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6- The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday June 4, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com OPINION & LETTERS 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 Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: The Oakville Beaver is a division of IAN OLIVER Group Publisher Media Group Ltd. NEIL OLIVER Publisher DAVID HARVEY General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director SANDY PARE Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution ALEXANDRIA ANCHOR Circ. Manager Good riddance Anyone visiting a convenience store or other establishment that sells tobacco products in the past few days might have noticed the vast empty space behind most counters where cigarette packages sat row upon row. The so-called "powerwalls" are now a thing of the past as a result of the Province's Smoke-Free Ontario Act. The colourful retail displays have been front and centre in most stores for years, but as of May 31, they have gone the way of the dinosaur -- all in a effort to deter young people from using tobacco products. "Many young people who begin to use tobacco do not fully understand the consequences," said Dr. Bob Nosal, Medical Officer of Health for Halton Region. "Limiting access to tobacco products, along with ongoing awareness and education efforts, should act as a powerful and timely deterrent." We have staunchly supported virtually every government, health department and municipal initiative to curb smoking over the years. While we doubt this latest move will do much to get those who currently smoke to stop puffing, we believe this approach may help thwart some impulse smokers, particularly young ones, from starting. It may also deter smokers who are trying to quit from buying a pack. The banning of smoking in public places and workplaces, negative advertising on cigarette packages, and numerous anti-smoking programs have all contributed in reducing the number of smokers in Ontario. This is just another step towards making Ontario smoke-free. While retailers may feel some pain from this decision, we're sure those who opt to use the powerwall space for other "impulse" items will quickly make up the difference in any lost revenue. We hope this "out of sight, out of mind" approach leads to what we eventually would like to see -- getting tobacco products out of people's hands altogether. The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR As a resident of southeast Oakville of 25 years, I was horrified to learn that Chisholm School could be closed This local school educated my three children and they have wonderful memories of walking to the local school, coming home for lunch if they so desired, and being in a local community school. This seems to be a short-sighted decision, as many empty nesters in this area are now considering downsizing and young families are moving in, thus increasing the student population base. School board should abide by PARC recommendation and keep Chisholm open Both the PARC Committee and the Director of Education have recommended that Chisholm Public School remain open. Chisholm is a modern school (34 years) with all the features of a new facility. · Fully wheelchair accessible · Air conditioned · Full size gym with stage ·Separate music, conference, staff and special education rooms. Furthermore, the Halton District School Board (HDSB) has demonstrated confidence in Chisholm by spending close to $1 million over the last five years in capital improvements. Chisholm is a 3.9 acre site that can house the required number of students. It can easily accommodate additional classrooms needed for full-time Kindergarten and the addition of Grade 6 and has the lowest proposed renovation costs. Chisholm has a sustainable school population. According to HDSB 2007 numbers, Chisholm has a JK-6 walking community of 416 students within a 1.6 km radius, considerably larger than Clearview, which has a JK-6 walking community of only 288 declining to 233 by 2015. As a viable and sustainable 100 per cent walk-to school there are no transportation costs, saving on pollution and the environment. Closing Chisholm Public School is a mismanagement of existing resources. MAIRE, DERMOT, PHILIP AND CONOR MURPHY Cancer patient says thanks Pud I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the drivers at the Oakville Cancer Society -- I have personally required help driving to Princess Margaret Hospital and they never failed to be there for me -- so this is a very grateful thank you, especially as this Friday evening at Appleby BY STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.com College we can all show our gratitude when the Relay for Life is being held. From experience I know that the money raised by this event is used in a way to help cancer sufferers. Thank you to everyone who is involved with the Oakville Cancer Society. I could not do it without your help. JOAN DAVIS 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.