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A6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday September 20, 2000 T he Oakville Beaver lan Oliver Publisher N ei Oliver .Associate Publisher Norman Alexander Editor Kelly Montague, Advertising Director Steve Crozier Circulation Director Ten Casas OfficeManager Mark D lls Production Manager Riziero Vertolli DirectorofPhotography M etroland Printtng. PuM srtng & D istrtouting L id., includes: A jax/ftckenng News Advertiser. A listo n HeralcVCourier. A rthur Enterprise News. Barrie Advance. B arry's Bay This Week. Bolton Enterprise. Bram pion G uanian, B u rlin g to n P o st. B u rlin g to n S h o p p in g N ew s. C ity P arent. ComgwoocVW asaga Connection. East M xk Mirror. Erin A d vo ca te 'C a rtry R ou te s. E to b ico ke G u a rd ia n , F lam borough P o st. G eorgetow n independent/Acton Free Press. Hamsten Review. H ucnia Busness Trnes. K ingston This W eek. Lindsay This W eek. M arkham Ecnom ist & Sun. M idiand/P enetang uishine M irror. M ilto n C anadian C ham pion. M ilton Shopping News. M ssissauga Business Times. M ississauga News. Napanee G uide. Newm arket/Aurora Era-Banner. Northum berland News. N orth \b rk Mirror. O akvie B ea«r, O akvie Shoppng News. O ddm ers H octey News. O r*a Today. OshavvaVATtby/CJarngton Port Perry The Waek. Owen S oind Tribune. Palm erston Observer. Peterborough This W eek. P cio n County G uide. R ichm ond H ill/T hornhillA teughan Liberal. S carborough M irror. StoufM teA M xidge Tribune, Forever \b m g . C ity o f Vbrk Guardan O PIN IO N ° THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: H RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association 1 Prtfmrmg far Tomorrow'i Hralih C m Y MOFOAKVUX CA /ivinz Is«3ttg«lorO FE .......... JiNqU Bell Fumd 467 Speers Rd., Oakville O n L L 6 K 3 S 4 (905) 8 4 5-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-2809 Circulation: 845-9742 f* C N A Canadian Community Wowspapors Association tO T tfP M TH E B R O N T E * U T T E R F LY O N T TV AUCTION United Way O f Oakville h JT b h e n a JAwari C9aki>iHe ^Aw ards FOR BUSINESS EXCEuLNCT ftitd A R I O Town o i l o n n u i | oakville galleries | S K s of America a C ^ jU B O C h ild r e n 's C h o ir m & A T *U B U S IN E S S tC T H E A R T S Editorials Rising to the challenge An aging population poses many challenges to not only the social services system but also to the municipalities in which seniors live. While much is made of specific areas set The reality is that the aside for seniors, the fact remains that many seniors would prefer to remain where they are Province isn 't able to be most comfortable...in their current surround all things to all seniors and ings. that means The Rotary Club of Oakville (RCO) knows community how important staying home is to seniors and developments, such as the to the tow n as a w hole, which can benefit Woodside Mews from their expertise and knowledge. project, are needed. To that end, the RCO is backing a progres sive seniors' housing development at Rebecca Street and W oodside Drive, to be known as Woodside Mews. · Ironically, the 30-unit development will be adjacent to Rotary Gardens, another seniors' housing initiative from the mid 1950s. This new project will continue the work of Rotary in providing affordable housing to seniors. For it's this kind o f service club and community backing that is a must if we are to address the concerns and needs of our senior citizens. The Life Lease concept for this development is particularly attractive to some seniors because it allows seniors to own their bungalow homes but when they sill, five percent is held back by Rotary to bulk up a building fund which will permit them to build more seniors' housing. It's a good deal for all concerned. Much is made of what the Province is and isn't doing to accommodate our senior population as they leave larger homes. The reality is that the Province isn't able to be all things to all seniors and that means community developments, such as the Woodside Mews project, are needed. We are fortunate here in Oakville to have service organizations, such as the RCO that can rise to the challenge. IT ^C A L L E DA T R lA IH L O N i D A M NT H A T £R,,, A 1.5 KSW IM , S T O C K W E L LD A Y F O L L O W E DB YA40 K B IK ER A C EANDA10K T H EV O T E R SW I L L E A TITUP/ $ ·x i m e 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 P arking site needed to help businesses R e: P rice o f p a r k in g c a n ' t o n ly be m e a s u r e d in d o lla r s Oakville Beaver Sept. 13, 2000. I wish to clarify a few things related to the Town of Oakville's p la n s to re p la c