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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, July 5, 2013 | 6 Editorial Tomato paste comes from tomatoes... It's so simple. Chit-chat over dinner, touching base with those you love, catching up on all that's happened throughout the day -- all over a hearty meal. Connection over a good meal is what has made ne dining an art. Healthy communication and nutritious meals are also mainstays of family life, good health and the stuff that help children grow strong, in every way. This edition of the Oakville Beaver features the launch of a new HealthyFam column penned by Oakville's own restaurateur, Julia Hanna, who operates both Ristorante Julia in downtown Oakville and Ritorno in the Uptown Core. Ristorante Julia is a ne dining destination. Ritorno is too, though more casual. All inspired by the good food and good family Hanna's own nonna served up. Our new monthly column will feature a recipe from Hanna and readers can look to upcoming contests, too. During this summer season, when elds are abundant with produce and people get back to their family through time spent together, the value of heartfelt conversation around the dinner table, and all that comes with it, is in the spotlight. The new column will work in tandem with Hanna's own efforts to reconnect Canadians with good food and family -- a principle this paper wholeheartedly supports. Hanna has a vision... the best of the past taken into the future. In it, Canadian families once again crowd around the dinner table, enjoying delicious, healthy food together while discussing the day's events. The table is full of steaming bowls of food, salads and fresh-baked bread just like nonna used to make. Family members scoop food onto their plate as they talk -- a scene Hanna believes was lost somewhere in our society's evolution as quality food and time-honoured traditions were traded for convenience. In fact, Hanna believes there is a crisis in North America on this point. In a bid to rediscover a healthy relationship with food and reverse the trends of eating for convenience sake, Hanna is launching the HealthyFam program in September. It builds on the Kids Culinary Community (KCC), a free, food-and-cooking education program designed for youths and supported with a community garden where food is grown before it is used in meal preparation. Now it will be shared with adults and seniors. HealthyFam is a non-pro t organization that teaches people the value of eating right, staying t and connecting with each other on a regular basis to build a strong family foundation. "This is an issue that is being felt all across Canada. We've disconnected with each other and our relationship with food has become distorted," said Hanna. Indeed, Hanna has a very good point when she says in North America, we need to slow down, connect with one another and relearn the joy of eating. "That's what sitting around a table does, it connects you to each other, people that you love. Put food on that table that's good for you, then you've got it," she said. That makes a whole lot of sense... enjoy the column. "Connected to your Community" I N ' 467 Speers Road, Oakville ON, L6K 3S4 General Inquiries: (905) 845-3824 Editorial Department: (905) 632-0588 Classi ed Advertising: (905) 632-4440 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 Volume 51 | Number 80 Family time G O N E F I S H The Oakville Beaver is a division of Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Vice ­President and Group Publisher of Metroland West Regional General Manager Halton Region Editor in Chief Advertising Director NEIL OLIVER DAVID HARVEY JILL DAVIS DANIEL BAIRD Managing Editor ANGELA BLACKBURN RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director Business Manager Director of Production SANDY PARE MARK DILLS St. Vincent Public School partnered with the Halton Conservatory to bring the Stream of Dreams program to the school. Here, Megan Shipton paints her sh as part of the eco-education program that focuses on watersheds, streams, rivers and oceans. The sh painted by JK, Grades 1 and 2 students, will be displayed on the school's fence as a reminder to conserve and preserve the local watershed. | photo by Eric Riehl ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog) MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager Director of Distribution CHARLENE HALL KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Ailing ash creating financial burden My wife and I moved to Oakville in 1998. We moved into a house with three ash trees on the property. The trees had been planted by the Town of Oakville and for 15 years they were maintained and trimmed by the Town. A year ago, we were advised that all of the ash trees in the area were dying and would require removal. We were also advised that some of the trees would be removed by the Town at its expense and some would not... ours would not. Accordingly, we are left in the position of having to nd and fund a company to come and remove these terminal trees -- removals that many otherwise intelligent people would conclude should be the obligation and cost of the Town of Oakville. I suspect we are not alone. I'm certain there are countless other Oakville residents in the position we nd ourselves and I'm equally certain that the Oakville authorities are fully aware of this fact. However, I'm not aware of any suggestion that has been offered to ease our situation. The bargaining power of hundreds, if not thousands, of disadvantaged residents would seem to offer huge possibilities for cost savings, but I've heard of no Town initiative to attempt to bargain on our behalf. I write this letter to urge the Town to demonstrate some concern for those taxpayers that have been so harshly and arbitrarily punished. W.H. Joe Watson, Oakville Letters to the Editor Proud Official Media Sponsor For: Canadian Circulations Audit Board Member Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Proud Official Media Sponsor For: The Oakville Beaver 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: ablackburn@oakvillebeaver. com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. 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.