www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, May 19, 2010 · 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: Canadian Circulation Audit Board Member THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America Canadian Community Newspapers Association ATHENA Award 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 So much for openness Politicians, especially our federal ones, love to throw around the word "openness." In the midst of the most recent election campaigns, Stephen Harper's Conservatives vowed to operate a more "open" and transparent government. And how has that worked out so far, folks? The Liberals and New Democrats, in their time in Opposition, can often be heard complaining about the lack of "openness" from the Harper government whether it be about Omar Khadr, Afghanistan detainees or Helena Guergis. So, last week, when the board of internal economy (an all-party committee of MPs that controls Commons spending) was asked by Auditor General Sheila Fraser to allow her to do a "performance audit," it quickly rebuffed her. The MPs stated the Commons' own auditors have stated that "appropriate oversight practices and procedures are in place." They may well be, and if so, there's no harm in letting Fraser confirm that, right? Kevin Gaudet, director of the Canadian Taxpayers' Federation, is right when he said, "When they (MPs) hide their spending like this, all it does is further fuel public cynicism." Running the House of Commons cost taxpayers a cool $440 million last year and an additional $93 million was spent on the Senate. That's more than a half a billion dollars the public should be assured is being spent wisely -- and properly. We're sure most MPs have nothing to hide when it comes to their expenses, but trying to keep the auditor general at bay only serves to stoke the public's low perception of MPs and raises questions as to why the books can't be scrutinized by someone who is skilled at finding wasteful spending. After all, it's only a matter of openness. 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 Respect coyotes Re: Coyote scare at elementary school, Oakville Beaver, May 14 We live backing onto a ravine in north Oakville and we have had various sightings of coyotes over the last three years. We need to remember that we have displaced a lot of wildlife over the decades as urban sprawl has occurred. I agree with Hugh Coghill, of the Oakville And Milton Humane Society, we need to respect the wildlife and learn to co-exist. In response to the woman, Jen Semplonius, walking her dog, she needs to remember that it is against bylaw to have your dog off leash, especially if you know you may not be able to control it in any given situation, whether that may be coming across a coyote or another domestic dog. I have had a similar experience as Jen. Two years ago I was walking my dog and came across a healthy coyote on the path. With the coyote maybe six to eight feet away we stopped, looked at each other and then the coyote romped off into the ravine looking back only once. It was non-threatening and I was not frightened, only startled. On the contrary I felt privileged to be able to have seen it so closely. This experience has not deterred me from continuing to enjoy our walks in the various ravines and forests in our neighbourhood. A positive note about coyotes is that they keep the rodent population down, they hunt mice, which damage sod over the winter, rabbits which damage our gardens. I am an animal lover, but feel sad and grateful at the same time. Sad because we have displaced the coyotes and judge them, but grateful they are surviving and we have the opportunity to see them. Let's educate ourselves and our children to respect wildlife, after all we've done this to ourselves. IZABELLA HANSEN, OAKVILLE 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. Coyotes serve a purpose in nature Re: Coyote scare at elementary school, Oakville Beaver, May 14 I read the article about coyotes with some dismay. Dismay at some persons' attitudes to these wild creatures' interactions with us and our society. Maybe we should all try to remember what was here before we all bought our lovely homes, which back onto beautiful ravines and trails. We have entered their domain. What are these creatures to do, but adapt to us and our urban lifestyle. Coyotes serve a valuable purpose in nature. They keep rodent populations down -- even those pesky rabbits that eat your gardens. Unfortunately, coyotes can't tell the difference between a rabbit and a cat or small dog. Food is food. Cats, I might add, contribute greatly to the decimation of our songbirds and smaller wildlife and should be kept indoors where they are safe from the dangers of coyotes, cars, raccoons and unscrupulous people. (I am an owner of indoor cats and a dog). Oakville is the home to larger wildlife such as deer. Maybe, we, who live near their habitats of ravines and fields, can slow down our cars and enjoy a sighting of them instead of risking a potential loss of property or even life. Life is too short to speed down our roadways. We should educate ourselves and hear and take heed to what the humane societies and ministry of the environment say about human/wildlife interactions. I, for one, am thankful that we live in a community that still has habitat for wildlife. If you don't like it, maybe the concrete jungle is the place for you and think twice about living in a place where you might see a coyote, raccoon, opossum, rabbit, skunk, fox or deer. DONNA SHEPPARD, OAKVILLE GLEN ABBEY RESIDENT,