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Wednesday November 22, 2000 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER A7 COM M ENT R e d u c in g "W om en are so much more than assem bly-line w orkers cranking out mince pies, wrapped gifts and orna ments. . So say the authors o f one o f the best gems unearthed at the Oakville library's book sale earlier this month called, fit tingly, Unplug the Christmas Machine by Jo R obinson and Jean C oppock Staeheli. I love this book. A nd it isn't because I'm one o f those hum bug types. I just like the idea o f not going out o f my mind every Christmas. This, to me, is the tick et. In this revised edition, the authors set out to tell us what we already know: that the holidays are overly commercialized. And that, no matter w hat intentions we start out with, we all end up more tired and frazzled than w e like. This, they say, doesn't m ake for a pic ture poster Christmas. And yet, from here on in, w e will be bombarded with frenet ic messages sent to us cheerily from the covers o f magazines and books and tele vision se ts.. .they tell us to have a merry Christmas while w e make 300 cookies late one night after work, sew frantically for a school play or try to fit in the shop ping for y our m other-in-law , m ake Christmas cards, write Christmas cards and mail Christm as cards. A nd then try to find another extension cord for the lights. This is a merry Christmas? All too often, say these authors, the burden tends to fall onto the shoulders o f women. Just a brief look at a random list o f 20 to-do items - baking, decorating, th e s p e e d DIANE HART o f th e C h r is tm a s It doesn't have to be this way. You don't have to make yourself crazy. All you have to do is set the pace. m a c h in e Figure out w hat m akes your family happy and what control you'd like to (See `Ready' page A8) school functions, teacher gifts, making cards, sending cards, writing cards, fig ure out clothes for school functions, clean the clothes, Christmas activities with the kids, baking, volunteer func tions, church functions, decorate the tre e .. .more often than not, it tends to be the woman o f the family. W hy? Because we like to do it, we tell ourselves. Really? Now, in this house, we do it a bit dif ferently. I think it is because I have mas tered the art o f incompetence, if you want to know the truth. Take our wood pile, for instance. I have yet to chop wood for more than 20 seconds before my husband takes a flying leap over fur niture out to the deck to stop me from chopping off my entire lower body. This is good. I should be so lucky with the laundry. In any case, I never have to chop wood. But I do my bit, let me tell you. And so do other women. M ore than the simple physical work o f getting ready for the big day, women tend to take on the emotional burdens of the holidays more often than men. It can be this emotional energy that is often more daunting and, ultimately, more draining than anything else. Women worry about how to paste peppermint candles onto cardboard tubes with marshmallow creme; (I don't know why anyone would worry about that but I sup pose some do) they worry about finding the right present for a picky relative; they worry about the exact kind of stocking stuffers; they worry about making everyone happy. Men, on the other hand, simply want the whole thing done with so they can sit quietly in a comer, sip some brandy and read a good book.. Susan, described in the book as a 45year-old married mother of three, spoke of what goes through her mind in the days leading up to Christmas: she deco rated her house, cleaned it, shopped for groceries, and baked some traditional goodies. All the while she mentally thought about how she was going to tact fully try to persuade her husband to pay more attention to his mother-in-law; entertain her 14-year-old niece, the only teenager at the family gathering; how was she going to make life easier for her youngest sister, with a two year old and a brand new baby? (the teenager is the best solution on that one); how was she going to shield her 85-year-old grandfather from the noise and chaos o f all the young children? Although the authors say women derive much satisfaction in attending to details (not this one, let me tell you), they said there was a common theme: women never take into consideration the emo tional toll of this kind o f emotional ener gy. They don't realize the reasons why they are so tired. Q f O A K V IL L E OPEN HOUSE PALERMO STUDY 8 4 5 -6 6 0 1 An Open House is to be held for the Palermo Study on December 6,2000 at the Glen Abbey Recreation Centre, Community Room "C" at 7:30 p an The Palermo Study is a land use study that is being prepared for the Oakville Planning Department by the consulting company Malone, Given, Parsons. It covers