w w w .i n si d eH A LT O N .c o m O A K V IL LE B EA V ER W ed ne sd ay , S ep te m be r 14 , 2 01 1 6 467 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 The Oakville Beaver Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver is a division of NEIL OLIVER Vice President and Group Publisher of Metroland West 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 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 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 e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: ATHENA Award THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Canadian Circulation Audit Board Member Canadian Community Newspapers Association Ontario Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America Re: Tory candidate responds to uploading story, Oakville Beaver, Sept. 7 Masterful misdirection by Ontario PC candidate Larry Scott in Wednesday's paper. "I take issue," he says of the cost for Halton if uploading is ended. In fact, he doesn't take issue, and f doesn't dispute the fact at all. I "uploading should be rescheduled or cancelled," and if Halton wants to continue those services, then yes, it will cost $15.9 million a year. But that's okay, because a PC government will save us money by paying public service workers less. I like this bit: "Paying public ser- vants what is fair makes sense but not if..." Seriously? You can imagine a sit- uation where paying people unfair wages makes sense? It's nice to know the PCs enter contract arbitra- tions expecting continued excellent public service in our hospitals, schools, and communities, but by the way, we'd rather not fairly pay for it. Thad Harroun, Oakville I am writing you in concern for my own safety, that of my family and other members of the community. I can appre- ciate the benefits of having traffic round- abouts and welcome them as an efficient means to continue flow of traffic. That being said, we have one in Joshua's Creek on Kestell Boulevard that is anything but safe. Construction of this roundabout has been completed for some time, but, the issue related to who has to yield (pedestri- ans or vehicles) is not clear. I have contacted the Town several times and have had no return calls regard- ing the safety of this traffic circle. As it stands presently, vehicles are not yielding to pedestrians. To their point, the pedestrian crossings have not been prop- erly painted (no lines) and there is pres- ently no signage to indicate who has the right of way. As a result, I have been nearly hit by a car when crossing in the pedestrian area three times. Often, I am with my dog or my baby or both and I fear for our safety. While looking into the matter via Transport Canada it appears that there is to be clearly-marked pedestrian crossings with white lines painted to indicate that vehicles need to yield first to pedestrians and then to other cars using the round- about. This is not presently the case at the roundabout in Oakville. I am worried that the Town of Oakville, in its relaxed pace in addressing this issue, may face liability and, more seri- ously, the pedestrians who cross here, may face injury or worse. Mary Smith, Oakville fReader has sa ety concerns about Kestell Boulevard roundabout Response was misdirection The spectre of two towers disappearing, smoke and dust chasing those fleeing in blind panic on the ground below as each successive floor collapsed. The terrifying images of two planes deliberately piloted into the World Trade Center buildings. The trapped office workers. The falling people. The loss of nearly 3,000 innocent souls. All of this etched into our collective consciousness, still fresh and strong enough to provoke emotion: anger, despair, hopelessness. On Sunday, however, the Halton Interfaith Council hosted a poignant 9-11 ceremony, which provided us with something else hope. Formed in the wake of 9-11, the Halton Interfaith Council has worked tirelessly over the past decade to forge bonds between those of different faiths. It has representation from mosques, synagogues and churches of Islamic, Jewish, Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu, Bahai, Baptist, Christian and Zoroastrian faiths. At Sunday's ceremony, council members offered mes- sages of peace and harmony. The terrorists had no faith, they were all misguided people. Let all of us here, leave a legacy of peace and harmony, said Interfaith Council vice-chair, Imam Abdul Qayyum Mufti, of the Al-Falah Islamic Centre. Rabbi Stephen Wise of the Shaarei-Beth El congre- gation offered these words to those who wish to divide our society by religious intolerance and fanaticism: While we dont know the true intentions of those ter- rorist murderers, but if their aim was to inspire divi- sion, fear and hate we cannot let them win. We must reject religious fundamentalism in all its forms. We must allow the moderate voices of Islam a greater opportunity to raise awareness of the faith. We must come together here at home, acknowledge the success of Canada's strength in diversity, and work to shed the stereotypes that have been established. It's true that 9-11 changed the world. It awakened us to the hatred that exists, directed at societies justifiably proud of their democratic heritage and institutions, personal liberties and religious freedom. It galvanized us to take action, to confront terrorists on their own soil, and take serious measures to ensure security at home. We must remain vigilant in the meantime to ensure that safety and security of citizens here at home. We must continue interfaith dialogue, find common ground, educate one another. f There is no moral equivalent to justify the attacks o 9-11. There is no faith that credibly condones the slaughter of innocents. But neither is there any achievement, any victory in demonizing an entire reli- gion because of the actions of a few. Lessons from 9-11 ERIC RIEHL / OAKVILLE BEAVER SAFETY CONCERN?: Vehicles are not yielding to pedestrians on Kestell Boulevard roundabout says reader.