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OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, June 12, 2009 · 6 OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5571 Classified Advertising: 632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742 Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: NEIL OLIVER Vice ­ President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The Oakville Beaver is a division of Media Group Ltd. DAVID HARVEY General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director 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 Feeling sick Is anyone else feeling as nauseous as we are thanks to actions of the dethroned top executive at eHealth Ontario? Even though Sarah Kramer has stepped down from her job after the agency became entwined in a spending scandal, we can't help but feel downright ill over her $317,000 in compensation. Imagine receiving $317,000 -- or 10 months worth of her annual $380,000 annual salary ­ for a parting of the ways. Let's keep in mind, too, that she received a $114,000 bonus after just five months of work. In this time of restraint, how can that possibly be justified to Ontarians? The revelations about her bonus followed quickly on reports of high consultancy fees -- in some cases $2,750 a day -- and alleged untendered contracts to long-time associates. eHealth was established in 2008 to develop electronic health records for all Ontarians by 2015. The agency that preceded it was also mired in controversy. Where is Health Minister David Caplan? Why isn't he minding the store? How does he plan to restore public confidence? Stories such as this infuriate all taxpayers, but probably none more so than the thousands of patients in Ontario trying to seek, among other things, appropriate medical care and necessary costly drugs. In Halton, for instance, colon cancer patients turned to this newspaper asking for help to uncap the maximum number of treatments of the drug Avistan. Currently there is a 16-treatment cap on the drug -- a medication that has been proven successful in prolonging a colon cancer patient's life. The cost for a single cycle of Avistan is approximately $1,750. The patients, who believe the drug has helped their condition, wanted to continue with the therapy, but none could afford the hefty price tag. With the urging of Burlington MP Joyce Savoline, the office of Ontario's Ombudsman Andre Marin will be investigating the cap to determine if it was "informed and reasonable." So while these cancer patients await the outcome of the investigation, Kramer can count the money she has pocketed from eHealth -- taxpayer money that should have been used to help residents in need. This latest government scandal makes us sick. 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 Residents voice concern over school plans I am writing as the owner of that lone voice that spoke up at the June 4 meeting at Oakville Trafalgar High School where Wayne Joudrie and Stuart Miller presented their proposal to the public about accommodation in Ward 3. Although I may have been the only one who spoke up, I am not the only one who strongly opposes this proposal. The major problem with this proposal is that although it may `save the schools,' it does so at the expense of our children's and future children's education. Throughout this very lengthy process, we have been told by Halton District School Board staff and experts, by administrators and by superintendents, that the optimal structure for educational excellence is a JK-8 model and that 450 students is an ideal size. They have stressed that small schools do not promote excellence in education, viability, sustainability and fiscal responsibility. How is it that the direction of the entire Province of Ontario is moving this way, but it is irrelevant for Southeast Oakville? To that end, in the Director's present proposal, the children in Clearview and in the French Immersion program will reap the benefit of having an optimal educational environment. The children who attend the newly proposed `boutique' schools at Chisholm and New Central will have guaranteed one split class per grade, teachers who will need to teach two curricula and be available to run extra curricular programming as well. They will be without a viceprincipal, extra secretarial support and minimal specialty teach 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. Breastfeeding safe route with H1N1 In recent weeks, concern has risen regarding the H1N1 virus and its potential for illness and even death. Some reports may seem alarming as the risks and viability of the virus are as yet unknown. The Centre of Disease Control (CDC) has stated breastfed babies are protected through maternal antibodies and all breastfeeding mothers should continue to do so to protect their infants from the risk of contracting the virus. The health and developmental benefits of breastfeeding are well documented and so at this time of heightened public awareness and unease, I would encourage all pregnant women and mothers of infants to feel secure in knowing that they are providing their babies with the best protection possible through breastfeeding. JEAN KOUBA Pud BY STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.com See Not page 7