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•Th e IF P• H al to n H ill s • Th ur sd ay , N ov em be r 2 0, 2 01 4 6 OPINION It's Movember and, by now, you've likely no- ticed a number of the men in your workplaces and perhaps even homes sporting new mous- taches-- or moustaches-in-progress, at the very least. And while not every man can pull off the Tom Selleck look, the purpose behind Movember isn't to cultivate the best facial hair, but rather to in- crease awareness about a host of men's health issues, including prostate and testicular cancers. Attempting to educate men about mental- health issues and encouraging them to seek treatment, if necessary, is becoming an equal- ly important aspect of the campaign. On its website, the Movember Foundation notes one in five Canadians will experience a mental-health issue this year. It also highlights the fact that the average life expectancy for a man in Canada is 80 years, four years less than for women, and that avoid- able mortality accounted for close to three- quarters of premature deaths among men. The reasons behind the statistics are com- plex, but some recognized contributors include a lack of awareness of men's health issues, dis- comfort talking about health issues and reluc- tance to seek help when feeling physically or mentally unwell. The fact that Movember has gradually ex- panded from its original focus on men's can- cers to also include mental health is good news. Awareness campaigns in recent years have eroded some long-held misconceptions, but progress has been slow. Unlike physical ailments, too many in society hold the view that mental illnesses are something that one should simply "deal with" or "get over." Thankfully, campaigns such as Movember do seem to be achieving their aim of raising awareness. That said, Movember is but a sin- gle month and, like many illnesses, mental ail- ments persist throughout the year. The Independent & Free Press is published Thursday and is one of sev- eral Metroland Media Group Ltd. community newspapers. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copy- right. Unauthorized use is prohibited. The Independent & Free Press is a member of the Ontario Press Council, which is an independent ethical organization established to deal with editorial concerns. For additional information or to file a complaint, contact info@ ontpress.com or call 416- 340-1981. The Independent & Free Press Grow one Letters to the editor Santa is coming to Town. What age do you tell your kids Santa Claus does not exist? • What do you mean Santa doesn't exist? (83%) • 8 (8%) • Right from the start (7%) • 5 (2%) WEB POLL RESULTS (Go to www.theifp.ca) 905-873-0301 Publisher: Dana Robbins General manager: Steve Foreman (sforeman@theifp.ca) Retail advertising manager: Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@theifp.ca) Managing editor: Chris Vernon (cvernon@metroland.com) Distribution manager: Nancy Geissler (ngeissler@theifp.ca) Classifieds/Real Estate Kristie Pells (classified@theifp.ca or realestate@theifp.ca) Classified Call Centre 1-855-415-8237 haltonhillsclassads@metroland.com Accounting 1-866-773-6575 Editorial Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@theifp.ca) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@theifp.ca) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@theifp.ca) Get the latest headlines delivered to your inbox by signing up for our twice weekly electronic newsletter. Go to www.theifp.ca and click on 'Newsletter sign-up' at the bottom of the homepage. The 24th Annual Scout/Guide Food Drive for the Georgetown Bread Basket took place on Satur- day, Nov. 1 this year and thanks to the generosity of the Georgetown Community more than eight tonnes of food was collected and $700. Although this total was lower than previous years, which may have been due to the fact that it fell on the day after Halloween, it's a tremendous boost to the food bank's inventory. The Georgetown Bread Basket is a non-denominational food bank run completely by a volunteer board and more than 100 volunteers that serve approximately 300 clients and their families. In addition, to showing their sup- port with food donations, 80 volun- teers showed up at the Georgetown Alliance Church to help sort and box food and get it onto the shelves of the food bank. Unfortunately, there was about 2,000 pounds of expired food that had to be discarded representing more than 10 per cent of the food collected. We cannot give out expired food so we ask that area residents keep that in mind for future food drives, as disposing of this food only adds to an already busy, busy day for vol- unteers. Check out our website, george- townbreadbasket.ca to find out about December events like Cram a Cruiser and Fill the Shopping Cart. Georgetown Bread Basket Food bank says thanks Michael Chong was way off base: reader Letters must include the author's name, address and daytime phone number. Anonymous letters will not be published. Letters should not exceed 150 words and may be edited for con- tent and/or length. Publication is not guaranteed. Email: cvernon@metroland.com Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 77, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1. Letters policy RE: Michael Chong's column. I wonder how two drug addicts, one with an automatic car and one with an old Winchester, that unfor- tunately decide to kill two Canadi- ans can become extremists intent on ending Canadian democracy. The writer has obviously been smoking or drinking something that puts his propaganda agenda into operation. It would be nice if Mr. Chong represented, us, the people who pay his wages, rather than his party line that is idiotic. Just imagine, extremists who are usually well armed killing with obsolete weapons. Makes no sense at all. John Shadbolt, Acton