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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, December 7, 2011 · 8 Oakville working to save shark population By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF It was a good night to be a shark on Monday, as Town council voted unanimously to pass a bylaw banning shark-fin products in Oakville. The bylaw, effective immediately, bans the possession, sale, offer for sale, trade or distribution of shark fins and shark-fin products throughout the town. Council's decision was greeted with applause from about a dozen supporters clad in Fin Free Oakville T-shirts. Two small children also showed their support for the ban by wearing shark costumes to the meeting. "I was thrilled and very proud of the town I live in," said Ward 2 Town Councillor Pam Damoff, who brought forward the motion for the bylaw. "One thing I am becoming more and more aware of is that everything we do is connected with something else. The sharks, because they are not cute and cuddly like the panda bear or something else, they've been ignored and allowed to be slaughtered the way they have. By doing that, we are creating huge issues in our oceans, which in turn will impact our lives. The disconnection between sharks and our day-to-day lives may seem huge, but it's not." DAVID LEA / OAKVILLE BEAVER Town staff reported that every year between 70 TUNING IN: Zain Gareau, 4, wearing a shark costume, watches as Town council million and 100 million sharks are killed for their votes to ban shark fin products in Oakville at Monday night's council meeting. fins. As a result, many shark species are threatened with extinction in the next 10 years. Shark-fin bans are now in place in the municipalities of As top predators in the food chain, the disappearance of sharks Brantford, Mississauga and Toronto, with Pickering, Hamilton, will have a profound impact on the balance of marine ecosystems. London and Brampton currently reviewing the issue. Shark finning has also been described as a particularly cruel All this is music to Damoff's ears. process, involving the removal of fins from live sharks, which are "After London passes its bylaw there will be four million people then thrown back in the ocean to die. in Ontario living in cities that are fin free," she said. "We were the In a report to Oakville's Administrative Services Committee, second town to do it (begin the process), so it's very gratifying." Town staff recommended against the ban stating it would be diffiThose found guilty of violating the Oakville bylaw will face a fine cult to enforce and that such a ban was actually treading on the of up to $15,000 upon their first conviction and up to $30,000 on jurisdiction of the federal government. any subsequent conviction. Council has previously stated that in passing a shark-fin ban, The Oakville bylaw does not address shark-cartilage products, Oakville, along with other municipalities who have followed suit, which are currently being sold in Oakville. may compel the federal government to pass a national ban. Town staff pointed out that neither Mississauga nor Toronto They have also said the ban is intended to keep a shark-fin trade dealt with shark cartilage in their bylaws as shark cartilage prodfrom taking root in Oakville, as it is pushed out by neighbouring ucts have medical applications the municipalities did not want to municipalities that are also banning it. inhibit. WARM UP THE WARM UP TO A A HOLIDAYS WITH MODERN FIREPLACE MODERN FIREPLACE "MASONRY & FIREPLACE DESIGN SPECIALISTS" www.cobblestonembers.ca ACROSS FROM RONA LANSING 406 SPEERS RD., OAKVILLE 905-337-2066 Visit www.oakville.ca Take part in the 2012 budget process! Simply visit www.oakville.ca and click the 2012 Budget Consultation button to share your views. Or email us at budget2012@oakville.ca with your additional comments or feedback. All public input will be shared with the Budget Committee in the new year as part of their budget deliberations. For more information about the 2012 budget including upcoming January meeting dates, visit www.oakville.ca/2012budget.htm 2012 BUDGET 10 TH A NN IVE RSARY CELE B RA T Iroquois Ridge Community Centre and Oakville Public Library Celebrate a decade of recreation and culture at this family-friendly event! children's ' activities from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Give the Gift of Saturday, December 10, 2011 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Iroquois Ridge Community Centre 1051 Glenashton Drive, Oakville 2001 retro pricing for all recreational swims or make a donation to the Oakville Fareshare Food Bank* and swim for free! *Items most needed for food bank are powdered laundry r detergent, canned fruit, canned pasta sauce and regular tea. a detailed event listing including activities and times, please visit www.oakville.ca/parksrec.htm IO Healthy Living! Have a ball this year! Gift certificates from the Town of Oakville's Recreation and Culture department make the perfect holiday present. Purchase gift certificates in any denomination to be used towards any town-run recreational program or fitness membership. Gift certificates can be purchased at Town Hall, community centres or seniors centres. For more information call 905-338-4250 N draws for a chance to win great prizes! birthday cake at 12:30 p.m. library story times and family-friendly programs