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OAKVILLE BEAVER · Friday, March 6, 2009 6 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: NEIL OLIVER Vice ­ President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The Oakville Beaver is a division of Media Group Ltd. DAVID HARVEY General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director SANDY PARE Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution SARAH MCSWEENEY Circ. Manager Councillors should rethink raise Are you expecting a raise this year? During these uncertain economic times, we suspect that pay hikes -- and requests for them -- are not on the minds of many Halton residents. For many, there will be no thought of a raise before an economic turnaround and substantial recovery occurs. However, for the 21 elected members of Halton's regional council, 2009 began as a more prosperous year than 2008. On Jan. 1, Halton Region Chair Gary Carr received a 3.2 per cent increase, bringing his annual remuneration to $157,164, while each of the 20 regional councillors representing the municipalities of Burlington, Oakville, Milton and Halton Hills received an increase of 5.5 per cent, raising their regional pay to $42,804. Each regional councillor is also paid by their home municipality. This year's council pay raises are the result of a market adjustment recommended by a citizen advisory committee and a scheduled costof-living increase. To be fair, not everyone around Halton Region's council table thought the pay hikes were appropriate. Last November, Halton Hills Councillor Jane Fogal had asked councillors to put off the raises until August 2010, when a new salary review is scheduled to take place. While many of her peers supported the position to show political leadership during these troubling times, a slight majority did not. The raises passed 11-9. In the recorded vote, the following members supported the raise: Burlington's Rick Craven and Carol D'Amelio, Oakville's Alan Johnston, Fred Oliver, Keith Bird, Allan Elgar, Jeff Knoll and Tom Adams, Milton Mayor Gord Krantz and Councillor Barry Lee and Halton Hills Councillor Clark Somerville. While this year's pay hike for members of council is not substantial when held up against Halton Region's $400-million operating budget, that's not the point. Members of council are trusted to protect the best interests of every Halton resident, to spend and budget wisely and to lead by example. By accepting a raise -- of any size -- 11 members of council missed an opportunity to make a gesture that, while insignificant in impact on Halton's budget, would have demonstrated strong leadership during what has become a time of economic hardship for many residents. 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 Uncontrolled dogs ruining walks in the woods We recently retired to Oakville, a friendly town with vision and an emphasis on maintaining its natural beauty for everyone's enjoyment. It's a wonderful place to live and we are fortunate that our house adjoins a Town woodlot and Bronte Creek Provincial Park. Sadly, however, our enjoyment of the parks and trails has been diminished by uncontrolled dogs, their sometimes belligerent owners and the messes they leave on the trails, in the forest, and on our street, our driveways and even in our yard. At home, or out walking the trails, we see many beautiful dogs, many of whom run free and loose in the wooded areas and on the trails. Whilst liberating for the dogs, it is an absolutely unacceptable and unfair practice. Even the friendliest dogs, that "won't hurt," when loose can cause people great anxiety, especially a vulnerable child or an elderly person. Last fall, we watched a frantic young mother, with a stroller, baby, walking tricky for everyone. Neither is the nearby children's playground immune from loose dogs and their waste and caution is essential when our little ones play there. It's a sad state of affairs, when some dog owners demand their rights, yet seem oblivious to their responsibilities. There are clear signs listing the bylaws at trail entrances; no doubt, errant dog owners know the rules only too well, but can't be bothered to conThis week's question is: Should action be taken to form. protect residents from coyotes in urban areas? Come on, guilty dog owners, exer· Yes cise some thoughtfulness and consid· No eration for all who use Oakville's beauTo vote, visit oakvillebeaver.com tiful forests, parks and trails and who walk on our streets. Think about takThe 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 accept- ing your pet to obedience classes, then ed on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising leash it, and stoop and scoop its poop. space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, The rest of us have rights. too. will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the appliYVONNE MAYHEW cable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. and toddler, trying to cope with two unleashed, unpredictable, and totally undisciplined dogs. As if this conduct is not bad enough, it is exacerbated by the neglect, of some dog owners, to clean up their pet's droppings. The trails and areas adjoining them, and the street, are dotted with dog waste, making Pud BY STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.com This week's poll