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6- The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday January 30, 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 Killing machines The new year is not even a month old and an alarming trend has started to develop on Halton Region's roadways. More people are dying. So far in 2008, four people have died in three traffic accidents in Halton -- that's an increase of 400 per cent over last year at this time and we haven't even wrapped up January. All of last year there were 24 deaths in 20 crashes -- an increase of 100 per cent from 2006 to 2007. It is that upward trend that has Halton police officials concerned to the point that they have issued a plea to the driving public to be more accountable for their driving behaviour. "Motor vehicle collisions are the greatest public safety risk in Halton today," Halton Police Chief Gary Crowell said. "People are more likely to be injured or killed on our roads than by any other criminal offence. "These tragedies are almost entirely preventable if everyone would slow down, buckle up and minimize distractions while driving. Every driver is responsible and accountable for road safety." While alcohol often plays a role in many accidents, police say in 2007 the No. 1 contributing factor in local crashes was speed. This region has a wonderful mix of roadways from provincial highways to secondary roads to winding, two-lane country roads. However, it is obvious that far too many drivers are ignoring posted speed limits and putting not only themselves but other motorists and passengers at risk. While issuing public reminders is all well and good, we suggest an increased police presence on local roads, more radar traps and, perhaps, more signage indicating what fines drivers will face for having a lead foot. The police also point out that a distracted driver is a dangerous driver. We are not sure why people believe they are perfectly capable of being able to pay attention to the road ahead while trying to dial a phone number on their cell. Then there are the drivers who meander all over the road while eating breakfast or lunch. Too bad there isn't legislation for common sense. We are sure the police would be kept busy handing out tickets for stupidity. 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 Local parks are not leash-free zones, says reader We live in Glen Abbey, very close to Windrush Park. Until Sunday morning (Jan. 27), we had a pair of grey squirrels nesting in a big tree in the ravine behind our home. Just about the time I was getting out of bed, I heard the cry of a small animal in distress. I looked out back, and saw a big yellow dog drop it on the ground. It was one of the squirrels, and the dog killed it just for the pleasure. A few minutes later a woman walked by. She had another dog, a golden retriever, I believe, and both dogs were off the leash. The dog that killed the squirrel is a hunting dog, and runs all around trying to catch something. I'm sure the owners know that. It's allowed to run free, and for much of their walk, I'm quite sure the owner has no idea where it is, or what it's doing. I wonder how many squirrels and rabbits that dog has killed? Even one is too many. Parks and ravines in the area are not leash-free, and it's against the law to let dogs run free. I'm getting really ticked off with the number of people -- probably otherwise law-abiding -- who think nothing of letting their dogs run loose, defecating wherever, and scaring, injuring or killing wildlife. There have even been cases where large dogs running loose have attacked, injured and even killed small dogs on the leash. When I walk my dog, he's on a leash, and I pick up after him. Although I shouldn't need to, I also carry a big stick in case I have to beat off another dog attacking him. Those of you deliberately flouting the law are being irresponsible and inconsiderate. Shame on you. Shape up, obey the law, and be good neighbours. Walk your dogs on the leash, and stoop and scoop. The parks and ravines belong to everyone. LEN NEATH Setting the record straight In what I felt was an excellent profile (Oakville Beaver, Jan. 19 ), I ought to expand on a couple of points. First, it's true I was appointed Appleby's official part-time amateur archivist after I retired in 2001. However, in September 2007 the College appointed Tracey Krause, a full-time, well-qualified professional, as the College archivist. So now I'm an archivist rather than the archivist. Second, the windows we gave in the vestibule of the John Bell Chapel were given in memory of Midge's mother, the redoubtable Mary Fowlds Dewar, as well as her father and my parents. Midge's sister and her husband, Marci and Jim Edwards of Toronto, were partners with us in giving the windows. MICHAEL DESROCHES Pud BY STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.com 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.