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•T he IF P• H al to n H ill s •T hu rs da y, J un e 20 , 2 01 3 6 OPINION The recent tragic crash of an Ornge air ambulance near Moosonee, Ont. drives home the very real risk that thousands of men and women in our province face every day they leave for work. First responders-- paramedics, police officers and firefighters-- quite simply never know when their next day on the job could be their last. Flight paramedic Chris Snowball of neighbouring Burlington knew the risk in- volved in venturing skyward to assist the sick and injured in mostly remote Ontario locations -- helping stabilize them, before loading them safely into an air ambulance for transport to medical facilities some- times hundreds of kilometres away. According to his father, Snowball died doing what he loved to do -- helping people when they desperately needed his help. Helping people is the common thread that binds career choices in policing, fire- fighting and emergency medical services. These are the people who walk into burning buildings, scenes of violence and sites of human tragedy-- unafraid when most of us would yield to the conditioned response to turn and run. Our first responders are out there wait- ing for an opportunity to make a difference in people's lives during what are often life- and-death moments when every second and every decision counts. While all our first responders may not receive citations for their efforts, they all deserve our thanks for making our streets a little safer and for giving us the peace of mind that in our time of need, help is al- ways on the way. 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 First-rate responders Steve Nease Letters to the editor Dear editor, I wanted to thank everyone involved with the recently held Georgetown Acton Walk for ALS. Friends, who come for the walk from all over Canada, marvel at the positive fun atmosphere that has be- come so much part of the walk. People from ALS Canada are astounded with the ability of our little town to raise much more funds than other much larger places. I proudly explain to everyone that the reason for the success of this and so many other deserving causes is that we are still a "community." Our local ALS Walk is so successful for many reasons, including young Abby and her lemonade stand, the Matthews kids and their recycling program and not so young Grant canvassing his neigh- bourhood. Our town businesses and merchants always come through with a corpo- rate donation or an item for the many silent auction tables. Certainly another good reason we should shop local! With so many other likewise deserv- ing causes we feel extremely fortunate to have this community behind our cause and look forward to breaking the $1 million mark at our sixth-annual Walk next year! Jeff Sutherland, Georgetown Letters policy 905-873-0301 Publisher: Dana Robbins 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) Do you think Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion should have been ousted from office? No (66%) Yes (34%) WEB POLL RESULTS (Go to www.theifp.ca) Community makes Walk a success Old photos needed Parking no problem them and give them right back to you. If anyone has anything they think might be of use you can email me at Katie@georgetownhomecoming.com or call me 905-873-4417. Katie Downes, Georgetown 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 Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1. Dear editor, I am looking for old pictures taken in Georgetown or in our hamlets. I'm trying to help gather images for an archive of Georgetown images for everyone to see and enjoy and am also working on a project that requires old pictures-- especially of people and vehicles. Old cars or business vehicles like the one used by the 'milkman' for example, even a horse and buggy would be wonderful. As long as the image is from our area, that's all that matters. I am not looking to keep these im- ages, just scanned versions of them. If you don't have a scanner I can scan Dear editor, Re: June 13 letter Parking limit 'burns' shopper. The sign says "2 Hour Parking", so don't complain if you get a ticket for staying longer than two hours. Why the rule? There are 50 parking spots on the street and more than 200 long-term parking spots located within walking distance. If you're doing a quick errand, you can usually find a spot. You can usu- ally find street front spaces because employees and shoppers staying awhile park in the long-term areas. Without parking tickets, would everyone be as respectful? I suspect not. Downtown Georgetown is a unique, friendly and charming place to be. Let's share the space and enjoy it together. Lois Fraser, Halton Hills