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6- The Oakville Beaver, Friday July 21, 2006 www.oakvillebeaver.com OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-3824, ext. 224 Circulation: 845-9742 Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: IAN OLIVER Publisher WEBSITE Oakvillebeaver.com NEIL OLIVER Associate Publisher JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor KELLY MONTAGUE Advertising Director DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Manager TERI CASAS Business Manager MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution ALEXANDRIA CALHOUN Circ. Manager Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd., includes: Ajax/Pickering News Advertiser, Alliston Herald/Courier, Arthur Enterprise News, Barrie Advance, Brampton Guardian, Burlington Post, Burlington Shopping News, Caledon Enterprise, City Parent, Collingwood/Wasaga Connection, East York Mirror, Erin Advocate/Country Routes, Etobicoke Guardian, Flamborough Review, Georgetown Independent/Acton Free Press, Harriston Review, Huronia Business Times, Lindsay This Week, Markham Economist & Sun, Midland/Penetanguishine Mirror, Milton Canadian Champion, Milton Shopping News, Mississauga Business Times, Mississauga News, Napanee Guide, Newmarket/Aurora Era-Banner, Northumberland News, North York Mirror, Oakville Beaver, Oakville Shopping News, Oldtimers Hockey News, Orillia Today, Oshawa/Whitby/Clarington Port Perry This Week, Owen Sound Tribune, Palmerston Observer, Peterborough This Week, Picton County Guide, Richmond Hill/Thornhill/Vaughan Liberal, Scarborough Mirror, Stouffville/Uxbridge Tribune, Forever Young, City of York Guardian When water is a hazard With the recent hot weather it's only natural people want to beat the heat by enjoying a swim in a pool, a day at the beach or a casual canoe ride along a picturesque river. But in our haste to cool off, we too often don't consider the dangers that water presents. National Drowning Prevention Week began Sunday (July 16) and the Lifesaving Society urges Canadians to ensure their safety and the safety of others on, in, or near the water. Fact: drowning remains the third leading cause of accidental death among Canadians under 60 years of age. In the past few weeks we, in Halton, have had local reminders just how dangerous water -- any water -- can be. On Saturday an Etobicoke man drowned while swimming in Fairy Lake in Acton -- deciding to ignore the posted warning signs that the beach was closed and swimming wasn't permitted. It was the second time in four years the lake and its weedy contents claimed a life. Two weeks ago an 83-year-old Burlington woman accidentally tumbled into a swimming pool while gardening. While there was a cover on the pool, there was also several feet of standing water on top of it. The elderly woman became entrapped in the cover. Her 65-year-old daughter was unable to save her. Neither woman could swim. And then there are the hazards that boating presents. Herb Pohl's body was recovered Wednesday after he went missing while canoeing on Lake Superior. The 76year-old Burlington man's overturned canoe was located Monday afternoon, still fully-loaded with equipment. Boating activities represent more than 30 per cent of all drowning deaths. In fact, more than 60 per cent of all drowning deaths in Canada occur during recreational activities such as swimming, fishing, or boating. "Canadians must be mindful of these statistics as they take part in summer water activities," says Rick Haga, executive director of the Lifesaving Society, a charitable organization dedicated to the prevention of drowning deaths and water-related injuries in Canada. But, as Haga points out, what is most disturbing is that "the majority of the time, these deaths can be avoided." The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Re: The Proposed Tree Bylaw, Editorial, Town out on a limb, Oakville Beaver, July 19, Readers of your paper have heard the arguments against the Town's proposed tree bylaw. Please permit me, as a co-owner of a treed private residential property, to outline why a tree bylaw is a good idea for Oakville. Healthy cities have healthy urban forests. Trees provide shade, reduce air pollution, and emit oxygen in summer, provide windbreaks in winter, offer shelter and food for wildlife, reduce storm water run-off and control flood- Private tree bylaw is step towards healthy urban environment ing, and immeasurably add to the beauty of our Town all year around. We need our trees. If we regard them as a maintenance nuisance or as an impediment to a view and cut them down, we do so at our peril. The proposed tree bylaw dares to uphold the collective rights of all of us to a healthy urban environment against the much narrower interests of private property owners. When a healthy tree is cut down, it is a loss for everyone in Oakville. Our Town Council began considering a bylaw in December 2005, and revisited the issue in February 2006. Public meetings were held in May and June. Residents of Oakville may comment throughout the summer directly to the Town by e-mail or by contacting their councillors. Ample time has been allotted for full debate on the proposed bylaw for the Council to act prior to the November election. Under a draft of the proposed bylaw, no charge will be levied if a private property owner wishes to remove a diseased or dead tree. Fees would apply to owners for permits for the removal of healthy trees only. Money collected could offset costs to the Town of planting and caring for replacement trees. The bylaw would not ban tree cutting, but it would encourage private property owners to keep their trees. We face climate change and worsening air and water quality. Everyone in Oakville would benefit from a strong tree protection bylaw. RENEE LEHNEN Pud BY STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.com Preposterous tree bylaw Regarding the preposterous tree bylaw. I, along with other people I have discussed the bylaw with, believe, as do a great many citizens of Oakville, that perhaps it's time to replace a council and mayor who do not listen, with a council and mayor who will govern with a mandate to scrutinize a burgeoning bureaucracy and an attempt to keep taxes at the inflation rate. J. PATERSON The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline.