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The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday June 26, 2002 - A 7 LETTERS Til THU KIIITIIK Bullying causes long-term damages to victims Resident shows true intention With genuine concern. I am address ing the distressing letter subm itted by Alison Ziem ianski w hich appeared in in the June 7, edition o f The Oakville Beaver, regarding bullying. A pparently, the letter w riter has never been a victim herself to be aw are o f the vicious cruelty, traum a, nor psy chological and, in som e cases, physical suffering directly attributed to bullying, judging by her trivializing and m inim iz ing o f this extrem ely serious issue for youth. She seem s to believe that bullying is limited to nothing m ore than insignifi cant, irritating nam e calling, harm less tattle-tales and silly teasing. T he letter writer is not acknow ledging reality or widely-publicized facts. The w ord ·`bullying," incidentally, is nothing m ore than a dim inutive term to undermine w hat its true definition is: abuse. The letter w riter is also apparently oblivious to the num erous heartwrenching m edia reports regarding this subject in recent years. As tim e progresses, statistically both the frequency and severity o f such abuse perpetrated from youths against other youths is increasing steadily. Bullying does not "build character"; it is torm ent, w hich is conducive o f var ious long-term psychological disorders w hich often continue to m anifest heavi ly upon victim s even as adults (depend ing on the individual), including any co n d itio n /d iso rd er ranging from anorexia nervosa to cycles o f alco holism , drug abuse, and in the m ost extrem e cases, even horrifying tragic acts o f desperation such as suicide or murder. Speaking as a 28-year-old victim o f 12 agonizing school years o f continuous deliberate abuse by other students, due to being overw eight, eccentric, shy, and unable to afford the trendy designer apparel along w ith other material pos sessions associated with being socially acceptable by students (i.e.- constituting being "cool"), I w ould have been an entirely different person for the better today if there had been strictly enforced laws and legal consequences for any aggressors, for the sake o f the safety and w ell-being o f all students. For m any years now, adults in our society have constitutionally had far greater legal protection against abuse and harassm ent than youths. An addendum to the current laws against abuse am ongst adults should be added to unilaterally include all youths in the stipulations. Bullying m ust not ever be part o f " learning to grow." Com passion, positive reinforcem ent, respect, responsibility and hum anity are all virtuous fundam entals w hich should, and must, becom e an essential aspect o f growing up for all people. O n a personal note: W ithout elabo rating on specific details, the ram ifica tions o f w hat 1 endured m yself at school were, and are, unequivocally devastat ing and traum atic, as other victim s o f such abuse will unanim ously agree. Even only one genuinely concerned adult at school with positive interven tion, as well as enforcem ent o f my pro tection from the deliberately inflicted physical and em otional harm I suffered for years, would have m ade a w orld o f difference in my young life. A m essage to all parents: Your child m ay potentially be either a victim o r a perpetrator o f abuse at their school. W hat will you do about it? It is my sincerest hope with the best o f intentions that the above article be serious food for thought to all. NICHOLE BORGSTROM On M ay 29, Councillor Knoll made a passionate speech in defence o f his position to approve OPA 198, saying he w as representing the rights and feelings o f his constituents w ho live north o f Dundas Street. He m ust have been surprised to read the letter to the editor in The Oakville Beaver on June 19 in w hich Mr. B azar stated: "W hen our land, that is our hom es, is eventually sold to developers to be chopped up in little lots like the ones that you call hom e, my neighbours and I will be looking for other rural set tings to hang our hats on." Wow!! It appears som e o f those res idents C ouncillor Knoll defended so vigorously are not even the least inter ested in the future o f Oakville. They can 't leave tow n fast enough. T hey will look for other rural areas and none can be found around O akville any more. Mr. B azar also asked w here I would be. Well I expect to be right here Mr. Bazar, probably still fighting for those beautiful lands, you are deserting so