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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, May 21, 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 Have a safe long weekend This holiday weekend marks the unofficial start of the summer season. While the heat and humidity of summer may be a few weeks away, the Victoria Day holiday is one of the busiest when it comes to our roadways. This week -- May 18-24 -- has strategically been chosen as Canada Road Safety Week, a national campaign designed to make this country's roads the safest in the world. Canada Road Safety Week is sponsored by Transport Canada and endorsed by police services across the country and is part of Road Safety Vision 2010. The focus during Canada Road Safety Week will be on behaviour that reduces risks for drivers, passengers and other road users: sober and alert driving, seat belt use, not using hand-held communication devices and refraining from all manner of aggressive driving. This will also be the focus of the Halton Regional Police Service. "Anyone can become a victim of unsafe driving whether by direct involvement or when a loved one is affected," says Halton Police Chief Gary Crowell. "Police agencies across the country are collaborating on this project because they have seen this kind of devastation and because they know that the involvement of the driving public is essential to achieve safer streets and highways." In Halton, there were nine deaths and more than 1,170 serious injury vehicle collisions in 2009. These are just numbers, but they represent a lot of pain and heartache for members of our community that could have been prevented. Drivers can expect to see more officers stationed at key locations throughout Halton and other municipalities in an effort to drive home the message that attentive driving and adhering to the rules of the road means everyone has a better chance of having an enjoyable summer. 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 Boorish behaviour threatens livability I have often seen reference in your paper to Oakville's goal of becoming the most livable town in Canada. As with any such plan, there are always going to be a few bad apples that ruin it for everyone else. Unfortunately, I have been seeing more bad apples than good lately. Here are a few experiences I have had recently that show Oakville to be far less livable than it aspires to be. I tried to play in the playground of my son's school this morning with my pre-schooler, but we had to leave because of all of the litter scattered around the climber. My son even tripped on a piece of garbage, which happened to contain melted ice cream. What a mess. Most dog owners are great, but there are many who are irresponsible. If I had a dollar for every time I have seen a dog owner allow their pet to use my lawn as a toilet, I would have my mortgage paid off by now. Someone even let their dog urinate on my children's snow fort in the winter. I have also had to deal with dog owners who have let their off-leash dogs come bounding up to my children, without asking my permission, scaring and even once knocking down my youngest son. As a pedestrian, I frequently have to hustle my children out of the way of cars that speed up over sidewalks or into intersections without looking first, even during walk signals or on sidewalks in front of my son's school. No amount of legislation or planning from the Town can mitigate against such boorish behaviour. I'm afraid that the Town's goal of increasing the livability of Oakville, while laudable, will not be realized until the people who live here start to show more respect and consideration for other people and their property. CRYSTAL SMITH, OAKVILLE 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. HST threat to families and seniors While not opposed to the concept of tax harmonization, I am opposed to the HST as presently constituted. In its present form, the HST is a serious threat to working families and pensioners. Our government has assured Ontarians that over time, prices will drop as a consequence of competition. The principal concern is that some costly, yet necessary, items are not subject to the forces of competition, heat, hydro and water among them. Now we find that the LCBO, the first company to announce the effect of the HST on pricing, has indicated prices will increase as a result of the changes brought about by the HST. While we are aware liquor is a discretionary expense, the fact remains that the first announcement by an Ontario corporation regarding the changes to the HST is that prices will rise rather than fall. Where does this HST-induced price increase leave the government's credibility? What signal does this HST-induced price increase give to other Ontario corporations? WM. SINCLAIR, OAKVILLE BY STEVE NEASE neasecartoons@gmail.com Pud