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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, S ep te m be r 12 ,2 01 9 | 12 Compost Giveaway Halton residents are invited to attend the Fall Compost Giveaway as a thank you for helping divert about 34,000 tonnes of yard waste last year. During the event, Halton residents can take up to the equivalent of seven garbage bags of compost per household. HWMS 5400 Regional Rd 25 REG IO N A L RD 25 TREM A IN E RD BRITANNIA RD Lower Base Line 401 QEW 407 Remember to bring: • Bags or containers (maximum seven garbage bags or equivalent per household) • A shovel to bag your own compost Non-perishable food items and/or cash donationswill be accepted and distributed to Halton-area food banks - your donationsmake a difference! Keep our compost clean The final compost material will be a better product by keeping these items out of your yard waste: No plastic bags Place yard waste in paper yard waste bags or reusable, rigid containers (no lid) with a yard waste label. No plastic plant pots Place clean plastic flower and plant pots in the Blue Box. No plastic toys Place used or broken pet and/or children's toys in the garbage. Helpful hint: When applying compost to your garden, blend it with topsoil or another gardening fill. For best results, apply 60 per cent topsoil and 40 per cent compost. Formore information, visit halton.ca/wasteor call 311. 09 12 19 Saturday, September 14 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. HaltonWaste Management Site 5400 Regional Road 25,Milton    Meetings at Halton Region, 1151 Bronte Rd., Oakville, L6M 3L1 Visit halton.ca for full schedule. Oct 16 9:30 a.m. Regional Council Please contact us, as soon as possible, if you have any accessibility needs at Halton Region events or meetings. If you're looking for job or career opportunities, visit Employment Halton's job fair on Tuesday, September 24, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Oakville Conference Centre, located at 2515Wyecroft Road in Oakville. Job seekers are encouraged to bring their resumés and network with local employers from the technology sector, government, manufacturing, retail, hospitality, long-term care and more. Employment Halton offers services online and in-person through the Region's employment resource centres in Oakville and Milton. To learn more about Halton's employment services, visit halton.ca or call 311. Gary Carr Regional Chair Find employment opportunities at Halton's job fair September 24 Health Canada put out an advisory against vaping on Sept. 4. This comes on the heel of nearly 200 U.S. cases of respiratory ill- nesses and one death un- der investigation for ties to vaping. There's a lot we don't know about the risks of vaping, but Health Canada says outright that preg- nant women, young people and non-smokers should not vape. I agree. Vaping is the act of us- ing a device, like an e-ciga- rette, to heat a liquid until it becomes aerosolized into a vapour. The vapour is then inhaled and exhaled. Thought to be safer than smoking, vaping is often used by patients as a way to quit smoking. It is unclear how vaping compares to other harm reduction products like the nicotine patch or Zyban. Unfortu- nately, the safety of vaping is questionable, with more evidence coming out about its risks: • Vaping nicotine prod- ucts exposes people to nico- tine, and depending on the concentration, they could be exposed to as much nico- tine just as if they were smoking cigarettes. • Vaping nicotine can raise blood pressure, heart rate, increase the workload on the heart, and may in- crease the risk of heart at- tacks and strokes. • Nicotine is an addictive substance and there are concerns about vaping be- ing a gateway to smoking - especially among teens. • Chemical analysis of the vaping liquid has been inconsistent with the man- ufacturers' labelling. • Nicotine-containing products often contain more nicotine than indicat- ed on the label. • Worse, many products labelled nicotine-free also contain nicotine. • Compounds such as tin, lead, nickel and arsenic have been found in e-ciga- rette liquids and vapour. • Young children are at risk of swallowing the liq- uid and getting nicotine- poisoning. • The consequences of inhaling vapour are large- ly unknown, and levels of toxic and cancer-causing compounds vary by the liq- uid and the device used. • Vaping is associated with cough, phlegm and asthma symptoms, partic- ularly among teens. Nadia Alam is a Georgetown physician and past president of the Onta- rio Medical Association. She can be reached at na- dia.alam@oma.org. OPINION RISKS OF VAPING LARGELY UNKNOWN RECENT EVIDENCE NOT ENCOURAGING, WRITES DR. ALAM NADIA ALAM Column Upper Credit Humane Society volunteers celebrate the organization's 16th anniversary with a community open house. Those who stopped by enjoyed shelter tours, face painting, games and a vendor market. The local humane society has adopted 305 animals so far this year and currently has 40 cats, five dogs, two guinea pigs and one rabbit waiting for adoption. For more information visit uppercredit.com. Melanie Hennessey/Torstar FOR 4-LEGGED FRIENDS