6- The Oakville Beaver, Friday March 23, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-3824, ext. 224 Circulation: 845-9742 Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS A DIVISION OF Media Group Ltd. NEIL OLIVER Publisher JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director TERI CASAS Business Manager MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution ALEXANDRIA CALHOUN Circ. Manager IAN OLIVER Group Publisher Why all the secrecy? Back when Rob Burton was running for Amendment (OPA) 198 Stakeholders' mayor he accused his three opponents -- Advisory Committee and Oakville's Task all members of council -- for conducting Force on Intensification, Redevelopment too much Town Hall business behind closed and Revitalization (IR&R). doors. Other advisory groups like Oakville's On his election website under the head- Tree Committee and Transit Advisory ing Better Town Management and Service, Committee have provided invaluable servsection 6, Create a Culture of Openness, ice over the years. Burton complained: "Too much Oakville So why did the mayor feel it necessary to business is done in secret on false pretexts." bypass council by striking his own group On one of his glossy election brochures he and swearing them to secrecy? Was council wrote: "As just one exameven aware of the exisple, this Council chose to "Too much Oakville business tence of this advisory redraw ward boundaries group? is done in secret on false for the 2010 election The same results along north-south lines, pretexts." could have been achieved on the recommendation by approaching council Mayor Rob Burton's of a committee that met to form the advisory in secret and barely con- election website group. It could have met sulted the public." and arrived at the same But that was then and this is now. conclusions without all the secrecy. As mayor, he now seems to have no trouIn all likelihood there would have been ble operating behind closed doors. some acrimonious debate on council and in Last December, Mayor Burton hand- public. Obviously, some opponents of the picked a small committee -- without bylaw would be upset to know it is back on approaching council -- to work in secret the agenda. All of this, however, is the landtowards a compromise solution to the con- scape politicians learn to navigate when tentious private tree bylaw. operating in a free and open democracy. It To be fair, getting representatives from comes with the territory and seasoned the two opposing sides of this issue to arrive politicians learn to deal with it. at a compromise is not a bad idea. Neither Unfortunately, secrecy also breeds disdo we find their recommendations objec- trust and suspicion -- natural by-products tionable. They represent a good starting when policy is set away from public scrutipoint for staff, councillors and residents -- ny. through public meetings -- to arrive at a Despite the advisory group's well-intenfinal solution. tioned recommendations, we fear the secreOnce again, however, we do question the cy surrounding the group could scuttle its manner in which this mayor's advisory efforts from the start. group was struck and sworn to secrecy. Odd Since Burton says he plans to use conduct for a mayor who ran on a campaign groups like this again in the future, we of open and co-operative government. must point out that allowing small groups Citizens' advisory groups are not a new of hand-picked people to hold clandestine idea in Oakville. Short-term groups have meetings and issue private reports on issues been formed in the past by Town council to of widespread public concern hardly conprovide advice on issues ranging from rais- tributes to the perception that open and coing councillors' salaries to changing operative government is really on the agenOakville's ward boundaries. In the past, da at Town Hall. Burton has even sat on council-appointed Perhaps this is something council could advisory groups such as the Official Plan discuss -- in public -- at its next meeting. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. A question of trust Mayor Rob Burton announced the recommendations of the Mayoral Advisory Committee on a Tree Protection Bylaw in a press release Monday, March 19. The mayor characterized the recommendations as a response to the "developer" clearcutting issue. What nonsense. If this was truly a response to "developer" clear-cutting, then why do the proposed recommendations target ordinary residential property owners (and not developers) with restrictions and financial penalties? Why does the report target older trees for protection and allow the cutting of new trees that are essential to renewal of the urban forest? Why did the report not consider the disparity in tree coverage between new developments like Glen Abbey, River Oaks and Shell Park and the well-established tree coverage in south Oakville where there is little development in comparison? We are told that the tree coverage for Oakville is at an unacceptable level of 29 per cent and that trees need to be protected to bring it up to the 40 per cent level target of acceptability. But 29 per cent is an average. The tree coverage in north Oakville and Shell Park where there is a lot of new development is probably less than 20 per cent and the tree coverage in south Oakville that is well established is more likely 40 per cent or more. So tell me again why we in south Oakville need a restrictive and punitive tree bylaw when we are likely at or above the target level of acceptability? And tell me again why the recommendations do not target the new development areas for preservation of new, younger trees that are needed for renewal? The fact is this committee doesn't have the answers to those questions (and more) because they didn't do any homework. Their work was performed in 5 6 weeks not three months as suggested. I Pud BY STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.com See Advisory page 10 The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council.The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206,Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline.