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A6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Saturday January 12,2000 T h e O akville B eaver Ian Oliver Publisher Neil Oliver Associate Publisher Norman Alexander Editor Kelly Montague, Advertising Director Martin Doherty Circulation Director Ten Casas OfficeManager Mark Dills Production Manager Riziero Vertolli Director ofPhotography Metroland Printing. Publishing & Distributing Ltd.. includes: Ajax/Pickering News Advertiser. AJiston HerakVCouner. Barrie Advance. Barry's Bay This week. Bolton Enterprise. Brampton Guardan. Burlington Post. Burlngton Shopping News. City Parent. CoingwoodMtesaga Connection. East York Minor. Erin Advocat^Country Routes. Etobicoke Guardan, Flamborough Post. Georgetown Independent/Acton Free Press. Huroria Business Tmes. Kingston This Week. Lindsay This Week. Markham Ecnomist & Sun. Midland/Penetanguishine Mirror. Milton Canadian Champion. Milton Shopping News. Mississauga Business Tmes, Mesissauga News. Napanee Guide. Newmarket/Aurora Era-Bamer, Northumberland News. North York Mrror. Oakville Beaver. Oakvtle Shopping News. Oldtimers Hockey News. Crilia Today, OshawaWhitby/Qarington Port Percy This Week, Owen Sound Tribune, P eterborough This W eek. Picton C ounty Guide. Richmond Hill/Thornhill/Vaughan Liberal, Scarborough Mirror, Stouffvtlle/Uxbridge Tribune, Forever Vbung, Oty of 'fork Guardan OPINION RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: mm %Y vm ca L C O M E ^t ^ m ,r ^ A G O N LTD BRO N 'l ill UTTERFLY S.N C .930 -------- -------------------JAthena JiN q iE BeB Fur*d TV AUCTION of O ak vilfe ib s iia r y '-- I . . * 467 Speers Rd., Oakville O n L L 6 K 3 S 4 (905) 845-3824 Fax; 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-2809 Circulation: 845-9742 "~&he __ ^JAmard Oakville (B&vatDs KTR BUSINESS EXCELLENCE Editorials Plug in and go The speed of change is increasing at such a rate that it's difficult for business and industry to take the time to absorb change before facing more challenges to the way in which they do business. That's the way it is in 2000 and the auto industry is not immune from the change bug. You might recall the early days of the automobile when tinkerers and inven tors cast their collective minds to producing their version of the perfect car. One of those was the Stanley Steamer, a contraption that was pollution free (aside from hissing and whistling) and ran well...until it ran out of water or blew up. The quest for a better power plant to propel cars has been going on ever since. Like the doomed Stanley Steamer, other inventors cast their lot with electricallypowered vehicles. But the bugaboo with them was the rapid power drain on crude batteries, a problem that still plagues automakers like Ford, that have invested in firms such as Ballard Power Systems of Vancouver. Ford is banking big on the Ballard fuel cell and has just unveiled a sedan powered by the cell. Altruism aside, the car companies are trying to best each other in being on the leading edge of technology that also, just happens to be environmentally-friendly. Ford has tried various environmentally-based products over the years, with mixed success. It saw propane and natural-gas-powered vehicles as winners. But aside from mostly commercial applications, that initiative was found wanting by consumers...even with a boost from natural gas suppliers. Fleet buyers in the U.S. can also purchase Ford trucks that boast electric power but the market is narrow. Now Ford says it will be producing a new line of light-weight electric vehi cles and bikes under the THINK nameplate. Company brass say it's a way to connect with the consumer. Perhaps it's time to find that old Popular Science magazine that predicted fly wheel technology would solve our energy concerns. Remember the Chrysler tur bine car? The big question here is whether or not our power grid will be able to gener ate enough electricity to charge our new electric cars. No doubt the windmills in Lake Ontario will take care of that. 