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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, Ja nu ar y 25 ,2 01 8 | 6 The Georgetown Independent & Free Press, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corpora- tion. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. The Independent & Free Press is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the newspaper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca newsroom@theifp.ca IndependentAndFreePress @IFP_11 ABOUT US The Independent & Free Press 280 Guelph Street, Unit 77 Georgetown, ON L7G 4B1 Phone: 905-873-0301 Classifieds: 905-234-1016 Fax: 905-873-0398 Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 200 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail ssoles@metroland.com or call 905-234-1019. CONTACT US Publisher Neil Oliver General Manager Steve Foreman Retail Advertising Manager Cindi Campbell Regional Managing Editor Chris Vernon Regional Managing Digital Editor Robyn Wilkinson Distribution Representative Iouliana Polar Classified/Real Estate Kristie Pells Regional Production Manager Manuel Garcia Production Shelli Harrison WHO WE ARE OPINION • EDITORIAL • • LETTERS & COMMENTARY • A terrible albeit preventable tragedy in Oshawa re- cently should serve as a sobering reminder to all of us that working smoke alarms are an absolute must in every dwelling. Recently, a fire at 116 Centre St. N. in Durham - which investigators determined had originated on the main level in the kitchen area - claimed the lives of Lindsey Bonchek and her children, nine-year-old Maddie and four-year-old Jack and neighbour Steven Macdonald, who also lived in the divided house. Macdonald was actively attempting to help others escape the fire before becoming trapped in the burning building. The Ontario Fire Marshal investigation into the trag- ic circumstances that led to the fire revealed a piece of disheartening, frustrating news. Although there was wiring in the house used in the installation of smoke alarms, investigators said there wasn't a single working smoke alarm in the home - one that might have provided a warning and perhaps pre- cious seconds to allow some or all of the victims to es- cape the burning building. The knowledge that something so tragic was also so preventable shook Rick Derstroff, fire investigations supervisor for the Ontario Fire Marshal, to his core at a press conference. "It makes it even worse when you have young chil- dren involved, so there's going to be an empty desk at school," said Derstroff, who was visibly shaken when delivering the news. All homeowners, landlords and tenants should test their smoke alarms right now. It's the law that all landlords and homeowners have working smoke alarms on every level of their home and outside all sleeping areas, as well as working carbon monoxide alarms. If you haven't already done so, go home; check your smoke detectors to make sure they work. Don't wait. Doing so just might save your life and those of your family members. If the deadly, tragic events of Jan. 8 don't move you to action to ensure there are working smoke alarms on every level of your home, then surely nothing will. The devices are cheap compared to the cost of a life. Working smoke alarms an absolute essential in dwellings We're living in a culture of fear To the editor: "The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. We're teaching the wrong things. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn't work, don't buy it." This quote from Tues- days with Morrie is an ex- cellent way to sum up the kind of culture we live in: the culture of fear. Taking parents as an ex- ample, children are being taught the concept of "stranger danger." Teach- ing this to our children is one of the worst things a parent can do. Taken too far, it creates a sense of mistrust among strangers. Most child kidnap victims are taken by a family mem- ber in a custody battle, but we are fine with leaving our children alone with family. The culture of fear has also caused a mass amount of consumption in society and everyone is victim to it. What happens is, compa- nies promote fear to make people buy their product. For example, home securi- ty systems show commer- cials of robbers breaking in and being scared by an alarm. Though, the num- ber of robberies is drop- ping, and the number of homes with alarm systems is rising. Brendan Devlin Let's be clear on immigration 1. Canada Pension Plan benefits must be earned and are determined by how much is contributed and how many years are put in. Poorly paid and precari- ously employed workers, among others, receive much less than the maxi- mum. The average month- ly amount paid out in 2017 was $642.92. 2. Seniors receive OAS and, if they qualify, GIS, only after a lifetime of work. 3. Immigrants (not refu- gees) do not receive any benefits, financial or other- wise. In my time, immi- grants did not receive one cent and I am not aware of any change. They had to prove they had enough money to keep going for at least six months. 4. Immigrants (not refu- gees) do not qualify for OHIP for six months. If they need treatment, they must pay. 5. Subsidized long-term care, medical equipment, prescription medication and "free" home care ser- vices -- again, only after a lifetime of work. Yes, there is a humani- tarian dimension to refu- gees and, yes, we need peo- ple to keep our economy going when we retire, but let's be clear on who gets what and why. Maurice Simm Letters to the Editor See what our readers are saying about the issues that matter to them. www.theifp.ca/letters