lands around the intersection of Dundas Street and Bronte Road (Regional Roads 5 and 25). The purpose of the study is to determine the land uses that would be appropriate for the area, and to determine whether there should be a ring road or by-pass at the intersection of Dundas and Bronte. This Open House is being held at the beginning of the study to canvass landowners and interested persons for their input Further information can be obtained from the Planning Department by calling Lynne Gough at 845-6601 ext 3025 or by e-mail at lgough@town.oakville.onxa W I N T E R B Y - L A W S P l e a s e n o t e t h e f o l l o w in g t w o r e q u i r e m e n t s 1) By-law 1984-1 PRO HIBITS parking o f vehicles on Town streets between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. from N ovem ber 15 to April 15. NOTE: The set fine for this infraction is S30.00 By-law 1973-18 states that "N o person shall throw, place or deposit snow, ice or slush from private property onto any sidewalk, public highway or lane in the Town" . 2) Please co-operate by com plying with these requirem ents so that our streets can be cleared quickly and efficiently and kept in a safe condition. R.G Green, P. Eng. Director o f Public Works F ir s t s e t o f c o r p o r a t e s p o n s o r s o n b o a r d f o r R o ta r y A u c tio n The 2000 Oakville Rotary Auction is shaping up to be a great success, thanks to the generosity of many local businesses who have donated great products and services for us to auction. But the event, to be held November 24 and 25 on Cogeco 23, would not be happening at all without the background support of a number of key corporate sponsors: A1 Air Conditioning, C.N.S. Canada Inc., Cogeco 23, Corbett's Sports, Tim Hortons, Lockwood Chrysler, Parmalat Canada, The Oakville Beaver and The TD Bank Financial Group. All of these businesses came on board when the Committee really needed the support, and the Auction simply would not be happening without their involvement. O a k v iu i was founded in 1988 and has grown and diversified over the years to keep pace with the ever-changing computer world. It is now a major force in the industry, not just in sales - though C.N.S. builds comput ers using only quality name-brand components for the corporate and end-user markets - but also in service. Housed in a 12,000 square foot facility off the North Service Road in Oakville, C.N.S. is the largest walk-in repair depot in Oakville and its surrounding area. The company repairs all brand name and clone computers; monitors; and dot matrix, inkjet and laser printers. It per forms on-site service for the corporate market, has the walk-in repair centre for anyone needing to drop off or pick up equipment, and installs complete Novell or NT ROTARY networks, including wiring. Town of Oakville Notice to all Town of Oakville Property Ow ners ALL PROPERTIES ARE BEING REASSESSED FOR TAXATION IN 2001 As part of the Provincial government's Ontario Fair Assessment System introduced at the beginning of 1998, all properties in Ontario are being reassessed for taxation in 2001. In the next few days you will receive an updated assessment notice indicating the 1999 value of your property from The Ontario Property Assessment Corporation (OPAC), the agency responsible for property assessment in Ontario. The updated assessment will be the basis for taxes levied in 2001. Please look for OPAC's information pamphlet enclosed with your assessment notice as it answers some of the questions frequently asked about property assessment On December 5*, 6* and 7*, staff from the local OPAC office will hold information sessions in Oakville to explain the reassessment. They will be held in the Council Chambers at the Oakville Municipal Building, 1225 Trafalgar Road at 7:30 P.M. on each of these evenings. The sessions will be general in nature. If you have specific inquiries relating to your own property, you should contact the local OPAC offices during regular business hours. Based on the updated Assessment Roll, tax rates will be determined for each of the property classes. The tax rate is multiplied by the assessed value to establish the amount of property tax. An increase in your assessment from 1996 to 1999 does not necessarily translate into a tax increase for 2001. Property owners who feel their assessed value is incorrect will have two opportunities to have the value examined. The first opportunity is called a Request for Reconsideration, and is carried out by OPAC. The second is a more formal process in which an owner appeals to the Assessment Review Board, an independent tribunal whose decision is binding. While a Request for Reconsideration may be made at anytime during 2001, the deadline to file an appeal is March 31 * * , 2001. OPAC encourages owners to discuss their assessment with their local