6 - The Oakville Beaver, W ednesday, M a rc h 26, 2003 ED ITO RIA LS WII LETTERS llll! OAKVILLE liKAVKi: 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3 S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 337-5610 Circulation: 845-9742 IAN OLIVER P u b lis h e r NEIL OLIVER A ssociate P u b lis h e r JILL DAVIS E d ito r in C h ie f KELLY MONTAGUE A d v e rtisin g D ire c to r STEVE CROZIER C irc u la tio n D ire c to r TERI CASAS O ffice M a n a g e r MARK DILLS P ro d u c tio n M a n a g e r RIZIERO VERTOLLI P h o to g ra p h y D ire c to r ROD JERRED M artagbty E d ito r Mreaund Fnnm -j Pulilai*ng A Omrtaong Ufl rchdM AtiuA> c>0tnoNm mA cM tflluM ,AAO uniteiniiVOuM, A/vu Lm«rprw Bjnw /*v,»kv. (kirry* IV« lfw W to e*. Baton Enterprae Brinptm GoarOm. Uurtngtor C o st. Ik/tm gtnn Shofc*ng Nr**. City Pwwit. (xlirgM<)rVYiY»wgo Connection. ffttf M Y jr kMnw fnn Art«xata^i>/my Roulcn Itobcrtw umtmi riumborougri Pent G co> u atiw m In dopondnrY/Aclon Ftw Praia. 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O n lt a Ic d o y , O fc a w a M N ty O tfln g io n 'a tP e r r y It u aW e e k .C v w r S o u n dT r t iu r w .P t t n a r s o nO O a e r v a r .P m w t io r o u g f lT N i W o c K P d o n C a / t f yG u d a .R f c f w e n d K W T t ic r r # » * (V a u o r a r IK x n LS c a r b o r o u g hM in o r ,S u iM fe A ltfir r ig tT ttu w c t u v w ytuniO t yo lv a nG u a r d d r iv a THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by O ntario Com m unity Newspapers Association W F X C O M R ^ P ttn y ^ /A O O N ^C N A Canadian C om m unity Newspapers Association | oakville galleries | Jirigk$6d!Futtd O TV* © s k (.%ki'UU Q 'ln v irti* Suburban N m n fu p m o f America TV AUCTIO N TOW 8 U S *N S S E X C fU I N C E Tr» 0*«*· Uflon and D*trd R C A t ESTATE BOARD C7u'6/fa n / < T ^ » t l 'F E r A year too late Huguette Thomson is absolutely correct in her assessment that the provincial governm ent's involve ment in the West Nile virus has come one year too late. Last year, H alton's M edical Officer of Health. Dr. Bob Nosal, was quick to point to the serious ness of the disease and his depart ment did its best to keep the public informed. However, the province was strangely quiet. Perhaps, Queen's Park hoped this devastat ing illness would fade as quickly as the seasons. However, West Nile had (still does) have all the earmarks of a crit ical health issue. Thomson was at Saturday's press conference held here in Oakville and orchestrated by the province. Thom son's husband, Vern, was stricken with West Nile in August after being bitten by a mosquito, which is how the virus is spread. He spent three months in Credit Valley Hospital fighting the debilitating effects o f the illness. It took that amount o f tim e before doctors could finally get the diagnosis from an overburdened lab in Winnipeg. Thankfully, the province is now recognizing what we have long known -- West Nile needs to be addressed quickly. Part of the money from the $11million plan announced by Health M inister Tony Clement is being directed at enhancing lab equipment and hiring additional staff for Ontario facilities to enable faster test results. That m oney should have been made available last year, perhaps even the year prior to that when birds in O ntario becam e infected with the virus. While only 42 cases in Halton were confirmed last year, and 18 were considered probable. Nosal estimates that between 2.000-4.000 area residents were infected. In a report Nosal released earlier this month, he said Oakville has become the worst infected area of West Nile vims in all o f North America. Not the kind o f statistic we want. In an effort to get a detailed pic ture o f the spread of the virus in Oakville, a study with McMaster U niversity and funded by the O ntario M inistry o f Health and Long Term Care is currendy under way. But studies and funding aside, we m ust all be extra careful this sum mer. Wear protective clothing when necessary, remove standing water and, above all. listen to the advice of our health department. FOR RELIABLE, INTELLIGENT OPINION ON THE WAR IN IRAQ, W E TURN TO THE C B C ." C O A C H* , CORNER/, r-rrT LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Carr's actions should be applauded The Speaker of the House, and present Oakville MPP. Gary Carr, is opposed to the launching of the budget via a televised broadcast. He's going lo (he extreme of taking legal action to investigate his gov ernment's right to do so. I salute him for standing up to his party. It does not appear that the Tories have the same ethics which he himself evidently adheres to. Democratically it's unjust to have a budget released and not allow for a ques tioning period lo be brought