A6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, September 12,2001 T he Oakville B eaver Ian Oliver Publisher Neil Oliver .AssociatePublisher Norman Alexander Editor Kelly Montague, .Adi'ertising Director Steve Crazier Circulation Director Teri Casas Office Manager Mark Dills Production Manager Riziero Vertolli DirectorofPhotography Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd., indudes: Ajax/Pickering News Advertiser, Alliston Herald/Courier, 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 Minor, Erin Advocate/Country Routes. Etobicoke Guardian, Flamborough Post. Georgetown Independent/Acton Free Press. Haniston peview, Hurorna Business Times, Kingston This Week. Lindsay This Week, Markham Economist & Sun, Midland/Penetanguishine Mirror, Milton Canadian Champion. 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JiN qlE B e U F u n c I JThhena J^toard ^O T T^ A M T T in id TV A U C TIO N O N T O __ O a k i'iile <^4w arS s FOR BUSINESS EXCELLENCE 467 Speers Rd,, Oakville O nt L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax; 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-2809 Circulation: 845-9742 ·4>CNA J Canadian Community N ew sp apers Association United Way of Oakville A R I O M IR O N T E * V T T ER F LY C fa M f f t t d TOWN OF B 0,4 | oakville galleries | S K Suburban N ew sp apers of Am erica O a G U jL C h ild r e n 's C h o i r Is ; r* rrr, w oe m , k rM rU H * /OR U BUSINESSKTH EARTS Editorials America under attack Life as we know it in North America has changed. With the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington D.C., yesterday, our security blankets have been ripped out from under us. We used to feel safe in North America. We used to watch televised broad casts of organized acts of terrorism in the Middle East, Europe and Asia with the sense of security that those type of tragedies occurred in other countries -- they didn't happen here at home. Admittedly, there were a few random acts of terror ism, the previous attempt to bomb the World Trade Centre in New York City and the Oklahoma City bombings. But for the most part, we felt safe at home. We did not live under the constant shadow of terrorism. That's no longer the case. Now, we've become the victims of the greatest act of terrorism in history and the reverberations from that attack will be felt for a long time. The terrorists have struck at the heart of North America. They have crippled our economy by leveling the World Trade centre and closing the New York and Toronto Stock Exchanges. They have brought air travel to a standstill. And they have threatened our freedom. One of the greatest strengths of Canada and the United States has been the freedom enjoyed by the people living in those countries. We enjoy the freedom of movement, the freedom of speech and the freedom of assembly that is envied by many countries and only dreamed of by others. Yet that freedom is also one of our greatest weaknesses. It is that freedom which allowed terrorists to accomplish their heinous attacks. And it is that very freedom which is now in peril. What price are we willing to pay to regain our sense of safety and security. Do we want closed borders? Do we want to wait five to six hours to pass airline security checks? Do we become fortress North America in order to protect our selves from terrorism? Yes, we need to retaliate, but we must make sure sure our retaliation doesn't accomplish the very goals of the terrorists who attacked our freedoms. Letters to the Editor The Oakville Beaver welcomes your comments. All letters must be typed, signed and include the writer's address and phone number. Send to: Letters to the Editor, The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, Ont. L6K 3S4 Cartoon unfair to NDP says party leader Your cartoon "P olitical C om m on Ground" shows O n tario 's three political party leaders hungrily gloating over the 25 per cent pay raise for MPPs. The fact is that the NDP is opposed to the increase. I have already said I won't accept it. So much for "common ground." New Democrats unanim ously voted against the MPP salary review by the province's integri ty commissioner. We'll be campaigning against the 25 per cent pay raise in the next election. MPPs should live under the same salary reali ties as average working people, whose wages have been held to two, one, even zero per cent, not to mention the minimum wage workers who haven't seen their rock bottom pay raised for almost seven years. Y our c a rto o n ist deserv ed ly lam poons the Conservatives and Liberals for lusting after this money grab, but then misleads your readers by portraying the NDP as a party to this. We're not. Howard Hampton, Leader Ontario New Democratic Party Letter of the Week Annual home visit an eye-opener I am a former Oakville resident now living in the U.K. I return at least once a year to visit my parents, who still live here. On each return, I become more dismayed at the rampant and unsustainable growth occurring here. What I see are communities of identical houses, dominated by car garages, completely dependent on motor vehicles. In most develop ments, it i§ not even possible to buy milk and a newspaper without getting in our cars. In Europe, where land is more precious, walking and cycling play a much larger part of everyday life -- to the benefit of all. Latest estimates of world petroleum reserves (from BP see www.bp.com) suggest that there remain 40 years of oil supply -- at current consumption rates. But if these rates increase (as they surely will), if supplies are not secure or prices rise (due to cartels, wars or terrorists), our