8- The Oakville Beaver, Friday August 24, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com Turner and constituents share views at Town Hall meeting By Kim Arnott SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER If the 40 people who turned out to talk to Garth Turner on Tuesday night are any sort of representative sampling, Oakville residents are in favour of electoral reform, are concerned about the environment and the health care system, know an astounding amount about income trusts, and believe Canada should get its troops out of Afghanistan. On the subject of Afghanistan, the audience was almost unanimous, with only three people raising their hand in opposition to the suggestion that troops should be brought home from the war-torn country when the Canadian mission ends in February 2009. During a wide-ranging but amiable Town Hall meeting, local residents offered Turner their views on a variety Reading | Writing | Math | Spelling | Grammar | French | Study Skills Little Readers Registration NOW OPEN LITTLE READER INSIDE EVERY CHILD IS A SUCCESSFUL STUDENT. For every age, for every need, Oxford Learning has a program to help your child succeed! Diagnostic Assessments Individualized Programs Enrichment Programs Confidence & Motivation Pre-K to Grade 12 Better Grades Voted Best Learning Centre of subjects. In exchange, the famouslyoutspoken Halton MP told the audience that he wants Ottawa to provide municipalities with permanent federal funding, believes politicians should be elected through a proportional representation model, and thinks Canadian families should be allowed to split their income at tax time. Turner, who was elected as a Conservative MP in January 2006, was booted out of his party's caucus last October. After sitting as an independent member for a short period of time, he joined the Liberal party. He launched his Oakville Town Hall meeting, which actually was held in Oakville's Town Hall, with a rapid-fire presentation attacking the federal Conservative government. The government's decision last fall to tax income trusts earned particular criticism from Turner who described it as "basically attacking the savings of seniors." He added that he is concerned about the country's financial health, given its aging population and decaying infrastructure. "But my view of being a Member of Parliament is that I work for you guys, I don't work for a party." Garth Turner, Halton MP "We are in a very volatile world with a very weakening American economy," said Turner. He told the audience he feels comfortable sitting as a member of the Liberal party and believes his values of fiscal conservatism and social tolerance are accepted. "But my view of being a Member of Parliaments is that I work for you guys, I don't work for a party." Discussions through the two-hour meeting wandered from issues of federal responsibility, to provincial responsibilities and even into areas of municipal responsibility. On the subject of taxes, resi- dents told Turner they like the idea of income splitting to support families who choose to have one spouse remain at home with children. Added one elderly man, to applause from the crowd: "I never mind paying my taxes, so long as they are spent properly and not wasted." Liz Benneian, president of Oakvillegreen Conservation Association, urged Turner to push for federal legislation that will help stop environmental degradation. "This is not about hugging trees," she said. "It's about protecting the lives of people and I would like to see the federal government do more on that." A better future for your child starts here! Contact us today for more information. www.oxfordlearning.com 1131 Nottinghill Gate, Oakville (905) 469-1929 380 Dundas St. E. Oakville (905) 257-1207 Maple Grove Village 511 Maple Grove Dr. Suite 2, Oakville (905) 849-4027 HALTON CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD ADVANCED REGISTRATION 2007 -2008 SCHOOL YEAR FOR NEW STUDENTS NOT PREVIOUSLY REGISTERED CATHOLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS: JK TO GRADE 8: Tuesday, August 28, 2007 and Wednesday, August 29, 2007 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Junior Kindergarten registrants are required to be four (4) years of age by December 31, 2007. Catholic Baptismal Certificate required and necessary immunizations must be completed. OAKVILLE - Celebrating 150 years! FOR INFORMATION: Call your local Catholic elementary school 2007 Operating and Capital Budget s Monday, March 26, 200 7 7:30 p.m. - C ouncil C hambers, Town Hall - 1225 Trafal gar Road Council will consider the 2007 Operating and Capital Budgets as recommended by the 2007 Budget C ommittee on Monday, March 26 in C ouncil C hambers. Anyone wishin g to appear as a dele gation must re gister with the Clerk's Offi ce at 905.338.4235 by 12 noon on Monday, March 26, 2007. Delegations will Central Library, 120 Navy Street 7 9 p.m. Sept. 6, 2007 -have a maximum of 10 minutes to address - C ouncil. C opiesoftheBudgetdiscussiondocumentareavailableontheTown's Oakville residents are invited tothe Finance De a public consultation to website at www.oakville.ca and in participate in partment located on provide input that willTown the Town achieve its vision of making Oakville the secon d floor at help Hall, 1225 Trafalgar R oad between 8:30 a.m. the most livable town in Canada. and 4:30 p.m. Written submissions for C ouncil's consideration may be sent, prior to Residents are askedTown Clerk, Town of Oakville, 1225 Trafal the meetin g, to the to come prepared to discuss a number of topics gar Road, including: L6J 5A6 or by email to townclerk Oakville, @oakville.ca . · Ways to enhance our accountability · Ways to enhance our natural environment · How to continuously improve our programs and services · How to make these programs and services fiscally sustainable Your participation is important and this process provides you with the opportunity to get your opinions heard. To accommodate as may residents as possible, we ask that you attend only one of the two sessions. To reserve a seat, please contact Nicole Wedgerfield at 905-845-6601 ext 3163 or nwedgerfield@oakville.ca prior to the meeting. For more information visit www.oakville.ca or call 905-845-6601 CLASSES BEGIN TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2007 BUS ROUTES POSTED AT THE MAIN ENTRANCE OF EACH SCHOOL __________________________________________________________________________________________ OAKVILLE CATHOLIC SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS: Monday, August 27, 2007 to Thursday, August 30, 2007 - 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. FOR INFORMATION CALL: Holy Trinity (905) 257-3534 2420 Sixth Line, Oakville St. Ignatius of Loyola (905) 847-0595 1550 Nottinghill Gate, Oakville St. Thomas Aquinas - (905) 842-9494 124 Dorval Drive, Oakville CLASSES BEGIN TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2007 BUS ROUTES POSTED AT THE MAIN ENTRANCE OF EACH SCHOOL __________________________________________________________________________________________ ADULT LEARNING CENTRE: HCDSB Serving Burlington, Oakville, Milton and Halton Hills Registration for the Oakville and Burlington Campuses: Registrations begin the week of August 27th, 2007 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. FOR INFORMATION CALL: Adult Learning Centre - (905) 849-7555 171 Speers Road, Oakville CLASSES BEGIN TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2007 Chair of the Board Director of Education