forward by the opposition. It's the job of the opposi tion in the Legislature to point out these flaws in the budget. It's easy to read off a plan to a television camera and not be questioned. And even if the viewer questions it themselves it could very easily be shrugged off as a minor detail or a misun derstanding. Approximately one billion has already been spent of our money to offset hydro. That could be used for more tax breaks or a way to budget bringing back the funding for school children. Sure our hydro bills have been cheap er. which is great for the people that waste it. We pay for people that abuse their right lo electricity. Subsidized prices make it so other producers can't afford to get into the market. Renewable energy markets which over time will sustain in price. Aren't the Tories open lo the innovation of technology and opening of new markets? So who foots the bill for the surplus on our electricity? It will be hidden some where in the budget, and it won't be scru tinized. And so what if we don't have a government that's accountable, it can always run for office before we notice a large number of brown-outs this summer. It's not as if we have a government that cares about the environment any ways. It was opposed to Kyoto, while our climate is still being affected and we had an astonishing 27 smog days last year. That's nearly double from the year before. And it's no wonder that air pol lution kills 1.9(H) people a year in this province. And it costs us four billion in tax payers' money to fund the health care associated with it. Gary Carr is a true person; beyond the average politician. He fights past the deception to find truth and protect the people. He is the first Speaker of a House to go against his government. In my opinion, he deserves our respect. MATTHEW R. SMITH PRESIDENT HALTON GREEN PARTY Environment worth fighting for No matter how anyone tries to spin it, the facts remain the same. Our air. water, farmland, forests, meadows, creeks, moraine and quality of life are all threatened by Oakville's plan to urbanize 7.600 acres of our remaining countryside in order to accommodate 50.(XX) additional residents. That's why the conservation association. Oakvillegreen came into being, and that's why we're fighting the mammoth growth plan at the Ontario Municipal Board. Oakville has grown tremendously in recent years and the resulting urban sprawl is already causing problems for exist ing areas of town. Take, for example, the closure of Q E Park Secondary School in southwest Oakville. A new school was badly needed to accommodate growth in the north and it's coining at the expense of this existing neighbourhood school. It's a well-documented fact that in sprawling towns and cities, the established neighbourhoods become the losers, as schools and businesses re-locate to the new growth areas. So the problem comes down to this: How can we preserve our remaining countryside, protect our existing neighbourhoods, and accommodate " some" growth all at the same time? Consider for a moment some of the older commercial areas around town that are under-utilized and badly in need of a face lift. There are quite a few. Now dare to dream that these areas could be revitalized and reborn, perhaps follow ing a European design where cafes, green grocers and busi nesses greet pedestrians at the transit friendly, tree lined side walk. Above the shops are " low rise" , loft apartments with roof top gardens so attractive, that our own Sheridan gradu ates look to Oakville as the area to start up new business enterprises, close to the GO station and in the heart of town. That's just one idea. Let's ask council to hire top consultants to create a master plan for Oakville, south of Dundas, together with the resi dents who live there. The master plan could not only explore the potential of tired commercial sites, but also include safe guards. such as height restrictions on any new buildings so that existing residents no longer have to fear for the future of their neighbourhoods. What if the studies show potential for say. 10 - 1 5.000 new residents to be attractively accommodated through re-vitalization of tired commercial areas within our existing urban boundary? As residents, can we then say we've grown enough? Why can't we dare to protect the character of exist ing Oakville in the south, and our remaining countryside in the north? In fact, isn't it our responsibility to do so? Or do we just accept the " build till there's no land left" scenario? Who will be proud of Oakville then? These are just some questions and ideas we want to put out there, because Oakville, after all, is finite, and we believe both its environment and character, north and south are