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6 Independent & Free Press, Wednesday, June 20, 2007 OPINION Pro-active approach benefits us all Halton residents are fortunate to live in a community with such a pro-active health department. Regional health officials routinely tackle issues that impact both the quality and quantity of life we enjoy. They educate us, inform us and frequently shock us with statistics related to social, environmental and global risks to our well being. Teen suicide, West Nile virus, air quality, mould in school portables, doctor shortages, obesity, smoking bans, pandemic planning, SARS and teen drug use have all been topics Halton's health department has brought to our attention in the last five years. Since 1990, the point man on all issues related to public health in Halton has been Dr. Bob Nosal. While he is quick to deflect credit for Halton's successes-- preferring instead to applaud his department's staff and invaluable alliances that have been forged between the health department, hospitals, local municipalities, school boards and countless regional social service agencies-- Nosal has been the driving force toward improving and protecting the health of Halton's citizens. More than a dozen years before the Ontario government banned smoking in all public indoor spaces and workplaces, Nosal was speaking out against secondhand smoke's costly impact to individuals and our health-care system. His relentless anti-smoking message convinced councils in all four Halton municipalities to enact smoking bylaws several years before the province finally took action. The health department has also played a significant role in making us aware of new threats that have emerged, such as West Nile virus. Halton's health department has a simple mandate-- to protect and promote health and prevent disease. Instead of sitting idly by for direction from a higher level of government, Nosal and his staff prefer to be on the leading edge of health promotion. It is largely because of their efforts that we enjoy such a high quality of life. www.independentfreepress.com Phone: 905-873-0301 Fax: 905-873-0398 Steve Nease STAFF DIRECTORY Publisher Ken Nugent Advertising director Steve Foreman (sforeman@independentfreepress.com) Retail advertising manager Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@independentfreepress.com) Managing editor John McGhie (jmcghie@independentfreepress.com) Distribution manager Nancy Geissler (distribution@independentfreepress.com) ADVERTISING Advertising co-ordinator Jennifer Christie (jchristie@independentfreepress.com) Retail Sales: Jennifer Spencer (jspencer@independentfreepress.com) Adam Spinney (aspinney@independentfreepress.com) Andrew Key (akey@independentfreepress.com) Amy Sykes (features@independentfreepress.com) Real estate: Sue Spizziri (realestate@independentfreepress.com) Classifieds: Kristie Pells (classified@independentfreepress.com) ACCOUNTING Rose Marie Gauthier, Michelle Wimmer EDITORIAL Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@independentfreepress.com) Ted Brown: Photography (tbrown@independentfreepress.com) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@independentfreepress.com) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@independentfreepress.com) PRODUCTION: Mary Lou Foreman, Kevin Powell, Shelli Harrison, Dolores Black, Debbie MacDougall LETTERS TO THE EDITOR It's time for Ontario to `come on board' Dear editor, We have been heartened by the comments in support of our last letter where we expressed concern about the lack of adequate resources for residents in long-term care homes. In particular, restricting raw food funding to $5.46 per day boggles the mind when we know one trip to McDonald's can cost more than that. We are grateful for Gord Moore's letter from the Ontario Command, Royal Canadian Legion, because he points out the need for the involvement of the Ombudsman in Ontario's health care system, including long-term care. This is supported by the federal government and other provinces and it is time for Ontario to come on board. Ontario's Bill 140 will take staff time away from direct resident care because of increased paperwork and administration, unless it comes with some new funding. We don't want resident care to deteriorate as a result of these proposed changes. We know the Royal Canadian Legion is a strong supporter of long-term care and its foundation "puts its money where its mouth is". We hope the Province of Ontario will do the same thing for long-term care residents. Ruth Donaldson, Bennett Health Care Centre Residents' Council Something bugging you? Send us a letter! Letters to the editor must include an address and daytime telephone number. Unsigned letters will not be published. Letters should not exceed 200 words and may be edited for content and/or length. Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1 E-mail: jmcghie@independentfreepress.com Hornby Nursery school fun day netted $3,900 Dear editor, On June 2, Hornby Cooperative Nursery School held our annual Family Fun Day and silent auction. The day was a huge success raising over $3,900. This money will help improve our current programs which include a morning preschool program, an afternoon Kindergarten enrichment program as well as a summer camp. A big thank you to all of the Hornby families that helped organize the event as well as the local businesses in Milton and Halton Hills that donated items to the silent auction. For further information about the school please call 905-878-5211. Meaghan Christie, President, Hornby Cooperative Nursery School Theft from car dismays resident Dear editor, Recently I went to bed and unknowingly (silly me) left my car unlocked with my handbag inside. To my surprise, in the morning, my bag was taken from my car. My mother's cell phone, bank card, credit cards, health cards and all other receipts were thrown around the neighborhood. The important things I am missing are my great-grandmother's watch that was left to me after she died and my Palm Pilot. My husband and I have a daughter with special needs and this is a very important life-line to all her doctor's appointment and doctor's numbers. This morning she asked my husband, who is a Peel police officer, why mommy was crying and he said that someone had taken mommy's purse. She has now created her own mission to find the "bad guys" so mommy can be happy. I really don't care who did it other than for them to understand how their actions affect other's lives, people who work hard and people who would give the shirt off their back for someone. If they needed money or needed anything my husband and I are the type of people to help. I don't know if you can help but this whole thing leaves a pit in my stomach and I would hope that other kids, or people, doing this would understand how much it affects the people they are taking from. It would be easier for me to grasp if this was done by a hardened criminal and I had fallen into his trap, but I know by my personal property being thrown away this wasn't someone looking to steal my identity. Lindsay Bouwkamp, Georgetown THE INDEPENDENT & FREE PRESS The Independent & Free Press is published every Wednesday and Friday at 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown Ont., L7G 4B1. It is one of several newspapers published by Metroland Media Group Ltd. 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