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A 6 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday, July 24, 2002 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Recognized for Excellence by O n t a r i o C o m m u n i t y N e w s p a p e r s A s s o c i a t i o n EDITO RIALS MD LETTERS IAN OLIVER Publisher NEIL OLIVER Associate Publisher JILL DAVIS Editor in C hief KELLY MONTAGUE Advertising Director STEVE CR0ZIER Circulation Director TERI CASAS Office M anager MARK DILLS Pnxiuction M anager RIZIER0 VERT0LLI Photography Director ROD JERRED Managing Editor 4 6 7 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6 K 3S4 (9 0 5 ) 8 4 5 -3 8 2 4 Fax: 3 3 7 -5 5 67 Classified Advertising: 3 3 7 -5 6 1 0 Circulation: 8 4 5 -9 7 42 Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distnbuting Ltd.. includes: A|ax/Pickering News Advertiser, Alliston Herald/Courier, Arthur Enterprise News, Barrie Advance, Barry's Bay This Week. Bolton Enterprise. Brampton Guardian. Burlington Post. Burlington Shopping News. City Parent. CoHingwood/Wasaga Connection. East York Mirror. Erin Advocate/Country Routes. 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City of York Guardian THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: YMCA | oakville galleries | J,n£ e Be«Fu' ^ W e lc R rta v For Lite <0V A C a n a d i a n C o m m u n i t y N e w s p a p e r s A s s o c i a t i o n i s Q g C h i u TM , C h o ir wmS J A K V IL L E I"' 'W 'TI"I'll f Til 0 © ^ |T ) || SK S u b u r b a n N e w s p a p e r s o fA m e r i c a TV AUCTION U n ited W ay of O a kv ille O a h 'illr <='/htwt$h F O RB U S IN E S SE X C E L L E N C E The Oakville. Milton and District REAL ESTATE BOARD o s r * « i u n | m srnn N o ra ve s fo r ra ve s a n d Summer is a time for parties and no one enjoys a good party more than a teenager. They are a rite of growing up, but along with the fun there is the potential for danger. That's why the Halton Regional Health Department has teamed up with Halton Regional Police and the two local school boards to promote their opposition to summertime bush parties and "raves." Raves, bush parties and all-night dance events are not the parties parents might remember attending in their younger days. According to the health department, these modern-day bashes allow for eas ier access to illegal drugs like ecstasy, criminal or gang activity and a higher risk of sexual assault. There is also the question of fire safety at raves. b u sh p a r t ie s Simply put, there is far less control at raves than at a typical house party and, therefore, the potential for trouble greatly increases. A ccording to the 2001 Ontario Student Drug Survey which collected data from students in Grades 7-13, 19 per cent of ravers used ecstasy while 14 per cent of bush party-goers did likewise. When it came to using hallu cinogens, 27 per cent o f rave attendees admitted using the illegal drugs while 23 per cent of bush party-goers did the same. Parents and guardians are being urged to assume the responsibility for the health and safety o f their children by asking them the tough questions and giving them all the information they need to make an informed deci sion on which parties to attend. Event celebrates downtown Oakville If you were among the few people who w eren't in downtown Oakville Friday night, you missed a great event. Over the past 25 years, downtown O akville's M idnight M adness has become one o f the major highlights o f summer in Oakville. It is much, much more than a side w alk sale. With lots o f entertainment, community displays, food vendors and, o f course, som e m arvelous dow ntow n shops, the event has turned into a major celebration of Oakville's thriving downtown core. So if you m issed it this time around, make sure to schedule it in on next year's calendar. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Smoking bylaw infringes on freedom to choose I would like to m ake com m ents to a couple of recent letters that were in the paper over the last couple of weeks. Firstly, to Ariana (who 1 am sure everyone that reads these letters com m ends for the inter est and letter at a young age, The Beaver, July 12), who has a brother with asthma. Ariana makes the com m ent that if bars and restaurants are left to making the decision on the smoking bylaw, they will choose the more profitable route and go with having sm oking perm itted in their restaurant/bar. I agree with Ariana. However, you have to respect the fact these restaurant/bars are not charities. T hese individuals (owners) have invested money to gain the highest return on their dollar. If there is a market for non-smokers only, the private sector w i'l accom m odate that audi ence by having restaurants/bars that are strictly non-smoking. Secondly, Ivan Rich writes that the attitude o f some letters on the smoking by-law are prej udice to the non-smokers. Question: Is it not the other way around? The smoking establishments are not telling non-smokers not to enter. In many cases, they are even providing areas where one cannot smoke. Once again, we live in a com m unity where one has choice. A dem ocratic society gives us these rights and freedoms. It seems as though there are many lobbyists that want to take that right away from people. T hat's like suggesting, we live in a dem oc racy, so long as it meets their mandate. Personally, I think smoking is one o f the w orst habits one can have, and m ost smokers share that attitude. But, this is about principle and the rights of restaurant/bar owners and their patrons. KEITH DEMOE LETTER OF THE W EEK No war on smokers I certainly do not want the privileges o f The Oakville B eavers' Letters to the Editor section to be misused as a vehicle for bickering between smokers and non-smokers (as it's turning out to be). However, I must make an attempt to clear the obvious misconceptions of many smokers as illus trated in the recent letter "B utt out o f m y Life", The Beaver, July 17. The writer suggests that the extraordinary number o f peo ple who have written a letter supporting this bylaw (includ ing myself) is an effort to get people to stop smoking. This is not our intent, nor do I believe is it the intent o f the bylaw being passed. Quite frankly, with the amount o f taxes con tributed to each carton purchased, smoke your lungs out. There have been other views expressed that bar owners are private business people and should be able to decide what they allow in their establishments. L et's get back to the unemotional facts for a minute. W hen these business