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A6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday April 18, 2001 T h e O a k v il l e B e a v e r Ian Oliver Publisher sso cia tePublisher Nei Oliver .A Norman Alexander Editor KeHy Montague, AdvertisingDirector Steve Crazier CirculationDirector Tteri Casas O fficeM anager Mark Dills ProductionM anager Riziero Vertoili DirectorofPhotography Metrotend Printing. Publshing & Distributing Lid., indudes: Ajax/Pfckering News Advertiser. Alliston Herald/Courier. Arthur Enterprise News. Barrie Advance, Barry's Bay This Week. Bolton Enterprise. Brampton Guardian, Burlington Post. Burlington Shopping N ews. City Parent. ColSngwoodA/Vasaga Connection. East Mark Minor. Erin Advocate/Country Routes. Etobicoke Guardian. Flam borough Post. Georgetown Independent/Acton Free Press, Hamston Review, Huronia Business Times, Kingston This Week. Lindsay This Week. Markham Ecnomist & Sun. Midland/Penetanguishine Mirror. Milton Canadian Champion. Milton Shopping News. Mississauga Business Times. Mississauga News. Napanee Glide. Newmarket/Aurora Era-Banner, Northumberland News. North Vbrk Mirror. Oakville Beaver. Oakville Shopping News. Oldtimers Hockey News, OrilSa Today. Oshawa/Whitby/ClaringtQn Port Perry This V\feek, Owen Sound Tribune, Palmerston Observer. Peterborough This Week, Picton County Gu«de. Richmond Hlll/Thomhill/Vaughan Liberal. Scarborough Mirror. Stouffville/Uxbridge Trixjne, Forever Mxng. Oty of Vbrk Guarden OPINION RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: O n ta r io C o m m u n it y A s s o c ia tio n N e w s p a p e rs T H E OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPO N SO R FOR: YMCA m UTVi ^ S tra te g ie s fo r ......... JiwqlE B eII FuNd . JM em t u ^Z)he @ FOR BUSINESS EXCELLENCE JThvard Oah'ifh ©^wa'rSs A i'iP T in u T V A U C T IO N United W ay of Oakville 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Orrt L6K3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-2809 Circulation: 845-9742 [ C N A . C a n a d ia n C o m m u n it y N e w s p a p e rs BRONTElUTTERFLY O N T A T H E fin d R I O |oakville galleries | SK S u b u rb a n N e w s p a p e rs of i 0Children's *& £ L Choir F O R(/B U S IN E S S 6 £ T H E A R T S 1 1 W T iG H V »W E d it o r ia ls Hope springs eternal Has there ever been a better tim e to be a sports fan in Toronto? Sure, October `92, and October `93 and April 1967 do come to mind, but in this April of 2001 hope does truly spring eter Toronto sports fan can nal. On this day in this April of Hope we take a break from the daily have the Toronto M aple L eafs on the j pressures of everyday life, verge of sweeping the Ottawa Senators sit back in their easy (how appropriate); the Toronto Raptors readying for the NBA playoffs after fin chairs (or arena seats if ishing their most successful season; and they' re lucky), and enjoy w onder o f w onders, the Toronto Blue the ride. Jays competing for first place (okay, we admit the season is only three weeks old) in the AL East. For the dedicated sports fan w hat can be better than w atching your favourite team on a winning streak (especially in the playoffs) and going into the office the next day to greet your fellow sports fan co-workers with, "What about those(fill in the blank)! All the more pleasurable, is the surprising optimism generated by Toronto's big three sports teams this spring. After struggling through the second half of the season, only die-hard Leaf fans gave the team much o f a chance over Ottawa. Now they are on the verge of a sweep and raising the dream of a Stanley Cup to a higher level. Meanwhile, the Raptors struggled early at the .500 level, but received a youthful shot in the arm with some daring mid-season trades.In the weak eastern division, nothing is impossible.And the Blue Jays, all but given up for dead following the David Wells trade debacle, are showing they are a contending team. What does it all mean in the big picture. Not much really. But in the short term, Toronto sports fan can take a break from the daily pressures of everyday life, sit back in their easy chairs (or arena seats if they're lucky), and enjoy the ride. Dare we say it, "Go Leafs, Go." Letters to the Editor The Oakville Beaver welcomes your comments. All letters must be typed, signed and include the writer's address and phone number. Send to: Letters to the Editor, The Oakville Beaver 4 6 7 Speers Rd., Oakville, Ont. L6K 3S 4 Oakville Hydro water heater rental rates a farce Re: Water heater rate hike It is g o o d th a t O a k v ille H y d ro has responded immediately to one of the concerns of their customers conveyed through the town council by granting a