A6 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday, August 7, 2002 EDITORIALS MD LETTERS THE OAKVILLE BEAVER 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 337-5610 Circulation: 845-9742 IAN OLIVER Publisher NEIL OLIVER Associate Publisher TERI CASAS Office Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief KELLY MONTAGUE Advertising Director STEVE CROZIER Circulation Director MARK DILLS Production Manager RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director ROD JERRED Managing Editor Metroland Printing. Publishing & Distributing Ltd., indudes: Ajax/Pickenng News Advertiser. Alliston HeraJd/Couner. Arthur Enterprise News, Barrie Advance. Barry's Bay This Week, Bolton Enterprise, Brampton Guardian. Burlington Post, Burlington Shopping News, City Parent. Collingwood/Wasaga Connection, East York Mirror, Erin Advocate/Country Routes. Etobicoke Guardian, Flamborough Post, Georgetown Independent/Acton Free Press, Harriston Fteview, Huronia Business Times. Kingston This Week, Lindsay This Week. MaiWiam Economist & Sun. K Milton Canadian Champion. Mississauga Business Times. N Guide. Newmarket/Aurora Era-Banner. Northumberland News. North York Minor. Oakville Beaver. Oakville Shopping News. Oldtimers Hockey News. Onllia Today. Oshawa/Whitby/Clarington Port Perry This Week. Owen Sound Tribune, Palmerston Observer. Peterborough This Week. Ptcton County Guide, Richmond Hill/Thomhill/Vaughan Liberal. Scarborough Mirror, StouttviileAJxbridge Tribune, Forever Young. City of'fork Guardian THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by -- Ontario Community | ; Newspapers Association R O N T E T» V <3 * ^ ^ * A Canadian Community Newspapers Association S aW M S B l 0 f f l ah'iiJe W fe L C W A J in g e B e il F und ' " Sn» J oakvjHie g a lle rie s | The Oakville, Mfton and District © SKY Suburban Newspapers of America F O ftB U S IN E S SE X C E L L E N C E T fc ts g r WOff Quality summer vacations So, what did you do on your summer vacation? For most of us the answers are routine: camping, traveling, cottaging. working on the house and spending time with the family. A surprising number of people, however, have spent this summer selflessly helping others. In just the last week, we witnessed sever al of these examples in the pages of The Oakville Beaver. This past week, Oakville was visited by 300 American youth from World Changers, a Georgia-based agency of the Southern Baptist Convention, which sends groups of young teens across the continent to work on community projects. In Oakville, the group worked on 24 proj ects throughout the community including renovations to the Kerr Street Ministries and replacing a roof and deck on an older home. Even more revealing, is the fact the World Changers participants each paid $295 US to spend a week helping others. The Oakville visitors were among 23,000 junior high school students participating in 98 World Changer volunteer projects this summer. And then there is the Conway family and friends who combined an urge to see the country with the spirit of helping others by participating in the Canada Cycles for Kids fundraiser for the Children's Wish Foundation. Michael Conway and his 12-year-old son Patrick have cycled portions of the 5,200-km trek from Vancouver to Montreal, while his wife Sylvie Conway has driven the support vehicle. Even their daughter, Cynthia, 18, a recent Oakville-Trafalgar High School graduate, drove support from Vancouver to Calgary before she had to fly home to put in some hours on her summer job. Their efforts have helped the Canada Cycles for Kids raise an estimated $150,000. And last Friday we reported on Oakville resident Kevin Hamilton's cross country cycling efforts to raise awareness about the environment. The Cycling for Sustainability hopes to conclude its journey from Vancouver in St. John's, Newfoundland on Sept. 10. Last Friday, we also reported on Oakville resident Debbie Bang's organization and par ticipation in the Second Annual Swim for the Cure on the Severn River on Saturday. Last year's swim raised $6,000 for breast cancer research and this year's target was $10,000. These are just a few of the many worthy fundraising and community projects that Oakville residents, and others, have been involved in this summer. And while their causes are wide and var ied, they each share a common denominator. The participants not only helped make their communities a better place in which to live, they were rewarded with memories that will last a lifetime. That's something everyone can consider when planning next summer's vacation. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Ruling made reader proud Denying our neediest citizens of help ple we don't understand, or appear `different' from those of us warm in our homes. Mental illness has been another issue raised. While it has been reported that a high number of the homeless suffer from some sort of mental illness, I question what this broad term means. In my work I've come across many people who would fit into this catego ry, and overwhelmingly their afflic tions are depression and anxiety disor ders. Have none of you ever suffered from either of these mental illnesses? As far as drugs in our town, the Burlington Post reports (in May 2002) that 33 percent of Halton students already use drugs. Not to mention the spring drug bust of more than $ 1 mil lion just down the street of the pro posed shelter site! If you think there are no manic depressives, drug addicts or criminals behind the white picket fences of our homes, then you have been misled. These problems exist in our communi ty, and our neighbours in poverty are not to blame. This isn't about being politically correct -- it's about being realistic and fair. If those of you who oppose the emergency shelter succeed, then you will not have made our streets cleaner or our children safer. You will only have denied our neediest citizens the help they deserve. TASHA TR UA N T LETTER O F THE WEEK M any of the residents of the Re: Ruling makes mockery of marriage ( The Oakville Iroquois Ridge area should be Beaver, July 2 4 ). After reading the letter to the editor entitled Ruling makes ashamed of themselves for their recent mockery o f marriage, I felt inclined to express my own opin outbursts of the not-in-my-back-yard attitude. ion on this matter. The proposed Salvation Army I do not believe that this ruling has made a mockery of our country, or of marriage in general. In fact, I think it shows Lighthouse Shelter is a refreshingly how far we have come and how tolerant and accepting a new way of dealing with poverty in Oakville -- by actually admitting it country we are. With our aging population, declining birth rates, crisis exists and addressing it. How disheartening it must be to with our schools and financial market