www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, December 2, 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 Share the spirit Perhaps more so than at any time during the prevailing economic downturn, Oakville residents, businesses and social service agencies are feeling the direct effects of the recession. As the holiday season approaches, merchants wait patiently for shoppers to arrive in the throngs that normally appear during the Christmas rush, often to no avail. Residents, who normally leave shops and malls with arms loaded down by bags and parcels, pick carefully through merchandise, looking for sales, trying to find a deal that will stretch their gift-buying budget just a little farther. And agencies that routinely support children and families in need are wringing their hands in anxiety, wondering how they can possibly add a little Yuletide cheer to the lives of many for whom cheer is most often a rare commodity. Organizations such as Children's Aid Societies (CAS), the Salvation Army and holiday-specific fundraising groups are feeling the pinch more than ever. Salvation Army kettles ring with more coins than bills at the end of a canvassing shift; fundraising groups pray for slow-arriving donations; CAS's worry the children under their protection will have little joy added to their lives this holiday season; and food banks despair over the dwindling supplies on their shelves and the lack of festive ingredients they can offer their clients. While Oakville is an affluent community, there are many people -- single parents, newcomers to Canada, youths living outside their family homes, and families earning meagre incomes -- struggling to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads. There's little, if anything, left over to purchase Christmas presents or the ingredients for a festive holiday meal. And agencies that routinely dig a little deeper to help add some joy to the festive season are simply hoping they'll be able to provide the sheer necessities -- boots, warm coats, hats and enough food to sustain families throughout the month. Admittedly, the lack of funds available for extras -- sometimes, just the basics -- has been felt throughout the recession, yet the lack of resources feels somehow more depressing as Christmas approaches. Never, in recent history, has the need been greater or more widespread. If your own resources are low this year, support for your neighbours doesn't necessarily have to come in the form of a cheque or a box of gifts or food -- although those would certainly be welcomed. You can share the spirit of the season by inviting a family in need, an elderly person or youth without family support to Christmas dinner, a little gesture that could mean a lot. 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. Letter to the editor HST issue boils down to trust Re: Oakville MPP says HST not a tax grab, Oakville Beaver, Nov. 27 I find it difficult to argue Mr. Flynn's logic of the proposed tax changes, including the harmonization of the PST and GST into a single value-added tax or "VAT" (i.e. the HST). Instead, I would suggest that the resistance to the proposed HST is rooted in the absence of trust. Most of us who will be hit the most by the HST don't trust that the providers of services and goods will reduce their pricing to consumers to reflect the providers' reduced input costs. But on a broader scale, I think that many of us do not trust the Dalton McGuinty Liberal government, with respect to any new initiatives. My own distrust is driven by their handling (or rather mishandling) of major issues such as Caledonia, eHealth, the 407 ETR and placement of large-scale electricity plants next to residential neighbourhoods. I also think that the seeds of this current level of distrust were sown by the previous, Mike Harris government. So the Tim Hudak PC's aren't off the hook. While historically a staunch non-supporter of the NDP, I look back at the past 20 years and wonder if the Rae government was the most honest and forthright. JOHN BASTABLE 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. OPA leaves many unanswered questions Re: Open Letter to Oakville Residents from the OPA, Oakville Beaver, Nov. 20 I read the open letter with interest. The list of facts missed four important considerations 1) Why do many jurisdictions have a 500 metre setback restriction for 20-40 megawatt wind turbines, yet Ontario has no restrictions on building a 900 megawatt generation plant within that limit? 2) How do any of the listed points, even if true, justify building such a plant within 500 metres of homes and schools plus so close to a major rail corridor and highway? 3) Why did the letter not list the Town of Oakville's request for detailed impact assessments and why has there been no response to the Town's resolutions passed during the Oct. 20 Special Council Meeting? 4) Why the rush to build, when Ontariowide energy consumption is demonstrably lower than extrapolated during the economic peak of 2005-2008? I support the need for the elimination of coal energy generation. I do not support placing any 900 megawatt generation plant within 500 metres of homes and schools. JOE EVERS In search of a precious memento that was lost Sunday On Sunday, Nov. 29 I was shopping at Hopedale Mall and then I went on to St. Jude's Cemetery before returning home. Somewhere during that time, and in those two locations, I lost something very precious. I had lost a gold necklace with my late husband's wedding ring on it. We had been married for 51 years therefore this ring is of great sentimental value to me. Please, if anyone has found them I would really appreciate having it returned. Please call me at 905-845-6796. Thank you, MARION SHAW Boo HST Please add my name to the list protesting the tax grab by this incompetent bunch of interlopers. WILLIAM ALLEN