two month extension of time to consider all the options. However, it Letter of the Week Self-interest driving pollution issue W ith the U .S. w ith d ra w a l from the Kyoto protocol, the agreement is effectively finished. Its intentions were good but its implementation was faulty. No nation (or group of nations) will inhibit its ability to compete economically even for a perceived universal threat. The key word here is per ceived. Scientists have lined up on both sides of a very complex issue. No one disputes that carbon dioxide is one of a number of greenhouse gases that in c lu d e stra to s p h e ric w a t e r , v ap o u r, methane, nitrous oxide and chlorofluorocarbons. These gases absorb reflected solar energy and re-radiate it in all directions, increasing the retention o f solar energy. Since roughly 88% o f all primary energy comes from the combustion of fossil fuels, the rise in carbon dioxide concentrations is m easurable and the projected increase in energy demand guarantees it will acceler ate. What is disputed, is whether or not the planet is warming. NASA .has launched at least four o f a p lan n e d 19 s a te llite s c a lle d the E arth O bservation System (EO S) designed to record and relay a wide variety of informa tion about our planet. The EOS should give us the solid data we need to make informed judgements. If the majority o f researchers are con vinced over time that global warming is not a threat, then the consumption o f carbonbased fuels w ill continue unabated and p ric e s w ill rise as re s o u rc e s d w in d le . A lternate tech n o lo g ies w ill continue to develop apace and replace hydrocarbons as a viable option in the marketplace. Even if the globe is shown to be warm ing, cohesive action is not a given. Selfinterest is the driving force in the market place and the chaotic nature of fluid dynam ics ensure that the weather, while not ran dom, is not predictable. The very unpre d icta b ility o f local changes w ill retard unfettered co-operation. Economic blocks will choose the behaviour that serves them best... competition or co-operation or some trade-off between the two. It is interesting that California has enact ed some of the strongest emission control laws of any jurisdiction due to local air pol lution from the very large number of vehi cles. The state has passed legislation that requires 10% of the new automobiles sold by 2003 be zero-emission. The two key ele ments that make this legislation possible are the fact that the impact is local and only one jurisdiction is involved. As the number of entities increases and the problems are more widely spread, it becomes more difficult to apply a unified solution. A few centres like California could catal yse the introduction o f alternate technolo gies by allowing econom ies o f scale and im provem ents that can only com e from open m arket com petition. The earth has oscillated in the past between ice ages and prolonged planetary summer over long time periods. If global warming does occur, we will have triggered a pendulum that will only slow in geologic time-scales. should be pointed out that this is not the only issue that has been conveyed to O akville Hydro, both by the council and directly by a number of customers. The new rate of $15.95 per month is exor bitant and non-competitive, as can be readily seen from the several recent advertisements placed in the O akville Beaver by O ntario Hydro Energy to entice Oakville customers to switch to them. They are offering a rental of $7.40 per moth for a 40 gallon tank. Even a 60 gallon tank is only $8.80. These are new tanks, and reflect recently increased rates depending on how long the rental lasts, as th eir policy (contrary to that o f O akville Hydro) is always to supply new tanks. The other issue is that a large number of the existing 5,400 customers would like the option of buying out the existing water heater for a nominal price, regardless of the offer of free removal now extended to Aug. 15. The customer would avoid the unnecessary dis ruption of replacing a tank that is still func tioning well. Oakville Hydro would avoid the expense of free removal, it's a win-win. It would reflect the goodwill that has existed for many, many years between Oakville Hydro and its residential customers. It would be in line with what has happened in Burlington and Mississauga, as has been pointed out by the council and reported in the Beaver. State your views on QEWwidening Re: widening o f the QEW Last week I went to the Community Services meeting at Town Hall, in respect to the Ministry of Transportation's pre-design study for the widening of the QEW, east of Third Line to I km. east of