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w w w . o a kv ill eb ea ve r.c o m O A KV IL LE B EA V ER Fr id ay , O ct ob er 8 , 2 01 0 6 467 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 The Oakville Beaver Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. OPINION & LETTERS 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@oakville- beaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. What a way to start Thanksgiving. Oakville residents have a lot to be thankful for this weekend following the announcement Thursday by Ontario Energy Minister Brad Duguid that the Province was pulling the plans to build a 900-megawatt gas-fired power plant on Royal Windsor Drive. The news was greeted by thunderous applause by residents, Citizens For Clean Air (C4CA) mem- bers and politicians in attendance, who for the past year have been united in their opposition to the power plant. Everyone involved in pressuring the Ontario Liberal government to scuttle this plant deserves praise including: Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn, who eventually challenged his own government to work publicly and privately against the power plant; Mayor Rob Burton and Town Council, who successfully thwarted TransCanada from proceed- ing full speed ahead with the power plant by throw- ing up numerous legal roadblocks, including the interim control bylaw and air quality bylaw. And most importantly the members and executive of C4CA, who staunchly refused to give up, even against the formidable task of fighting an energy giant such as TransCanada and the Province of Ontario. From marching on Queens Park and Ford of Canada, to lobbying for support from the media, to enlisting the help of world-famous activist Erin Brockovich, C4CA ran a highly organized, grass- roots campaign that could serve as a template for any community that finds itself in a similar situa- tion. They proved that despite the odds, we can fight back to protect our homes from a misguided and dangerous decision. Finally, we have to thank the Province of Ontario for listening and finally admitting albeit grudgingly that it was wrong. Yes, it has tried to sugarcoat this flip-flop by saying it rechecked the books and discovered the power plant isnt needed, but few people are buy- ing that explanation. At this point, we really dont care why the McGuinty government cancelled the power plant. Were just glad it did. The Oakville Beaver is a division of NEIL OLIVER Vice President and Group Publisher of 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 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, togeth- er with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertise- ment will be paid for at the applicable rate.The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Letter to the editorBreath of fresh air THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: ATHENAAward THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIALMEDIASPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Canadian CirculationAudit Board Member Canadian CommunityNewspapers AssociationOntario CommunityNewspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America Re: St. Johns training was a life saver, Oakville Beaver, Oct. 6 I just wanted to say a big thanks for printing the article on our fabulous volunteer Ibrahim. The article really clearly said how important it is to be trained in CPR and first aid you never know when something like this could happen to you. St. John Ambulance is so proud of Ibby and all of our Medical First Responders. I wanted to mention that our Medical First Response program and the training our volun- teers receive would not be possible without the May Court Club of Oakville that provides sub- stantial funding to the program, as well as the Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar and The Royal Canadian Legion, Oakville Branch 114, that helped us purchase new radios this year. JENNI FRENKE, FUND DEVELOPMENT CO-ORDINATOR, ST. JOHN AMBULANCE, OAKVILLE-MILTON & HALTON HILLS BRANCH St. John Ambulance thankful for support Pud BY STEVE NEASE neasecartoons@gmail.com Debt needs to be checked Why doesn't Premier McGuinty remove the HST off the hydro bills instead of giving a few dollars back to some low-income seniors? Are we supposed to not heat our homes this winter? His plans for a green Ontario is costing us way too much and the only people profiting from this are big companies. M. PRYDE, OAKVILLE Drop HST from hydro bill I think it is appalling and decep- tive that the current mayor Rob Burton in his campaign literature notes that the tax-supported debt has decreased during his term of office. If only the Town's folk would access the Town's website they would I'm sure, be shocked at what the "total Town debt" now is as a result of his time in office. From the town's website, the town reports on both tax-supported and total debt which may be causing some confusion. The 2006 tax-supported debt was $24,233,000 and total debt was $25,338,000 The 2009 tax-supported debt was $20,243,000 and total debt was $29,086,000. The 2010 year-end estimated debt levels based on the 2010 budg- et documents are $22,093,000 for tax-supported debt and $74,100,000 for total debt. This is primarily as a result of the opening of the new quad pad arena with the hope and expectation that this money and interest will be paid back to the town through develop- ment charges! Ironically, the Town in its 2010 Budget summary actually states that new development activity has slowed considerably. So how are they going to service the debt as planned? STUART MCCULLOCH, OAKVILLE