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Thanks to generous donors, we have collected over 100 amazing items! Gift Certificates Toys Gift baskets Maple Leaf tickets Spa Services Nintendo Wii Cottage Weekend Sport Memorabilia and lots more! Bidding Starts: Monday Dec 6th 9:00 am Bidding Closes: Sunday Dec 12th 9:00 pm Spend a Little for Something Big! Check it out at: www.bbbshalton.ca Shop for Kids Sake ON-LINE AUCTION Thanks to our Title and Event Sponsors: Oakville Lydia Moritz, Family Lawyer Karen A. Thompson, Mediator and Arbitrator Family Law Lawyers Spend Your winter with us Visit us online at www.chartwellreit.ca RATES STARTING AT $85.00 PER DAY! Call today for more information or to book a personal visit! Call 905-257-0095 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 , D ec em be r 3 , 2 01 0 2 During this 30 minute vigil, 285 people are newly diagnosed with HIV and 165 AIDS patients die of a preventable disease, said former Oakville MP Bonnie Brown, who spoke on behalf of oomama. For months, the grandmothers group has been calling for the passage of Bill C- 393, which would remove the red tape sur- rounding Canadas Access to Medicine Regime (CAMR). CAMR was Parliaments response to the urgent need for affordable medicine in developing countries. However, six years after its creation, Canada has only issued one license that saw one shipment of AIDS drugs go to Rwanda. Bill C-393 included a clause designed to provide a one license solution approach. This allows for one license to cover multiple orders for the same medicine. But the clause was stripped from the bill by the Industry Committee in November. For months, oomama has been trying to arrange a meeting with Raitt, but the group says their phone calls and e-mails to Raitt have gone unreturned. The Halton MP voted down the bill during its first two readings. Raitt couldnt be reached for comment. Oomamas letter to Raitt cites competi- tion by generic drug manufacturers as the single most important factor driving down the price of medicine. Yet even as we are seeing the results of globally scaling up access to affordable generics, this progress is now being jeopard- ized. Global funding to prevent and treat AIDS, and to strengthen health systems, is being flat-lined, wrote Irene Clarke, co- chair of the groups advocacy committee. The question is whether the political will exists in Parliament to make affordable generics available to those in need in the developing world, she continued. Brown said not all hope is lost just yet, as there is still time to amend the bill and rein- state the clause that would see more drugs shipped to developing countries faster. Having one shipment in six years tells me despite the tremendous goodwill demonstrated by the generic drug compa- nies, who came forward and suggested they would be able to provide, pretty well at cost, the drugs for AIDS, and the anxiety of African nations to receive these drugs, the regulations are getting completely in the way, said the former Liberal MP, adding, It isnt the cost. It doesnt cost the govern- ment anything. Lavis, a Grade 12 E.C. Drury student, said most high schoolers she meets do not know or understand the severity of the AIDS crisis, which last year claimed the lives of 1.8 million people, including 260,000 children. The answer is education, she said. Its important not only to write letters to Lisa Raitt, but in-person visits, as well. We hope she can spare five minutes with us. During the vigil, Brown asked those in attendance to take a minute to think about the grandmothers in Africa raising their orphaned grandchildren. Imagine over a period of a few years, an entire generation of young parents are dead. The generation who worked for money and produced shelter is gone. Our imaginings and wonders can only lead to tremendous respect for the people of Africa. Oomama wants Bill C-393 passed Its important not only to write letters to Lisa Raitt, but in-per- son visits, as well. We hope she can spare five minutes with us. Dayne Lavis, Grade 12 E. C. Drury student Continued from page 1