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6- The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday August 8, 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 A wake-up call Infrastructure. It's a word that just doesn't capture people's attention. However, in the wake of last week's bridge collapse in Minneapolis, it's a word we're likely to hear a lot more and, frankly, we should. Immediately following the U.S. disaster much airtime and newspaper space was devoted to the "can it happen here?" scenario. Engineers, architects and various other "bridge experts" were called on to voice their opinions on whether bridges, overpasses and other structures here in Ontario are safe. Not surprisingly, opinions were mixed. For the record, Halton Region has followed a provincially-mandated program since 1997, which requires bridges and large culverts to be inspected every two years. The region is responsible for 76 bridges and 113 culverts which cover 296 kilometres of regional roadway. Individual municipalities are responsible for their own roads. Few bridges collapse for no apparent reason. Yes, there have been some instances, such as the collapse of a bridge in Laval last year which claimed five lives, and a bridge on the New York State Thruway near Amsterdam, New York, gave way in 1987, killing 10 people, but those instances, like the one in Minneapolis, are not weekly occurrences. That said, last week's disaster should serve as a wake-up call to all levels of government that aging infrastructure will -- and should -- be a front-burner issue in coming years. Sewer lines, water pipes, overpasses etc. do not last forever. Our harsh climate and various other factors all result in wear and tear on structures that were built decades ago. While various levels of government pump millions of dollars into infrastructure each year, in many cases it is just to keep up with regular maintenance - not work that would be seen as proactive. Infrastructure, and its maintenance, is an expensive venture funded mostly through tax dollars. The Minneapolis disaster may, however, be the impetus for many politicians - and residents - to take a second look at local infrastructure and rethink its importance when it comes time to decide how best to spend taxpayers' money. 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 Setting record straight on Tory healthcare platform Cartoon was upsetting I wish to correct inaccurate information provided by Oakville Liberal MPP Kevin Flynn in his guest column in the Oakville Beaver, July 28. He wrote: "The Conservatives want to take Ontario back by cutting $2.9 billion from our healthcare system." In fact, as noted on page 3 of the PC platform document, "John Tory will significantly increase health care investments so that by the fourth year of a PC government, spending will be $8.5 billion more than current annual spending by the McGuinty Liberals." This substantial increase in funding is more than the Liberals have offered and will be targeted where it is needed most: addressing the shortage of family doctors, ensuring Ontarians get electronic health records, and providing catch-up funding for the 905 region. I appreciate this opportunity to provide Oakville residents with correct information in advance of the upcoming provincial election. I commit to continuing this practice throughout the campaign so that all voters can make their important choices with the right information. RICK BYERS OAKVILLE CANDIDATE ONTARIO PC PARTY I have in front of me the editorial cartoon, which came with the Wednesday, July 25 edition of The Oakville Beaver. It is an appallingly vulgar drawing. What was your cartoonist thinking? I fail to see how the public is served when such a denigrating depiction of local politicians, ie. Miller, McGuinty, and, Bryant, is used in reaction to their efforts to solve a very difficult social problem: Guns and Gangs. And what message does this send to the young people in Oakville? Anything goes? I hope not. MARION SCHAFFER In praise of Bronte Re: July 18 story on the Bronte Commercial Fishermen's Memorial and the quote from Ken (Pollock), "It's Bronte, not Bronté." Ken is right on. As a child growing up in Bronte in the 1950s, we were referred to as the Bronte Bums by anyone living east of the Sixteen-Mile Creek. Today, those same persons living east of the SixteenMile Creek, their children and grandchildren, now come out to Bronte, enjoy the harbour, the village and all else that Bronte offers. How times have changed. PATRICIA EBBS (NEE BROWN) 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