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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, February 13, 2015 | 6 Everywhere a sign At this time of year, when we contemplate those who hold a special place in our heart, Town of Oakville councillors are turning their attention to things many don't hold near and dear to their hearts -- election signs. Election signs on public property, that is. Ward 2 Councillor Cathy Duddeck, backed by peer Councillor Pam Damoff, another Ward 2 veteran, has asked the Town to put the debate front and centre. It's headed to Town council on Monday, Feb. 23. Municipal election signs seemed to pop up with utter abandon during last October's election. That spectacle was missing in the neighbouring communities of Mississauga and Burlington where election signs are not allowed to be placed on public property. Halton Region recently opted to follow the same rules. Now, after limiting where signs could be placed on public property in 2010, council will, yet again, revisit the question with an eye to an outright ban for such signs on public property. During the election, many Oakville Beaver readers sent us letters stating how appalled they were at the sign pollution on the sides of roads. This week, as the debate around the council table draws near, the Beaver heard from two local councillors -- both of whom were recently elected for the rst time, and both with signi cantly differing views. Ward 3's Nick Hutchins expressed concern that while "democracy is messy," the ability, especially for a non-incumbent, to reach out to prospective voters via signs is important. Conversely, Ward 1 Councillor Sean O'Meara led a letter to the editor citing how much money, time and effort was siphoned from campaigning to the sign campaign. While we don't presume to preempt council debate slated for Feb. 23, and we understand both sides of the issue, there is a third piece of the puzzle that bears scrutiny. The voter. Voter apathy is abhorrent, particularly in municipal elections where turnout is around 30 per cent. Yes, there are lots of candidates, wards and positions -- mayor, Town councillors, Regional councillors, school board trustees -- but it is these people who govern what is closest to where we live. They are responsible for property taxes, schools, garbage pickup, roads and policing. Perhaps a public property sign ban would force the electorate to do what they should be doing in the rst place, taking the responsibility of voting seriously and nding out for whom they want to cast a ballot. It may require those running for of ce to knock on doors to not only secure votes, but the right to place election signs where allowed, on private property. It could weed out those who may simply put up a sign and hope to be elected. It could force candidates to campaign and voters to do their due diligence and then get out to vote. There is also the environment to consider. A public property election sign ban may serve a host of purposes. And it is one, which we support. Editorial A B R I G H T L I G H T "Connected to your Community" 447 Speers Road, Oakville ON, L6K 3S4 General Inquiries: (905) 845-3824 Editorial Department: (905) 632-0588 Classi ed Advertising: (905) 632-4440 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 Volume 53 | Number 13 The Oakville Beaver is a division of Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Vice ­President and Group Publisher of Metroland West Regional General Manager Halton Region Editor in Chief NEIL OLIVER DAVID HARVEY JILL DAVIS The Goodale Miller Team at Century 21 Miller Real Estate Ltd. made a $15,000 donation to The Lighthouse for Grieving Children during its charity breakfast at the Oakville Club Wednesday. Goodale's Murray McKeage serves on the Lighthouse board. Lighthouse supports children and youths who have experienced the death of a parent or sibling. The funds will assist in its expansion. Pictured, from left are: board members McKeage, Jennifer Stothers, Lighthouse Executive Director Britta Martini-Miles, Don Goodale, and board member Shubo Rakhit. | submitted photo Advertising Director DANIEL BAIRD Managing Editor ANGELA BLACKBURN RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director Business Manager SANDY PARE MARK DILLS Bus stops need to be plowed, too I have just had a coffee with my 93-year-old friend (on Saturday, Feb. 7). She missed two buses yesterday (Friday, Feb. 6) because she was standing on the corner of Reynolds Street and Lakeshore Road, waiting for the bus to take her to South Oakville Centre (formerly Hopedale Mall). My friend could not access the bus stop because of all the uncleared snow. Then she walked to Scotia Bank to get Letters to the Editor Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager Director of Distribution CHARLENE HALL KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager bus there, same story. We got all this snow on Monday, Feb. 2, yet these important areas were still not cleared. Never mind pushing babies in strollers on still snow-covered sidewalks. If you could but mention this, maybe somebody would take note. Thank you, and get it done, Oakville. Diane Newman, Oakville Proud Official Media Sponsor For: Canadian Circulations Audit Board Member Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Yesterday (Feb. 2) morning, my 77-year-old husband spent a couple of hours with the snow blower clearing our driveway. Yes, I know we get windrows left by the Town and that it is a necessary evil, but the person employed at the present time seems to be taking particular pleasure in removing the snow from the boulevard and placing it on the driveways because there certainly was not that much accumulation on the road. The berm created was four feet high. I know, for a fee, we can pay the Town of Windrows unavoidable, but let's not pile it on Oakville to remove the windrow, but that can take up to 72 hours and what if we were to have a medical emergency prior to the windrow being cleared? It took my husband and I more than an hour of really hard work to remove this totally unnecessary evil from our driveway. I can see that snow removal from the street is necessary, but not removal from the boulevards onto our driveways that is being downright pedantic or mean-minded. Suzanne Whiteley, Oakville For an additional Letter to the Editor, see p.16 Proud Official Media Sponsor For: 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, 5040 Mainway, Burlington ON L7L 7G5 or via email to; ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. 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.