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-t---' A6 - The Canadian Champion, Tuesday, February 14, 2006 Welcom e measure When should a mnunici- pal council meet 'n camera', or behind closed doors? That has bcen tbe burn- ing question iii local council chambers Iately now ibat Bill 123 - the Transparency in Public Matters Act - bas been proposed by tbe Province. The potential legislation would place additional restrictions on holding closed meetings - a move that bas area residents cbeering and councîllors cringing. Halton Regional Chairman Joyce Savoline recently deemed tbe legisla- tion as an "excessive mecas- ure.- She also, said sbe feels the Region is already "as public and transparent" as it can be. Altbough wve're sure tbats true, %ve don't tbink there's anything wrong witb pushing counicil', lu bc just that mucb more transpar- lent. And if iii the process cotîncils dîscover tbey're already doing everything right, tben kudos to tbem for being leaders in public accountability Wbile we bave nu reason to believe current counicils aren't following tbe rules and going in camera unnec- essarily, tberes no guarantee that future counicils will fol- low suit. Therefore, we disagree witb tbe Region and tbe Town of Milton on thîs issue and support the pro- posed act. As defenders of the 'pub- lics nigbt to knov', we urge tbe Province to put tbe leg- islation in place to ensure resîdenîs bave the openness they deserve. Readers Wri"te Send us your letters to miltoned@haltonsearch oem or drop them off at M1 Main St. E Poor timing of light at Fifth Line and Demry Rd. making congestion worseàm DEAR EDFTOR: 1 tbougbî blockîng off access io the 401 via Fourtb Line belore James Snow Parkway wss completed was bad enougb, but this is unacceptable. Not only du 1 bave to battle witb com- muters desperately trying to, make their way to Trafalgar Road su tbey can get on the bigbway, but an additional 10 min- utes minimum bas now been tacked on to my drive due tu a very poorly timed lîgbî at Derry Road and Fiftb Line. Don't get me wrung, a ligbt was neces- sary at this intersection. But 1 fail tu understand bow Denry Road commuters traveling eastbound only bave an addi- tional 30 or su seconds of green ligbt over those waiting on Fiftb Line. Has anyone even calculated tbe ratio of commuters un Derry Road over ibose on Enlîh Line? (ibviousl Ynîu kno,% bhe siiuat the new lîgbî hecomes my colleagues înakîng t do eacb day 1 don't und cana develop a town but leaving it. 1 would love to worl from my bouse in Mi avoid trallie, but compo tunîties jusi aren't availa need to leave town daily, ing increasingly difficulî The lack of infras Milton and planning in gling. Someone, anynne stand before 1 pack up a town tbat allows me to ciently Article didn't teli vvhole funding DEAR EDrTOR: Thank you for the excellent coverage on Rose Cherrys Home for Kids on the front page of the january 31 Champion. As an organization, we're thnilled to be in a position tu make sucb positive front- page news, a position tbat we wouldn't be in witbout the support of the Milton community. 1 would lîke to rectify une oversîght, and that is that the home bas been the beneficiary of annual funding dollars from the Ministry of Cbildren and Youtb Services (MCYS) for the psst year in an amnount similar toi the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care $250,000. In fact it wa put us in a position to gi ational and providing ne made us an attractive ci atric palliative funding. In any levent, uts the private charitable initia support and base govi that bas allowed Rose C Kîds to provide importi port to cbronically-ill c families. DAVID C. BOWKER ROSE CHERRY'S H< Thes3e days. road signs need to be more visible y noî, DEAR EDrTOR: ton ns bad when A major cause of road accidents is the failure of n bot topic for aIl the public to heed trafflc signs. Senior drivers are also be same trek as 1 faced with reduced visual aeuity and lessened cogni- .ersîand bow you tive abilities. Traffic signas need to be legible and suf- not tbe roadways ficiendy conspicuous to oveitome the limitations of cognitive deterioiration that cornes witb aging and t across tbe road eyesight. Iton tn urder to The current standard for road signs in Canada was irable job oppor- developed in 1945 hased on the IrJ. model designed ble. As a resuli, 1 by Joick Keiner and Margaret Calvert in thse early '30k. wicb is becom- Since then, the average mortality age bas been steadi- Il. .ly climbing together with tbe numbers with reduced tructure leaving visual acuity. Munîcipalities the world over are s just mind-bog- endeavouning to make improvements. A 1990 study b elp me under- showed that traffie signa need to be 30 per cent Iarg- nd sbip out for a er for older drivers to match the response of younger tome and go effi- drivers. A 1994 study sbowed young drivers' reading KARA OWELL capacity of current main intersection street signa as KARA OWELL 600 feet in dayligbî and 300 feet at nighî. MILTON The moadl signa in Milton are based on tihe 4f3-inch letter size model. It doesn'î cost any more if the road story signa within the developments are standardized. at 4 inches; ail capital; eut from reflective tape on a vinyl- ccmnititmarnt of coated aluminum plate. In addition, all new trafiRe s the MCY tbat lights should lie of the latest type sbowing the dlock rt tbe homo- oper- time for thse amber light to change to red. spite service that A year agi,, 1 bad made tbese suggestions to the indidate for pedi- traffic departmnent. Thanks to the inertia that appears to prevail, nothing bas been done. combination of a On a recent visit toi China, 1 noted that their tive, community municipalities bave already implemented these pro- rrnment fundîng posaIs. Perhaps others will now join me in asking for berry's Home for these improvements to be given some statua and pri- ant care and sup- ority considering their implementation are low-cost hildren and ibeir items. .PAST CHAIR )ME FOR KIDS Prj& cEanabian cb~ampion MltonnsCimnurty Ne spaper Sincn 1860 875 Main St. E. Milton, Ont. 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