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6- The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday June 3, 2006 Commentary The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-3824, ext. 224 Circulation: 845-9742 The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Guest Columnist IAN OLIVER Publisher NEIL OLIVER Associate Publisher TERI CASAS Business Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager KELLY MONTAGUE Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution ROD JERRED Managing Editor WEBSITE oakvillebeaver.com Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd., includes: Ajax/Pickering News Advertiser, Alliston Herald/Courier, Arthur Enterprise News, Barrie Advance, Caledon Enterprise, Brampton Guardian, Burlington Post, Burlington Shopping News, City Parent, Collingwood/Wasaga Connection, East York Mirror, Erin Advocate/Country Routes, Etobicoke Guardian, Flamborough Review, Georgetown Independent/Acton Free Press, Harriston Review, Huronia Business Times, Lindsay This Week, Markham Economist & Sun, Midland/Penetanguishine Mirror, Milton Canadian Champion, Milton Shopping News, Mississauga Business Times, Mississauga News, Napanee Guide, Newmarket/Aurora Era-Banner, Northumberland News, North York Mirror, Oakville Beaver, Oakville Shopping News, Oldtimers Hockey News, Orillia Today, Oshawa/Whitby/Clarington Port Perry This Week, Owen Sound Tribune, Palmerston Observer, Peterborough This Week, Picton County Guide, Richmond Hill/Thornhill/Vaughan Liberal, Scarborough Mirror, Stouffville/Uxbridge Tribune, Forever Young, City of York Guardian Towards a smoke-free Ontario Kevin Flynn Oakville MPP he Smoke-Free Ontario Act went into effect in Oakville and across the province on May 31. Under the SmokeFree Ontario Act, smoking will not be permitted in enclosed workplaces or enclosed public spaces, including retail shops, indoor shopping malls, restaurants, bars, places of entertainment, casinos, bingo and billiard halls, taxicabs and limousines. Young people will have less access to cigarettes under the Act because vendors will be even more restricted. Where cigarettes are sold, countertop displays will be banned on May 31. In 2008, there will be a complete ban on the display of tobacco products in stores. This legislation will replace the existing patchwork of municipal no-smoking bylaws, creating minimum standards across Ontario to protect people from second-hand smoke. The Act is only one piece of the province's comprehensive strategy to cut tobacco consumption. The strategy also includes programs to help smokers quit, and public education strategies for youth and First Nations communities. This year, the McGuinty government is investing an unprecedented $60 million in the Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy. Not only is this a $10 million increase over last year, it's a 600 per cent increase since the government was elected in 2003. The largest part of the increased investment pays for 100 per cent of the cost of tobacco control inspection and enforcement officers across Ontario. Additional investments will also be made in efforts aimed at preventing our young people from starting, including an expansion of the successful Youth Action Alliance to all 36 public health units province-wide. Employers, vendors, and long-term care facilities will also benefit from some assistance to help them manage their need to meet the May 31 deadline. There is a lot more that needs to be done. Every year, tobacco use claims 16,000 lives in Ontario ­ that's 308 people every week. Half of all long-term smokers die as a result of their addiction. Up to another 2,600 people each year perish from second-hand smoke. The reality is that this tragedy is preventable. Tobacco use is the number one preventable cause of death in Ontario. Health Canada figures show that consumption of tobacco products in Ontario has fallen by ten per cent since the McGuinty government was elected. I am committed to cutting tobacco consumption in Ontario by a total of 20 per cent by the end of 2007. That's equivalent to 3.2 billion cigarettes -- 3.2 billion cigarettes that won't be contributing to disease and death in Ontario. The Smoke Free Ontario Strategy succeeds only if everyone gets involved. If you're a smoker, make a resolution to quit. Call Smokers' Helpline toll-free at 1-877-513-5333, or visit Smokers' Helpline Online ­ www.smokershelpline.ca ­ to find out about the many resources that can be used to increase your chances of success. If you're an employer, co-worker, relative or friend, lend a helping hand. For more information on the Smoke-Free Ontario Act and strategy, visit www.ontario.ca/smokefree. You can also call INFOline (from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.) at 1-866396-1760, TTY at 1-800-387-5559, or the Halton Region Health Department at 1-866442-5866. Kevin Flynn RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America T THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: ATHENA Awards United Way of Oakville TV AUCTION Pondering `pompatus' and dancing The Slappy Mosquito F irst fiery blast of summer and I'm already up to my sweaty eyebrows in advisories, alerts, attacks and an all-out rebellion on the home-front. Little darlings, it's going to be a long, hot, sultry summer. I don't know why I wasn't expecting the heat ­ perhaps because it was preceded by a Victoria Day weekend that resembled Nuclear Winter ­ but I was caught off-guard when that first wave hit. The weekend was warm, but pleasant. On Sunday we actually spent the afternoon lounging in my brother's backyard, drinking frosty libations and pondering some of the deeper mysteries of life. "What is the `pompatus' of love?" Huh? "You know, in the Steve Miller song, The Joker, he sings: `Cause I speak of the pompatus of love.'" No idea. "It's weird, and I've always wondered..." Seriously, you have way too much time on your hands. Still, it was so nice to sit out because at home we haven't been able to step outside in the past month without being eaten alive. Because we live in the country, surrounded by wetlands and woods. And because, according to the locals, this is the worst mosquito season in memory. Worse than the insufferable season of '69? Damn straight, worse! Consequently, to step outside is to risk your life, or at least your blood supply. To step outside is to do the dance called The Slappy Mosquito. Not a whole lot of dignity in The Slappy Mosquito, but, then, there ain't a whole lot of dignity in any dance. Anyway, the weekend was ushered out and the work week was ushered in by brutish, unbearable heat. We don't have air conditioning. So, we flung open every Andy Juniper available window which, given the sorry state of our screens, let in every available bug. By mid-morning I was doing the indoor version of The Slappy Mosquito. And by midday the inside of our abode was hotter than it was outside. But I'm one tough old nut to crack. I didn't complain about the bugs and the heat. I just continued on with my business of doing whatever the heck it is I do. Late afternoon the kids came home from school. They've been complaining about the cool, wet weather and wishing for summer for as long as I can recall. Frankly, I was expecting them to burst through the door in a fit of joy. Instead, they slinked in and started complaining. Oh, something about a heat advisory and a smog alert, followed by a warning over the school P.A. that all recesses would be indoor and that kids should curtail any activity, strenuous or otherwise. It might as well be winter, they whined. And, to boot, they bitched, it's hotter than hell in this house! I would have tried to keep my cool amongst these ingrates, but I had no cool to keep. So I shouted something about being grateful for a sunny, hot day, and being thankful for the glorious swimming pool in the backyard. They reluctantly donned swimsuits ­ I think they were just trying to prevent me from blowing further fuses ­ and went outside. One swam for a second, then came inside to hang out in the basement until the heat went away. While the youngest refused to swim on account of a high bug count in the water. Apparently our precious little Paris Hilton won't swim if there are bugs. Little darlings, it's going to be a long, hot, sultry summer. Andy Juniper can be visited at his Web site, www.strangledeggs.com, or contacted at ajuniper@strangledeggs.com