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w w w .in si d eH A LT O N .c o m O A K V IL LE B E A V E R F ri d ay , A u g u st 1 2, 2 01 1 6 467 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 The Oakville Beaver Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver is a division of NEIL OLIVER Vice President and Group Publisher of Metroland West 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 DILLSDirector of Production MANUEL GARCIAProduction Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution SARAH MCSWEENEY Circ. Manager 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 editorWelcome home 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 e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: ATHENA Award THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Canadian Circulation Audit Board Member Canadian Community Newspapers Association Ontario Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America Pud BY STEVE NEASE neasecartoons@gmail.com Canadian troops have paid the ultimate sacrifice to help work toward a stable environment and to combat insurgents in Afghanistan. While some may debate the mission, there's no doubt Canadians re-discovered our troops, their pro- fessionalism and commitment and their sacrifice. It was evident every time a member of the Canadian Forces was killed in Afghanistan and rode the Highway of Heroes, beneath a sombre group of people standing on Hwy. 401 bridges paying their respects. Now, as our troops who survived return home from the military mission in Afghanistan, residents may want to join the local Legions as they prepare to give a hero's welcome to those brave Canadians. As the country's military mission in Afghanistan ends, Canada has lost 157 soldiers. We first sent troops to the troubled country almost a decade ago in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Our men and women in uniform had an incredibly difficult, maybe impossible, job there. Unlike wars of the past, in Afghanistan friend and foe appeared the same. Every teenager, every smiling elderly villager might have been a killer. The enemy was everywhere and nowhere. That enemy set the improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that killed many of our soldiers, long after the enemy set the trap. Even victories weren't permanent: theenemy played hide-and-seek, occupying a village and then returning when Canadians or other members of the International Security Assistance Force that came to drive them out, left again. This was a nightmare military situation in a coun- try where, as the Soviets found out in the 1980s, superior firepower was tested as a match against a determined and wily enemy. The Afghans were also understandably reluctant to favour foreign forces against Taliban-led insurgents, given a belief the latter would ultimately be in control again and out for retribution. Our soldiers did their utmost, and Canadians rec- ognized that, showing their appreciation and sorrow each time a soldier and his or her family made that sad trip down the Highway of Heroes. Through our military, we showed ourselves to be very capable soldiers. We also showed ordinary Afghan people, we weren't just there to fight the Taliban and f al Qaeda, but to help them recover from decades o conflict and demonstrate there is another way to live, difficult as it may be to achieve. Now, those who went, survived and are coming home, deserve a hero's welcome home. We, like the Legions, should honour them. Re: Minister responds, letter to the editor, Aug. 5, Oakville Beaver The letter by Ms. Meilleur, Ontario Minister of Community and Social Services (MCSS) dis- torted the present reality facing the families of individuals with devel- opmental disabilities who remain living at home and do not require a group home environment. Meilleur accomplished this by including and emphasizing previ- ous spending commitments and omitting several disturbing statis- tical trends created by her minis- try. When referring to the closure of institutions in 2009, she stated the government injected $108 million to assist 1,000 former residents into group homes and created over 1,700 new residential spaces; how- ever, the actual cost, according to the MCSS in its April 2009, issue 13 of Spotlight on Transformation, was $276 million. Therefore, the initial average start-up cost per individual in a group home/residential environ- ment for these 2,700 spaces was approximately $100,000. This fig- ure does not take into account the substantial annual continuing costs regarding supervisory personnel, maintenance and utilities. The benefit of a group home environment over an institutional one is not an issue; however, over 90% of individuals with develop- mental disabilities live with their immediate families. The Special Services at Home (SSAH) program for those under 18 years of age and the Passport Program for those finishing their high school eligibility (which could be as late as 21 years of age) were created to financially assist families in providing numerous services, such as physical activities/rehabili- Debating the facts Parents await a response Re: Minister responds, letter to the edi- tor, Aug. 5, Oakville Beaver To Madeleine Meilleur, Ontario Minister of Community and Social Services Your letter regarding developmental services, Aug. 5, Oakville Beaver, com- mended MPP Kevin Flynn's commitment and compassion to his community. We certainly would agree and have spoken favourably about Flynn's tireless efforts at attempting to help our family's cause. He has responded diligently to our requests and has continued to present throughout as sincere and concerned. Despite his con- stant intervention, Flynn has not been suc- cessful. It appears that our case ultimately rests with your ministry. Unlike Flynn, you have yet to respond to our letter addressed directly to you dated July 20, 2011. Incredibly, two weeks later, on Aug. 5, 2011, The Oakville Beaver news- paper featured your response and defence of your ministry's position to the progress See Thousands page 7 See Oakville page 8