www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, June 9, 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 Too young, too soon Today's Oakville Beaver features three articles about three local teens, Sara Carlin, Drew Hildebrand and Matt McGregor who, sadly, left this world all too soon. Sara Carlin, who was suffering from depression, took her own life in her parents' Oakville home in May 2007. Drew Hildebrand died as a result of senseless teen violence in April 2008. Matt McGregor was killed in a car collision last March. We cannot imagine the heartbreak and loss their families and friends must feel. However, we salute all three families for turning such heartbreaking tragedies into positive endeavours. McGregor's parents, Sharon and William, will honour the memory of their son by jumping out of a plane with a parachute on June 19. The jump has grown into an event involving 30 people, who will raise funds for the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Hildebrand's parents have honoured their son's memory by establishing the Drew Hildebrand Teen Benefit Fund to help turnaround teens achieve their goals. Last Saturday, more than 300 participants helped raise funds for this charity in the second annual Drew Hildebrand Teen Benefit Fund 5 km Walk/Run. The event saw five scholarships given to five turnaround teens to help them pursue their postsecondary education. While the Carlins have not established a charity to in their daughter's memory, they are still honouring her by ensuring she didn't die in vain. Against all odds, the Carlins have petitioned for a Coroner's inquest into their daughter's suicide in May 2007. The Carlins allege the prescription antidepressant drug Paxil played a role in their daughter's death. The inquest began Monday and is expected to last three weeks. For the Carlins, it will be a grueling three weeks in which their daughter's last days will be placed under a microscope and revealed to all. The presiding Coroner Dr. Bert Lauwers has stated the inquest is not about finding blame for Sara's death, but rather preventing similar deaths in the future. If the inquest saves even one life through the jury's recommendations or the publicity it generates, then the Carlins will have made a lasting tribute to their daughter. 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 Cyclists pose danger to hikers As a frequent user of the Town's trail system, my observation is that, although most bicyclists who use our trails are careful and deliberate, there is a large minority who peddle as if they were competing in the Tour de France. This is dangerous to the pedestrians on the trail, especially the many children who use it as well as older people who are hard of hearing. And some of us wear iPods to keep us company while walking. Many of the racers do not have bells and assume that others on the trail can somehow hear or see them. Terrible accidents are waiting to happen. But do not tell that to the Town administration. I have requested them to post prominent notices for cyclists to 'Slow Down' but they appear uninterested and fob off responsibility to some cycling group that supposedly is in the business of educating bicyclists on trail manners. ASOKA C. YAPA, 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. Reader provides Oakville MPP with inside scoop Re: Inside Ottawa scoop, Oakville Beaver, June 3 I would like to respond to Terence Young's commentary. Like Young, when I get more than 10 people writing, talking to me about issues, I know that there is concern within the community. So here's my inside scoop on a recent batch of issues. I have received numerous `10 percenters' from Young since the last election and I never heard him complain about the cost or the waste of paper; in fact judging from the numerous smiling photos of Terence in these publications, I would suggest he was having a grand old time. Next, the Conservative Party has not suggested an "open" audit only a "performance" audit. Come on now, let's be open on this one; your commentary appears to obfuscate the real issue of saying yes to an open audit. So let us hear you say yes and demand an open audit; then and only then will your words have the ring of sincerity. No, there is no confusion over the HST. It is a Provincial Liberal initiative, endorsed by and agreed to by the Federal Conservative Party, and an initiative that, from what I am given to understand, will greatly enhance the manufacturing sector in Ontario. So please don't distance yourself from this one, embrace it and share some of the glory. The rest of your comments contain the usual party rhetoric about lower taxes while never addressing the big issues facing us as we move forward, the huge deficit (enhanced may I add as a direct result of the partisan reduction of the GST) and the burgeoning growth in health care plus numerous other issues. Yes, the people that talk to me have concerns and they are about their future and the future of Canada in its ability to pay our way and about the partisan approach to our Foreign Policy such as the unbalanced Middle East approach and the exclusion of abortion in the Women's health initiative to name but a few. While these are not easy issues to address for any sitting member, they need to be firstly recognized as issues and then discussed in an open and nonpartisan format. This is what I am hearing Terence and by a lot more than 10 persons. DAVID EVERITT, OAKVILLE