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A6 - The Canadian Champion, Friday, February 3, 2006 *comment GOMER MADE RCMMNATONPI *The Canadian Champion Box 248, 85 Main St, E. Ian Oliver Publisher Milton, Ont. L9T 3Z3 Neil Oliver A II le (905) 878-2341 WendyMeNab A(i triIiigi ,p Editorial Fax: 905-8784943 Karen Smith Mangn bd iti Adsertising Fax: 905-876-2364 Tim C.otes Pro I-tin Manaer Clsii d90875-3300 Chaln Hll iiidto Mage Cirulaton: 905878-5947 Tr Casas Matae fo a te ppicbl rt Te ubiserreme herihtincaegrie dersenelsordelie CCAB Audited RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE EV Ontaiio Communi y S MCîba orne Suburban Newper ~1E1.W Newspapeîs Assu neon UCNA nian~ir Aoniunity I nAe THE CANADIAN CHAMPION IS A PROUD MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Haffor HealIhcare litiii ___ OFAJCM AILIE WA -4.ed 1 1h, k :.3y' Show..ase Mi ton --(.L - ~ 4.iiiThîe CaeaerunampioisaRecycia rduoc# i-nunliKeiy source A proposai svas put forth last month mhat xvould see trucks prevented from travelling faster than 105 knVih on Ontario roadways. What xvas most surprising about the proposai xvas that il came from the Ontario Trucking Association <OTA>. OTA president David Bradley said his members are concernied about increased speeds on the 400-series highways and poor lane discipline by some truckers. Bradley. ssho added the moie vould save fuel and reduce emissions, said truckers shouldn*t be put under pres- sure to, break the lnsv in order to meet their time schedules. While we believe the average motorist svould xvelcome such a plan.' independent truckers argue that the dif- ferential in speeding is dangerous not speeding itself. Going slower is only safe if everyone goes slower, said Joanne Ritchie. exec- utive director of the Owner-Operators' Business Association of Canada, which represents about 4XX) independent truckers. It seemis strange to us that Ritchie svould oppose something that appears tor be little more than a safety mensure aimied at preventing the loss of lives oif ail svho travel our terri bly -congested roadsvays. Under the proposai, any truck in Ontario or entering Ontario svould have to engage the engine govemor, which is alrendy built into engines lcss than 10 years old. The govemnor svould prevent the truck from exceeding 105 km/h. The fnct remains mnny trucking firms alrendy use the govemor and we fail to see how getting multi-ton vehi- cles to keep dloser to the speed limit is a badl thing. Yes. there are bad truckers svho are a danger on the rond, but they don't make up the majority of bad drivers. This proposaI would help keep those bad truckers in check. * Our Readeirs Wri te Councîllor 's comments unacceptable Dear editor: During a Toswn oif' Miltoîn Administration and Planning Ceitntttee meeting January 23. I ,,ase a bni presentation as tii hoN 1 as a Milton citizen t'elt the TowNn ss asn t tult-illing its 'Guiding Princîples for Public Consultation' mandate in regard to a seven-storey troest and gas bar being proposed t'or the east end oîf tossn My thinkîng was grounded on the tact that after a sign regarding a /iining amendment application wvas erected on thîs precposed site. iNso public meetings 'sere held whicb. according te) the Town*s owsn records. no cîtîzens attended. My conclusion drasvn for this no- public showing %vas that the public was not really well ass are that there shas ieimeîbiîg tairly huge being thought of for thîs particular area of town and thus, effective public con- sultation didn't really bappen because tèss people were actually asvare ot the manter Allter my presentaien. Cuîuncilleir Johbn Challîneir. wheî 1 beliese s'as a lad bit disturbed ssith mny submis- siuîn. cbnllenged my conclusion and Inter suggested as a means t0 keep mie otherNvise occupied that 1 mtght Nish to apply f'or one of the Town's crossîng guard employment oppor- tunities that he bal just beard about fromi a prevtous presentation. 1 bave a lot oif respect for .Nbat our crossing guards accomplisb. for they truly assist many in our com- munily te) better bnidge some diffi- cuit rond crossings. On tbe other hnnd. Mr. Challînor's comments didnt really belp much of anything. let alone the Town's quest to nebieve better two- v-ay public consultation witb ail cit- izens of Milton. I don*t believe l'm the first to make thîs sîntement. nor svill 1 be the lasi. Tbougb n crossing guard's funce tion is extremely important to our community I need to remain n peo- pIe*s acîivîst. nlwnys looking to improse on bow ail] our citizens are tnvolved with the Town's decision- n)nking processes. I believe il's important to ensure we alwnys bave effective public consultation in aIl] our Town*s growth initiatives by assisting wtb deniocracy. Bob Beyette Campbel ville New Town Hall plans resuit of dedicated residents Kudos to Miltonians. A group of citizens wbo kept on top of the Town Hal expansion situation and strongly voiced tbeir dislîke for one of tbe architeci's plans bave brougbt forth n ness design mucb more fîtting for the lwn's core. With wbnt I believe NN dl be a benutifuil ness expansion -tbe design was pnssed by towsn council Monday. as reported elsewhere in ibis paper -the actions o)f a group of dedîcaîed cîti- zens viiîl benefit us ail. Because lîke il or not. our Towsn Hall is a reflecteoit of us. tFor theise of« you ssh behas eut been lolloss îng tbe expansioen cloîse]>. the situatieon started sshien il %%as, announced Toîwn Hall %v'as 10 reel an expatnsion to the lune ot $19 milltion. Tbe architect ceînîracted to do the job. The Ventîn Gre)up. cbumed out a design that residents didn't like. So. at an open Itouse iii November. they protested. And then. at a meeting Janunîy 18. a nemv design was revealed that incerporated many of the ideas residents bad gîsen. Il sN',as an excellent example o)f demnocracy aI svork As someone wbo owns a bouse not far from Towsn Hall. 1 toti crinkled my nose when 1 saw tbe initial plans for the expansion. Too modem. Tbose ss'ords vsere ecboed again and again by res- idents. and sumnied up iny feelings exactly. Isýe corne ie) leie the current Towsn Hall. cernplete ss îth its ~secret garden- e iy ierm for the court- yard garden cultes ated by the Miltoen and Distnict Hortîcultural Society . and didnt ssanî a cencrete n)onstrosity 10 e)sersbatdo\N et. The new expansion. ss iîb its graceful arches. complementary stone facade and enbanced land- scapîng. jus1 seenes 10 fit aîneîng the graceluil cenf tur borntes of the ares. But a debate îs stîll rngîîeg arniong a siti1all tione11 ber eof residenîs ss'ho still don't îbenk higbly ot the expansio)n. lIn fact. some îhînk il's neet needed. and that the ToNvns vanious departinents can be boused itî buildings scnttered across Milton. Sonne tbînk the scope of the project is just foo huge. 1 encourage the conîinued debate. because that's wbat public consultation is ail about. And more than once. tbe outspokenness of n tew resi- dents bas cnused me to look at a situation differ- ently. But not this time. We have to keep the big- ger picture in mmnd. Councillor Wendy Scbau's comment that thls isn't sonne "rinky dtnk" town is night on. If sse ssnl to attracî the right kind of deselopmenî and the jobs itII hring. sse need to projecl a unetîed. progressive image of the tîîssn. The balance betîeen old and ness. stagnation sersas des'elopinent is a delîcate otie indeed. But I thînk the ness Town Hall bas the potetîtial of beine- a truc success steers shossing that a towvn cati embrace its pasi s' ile sti.ll being a competi- tîve force for the future. M - »