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6- The Oakville Beaver, Friday June 27, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-3824, ext. 224 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: The Oakville Beaver is a division of IAN OLIVER Group Publisher Media Group Ltd. NEIL OLIVER Publisher 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 ALEXANDRIA ANCHOR Circ. Manager Many reasons to celebrate "We in the United States are very lucky, in a way that's easy to take for granted. We are surrounded by two great oceans, and by two nations we count as friends. Think of the fate of other nations, and how much of their histories have been shaped by hostile neighbours. "Generation after generation, they live in fear, resentment, and competition harmful to the interests of all. Lost in rivalry and distrust are the advantages of regional friendship and stability. "What a blessing it is for the United States to have in Canada a neighbour we fear only on ice rinks and baseball diamonds." These words were spoken by John McCain, the Republican Party's candidate for the presidency of the United States on his recent trip to Canada. While McCain's trip may have been a simple game of political oneupmanship for the folks back home, he touched on a salient point that we, as Canadians, often take for granted. As McCain rightly pointed out, many neighbouring countries around the world do not enjoy the peaceful existence we do with our nearest neighbour. In our nation's 141 years of history we have rarely lived under the threat of invasion. We have, more often than not, been keepers of the peace. That is a claim many nations cannot make and those countries have paid a severe price for their willingness to wage war. That said, when called upon, Canadians have shown their willingness to fight for democracy, and are doing so now around the world, especially in Afghanistan. Next Tuesday, as we celebrate our nation's birthday we hope everyone could pause a moment to think about the great benefits our country offers -- its history of inclusiveness and non-aggression, its political stability, its beauty and natural resources, its great minds and its brave citizens. When compared to many nations, Canada stands tall. It's a fact we far too often take for granted. Happy Canada Day! 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. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The United Way of Oakville's annual general meeting on June 17 was a real eye-opener for me as a long-time donor to United Way of Oakville. Before retirement I was a Sponsor Donor ($2,500+) and now in retirement a Leadership Donor ($1,000+). I do this to support the agencies that do great work in providing programs and services to the one in three residents in Oakville who require assistance. United Way's transparency questioned At no time did I ever question how and where my donation was being used because at one time I was a board member for United Way of Oakville and then later a member on the Allocations Committee and had a very good understanding of the processes that were in place. My confidence in the present day United Way Board and management after the meeting is in doubt. I am a firm believer in accountability and transparency, especially when you are asking for donations, you need to be able to face the public at any time and state this is who we are, this is what we do and we will answer any questions you, the public, may have. The United Way is not a private corporation ­ it is a vehicle to raise funds for the non-profit agencies. When I heard at the AGM that members from the audience should seek legal advice if United Way essential to welfare of Oakville As a long-time donor to the United Way of Oakville I want to thank past, present and incoming members of the board for their dedication to the stewardship role entrusted to them by the people of Oakville i.e., to address the needs of the people of Oakville with impartiality and a responsible and accountable governance model. I appreciate the board updating the evaluation methods it uses to oversee the allocation of dollars donated from every segment of Oakville: a united and generous response is the United Way model I support. I noted the newly-elected board members include a senior agency staff person rather than an agency volunteer leader. This would seem to create a conflict of interest, not only in terms of that agency's United Way funding, but on matters relating to overall funding allocation strategies. It will be important to ensure a transparent means to address real or perceived conflicts that will arise in order to ensure that the integrity of the United Way's vitally important, morally responsible role is maintained. I wish the new board and 2008 Campaign Team every success, your volunteer work is essential to the well being of our town. LOTTIE GRANT 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. See United page 7 Pud BY STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.com