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6 - The Oakville Beaver, Friday January 23, 2009 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: NEIL OLIVER Vice ­ President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The Oakville Beaver is a division of Media Group Ltd. 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 SARAH MCSWEENEY Circ. Manager Butt out behind the wheel Wednesday's launch of a new law protecting Ontario children from being exposed to second-hand smoke while in motor vehicles is a no-brainer that further solidifies the Province as a leader in this kind of health protection. Under the law, a driver or passenger smoking in a motor vehicle, while someone else under the age of 16 is present, is committing an offence which carries a fine up to $250. While we applaud the move, we wonder how effectively the law will be enforced. Although police officers will probably be able to spot smokers with young children aboard about as accurately as they already spot passengers not wearing seatbelts, it may not always be clear whether or not the young person in a vehicle is under 16. Whether the general public will be called upon to actively report suspected violators of this new law, remains to be seen. Perhaps spot checks of vehicles already being used to catch impaired drivers and other violators of the Highway Traffic Act could provide police officers with another method of observing smoking motorists (or passengers) who are sharing the same vehicle as a young person. Whichever methods of enforcement are used, by preventing children from being exposed to concentrated second-hand smoke -- levels in motor vehicles can be up to 27 times higher than that found in a smoker's home -- we are lessening their risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), acute respiratory infections, ear problems and more severe asthma. Our hope is that this new law enacted to protect the innocent bystanders of smoking will convince more Ontarians that have not yet kicked the habit to butt out -- not just for their own health, but for that of their friends and loved ones, too. 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 I am from the Oakville Trafalgar High School Robotics team, and we have read the article Cash crush could derail WOSS robotics team, Oakville Beaver, Jan 17. We are glad to see the FIRST Robotics Competition being covered by your newspaper. Being involved in this program is fun, but at the same time there are several responsibilities and complications. OTHS Robotics team also needs sponsorship to compete As was stated in the article about the White Oaks team, all the funding for our team comes from donations and grants from the community. Due to economic conditions, donations have been significantly lower than they have been in past years or completely turned down. As stated in the article, the costs of materials, entry fees, programs, and transportation all need to be covered by sponsorship money. This puts teams in difficult positions as it leaves us scrambling to find the money to cover our expenses. This is my first year being involved with the FIRST Robotics Competition and it is very exciting to see things coming together. It is great to see how the FIRST program is not only the building of the robot, but also learning business skills when looking for corporate sponsors, design and engineering along with community service and team building. Unfortunately, because of the lack of corporate sponsorship, our team finds itself, like the WOSS team, in danger of shutting down. We appreciate your coverage of this issue in the White Oaks article, and would appreciate it if you published this letter as a follow up. For more information visit www.othsrobotics.ca and www.usfirst.org. DEZ NACARIO GRADE 11 STUDENT OAKVILLE TRAFALGAR HIGH SCHOOL ROBOTICS TEAM Thanks for community support On behalf of Halton Women's Place, I would like to thank the community for its generous support of our 2008 Holiday Hamper Program. Halton Women's Place is challenged to meet the increasing needs of women and children who are trying to start over on their own. Every year, we are touched by the overwhelming response of our community. This year, community support allowed us to assist more than 300 families. Because of your generosity these women and children were able to experience the joy of the holidays. Your kindness has provided hope for the new year and has shown the women and children who use our services, that their community supports them. On behalf of the clients, employees and volunteers at Halton Women's Place, thank you for your generous support and spirit of giving. DIANE BEAULIEU, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Pud BY STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.com 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.