e th e M cL aren Barnes Gallery with a parking lot. The sequence o f events must be noted here. The Town was not seeking this property upon which the McLaren Barnes Gallery was a tenant, but considered it only after its owner put it up for sale. In fact, there were several expres sions o f in terest and potential o ffe rs to p u rch ase. It w as the property ow ner's decision to sell that m ade the g allery's present location precarious for any buyer w ould likely have redeveloped the site. The Town secured the property to meet the needs o f the area as d eterm in ed by our long-range Parking Study. Even so, after pur chasing the property, the Town agreed to Ms. Barnes' request to allow the gallery to continue to operate for a period. I'm not cer tain another landlord would have been so accommodating. I am a great admirer of Helen Barnes and I value her contribu tion to the economic and cultural life of our Town. I am also a fan o f the gallery; in fact a painting that I purchased there hangs in my home. Naturally, I would pre fer to see art to asphalt. But I also recognize that busi ness and parking go hand in hand and are essential to a vibrant and w orkable dow ntow n core. The property owner's decision to sell almost certainly sealed the fate of the gallery in that location. The Tow n took the o p p o rtu n ity to solve som e o f our longer-term dow ntow n core p arking p ro b lems. A nn Mulvale Mayor, Town o f Oakville Letter of the Week Provincial tax rebate can help the children Re: Provincial government tax rebate. Over the next several weeks, most taxpayers in the Province o f Ontario will be receiving a rebate from the provincial governm ent in an amount up to $200. For many people and in many families, this will be a very welcome payment, particularly for those struggling to m eet the m inimal costs o f operating a household. In other cases, the rebate, while welcome, will not be as significant. F rom 1980 to 1992, I w as an A ssista n t C row n A tto rn ey and C row n A tto rn ey fo r H alton R egion. Thereafter I have been a lawyer in private practice in Oakville. As a resident of Halton region and someone who pro fessionally has an opportunity to deal with persons from all le v e ls in th is re g io n , I en c o u ra g e an y o n e w ho receives this rebate over the next w hile, to consider donating those funds to some agency for which it will make a very significant difference. Over the past few years, I have had the good fortune and the benefit to be a member of the Board of Directors o f The H alton T raum a C entre (form erly the H alton Centre for Childhood Sexual Abuse) 461 North Service Rd. W,, Unit B6, Oakville, L6M 2V5. This agency in Oakville provides a very unique and important service to children and families in Halton Region and beyond. It is my intention to contribute the rebate I receive to that agency because I know from my own experience that it will be well received and very well used at a time when that agency needs additional resources to deliver the very valuable service it provides. I invite all Oakvillians to consider making the same use of the rebate when it arrives sometime over the next few weeks. Paul D . Stunt Re: letter to the editor, People who care a b o u t la w n s g e t b a d r a p ' by M ic h a e l K em aghan, Oakville Beaver Wed. Sept. 13, 2000 Mr. Kemaghan, you did not read what V. Carley (or I) wrote-or if you did, you did not understand it. Nowhere did we state that there is anything It's about time town became pesticide-free municipality wrong with healthy lawns or lawns in general. We are fully aware of the benefits of a healthy lawn. The issue is how we create these healthy lawns. A little physical labour (we can all stand to lose a pound or two) along with natural alternatives to chemicals are totally acceptable. It is the use of poisonous chemicals that has us seriously concerned. To those of us who North development not in residents' best interests I fe e l I m u st re b u t th e M a y o r 's (A n n M u lv a le ) rebuttal o f m y le tte r to the editor Sept. 6th. First some background. It started w ith a le tte r to the M ayor and local councillors w h e re I w as c o m p la in in g that my quality o f life was being ero d ed by e x cessiv e developm ent o f open lands and an e x a m p le b e in g my ever-increasing time to com m ute to/fro m em ploym ent. The M ayor, in infinite wis,dom replied, "the coming of the (Hwy.) 407 will alleviate the traffic congestion and I could take advantage o f jo b o p p o rtu n itie s co m in g w ith N o rth D e v e lo p m e n t" . T he 407 would cost me approxi mately $5,000 a year in tolls and