The Grand Canyon's beauty is not enough for some That's Y Life ears ago, I was driving with one of our sons down a rural road, speeding by farms that had recently been controversially rezoned, snatched up by developers, and that were about to be hastily transformed into another cookie-cutter subdivision. It was at a time when it seemed to me -- and apparently to my son -- that developers were everywhere, and taking over everything, to the gain of greedy municipalities, not to mention the developers. I suppose I should also note that at that point in time the teenager riding shotgun with me was in the midst of a phase that saw him adopting sarcasm as his of cial language. "Well," he grumbled, "another subdivision. Thank goodness they're getting rid of all those useless, pesky farms." I thought of my son -- and about how humans often seem to have a misguided sense of what the prevailing landscape really needs -- when I read that some astute entrepreneurs, some crafty capitalists, are bulldozing forward with plans to build a multi-tier mall on the rim of the Grand Canyon. A plan to place a mall at Grand Canyon Initially, I thought the story was a hoax. An unfunny joke produced by some satirical website. But as I scanned the proposal, I realized these guys are deadly serious. A gleaming `super mall' replete with hotels, fast-food restaurants, movie theatres, and retail outlets. Towering over the majestic canyon, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, intricately carved by nature over the past 35 | Thursday, April 23, 2015 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Andy Juniper Guest Contributor two-billion years. Because so many people over time have been overheard muttering: "You know what this crappy little canyon really needs? A good Imax theatre, that's what." Or, "You know what this great gap in the landscape is missing? A Gap that sells jeans." Or, "It's not a `grand' canyon in my books unless I can get a slice of pizza." Or, "This canyon is sorely lacking in amenities and action. Nature's just messy and boring. You know what would be cool? A gondola that takes you down to the bottom." Yes, the mall will feature a gondola so tourists can tour the depths of the canyon without every having to break a sweat, or actually commune with Mother Nature. Zip down and zip back up again in time for lunch. Not surprisingly, the 420-acre mall proposal was initially met by erce resistance by concerned parties such as environmentalists; the native Navajo tribe (of cial caretakers of the land, who consider the area in question to be sacred grounds); and the National Parks Service (acknowledging with understatement that the mall will "impact see Mall on p.37 Leaky Basement? Call Us! We engrave gifts Purchased anyWhere Bring us your gifts to Personalize and We Will Make Them cherished Mementos 187 Lakeshore Road East, Oakville · 905.338.0248 www.thingsengraved.ca · Crack Injection Repair Specialist · Wise Dry Interior Drain Systems · Lifetime Fully Transferrable Warranty · Sump Pump Renewal Installations Call Us... 905-510-9739 Professional, Cost Effective Solutions for Wet wayne@wisecracks.com Basements w w w. H a l t o n Wi s e C ra c k s. co m Do you want to get BACK TO HEALTH? ...Live without pain or suffering? ...Live a life with optimal Physical and Mental/Emotional Performance? Then call us TODAY to schedule a FREE Wellness consultation and start THRIVING instead of just SURVIVING! Grab a nutritious breakfast or lunch at our Epicurean Eatery. Free shake available for a limited time! Public invited to provide feedback on Long-Term Accommodation Plan Parents and community members are invited to give feedback on the Halton District School Board's updated Long-Term Accommodation Plan. This plan addresses the existing and projected accommodation needs of students in all schools and identifies new capital projects, such as the need for new schools. Presentations outlining the Long-Term Accommodation Plan for Burlington, Halton Hills, Milton, and Oakville are available online at www.hdsb.ca. A hard copy of the Long-Term Accommodation Plan is also available at www.hdsb.ca/AboutUs/Planning/Pages/LongTermAccommodationPlan.aspx NOW OPEN! Please provide your input by May 8, 2015 The online feedback form can be completed here: http://checkbox.hdsb.ca/ltap.aspx Once the feedback is collected, staff will report back to Trustees at the May 20, 2015 Board Meeting. Katrina Dollano TCM Practitioner Charleston Dollano Dr. Ron McAlister Executive Chef Chiropractor What's Good...? It is the fusion of balanced nutrition, mind and body with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), food cures, Chinese Herbal Medicine, Acupuncture and Chiropractic. ...That's Wellness by Design 125 Cross Ave., Oakville · www.whatsgoodwellness.ca · 905.845.5775