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 St. Mildred's expansion would be precedent-setting The replies to our D ecem ber letter regarding the expansion of St. M ildred's-Lightbourn School are reasonable reflections o f the general public's perception of the expansion. However, we suspect that D. Rose, P. Murphy and others may not be fully informed of the longer-term expansion plans of the school. On A ug. 9, 1999, U rban Strategies Inc., on b eh alf o f St. M ildred's, invited the sc h o o l's neighbours to a meeting at which they outlined a conceptual master plan for the St. Mildred's property and a Phase I plan to redevelop the s c h o o l's so u th w ing. P hase I involves a 9,203 sq. ft. secondstorey addition to the present build ing, revisions to the drop-off and pick-up area and additional park ing. It is this Phase I minor vari ance which the Town's Committee of Adjustment unanimously denied as it is poor planning and not com patible with the neighbourhood. The facts leading up to the com mittee's decision are worth noting: A t th e A ug. 9th m e e tin g , the school's planners also showed us conceptual drawings of Phase II on the two adjacent lots east of the school which had been recently purchased by St. Mildred's. These draw ings included a building extension of some 33,000 sq. ft. along with extensive playing fields, and possibly additional parking facilities. When asked about Phase ID to the west of the school, Urban Planners stated that it had not been formally developed yet because the acquired lot to the west was not adjacent to the school property. They suggested, how ever, that Phase IE could include more play ing fields, parking facilities and building additions. Since the meet ing, the adjacent lot has in fact been purchased by the school. While Phase I makes the neigh bours apprehensive, the ramifica tions of Phases II and III are quite overwhelming. Could anyone pos sibly doubt that these latter phases -- w ith th e ir p lay in g field s, extended parking and additional buildings -- would result in the removal o f most of the 400-500 trees on the four adjacent proper ties? We are happy to co-exist with St. Mildred's if the school remains within its original boundaries, but we are concerned about its growing enrollment despite assurances to the contrary. In the mid-80's when enrollment was approaching 500, the school committed in writing to a cap o f 500 -- 530. C u rrent enrollment is closer to 600 and has at times exceeded 600. It does not take much imagination to envision a sizable increase in enrollm ent given the statem en t by the Chairman of the school's Board of Governors in their Annual Report that the four acquired lots will nearly double the usable campus area. It is with these facts in mind that we used the term burgeoning campus -- a campus that will be totally out of sync with its neigh bourhood and environment. The school has on several occasions been offered other suitable Town properties but for whatever reason has turned them down. It is not just St. Mildred's neigh bours who should be alarmed. All Oakville residents should be con cerned that a residential area can, at any time, be defaced by the unfet tered expansion of a non-residential development. Letter of the Week Scrooge will return to Oakville Centre I would like to thank The O akville B eaver for the e x te n s iv e c o v e ra g e th a t it p r o v id e d fo r F a n fa re T h eatrical P ro d u c tio n s "Mr. S cro o g e," w hich was presented at the O akville C entre for the Perform ing A rts last m onth. Such co v erag e is a great help to supporting and developing theatre arts in Oakville. Your coverage was quite accurate in stating that it w as "C u rtain s for Mr. S cro o g e" and that this was " th e fin a l in an a n n u a l c o n s e c u tiv e ru n o f M r. S crooge." How ever, Fanfare T heatrical Productions B o a rd o f D ire c to rs, c o m p risin g a sm all g ro u p o f O akville residents, w ould like to assure our current and prospective audiences that Fanfare, the produc tion com pany behind Mr. Scrooge, is alive and well and will be producing a new show at the O akville C entre for the Perform ing A rts next C hristm as. Last y e a r's nearly sold-out run o f five show s encourages us to continue our volunteer work to produce profes sional theatre in O akville. F anfare's m ain objectives are to p re se n t p ro d u c tio n s th a t a p p ea l to a wide range o f ag es, th at are a ffo rd ab ly priced and that provide the youth o f our area, w ho are involved in d ance and th eatre studies, w ith the opportunity to perform with a large cast o f professional actors and theatre technicians. W ith the continuing support o f our grow ing audi ences, our all im portant sponsors and very necessary p u b licity , we hope for an o th er successful y e ar -- and, yes, it is quite likely th at the very popular "Mr. S crooge" will return before too long. Honchos don't understand Bronte golf issue The le tte rs from Tom McCormack and (Brrlington MPP) Cam Jackson) illustrate that those in power really don't get what all the fuss is about (or are pretending not to). McCormack stated that the RCGA is a non-profit organization. So what? Their golf courses sure aren't, and their Golf Village won't be either! In addition, he points out that the area considered