troubles, the last thing this country needs is inequality among its citizens. This rul work for the Oakville Salvation Army ing is a huge step not only for same-sex couples in love, but j right now -- a well known and in fact for every citizen in Canada. It is sending the message respected organization that is trying to that regardless of sex, race, religion, sexuality, etc., all help in the face of all this rejection. Canada's citizens deserve, and will receive, equal treatment in Rejection that is groundless and most ly unreasonable. the eyes of its laws. My work with poverty has taken I fail to see how the issue of money being "squandered" in other court cases in other provinces comes even close when me locally to Toronto and as far away compared to the rights that each individual has as a citizen of as Central America. What I am most concerned about are the dangerous this great nation. When I think about this court ruling, I do not start worry and untrue stereotypes about low ing about the repercussions that it may have on the financial income people that have been propa gated in our area. Among the most state of our country. Instead, I am filled with an extraordinary amount of pride offensive of these is the supposed for my country in the realization that despite financial crisis, threat to our children's safety. political turmoil, and violence throughout the world, the Kidnappings, pedophilia and other country in which I live is still recognizing that its citizens are, such fabricated hazards are not justi each and every one of them, individuals who as citizens of fied in the slightest. When was the last this country have unfailing equal rights no matter who they a homeless sex abuser was convicted? Where are all these kidnappers with no are. Since this ruling I have been more proud than ever to be a residences in which to bring people? When I think of sex abuse and murder, Canadian. the names of some middle class subur M ARK TURNBULL ban offenders are the only people who come to mind. These irrational accusa tions of the homeless are not based on facts, but only on being afraid of peo Water conservation should be encouraged I read with interest your editorial on Sunday, July 28, per taining to the availability of water and the options that lie before the Region of Halton. Despite living on the banks of Lake Ontario, water is a scarce commodity and is one that we should be increasingly respectful of. During dry weather, residents and businesses are asked to conserve their water usage to ensure there is ade quate supply and pressure for essential and emergency use, including fire protection. Expanding water treatment capacity, which, you are right, there is a cost involved in that, is one option we could explore, but another option, that can be done right now is year-round water conservation. Each of us needs to look at how we use water throughout the year. By making some relatively simple lifestyle changes, we can make some positive impacts, both economically and environmentally, within our households and within the community. Just three examples to consider implementing: · Using a rain barrel to water your small gardens and flower pots: · Using an ultra low flush toilet which only uses six litres of water compared to 13 litres of water used by most toilets built since 1980: · Washing fruit and vegetables in a partially-filled sink or in a container of water instead of allowing water to run con stantly. Engaging the public with a more responsible use of this resource is important to the Town of Oakville. As a member of Halton Region's Conservation Advisory Committee, we are always looking at ways to promote water efficiency to our residents and businesses. Water conservation should become part of our daily lives and we encourage you to continue to use water wisely. A NN MULVALE MAYOR OF OAKVILLE Cartoon ignored positives of World Youth Day Re: Editorial cartoon, Oakx'ille Beaver, Wednesday, July 31. It is my opinion that editorial cartoons are depictions of important events or people in the community or country, often done "tongue in cheek." Some of them focus on issues from a viewpoint and in a style that can be described as clever, but not necessarily hurtful. This particular cartoon, however, I find extremely outra geous and disgusting. It is a distortion or maybe an ignorance of all the positive outcomes of a highly successful papal visit. It is offensive to all those who took part in this pilgrimage -- including the youth of Oakville who attended and also those families in Oakville who acted as hosts to many pilgrims from outside Canada. There is no question that the sex abuse scandals are both criminal and abhorrent, but should that issue overshadow the abundance of positive participation and increased awareness of the need to focus on a higher and better level of priorities? Should our community newspaper highlight this on its editori al page in the form of a pictorial statement? Has reporting of good news gone out of fashion? I think and hope not. What message are you giving to the multitude of young people who participated in this reaffirmation of their faith, who met and interacted with an amazing number of youth from around the world? All of them vocally demonstrated their appreciation of the message they were hearing and were eager to go forth and practice what was preached in order to make the world a better place in which to live. They are our leaders of the future, the salt of the earth and the light of the world. With this cartoon, your newspaper has offended many people of various faiths and beliefs. It denigrates the purpose and value of the World youth Day. I feel that you have erased the high rep utation and awards you received in the past. You are certainly not among `the salt of the earth and the light of the world." IRENE BETTOIL Action needed to reduce smog The oppressive smog and heat this summer are caused by human activity. We can reduce the impact of these activities by choosing to: · make fewer trips by car; · drive a fuel-efficient vehicle; · not put pesticides on our lawns; · use air conditioning in modera tion. Smog fouls the air upon which our health and well-being depend. Hot weather worsens the smog, making it more difficult for people to breathe. We can tell our political representa tives that clean air is health care and that we need action to: · stop the cycle of expanding high way networks and urban sprawl; · convert coal-burning electricity plants to natural gas; · ratify the Kyoto Protocol now. B RIAN HO PK IN S The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published, letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Road, Oakville, On., L6K 3S4. or via email to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish any let ter. Pud By STEVE NEASE