A6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday September 1, 1999 T h e Oakville Beaver OPINIO N Ian Oliver Publisher Neil Oliver Associate Publisher Norman Alexander Editor Kelly Montague, Advertising Director Marlin Doherty Circulation Director Teri Casas Office Manager Marie Dills Production Manager RnseroVertolli Director o f Photography Metroiand Printing. PubSshing & Distributing Lid., includes: A jax/P ckem g News AtJverbser. Afcston HerakyCourier. Banie Advance. Barry's Bay This Week. Bolton Enterprise. Bram pton Guardan. Bcrfngton Post. B u tn g to n Shopping News. City Parent. CoingwoodAAtesaga Connection. East York Mirror. Erin Advocate 'Country Routes. E tobicoke G uardan. R am borouc^ Post. Georgetown Independent/Act on Free Press. H ixorra Business Tmes. K ingston Th is W eek. L indsay Th is W eek. M arkham Ecnom ist & Sun, M id land /P ene tangu ish ine M irror. M ilton C anad ian C ham pion . M ilton Shoppng News. Mssissauga Business Tm es. Mssissauga News. Napanee Guide. Newm arket/A j-ora Era-Banner. Northumberland News. North York M rror. OakMle Beaver. Q akv ie Shopping News. O d tm ers Hockey News, OriSa Today. OshawaAM ttby/Oarington Port Peny This Week. O wen Sound Tribune. P ete rborough T h is W eek. P ic ton C oun ty G uide . R ichm ond H ill/Thornhia/Vaughan Liberal. Scarborough M irra . S touffville /U xbridge T rtxn e , Forever Young, City o l York G uardan 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Orrt. L6K 3S 4 (905) 8 4 6 -3 8 2 4 Fax: 3 3 7 -5 5 6 7 Classified Advertising: 8 4 5 -2 8 0 9 Circulation: 8 4 5 -9 7 4 2 RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: E d i t o r i a l s Reading the signs A political era will be ending soon, if common sense rules. But we're dealing with Prime Minister Jean Chretien, so he may decide to ignore reali ty and continue as an employee of Canadians. The writing is on the wall for all to see. Last week was particularly cutting for the PM. He's taking off for another one of his 'Team Canada' trade missions. This one is to the far east. Of course there's only one thing wrong with this mission....our premiers are sending in their regrets. Saskatchewan's Roy Romanow and Manitoba's Gary Filmon are on the hus tings and couldn't care less about China right now. And newly-elected Nova Scotia Premier Dr. John Hamm did a bit of soul-searching on the issue and has concluded that it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to spend taxpayers' money on a venture that won't lead to one new job in his province. That's the kind of political pragmatism we like to see in our elected officials, unfortunately, it's in very short supply these days. No doubt these excursions do have some benefit to businesses who take part but for the most part, they're public relations exercises for the prime minister and his government. Most Canadians would like to see him doing something within our borders rather than taking expensive trips abroad to wave the flag. Not only are the politicos abandoning the PM, but so too are his support ers who now believe it's time for him to retire (to the Senate?) and let some one else take the country's top job. A recent poll found that almost 50% of Canadians feel that way. They might still vote Liberal but not for another Chretien term. The writing's on the wall. The question is, can Chretien read the words? 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 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, Ont. L6K 3S4 No doubt these excursions do have some benefit to businesses who take part but for the m ost part, they 're public relations exercises for the prime minister and his _____ government._______ P R IM E M IN IS TE R C o u n t r y n e e d s r e t u r n t o c o m p e t it io n As Canada enters the final days of the millennium, most of us may be oblivious to the signifi cant changes unfolding through out the economy. These changes promise a dramatic end to entre- preneurialism in Canada and rep resent a clear and present danger to our collective pocketbooks. By the end of June 1998, Canada marked a record $105.6 billion in mergers and takeovers, with some of these brought about by foreign-owned companies. Simultaneously, our governments appeared puzzled and alarmed by reports that Canada is losing its brightest and best, the so-called brain drain. The latest concern revolves over the rediscovery that the nation lags behind its trading partners in productivity measures. What is troublesome for the future is that for what Canada lacks in productivity today, we will be lacking just as much in innovation tomorrow. While some may draw a parallel between these events and our overall