dependen cy on cars and oil will once again be the focus of hot debate and newspaper front pages. While short-term planners and thinkers will scoff at such suggestions, the next generation of Canadians may find themselves with large swathes of land covered in inefficient houses they can no longer afford to heat and cool, nor transport to and from. And they will be shaking their heads at the idiocy of our mistakes. The quality of life in Canada (at least here in Oakville and the GTA) so boldly trumpeted by UN Commissions and Tourism Canada officials is slowly and sadly eroding, replaced by increasing traffic, worsening air and water qual ity, unprecedented sprawl and conspicuous consumerism and waste. Oakville anticipates 50,000 more residents in the next 30 years. The GTA is planning for one-million more residents in the next 10 years! It is not due to the natural increase of the population -- birth rates are at historic lows. Who has decided then that Oakville and the GTA need so many more people? Is it really in our best interests? And if so, surely we can come up with more efficient, sustainable and Sane ways of developing. I feel saddened. I always dreamt of one day returning here w ith my fam ily to raise my children as proud Canadians. But that dream is fading as fast as Ontario's countryside. Graham Zabel Teacher entered retirement with mixed emotions I taught elementary school for 36 years. In June, I retired and w alked out o f my classroom with mixed emotions. I w as e x c ite d ab o u t the freed o m and challenges that lay ahead; however, I was saddened to leave behind students, parents, colleagues and a career that I loved and val ued so much. I truly believe that teaching is a life-long dedication to children. W hat a great opportunity I had to influ ence so many kids and parents too, in four Catholic Ontario School boards. W hen I announced my retirement, I was overw helm ed by the reaction o f parents, colleagues and students, past and present. During all of those years, I was com pen sated fairly for a job that I loved to do. I was fortunate to see and, constantly e n c o u ra g e d , by th e jo y m y s tu d e n ts expressed in learning, and by the dedication of many parent-volunteers. I enjoyed every day o f my career, not because every day was perfect, but because I knew that I could m ake the curriculum come alive for my students. I truly believed that I could make a dif ference in the lives of those children. D ue to re ce n t n eg ativ e p u b licity , my treasured profession is now perceived to be a second-rate occupation. It saddens me to know that the beginning teachers in this im portant profession, are faced with so m uch negativity due to the so m e tim es u n re a lis tic a sp e c ts o f m any recent government-imposed constraints. I hope th at these teachers are able to cope w ith the new, ad d itio n al pressu res they face in an already high-stress occupa tion. I salute all o f you who are on the thresh old of your teaching career and encourage you to remember: "A hundred years from now, it will not matter what your bank account was, the sort o f house you lived in, or the kind of car you d rove...but the w orld may be a different place because you were im portant in the life o f a child." Our children are our future. Eleanor Dallimore P r im e M i n i s t e r 's re s p o n s e w a s in s u lt in g In a c a r e f u lly w o rd e d s ta te m e n t, P re s id e n t B u sh e le v a te d M e x ic o to Canada's status, that of a country o f which none other has greater im portance to the United States of America. · In that Americans of M exican origin or ancestry are a sig n ifican t p o rtio n o f the p o p ulation and electo rate, th at there has long been less than harm onious relations across the Rio G rande and there are o u t standing problems to be solved, there was every reason for these words to be spoken. Saying that the 'States is o f little more im p o rta n c e to C a n a d a th a n B rita in o r France was a poor response, though our Prim e M inister presum ably thought it an excellent stroke. R eality is the U nited States is a para mount importance to Canada. In fact, eco nom ically it is four times as im portant as ' ifc m m & '- y * the rest of the world combined in terms of our exports. C anada w as not dem eaned by B ush's s ta te m e n t. T he U n ite d S ta te s w as by Chretien's. Something that, no doubt, will be raised in the future. G eorge m ay play g o lf w ith Jean , but hard ball is still the fav ourite A m erican game. Joe Hueglin M o to ris t fu rio u s at 407ETR As an Oakville taxpayer, I would like an explanation as to why I am now being charged for an exit that I used to use for free. I travel Hwy. 403 from T rafalgar Road tow ards Toronto, and back. When the ETR407 road was under con struction our exit/entrance from Trafalgar Road was closed. We were told it would open in November 2000. We it did not. When it finally did re-open, all of a sudden it became part of the ETR rather than our old exit. I do not understand why the public was not informed of this change. As a result, I now have to take Dundas Street to the 403 and back, which is adding about 30 minutes to my journey - depending on traffic. I am furious. Why were we not informed? I approached an ETR representative at Oakville Place with this question and was advised, "Oh, it's only 32 cents." The 32 cents adds up. Please note: .32 x 2 trips = .64 x 5 days = $3.20 x 26 weeks = $83.20. Plus add the $2 for not owning a transponder per trip and you can see where I would be furious with the response. liana Marich i t by steve nease