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ge children, put a circle around today‘s date on your calendar. It marks the day when a special bill affecting your status will be given second reading and debated in the House of Commons. Bill Câ€"256 as it‘s known, aims to compensate spouses working in the home and caring for preâ€"school children. Specifically, the bill allows one spouse to split their income up to $25,000 with the other spouse who is managing the family home and caring for at least one dependent child who hasn‘t started school on a fullâ€"time Fr all those women who have decided to stay at home with their preâ€"school a basis. Ask tough financial questions of politicians fifis is a bill that deserves to be passed and should even be extended to either spouses who remains at home during elementary school years up to the senior pubâ€" lic school level. For too long, the federal government has had it all ways when it comes to punâ€" ishing those mothers who opt out of the labor force to care for their young children. These women have freed up a job for someone else, who presumably pays taxes, they have taken a huge burden off the social service network during their time at home. They may also have eliminated further costs to these agencies by hopefully giving their children sound nurturing that will keep them clear of many social problems that cost us all money and wasted lives. They have also acted as volunteers, usually unpaid at that, to various groups who would otherwise have to h LA P ht ind ho in t dn ooob en 206 5. o do without. In other words, they have been a boon to Canadian society and until now a largely unrecognized asset. At a time when it has become unfashionable to be a stayâ€"atâ€"home mother, these women have soldiered on and we‘re all the richer for their monetary sacrifice. In giving up a paycheque they have saved all levels of government millions of dollars in support programs they don‘t need. Take a bow ladies, take a bow. Anyone who wants to voice their opinion on the bill should call Oakvilleâ€"Milton MP Bonnie Brown in Ottawa at: 1â€"613â€"995â€"4014 (fax 1â€"613â€"992â€"0520) or write her at Room 147 Confederation Building House of Commons, Ottawa Ont. K1A 0A6 or at her constitutency office in Oakville, 827â€"2077 (fax 827â€"7516) or write to her at 2421 Marine Dr. Unit #3 Oakville Ont. L6L 1C6. Dear Sir: No miracle was performed by the Future Facilities Committee in a recent article (Oakville Beaver Sept. ophy of federal Progressive Conservative Party leader Jean Charest, these days. His two MP party is doomed but Charest doesn‘t want to admit that fact. The mighty oak from a little acorn grows. That might well be the philosâ€" The affable Charest, wanting to cling to any political liferaft, was in New Brunswick over the weekend to tap the braintrust of that provinces Tories who have managed to win three byâ€"elections in the past 18 months. They did this after being wiped out in the 1987 provincial election. ies en As far as Charest is concerned, this makes him believe that the federal Progressive Conservatives can come back after suffering the worst federal electoral defeat in Canadian history last year. Part of that hope, dim as it is, lies in the hands of the voters in the Quebec Eastern Townships riding of Bromeâ€"Missiquoi. Their Bloc Quebecois MP, Gaston Peloquin died in a car crash earlier this year and Charest is hoping the PC‘s can win it. Don‘t bet on it Jean. Robson from Halton Hills; Melkevich from John MacPonal Burlington; and Flynn from Oakville. Why did the Maureen MacDonal Walâ€"Mart boss acted more like bully than guest at Chamber luncheon Dear Sir: Strange behavior by a guest. At a luncheon meeting, hosted by Oakville‘s Chamber of Commerce, on Sept. 23rd, their guest speaker Bruce West, president and chief executive officer of the Canadian subsidiary of U.S.â€"based Walâ€"Matt, conducted himself more like a bully rather than a guest. To avoid unwelcome surprises in the traditional post speech quesâ€" tion period, he asked for the quesâ€" tions before the speech, so that he could include the answers to some of them in his presentation. Strange, but safe indeed. But then, Walâ€"Mart does not take to criticism kindly. To calm the fears of Oakville‘s many Canadian retailers who voiced the same concerns as their small town United States colâ€" leagues have done in the past few years, namely to be swept . away by Sam Walton‘s juggernaut, Mr. West assured them that they had nothing to fear ..."provided they did not compete." I wonder how many retailers â€" retailers who looked after Oakville‘s needs long before Mr. Sam started his dime store operation, grasped this arrogance Looking for life Long