I w o u ld lo se y e a rs o f seniority if I quit my present job. Thanks M ayor Mulvale. For simplicity, let's identi fy points made by may ini tia lly p u b lish e d letter, (a) first letter, (b) m ayor's rebut tal and (c) this letter. Point la . The m ayor and councillors for the Town of Oakville with its staff (all of w h o m a re e m p lo y e e s o f O a k v ille 's e x is tin g r e s i dents), have adopted a plan an d w o rk e n th u s ia s tic a lly tow ards O ak v ille doubling its present size over the next 10 years. lb. The mayor states that re c e n t n o rth d e v e lo p m e n t p lan s call fo r a population in c r e a s e s a m o u n tin g to 55,000 only and that this will represent 25% o f O akville's population in the year 2021. lc . 5 5,000 as a quarter, equates to 220,000 and for all intents and purposes, is double the existing popula tion. Numbers do not include Iro q u o is an d G len O aks suffer from chemical sensitivity no amount of testin g o f chem ical p ro d u cts by the Pest M anagement Regulatory Agency o f Health Canada is going to make any difference-the fact remains, chemicals make us very ill. Magazines such as Alive and Vitality, are full of articles on the effects of these poisonous chemicals on our bodies and those of our chil dren, as well as on the environment. Canada's Commons Standing Committee on the E n v iro n m en t and S u sta in a b le d e v e lo p m e n ts at som e Development suggests new cosm etic pesti 46,000 people. How interest cides should not be registered and current ones ing that the mayor's letter is should be de-registered. op p o site th at o f re-zoning The committee states it "heard compelling notices which adds another testim ony that pesticides pose a threat to 240 residential units. human health and the environment". Point 2a. Has the present The Canadian Public Health Association, population been subjected to O n tario C o lleg e o f F am ily P h y sic ia n s, a needs analysis and through Canadian Institute o f Child Health and the which they expressed a need Learning Disabilities Association of Canada for extensive development? have all said "children's behaviour and learn 2b. O a k v ille has been ing skills are affected by exposure to pesti proactive rather than reactive cides." in engaging studies into the Liberal MP Charles Caccia, chairman of the future development o f north Commons Environm ental Com m ittee, says Oakville. 2c. I say it's proactive to "the government's treatment of cosmetic pesti an an unknown and self-per cide usage should give health protection clear ceived need. This develop precedence, in the same way it does tobacco m e n t w ill c a u se re a c tiv e and asbestos." It is time we get our heads out of the sand actions. For example: adding a fo u rth lane to the QEW and become aware of what we are doing to because of congestion at pre ourselves. Close to 40 municipalities across sents adds 33%. W hat will w Canada have banned cosmetic use o f pesti do next? Add a fifth lane at cides. We would like to add Oakville to this only 25% when congested? list. Colin Davey Karen Sandford CN glossing over derailment facts Re: C N ' s Letter o f Apology to the Citizens o f the Town -- Oakville Beaver, Sept. 1st and 3rd To the residents, living near the Aug. 22nd derailment of loaded propane (LPG) tankers by CN in O akville Yard, CN's letter is nothing but another attempt by CN to put their spin on the derailment and gloss over the potential hazard to the town of their operations in Oakville Yard. CN is obscuring the safety im plications o f the actual derailment by trying to shift the attention to the emergency reporting process w hich had failed m iserably by C N 's apparent attempt to `manage the news.' The residents are not concerned with "the emergency stop (sic) of the train and the resulting blocked crossing," or that in this particular derailment "All of these cars remained upright." What really concerns residents is that the next time we w ill not be so lucky and the tow n w ill be faced w ith "Scenario #2" for a HAZMAT rail accident involving LPG tankers as detailed in the Town's Hazard and Risk Analysis Final Report by SIAC of November 1998. This according to the report, would involve 8,869 resi dents in old Oakville, Iroquois Ridge, and Eastlake as well as seven (now eight) schools. We trust that the town's officials will see past CN's gloss ing over o f the facts and w ill dem and from T ransport Canada that CN make physical changes to Oakville Yard and CN's dangerous goods operation that is not associated with Ford traffic. Peter K rysm anski Chairman, Oakville Stop-CN-In-Their-Tracks Committee