, her with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid fo the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize and reject advertising. in the event of typographical error, advertising goods or services at the wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising is merely an offer to sell and may be withdrawn at any time | _ EDITORIAL financial support for the foundation. 1987 and his brother Jeff died on July 8, 1993. to how each would prematurely die. Lightbourn School. Heart and stroke disease is the number one killer of Canadians and Mary Lou King wants to help stop the suffering. Don‘t let her down. Sue‘s way hat a tragic end to the life of Sue Rodriguez, the victim of Lou C Gehrig‘s disease and tireless fighter for the rights of the terminallyâ€" s ill to die with dignity. The Vancouver fought the good fight through *â€" the system, the way one is supposed to go, if one is to change the laws. But the :courts, as they often do in the case of victims, refused to allow Rodriguez the ‘right to an assisted suicide. ‘ So in the end, having suffered more than most of us can ever know, _ Rodriguez apparently with the aid of a physician, ended her torment, her pain, her life. And isn‘t that the way it should be in a civilized society? / _ We live in a very strange culture, do we Canadians. We care for pets and * treat them as members of the family until they become wracked with pain and _~cannot maintain any kind of quality of life. So being the humans we are, we _ take these creatures to a vet‘s and have them mercifully put out of their misery. Why then can we not come to grips with this issue of the rightâ€"toâ€"die for the ‘terminally il1? choke to death. recovery. _ you Sue, good for you. is > T C § Bronte Dear Sir: i In the Friday, Feb. 11th edition of the Dakville Beaver, the headline "Flynn wants Southern Crossing in regional official plan" appeared on your front page. The headline has erroneously caused some concern amongst resiâ€" dents residing on Bronte Road who have orgaâ€" nized recently to assist the working committee currently conducting an environmental assessâ€" ment of a northerly and southerly crossing of 12 "Mile Creek. The Bronte Road residents, as I understand it, are attempting to seek alternative solutions to the situation that would not necessitate the widening of Bronte Road to four lanes. On Tuesday, Feb. 1st, I attended a meeting with some representatives from the Bronte Road group to discuss the development of options that may allow Bronte Road to remain a two lane road. At this meeting, it was pointed out that although a southerly schematic crossing appeared on the Town‘s Official Plan, it did not appear on the regional maps. I undertook to review the omission and after discussions with regional planning staff, ascerâ€" tained that the omission was due to a drafting 4 A 4 t 1 6 _ Mary Lou‘s wish ;.You might see Mary Lou King at your front door tomorrow or Saturday. She ’ will be easy to spot. The mother of three boys will be carrying a Heart and > Stroke Foundation of Ontario brochure and she will be looking for some Mary Lou has a real stake in seeing that more money is raised for heart and _ »stroke research. She has lost two of her sons, both at the age of 18, to a little known â€" and lesserâ€"understood disease known as cardiomyopathy. Jon King died on Jan. 1, In this most baffling of heart ailments, there are no known symptoms and thereâ€" fore no known cures. Both teenagers lived active lives and there was no warning as Both King boys went to White Oaks Secondary School and some students of © that school will be among the 45 students who will also be canvassing for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. The others are from Appleby College and St. Mildred‘s How unfortunate for Rodriguez and those around her to watch all her bodily , functions fail while her mind remained completely alert. That‘s the ultimate , irony of this insidious disease. You are fully aware of your declining health and you‘re completely rational to the end that‘s most likely to come as you And what of the physician who may have assisted Rodriguez in her death? Under current law, he would have his license revoked, yet we‘re told the same thing happens in hospitals all the time, especially when families make the deciâ€" not to take artificial means to keep a loved one alive with no hope for For all those suffering from Lou Gehrig‘s disease and others in similar situaâ€" ‘‘ tions, Rodriguez was a beacon of hope that the law could be changed to put the ~rights of the individual first. In the end, Rodriguez did it her way...good for Creek crossin error in early 1993 that had since been correctâ€" ed. As you are no doubt aware, the Regional Official Plan is currently under review in accorâ€" dance with provincial legislation. In order to ensure that members of the Planning and Public Works Committee were aware of the oversight and were also aware of the ongoing environâ€" mental assessment, I attended the Planning and Public Works Committee to draw the circumâ€" stances to the attention of the members and the general public. : At no time did I ask for the crossing to be included or excluded from the plan. The crossâ€" ing was included on the Town‘s Official Plan and in the Regional Plan under review as a result of the Shell Lands Study which concluded in 1989. Both crossings are schematic in their notation on the plans and are subject to the enviâ€" ronmental assessment process currently under way. The environmental assessment calls for a high degree of public input. Bronte Road resiâ€" dents, as stated earlier, are concerned with the impacts of a road widening. Residents who back onto the proposed Riggs Road see no communiâ€" The Oakville Beaver welcomes your comments. All letters must be signed and include the writer‘s address and phone number. Letters should be typed, doubleâ€"spaced and addressed to: Letters to the Editor, The Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, Ont. L6K 384 g solution will address all concerns ty advantages gained by the installation of a Riggs Road alternative. Residents on the west side of the creek want to see a solution that removes Burlington originating commuter traffic from residential streets. In 1994, the School Boards propose to stop busing in the area; all the schools are on the east side of 12 Mile Creek and many students live