overdue 23rd) to save the Oakville taxpayer $2â€"million by delaying various proâ€" jects. The Town of Oakville can affect its cash flow reserves from the develâ€" opment charge fund or from the mill rates collected from Oakville ratepayâ€" ers. In their infinite wisdom, this committee has done nothing more than shift their projects to the end of the 10â€"year forecast. Better still, what would happen if they shifted all of the Dear Sir: A regional councillor from Halton Hills gave an interview to the press about paying the chairman‘s legal bills...and as a result, got a death threat by teleâ€" phone. If it wasn‘t for the press, we‘d be none the wiser yet. Who didn‘t vote for the policy on June 1st to pay the chairman‘s legal bills? Only three councillors â€" Robson from Halton Hills; Melkevich from Burlington; and Flynn from Oakville. Why did the expressed by another newcomer from the South, "Don‘t compete with us and you won‘t get hurt. Find yourself a niche that does not interest us." How long is, not only Oakville but all of Canada, going to take this arrogance and insults before we say "No." The Oakville area is now "feedâ€" ing" seven of these invaders from the South, who will take about a quarter of a billion dollars of previâ€" ously existing business out of this area. Whatever net profit this genâ€" erates â€" and you can bet that it will be plenty â€" will go South. This quarter of a billion dollars worth of Taxpayers want Pomeroy‘s payments back projects further down the line â€"a bigâ€" ger windfall I suspect. _ Rather than "play with numbers" â€" why doesn‘t this committee recomâ€" mend council reinvestigate the prioriâ€" ty of all projects in the capital foreâ€" cast and public works program and delay each appropriately. Better still, why not cancel some of them altoâ€" gether? Why doesn‘t this Town take a stronger stand yet and remove say $5â€"million worth of projects? retail business comes out of Oakville retailers‘ till. It is not new business; our population has not grown by that much in the last five years. This quarter of a billion worth of business has done nothing for Canadian industry. The great majority of the merchandise sold in Canada by Walâ€"Mart and their companions is manufactured offâ€" shore and distributed via U.S.â€" based distributors. Canadian particâ€" ipation â€" Nil. In a recent Walâ€"Mart flyer, there were 11 items emblazoned with a Maple Leaf. And to rub it in, and show Oakville who is calling the shots, Mr. West explained that it is Got a gripe? Give us a call. Readers are invited to express their opinion on a topic of their choice by calling 845â€"5585, box 5250. All callers are allowed 45 secâ€" onds to express their opinion and must provide their name, address and phone number for verification. A cross section of the responsâ€" es will be published in next Wednesday‘s Oakville Beaver. YOUR MIND The Oakville Beaver welcomes your comments. All letters must be signed and include the writer‘s address and phone number. Letters should be typed, doubleâ€"spaced and addressed to: Letters to the Editor, The Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, Ont. L6K 3$4 other 21 vote for it? The new policy says retroactive to 1974. Why didn‘t they spot that? Are they so lax? Are they all friends? Or, just shallow? How do we get our $28,000 back? No councillor asked for it on Sept. 14th. There‘s something rotten in the state of Denmark. Councillors have a lot of explaining to do fast. John MacDonald Maureen MacDonald THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Hard decisions are going to have to be made for the coming years. When we all go to the polls, we will be voting for those who have the intestinal fortitude to make tough decisions. Start asking all of your councillors seeking election, or reâ€" election, what definitive steps they will take to reduce the mill rate and don‘t accept just another "shifted" answer. Walâ€"Mart‘s policy for its employees not to accept any gifts. So he didn‘t. Mr. West, this may be necessary in the United States of America to shield employees from possible bribes, but in Oakville? As a guest, you should respect and honor the native‘s customs. After all, Oakville preâ€"dates Sam Walton and his dime store by quite a few years. Dear Sir: The silence surrounding child sexual abuse perpetuates the shame. The shame perpetuates more silence for the victims and for society in general. Statistics tell us that one out of three girls and one out of seven boys are sexually abused by the age of 18. These statistics are pretty shocking. The media attention over the past couple of years has increased public awareâ€" ness of sexual abuse, but how far has our realization really progressed? I