By Brice Roy SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Council to vote on restricting tanning beds to those under 18 9 · Friday, August 10, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com The Town of Oakville took the next step towards prohibiting the use of tanning beds to citizens 18 years or older. Oakville's Administrative Services committee voted unanimously Wednesday to put the amendment to a Town council vote Monday. If approved, Oakville would become the first municipality in Canada to restrict the use of tanning beds to adults. Nova Scotia became the first province to place restrictions on the industry in 2011 when it passed legislation to prohibit people under 19 from using tanning beds. On hand at the meeting was Annette Cyr, an Oakville resident and chair of the Melanoma Network of Canada, who initially presented the idea to the committee. "I'm ecstatic about the decision. This is groundbreaking," said Cyr after the meeting. "We've been working on this for years." Cyr has also brought her proposal to Mississauga's city council. "If Mississauga passes something similar then people and the federal government will really take notice of the issue and hopefully we can get some- thing done." The issue brought forth people on both sides of the debate to defend their stance. Local tanning studio owners and a representative of the Joint Canadian Tanning Association (JCTA) made presentations in an effort to appeal to the committee. The JCTA was pushing for a delay on the decision until the new year or the mandating of a system requiring parental consent. Dermatologist Dr. Sam Hanna and a representative of Canadian Cancer Society spoke of the dangers of artificial tanning and Oakville's history as a leader in preventing cancer. "I believe all levels of government should be addressing this issue," said Hanna. "I hope Oakville can be a leader in this legislation similar to what it was with the cell tower and pesticide rulings." If the amendment passes, the committee believes it won't have too large an impact on the business themselves. "As they said in their presentations, clients under 18 years old only make up a small portion of their sales. So it should not affect their businesses too dramatically," said Ward 2 Town Councillor Pam Damoff. PATIO FURNITURE SALE 9 - 12 AS THE WEEK GOES ON August THURS. 9TH ff Op % 30 am - 8 m 10 e-Bingo answers are needed By Brice Roy SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Oakville councillors heard an update on the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) e-Bingo situation Wednesday. At the heart of debate are concerns Town council has with the OLG's standard contract called the Charitable Gaming Centre Municipality Agreement. Concerns are over the selection of games, especially Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs) and slot machines, the lack of an exit policy and the fact the agreement is non-negotiable. Right now, the agreement states while there will be no "possibly-addictive" VLTs or slot machines issued at first, the OLG reserves the right to add them to the selection of games later. The agreement has the potential to lock the Town in for 16 years. The e-Bingo debate is also a concern for the 34 not-for-profit and charitable organizations that rely on the local bingo hall for fundraising. The Administrative Services Committee voted to delay a decision by council until further information is gathered. In addition, the committee proposed a change whereby Mayor Rob Burton would be required to speak with the mayors of Toronto, New Market and Brampton to see where they stand on similar concerns. Ward 2 Councillor Pam Damoff has been pushing for an expedient resolution so the charities can proceed with their normal routines. "The issue has been at the table for about a year now and needs to be solved. The charities need to know the outcome so they can simply plan and budget, the sooner the better," said Damoff. DISCOUNTS GROW! ff %- O 40 am 6pm 10 SAT. 11TH FRI. 10TH 3 DAYS LEFT! ff %- O 50 am 6pm 10 Sore Feet, Sports Injury, Painful Ingrown Toenails? Plantar Warts? We can help! Exceptional footcare for all ages. · Routine footcare · Corns & calluses · Plantar warts · Heel/arch/foot pain · Diabetic footcare and education · Thick or ingrown nails · Nail surgery · Sports related foot problems & injuries · Custom made orthotics · Sigvaris® compression stockings · Evenings and saturday appointments available · New patients welcome! J. Richard Werkman CHIROPODIST ff %- O 50 am 6pm 10 Barbecues · Fireplaces · Patio Furniture SUN. 12TH www.barbecuesgalore.ca Visit our website, subscribe to our Blog or call for an appointment. Ample Free parking. located on the north/west corner of maple grove dr. and cornwall rd. 1495 Cornwall Rd., Suite 33, Oakville T: 905-845-4817 www.werkman.ca 490 Speers Rd., Oakville 905.844.3224 3100 Harvester Rd., Burlington 905.639.5952 *See instore for details *Excludes Barbecues and Barbecue Accessories