quickly and ham m ering a stake in the front yard o f my "m ansion" on West Lynn Road, fo r a sign: " Vote for Councillor H ardacre." HANK RODENBURG OAKVILLEGREEN O A K V I LLE w w w .to w n .o a kv ille .o n .ca Bronte Radial Bridge Traffic Operations Study NOTICE OF PUBLIC INFORMATION CENTRE On September 18, 2001, the Bronte Radial Bridge opened and now connects R ebecca Street on either side of Bronte Creek. The Town of Oakville is carrying out a study to a s s e s s traffic operations on the major roads in the area, following the opening of the Bronte Radial Bridge. Roads being reviewed include: R ebecca Street, Lakeshore Road, M ississaga Street and Bronte Road. The study is also identifying and a ssessin g potential mitigation m easures where appropriate. A public information centre has been arranged for: Smokers rights denied by town bylaw I've have read with interest the vari ous reactions to O akville's new est by law, the 100 per cent ban on sm oking in public places. T h ere is no doubt sm okers and sm oking have been popular targets over the last few years as we have becom e the minority. It is easy and popular for our elected officials to "pick on" sm ok ers w ithout fear o f public backlash. T he fact is, sm oking is legal. There isn't a governm ent anyw here in Canada that I know o f w hich has the courage to m ake sm oking illegal. It is easy for politicians (and others) to m outh the platitudes o f the evils o f sm oking, and for the "benefit o f the public rhetoric," w hile all the w hile benefitting enor m ously from the tax revenue this "evil w eed" produces. W itness the recent tax increase on tobacco in O ntario. T hose dollars will go directly to pay for som e o f the new spending initiatives in education and health care that the governm ent has prom ised. M ake sm oking illegal and suddenly a rich tax base dries up and, heaven forbid, w e have to find the m oney elsew here. T hat w on't be so popular to the rest o f the taxpayers who still w ant to have their cake and eat it too. It is also convenient to ignore stated beliefs w hen dollars are on the line, w it ness the exem ption o f the bylaw to bingo halls. M ost o f the revenue from bingo halls goes to charities. M any o f the people w ho go to bingo halls sm oke (I d o n 't know why, but apparently this is so) ergo, let's give them an exem ption because bingo halls provide a valuable source o f funds to charities). I haven't heard o f any charities turning down m onies from bingo halls. To the best o f my know ledge, bingo halls w ere public places. Far m ore importantly, w e live in a dem ocracy, o r we did, the last tim e I checked. D em ocracy is all about free dom o f choice. Bars and restaurants should have the choice as to w hether or not they allow sm oking in their estab lishm ents. I have no problem w ith the separately ventilated room that many bars and restaurants in Toronto adopted upon the enaction o f their sm oking bylaws. In this way, sm okers and non sm okers may dine in peace, forever apart from each other. M any restaurants might have elected to be non smoking thereby providing a haven for non sm oking diners w hile others w ould have gone to the expense o f building those room s. The point is, there would have been a choice. W hile I am a smoker, I have always courteously refrained from sm oking w hen in the presence o f non sm okers if asked to do so, even when I am in my ow n hom e. R ecently The Oakville Beaver reported that bar ow ners were reporting a sig n ifican t dow nturn in business since the enactm ent o f the bylaw. I have to say that I am one o f those w ho now goes elsew here. We spend a significant portion o f our dollars each month dining out, som ew here in the neighbourhood o f $1,200, w hich is about $14,000 a year. W hile I have alw ays enjoyed O akville's restaurants, under my "free dom o f choice" there are other estab lishm ents in and around the area who do provide sm oking areas for their patrons. So, I now take my dollars elsew here. A nd w hile the rabid non-sm okers out there may say good riddance, we don't need your money, w ell do the math. We are ju st tw o people, how many more o f us are out there doing the sam e thing? Even if there are only 50 o f us spending approxim ately that m uch a m onth elsew here, th at's $700,000 a year. N ow that m ight not have m uch o f an im pact in a large city like Toronto, but in a sm all com m unity like O akville, that is bound to be felt in the bars and restau rants in tow n eventually. And that isn't all. Q uite often, since I am going to another tow n/city for din ner. I