6 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday, January 15, 2003 EDITORIALS AND LETTERS TUB (ItKVIIU IIBAtBi: IA NO LIV ER Publisher N EIL O LIV ER Associate Publisher TERI CASAS Office Manager JILL D A V IS Editor in Chief M A R KD ILLS Pnxluction Manager K E L L YM O N TA G U E Advertising Director R IZIER OV E R T O L L I Photography Director STEV E CROZIER Circulation Director R O D JERRED Managing Editor THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL M EDIA SPONSOR FOR: 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax; 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 337-5610 Circulation: 845-9742 Motrdand Pmlng. Pubtahng & Detrbutrg Ltd . n d u d n Ajw/Pttenng fe rn kUitom. AJBslon HerattCcuner «/ * u Itm vne Ueuy Barno A d o r n Bany's Bay Ttw Aw *. Bcflon Erterpnse Hampton G ordon Birtng k r P m . Btrtngton S vp p n g N p n CTjr Parert. CoanpwodV/jsatfi Connection. East ttxfc Mm v. frm AdvaatoCountry Routes Etobicoke Guardian Flarrtwougfi Poet. Georgetown hdependenl/Acton Free P »b ». 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Qty ol ftrk Guanfcan Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association t i H a lto n H e a lth ca re » · f ·> - A YM y, O 77* © M lo a k v llle i -5 = ` > J= S r T T I t r i Y W E L C O M E ^^t W * A Canadian Community (to w p a p tn Association " " !> K C IJ O a g o n tm g a lle rie s | ' '& * * * * * SKY (9/ih'illr FOR BUSINESS EXCHUNCt Now what? 1 Sutmitun Newspapers of America The Oehvfe. MAon and O u rid RIAL I f TA TI lOAUD MOB P U B L IC i I D IA R Y The news that Sithe Inc. has indefinitely shelved plans to build two massive natural gas-fired power plants in Brampton and in Mississauga (just across the Oakville bor der on Winston Churchill Boulevard) should make everyone think twice about the Ontario government's decision to cap the price of electricity at 4.3 cents/kWh. While the price cap may have given con sumers some relief in the short term, it may do us more harm in the long run. The shelving of the Sithe power plants is evidence of this. Last November, Oakville-based ECNG Inc., Canada's largest energy management consultants condemned the price cap say ing it would do nothing to stimulate invest ment in new power generation facilities. And now Sithe has made that prophecy come true by shelving plans for its two power plants. In late 1999, the company proposed building the 800-megawatt plant on the east side of Winston Churchill Boulevard, along with a similar one in Brampton. Both were expected to be operating by 2003. However, regulatory approvals took longer than expected and now the price cap has discouraged the company altogether. And while the environmentalists and neighbours in close proximity of the project may applaud this news, we won't be join ing them. While not as environmentally-friendly as wind turbines and solar-powered genera tors, Sithe's gas-fired power plants were a far cry better than the existing coal-fired generators that still supply power to Ontario hydro consumers. If the province shuts down its coal-fired generators as promised, what will replace those power plants? One of the causes of last summer's sky rocketing hydro prices was inability of existing power generators to meet the demand for electricity in Ontario. Sithe's withdrawal from the market shows this problem will still be in place if or when the government lifts the price cap. At the same time, nothing has been put in place to meet the growing demands of Ontario's hydro consumers. While the high hydro prices were alarming, they did encourage many con sumers to curb their use of electricity. Again the price cap does nothing to encourage hydro conservation. Although excessive hydro bills may be a thing of the past due to the government's price cap, we wouldn't be too quick to rule out brown-outs and power shortages. The Ontario government's price cap and S75 hydro rebate was a knee-jerk polit ical reaction to public outrage over their hydro bills, but Sithe's decision to pull out of the Ontario marketplace shows it is not a palpable long-term solution. In order for the deregulation and priva tization of electricity in Ontario to work, the private sector needs encouragement to build power generators. As the Sithe withdrawal demonstrates, the Ontario government has taken a sharp detour from following that path and must reconsider what direction it plans to take in the future. LETTERS T O TH E ED ITO R Kinsmen, Kinettes Clubs looking for alumni Thank you for the opportunity to reach out to your readers and for your assistance in helping us with a major project that we are currently undertaking. Kinsmen and Kinettes Clubs in Canada have been in existence now for more than 80 years and has a very rich history in the communities they serve. We believe that we may have more than 200,000 alumni and we are attempting to locate as many of them as we possibly can. Your readers can be the greatest source of information to us in finding these for mer KIN. If you or anyone you know was or may have been a member, we ask that you please forward to us the names, addresses and any other information that you may have about relatives, friends, neighbours, co-workers or anyone else previously associated with a Kinsmen, Kinette. K-40 or K-ette clubs. Whether they belonged to a club last year or 50 years ago, we would like to find them and hear their stories. To respond, please con tact: Dolly Rellinger, Project Coordinator, KIN Headquarters, 1920 Hal Rogers Dr.,' PO Box KIN, Cambridge, Ont., N3H 5C6. or by calling 1-800-742-5546, ext. 213, or e-mail to alumni@kinclubs.ca. We sincerely thank all respondents. Oakvillegreen encourages residents to participate in upcoming 0MB pre-hearing Well, this is it. Oakville's controversial growth plan (OPA 198) which you will remember squeaked through council last May, is about to come before the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB). This promises to be a very important decision for Oakville and indeed the entire GTA, as stated by Toronto Star columnist David Stein on Dec. 20; "For the 905 region, this will be the most important Ontario Municipal Board case of 2003. It will enter both provincial and local elections and, I expect, become even bigger than the fight to save the Oak Ridges Moraine." Just to refresh your memories, OPA 198 is the plan that will urbanize a staggering 7,600 acres of countryside north of Dundas Street. It's the plan that drew hundreds of you out to town hall, night after night to voice your concerns about traffic, air, water and