Trafalgar Road. I have been part of the dicussions and public information nights syjce this all began seven months ago, when I heard it announced. At this point, I called the MTO and asked about this project, and was informed, at the time that I am not in the affected area. (Note: I live one door up from the homes that are proposed to be expropriated) During last week's presentation from the consultant hired by the ministry, it was mentioned that there was a distribution of 700 flyers, if so, why did I have to phone and request to be put on the mailing list? As over the seven months that this has been happening, I continue to learn and ask questions, in turn making the min istry have an extra stakeholders' meetings, directing the ministry how to inform the community better, as it was their intention to only advertise notice of any public information in the Toronto Star because that is the practice they follow. In noting the ministry's stand on issues last week regard ing compensation and the permanent impact on properties, we are compared to similar experiences in the United States. I have m aintained that if the community, Town of Oakville staff and the MTO can come up with a superior proposal, and can create a win-win scenario, if these groups could work together more and engage regional agencies in non-traditional solutions and find new streams of funding for these solutions, then we could create something that is acceptable for all parties involved. The Town's views are heard, as are mine and your voice can be heard as well. This is your opportunity to exercise your right to comment on the MTO plan just as I have been doing over the past seven months. The MTO needs to hear from you, just as we need to hear from them. F. John Smith Drug-free gardens A special thank you to everyone that joined with us at the forum on urban pesti cides. It is rewarding to know that people care about the issue of spraying with pesticides. Our group (Gardens Off Drugs). We are not against lawn spraying, but spraying with poisonous pesticides is the issue. Everyone likes to have a nice green lawn but when it poses danger healthwise to peo ple and especially the children who are very susceptible to all the spraying with chemi cals, it is time to pass a law to ban the spray ing w ith p e stic id e s. G ive us b ack the Oakville where we felt safe walking along a sidewalk. Janet Calderone Michael A. Miller Vaughan Road Collegiate hosts May 6-11 reunion The Vaughan Road Alumni Association is pleased to announce the 75th A nniversary R eunion for all classes o f Vafaghan Road C ollegiate and A cadem y - Toronto. The reunion activities will take place from May 4 to 6, 2001. The Alumni Association and school staff are working hard to make this a m em orable w eekend and hope to contact many former students and teachers. P lease sign on at the V RA A W ebsite W W W .VRAA.ORG/_guestbook.htm. or call the school at 416 - 394 - 3222 for further information. March of Dimes exceeds target I wish to thank the citizens of Oakville who supported the Ontario March of Dimes canvassers during this year's success ful 50th Anniversary Door-to-Door Campaign in January. In Oakville alone, we raised more than $75,000, the highest amount in Ontario, exceeding our goal by $10,000. This is Ontario March of Dimes' 50th year of providing ser vices to help people with physical disabilities, such as Cerebral Palsy or Multiple Sclerosis, become more self-sufficient. We use the much needed funds we raise to provide assistive devices, recreation opportunities, attendant and housekeeping services, and employment training and placement support. Through the generous support of people in Oakville we can pro vide someone living with a disability the gift of more indepen dence. In recognition of Volunteer Week, I would especially like to thank the canvassers and captains who helped Ontario March of Dimes achieve these results. Volunteer Week has a special meaning this year as it coincides with both our 50th anniversary and with the International Year of Volunteers. The commitment and energy of our current volunteers mirror that of the original marching mothers who canvassed in search of a cure for polio in the 1950s. Today's canvassers continue that true spirit of volunteerism by raising funds for a wide variety of programs and services that benefit over 15,000 adults with physical disabilities in Ontario. Thanks for your generosity. Together, we can make a differ ence. Esther Rae V. Carley Pud S A W C I T H lN K t X lV E HAD EH O U G H OF THOSE EPSTBRE6SS FoRTDDAY- t" LITTLE CHOCOLATE WnY2 \) Mary Monk Area Co-ordinator Ontario March o f Dimes Door-to-Door Campaign, Oakville