will elect to do my clothes shop ping or m ake other purchases where ever I am going instead o f Oakville. T hat m eans the num ber o f dollars that could have been spent in O akville busi nesses decreases even more. In the past, I w ouldn't have bothered going into Toronto ju st to shop, but since I'm going there anyw ay now to eat. I might as well. Will non sm okers take our places? Eventually, perhaps. We are few er every year. In the m eantim e, businesses will be deprived o f revenue and som e will close. D on't get m e wrong, I am fully aw are that it is not good for me etc. T hat isn't the point here. I am an adult and sm oking is legal. We all m ake choices. Oakville has chosen to ban a legal practice in bars and restaurants although O akville bene fits from the taxes that governm ents derive from tobacco sales. I choose, then, n o t to spend my m oney in Oakville. As an aside, how many people die or are perm anently disabled each year in alcohol-related accidents? M A D D will tell you one death is one to many, yet there are no m oves to ban alcohol in bars and restaurants. T his w ould be because sm okers and non sm okers alike drink. T here is no minority to be had with alcohol con sum ers, so governm ents w o n 't take that one on. So, w hile O akville has many fine bars and restaurants, you w on't find me in them for the m ost part. I am happy to spend my dollars elsew here, and puff in peace. To those who say good riddance, I return the sentiment. I detest hypocrites in any form. MARLENE NEWELL PUBLIC INFORMATION CENTRE Date: Thursday, July 4th, 2002 Drop-In: 7:00 p m - 7:30 p m Presentation: 7:30 p m follow ed b v Q uestion & A n sw e r Period Place: Oakville M unicipal Offices - Atrium 1225 Trafalgar R oad The purpose of the information centre is to review the preliminary study findings and receive public comments and input. Anyone with an interest is invited to attend. If you cannot attend and wish to be added to the study mailing list to receive future notices, p lease contact either: Mr. Chris Clapham Town of Oakville Public Works Department P.O. Box 310 Oakville, Ontario L6J 5A6 Tel: (905) 845-6601 ext. 3306 Fax: (905) 338-4159 email: cclapham@town.oakville.on.ca Mr. Neil Ahmed, P. Eng. McCormick Rankin Corporation 2655 North Sheridan Way Mississauga, Ontario L5K 2P8 Tel: (905) 823-8500 ext. 241 Fax: (905) 823-8503 email: nahmed@mrc.ca NOTICE OF PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING O fficia l P la n A m e n d m e n t and Z o n in g A m e n d m e n t P art L ot 10, C o n c e s s i o n 1 S D S F o r m e r H yd ro R ig h t-o f-W a y . E a s t S id e o f E ig h th L ine N o rth o f G le n a s h t o n P ark APPLICANT: S a lv a tio n A rm y F ile Z. 1 4 1 0 .1 4 P lea se be advised that a public information m eeting will be held to d iscu ss a proposed Official Plan Amendment and Zoning Amendment as submitted by the above-noted applicant. This meeting will be an information meeting hosted by the Planning Services Department at which time details of the application will be presented and public concerns noted. This meeting will take place on Ju n e 26, 2002, co m m en cin g at 7:30 p.m . in C om m ittee R oom 2, Town Hall, 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville. Any individuals wishing to attend the meeting and the subsequent meeting, which is yet to be determined, and speak to this matter are invited to do so. A summary of the subject proposal and a key map may be found below. If a person or public body that files a notice of appeal of a decisioj respect of the proposed zoning am endment to the Ontario Board d o es not make oral subm issions at a public meg make written subm issions before the proposed ; approved, the Ontario Municipal Board A If you wish to be notified of thj respect of any Official P} request to The Dii Eastview public meeting helpful for parents A s a resident o f Bronte w ith three ch ild ren attending E astview Public School, I feel I m ust defend C ouncillors K evin Flynn and Ralph Robinson. I w as one o f m any parents in atten dance at a recent public inform ation m eeting held at Sovereign H ouse and ch aired by C ouncillors Flynn and Robinson. In attendance w ere many parents w hose children will be affected by the clo su re o f Q ueen E lizabeth Park Secondary School and the imm ediate elim ination o f the G rades 7 and 8 pro gram . The latter o f w hich will require Eastview to house approxim ately 200 m ore students, necessitating the place m ent o f seven portables to house the overflow. If the Halton District School Board had been m ore forthcom ing w ith