The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

6 Independent & Free Press,Thursday, May 20, 2010 OPINION On the roads This holiday weekend marks the unofficial start of the summer season. While the heat and humidity of summer may be a few weeks away, the Victoria Day holiday is one of the busiest when it comes to our roadways. This week-- May 18-24-- has strategically been chosen as Canada Road Safety Week, a national campaign designed to make this country's roads the safest in the world. Canada Road Safety Week is sponsored by Transport Canada and endorsed by police services across the country and is part of Road Safety Vision 2010. The focus during Canada Road Safety Week will be on behaviours that reduce risks for drivers, passengers and other road users: sober and alert driving, seat belt use, not using hand-held communication devices and refraining from all aspects of aggressive driving. This will also be the focus of the Halton Regional Police Service. "Anyone can become a victim of unsafe driving whether by direct involvement or when a loved one is affected," says Halton Police Chief Gary Crowell. "Police agencies across the country are collaborating on this project because they have seen this kind of devastation and because they know that the involvement of the driving public is essential to achieve safer streets and highways." In Halton, there were nine deaths and more than 1,170 serious injury vehicle collisions in 2009. These are just numbers, but they represent a lot of pain and heartache for members of our community that could have been prevented. Drivers can expect to see more officers stationed at key locations throughout Halton and other municipalities in an effort to drive home the message that attentive driving and adhering to the rules of the road means everyone has a better chance of having an enjoyable summer. 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 An all-party committee of MPs has refused the AuditorGeneral's demand to examine MPs' spending habits. Should the Auditor-General have the authority to conduct a performance audit of federal politicians? · Yes (94%) · No (6%) Steve Nease Go to www.independentfreepress.com Letters to the editor Potential exists for Lyme disease Dear editor, Due to the warmer than normal winter conditions, the "nasties" are out a little earlier than usual. It is time we are all on the lookout for odd-looking bites from insects or ticks-- anything that looks unusual and or has made you not feel well. You should always take photos of any strange-looking bite sites or rashes. If all of a sudden you come down with odd flu-like symptoms you may have been infected with Lyme disease. The bite site may be a very odd rash or target type lesion or may not be seen at all. Do not ignore these symptoms and make sure you get a knowledgeable opinion from a Lyme disease-aware doctor. Not waiting could save you a lifetime of sickness. If this target rash is seen, get treatment first-- you should be placed on appropriate antibiotics for a minimum of three weeks. Then, if the condition persists, think of getting proper bloodwork done, but be aware this blood serology is very unreliable in Canada with too many false negatives. Lyme disease, if it goes undiagnosed, can present itself as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, MS, ALS, bi-polar, depression or Alzheimer's disease. We all should know these conditions could possibly be late-stage Lyme disease. Any one of these can potentially be life-threatening. There are many resources to search for information on Lyme disease. These include: The Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation at www.canlyme.org and Ilads (International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society) at www.ilads.org. Remember that you are not alone. Lyme disease outpaces most other infectious diseases around the world. Canada has a hard time with this fact, thus many suffer needlessly. If you suspect you may be infected, try to find some who does know about this epidemic. Keith Poullos, GTA Lyme Disease Support Group, Limehouse needed". Residents identified infrastructure maintenance and future planning as top priorities. This year alone Halton has committed $362 million to infrastructure needs, including many of the locations addressed by Ms. Keenie. Winston Churchill Boulevard at Five Sideroad will be improved as part of construction commencing this year with the Region of Peel. The widening of Steeles Avenue to four lanes from Trafalgar Road to Winston Churchill Boulevard, scheduled to commence in 2012, will include improvements at Ninth Line. Improvements at Trafalgar Road and Five Sideroad, will be considered this year, as part of a Short-Term Intersection and Operation Review of Trafalgar Road from Steeles Avenue to Highway 7. Our Building a Better Halton campaign will provide information about our 2010 infrastructure work. To find out more about Halton's construction plans, dial 311 or visit our website at www.halton.ca/construction. Tim Dennis, Director of Transportation Services Halton Region 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. 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. Roadwork coming Dear editor, I am writing to respond to Terry Keenie's May 10 letter "Roadwork