people decide to register a public establishment they are agreeing to abide to the local, provincial, and municipal laws, put in place to ensure the safety of the public whilst in their place o f business. These include fire codes, the Liquor Act, building codes, and now due to our responsible municipal government rec ognizing the indisputable health implications, a smoking bylaw. This isn't butting into your life and preventing you to smoke. Conversely, it is protecting the lives o f others who wish to visit these licensed establishments. The writer suggested a move to Toronto's bylaw where by smoking is allowed in bars, but not restaurants. He/She must be thoroughly convinced that non-smokers truly are "bored" and that we only go out to eat. No, we too would like to visit bars and pubs and enjoy a pint with our friends and possibly some of the live entertainment many o f these places offer, without being subjected to cancer-causing con ditions. As for the possible lost revenues for the bar owners I must convey that I have led large organizations providing goods and services to the public and in doing so have had to adjust our business and marketing strategies to changing market, political, and environm ental conditions. These entrepreneurs will also need to call upon their creative busi ness savvy to design other ways to attract patrons. An ash tray is not going to be enough any more. (I'm sure the asbestos manufacturers and installers were required to shift gears). The bylaw has been passed and life will, thankfully, go on. Smokers will continue to smoke and will get accustomed to stepping outside for their butts. The issue now is the enforcement o f the bylaw. In closing, one last com m ent for the writer o f "B utt out o f m y Life". I find it a little perplexing that you state your recognition o f the negative heath implications of second hand smoke promotes you to be willing to "never smoke around your nine year old" and yet you are not willing to step outside for your other fellow human beings. D. LADOUCER Wrong site for proposed shelter Ruling makes mockery of marriage I am writing this letter as a very con cerned and upset citizen o f Oakville. Our family just moved to Oakville from Etobicoke at the beginning o f June. We moved to Oakville because we liked the idea that Oakville was a safe and secure place to raise our two very young chil dren. We are opposed to the Salvation Arm y placing an institutional-type building of that nature in that location. It all com es down to site location. We think that the location is very wrong. It is too close to the high school, daycare centres, proposed additional schools, community centre, walking trails and, m ost im portantly, to the residential homes. Our children are our No. 1 concern and we must keep them safe and secure. Our home also backs onto the ravine and we would not feel safe walking the trails or the streets for that matter in the day or night. The m ore we hear about the proposed site the more opposed to it we feel. We will not change our minds about this sit uation. The Salvation Army m ust find another appropriate location situated away from residential homes and closer to public transportation and m uch-need ed facilities. The Salvation Arm y must withdraw the application. I understand and can acknowledge the need for a shelter for H alton's hom eless. A lthough, I also understand the need and importance to find the correct site location. I have the following questions of imm ediate concern: · W hy no public consultation and why the secrecy? · Has a large institution o f this nature ever been situated so close to residential neighbourhoods with so many young children? · W hy not place the shelter closer to public transportation, and needed facili ties? · W ho exactly will be denied or accepted into this facility? · W hy place a low-income apartment building so close to the shelter? W here will the homeless move after 90 days? · W ould you be concerned if you lived in close proximity to the proposed site and had young children? The Salvation Army was asked if the community, as a majority, was opposed to this site location would they withdraw the application? W hy have they not w ithdraw n this application and found a more suitable site? SUZANNE AND JOHN GRDOSIC E d note: This letter was originally sent to Oakville M P Bonnie Brown and a copy was sent to the Oakville B eaver fo r publication. Re: Recent Ontario Court ruling on same sex marriages I feel that the word "m arriage" should be reserved exclu sively for a union between a man and a w oman as outlined in a previous Suprem e Court ruling. I have spoken to many of my neighbours in the com m unity and all share my thoughts on this issue. Canada has always taken pride in being a nation built on respect and tolerance o f traditions. M arriage and family is certainly a tradition w hich has been based on the union between a m an and a woman and w hich certainly has been a part o f the building o f this nation. To make a m ockery o f our country by saying that we are going to take C anada into the next century, built on a foundation o f men m arrying men and w om en m arrying women and to strip aw ay our churches of the right to use this word as m eaning a union betw een a man and a woman, is utterly insane. W ith our aging population, declining birth rates, crisis with our schools and financial market troubles, the last thing this country needs to be doing is diverting resources by having our - out o f control courts - get involved with more experiments in social engineering. I w ould ask that you request that the Justice M inister take imm ediate steps to imm ediately challenge this low er court's decision and to put an end to this m adness before more money is squandered in court cases in other provinces on this issue. I would ask that you confirm that you have passed on my opinion to the Justice Minister. Your own personal feedback and opinion on this issue would also be greatly appreciated as I would be curious to know w here you stand on this issue. VERNON BECK Pud By STEVE NEASE We welcome readers thoughts, opinions The Oakville B eaver w elcom es letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considera tions and grammar. In order to be published, letters must contain the name, address and phone num ber o f the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Road, O akville, On., L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to editor@ oakvillebeaver.com . The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish any letter.