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6 Independent & Free Press, Tuesday,April 6, 2010 OPINION Deadly lesson The tragic auto accident which occurred in the early hours of Saturday on a quiet Acton street should serve as a reminder for all drivers, but especially young ones, that operating a motor vehicle requires the utmost of care. While we certainly are not intimating that all, or even most, young drivers are more reckless than other drivers, the fact remains that far too often road tragedies such as the one Saturday involve young drivers. Saturday's crash, in which a 22-year-old Campbellville man died, an Erin teen was sent to a Toronto hospital in critical condition and four others suffered less serious injuries, had all the earmarks of a tragedy waiting to happen. According to Halton Police speed and alcohol were a factor-- a deadly combination, regardless of the age of the person behind the wheel. Added to that was the fact six people were crammed into a car designed to hold five-- in such a circumstance that means there was no seatbelt for at least one of the occupants. Then factor in the time of the crash (2:50 a.m). While it is now up to the courts to determine the culpability of the driver, this case should serve as a stark reminder to every young driver that being young does not mean being invulnerable. With proms just around the corner and summer days and parties on the horizon, parents should have every reason to be concerned about how and when their children make their way home. Local youth should be equally concerned that they make the right choices when it comes to finding a safe way home. Any parent would prefer a late night phone call from their child, or paying a cab fare, than answering a knock on the door from a police officer bearing bad, if not devastating, news. 905-873-0301 Publisher: Ken Nugent General manager: Steve Foreman (sforeman@independentfreepress.com) Retail advertising manager: Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@independentfreepress.com) Managing editor: John McGhie (jmcghie@independentfreepress.com) Distribution manager: Nancy Geissler (ngeissler@independentfreepress.com) Classifieds Kristie Pells (classified@independentfreepress.com) Accounting Rose Marie Gauthier Editorial Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@independentfreepress.com) Ted Brown: Photography (tbrown@independentfreepress.com) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@independentfreepress.com) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@independentfreepress.com) WEB POLL RESULTS Should Canada withdraw its military forces from Afghanistan in 2011, as scheduled, or should it maintain a military presence past 2011? · Withdraw troops in 2011 (77%) · Keep troops there beyond 2011 (23%) Steve Nease Go to www.independentfreepress.com Letters to the editor Bowling challenge a roaring success Dear editor, The organizers of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton Bowl for Kids event wish to thank Mayor Rick Bonnette and the Halton Hills community for the tremendous support we received at this year's Mayor Bonnette Bowling Challenge on March 7 at Georgetown Bowl. Former Toronto Argonaut and TSN broadcaster Matt Dunigan also attended the event. Local teams from CIBC, The Lions Club of Georgetown, the Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce, Fraser Direct, Johnson Associates Real Estate Ltd., Patlon Air Craft Industries, GMA LLP Chartered, Halton Hills Hydro and long time supporters John Henderson and Jamie Cunningham of Norval Presbyterian Church joined a team championed by Mayor Bonnette and collectively raised a new record of $10,000. All money will be directed toward local children enrolled in Big Brother Big Sister mentoring programs and 10 children will have an opportunity to attend summer camp thanks to this remarkable fundraising effort. On behalf of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton, our heartfelt thanks to all of the teams and those who supported those teams through pledges and Mayor Bonnette in particular for making this year's event the best ever. Kristin Vanderwater and Susan Coyne, event organizers formed live by each of the selected artists. Tickets will cost $5 and the CD will be available for $10. All proceeds will go to the Acton Foodshare. Everyone is invited to come and support local music and the food bank. The Acton Foodshare is also looking for local businesses and stores to join those who have already offered to stock and sell the CD on behalf of the food bank. If you would like to participate, please contact me at 905-702-7470 or go to www.actonfoodshare.com and leave an email. Tim Alberts, Acton CD support great Dear editor, The Acton Foodshare would like to thank the many songwriters who submitted material for the upcoming compilation CD, Songs For Supper. By the deadline of Feb. 26 almost 60 songs had been submitted, with many of them setting a high standard of excellence. After lots of careful listening and discussion, the panel of judges, Arlene Humphreys, Kellen Wiersma and Tim Alberts, narrowed the selection of songs to 13. Songs were chosen to represent a wide range of styles. For a full list of artists featured on the CD, go to the Acton foodshare website-- www.actonfoodshare.com Songs for Supper will be released on April 17 at the Roxy in Acton. The event will begin at 7 p.m. Songs featured on the CD will be per- Reunion planned Dear editor, I have been trying to notify people who went to Central Peel Secondary School in Brampton between 1960 and 1970 for a 50th anniversary reunion. The reunion will take place on Saturday, June 12, 2010. For more information, people interested can contact www.centralpeelalumni.com, 905-451-0432 extension 338 or cpss50th@hotmail.com. Marilyn Thomson, Brampton Letters to the editor policy Letters must include an address and daytime telephone number. Anonymous letters will not be published. Letters should not exceed 150 words and may be edited for content and/or length. E-mail: jmcghie@independentfreepress.com Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1. The Independent & Free Press The Independent & Free Press is published Tuesday and Thursday and is one of several Metroland Media Group Ltd. community newspapers. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.