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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, February 8, 2012 · 6 Opinion & Letters 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 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 OakvilleBeaver is a division of David Harvey Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief Daniel Baird Advertising Director ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor 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 A green budget The annual Town of Oakville budget process is underway and we'd like to think the politicians are following the community's ideal of being the most livable municipality in Canada, including its commitment to the environment and local residents. Usually, during budget deliberations a plethora of potential cuts hit the table for discussion. Some, we suggest, have become annual debates that really do more to underline to residents what they could lose if they don't accept a hike to property taxes. Outdoor swimming pools and library services are perennial budgetary targets. This, suitably, alarms residents. There are some individuals so concerned that they delegate to the budget committee, perhaps taking the spotlight from those advocating potential valuable cuts. The budget committee often relents, services are continued and taxes go up. This time around, it was specifically noted by Budget Committee Chair, Ward 6 Councillor Tom Adams, who, having sat as committee chair for numerous years, that services such as outdoor pools, those for youths and seniors, won't be placed on the potential chopping block. Instead, after reinforcing the community values to the environment, green space and public transit, potential cost savings were identified in some transit readjustments, the potential closure of the Town's greenhouse, and elimination of a number of school crossing guards who have been deemed unnecessary. Last week, eight-year-old Delia Jansen was so concerned about the possible closure of the greenhouses that she wrote a letter to the editor. "I heard that the greenhouses might close and I know some reasons why it should not ever be closed. I think you should not close the greenhouses because if you do, the Junior Gardeners program will stop," wrote Delia. "At the program, you learn how to plant seeds, and how to tend to them. You grow vegetables and get to eat them. You learn how to identify butterflies, caterpillars and eggs. I even found some monarch eggs and raised four butterflies and then let them go. You learn to love nature and how to take care of our environment." We hope the Budget Committee listens to this eight-year-old girl who displays remarkable maturity and a deep appreciation for the environment. Councillors should identify some very real potential savings and not alarm residents -- especially our children. Closing greenhouses is not the answer. 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. A vote for status quo Letter to the editor 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. Thanks Ali for helping out I am writing in the hope that the young lady who came to my assistance the other day will see this letter. On the afternoon of Thursday, Feb. 2, I found myself in a difficult situation on Reynolds Street and am so grateful to the kind young woman who came to my rescue. I asked for her name so that I could thank her properly, and she modestly told me she was Ali, a student at Sheridan College. So, thank you, Ali. I am not sure what I would have done without your help, voluntarily offered. You are a credit to your generation -- and, of course, to the wonderful Town of Oakville. Edith Cunningham, Oakville Personal information insensitive to family Re: Documents point to toxic relationship, Oakville Beaver, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012 I completely agree with letter writer Jeff McGuire in that the extreme personal information disclosed in the article about the Newman deaths was unnecessary and insensitive. This is not about juicy details to satisfy the curiosity of the public, this is about three real children (and family) grieving the loss of their parents. An article like this does lit- tle more than extend the anguish and trauma for this family. Shame on you, Oakville Beaver, for not having more compassion for your own community. Maria Danko, Oakville Re: Let the boys play, Oakville Beaver, Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 I would like to give a different perspective on the views of coach Kevin Kokotailo regarding the Halton Secondary School Athletic Association (HSSAA) regulation, which bans rep players from playing varsity hockey for their high school. I am currently, and have for the past five years, been a coach of a boys varsity hockey team in the Region of Peel where rep players are allowed to play for their schools. Most of our rep players come from the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) where it seems many of the AA and especially the AAA coaches forbid their players from playing for their schools. Quite a number of boys do so anyway, but are penalized/benched by their coaches if found out. As coaches, we always have roster problems on game days because the AAA players who make up the backbone of our rosters will inform the school coaches usually on the morning of game day that they can't play today because they have a AAA game or practice that evening. Consequently, we seldom have the same lineup two games in a row. If I had my way, I would rather our league ban rep players from playing for their schools. We always seem to have a number of boys who drop out of AAA to play for their schools because they know they don't have a future in the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) or Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and beyond, and because they find the stress put on them by their rep coaches is unpleasant. By allowing rep players to play for their schools, it also has the effect of shutting the door for boys who don't play rep hockey who are unable to make their schools teams. My observations of the high school See More page 8