OPAC office before they make a decision to appeal. The Town has been advised that forms for both a Request for Reconsideration and an Appeal Application will be available on the OPAC website, as well as at the Finance Department, Oakville Municipal Building, 1225 Trafalgar Road. Your reassessment notice indicates OPAC's toll-free information line, 1-866-296-OPAC (6722) as well as their website address, www.opac.on.ca. The location of the OPAC office responsible for Oakville is 6745 Century Drive in Mississauga, (905) 813-9930 and 1-800-387-5909. NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING Victor Lind Cornwall Road East of Canlan File Z.1602.08 Please be advised that a public meeting will be held to discuss a proposed Zoning Amendment as submitted by the above-noted applicant. The meeting will be a public meeting hosted by Town Council, at which time a staff report and recommendation will be considered. This public meeting will take place on Tuesday,December 12, 2000 commencing at 7:30 p.m. in the Town Hall, 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville. Any individuals wishing to attend this meeting and speak to this matter are invited to do so. A summary of the subject proposal and a key map may be found overleaf. If a person or public body that files a notice of appeal of a decision in respect of the proposed zoning amendment to the Ontario Municipal Board does not make oral submissions at a public meeting or does not make written submissions before the proposed zoning amendment is approved, the Ontario Municipal Board may dismiss all or part of the appeal. You may direct any written submissions and/ or questions to David Nelson at the Town's Planning Services Department, Town of Oakville, P.O. Box 310, 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville, ON. L6J 5A6. Tel: 845-6601, E x t 3039, email address: dnelson@tovvn.oakville.on.ca Location -- The subject site, comprised of approximately 1.3 hectares, is located on the south side of Cornwall Road adjacent to the Canlan arena in the QEW East Industrial District. Official Plan -- Figure IND A, designates the site Industrial Commercial. Zoning -- The land is currently zoned 05, Parkway Belt Open Space. Proposal -- The proposal involves the rezoning of the southerly 1/3 of the vacant parcel of land east of the Canlan Arena from 05, Parkway Belt Open Space, to M1 to permit the use of the land for industrial purposes. The total site is 3.81 ha in area of which 2.51 ha is currently zoned M l, Light Industrial with the balance of the site, 1.3 hectares, being zoned 05, Parkway Belt Open Space. Please Note: This proposal may be subject to changes or modifications at the public meeting on December 12, 2000. A copy of the final staff report, including the proposed zoning amendment, will be available for review in the Clerk's Department as of Monday, December 4, 2000 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday. Dated at the Town of Oakville this 22"" day of November, 2000. John Ghent, Manager,Current Planning Section, Planning Services Department A1 Air Conditioning has been family-owned and A U C T operated in Oakville since 1967. From its beginnings as a father-son operation, the company has grown to encom pass some 17 trucks and more than 30 employees. Its service department is the pride of the company: with the recent implementa tion of environmental controls in the refrigeration industry, A1 is enthusiastically "green" and endorses all refrigerant recovery. All technicians have an Ontario Certificate of Qualification in refrigeration/air conditioning and Gas Finer 1 licensing, and there is an Ontario Certified Electrician on staff. The company is dedicated to quality sales in residential, commercial and industrial climate control and guarantees fast service, the best quality products and people, and competitive pricing. I O N Cogeco 23, our local community television organiza tion, has more than 40 years of experience in cable and broadcasting. Cogeco is the second largest cable operator in Ontario, serving hundreds of thousands of customers across the province. Cogeco strives to meet the communication needs of con sumers and advertisers through cable distribution, broadcasting. Pay TV and Internet services. True to its mission statement, Cogeco has undergone a recent expansion in its desire to provide each of its cus tomers with the widest possible choice of individual communications solutions at the most affordable pri»e. Look for information about Corbett's Sports, Tim Hortons and Lockwood Chrysler in the next article. Jennifer Kay, a member o f the Rotary Club o f Oakville Trafalgar, handles marketing and promotions fo r the Auction. C.N.S. Canada Inc., also known as Computer Network Services, 1225 TRAFALGAR R O A D · O A K VILLE , O N T A R IO · L6J 5A 6