infor m ation for parents and residents regard ing this proposal, then perhaps C ouncillors Flynn and R obinson w ouldn't have felt the need for such a meeting. I have attended many o f the m eet ings regarding the board's decision to m ove the children to Eastview , but never once has anyone from the board bothered to attend to answ er any ques tions o r concerns that the parents or res idents o f the area may have, and there are many. It alm ost seem s as if a gag order has been placed to stop us from obtaining inform ation. This m eeting w as in no w ay politi cal, no r w as it hostile. C ouncillors Flynn and R obinson w ere there to answ er any questions they could, and to help us understand the process. I have dealt with these tw o gentle men on several occasions and they have alw ays conducted them selves in a pro fessional manner. As far as I know, having a public inform ation night is not illegal and as parents and taxpayers w e have that right. H ad Mr. Currah bothered to stay and listen to the questions that w ere being asked and answered, along with possi ble alternatives, he may have left with a different o p inion o f the m eeting. Instead, w hen things d idn't go his way he picked up his ball and bat and went home. As far as responsible behaviour from our officials, Mr. Currah, (I ask) when was the last tim e that you actually answ ered one o f the e-m ails or phone m essages regarding this situation? L et's talk about responsible repre sentation, shall we? CINDY BOURNE below, quo You Official Plan - Figure M2, Iroquois Ridge Community, North District, designates the subject land a s Open Space/Utility Corridor Zoning - The site is zoned A - Agricultural P rop osal - An application involving an Official Plan Amendment and Zoning Amendment has been submitted. The proposed Official Plan Amendment would re-designate the lands from Open Space/Utility Corridor to a residential designation that would allow for a range of u ses consisting of low density residential u ses, apartment u ses (4 storey, 40 unit building) and institutional u s e s consisting of em ergency and transitional housing. The Zoning Amendment application se e k s to rezone the lands from A, Agricultural to an appropriate residential zon e to permit detached dwellings, apartment dwelling units and institutional u ses comprised of em ergency and transitional housing P le a se Note: This proposal may be subject to ch an ges or modifications at a public meeting in the future. Dated at the Town of Oakville this 19th day of June 2002. David Nelson Acting Manager, Current Planning Planning Services Department How can som eone decide what is the best for business ow ners in O akville if 90 per cent o f their income is from sm okers and you bring in a new bylaw that says that they cannot sm oke in their Let businesses decide smoking issue Iroquois resident supports shelter establishm ents? You might as well close the doors and put up a for lease sign now. M ore people will be unemployed, social assistance will skyrocket with closures o f business es, taxes will rise to compensate the loss revenue, and who will pay for this? O f course the few w ho can keep their jobs and their homes. This bylaw has not been thought through, people. All those got-tosave-the-world-non- smokers, you will be the first people to see what your error is. And I sure hope I don't see you com plaining how your taxes went up 85 per cent to compensate the tow n's loss. You got your bylaws, you pay the costs. I am a sm oker and I say let busi ness ow ners decide their clientele LYNNE GREEN Thanks for your editorial in the Friday, June 21, 2002 edition o f the Beaver in w hich you su g g est that "Shelter deserves fair hearing'. There are m any residents in Iroquois R idge w ho are in su p p o rt o f the Salvation A rm y's proposal to provide em ergency and transitional housing for those citizens in our com m unity who need this type o f help. I think w e realize that if w e w ish to pride ourselves on being a `caring com m unity', we have to `w alk the talk' and allow the agencies in our com m unity space in our neighbourhood. NANCY GRAY Vet says thank you We w ish to exp ress ou r sincere appreciation to the H alton Regional P olice S ervice, R otary C lubs o f O akville, R oyal C anadian L egion Branch 486 and all the m usicians and volunteers w ho helped m ake the W ar V eterans' D ay program at A ppleby C ollege such a m em orable day for all. It rem inds us, again, o f the privilege o f living in O akville. KEN AND BETTY NEEDHAM 1225 TRAFALGAR ROAD · OAKVILLE, ONTARIO · L6J 5A6 (9 0 5 ) 8 4 5 -6 6 0 1