by the RCGA has been approved as a campground. Does that mean that if it is going to be spoiled by camp ing, then we might as well spoil it with golf? Jackson's statem ent that the land would only be leased brings no comfort. D oesn't he realize a going rate for real estate on proper golf course would have the same ty zoned for development and not effect on leased land as it would on looking for a deal on the taxpayers' purchased land ? While he may pre backs by looking for space in a fer to skate and swim on the west public park. Period. Those who are side of the park, I personally, prefer elected to represent the people the east side, as it has remained should be protecting public lands, unspoiled by development. In addi instead of sneaking behind a blan tion, I have little faith in the so- ket of confidentiality for a year to called public consultation process, assistan agency in leasing or buy as there was indeed some opposi ing parkland. tion to the proposed campground, A lso, I think th at H alton and that project was still approved Region should be invited to solve a and in c lu d e d to the P a rk 's serious water shortage problem for Management Plan. residents neighbouring one golf The real and only issue, in my course before trying to attract opinion, however, is that a corpo another. rate venture should be paying the Liz Bamford Regional ambulance service in best interest of residents As president o f Local 207 o f O ntario Public Service Employees Union and a Paramedic with Halton-Mississauga Ambulance Service, I would like to commend my fellow paramedics for the extraordi nary job that they have performed prior to the busy Christmas season and into the New Millennium. With all the news about the hospital crisis in the Toronto area, let it be known that our paramedics face the same problem on a daily basis. Our local hospitals are going on Re-Direct or Critical Care ByPass as well, and we try to deal with it. The paramedics know and feel the frustration that the patients and family members have when they cannot be taken to the most appropriate hospital for care or their hospital of choice. The current situation leaves many communities with inadequate ambulance coverage, and we believe this is due to the lack of political will by the provin cial and some regional governments by not providing adequate funding to operate a proper paramedic ambulance service. We commend Halton Regional Council for switching from the current privately run service (CMR) to operating it as a regionally-operat ed service this year. The paramedics are an integral part of the healthcare system and we need to be treat ed as an essential service and this can only be done with political backing at all levels of government. As we move forward, we, the paramedics, will continue to provide the best pre-hospital care to our citizens in a professional and caring manner. Have a safe and healthy year 2000. Bryan G. Palfreym an It's all about numbers R esident D iana Rose (O akville Beaver letters to the e d ito r , D e c . 1 5 th ) is m is in f o r m e d a b o u t th e St. M ild re d 's-L ig h tb o u rn S c h o o l's ex pansion plans. The intention of "Phase I" o f the m aster plan is not to "add a w ing" in order to provide two new indoor classroom s, but rather to erect a second storey on an existing wing. The fact that tw o classroom s are needed in order to replace the portables, w hich have been in use since the last construction the site, is one exam ple o f the school's Board o f G overnors' failure to honour its com m itm ents. Those portables w ere intended for tem porary use during the construction only, and the neighbours were assured th a t th e s c h o o l p o p u la tio n w o u ld n o t e x c e e d 4 5 0 . A pparently, no effort was made to contain the num ber o f pupils, and, because o f over-crow ding, the portables have been in constant use for well over 10 years. The "Phase I" plan proposes that 4 more portables be added during the building period n do you blam e the neighbours for feeling nervous? T he p re sen t school bu ild in g is hardly " in keeping with the forest-like atm osphere" o f the neighbourhood, and the proposed "Phase II" o f their m aster plan would add an ad jo in in g building, o f sim ilar size, on one o f th e ir a d ja c e n t p ro p e rtie s. T h at co u ld not be a cco m plished w ithout further tree rem oval despite the inten tion to "incorporate the trees as best as possible." Gord Armes Linda Sage and Hugh Alexander Pud f WE. D ID N 'T IN V E S T IN A N E W C O M P U T E R F S o Y o u T W O COULD A R G U E / y Y by Steve Nease I SHOULD g o f ir s t f X SHOULD Go F ^ cause 'c a u s e older / Helen A ldridge