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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, May 7, 2010 · 6 OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5571 Classified Advertising: 632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742 --Open 9-5 weekdays, 5-7 for calls only Wed. to Friday, Closed weekends 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: Canadian Circulation Audit Board Member THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America Canadian Community Newspapers Association ATHENA Award NEIL OLIVER Vice ­ President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The Oakville Beaver is a division of Media Group Ltd. DAVID HARVEY Regional 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 It's the law buckle up When is it okay to steal? Can brutally assaulting someone who doesn't share your point of view ever be justified? In most civilized societies, laws are intended to protect people from being deprived of their personal property or from being threatened, physically assaulted -- even killed. Most citizens abide by these societal rules, while those who don't usually find themselves facing penalties ranging from fines to forfeiting their freedom. Some of our laws are created to protect us from reckless behaviour that could endanger the person engaged in the act as well as innocent bystanders. Laws governing speeding and impaired driving are examples of such rules. In Ontario, another law dictates that motorists -- and their passengers -- be required to wear seatbelts while travelling the province's vast network of streets and highways. It's hardly a new idea, having been adopted provincially in 1976. The thinking behind the seatbelt law is that drivers and their passengers stand a much better chance of surviving a crash when restrained by a seatbelt or, in the case of younger passengers, a properly-installed and secured child car seat. While most people abide by this traffic law, far too many still choose to ignore it, risking the chance of being launched from their vehicle -- or bounced around its interior -- during an accident. A recently concluded police seatbelt blitz in Halton graphically illustrates how widely this law continues to be ignored. Over an 11-day span almost 750 tickets were issued in the region for non-compliance with the seatbelt law, while another 206 warnings were issued. Also, 17 tickets were issued for violating Ontario's child car seat law and 108 warnings related to child car seats were given. While seatbelt infractions carry a $235 fine and two licence demerit points, the consequences can also be deadly. Already in 2010, one Halton traffic fatality has been linked to not wearing a seatbelt. Last year, failing to buckle up contributed to five deaths on our local roads. Perhaps suspending drivers when they -- or any of their passengers -- don't comply with the law would help get more seatbelts fastened. 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 416-3401981. 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. Letter to the editor Gold medal for management I am writing this letter to thank and pay a tribute to the managers at Post Inn Village in Oakville. We recently had a very sad event that shook many hearts. One of our colleagues -- an extremely loving, caring and dedicated nurse and dear friend to many -- became gravely ill and passed away at age of 50. It was a heartbreaking experience for all of us. Our managers: Ingrid Johnston (administrator), Jason Ashby (director of care), Helen Medeiros and Katarina Busija (nurse managers) have shown what it means to truly be in a leadership role. Within days of this tragedy they arranged a grief counsellor to come to our nursing home to speak with staff and assist in venting their feelings. They arranged transportation (a bus) for our staff for a round trip to the memorial service at the funeral home in Burlington. Workers were encouraged to participate and allowed to leave work a few hours earlier to be there on time. Our managers also asked a pastor to come to Post Inn Village for prayer and a short on-site memorial for those who could not attend the service at a funeral home few days earlier. Our administrator offered to plant a tree on the grounds of our facility in honour of our friend. Our management team deserves recognition for all it has done for the staff to help with the grieving process. Its members did everything they could in a compassionate and spontaneous manner to help us heal. I have worked in the health care system since 1991, witnessed numerous personal tragedies and even deaths of coworkers. I have never experienced what I have experienced here at this Halton facility: a true leadership, a textbook example of role of the leader. If there were ever Olympics held in a leadership discipline they would, without a doubt, qualify as a front running group. I have worked with Halton Region as a registered nurse for only nine months. I am very proud to work here with such compassionate and caring people. WOITEK KOSTECKI, POST INN VILLAGE Letters to the editor 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. Think about your grandchildren Re: This is suburbia, we enjoy our cars, Oakville Beaver, April 30. To the person who thinks they represent the majority of Oakville, I beg to differ. Even in affluent Oakville, there exist people without a car, people too old to drive, etc. Fortunately, human beings can and will change their behaviour. Think about the world you wish to leave to your children and grandchildren. We all have responsibility for the long-term sustainable, healthy environment. BRITTA BRAND, OAKVILLE BY STEVE NEASE neasecartoons@gmail.com Pud