was shocked and angered recently to read of a case of child sexual abuse that went unreported. In not reporting a case such as this, the only person who is truly being protected is the abuser, but what of the child, the victim? Who is protecting the child? It is the responsibility of every person to protect our children. This child and every child has the right to be protected and sheltered from any form of abuse. Our children of today are the future of our world tomorrow. What kind of message is sent out to the public and to the victim when an authority figure cannot or will not deal with sexual abuse openly or honestly, or and they know is required by law? It is time to stop protectâ€" ing the abusers. It is time to start protecting the victims. It is time to "break the silence". Now is the time to "break the silence" y o.J. GUILTYOR \_o.J. NOFGuILTY? Ian Oliver Publisher Robert Glasbey Advertising Director Norman Alexander Editor Geoff Hill Circulation Director Teri Casas Office Manager Tim Coles Production Manager Roman Bandi Peter Tesar â€"SMOKING? Dear Sir: Over the past three years, various Town of Oakville councillors and Halton Board of Education trustees have been castigated for not voting in accordance with "the majority wishes" of this or that group of residents or pressure groups. More recently, a selfâ€"appointed group based in Burlington has recently taken upon itself to "endorse" variâ€" ous candidates in the forthcoming municipal elections. As a person who has run for office before, and who has considered running again, I thought I would offer some philosophy on why we elect local officials and what we should expect from candidates in the elections. We are very fortunate in that we do not have the party system in local politics. The absence of a party line means that councillors and trustees are free to make up their own minds how to vote on the issues without being told what to think. In Oakville, we have a strong infrasâ€" tructure which allows for ample input from residents and others on contentious issues. Too often, however, individuals and groups make the mistake of assuming that this informationâ€"gathering process will automatically lead to their views being adopted. When this doesn‘t happen, they cry foul and claim that "they aren‘t listening" or "our elected officials are there to do what we want." These are flawed visions of what the electoral system is all about. Fundamentally, we elect local officials to make collective decisions on our behalf. Naturally, we expect to be able to inform them of our views because an elected person should be in a position to hear and weigh all sides of an issue before voting. That means that someone‘s viewpoint probably isn‘t going to prevail. At the end of the day, it is the elected councillor or trustee who has to vote, not the voters. It is up to ratepayers to decide, collectively, whether an incumbent who runs again should be supported. However, although a voting record on issues is important â€"â€" of greater importance is the ability to think for oneself. Such candidates won‘t necessarily be the ones endorsed by politically correct rightâ€"thinkers and pressure groups. Groups that take it upon themselves to "endorse" candidates, although wellâ€"meaning, are attempting to do what we have managed to avoid for many years... establish themselves as municipal quasiâ€"political parties. i: NA y I would urge all candidates running for municipal office to state explicitly and publicly that they do not consider themselves beholden to any group‘s agenda, and to exclude from their election campaigns any promotion of these "endorsements". The Oakville Beaver, published every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday, at 467 Speers Oakville, is one of the Metroland Pflntlng Pubibhing Dbtnbutng Lid. AM of subu newspapers which includes: Ajaxâ€"Pick lews Advertiser, Bar ance, Bram Guardian, Burlington Post, Colli ood onnecflon Etobicoke Guardlan Gootge Independent/ Acton Free Pr Kingston Tfis_w_eek_ Lindsay This Weolg._Mpfld o\ Karen Wylie Source: Environment Canada The pungent smell of a dry cleaning store is caused by 0 toxic solvents like PERC ‘;’?‘ (perchloroethylene) which are used to clean clothes. The chemicals are a health hazard for staff, and can contaminate the groundwater when disposed of. GreenClean is a new process using soap, water, heat, steam and vacuuming which does not pollute. e If you can‘t find a green cleaner, look for one bearing the 4/ Ecologo. They pollute less n and recycle their solvents. Air out dryâ€"cleaned clothes before wearing or placing in closet and keep car windows open when transporting. Green dry cleaning Nicolas W.R. Burbidge Cating for Out Ai