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6 ·The IFP· Halton Hills ·Thursday, June 14, 2012 OPINION Nature calls At this time of year, our chances of coming into direct contact with wildlife increases. For example, Conservation Halton is asking residents who see turtles, snakes or frogs along the road, to submit your observations online by using the CH Road Ecology Survey, which is on the CH website www.conservationhalton.ca. Data collected helps CH better understand the need for safe wildlife crossings and effective landscape planning. Also, as you head out to enjoy the Bruce Trail or any number of beautiful local landscapes, keep an eye open for wild animals. Though beautiful to watch from afar, you never know how an animal is going to react, so exercise caution. Should you come across an animal which appears sick or wounded, the Ministry of Natural Resources reminds us what to do. If you can get close enough safely, don't take the animal home with you or otherwise move it, as picking it up may cause more harm than good. When animals do need help, they require specialized care to recover properly and return to the wild. You may also come across an animal that looks like it's been abandoned-- don't assume that is what happened. Some species leave their well-camouflauged offspring alone for part of the day to reduce the chances of attracting predators to them. If an animal seems to have been abandoned, leave it be and check back periodically to see if it is still around. Keep dogs and cats away from the area, as the parent may not return if predators or people are nearby. For help assessing the situation, call 1-800-667-1940 or visit ontario.ca/mnroffices to contact the local district office. To report dead wildlife, including birds or bats, call the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre at 1-866-673-4781. 905-873-0301 Publisher: Ken Nugent General manager: Steve Foreman (sforeman@theifp.ca) Retail advertising manager: Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@theifp.ca) Managing editor: John McGhie (jmcghie@theifp.ca) Distribution manager: Nancy Geissler (ngeissler@theifp.ca) Classifieds Kristie Pells (classified@theifp.ca) Accounting Rose Marie Gauthier Editorial Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@theifp.ca) Ted Brown: Photography (tbrown@theifp.ca) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@theifp.ca) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@theifp.ca) Letters policy Letters must include an address and daytime phone 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 Anonymous letters will not be published.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. Email: jmcghie@theifp.ca Steve Nease Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1. Letters to the editor Town, schools should team up Dear editor, As a parent of three children who are quickly growing past the splash pad stage, I wonder what our politicians are going to do about the poor level of services in the core of Georgetown? Right now there is just one pool within four kilometres of the downtown, and that pool has no open swim times and appears to be completely closed in the summer. Our one ice rink that is within two and a half kilometres of downtown (which is as far as most kids could be expected to walk, especially in the winter) is scheduled to be closed soon as well. This is not the way you encourage teens and pre-teens to stay active, nor is it the way to encourage a community to be green. Meanwhile, if our children sign up for sports in the summer where do they go? The Gellert Centre, of course-- more than four kilometres from the downtown, thus always requiring someone to drive them there. Simple low-cost solutions do exist. Work in partnership with the schools that have large playgrounds with old equipment needing to be replaced. Their fields are vacant in the summer, for the most part, thus a deal where the Town is responsible for maintenance in the summer while the school is in the winter, with costs for rebuild/repair split 50-50, would be a fair way to go about business (or even make the users pay the full cost if demand is that high). Set up mini-libraries at the schools that are open to the public year-round and tie it in with the Town's library, again on a cost-split basis. These simple ideas would allow better services for our children and for all Halton Hills residents. There is only one taxpayer so let's hear our Town council and school board representatives talk about working together rather than being in their own silos. John Northey, Georgetown inspection. Their reviewing officer was a good speaker, but there was not a word spoken about it being the 68th anniversary of D-Day. I close with: `Lest We Forget, Lest We Forget'. A very disappointed Normandy vet. Shell Lawr, Georgetown Bell wins both ways Dear editor, Once again, Bell Canada has figured out how to increase its net income without raising the ire of its customers with a monthly rate increase. Firstly, the $2 increase for computer customers who will receive a printed detailed bill mailed to them; secondly, cost savings for not printing and mailing for those customers who will not receive a printed bill and elect to have it sent by email. To print or not to print at the same time is an ingenious way of increasing net income. While commendations are probably in order for reducing paper use and our environment footprint (as Bell's justification states for the $2 extra charge), no doubt the real reason is more closely related to improving income by an extra fee of $2 for printing bills, plus cost savings for not printing and mailing bills. P. Bruce, Georgetown WEB POLL RESULTS (Go to www.theifp.ca) Would you support a municipal ban prohibiting retailers from giving out or selling any plastic shopping bags as was done in Toronto? · No (71%) · Yes (29%) D-Day forgotten Dear editor, June 6, 1944 (D-Day) is one of the most famous days in Canada's military history, yet last week there was not one word published marking the event in any of our daily newspapers. June 6, 2012 , I was in attendance at Georgetown Armoury watching the Georgetown Army Cadets' annual 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.