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6 Independent & Free Press, Tuesday,December 14, 2010 OPINION Santa Tony Marta Jurcic is going to have a merry Christmas and she has a burly bearded man to thank for that. No, it's not Santa Claus, but Tony Bischoff. Bischoff, the owner of the Tire Discounter of Acton, read about Jurcic's plight in the Dec. 2 edition of The Independent & Free Press. To recap, Jurcic, who lives in St. Thomas and is planning to relocate to Calgary, was visiting her parents at their Georgetown home late last month when she was the victim of a rather unusual crime. Sometime in the middle of the night on Nov. 29 a thief, or thieves, swiped the new tires from her 1997 Escort and, unbelievably, replaced them with worn, balding tires... and rims. Halton Police at the time said the crime was "out of the ordinary". A single mom, Jurcic was disgusted by the theft and wondered how she would come up with the cash to replace the tires before heading west. Enter Santa, er, Bischoff. Wanting to "correct this injustice" Bischoff made a couple calls and last week replaced the tires free of charge (including a balancing) at his Acton shop. Jurcic said she was "shocked" by Bischoff's kindness. Bischoff, who was not seeking any publicity, simply said, "Life is not fair at times and if we are able to help then why not do so?" (Note: another resident also called this paper and offered Jurcic four tires he had.) It seems the spirit of giving is alive and well in Halton Hills. 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 So far Halton Region has managed to dodge any major snowstorms but our luck may run out soon. How do you feel when it comes to winter weather? · The more snow the better (29%) · A light dusting at Christmas is enough (36%) Steve Nease · If it was 20C all winter it would be ideal (35%) Go to www.independentfreepress.com Letters to the editor Grieving son is thankful for efforts Dear editor, Recently I went shopping with my mom Rose and my dad at the Superstore in Georgetown. My parents are seniors and rely on me to take them out and to help them. After we checked out, my mom and I went outside to wait for my dad. My mom and I were just standing there talking to each other when all of a sudden she just collapsed. I was horrified and just kept calling out "Ma! Ma!" So many great citizens rushed to her aid. From the man and woman who did CPR to the young lady who was ripping paper towels from her purchases to hand to me. Another man called 911 for us. The ambulances and police came and they worked on my mom in the ambulance before rushing her to Georgetown Hospital where the doctors worked valiantly to save her life. My mom didn't make it. The citizens of Georgetown rallied tremendously to help. I want to thank them all so much. We want to thank Rob Blackburn, the funeral director at Jones Funeral Home and the limo driver whose name I didn't get for being so thoughtful and thorough and did such a great job in our time of sorrow. And we would like to thank Minister Paul Ivany from Norval United Church for being thoughtful, comforting and who painted a beautiful picture of my mom at the service. Thank you so much! If your mom is still alive, go to her right now and give her the biggest hug of your life. Life is fleeting; seize the moment. You'll be happy you did. I miss you so much Mama. Steve Maik and family, Georgetown experts. Wellington-Halton Hills MP Michael Chong says the experts employed are world renowned in their field. If this is the case I have to wonder what they are doing, because they tell us fluoride is good for us, mercury in tooth fillings is OK, aspartame/nutrasweet is good, and yet when it comes to lyme disease look the other way and say it does not exist. Funny that dogs can get treated, humans cannot. The problem is that natural cures are not cures that work overnight, and often take weeks or months to do their job. It's very hard to prove, and yet I personally could tell you about cures by natural means. But the government has to protect us. From what? So, exactly why is government sticking its nose in when it has nothing to complain about-- except that Health Canada needs the publicity, like in getting cribs, children's car seats, etc. off the market-- yet injuries and death by drugs-- well, that's too bad. I wish the natural health folks luck in talking to Mr. Chong-- they are certainly going to need it. And please do not hold your breath for any action. John Shadbolt, Acton 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. Publication is not guaranteed. E-mail: jmcghie@independentfreepress.com Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1. Natural cures work Dear editor, It never ceases to amaze me how the politicians tell us they have experts in the health field, working for Health Canada that know everything there is to know about natural products, and yet cannot eliminate the danger or side effects from drugs prescribed by doctors. One cannot blame the doctors; they are fed information from the The Independent & Free Press The Independent & Free Press is published Tuesday and Thursday and is one of several Metroland Media Group Ltd. community newspapers. 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