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6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday D ecember 10,1999 T h e O a k v ill e B eaver Ian Oliver Publisher Neil Oliver, Associate Publisher Norman Alexander E ditor Kelly Montague, A dvertising D irector Martin Doherty Circulation D irector Ten Casas Office M anager Mark Dills Production M anager Riziero Vertolli P hotography D irector Metroland Printing, Puttshrig & Distributing Lid., rriudes: Ajax/PckBfing Navs Ad\«rtEer. Alston HBrakiOxrer, Bane Aa/ance, Barry's Bay This Week. Boton Enterpnse, Brampton Guarden, Bcrtngton Post. Bolngton Shopping News, City Parent, Coingwood/VVasaga Connection. East York Mror. Erin ArtAxato'Coirtry Routes, Etobcoke Guarden. Ramborough Past. Georgetown hdapendent/Acton Free Press, Huooa Busness Times, Kngstpn The Week. Lindsay This Week, Markham Ecnomist & Sun, Midland/Penetanguehine Mirror. Miton Canadian Champion. Milton Shopping News. Mssissauga Business Times. Mississauga News, Napanee Guda Neiwmarket/Auora Era-Banner. Northumberland News, North York Mrror, Oakvie Beaver. Oakvie Shoppng News, Odtmers Hockey News, Onfca Today. OshawaAVtvtby/Oamgton Port Peny This Week, Owen Sound Trtxme. Peterborough This Week. Pcton County Guide. Richmond H*/Thomh#/Vaughan Uberal. Scarborough Mirror. StoufMte/lMindge Tribune, Forever Yang. City ot York Guardan RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: i=J TV AUCTION m -fH E BRO N T* ---------------- . Y TM .£& ... JiiNqle B eII FlncI UnrtedWjry fU TTE R F L Y 467 Speers Rd., Oakville OnL L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax; 337-5567 Editonals D o s e o f r e a lity Sometimes the comments emanating from Premier Mike Harris are really quite breathtaking and we witnessed another of those incidents this week. On Monday nine emergency wards in Toronto hospitals were completely closed dow n w hile o th ers w ere shunted around the GTA to try and accommodate them. S in ce being elected, th e A logical response would be deep concern, p opulation o f th e GTA has if not o u tra g e . B ut n e ith e r view was ballooned in proportion to forthcoming from Harris. Instead, he blasted th e econom ic grow th, the m edia for reporting the situ atio n and m a kin g expansion o f concluded that the shuffling of patients to area active p a tie n t h o spital beds ho sp itals illu stra te d th at the system was crucial. The reverse working. has happened Such comments show how little regard the prem ier has for anyone who is in need of medical care, especially those with urgent medical problems. The premier argues that the province has spent $400 million more this year on health care than the previous year. What he conveniently fails to mention, is that the massive cuts in the health care sector, made since Harris was first elected, made this year's increase a drop in the bucket. Since being elected, the population of the GTA has ballooned in proportion to the economic growth, making expansion of active patient hospital beds crucial. The reverse has happened. Much of the money targeted for health care has gone to long-term care, a need that demographics dictate. These individuals have no choice when they reach a certain stage in their lives. They need and deserve these services. Other chunks of funding went to reduce hospital deficits as mandated by the province. Basically the health care situation was predictable but the province believed it could wish-away the problem. That, as the continuing health care challenge clearly shows, simply doesn't work. Pages of the Past ...if you happened to m ake any stock m arket trades with CIBC World M arkets on T uesd ay , those fees and com m issions you paid w ent to ch ild re n 's ch arities, not the b ro k ers' po ck ets...it was the com pany's Children's Miracle Day when all fees go to charity ...since 1984, more than $33 m illio n h a s b een ra is e d ...la s t y e a r 3 50 c h ild re n 's c h a ritie s benefitted...the total raised this year will be announced on Dec. 21st.... "New education " concerned trustees 50 Years Ago Oakville voters went to the polls Monday and elected a new Reeve, two new and four `repeat' Councillors and approved, by a narrow margin, a money by-law which will provide a debenture issue o f $ 100,000 for the c o n stru ctio n and equipping of a new arena. The by-law becom es operative only if the necessary additional $100,000 is raised by public subscription. -The Oakville-Record-Star, Dec. 8, 1949 The Evaluation Committee of the Innovations Council presented its report to the board for the second tim e, b u t even som e o f its m em bers agreed that it was not very valid. The report on use o f open-concept schools, continuous progress and cooperative teaching was 18 months in the making. A fte r se v e ra l b o ard m e m b e rs e x p re s s e d m isg iv in g s a b o u t the v alu e o f th e " new e d u c a tio n " c o n c e p ts , R o b e rt W rig h t o f B u rlin g to n , C o m m itte e c h a irm a n , sa id the program needed more study. -Daily Journal Record Fri. Dec. 12, 1969 JU L) ...when it comes to the printed word, typographical errors do happen...we recently received a notice from an entertainm ent agency concerning the appearance o f a musician who would be playing the `Soprano fa x '... no doubt anyone who has picked up the phone, only to have a fax machine transm ission screech in their ears, can appreciate that a fax cannot be played...even though it can make a nasty noise.... ...as the first traffic jam s are being reported on Hwy. 407 ETR, it seems the privately-operated highw ay is also experiencing heavy traffic on its customer service telephone lines...so they've extended service hours from 8 a.m .-8 p.m . from M onday to Friday at 1-888-407-0407...m eanw hile, construction on the west extension of the highway, that will pass through north Oakville, continues on schedule ... JU U ...the future o f giant retailer, Dylex, rem ains cloudy after the company president quit and the chairman took his place...the company just recently opened a Labels store in northeast Oakville and the town also has three BiWay units, a Tip Top Tailors outlet, a Fairweather store along with a Braemar and Braemar Petites store...look for the company to sell off the individual chain stores... Psssssst... is a compendium o f observations around Oakville and we're open to contributions from the public at large too. Just fa x us at 337-5567 attention to Pssssssssssst... 40 Years Ago Oakville Trafalgar will have anew ambulance service commencing January 1, Councillor Allan Day said Tuesday night. In a brief to Town Council, Mr. Day revealed Alexander Ambulance Service of Elfrida Ontario, has been awarded a three-year contract to provide ambulance service for the area at a cost of $3,000 annually to Oakville Trafalgar taxpayers. Early this fall, O akville's two undertaking e sta b lish m e n ts a n n o u n c e d th ey w ould discontinue ambulance service Nov. 30th., -The Oakville Record-Star, Dec. 3, 1959 20 years ago A special committee will be formed to delve into the q u e stio n s o f zo ning ch an g es and development in old Oakville. In response to residents' concerns that allowing land separations would alter the character of the district, town council unanimously endorsed the idea o f a com m ittee w hich w ould m ake firm recommendations on zoning and development in the area south of Lakeshore Road form "Sixteen Mile Creek to Second Street. -Oakville Beaver, Dec. 5,1979 OQ 30 years ago R eserv atio n s over the value o f "the new education" were expressed by Halton Board of Education last night and a report by a special co m m itte e failed to a d e q u a te ly d efen d the concepts. T aken fro m th e arch ives of th e O a k v ille B eaver including stories from The Oakville Record-Star, The O a k v ille - T ra fa lg a r J o u rn a l, th e O a k v ille J o u rn a l Record and the Oakville Beaver.