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OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, September 9, 2009 · 6 OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5571 Classified Advertising: 632-4440 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 Regional 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 Thumbs down on election call Federal Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff may believe the time is right to challenge the Stephen Harper-led minority Conservative government, but we doubt the Canadian voting public is enamored with the prospect of returning to the polls for the second time in about 12 months and fourth time in five years. Last week's threats of a non-confidence vote being called shortly after Parliament reconvenes on Monday, Sept. 14 had Conservative MPs shaking their heads and many ordinary Canadians asking, why now? This all reeks of having more to do with the political animosity that exists between the Conservatives and the Liberal, NDP and Bloc parties than any hotbutton federal issue that has average Canadians buzzing. It's estimated that a federal election would cost taxpayers between $200 million-$300 million -- not an insignificant amount in this era of corporate bailouts and stimulus plans. Last October's federal election cost $288.2 million and resulted in a third consecutive minority government. According to recent popularity polls, there's no reason to believe an election approximately one year since the last will yield a dramatically different result. Political analysts seem almost unanimous in the opinion that whichever of the Liberal and Conservative parties would come out on top in a fall election -- they would be clinging to yet another minority with the other party leaders plotting the next challenge. Any of the federal leaders who have been reading the political tea leaves in recent years should already know the electorate is feeling burned out by campaign after campaign. With the exception of the referendum of 1898, the four poorest voter turnouts -- by percentage -- since Confederation have taken place in the last four elections Jan. 2006 (64.7 per cent), Nov. 2000 (61.2 per cent), June 2004 (60.9 per cent) and Oct. 2008 (58.8 per cent). While Michael Ignatieff may see the still-recovering Canadian economy as an opportunity to try to unseat his greatest political foe, we question the timing from a citizen's point of view. There have to be more productive ways for Ottawa to be spending almost $300 million of our money. 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. Letter to the editor Grid system is step forward Re: Commuters get ready to grid and bear new transit system, Oakville Beaver, Sept 3 The new grid system is a step forward that provides Oakville Transit with a suitable routing structure to address the needs of transit users. This change is a work-inprogress and some significant gaps remain in the grid structure. The lack of a connection to Burlington north of the QEW and the inadequacy of the connection from north Oakville to the Bristol Circle area and Mississauga are examples. Fortunately, a new bus along Dundas from Trafalgar Road to Mississauga should soon be in place to ease one of these problems. The Town could also be looking at providing another north-south grid route -- possibly along Dorval and Neyagawa. The new route of the #19 bus will make service more convenient and more reliable for me and most Letters to the editor 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. See Transit page 7 Methadone treatment clinic should be welcomed Re: Methadone treatment clinic coming to Kerr Street, Oakville Beaver, Sept. 4. I was very pleased to read that a Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) clinic will be opening its doors in our community because the reality is, people have addictions (yes, even in Oakville) and many choose methadone as a way to manage their addiction and seek recovery. Methadone is very carefully monitored and people who receive it are involved in ongoing treatment to manage their addiction, their life and reduce the harm. As I read the article and the fears and ultimately stereotypes that some local shop owners and the BIA had, it saddened me. Often what comes to mind when people think of heroin addictions is a drug user `shooting up' on the corner of the street with dirty needles lying carelessly about. What people need to also remember is many people also have addictions to licit drugs such as OxyContin and Demerol. Sometimes when discussing drug addictions, we lose the human face. Someone with a drug addiction can be anyone from our next-door neighbor, aunt, son, husband, wife, daughter, politician, teacher and friend. It is not "those people." A question to ask. `Would the concerned community members and storeowners be as concerned if a Beer Store or LCBO was going to open next door?' Using the same logic, alcohol is considered a drug and people attend the LCBO/Beer Store to get or buy substances. Many consume this substance responsibly and socially. However, there are some consumers who do not drink responsibly and who have an alcohol dependency. So, why do the LCBO and Beer Store not receive the same debate and criticism as the MMT clinic? In fact, some real estate listings actually boast when property is near the convenience of the LCBO. People, who get help for their addictions, should be respected for their willingness to seek help and desire to change rather than berated and feared. They should be able to get help within our community free from discrimination and stereotypes. I want to extend my respect to Halton Region, George Benakopoulos and Dr. Bob Nosal for advocating for the need of this clinic within our community. Welcome. DANIELLE POMEROY