beau tiful. fragile -- and worth fighting for. MIOtAEL LANSDOWN. IRIS MCGEE, RENEE SANDELOWSKY, HANK RODENBURG. DIRECTORS OF OAKVILLEGREEN LETTER OF THE WEEK Peace and harmony first before a good laugh: reader I would like to refer to the caricature published in the March 21 issue (Steve Nease cartoon). The artist tried to deliver a message addressing media coverage of the war against Iraq by using Islamic symbols (most importantly the word " Allah" ) and the terror that these people are living because of this " invasion" (the image of the terrified woman). Although humour is an important element of communica tion in every culture, we should be very careful when we try to bridge different cultures for the sake of a good laugh. I am not questioning the artist's intention. However, packaging the message in Islamic concepts ( which we are ignorant of their value to Muslims) and displaying -- what can be perceived -- as indifference to people's suffering, is not the wisest thing to do under current circumstances. I am kindly requesting that we, as a society, show respect and constraint. We should re-examine our priorities so that peace and harmony in our society comes first, before the need to have a good laugh. Thank you for your time. iOUD SHAFIQ TCRA clarifies position on growth 1 would like to thank Moira Latham (letter to the editor. March 19) for writing and giving me the opportunity to clar ify the positions of the Trafalgar-Chartwell Residents' Association, which in a previous letter were evidently open to an unintended interpretation. · TC RA is proud and supportive of the Town's unparal leled openness to public participation: · TC RA is also supportive of the desire of all participants to protect the environment north of Dundas Street: · TC RA understands that one or another interested party would ultimately have forced the issue to the OM B. Our fear is that, perhaps ironically, the end result will be less favourable for the environment, now that those wishing to protect it. including the Town, must face the development community at the O M B. That is a conclusion I think few could dispute. TRAFALGAR-CHARTWELL RESIDENTS' ASSOCIATION CHRIS STOATE, PRESIDENT U.S. is `hated and despised all over the world' How can you be so blind when it comes to Canada and the United States of America? (The Beaver. March 21.) Far from being similar, our cultures are miles apart: the United States are a " melting pot", whereas in Canada, each nationality keeps their own language, religion, etc. A proof is that there are clubs for almost every nation in the world. Also, the Americans love to make war, while Canadians love to be peace makers. It takes a lot of courage for the Chretien government to stand up to the world's super power. It's because they have the courage of their convictions. As far as our neighbours to the south being our "greatest friends" , that is a myth because the Americans only care about what they want, therefore they have no friends. President Bush does not even think of his own citizens, who risk being the vic tims of terrorism again: some nations will feel justified in sending them their suicide bombers. The United States, which presents itself as the "greatest nation in the world" has lost its credibility, it is hated and despised all over the world. Please open your eyes. MARTHA LOEB Voice of the people has been silenced Conservatives in the provincial riding of Oakville and Parliamentarians at Queen's Park face the formidable task of finding a replacement for M PP and Speaker of the Legislature. Mr. Gary Carr. His recently announced retirement brings into sharp focus the qualifications necessary for these demanding positions. In addition to the basic skills, Mr. Carr demonstrated integrity, impartiality and a deep understanding and respect for the Legislature and all that ii embodied. His commitment to his constituents and the value he placed on free speech angered the occupants of the former Premier's office. His demotion from his Parliamentary Assistant position followed. It is disturbing to realize that, despite a change of pre miers, these same individuals, not elected nor accountable, are exercising dogmatic control over cabinet ministers and back benchers. our elected representatives. The latest example of their power and contempt for the Legislature, is the plan to present the new premier's first budget in a rented hall to a well-coached audience of obedi ent Tory party members. The Finance Minister will drone on secure in the knowledge that no one would dare ask a ques tion not on the cue cards. The voice of the people has been silenced. Mr. Carr will be truly missed. MILTON G. 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