Letters to the editor Caring communities help others Continued from page 6 Officials should take heed Continued from page 6 7 · Wednesday, February 1, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com Personal info was not needed I read the rather lengthy article published on Jan. 27 about the murder of Katherine Newman and the subsequent death of her husband Kyle. Your article gave all the details of their "toxic" relationship that your reporter obtained from Family Court documents. The remaining victims of this family are the three boys, their grandparents, aunts, uncles, behalf. Everyone involved -- the donors, the volunteers and the United Way staff -- deserve our heartfelt thanks for the work they put in to make this year's United Way effort a success. Countless hours are given to do the work necessary to raise the money. Caring communities find ways to help individuals who need it. This successful United Way drive is a prime example of that caring. Barbara Ferrone, executive director, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton cousins, neighbours, teammates and classmates. Why was it necessary for The Oakville Beaver to share all this personal information with everyone? Who benefitted from this, more importantly who was further victimized? Where is the public value? Where is the compassion for the family and friends? Jeff McGuire, Oakville our own homes, real or perceived. Our ill-founded desire to enjoy the qualities of rural life in an urban setting with all the conveniences has somehow backfired. I haven't heard of any farmers complaining about coyotes because they understand that wild animals are part of the rural landscape. When they become a nuisance, the farmer assesses the situation and deals with it accordingly, in some cases summarily. Yes, coyotes have a right to exist, but we also have the right to feel reasonably safe and pro- tected as we go about our daily lives, which may include walking along the many Oakville trails or dare I say enjoying our own backyards. I don't have the answer. Possibly trapping, relocation, culling... I just don't know. What I do know is our local officials, both provincially and municipally, would be wise to prioritize this problem and come up with a workable solution or all hell will break loose when a innocent human life is taken instead of a poor little dog. Geremia De Stefanis, Oakville Good news coverage in the Beaver Wonderful: front-page stories in The Oakville Beaver, Friday, Jan. 27. 1. "Hats off" to the United Way Campaign Team -- $4 million -- an incredible outcome for the community, especially those in need. 2. The purchase of the post office site is a fulfillment of the decade old town parking study recommendations and successive council, Downtown BIA and Ward 3 Councillor Keith Bird's persistent efforts. The only sadness arises that despite the decade of the Town lobbying the federal government, Liberal and Conservative, to purchase the post office location, the sale was still listed with a real estate company. Crown Corporation or not, taxpayers are paying fees that should have been avoided. A real commitment to `doing government better' would have avoided such costs while still having a transparent process; just cheaper and likely faster too. Ann Mulvale, Oakville NOW TO TRAIN DELIVERING HIGH QUALITY TRAINING TO OAKVILLE FOR OVER 25 YEARS... ALL DOMINION DRIVER TRAINING AND TRAFFIC EDUCATION CENTRES LIMITED WE WANT YOU! February 11,12,25,26 (Skips Family Day Weekend) Saturday and Sunday 9:30 am to 3:30 pm (no classes family day weekend) March Break: March 12, 13, 14, 15, 9:30 am to 3:30 pm DriveWise goes beyond basic driver training with our 3 step approach: 1. Dynamic & fun classroom teaching with hand held technology 2. Simulator drive training labs. 3. One-or-One in vehicle training Cameras would make town a city Oakville is the best community in which to live and work in Canada. An unfortunate incident occurred on Jan. 21. A taxi driver, Muhammad Akmal, was assaulted and suffered some serious injuries. I have not had the chance to speak with Mr. Akmal, but my understanding is that he will be unable to work and make an income for at least two weeks. This is a serious problem for any taxi driver in Oakville since there is no income insurance to help his family. Cameras that will photograph and video people as they enter taxis are being considered by Town of Oakville council. I have been told this request was made at the behest of Mr. Akmal. An internal request is being submitted to staff at the Town of Oakville for a formal report, approved by council, on the issue of installing taxi video cameras as a direct reaction to the incident. It was unanimous. In Oakville, we value safety. Above all, we value community. Cameras and surveillance of our citizens in this case is way over the top. I would urge council to review the staff recommendations very carefully. Will the decision be in keeping with our identity as a community? I hope so. Our community has so much to offer because it is a town. Cameras will make us into a city. 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