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

www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, October 25, 2013 | 6 It makes sense The leaves are falling, the temperature is dropping ­ and the germs are ying. Halton Region announced the beginning of in uenza immunizations clinics last week and encouraged people to get their shot. Clinics will be held throughout the region, visit www.haltonregion.ca for locations and times. Once again, the Oakville Beaver reminds residents to get their annual u shot. And this year, thanks to changes introduced by the provincial government's Action Plan for Health Care, introduced last fall, getting inoculated against the current strains of the virus is easier than ever. Those who nd it dif cult to get to their doctor's of ce or a local community clinic can have the shot administered at pharmacies in town. Of cials hope increased accessibility of the vaccine helps turn around the trend that has seen a decline in the number of Ontario residents who get the u shot each year. Some people may consider the u a minor inconvenience, but it is a serious respiratory illness caused by the in uenza virus. It starts suddenly and often lasts longer than a cold. Symptoms include a fever, headache, body aches, tiredness, weakness, sore throat, cough, runny eyes and stuffy nose. According to Immunize Canada, 10-20 per cent of the country's population is infected with the u virus each year. About 4,000 Canadians die from the u annually and 20,000 end up in hospital. Flu season starts in November and peaks during the winter months. Especially vulnerable to complications from the virus are pregnant women, young children and seniors. And while the average healthy adult may reason they never get sick, they can still do their part to prevent the spread of infection by getting vaccinated in a bid to help their loved ones. Makes sense to us. St. John Ambulance Oakville-Milton & Halton Hills has offered similar advice. To help reduce the spread of the u, it encourages people to practice the following good health habits: · Get a flu shot. It's safe and the most effective way to protect you and your family from the u · Stay home when you're sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness · Avoid close contact. When you're sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too · Cover your mouth and nose. Use a tissue when you cough or sneeze or your upper sleeve, not your hand. It may prevent those around you from getting sick · Clean your hands. Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. Washing your hands for at least 20 seconds is best. If soap and water aren't available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer · Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs are spread when a person touches something contaminated and then touches those areas · Clean and disinfect frequently-touched surfaces at home, work or school, primarily when someone is ill. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage stress, drink plenty of uids, and eat nutritious food. We wish you a flu-free season. Editorial J U N I O R O P T I M I S T S "Connected to your Community" H E L P 447 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 128 | submitted photo From left, Oakville Junior Optimist Club vice-president Laila Ahmed, president Brittany MacKinnon and secretary Maryam Salik are leading the club in collecting items to help others. Pop can tabs will support the MS Society Kidz Klub. Four-litre milk bags will be made into bed mats for Third World countries. Milk and bread tabs will be traded for cash to purchase wheelchairs. Campbell and Habitant soup labels with the UPC code -- points from this will assist the Ross McDonald School for Visually-Impaired to buy equipment. Finally, Canadian Tire money and paper towels will be used to assist the Oakville & Milton Humane Society. Anyone interested in assisting can call 905-827-1828 or visit the Oakville Optimist Club website at www.oakvilleoptimistclub.com. The Oakville Junior Optimist Club consists of Grade 9-12 students from Oakville high schools. 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 Chamber salutes Small Business Week Orla Johnston Oakville Chamber of Commerce Chair Guest Column MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager Director of Distribution CHARLENE HALL KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager What does every large business have in common? This week, we celebrated Business Development Bank of Canada's (BDC) Small Business Week. The week is a celebration of the contribution small- and medium-sized businesses make to our community's outstanding quality of life. Over the last 65 years, the Oakville Chamber of Commerce has been the voice of business in Oakville -- your voice. The chamber is proud of the role that it plays in serving you and in bringing the business community together. Small and medium-sized businesses represent 98 per cent of all companies and employ 63 per cent of private sector workers in Canada. Small businesses account for nearly half of Canada's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Nearly two out of every three new jobs created in Canada are created by small business. They are the engine of our economy. I am a small business owner and I know rsthand the all-consuming dedication, risks and rewards that go hand-in-hand with the job. Your success is not based on luck but on hard work and the challenges you conquer every day as business people and entrepreneurs. Your business is the backbone of your community, supporting its quality of life. Our taxes are used to fund the local infrastructure including education, emergency services and healthcare. Businesses pay two to three times the tax rate of residents, yet on average, businesses use only half the services of a typical resident. Local businesses subsidize our community and local business means local jobs. The chamber's Small Business Week activities are planned to inspire, celebrate and educate small and medium-sized business owners. Our kick-off breakfast with John Peller, CEO of Peller Estate Winery, was engaging, humorous and insightful. It was an inspiring start to the week. 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.