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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 , D ec em be r 1 0, 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. Most people believe cleaner and alternative forms of energy should be produced in Ontario, and want governments to support initiatives that provide domestic economic benefits and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. But are citizens willing to pay the cost of this mas- sive paradigm shift? Investment in wind, solar and hydroelectric gener- ation has made Ontario a leader in North America. The progressive Green Energy Act addresses public desire to invest and develop alternative energy sources. Previous generations invested billions of dollars to create the energy system we depend on today. Its been 20 years since Ontario made any significant invest- ments in power generation and infrastructure. As the Province moves ahead with investments in new energy infrastructure, consumers are alarmed about the prospect of increased electricity costs. The governments energy policies have become a punching bag for opposition leaders, who have not provided alternative solutions. The truth is, huge amounts of money are needed to modernize the electricity system in the 21st century. The government is being up front by admitting rates will jump 46 per cent over five years, although consumers will get 10 per cent rebates on each bill. The premier acknowledges plans to develop more wind, solar and other renewable forms of energy are responsible for about 56 per cent of the expected increases in electricity rates. The remaining 44 per cent is for investment in upgrading and modernizing Ontarios existing capacity in nuclear and natural gas generation, transmission and distribution. The government claims 82 per cent of existing infrastructure needs to be refurbished or replaced. What is the cost of not doing anything? Dependable energy is a staple for economic investment and growth. Rate hikes will hopefully promote further conser- vation efforts while reducing the significant health- care costs associated with smog, saving an estimated $3 billion per year. The governments green energy vision is a long- term plan. Like most policy shifts of this magnitude, there will be painful transitions. But on so many lev- els, its the right thing to do morally, ethically and eco- nomically. Rising costs for electricity may be shocking to some, but the reality is consumers are being asked to invest in the creation of a reliable, renewable, clean system of power for today and the future. 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 condi- tion 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 editorPower surge 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 Pud BY STEVE NEASE neasecartoons@gmail.com C4CAs wish list Dear Santa C4CA's wish list for 2011 - Please bring every C4CA sup- porter, large and small, cleaner air to breathe in the coming years. Please bring every Ontarian the health and safety protection that establishing buffer zones on gas-fired power plants would pro- vide Please bring the Town of Oakville the strength to push for- ward with their Health Protection on Air Quality bylaw thus setting the pace for the rest of the province Please bring the Province of Ontario the vision and leadership to take Oakville's bylaw and strengthen it by making it a provincial mandate Please be sure to leave a note for everyone, but particularly our governments, that conservation should be part of the long term energy plan for this country Please bring C4CA's local detractors the courage to represent what is best for the health of resi- dents of the town of Oakville, and please grant them the wisdom to understand that what is good for the environment can be good for business Please bring all of the C4CA members the energy and spirit to continue to be a catalyst for change in this community and in this province. Santa, please join us at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 11 at John Knox Christian School on Ford Drive for a C4CA community Town Hall meeting. On the agenda, the new C4CA objectives. Thank you Santa. Wishing you and yours cheer and laughter at this special time of year. NANCY ROBERTSON,OAKVILLE, ON BEHALF OF C4CA Re: Residents didnt block methadone clinic, Oakville Beaver, Dec. 8 In his Letter to the Editor, Alan Stuart is wrong regarding the West River Residents Association (WRRA) executives actions regarding the proposed methadone clinic on Kerr Street. The WRRAs stance was that, while we recognized the need for a methadone clinic in Oakville, we believed the Kerr Street location to be inappropriate. This stance was arrived at after hearing from a number of concerned residents and members. Alan, unhappy with this position, called for a special general meeting of the WRRA. At that meeting, the membership over- whelmingly endorsed the executive and the position it had taken. Alan forgot to mention that part. CRAIG SCHILLER, PRESIDENT, WRRA, OAKVILLE WRRA did have support of membership