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OPINION Today and throughout this weekend there will be numerous ceremonies and services held in Halton to mark Remembrance Day. It is the one time of the year we make a conscious effort to pay tribute to the brave men and women who have fought for our freedom in wars both past and pre- sent. Observing a moments silence, attending a Remembrance Day service or buying a poppy are all respectful ways to thank our veterans. However, in the grand scheme of things, these tributes never seem enough when compared to the great sacrifices our fighting and peacekeeping forces have made over the decades. One other way to commemorate the sacrifice of Canadian Second World War veterans is to purchase a "brick", at the Juno Beach Centre in France. For $250, an engraved plaque will be placed in the kiosk wall at the site. The veterans' bricks will include the person's rank, name, decorations, unit, dates of service, as well as a comment regarding the veteran's service, such as "Italian Campaign, "Battle of the Atlantic" or "D-Day Veteran". The donors' bricks, will include the donor's name, other descriptive information, town and province of residence. All bricks will be on kiosks outside the Centre near the front entrance. A directory inside will assist visitors in finding specific bricks on the various kiosks. Donations can be made payable to: Juno Beach Centre, 2407 Woodward Avenue - Unit 24, Burlington, ON L7R 4J2 For an additional $25, an authentic replica wooden brick with the Juno Beach logo will be sent to the donor recognizing the purchase of a veteran or donor brick to show that a "brick" will be installed in the Centre in his/her name. The replica wooden brick is only available to those purchasing a brick. We will never truly be able to thank our veterans for the freedoms they provided to us and future gener- ations, but buying a brick simply provides us with another way to show them how grateful we are and that we, too, will never forget. Honour a veteran The Independent & Free Press is published every Wednesday and Friday at 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown Ont., L7G 4B1. It is one of several newspapers published by Metroland Media Group Ltd. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with reasonable allowance for sig- nature will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the acceptable rate. In the event of typographical error advertising goods or services at wrong price, goods or ser- vices may not be sold. Advertising is merely an offer to sell which may be withdrawn at any time. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Price: Store copies 50 each; Subscriptions $26 per year by carrier; $92.50 per year by mail in Canada; $130 per year in all other countries. Plus G.S.T. Second Class Mail Registration Number 6869. The Independent & Free Press is a member of The Canadian Community Newspaper Association and The Ontario Community Newspaper Association. Steve Nease THE INDEPENDENT & FREE PRESS LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dear editor, For the past few weeks I have been reading your letters to the edi- tor and must say that a few of your readers need a reality check. Dogs at the market, licking chil- drens faces, Oh please! Come on, now. Try volunteering at a sick kids hospital or a long-term nursing home. Pay attention to the faces of chil- dren and elderly as they light up with delight as they receive a big wet kiss from one of the dogs brought in for therapeutic use. Any parent of a sick child or child of an elderly parent would trade, in a heartbeat, their loved ones health for that of a sloppy kiss. As for the complaints of roaming cats, they would love to watch their loved ones chuckle at a cat chasing a butterfly or chipmunk, after all (what is a little poop between friends). Re: The recent letter complaining about living near a quarry. Washing a dirty car with a loved one (as the result of driving the quar- ry road) can be a very bonding expe- rience. Make sure you throw in a few squirts and splashes. Apparently, some of you have lost touch with what is truly important. I feel sorry for you, but at the same time you have made me appre- ciate living in a small community where all we have to worry about are dogs at the market, cats in the garden and dirty cars. For that, I thank you because it makes us all feel a lot safer. Lorraine Golden, Georgetown Complaining readers need reality check Letters to the editor must include an address and daytime telephone number. Unsigned letters will not be published. Letters should not exceed 200 words and may be edited for content and/or length. Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1 E-mail: jmcghie@independentfreepress.com Something bugging you? Publisher Ken Nugent Advertising director Steve Foreman (sforeman@independentfreepress.com) Retail advertising manager Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@independentfreepress.com) Managing editor John McGhie (jmcghie@independentfreepress.com) Distribution manager Nancy Geissler (distribution@independentfreepress.com) ADVERTISING Advertising co-ordinator Jennifer Christie (jchristie@independentfreepress.com) Retail Sales: Jennifer Spencer (jspencer@independentfreepress.com) Andrew Key (akey@independentfreepress.com) Amy Sykes (features@independentfreepress.com) Real estate: Sue Spizziri (realestate@independentfreepress.com) Classifieds: Kristie Pells (classified@independentfreepress.com) ACCOUNTING Rose Marie Gauthier, Michelle Wimmer EDITORIAL Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@independentfreepress.com) Ted Brown: Photography (tbrown@independentfreepress.com) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@independentfreepress.com) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@independentfreepress.com) PRODUCTION: Mary Lou Foreman, Kevin Powell, Shelli Harrison, Dolores Black, Debbie MacDougall STAFF DIRECTORY Send us a letter! Phone: 905-873-0301 Fax: 905-873-0398www.independentfreepress.com Dear editor, Your Nov. 2 article regarding changing of batteries in smoke alarms brings to mind how to dis- pose of used batteries. I suggest rather than throwing them in the regular garbage that ends up in landfill, could we not have some bins near grocery stores or sim- ilar locations where we would be able to dispose of the old batteries and then have them picked up by the Region of Halton Hills for further disposal the proper way? It is a small effort to contribute to a clean environment. Ellen Van Liefland, Georgetown Battery disposal bins would help environment (This was an open letter sent to Ontario Health Minister George Smitherman. A copy was made avail- able for publication.) Dear Minister, Congratulations on your re-elec- tion to the Ontario Legislature in the riding of Toronto Centre. Supporting improvements to health care in Wellington-Halton Hills continues to be amongst my highest priorities. I am aware that both the Georgetown Hospital and the Groves Memorial Community Hospital in Fergus have ambitious plans to acquire Computed Tomography (CT) scanners. As you will recall, I have previ- ously written to you in support of the Groves CT scanner proposal. Now that the election has concluded, I am writing to you again to request that you grant the necessary approval for the Groves CT scanner without further delay. In addition, I understand that the Georgetown Hospital CT scanner proposal will be going forward to the Ministry of Health for consideration very soon. I would likewise ask that the ministry review of this proposal be expedited. Your immediate response will ensure that our caring hospital staff members in Wellington-Halton Hills have the diagnostic imaging equip- ment they need to better serve our local patients. Please reply to our Wellington- Halton Hills provincial riding office with your assurance that these CT scanner proposals will be approved expeditiously. Ted Arnott, MPP Wellington-Halton Hills MPP stresses need for local CT scanners More letters page 8 6 Acton/Georgetown, Friday, November 9, 2007