A 6 - in e uaKvme beavei, vve a i iesaay, o c io D e r t i , / u o j EDITORIALS MD LETTERS TH EO A K V IL L E ItE A V E R 467 Speers Rd,, Oakville Ont L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-3824, ext 224 Circulation: 845-9742 IA NO LIV ER Publisher N EIL O LIV ERAssociate Publisher TERI CASAS Office Manager JILL D A V IS Editor in Chief M A RK D ILLS Production Manager K E L L YM O N TA G U E Advertising Director R IZIER OV ERTO UJ Photography Director CHA RLEN EH A LL Circulation Manager R O D JER R ED Managing Editor THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL M EDIA SPONSOR FOR: »ao N ^4 'i loakvllte qall»rles| to n '* £ £ mm Meftottnd Printing. Puttarung & O tttu O n g lt d . n u n A # iw W e w ig Nw w A d w ^ . WW4Counir. A f flv EntorpnM New*. Bam# Attanco. Brampton Guardian. Burtoxjtofl Poet. Budngson SftO CW J Ncwfl. C tM o n tnterpriM Cty Parent. C otofpooaW asaoo Ccmacflon. Last ttork M r cr. Erin ArfwcafH. 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TttOMtMhnaMOan aoano m o j; d L O B C M M rv x t C W i Too fast, too furious Slow down people, you're going to fast. That's the message we would like to deliver to our readers on behalf of the Halton Regional Police Service, which has been operating a special traffic enforcement unit in Oakville for the past seven weeks to crack down on speeding motorists. The unit was set up in response to numerous complaints from the pub lic regarding speeding motorists in their neighbourhoods. Through increased enforcement and fines, the police hoped to discourage motorists from speeding and get them to obey the speed limit. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be working. Now in its seventh week, members of the traffic unit are starting to rec ognize some of the repeat offenders. Despite the publicity the unit has garnered -- since its inception the Oakville Beaver has published the weekly results of the traffic unit -- many people seem to be surprised when stopped. Some have even been repeat offenders. While the weekly reports from the traffic unit have been both entertain ing and revealing about the identities of the speeding motorists -- parents and teachers among others -- they have also been alarming. The picture being painted by the results of the traffic unit's first six weeks of operation is that of a motoring public in too much of a hurry. While a few joy riders have been caught, the majority of the offenders appear to be people in too much of a hurry to get where they are going. They are parents in a hurry to drop off their kids; teachers enroute to class; business people late for a meeting; parents with children in tow late for a family outing. Speed limits are posted for a reason -- public safety. Fortunately most of the offenders caught by the extra traffic enforcement are only facing heavy speeding fines and a few extra demerit points on their drivers licences. They are. not facing more serious consequences like losing control of their car and hurting themselves or others. At excessive speeds, any mistakes can quickly turn fatal. In the blink of an eye, a moment's haste can tum into a lifetime of regret. Slow down people. It's in everyone's best interest. DALTON V a n G u i n t y - F e a r l e s s V a m p ir e F i g h t e r LETTERS TO THE EDITOR No rush to develop north Oakville residents shouldn't rush to accept the planning team Duany and Plater/Zyberk's development plans for a prospective 55,000 new residents, and not simply for the loss of picturesque farmland. Residents will likely lament giving into the trumped up need to develop over a rare quantity o f farmland on the Trafalgar Moraine for thousands of new residents, who should be moving into areas already serviced by roads, sewers, etc. They will probably see that the sup posed advantages o f development charges and new tax revenues are actual ly outweighed by the enormous costs of providing new infrastructure and the bur den of added road congestion. But what is perhaps most disconcert ing, given that this development is likely to go ahead in spite o f concerns over sprawl, is the fact that there has been no talk about the design of the proposed development. We now have artists renditions of the neighborhood and urban core layouts. We do not have a promise from the Town of Oakville o f international design competitions for civic buildings or any attempt to ensure design excellence, a practice which has taken hold in cities across North America. Once the development o f North Oakville begins, it will unfold very quickly. This is not the slow development of a pre-automobile European town over hundreds of years. If it isn't done right, residents will regret trading nature for subdivisions. MARK GIBSON Say `No' to pesticide question on election ballot As I speak to various people in Oakville I find that hardly anyone is aware that there will be a pesticides referendum question, relating to private property, on the ballot on Nov. 10. As well many, perhaps even a majority, do not equate the term "pesticides" with commonly used herbicides to control weeds and insecticides to control lawn insects such as chinch bugs or white grubs. It is a crucial question. If the result of the vote is yes, then we will no longer be legally permitted to use "Weed and Feed" fertilizers, herbicides to control weeds. Roundup to control vegetation growth in interlocking brick patios and driveways nor insecticides to control chinch bugs and white grubs. In short our lawn will soon look like the deteriorating and shabby condition of Oakville's public lands and sports fields where a pesticides ban has been in effect for the past two summer seasons. Truth is, there is no scientific justification for such a ban and furthermore it should not be a municipal issue at all. Registered pesticides are very rigorously tested and closely controlled by our Federal government. Under Canada's Pest Control Products Act (PCPA) which is administered by Health Canada through The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) the absolute priority is to ensure that such products do not represent an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment. Similar protocols are employed by the U.S. EPA, the WHO as well as EU and OECD countries. That means that there are thousands of pesticides regulators throughout the world employing worldwide scientific think ing to protect human health and the environment. No other entities have those kinds of resources or expertise. As Oakville residents, we take pride in our homes and in our Town. On Nov. 10 we should all be sure to vote and to vote "No" to defend our property rights, our freedom of choice and to keep Oakville beautiful. We need to take a stand to tell incumbent politicians seek ing re-election, and aspiring newcomer candidates, to keep off of our front lawns and stay out of our back yards. Furthermore, to also stay out of matters which are Federal jurisdiction where the best