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7 | The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,F ebruary 4,2021 theifp.ca Dr. Caroline Teske & Associates - Optometrists 99 Sinclair Avenue, Suite 310, Georgetown, ON www.eyesfocusedonyou.ca Follow Us! Dr. Caroline Teske Dr. Kari Stashuk We Offer Vision Therapy And Syntonics Light Therapy! VISION THERAPY can help with: • Concussion or brain injury • Attention deficit disorders • Sports performance enhancement • Lazy eye or eye turn • Depth perception problems • Stroke Did You Know Eyes Are An Extension Of The Brain? We Can Train The Brain! SYNTONICS or light therapy can help with: • Headache • Stress/emotional overload • Focusing problems • Learning difficulties For More Information Call 905-702-1616 A young child highlight- ed the difficulty of keeping people off frozen stormwa- ter ponds by wandering on- to one as Oakville Fire chief Paul Boissonneault gave a safety talk on the subject Jan. 27. At around 3 p.m., the fire chief was near a stormwa- ter management pond dis- cussing the importance of staying off the ice when a child, who appeared to be six-to-eight years old, could be seen walking onto the ice on the other side of the pond. The child left the ice on their own after a few mo- ments, before nearby bylaw enforcement officers could intervene. "That's exactly what we're talking about," said Boissonneault. "We have to have parents talk to their children about safety and staying away from these shorelines." Footprints visible in the snow at other parts of this pond show this child was not the only one to step on- to the ice recently. Halton police said that over the past few weeks they have received numerous calls about people playing or skating on unsafe ice. On Jan. 23, they took to Twitter warning that out- door ice will never be com- pletely safe. They said venturing out onto unsafe ice (including ice now forming on storm- water management ponds) puts the lives of residents, bystanders and first re- sponders at risk. On Dec. 19 an 11-year-old boy died after falling through the ice of a storm- water pond in Milton. "Just because there looks to be ice, that does not mean that ice is safe," said Boissonneault. "Stormwater manage- ment ponds can be ex- tremely dangerous. They were never built with the intention of fulfilling recre- ational activities, and we need to take this very seri- ously." The fire chief noted flowing water, air tempera- ture, sunshine, wind, pollu- tion run-off such as road salt and snow all impact the thickness of stormwater pond ice, making it unpre- dictable. He said it only takes a moment for hypothermia and drowning to take place after a child, adult or pet falls through the ice. The chief said parents need to talk to their chil- dren to make sure they stay away from the shorelines of stormwater ponds, flood- ing canals, rivers or any other bodies of water. "We want people to en- joy the winter activities outdoors, but we need to have them do so safely and ensure that they stay off the ice," said Boisson- neault. The fire chief's safety talk is part of a joint winter safety campaign launched by the Town of Oakville, the City of Burlington, the Town of Halton Hills, the Town of Milton and Con- servation Halton to edu- cate residents about the dangers associated with waterways this time of year. Municipal officials said residents can practice wa- ter safety and stay safe this winter by remembering: • To keep family mem- bers and pets away from all bodies of water • Not to follow pets or people on the ice or attempt to rescue, and call 911 for asssistance • Avoid recreational ac- tivities in or around water- ways, and check with your local municipality for alter- native outdoor skating op- portunities. NEWS CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED TO KEEP PEOPLE OFF UNSAFE ICE DAVID LEA dlea@metroland.com Oakville Fire chief Paul Boissonneault discusses the importance of staying off the ice of stormwater ponds. David Lea/Metroland "Stormwater management ponds can be extremely dangerous. They were never built with the intention of fulfilling recreational activities and we need to take this very seriously." - Oakville Fire Chief Paul Boissonneault