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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, May 20, 2010 · 6 The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5571 Classified Advertising: 905-632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742 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. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Commentary NEIL OLIVER Vice-President and Group Publisher, Metroland West 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 The Oakville Beaver is a division of Guest Columnist What's in the smoke? Ted Chudleigh, Halton MPP WEBSITE oakvillebeaver.com Suburban Newspapers of America Media Group Ltd. I Ted Chudleigh RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association saw a disturbing photo recently. It was a picture of a huge plume of white vapour coming from the new gas-fired electrical generating station in Halton Hills, just off Hwy. 401. The McGuinty Liberal government wants to build an even larger plant in southeast Oakville that is only a few hundred metres from houses, schools, rail lines and arte- THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: United Way of Oakville ATHENA Award ERIC RIEHL / SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER SHREDDING IT: The Halton Down Syndrome Association and Shred-It teamed up to host the second annual HSDA Community Shred event at Dorval Crossing last Saturday. Here, Mike Hayward shreds boxes of unwanted documents. From mid-morning to mid-afternoon, people could get their unwanted, but sensitive documents destroyed for a donation. Funds raised help support the Halton Down Syndrome Association. For information, visit www.haltondownsyndrome.com. rial roads. The government refuses to budge on this plan despite all the evidence that building such a plant on a small piece of property so close to built up areas is not a good idea. Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn has run some interference for his Liberal pals. He introduced a bill requiring a 1,500 metre setback for power plants from schools and residential areas. Sounds good, eh? The problem is his bill provides a gaping loophole under which the Oakville power plant could still be built. When I tried to close that loophole in the Legislature, Mr. Flynn's Liberal colleagues stopped me. It is patently obvious that building such a power plant, which issues a low rumbling hum, spews clouds of vapour, and in the case of a similar plant in Connecticut, can explode with deadly consequences, has no place in built-up areas. Even the Premier must see that. After all he can clearly see the pain that the HST will cause for Ontarians. He can see the negative fiscal and employment effects of massive deficit spending and he can sympathize with those affected by noxious weeds now that chemical control methods have been outlawed. Oh wait, maybe he doesn't see. Maybe the vapour cloud of Liberal Party perceptions has rendered him blind to what people want. Maybe he has an agenda that simply disregards what is reasonable in favour of shortsighted solutions to big problems. So we're running short of tax revenue -- according to the Premier don't try to grow the economy, just raise taxes. So we are spending huge amounts of money we don't have -- according to the Premier, don't cut back on the hugely bloated government, just keep borrowing. So people in the west of the GTA need electricity -- just build a power plant as close to the users as possible. Why are the McGuinty Liberals so wedded to this location for the power plant? The McGuinty Liberals are blowing smoke like that power plant in Halton Hills, so the real question is -- what's in the smoke? How a four-day trip to Old Montreal produced a new man L ast week my wife and I went on a four-day getaway and a shopping spree broke out. Regular readers of this column know that I love getaways -- extricating myself from the ridiculous rigors and occasional numbing grind of everyday life -- almost as much as I hate shopping. While people who know me, but do not read this column (should such an odd duck even exist), have probably deduced that I hate shopping simply by the state of my wardrobe, which can apparently be described as "limited and unintentionally retro." Or, "a shambles." Alas, I'm getting ahead of myself. Allow me to begin at the beginning. Last Thursday, my wife and I loaded the car, said adios to the offspring -- giving them explicit instructions to pamper the hound and not burn down the house -- and headed east to a major metropolis where, according to the air of electricity we encountered, their hockey team is actually still playing hockey. Which is to say, we drove through Toronto and headed to Montreal. Suffice to say, we needed this getaway. Earlier, we'd been slated to steal a week in Hilton Head, S.C., but life and work (well, mostly work) kneecapped that plan, leaving us feeling a tad despondent and a whole lot rundown. A shorter, closer trip seemed like the more viable ticket to rest, relaxation and escape. Via family and friends who have lived in La Belle Ville, we were equipped with a laudable list of things to do, places to see and restaurants to experience. Mostly, we just wanted to Andy Juniper wander: to see where the streets took us from our base in Old Montreal. Of course, when it comes to my wife, all roads lead to retail. Which is how I came to find myself in a claustrophobic change room, trying on more blue jeans than I care to recall. And what, I innocently wondered, was so horribly wrong with the jeans I owned? My wife grimaced, unspoken words of untold and previously un-policed fashion crimes. I will admit that, childishly, I tried to trick her: after modelling myriad jeans, I came out of the change room in my own denims, just waiting for her to say: Voila, those are perfect. Instead, she glanced up, waved a dismissive hand in the air and said something to the effect of, "Yech." I emerged from that store with jeans, shirts and a whole new (or, at least, heightened) hatred for shopping. From there, our leisurely stroll down Rue Sainte-Catherine was hijacked by a shoe store (I was beginning to rue this rue). Apparently my dress shoes, which were perfectly fine for my high-school graduation, were suddenly no longer making the grade. Feet outfitted, next stop was an underwear shop. For men. Seriously, who knew such a place even existed? I now have unmentionables made of the finest Thai bamboo imaginable (now don't you go imagining, dear readers!). Once we finally had me looking a little less "unintentionally retro," my wife said it was time for her to tweak her wardrobe. I took it as my cue to bolt -- off to explore the vibrant city. Honestly, the whole getaway was one big blast. Now we're back: new threads, new energy and a whole new desire to never go shopping again. At least, not until 2029, when my current clothes pass the point of no (fashion) return. Andy Juniper can be visited at www.strangledeggs.com, contacted at ajjuniper@gmail.com, or followed at www.twitter.com/thesportjesters.