levels of taxation, little consideration is paid to the fact that the very com position of Canadian industry has contributed significantly to our collective sense of frustration. While some have argued that market imperatives underpin the country's move to economic con centration, others have rejected this postulation by taking direct aim at Canada's anemic, if not unenforceable, competition policy and its equally useless legislative arm-the federal Competition Act. Critics of the Act, the Bureau and the Com petition Tribunal are finally starting to emerge. In his latest revelation about the status of our most economically significant players, renowned author Peter C. Newman devotes an entire chapter to providing a timely glimpse into how the Act was transformed in the last decade and re-written by the very people it was meant to police. Unlike their U.S. counterparts who believe that the elimination of competitors means the erosion of competition, the Competition Bureau actually believes that mar ket forces are at play where verita ble private sector monopolies exist as long as prices do not rise substantially. To ask for parity in the way we do business here in Canada along similar U.S. lines would, in the Bureau's opinion, "discourage investm ent" and stand in the way of Canada being open for business, regardless of cost policy. Oddly enough, apart from pro viding a justifiable argument for its own demise, this pitiful defense of countenancing blatant anti-competitive activity reveals a disturbing irony, that being that U.S. firms can acquire Canadian assets with the full understanding that our virtually non-existent and completely unenforceable com merce laws provide a legislative holiday for them to do here what they cannot do there. Although there is popular aver sion to governm ent-public monopolies in general, little effort is spared on recognizing, let along admitting, that the current trends towards private sector monopolies carries with it the same outcome: price distortion, inefficiency and a sop to productivity. The argument that public monopolies are worse than private monopolies defies com prehension, yet they are apparently widely accepted if not misunderstood. Misunderstanding takes place in many ways. Why, for example do gas prices rise in unison even when the Competition Bureau finds no evidence of price-fixing or collusion? Why are there fewer local telephone carriers since deregulation? How do Internet service providers compete against their own supplier when the sup plier or their affiliates offer the product at 20% below cost? Where are the promised savings to consumers over bank charges since the collapsing of the so- called four pillars earlier this decade? And how, as the Bureau for 'monopoly enhancem ent' would have us believe does com petition exist where fewer suppli ers offer fewer products to fewer retail outlets leaving consumers little choice except higher, sus tained and uniform prices? Dark days may well lie ahead for Canada's economy and for Canadian consumers. However, the tonic to restore true competi tion, along with the inherent bene fits it brings for consumers, is still within our grasp. It comes as a rel atively simple remedy: we merely have to obtain the guts and politi cal will to overhaul the Com petition Act and the Competition Bureau so that these two entities can actually set about to do the very things they were supposed to do-protect competi tion in Canada's industries. Dan M cTea gue , M.P. Pickering-Ajax- Uxbridge C h a n g e s n e e d e d t o T r a f a l g a r b r i d g e The following letter was sent to Oakville Mayor Ann Mulvale and members o f Town Council-a copy was also filed with the Oakville Beaver for publication. The death of 15 year-old Kellen Haswell, while cycling over the QEW-Trafalgar Road bridge is a tragedy of unspeakable proportions. Yet again, we are reminded that when flesh and metal compete for the same space, the latter invariably prevails. For pedestrians and cyclists, the bridge is totally unsafe. This is par ticularly the case at night, since the speed of oncoming vehicles enter ing the QEW ramps is impossible to judge accurately. Apart from grieving, nothing can be done for young Kellen. In offer ing support to his family and friends, they must be assured that mea sures are adopted immediately to render the bridge safe for those who seek to cross on foot or by bicycle. A dedicated pathway for pedestrians and cyclists must be built, sepa rating vehicular traffic from all other modes. In the meantime, traffic signals must be installed at each entrance to the QEW ramps, activated by those on foot. Moreover, cyclists should be required to