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OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, October 14, 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 --Open 9-5 weekdays, 5-7 for calls only Wed. to Friday, Closed weekends 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 Regional 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 Junior citizens Great kids -- one in every crowd Summer is over and the hustle and bustle of the fall season is now upon us. Drive by any schoolyard or playing field and you will invariably see kids of all ages having fun and making the most of opportunities to be outdoors and with friends. Sometimes it's easy to pick out the leaders in each group of kids. Other times we have to look a little harder to see those leaders and also to see the latent leadership potential and talent of these kids. Unselfishly, many of the youths of this generation are already giving of their time and energy to make Oakville a great place to live and work. These young people intuitively understand what the word `community' is really about and give of themselves by volunteering with different local groups and clubs, at school, at churches, with sports and more. This newspaper strongly supports the Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year Awards so we can provide recognition for such outstanding young people who are, and will continue to be, fine examples of leaders in our community. The awards program is co-ordinated by the Ontario Community Newspapers Association (OCNA), of which we're a member, and sponsored by TD Canada Trust and Direct Energy. Any Ontario resident aged six to 17 is eligible to receive an Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year Award. Help us by nominating an individual in one of four areas: · A person involved in worthwhile community service. · A special young person contributing to their community while living with a physical or psychological limitation. · An individual who has performed an act of heroism in the past year. · Good kids who show a commitment to make life better for others and do more than is normally expected of someone their age. Each nominee will receive a certificate of recognition. Up to 12 of the nominees will be chosen as the final recipients of the provincial award and invited to a special ceremony held in Toronto in spring, 2010. Nominate an outstanding young person today, and we will personally present them with a certificate of recognition and showcase their contribution in this newspaper. Help us pay tribute to our leaders of today and tomorrow. The nomination deadline for the 2009 Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year Awards is Nov. 30. Nomination forms are available at www.ocna.org or by calling the OCNA at 905-639-8720, ext. 243. 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 Choose the light Re: School boards absent from field lighting meeting Oakville Beaver, Oct. 7. When obesity is at an all time high, youths are believed to be trouble-making delinquents, budgets are tight, and reasons to celebrate are not quite as abundant as they once were, it seems to me that increasing the number of venues available for outdoor recreation by adding lights to school fields is a fantastic solution that has the potential to solve multiple problems. The benefits to be realized are many and include: giving our youths who are at serious risk of disease because of obesity a place to get healthy while improving their social skills and staying out of mischief; increasing revenues to improve conditions for the recreational spaces that need upgrading while helping to maintain the good quality of the fields we already have; relieving the serious problem of not having enough safe areas for our children to play outside of school hours; and, providing venues for community members (who may not arrive home from work until dusk) to gather and celebrate simple human accomplishments like working together and scoring a few points for the home team. I live near Pine Glen, which is a very brightly lit field. When we go around our neighbourhood in the evenings, I am thankful that I live in a town that provides us with opportunities to exercise on high-quality athletic fields and enjoy the beauty of Oakville -- after sunset. For Mayor Rob Burton to say that adding lights shows that "they (the Catholic school board) have no regard whatsoever for their neighbours" is selfish and likely reflects the views of the people who are generally protected from the shine of human activity by curtains that are tightly drawn each evening. Perhaps the mayor needs to be reminded that neighbours include youths and other individuals who want to be outdoors, active and celebrating in their neighbourhoods. Ask me if I want to remain in the dark or walk into the light, I'll choose the light -- every time. CATHERINE MULVALE 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 email to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. Losing the night skies in Oakville My wife and I came to Oakville 11 years ago for its wonderful green spaces and quiet nights. Year round we have looked through our trees beyond to Lake Ontario at the moon and the stars. I am totally disheartened to see the Halton Catholic District School Board (HCDSB) taking the Town of Oakville to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) in an attempt to disregard the town and its residents and light up the night skies. They are undermining democracy and the great principles of public engagement established by the town in the development of the new OPA. As well, they are depriving local residents peace and quiet in their own communities. The HCDSB will be lighting up quiet neighborhoods until well past 11 p.m., knowing that cars and noise and drinking will follow some 20 metres from residents' windows. This is an assault on our communities. So what do these mega fields accomplish and whom do they cater to? At the expense of the local residents, these mega fields with their 80-foot mega lights, cater to elite high school athletes and, generally, adult night soccer leagues. Anyone thinking children will benefit has been misinformed, as it is the exact opposite. In fact, all informal sports, i.e. pickup games and community use have been essentially terminated. Less gifted athletes and house leagues at school will have to get in line behind the varsity teams competing for one single patch of synthetic carpet. All grass fields and plenty of mature trees have been removed with total disregard for the environment. Generally speaking, neither the night soccer players nor the HCDSB board members live in our community, yet they feel it's appropriate to totally disrupt our lives. Why don't you stay in your own backyards and turn off the lights too. L. QUINN