www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, March 9, 2012 · 6 Opinion & Letters 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5571 Classified Advertising: 632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742 --Open 9-5 weekdays, 5-7 for calls only Wed. to Friday, Closed weekends Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. The Oakville Beaver THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Canadian Circulation Audit Board Member THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America Canadian Community Newspapers Association ATHENA Award Neil Oliver Vice President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The OakvilleBeaver is a division of David Harvey Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief Daniel Baird Advertising Director ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor Riziero Vertolli Photography Director Sandy Pare Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production Manuel garcia Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution Sarah McSweeney Circ. Manager Learn from tragedy There are still many unanswered questions about the horrifying VIA train derailment that killed three men and left 45 of 75 passengers injured late last month in neighbouring Burlington. Unfortunately, some of those questions may never be answered because the black box included on the train did not include a critical piece of technology that might have provided vital clues for investigators: a voice recorder. A 2003 recommendation from the Transport Safety Board of Canada that voice recorders be mandatory on all trains remains just that -- a recommendation. Such a device would have told those probing the Feb. 26 tragedy exactly what communication was going on between the now-deceased engineers and a trainee riding along with them in the locomotive in the final minutes before the high-speed crash on Sunday, Feb. 26 took all three of their lives. Incredibly, however, while the black box revealed the train was going more than four times the speed it was supposed to be travelling when switching tracks -- 107 kilometres per hour instead of 24 km/h -- it did not include that critical voice recorder. Why was this passenger train going so fast? What were the VIA employees saying to each other inside the locomotive of Train 92 moments before the crash? Could their words have revealed why they were going so fast? Were there errors made that their words might have helped to explain? We'll never know. TSB senior investigator Tom Griffith told reporters last week that engineers, "could have slowed down." He also raised questions about whether the track signals were functioning properly. Finally, he suggested investigators would "tear the signals down in the search for clues." It will have to be investigated in depth. Griffith admitted a full TSB investigation into the accident could take up to a year. The black box will reveal more information about the speed of the train, braking and automatic throttle shutdown valve status and other important technical data needed by investigators, said Griffith. What's missing, of course, is voice recorder data. If anything positive comes out of this accident to help prevent future disasters, it's that a nine-year old recommendation from the TSB that voice recorders be mandatory on all trains must be followed up and implemented before another tragedy occurs. For that matter, a combination of video and voice recording might be even better. We must learn from our mistakes. It's too bad we can't learn everything possible from this one. 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. Letter to the editor Safety tips on coyotes handy for one mom Re: Coyote classes begin at schools, Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012, The Oakville Beaver Thank you for your continued coverage of the coyote sightings around Oakville, including advice on how children should handle an unexpected encounter. I was shocked and a little frightened last month when I saw a coyote running across a grassy space in broad daylight at Upper Middle Road and Third Line. This week, I used information from your Oakville Beaver article to teach my seven-year-old daughter how to handle a face-to-face encounter with a coyote. It got pretty loud and silly in our kitchen, but it was also a great lesson for her. I can't help but wonder if there is a connection between all these coyote sightings and the property developments at Neyagawa Boulevard, north of Dundas Street. We have been living in Oakville for the past seven years and I had no idea that we even shared our lovely town with coyotes until the last year or so. Is it really a coincidence that this is around the time that these developments were started? I have a feeling the growth of our town displaced these animals. If so, perhaps the companies profiting from their displacement could provide some funds to deal with the problem? Sue Wakefield, Oakville Senior works to afford stuff Re: Frustrated with government, Friday, March 2, 2012, The Oakville Beaver Nowhere does this person mention the benefits to the children from this expensive program (all-day kindergarten plus) -- only about how much money this program gives them so they can enjoy the lifestyle they have chosen. This person reinforces my opinion that this program is nothing but the most expensive daycare that can be provided. The lifestyle chosen by this family is none of my business. It is also not my responsibility to pay for it. If you want the government to pay for it, you Letters to the editor 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, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. surrender your right to determine what you spend the money on. They must realize that government has no money. Everything they spend is paid for, or will have to be paid for, by the taxpayer or the taxpayer's children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren. I am a retiree, who wants more `stuff' than my pension can provide for. So I have a parttime job that allows me to get more `stuff'. I do not want government to steal from you to subsidize my lifestyle. Nor, is it the government's or anyone else's business what I spend it on. Jim Dean, Oakville By Steve Nease neasecartoons@gmail.com Pud