quality of life, to name a few. It's the plan that threatens The Trafalgar Wetland Complex, the Trafalgar Moraine (head waters o f six of Oakville's major creeks), prime agricultural land, forests, streams, meadows, and all the wildlife that depends on these features in order to live. It's the plan that was passed before the environmental studies were completed. It's the plan that was passed without a single air quali ty study commissioned. It's the plan that didn't look at alternatives to the cancer-like spread of urban sprawl and gridlock. Oakvillegreen Conservation Association, a volunteer organization o f residents, has appealed this plan to the OMB (Ontario Municipal Board). We know that it will be nothing short of a David and Goliath battle. The pre-hearing is scheduled for Jan. 20-21, at 10 a.m. at Town Hall, 1225 Trafalgar Rd. This is a public meeting, and we hope many of you will try to attend. The OMB needs to know how much the residents of Oakville care about the decision it will make. And there are many ways that you can help. Please visit our Web site at www.oakvillegreen.com or call Renee at 847-9990 or Iris at 847-9018 for informa tion. This is our children's future that's being decided. Please be part of the battle to protect it. RENEE SANDELOWSKY, MIKE LANSDOWN, HANK RODENBURG, IRIS MCGEE DIRECTORS OF OAKVILLEGREEN i n vr u > n r t Hi I Hill llr I Government not listening to taxpayers' concerns over proposed highway Subject: Proposed southern Ontario mid-peninsula high way -- we don't need nor want it. To ensure that all viable alternatives to the proposed south ern Ontario mid-peninsula highway are fully environmental ly, professionally and cost effectively considered, we demand an all-encompassing win/win/win solution, not a political and possibly a financial-friends patronizing solution. This is not a choice, it is a taxpayers' (stakeholders') right. As a taxpayer and voter in Ontario, I am deeply disturbed that our rights as citizens of Canada, Ontario and the region of Halton are not being heard, let alone being addressed. Whilst our. repeat our, government describes the expan sion of the Environment Assessment process to look at three possible routes as responding to public concern, this action has clearly shown that they have not listened when advised by taxpayers and voters (the public), by municipalities and regions and by groups like COPE that a new highway corri dor is not, repeat not, the best option to deal with future con gestion in the Niagara area. They have been given detailed input on alternatives such as rail, public transit improvements, improvement to existing roadways, more strategic and efficient use o f existing corri dors, etc. I personally have reviewed and have detected zero evi dence to date that any of this valuable input has even been heard, let alone considered. It appears a hidden agenda shad ows all viable environmental and financial options. Why is this being allowed? If our elected officials and our public servants are not lis tening to us, who are they listening to? Do we possibly have another Enron-like financial catastrophe or an Arthur Anderson boondoggle situation looming here? Do we need a third party audit? There is a growing focused-army of distressed voters and taxpayers (the silent majority) that are banding together and are clearly stating that we as citizens will not be hoodwinked or pressured by our public servants. It is our country, our province and our region, as it is our congestion problem, too. We want to and will solve it together. When will our elect ed officials hear this, or will they? I trust we have elected responsible leadership, hot a quasi dictatorship. Please demonstrate that my trust was, and still is, correctly placed. I need to see and hear positive proof that we are now being heard, please show me this. ROBERT (BOB) A. BEYETTE, CAMPBELLVILLE May Court donates $17,500 to VON On behalf of the May Court Club of Oakville and the Festival of Trees and Treasures Committee^ we would sincerely like to thank the sponsors for their gener ous contributions and for sharing in the success of our 15th Annual Festival of Trees Fundraiser. With your support, we will be able to donate $17,500 to the VON Halton Hospice Program. This will bring our total donations over the past 15 years to $ 177.550. Thank you for your support and for continuing to recognize and meet the growing needs in our Oakville communi ty FESTIVAL OF TRESS AND TREASURERS COM M ITTEE MAY COURT CLUB OF OAKVILLE Residents should clear their own sidewalks As a new resident of Oakville, I was dismayed to discover that a portion of my property taxes goes toward snow removal on residential sidewalks. I see no reason why homeowners could not take the extra five minutes to clear the sidewalk in front of their house. Senior citizens or other individuals unable to clear the snow from their drive way/sidewalk could easily pay a student to do the job for them. Surely, at a time when fiscal responsibility and restraint are more necessary than ever, can the town not find better things to do with the money allocated for this service? DEREK RAMM We welcome your letters The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and gram mar. In order to be published, letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, O akville Beaver, 467 Speers Road, Oakville, O n., L6K 3S4, or via email to ed ito r@ oakvillebeaver.com . The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish any letter. Pud I c m b e li e v e 'Y 'f m wamt I D MAKE tX J SI6NEP ME UP TViE MONEY. Fbf? 0 A E Y S m i N & You HAVE.T0 TAKE. THE T R A IN IN G - By steve nease MRI should be used 24 hours a day What a remarkable gift Mrs. Samuel and the Samuel Foundation are giving to our Hospital. The MRI is badly needed in our community and will be of inestimable help. However, the Ministry of Health has seen fit to fund its use for only eight hours per day, even though it is expected to be needed for up to the full 24 hours anticipated by Mrs. Samuel. It seems to me that if users of the MRI, in the off hours, wish to pay for the use of the machine, they should be allowed to do so. Help for those not able to pay the full cost could be available from the many generous local agencies. It is counter productive to have such a precious tool not used to its maximum advantage. JACK LEWIS The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The coundl is located at 80 Gould S i, Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. 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