i Community policing has its merits and we support it, but Halton Regional Police's latest move under the growing style of law enforce- ment goes overboard. There's no question that assigning a police officer to work on behaîf of the United Way is a nice gesture and will likely be a great asset to the organization's fundraising campaign. The problemn is, it's inappropriate. Police Chief Peter Campbell's decision to assign Sgt. Frank Phillips to help the United Way of Oakville fundraise on a fuli-time basis for three months is irresponsible to taxpayers, who expect to spend their policing dollars more effectively for crime fighting. If Halton police can afford to dispense with an officer for three months so easily while stili paying bim, there's sometbing wrong. We question the move, particularly when there's been an annual showdown between Chief Campbell and Halton regional councillors over obtain- ing enough funding to adequately police Halton and supply the service with sufficient resources. Our criticism isn't a reflection on Sgt. Phillips. We have found hlm to be nothing but competent in bis role as a sergeant and media relations officer. It's the situation that begs re-thinking. We're also concerned that the placement sets a dangerous precedent. What about the other United Way organizations that operate in Halton? Doesn't the United Way of Milton -- which is struggling to meet the needs of the agencies it funds in times of cutbacks -- also deserve the benefit of a full-timne police officer as a fundraiser for three months? United Way organizations in Halton Hilîs and Burlington could proba- bly use the help, too. What happens when they corne knocking on Halton polioe's door ask- ing for the samne consideration? Halton police aren't in the business of fundraising. Officers and civil- ian employees aiready do their part through voluntary donations from their paycheques and events such as charity barbecues. That's enough. Karen Smith *OUR READERS WMITE Former HRCA director criticizes board'qs spending Dear Editor: As a former member of the Halton Region Conservation Authority (HRCA) executive com- mîttee and the restructuring com- mittee - termn ending February, 1998 - the "elegant inn" expendi- ture is typical of thse Iack of respect sbown for the municipal tax base by the HRCA directors. Whetber the unsuitable appetite for land acquisition or the mainte- nance of a fleet of passenger vebi- dles for staff use, cost to tbe prop- erty tax base is neyer a dominant consideration. Subsequent to the release of a consultant's report on restructur- ing, multi-decade HRCA board article as saying, "You have to look at what will keep it financially viable." While municipalities downsize their management structures and the Halton District School Board reduced superintendents by 50 per cent, the HRCA restnncturing actu- ally increased the size of the man- agement team and increased the management team expense by close to $100,000 per annum. What has tis restructuring binge cost the property tax base? The HRCA is paying for consultants, facilitators, legal fees, staff time, director's per diems and expenses and, most of all, severance pack- ages, and yes, the 26 hours at an elegant inn - ail for just bass than one-half of a million dollars. For this the property taxpayer gets more bureaucrats and higher this keep the HRCA financially viable? Tbe level of severance buyouts for the two deposed senior man- agers is directly a result of the fail- ure of the executive committee to fulfill its mandate of human resource and budget administra- tion. Just as one cannot revive a dead fish by throwing money at it, no amount of money is going to create vision where there is none. Our support for Councillor Paul Kidd of Flamborough is crucial. Councillor Kidd' s out-spoken con- cem for tbe hard-pressed taxpayers will likely result in significant heat being placed on bim by the less fis- cally-responsible board members. 7 ~Murray J. Harris Burllngtofl Some mighty big holes in 1 had somne great ideas about what to write for de-da-dum.AM this week's column, including a sure-fire way to Okay, 1 think the coast is clear. muke everyone in Milton rich, and a foolproof I'm not saying the movie was exactly the way method of saving the planet. things happened, but since i's ail I have to go But, something more important came up. by, 1 have some serious problems. Something gigantic in every sense of the word. When everybody finally falis into the oceant, You know what I'm taking about, of course: they ail just stay in one place. Why the heck The Titanic. 1 saw it for the first time when it didn't they try swimming out to the lifeboats? came out on video recently, which means 1 It's not as if they were busy, other than freezing missed te boat the first tome around. But, I fig- to death. That's one problem. Another is that une even if you saw it at the movies, you would people knew in plenty of dime that there were no doesn't mean probably see jE again on video, andi you'd likely lifeboats left to gel on. If it were me I'd go to sbould have ker rememiber it either way. Plan B very quickly. That means trying to sal- up.top and get f ibis movie drives me nuts. If you're one of vage sometbing ft'om tbe ship that could be used In another sc te few who baven't seen it, then don't read any as a raft of somekIind. crying by bers further. just clip this out and wait until you have. Another problem. We see in tbe movie a nanme is, scoops I dDn'twantOWspoil teending for you. mother tellingbher kid.sa story ad ptting em gemtng on alife Let's juat make sure those people are gone te bed wile the sbip was sinking. Wbat's up you say? Just before we continue. ]Dum-d-da-de-uIm-& - with that? Sure, she was in third class, but tda ents? So busy 1yc ePt1 tcte rsel fib that Titanic s tory while the ship went down? Don't think so. When Leonardo DiCaprio's girlfriend gets on a lifeboat, she gets some kind of bran cramp and decides she wants to stay with Leonardo. So, she cap- . jups off and goes to him. How dumb is that? Onfl the Wben you think about il, she probably kilîs hlm. 1 Leonardo seemed like a pretty resourceful guy. Oose After he knew she was safe, he would have otand a way to survive so he could be with ber - £ e Sagain, maybe by making that raft or at least rou just give up, does it? She swimnoing out to the lifeboats. Instead, be's got L rying any way she could te get to spend bis time saving ber, when she had cm on a lifeboat. already been saved. -ne we see a young cbild alone I would have given the Academy Award for If. The bad guy, wbatever bis best picture to Good Will Hunting or As Good up the cbild to use as a means of as it Gets. Mind you, 1 have a few problems with oat. Pretty convenient, wouldn't them too. But, that' s a story for another lime. here tbe bock were the kid's par- Rigbt now, 1 tbink I'm going to go rent that bhey'd leave their child alone Titanic movie again. I 6-lerandRGhagipimr FddêwpeptmWs4t,4OG8 SOPINION Box 248, 191 Main St. E., The Canadian Champion, publislied every Tuesday and Milton, Ont. 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Advertslng is accepted on the condition that, ln the event ni a Rob Kelly Edtor typographical error, that portion of the advertlsing space occu- Karen Cross Circulation Manager pied by the erroneous item, together wth a reasonable allowance TeriCass OficeManger for signature, mil ot be cfarged for, but the balance of the TeriCass OficeManger advertlsement wll be paid fnr t the applicable rate. The publisher Tsm Colea Production Manager reserves the rght to categonize advertsements or declne. Wrong ^move by police