The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, May 3, 2012 · 6 The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5566 Classified Advertising: 905-632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742 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. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Guest Column New Oakville hospital on track Neil Oliver Vice-President and Group Publisher, Metroland West David harvey Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief Daniel Baird Advertising Director ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor Riziero Vertolli Photography Director Sandy Pare Business Manager RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association MARK DILLS Director of Production Manuel garcia Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution Sarah McSweeney Circ. Manager Website www.oakvillebeaver.com The OakvilleBeaver is a division of Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: United Way of Oakville ATHENA Award SUbmitted photo DEER CROSSING: Resident Sam Hage took this photo on his camera phone Friday, April 27. The family of deer were running through the neighbourhood on Wilmot Crescent in Oakville. Dog Guide Vinyl showed reader how to live life Editor's Note: Vinyl was a black Labrador the Thompson family fostered on behalf of the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides. For those of you that knew Vinyl, her slobbering face was the epitome of pure and unabashed joy. Today (April 27), the world has lost this spark and I know in the hearts of my family is where this will be felt the most. Vinyl had been fighting a losing battle with myelofibrosis brought about by her latest pregnancy (so we believe) and last night her battle came to a close at just three years old. While I am upset that I was only able to share in Vinyl's life for a short time and would have given anything to see her bright face just once more (as I am away at university), I am at least lucky that I will only hold the memory of Vinyl in her youth and health with an orange ball squeezed firmly between her teeth -- unlike my parents who had to watch her health deteriorate before them and for this I can extend no greater condolences or love to help them through. So while I am sad, I can at least be happy knowing that she is now, again, at peace with the universe. The universe is a funny thing. While it can be seen as cruel, it is not, for it gives us life, innocence and joy. The universe is unbiased, as in the end it will reclaim us all, but it is in `death' that we realize how truly magnificent and special the entire existence is. While we are alive, while any creature on this planet is alive, it should be enough to know that we are the universe experiencing itself. Too often, as human beings, do we perceive ourselves and our planet as somehow removed from the universe at large, but we are not. We ARE the universe and Vinyl displayed these qualities brilliantly. Dogs do not live and exist the way they do because they are aware of that fact that they will one day perish, nor do they live and exist in this way for fear of eternal damnation or being rewarded in heaven. They have no concept of these things and still Vinyl (and all dogs) showed us unshaken happiness and richness. So on that note, if there is anything that I have learned from my friend Vinyl, it is that time is an illusion, and lunchtime doubly so. Dogs do not eat because it's 5 p.m. dinner time; they do not run because it's time to exercise; they do not fetch expecting that upon returning the ball, it will be over; and, they certainly do not choose when to show their love. Time is a unit of measurement that we, as humans, have designed to organize ourselves because we are continuously convinced there is somewhere we need to be or something more important to be doing or that every year, we are going to grow a bit older and that for some reason, that means something significant. Dogs are in a perpetual state of being. They are always their naked selves. Something that we were all born with, but conditioned to forget. Dogs know how to be happy and show their love unconditionally. Maybe we should all take a step back, a deep breath, and just remember "I am alive" and try to enjoy and truly appreciate that notion, that privilege, more often. Bruce Thompson, Oakville Letter to the Editor alton Healthcare Services (HHS) is pleased to have this opportunity to keep our community informed about the initiatives that keep us "Caring Today, Growing for Tomorrow." Having celebrated the outstanding accomplishments of our doctors on Physician Appreciation Week (April 30-May 4), we look forward to recognizing our exceptional nursing staff on National Nursing Week, May 7-13. Physicians and nurses are the crux of our patient-foJohn Oliver cused care team. We value them all year and take great pride honouring them in their professional recognition celebrations. As spring unfolds and temperatures rise, we will see activity on the new Oakville hospital construction site, at the corner of Third Line and Dundas Street, ramp up. During May, six cranes will be erected, followed by the pouring of the concrete foundation later in the season. Soon after, the external structure will literally rise from the ground before our eyes. As we watch the building materialize into the state-of-the-art healthcare facility we have envisioned, we must remember the physical construction of the building is only half the story. The other half involves preparing our staff, physicians and volunteers for life in the new facility, so we are ready to continue providing safe, effective patient care and services to our community when it opens. The new Oakville hospital with its modern patient and family-focused design, mobile communications systems and advanced technologies will change and enhance the way we work, communicate and provide care. To relocate and function effectively in this new environment requires in-depth discussions and detailed planning beyond the physical relocation of patients and equipment. Although the move is scheduled for late fall 2015, we have already begun this "Operational Readiness" planning and look forward to sharing our progress with you in the months and years to come, in this column and online at the hospital's new website, www.newoakvillehospital.com. The safe and high-quality care we provide today at HHS was recently acknowledged. In April, HHS was recognized as one of the Best Ranked GTA Hospitals in the Canadian Institute for Health's Canadian Hospital Reporting Project, an inaugural online report, which compares Canadian acute hospitals at the local, regional, provincial and national levels from 2007/08 to 2010/11. This was preceded by the 2011 Platinum Quality Healthcare Workplace Award HHS received from the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. The prestigious platinum award -- the highest level attainable -- complemented the innovation, teamwork and commitment at HHS to ensure our hospitals provide a great supportive workplace, which, in turn enables delivery of quality patient care. HHS has high standards to uphold and in this first column I could only touch on a few of many HHS initiatives. I invite you to learn more by visiting www.haltonhealthcare.com. This summer, in response to your feedback, our website will offer patients, their families and the community more information, better resources and improved navigation to meet your needs. Lastly, we look forward to sharing more information about HHS with you in this forum and others, including upcoming community engagement sessions where you'll have the opportunity to preview and comment on various aspects of the new Oakville hospital interior design. Information about these future interactive events will be communicated here and at www.newoakvillehospital.com. H John Oliver, Halton Healthcare Services (HHS) president and CEO