on the west side. The quesâ€" tion of fire and emergency access is also paramount in the minds of residents of the west side. Should a traffic problem block the only existing Lakeshore Road bridge, residents on the west side of the creek would be isolated from fire or medical assistance. The community is working together with the Environmental Assessment Committee to find a solution that addresses all of the above traffic and public safety issues. The purpose of this letâ€" ter is to correct any misgivings that some of your readers may have developed as a result of your headline of February 11th, and to ensure all resiâ€" dents on both sides of Bronte Creek that I am committed to assisting in developing and supâ€" porting a solution that addresses all concerns. Kevin Flynn Regional Councillor â€" Ward 1 Cutting Glen Abbey bus service to Blakelock a mistake } The following letter was sent to Ward 4 Halton Board of Education trustee Penny Siebert, a copy was filed for publication. Dear Ms Siebert: I wish to register the strongest of objections to any further cuts to the busing service from the Glen Dear Sir: I wish to object to the Weekly Focus item on page 6 of the Beaver dated Feb. 2nd. This week‘s topic is "Role Models®", and it is obvious that this is an item which originatâ€" ed in the U.S.A. dealing with U.S. personalities. It has been printed in your Canadian paper without any Abbey area to Blakelock High School. As citizens of Oakville, who, by the way, pay above average taxes, our children deserve treatment that does not penalize them because the school board decided many years ago that they would be forced to go Focus information skewed to U.S. interests Canadian papers reprint U.S. mateâ€" rial without taking the time to check if the content is applicable to our country. W. Crisell 4 _ . to a school well away from their home. If busing is eliminated, they, and their families, will be penalized in three significant ways: a. TIME PENALTY: the time taken going to and from school will be easily doubled, based on our experiences on several occasions that our daughter and our son have used public transport. b. COST PENALTY: $500 in cost of public transport is discrimiâ€" natory. c. PARTICIPATION: the previâ€" ous cutback in the school bus SPEAK YOUR MIND Got a gripe? Give us a call. Readers are invited to express schedule meant that it was much more awkward for children from Glen Abbey to participate in pre and post school hour activities. They need to be driven by parents, drive their own vehicle, or spend lengthy trips on public transport. Two working parents can‘t always drive children. Every family doesn‘t have two cars. How many high school students have their own car? Not many. I would suggest that the Oakville Trustees sample public bus service to and from Glen Abbey ... to go anywhere in town it‘s awkâ€" ward and time consuming. If you take steps to remove school bus service, it will create two classes of students (and their families): those from the immediate area for whom convenience is better pOCTORâ€"ASSIStEp SUICIDE%. I Dear Sir: The Halton Regional Health Department would like to congratulate the Oakville Beaver on its strongly worded editorial denouncing the federal government‘s move to decrease taxes on tobacco. Prior to the federal ‘action, the Regional Health Department, individâ€" uals, and many other health organizations had sent letters of concern to federal politicians. The letters expressed concern about the impact of such action on the health of Canadians and the number of youth who might start smoking if cigarettes were more affordable. It‘s not too late for your readers to tell the federal government what they think about a decision which, one might argue, is designed to undermine all the efforts we have made to reduce what has been called the major public health threat of the 90s. I would strongly urge them to do so. Letters of Concern should be addressed to: The Right Honourable Jean Chretien, 309 South, House of Commons, Ottawa K1A OA6 or Fax 613â€"957â€"5571; and Bonnie Brown, 2421 Marine Drive, Unit #3, Oakville L6L 1C6 or Fax 905â€"827â€"7516 or Room 147, Confederation Building, House of Commons, Ottawa K1A OA6 or Fax 613â€"992â€"0520. Commissioner and Medical Officer of Health No sense in lessening taxes on smokes Robert M. Nosal, MD, FRCPC He‘s a happy Union Gas user Dear Sir: Your caption "Union Gas no friend of seniors" over the letter of R.G. Richardson (Oakville Beaver â€" Feb. 2nd, 1994) draws an unfair and misleading conclusion. I, too, am retired â€" a subscriber to the Union Gas "Budget Billing Plan" and have payment automatiâ€" : cally withdrawn from my bank account. When the company changed billing dates last October, my payment date moved from around the 21st day of the month to around the 4th of the following World oil production § | % 3 $ $ | . 3 month. In other words, I now pay some 12 to 14 days later than I preâ€" viously did. Obviously, the payment dates are not the same for everyone. While writer Richardson finds the new dates for payment to be upsetâ€" ting, no indication has been given as to whether those dates are earllier or later than they previously were. Please be assured that I have no connection with Union Gas whatevâ€" er other than that of a longâ€"term happy customer. B.D. Hauser Barreling ahead (million barrels per day) @ _ THEOakyttLr BEaver thought regarding its content. their opinion on a topic of their While some of the names will [be known to Canadian students, I‘m not convinced our students would ‘most admire‘ Mario Cuomo or Patricia Schroeder. A survey of Canadian students would provide a list of very differâ€" ent names than the ones your paper printed. I find it very annoying when > JNE PNEO S O U : CALL845â€"5585 choice by calling 845â€"5585, box 5250. All callers are allowed 45 secâ€" onds to express their opinion and must provide their name, address and phone number for verification. A cross section of the responses will â€" be ‘published in next Wednesday‘s Oakville Beaver. and costs are lower, and the rest of us. I, respectfully, request that the Halton Board consider the discrimiâ€" natory nature of such a move, and reject the proposed cuts. I applaud your cost consciousness, however, equity of the system should come first. Bruce H. McNichol | § § . § 3 . 1 | Source: American Petroleum Institute %# Production § § § NEA Graphic § 3 7