walk their bicycles across the bridge. Anything less, openly invites recurrence of a similar tragedy. Peter D . Pellier Thanks to emergency crews On June 18th, my husband collapsed and, subsequently, died. I would like to express my thanks, through your newspaper, to the fire men, paramedics and police who responded immediately to the 911 call. There are not enough adjectives in the English language to express the diligent and tireless efforts that they made in trying to revive my husband. The people of Oakville should be aware of the great team that exists in this town. To coin a phrase, "We are in good hands" with our emer gency response team. Rosalind M adsen P u d by Steve Nease MOM/WHERE'S^ M T S o c c e r •-- *-- L e t te r o f th e W e e k Air Cadets need permanent home Have you ever heard the expression, "I just want a place to hang my hat!" The Air Cadet Squadron of Oakville has been saying this for the last 50 years. As 540 Golden Hawks Air Cadets approach their 50th Anniversary, it is becoming more important and crucial that this youth group find a permanent place to call home. There are more than 25,000 Cadets in Canada and out of that 25,000 Oakville has approximately 98-105 between 13-19 years of age on any given week participating in the Air Cadet Program. The Air Cadet Program is to develop good citizenship, leadership, promote physical fitness, sensible living, and effective speaking in our youth. The Air Cadet organization also gives the youth the opportunity for widening their interests and developing new skills. It enables the youth to go away for two, three and six weeks during the summer for further training, new experiences and to make new friends. As part of the Air Cadet Program, the cadets learn self-discipline and pride in themselves and their town and country. Learning to march and proper drill instruction help attain this. Because of the complexity of the program, the Air Cadets cannot just work out of a storage trunk like the Girl Guides and Boy Scouts that might be stored in a church basement. The Air Cadets take part in many different com petitions such as drill, swimming, first-aid and band, there fore, they have trophies to be displayed which helps pro mote self-esteem and Esprit du Corps. They also have uni forms that are supplied by the Department of National Defense that need to be stored in a safe and secure area, along with files and administration papers. Activities such as sports, model building, first-aid, and band all have equip ment that need to be stored in a secured area. Along with the storage of this equipment comes along space to cany out these activities. If we look back over the years on what kind of people who have benefited or taken part in the Air Cadet program, many of you would be surprised. Professionals such as astronauts (Chris Hatfield), major airline pilots, CEO's, V.P.'s, engineers and entrepreneurs, just to name a few. The Air Cadets who are dedicated citizens can be found volunteering at the Waterfront Festival, helping out at the YMCA's marathon runs or shovelling snow for seniors. Some more important events you will find the Air Cadets taking part in are the Remembrance Day, D. Day, and Christmas parades. You might also see them in front of stores selling their tags. The revenue from the tag sales pro vides the Air Cadets to fund their numerous activities that keep these young people off the streets. The Cadets do not pay any registration fee or monthly dues. Like any other non-profit organization, we are always in need of funds, volunteers and, most importantly, a home. It would be a shame to see such a good youth organiza tion such as the Air Cadets crumble, because we don't have the bricks and mortar to keep us together. The pride and Esprit du Corps could crumble fast in the future if some thing is not done. The Cadets need a good balance of a cadet home, proper instruction, and pride! We would like to make the announcement that Cadets will be held at the Air Cadet Hall. I forgot to mention that, I too, am a former 540 Air Cadet. I returned because I wanted to give something back to the organization that gave so much to me as a youth and if I can do just one thing, it would be to find a permanent home for the 540 Golden Hawk Air Cadets. They have done so much for the youth of Oakville, and it is time that we did something for them. Anyone who can help can call the squadron office at 842-3232. Rose Strong 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Orrt. L6K3S4 (905) 846-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-2809 Circulation: 845-9742 Reading the signs Letters to the Editor by Steve Nease MOM/WHERE'S^ MT Soccer •--*--