OPINION & LETTERSTHE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR:The Oakville BeaverTHE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR:Canadian Circulation467 Speers Rd.,Audit Board Member Oakville Ont. 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ManagerLetter to the editorOakville keyBylaw reducesstray cat populationelection ridingI'm disappointed by some of theresponses to the Town's cat roamingThe October provincial election is months away, butbylaw.already it has the makings of being a hotly contestedMost of the arguments against therace between the Liberals and Conservatives inbylaw come from people claiming thatOakville.outdoor cats are vaccinated, micro-The Tories have set their sights on winning thechipped and sterilized (spayed/neu-Oakville riding which has been held by the Liberal MPtered). That is pure fantasy. Kevin Flynn since 2003.As a long-time foster parent, I canOn Wednesday night the Oakville PC riding associa-testify that hundreds of unplanned lit-tion picked Larry Scott to represent them.ters are born in Oakville every yearThe next day, he joined Nepean-Carleton Conservativeoutside of feral colonies. I can also test-MP Lisa Macleod in front of the Mississauga Haltonify that every year litters of kittens bornLHIN offices on Dorval Drive to unveil the party's newto domestic cats are drowned, dumpedwebsite wastewatchers.ca.or otherwise disposed. It was the third visit to Oakville in recent weeks by a Stopping cats from roaming willhigh-profile Tory, including PC leader Tim Hudak.reduce the number of homeless andAccordingunwanted kittens, there is no question to MacLeod, Its no secret that Oakville isabout it.on top of the list of seats that Tim Hudak wants to win."Nobody is saying you can't take yourHudak and his party believe the fallout from thecats outside. My cats enjoy a rich andfailed attempt to build a giant natural gas power plant inhealthy life indoors, but if you feelOakville has left Flynn and the Liberals vulnerable.Fluffy can't be happy without sunbath-They also believe the Liberal government's recording in your garden sit outside with her the $1 billion eHealth scandal, the HST, rising powerand make sure she doesn't leave yourcosts and the eventual settlement with TransCanada forproperty, just as you would with a dog. pulling the plug on the power plant gives themTheOakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and We don't allow our dogs to run inLetters togrammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be plenty of ammunition.addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail toeditor@oakville-traffic, fend for themselves against coy-But will it be enough to overthrow Flynn, who wonbeaver.com. TheBeaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter.the editorotes or raccoons, fight for territory, orthe 2007 election by more than 7,000 votes over Rickrisk being poisoned. We need to affordByers of the Conservatives.Oakville Transit should be spared budget cutsour cats the same love, concern, andFor their part, the Liberals are not prepared to goprotection.In its deliberations, the Budget CommitteeGiven a new transit facility, able to accom-down without a fight. Many believe the sudden flip-flopFor the naysayers keen on statistics,will consider a number of options for mini-modate a larger fleet than currently in place,by the Ontario Liberals over the Oakville power planthave you contacted the Oakville Miltonmizing the impact on ratepayers, including ais under construction, if anything, the Townhad more to do with politics than planning.Humane Society to see how many lit-reduction in service provided by Oakvilleshould be poised to enhance service by addingThey are also quick to bring up the ghost of formerters of kittens are surrendered everyTransit. Such an option should be rejectedroutes and increasing frequency as soon as it'sConservative Premier Mike Harris Hudak served inyear?outright for the simple reason that transit isphysically possible to do so.his cabinet to anyone considering switching sides.How many stray (not feral) cats goan essential service.Town Council has a golden opportunity toAnd they have their own star candidates help Flynn.unclaimed? Or how many cats come inNot only is transit the only choice forpractice what it preaches about a LivableNext Friday, Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty is mak-to the shelter DOA because they'vethose unable or unwilling to operate a car, butOakville; of putting our money where itsing an appearance to speak at an Oakville Chamber of been hit by cars or killed by coyotes?also, it is the sustainable choice for allmouth is, by making a total commitment toCommerce luncheon.We aren't breaking new ground here.Oakvillians genuinely concerned about thetransit, which this user deems first rate. Calgary did this several years ago and atSo while the provincial election may be months away,environment.Peter D. Pellier, Oakvillethe height of cat and kitten season theirthe political rhetoric and mudslinging has just begun inshelter is one-third full. Oakville.The key to success, they say, is to getPud BY STEVE NEASEneasecartoons@gmail.comIn the end, it will be up to Oakville voters to siftpeople to love, appreciate and protectthrough the name calling and accusations to decide whocats the same way they do dogs. is the best candidate to represent them for the next fourSo you've lost the right to let youryears. By all appearances, they will have lots to siftcat roam the streets or go on to otherthrough.people's property. You've gained theThe Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council.responsibility of ensuring your cat has The council is located at 80Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising isa safe, comfortable and enriching life.accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of If that's too much to ask, you mayadvertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowancewant to re-consider having a pet.for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid forat the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements orKimberley Ford, Oakvilledecline.www.insideHALTON.com OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, February 4, 2011 6