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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, February 26, 2010 · 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 --Open 9-5 weekdays, 5-7 for calls only Wed. to Friday, Closed weekends 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: Canadian Circulation Audit Board Member THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America Canadian Community Newspapers Association ATHENA Award 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 More time please We believe Oakville taxpayers need a little more time to mull over Halton Healthcare Services' (HHS) proposal for a new hospital before Town Council hands over a $200-million blank cheque. While HHS has gone to much effort over the past few months to convince Oakville residents of the need for a new hospital, it has not been as keen to reveal details on just how the Town's $200 million would be spent. We understand its hands are somewhat tied by the bidding process for the construction of the hospital, but we feel it has dropped the ball in quelling the public's fears and answering all of their questions. What we find troubling is that many of these questions still remain unanswered just days before Town council is expected to make its decision on the $200million request. While John Oliver, president and CEO of HHS, indicates council's vote on Monday is simply an endorsement of the project, which will be followed by another vote once all the costs are determined, it's not clear whether council can back out of that endorsement once all the costs are known. We understand hospital employees and officials are anxious to leave the current building, but we don't believe a request for more time to consider the project is unreasonable. Letter to the editor Make right choice Currently spending long hours at Oakville-Tafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH) to spend what remaining time is left with my husband Ian, who is a victim of ALS, I am becoming increasingly baffled and frustrated by the objections of the Town of Oakville to unilaterally contribute $200 million to the new hospital. The acute care wing on 4 East is a busy, busy place. The staff, from the folks who wash the beds to the doctors negotiating every kind of illness, is exemplary. The unit clerks are the air traffic controllers, the nurses, the angels of mercy and humour. However, they have barely enough room, or time, to maneuver, let alone ensure the facility they work in is operating at a standard the people of Oakville have to come to expect from every other sector of the community. English is our first language. Ian and I are relatively young and can advocate for ourselves. We have pretty standard insurance coverage, and family and friends as support, who go way and above anything standard. But when Ian had to move to a ward, quickly, after a bout with pneumonia, there was not thing one we could do about it. And neither could the staff -- through no fault of theirs. They were more than accommodating, and apologetic. But the bottom line was, there was `no more room at the inn.' The new hospital will have 80 per cent single-patient rooms, to reduce the risk of infection and to keep patients comfortable and private. The stress level of any serious illness is enough without having to deal with moves or whether or not they can even get a cup of coffee. Ian is now palliative, and moving him is not in his best interest. He is not alone. There are so many others. And there will continue to be, in bigger numbers, as we baby boomers continue to age, get sick and die. On March 1, Oakville Town Council will have a choice whether or not to spend the $200 million. We trust they will make the right one. JODY SANDERSON, OAKVILLE Your voice is needed We urge everyone, who can make it, to attend the rally against proposed gas-fired power plant at Queen's Park on Tuesday. As Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn rightly points out, your voice is needed. On Wednesday night he told a C4CA information meeting in north Oakville: "If I go in and tell the Premier this is a huge issue and he looks out his window and sees 30 people on the steps of Queen's Park, he's going to look at me and say, `Flynn, it's not a big deal.' But if he looks out that window and sees 1,000 people, that's going to get his attention. That's going to tell him the people in this community really, really care." Some people have tried to paint Oakville's objections to this power plant as a NIMBY movement run by elitists. They are wrong, just as the choice of the Oakville site is wrong. Now is the time to speak up and show the Province that Oakville residents are united in their opposition to this project. To reserve a seat on a chartered bus to the protest, visit www.c4ca.org/rally-on-march-2. 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. 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 email to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. Do the math on new hospital When I read Hospital price tag too high for some, Oakville Beaver, Wed. Feb. 17, I was compelled to write a letter. As I understand, the facts are Oakville is growing quickly and many residents are aging. The current hospital is out of room both in terms of providing quality patient care in the existing space and in terms of land to expand the current facility. We, as a community, are being asked to commit 13.3 per cent of the total estimated cost of this new hospital ($200 million dollars requested through property tax divided by the $1.5 billion estimated total hospital cost. This means that 86.7 per cent of the total cost of See Hospital page 7 Pud BY STEVE NEASE neasecartoons@gmail.com