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Pa ge 6 T hu rs da y, Ju ly 2 3, 2 01 5 - T he IF P - H al to n H ill s - w w w .th ei fp .c a The Independent & Free Press is published 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. The Independent & Free Press is a member of the Ontario Press Coun- cil, 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 Play safe Letters to the editor 905-873-0301 Publisher: Dana Robbins General manager: Steve Foreman (sforeman@theifp.ca, 905-234-1011) Retail advertising manager: Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@theifp.ca, 905-234-1012) Managing editor: Chris Vernon (cvernon@metroland.com, 905-234-1020) Distribution manager: Nancy Geissler (ngeissler@theifp.ca, 905-234-1019) Classifieds/Real Estate Kristie Pells (realestate@theifp.ca, 905-234-1016) Advertising Sales Jenny Hawkins (jhawkins@theifp.ca, 905-234-1014) Jennifer Spencer (jspencer@theifp.ca, 905-234-1013) Rachael Scutt (rscutt@theifp.ca, 905-234-1015) Kelli Kosonic (kkosonic@theifp.ca, 905-234-1018) Classified Call Centre 1-800-263-6480, Fax 1-866-299-1499 classifieds@metroland.com Accounting 1-866-773-6575 Editorial Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@theifp.ca, 905-234-1021) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/photographer (emaher@theifp.ca, 905-234-1023) Composing Shelli Harrison (sharrison@theifp.ca 905-234-1017) 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. Thanks for the heritage help Back-to-back tragedies occurred recently leaving a 14-year-old boy in critical condition after falling off his bike while riding on an Etobicoke trail, and a nine-year-old boy fighting for his life after being pinned by an all-terrain vehicle in southwestern Ontario. Five children between the ages of two to nine were riding on the ATV, none of them were wear- ing helmets or protective gear. The thread that ties the two tragedies together was the fact that no one was wearing a helmet. We can't turn back time to determine if the outcomes would have been different if they had, but we can warn parents about these tragedies in hopes that they ensure their children make safe choices in the future. And parents should follow their own advice, too. It's not an easy task to convince a teenager to put on a bicycle helmet considering the 'cool fac- tor' involved, but it is the law. Anyone under the age of 18 is required to wear a bicycle helmet in Ontario under the Highway Traffic Law. In fact, Ontario is part of just a few Canadian provinces that require youth under the age of 18 to wear a helmet. Only a handful of provinces-- British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island-- have made helmets mandatory for everyone. It's something the Ontario Coroner's Office wants to happen. In a 2012 report, the coroner concluded that all of the 129 cycling deaths in Ontario from 2006 to 2010 were preventable. Only 35 of the 129 cyclists killed were wearing helmets. The peak age for cycling deaths was 45 to 54, and 86 per cent were men. Adults should be the ones leading by example. Helmets have been proven to save lives, and chil- dren will be more inclined to strap on their safety gear if they see mom and dad are doing it too. On any given day you can find a trail of cyclists winding their way down Caledon's country roads. It's highly unlikely that you would catch any one of them not wearing a life saving helmet. The thought of a skull hitting the pavement without any protection just doesn't mix. It's not worth the risk to not wear a simple piece of equip- ment. OPINION I had the honour of attending Acoustic for ALS, organized and hosted by John Muirhead. The talent was amazing, Stand By, Small Towns, John Muirhead, Erica Knox and last but not least Sanjay B. We really enjoyed the talent and different musical genre of each performance. What I really find incredible is that one young person, John Muirhead, had the motivation to organize an event like this for a cause for which he has had little direct contact. It is so refreshing to see young people take on a charitable cause and volunteer their time and talent for that cause. The venue, Red Door Gallery, is full of impressive artwork in different me- diums. This hidden gem in downtown Georgetown should be visited by all. We are truly lucky to live in a commu- nity where young people have empathy and give so willingly. Dr. Jeff Sutherland ALS event was great, says reader The Architectural Conservancy of On- tario's Halton Hills branch would like to thank the residents of Halton Hills and the Independent & Free Press for support- ing the successful nomination of The Bar- ber Paper Mill for Heritage Canada's Top Ten Endangered Places List. This list draws national attention to sites at risk due to neglect, lack of fund- ing, inappropriate development and weak legislation. Under the title "Stakeholder Impasse Threatens Industrial Heritage Site" Heri- tage Canada states, "Since 2010, the Town of Halton Hills, the Credit Valley Conser- vation Authority and the owner/devel- oper Everlast Group Ltd., have failed to negotiate a viable site plan agreement for the adaptive reuse and mixed-use devel- opment of the Barber Mill site." The Town of Halton Hills Cultural Master Plan identifies the mill as "a heri- tage jewel and a resource that should be protected, preserved and enhanced as a community resource." As we approach the 150th anniversary of Confederation, it's time for stakehold- ers to return to the table and find a so- lution for saving this important piece of Canada's early industrial development. Patricia Farley, Branch President Architectural Conservancy of Ontario Halton Hills Letters must include the author's name, address and daytime phone number. Anony- mous letters will not be published. Letters should not exceed 150 words and may be edited for content and/or length. Publica- tion is not guar- anteed. Email: cgamble@ theifp.ca Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 77, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1. Letters policy