expertise and most resources reside. As taxpayers we do not need the burden of extra taxes and unnecessary regulation. DOUGLAS HAUSER Governance policy works I am chagrined to read that Trustee Peggy Russell is calling for the scrapping of Halton District School Board's (HDSB) gover nance policy (Oakville Beaver. Oct. 17). I remember all too well the days of HDSB meetings before governance policy. Confrontational bickering, unnecessary micro-management and confusion over responsibilities hindered progress and left parents in the gallery wondering how anything was being accomplished. Goodness knows we parents are not always happy with the board's policies or manner of communicating them. No. the gover nance policy is not perfect. It was developed through the dedicated effort and teamwork of trustees and board staff with open town hall meetings for public input. Like any organization's mission, goals and action plan, the HDSB governance policy is a living document that should be reviewed and improved as circumstances warrant. It seems that candidates in Oakville Ward 1/2 would have us believe that the current governance model is the source of all chal lenges. Bruce Jones implies that, under it."trustees can't advocate for parents anymore." Candidate Don Vrooman is quoted as saying, "Now that operational policies have been turned over to the direc tor, it seems trustees and the board are no longer listening to us." I would argue that the governance policy, in fact has led to improved communications. It more clearly defines the board's vision and includes a process for complaints - something that used to be completely ad-hoc and ineffectual. Although the board organ izes town hall meetings, conferences and forums to give the public an opportunity to leam and question staff directly, my experience has been that attendance levels remain extremely low. The board welcomes delegations at its meetings and has been known to change course on the recommendation of parents. At various pub lic education forums I have learned from other chairs that their boards work hard to hinder rather than welcome public input I would suggest the weaknesses in communication are caused main ly by differences in approach throughout the many levels of play ers. Not every trustee, principal or council chair facilitates commu nications with parents to the same extent Rather than jettisoning the current governance policy, perhaps its definitions should be expanded so that parents can expect the same level of communica tion from all players. I believe in the power of partnership. It seems to me that suc cessful organizations define roles and respect the experience that each player brings to the team. There is a trust that each member will do his/her part to advance the organization towards its goals. The board staff has been hired for its expertise. In the HDSB gov ernance model, the trustee role is to ensure that the activities of board staff are broadly consistent with the goals and objectives that they, the trustees, define. They also ensure that the boani's finances are being respected in the achievement of those goals. I do not expect trustees to involve themselves in the day-to-day details of delivering the results as they have neither the time nor the expertise to do so. That is the responsibility of staff. These have been stormy times for Ontario's educational funding and student accommodation policies. The Education Equality Task Force recommended in its final report to the Eves government last November (page 53) that, "the Minister of Education review, in consultation with all education partners, the education governance structure and the roles and responsibilities of each of its partners." It recognized the adverse effect of lack of clarity. I am proud of HDSB for taking positive measures in 2001 to step out of the quagmire of relentless infighting and to get on with its work. I am tired of the mudslinging. It is all too easy and fruitless. If Trustee Russell really cared she would discard her adversarial approach and work with her colleagues to change those parts of the policy that she deems ineffectual. PHILIPPA ELUS Philippa Ellis a mother o f two elementary school children and has been an active school volunteer fo r many years. She has also served on a school council in various positions, including that o f council chair (2001-2003). The OakvMe Beam is a member of the Ontario Pres Council The cound Is located at 80 Could St. SuAe 206. Toronto, Ont. MSB 2M7. Phone (416) 3401981. Advertising b accepted on Die condition that In the event of a typographical error, that portion of adwrtising space occupied by the erroneous Item together wltti a reasonable allowance for signature, oil not be charged for. but the balance of the advertisement wU be paid for at the applicable rale. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or dedfoe. Fostering cultural awareness Since the North Halton Cultural Awareness Council was formed in 1993, we have had the pleasure of working closely with the Halton District School Board (HDSB) and would like to commend the board's administration, trustees and school staffs for the following: · Collaboration on many visionary proj ects. such as Traveling through Diversity, Faces o f Islam -- Breaking down Stereotypes, Taking Action Against Hate, and Citizenship Ceremonies. These are ini tiatives that promote acceptance and respect, which in tum help create safer and more inclusive school environments; · Accessibility of the board's Director of Education and administrative staff; · Hiring of a Diversity Consultant to sup port staff and students on all issues of diver sity; · Creation of programs that promote respect for differences, promoting anti-bully ing strategies, establishing student diversity councils in high schools, and so on; · Fostering a collaborative approach by trustees who have worked well together for all Halton students. Staff and students at HDSB have contin ued to rise to meet new challenges and opportunities during the past three years -- and we hope that the new board of trustees is given the chance to continue working to improve education for all students. This is even more important now given the changing face of Halton's population. Each of our municipalities is experiencing rapid growth, and this will bring even more diversity to our schools. JUDY SCANNELL BOARD OF DIRECTORS. NORTH HALTON CULTURAL AWARENESS COUNCIL Should pesticide use be banned in Oakville? We want to hear your views. Send to The Editor, Oakville Bearer, 467 Speers Road, Oakville, On^ L6K 3S4. or via e-mail to editorQoaKiiUebeaverxom. The Beaver resenvs the right to re/use to publish any letter. Pud 6 ot Y our homework# tie Y our shoes . FtrroMCQftr. DoNY Fof?<SET YouR lunchm IC D By STEVE NEASE W IS H ? TH ATJUST kNoW W HATI ONCE I COULD SET OUT THE DOOR WITHOUT BEIN& NAS6ED- 1K NO WW H AT I W ISH? TH ATJUST ONCE HE 6£T OUT JP TH ED O O R W IT H O U T BEIN& NAS6ED. !> *