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w w w . o a kv ill eb ea ve r.c o m O A KV IL LE B EA V ER Fr id ay , A ug us t 2 7, 2 01 0 6 467 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 The Oakville Beaver Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. OPINION & LETTERS 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@oakville- beaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. Halton almost made it through its first summer in several years without West Nile virus. Almost. The Halton Regional Health Department issued a warning to residents this week, after batches of mosqui- toes infected with the virus were recently discovered in Oakville. WNV is a potentially serious illness thats transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. Symptoms may range from headache and high fever to neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation and paralysis. The Halton Region Health Department monitors WNV activity and has developed a comprehensive program that includes using adult and larval mosquito surveillance to determine the health risk of WNV to residents and visitors to the region. There are also steps residents can take to greatly min- imize the chance of contracting the illness. For one, people should generally avoid areas with large numbers of mosquitoes. When outdoors, especially at dusk and at dawn, resi- dents should wear light-coloured clothing, long sleeves, long pants, socks and a hat. People should also use insect repellents containing DEET. Managing certain items around your property such as removing all discarded tires, can be beneficial at reducing mosquito breeding grounds since the insects lay their eggs in standing water. Therefore, turning over wading pools and changing water in bird baths on a weekly basis can help reduce the number of mosquitoes around your home. Other methods include keeping eavestrough and downspouts clear of leaves and twigs and ensuring you have an undamaged fine mesh screen over any rain barrel on your property. Last year marked the first year that dead bird surveil- lance was not a part of the regions West Nile virus moni- toring program, due to provincial funding cutbacks. While dead crows and blue jays have helped to identi- fy areas where WNV activity is occurring, the health department believes mosquito surveillance provides bet- ter information related to potential human contact with the virus. Thats why its continuing a comprehensive program which includes using adult and larval mosquito surveil- lance to determine the health risk of WNV for residents and visitors to Halton Region. To report standing water close to where you live in Halton, call 905-825-6000 or e-mail wnv@halton.ca. Media Group Ltd. The Oakville Beaver is a division of NEIL OLIVER Vice President and Group Publisher of Metroland West 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 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 typo- graphical 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 editorWNV news bites It appears the media is suggest- ing that the law enforcement com- munity is divided on Bill C-391 (a private members bill to repeal the long gun registry). Although there have been opposing opinions within the membership of the Canadian Police Association (CPA), it is a fact that the GTA is far different than rural Alberta or small town P.E.I., but officer and public safety knows no boundaries. The Canadian Police Association along with the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and the Canadian Association of Police Boards are united in their opposition to Bill C-391. The CPA has for many years focused its efforts to improve and maintain a cost effective and effi- cient firearms registry which enhances community and police officer safety. The Canadian Firearms Program which includes the gun registry, currently managed by the RCMP, provides a valuable tool for front-line police officers in the per- formance of their duties to keep communities safe. All too often, there appears to be an attempt to create division amongst Canadians. The Canadian Police Association has based its support for maintaining the long gun reg- istry on a number of facts that clearly indicate that this law enforcement tool is effective in keeping our communities and our members safe and secure. Although the initial cost for establishing the gun registry esca- lated to over $1 billion, at present, the entire gun registry program, THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: ATHENAAward THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIALMEDIASPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Canadian CirculationAudit Board Member Canadian CommunityNewspapers AssociationOntario CommunityNewspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America The Town of Oakville has put itself in a tough spot by relocating the West Oak Trails Skateboard Park temporarily, while it looks for the ideal permanent spot for it. By moving the equipment out of the spa- cious and highly accessible park where it was originally installed, the Town may have eliminated the only ideal location available from the running. This means that council has three choic- es, move the equipment to a location that is not ideal, fail to meet the needs of the young people of Oakville and remove the equipment for good, or make the tough decision and return it to the place that was originally chosen. It is unfortunate that none of the skate- boarders spoke up at the council meetings to support the original location. Could it be that some of the users, most- ly young people, would have preferred the West Oak Trails best skate park site Pud BY STEVE NEASE neasecartoons@gmail.com Halton police association supports gun registry See Police page 8 See West page 9