OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, October 16, 2009 · 6 OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5571 Classified Advertising: 632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742 --Open 9-5 weekdays, 5-7 for calls only Wed. to Friday, Closed weekends 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: NEIL OLIVER Vice President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The Oakville Beaver is a division of Media Group Ltd. DAVID HARVEY Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director SANDY PARE Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution SARAH MCSWEENEY Circ. Manager Sun worshippers not getting message A Cancer Care Ontario report, reviewed by Halton Region's health committee recently, showed skin cancer rates 40 per cent higher in Halton than the rest of the province. On the surface, that statistic could be cause for alarm. That is, if the steps to reduce that number weren't so simple. This report indicates Halton residents are not taking steps to protect themselves from ultra-violet radiation (UVR). In short, we're getting sunburned more often. "Melanoma incidence rates were 40 per cent higher in Halton than Ontario for 2000 to 2004 combined and a similar degree of difference was seen in the previous time periods, based on recent data from Cancer Care Ontario," stated the staff report, which accompanied the release of an overview of cancer incidence and mortality rates in the region. Specifically, the incidence rate of melanoma in Halton was 18 per 100,000 per year compared to the provincial rate of 13, according to 2000-04 statistics, the most recent available. About a third of Halton's adults have had sunburn in the last year and that number admitted to spending unprotected time in the sun during the UV peak hours of 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the report stated, based on a 2008 survey. Cancer Care Ontario has set targets of having less than 10 per cent of people in the province experiencing sunburns and unprotected sun exposure by 2020. "There is a need to increase UVR protective behaviours in our community," the report concluded. The Region's health department has set up programs to educate people about sun safety and UVR protection and more programs could be part of the 2010 regional budget. However, we are not sure what more the Canadian Cancer Society and the nation's dermatologists can do to heighten the awareness of the danger of overexposure to UV rays. The message has been sent, but obviously unread by the intended recipients. We are not even sure these latest statistics relating to Halton will be cause for alarm for sun worshippers, at least not until they become a statistic themselves. 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. Guest Column Planning the next step Mayor Rob Burton No one should be in the dark about the approval processes that Tr a n s C a n a d a 's proposed power plant must go Mayor through before it Rob Burton can be built and how the Town and residents can get involved in these processes. I have called a special Council meeting for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 20, to update Council and the public on these points. The Ontario government, acting through the Ontario Power Authority (OPA), decided to build a power plant in Oakville in a process that was the least accountable and transparent to the public in the OPA's history. The Town expressed its concerns about the impact of locating a power plant in the overburdened OakvilleClarkson airshed early and directly to the OPA and to the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure. Council passed an interim control bylaw and official plan amendment in March to ensure that a power plant greater than 10 megawatts could not be located in the Town until Town staff had consulted the public and experts and developed detailed and up-to-date criteria for locating power plants. I met with the Premier and several cabinet ministers to ensure that our concerns were understood at the highest level of government. Oakville residents also held rallies, signed petitions and took their concerns directly to Queen's Park. Despite our efforts, the OPA chose TransCanada's proposal on Ford property. TransCanada and Ford have taken the Town to the 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 email to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. OMB decision impacts neighbours As a lawyer, I found the comments of Ford's counsel, Gerald Swinkin, puzzling. He characterized the issue as being between the Town and the landowner, and not involving the multitude that turned out at Town Hall. The Municipal Act specifically gives the Town the right to regulate property use, for the good of neighbours. That is why you will not find strip clubs next to our schools, or garbage dumps at Lakeshore and Trafalgar, however much a property owner might want it. When I was at law school I learned the legal maxim "Sic utere tuis ut alienum non laedas," which translates as "Use your property in such a way as to not harm others." The people Mr. Swinkin sought to exclude are the "others" and the neighbours the Town seeks to protect by passing the interim control bylaw. MICHAEL JOHNSON BY STEVE NEASE neasecartoons@gmail.com Pud See Power page 7