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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, October 7, 2011 · 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: C Canadian Circulation Audit Board Member A THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association S Suburban Newspapers of America o Canadian Community Newspapers Association ATHENA Award NEIL OLIVER Vice ­ President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The Oakville Beaver is a division of DAVID HARVEY Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief 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 Feast not famine f With another fall provincial election finally behind us and daytime temperatures dropping, our attention returns to those who don't have enough to eat. Wherever Oakville families gather to share a traditional Thanksgiving feast this weekend, we hope they give thanks for having the means to know where their next meal is coming from. We further hope everyone able to celebrate the season with loved ones will also consider giving generously to the annual Thanksgiving food drive at Oakville's Fareshare food bank -- or other local food banks, such as those at the Salvation Army of Oakville or Kerr Street Ministries. While most of us are fortunate to have never had to experience going hungry, local food banks will help feed thousands of families and individuals this year -- many of whom are local children of households that are struggling financially. In a society still drawn to the escapism of reality television and the rapid communication tools of f social media, it's easy to fall out of touch with the local reality that more than 14 per cent of Oakville residents (according to the latest count in the Vital Signs report by the Oakville Community Foundation) -- perhaps even your neighbours -- may be able to afford food or shelter, but not both. They are living in poverty. Fareshare's Thanksgiving food drive -- combined with whatever donations come the local food banks' way at Christmas -- have to stock the shelves until the next food drive, which won't happen for six more months, at Easter. So, if you're planning a pre-Thanksgiving visit to the grocery store, please consider picking up some extra canned fruit and meat, peanut butter, pre-packaged dinner mixes, dry and canned pasta, canned juice and toiletries. Fareshare has donation bins in local supermarkets. Donations can also be made at the food bank, which is located on Speers Road (south side, just east of Third Line) or at local fire stations. Financial donations, which help food banks buy food or provide vouchers to families for fresh produce and milk, can be made through the food bank. While few of us possess an instant solution to ending poverty in Oakville, collectively we have the means to lessen the suffering of those who would otherwise go hungry. Please give what you can and have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving weekend. 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. Letter to the editor Thanks from first Give the Gift of Life Walk event I would like to say a very sincere thank you to everyone involved in Oakville's first Give the Gift of Life Walk. Thanks to all the volunteers, sponsors, the Oakville Fire Department, Cheer Force Wolf Pack, 4th Trafalgar Scouts, Ocean Spray Canada, Ronzoni Foods Canada, Cott Beverages, Sobeys, Tim Hortons. I would also like to thank Mayor Rob Burton, MPP Kevin Flynn, Ward 3 Councillor Dave Gittings, OakvilleTrafalgar Memorial Hospital, the Oakville Beaver newspaper, Dr. Andreas Pierratos, Dr. Daniel Sapir, the Kidney Foundation of Canada, MP Terence Young and all of the people who participated in the walk. We raised just over $11,000 and I must say I am overwhelmed with everyone's response. I am looking forward to preparing for the second annual walk for Oakville and look forward to meeting you all again. Because of all of these people coming together, we can help improve the quality of life for those affected by kidney disease. On one final note, I would like thank my loving wife Doris, for her patience, support and everything she does for me; my daughter, Karen, for her help and participation; and, lastly, how so very much this means to me to be able help this cause because I've been there. I hope to see all of you next year. Thank you. Ron Newman, Oakville Walk Co-ordinator Letters to the editor The Oakville Beaver r 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 r reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. Transit should be essential That an eleventh hour agreement was reached between representatives of local transit workers and the Town of Oakville is most welcome by all those dependent on Oakville Transit. Clearly, any disruption to such a vital service is antithetical to the public good. It begs the question, why isn't Oakville Transit deemed an essential service, just like the TTC? Granted, the substitution of binding arbitration for the right to strike is a curtailment of workers' rights. However, such a limitation is reasonable, given the deleterious consequences of a transit strike. Peter Pellier, Oakville Pud BY STEVE NEASE neasecartoons@gmail.com