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6- The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday August 1, 2007 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: The Oakville Beaver is a division of IAN OLIVER Group Publisher Media Group Ltd. NEIL OLIVER Publisher JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director TERI CASAS Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution ALEXANDRIA CALHOUN Circ. Manager Transparency is a right When the dust settles from last week's resignation of Citizenship and Immigration Minister Mike Colle over his department's handing out $32-million in dubious grants, it will be interesting to see what political price Premier Dalton McGuinty paid for the "slush fund scandal." While Colle certainly has paid the short-term price with his cabinet resignation, the price McGuinty pays may not be known for 10 weeks -- after the Oct. 10 provincial election. Auditor-General Jim McCarter's report was certainly damning enough to the Liberals as he found the process for handing out grants to multicultural groups "one of the worst that we've seen with respect to virtually no controls." Perhaps the worst example of government mismanagement was the fact the Ontario Cricket Association submitted a request for $150,000 in funding and the next day was given a $1-million grant. Cash -- and remember this is taxpayers' money -- was handed out based on "conversations, not applications," according to McCarter. While the absence of checks and balances within the ministry over who got what and how is simply astounding, what is even more galling is that when the scandal surfaced in April, McGuinty balked at taking action. At first the premier stonewalled the Legislature. He also turned a deaf ear to criticism from the press and Opposition and even implied the Conservative and NDP attacks were motivated by racism as the grants went to multicultural groups. He only relented to call in the auditor after a month of questioning. In light of McCarter's report, McGuinty's dismissive attitude towards the issue looks foolish and smacks of political protectiveness. Taxpayers have a right to transparency in government and to know how their money is being spent. It appears from this scandal McGuinty has not yet come to that realization. However, it is a lesson he would be wise to learn -- and quickly. 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 Resident concerned about high-rise plans for Kerr and Speers I was quite alarmed when I read about the proposed rezoning and subsequent development plans of the property bordering the north-east corner of Kerr Street and Speers Road. Empire Communities is looking to put three highrises on this property, in an area that is already highlypopulated with similar structures. The new development would include 15, 18 and 21-storey buildings, totalling 536 apartment units. Although the Town is interested in the intensification of certain parts of Oakville, I believe the area near Kerr and Speers is already a high-density area and that increasing intensification would be detrimental. Although there may not be a direct link between high-density population and crime rates, there does appear to be higher crime in areas where there are more transient populations and those challenged by socioeconomic factors. Increasing the density of rental properties in this area is asking for trouble. Kerr Village is supposed to be quaint and inviting, not a jungle of concrete high-rise apartments. Other areas of Oakville are being developed with condominiums, combinations of business and residential settings, low-rise buildings and seniors residences, etc. Could the property at Kerr and Speers not be considered for something other than high-rises? LINDA LARSEN Invest in a good bike lock Subject: A simple trick for preventing bike theft Removing your bike's front wheel in order to prevent theft, as the officer suggested (Lock 'em or lose those bikes - July 27, Oakville Beaver), is rather drastic. Far better is simply to lock the front wheel and the bike frame to a sturdy, immovable structure, using a decent (more than $20) U-lock, not a cable. I've been cycling year-round in Toronto and Oakville for the past 18 years and have yet (knock wood) to suffer a bike theft, securing both front tire and frame to something immovable. Unfortunately, many cyclists tend to lock only the frame or only the wheel to something, and then only with a flimsy cable, so many end up losing either their front tire (if they secure only the frame) or their frame and back tire (if they secure only the front tire). Take the time to lock your bike properly, with a decent lock, and you'll be fine. CHARLOTTE CREAMER 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. Pud BY STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.com