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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, September 17, 2015 | 16 Firefighters kick off Fire Prevention Week with Open House fun The community will get a chance to have fun while learning about fire safety during the Fire Prevention Week kickoff Saturday, Sept. 26. Hosted by the Oakville Fire department, the 16th annual event is held at its training campus, 1144 South Service Rd. W., and includes rescue demonstrations, Oakville Hydro bucket truck rides, and a Junior Firefighter Challenge clinic, among other features. "Home fire safety involves everyone in the household, and this annual community event provides a fun and interactive way for all ages to learn about preventing fires and staying safe," Oakville Mayor Rob Burton said in a media release. The kickoff event runs from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. The theme of this year's Fire Prevention Week (Oct. 4-10) is: Hear the Beep Where You Sleep ­ Every Bedroom Needs a Working Smoke Alarm. Residents are encouraged to learn about the proper installation and maintenance of smoke alarms to keep family members and their property safe. "Half of home fire deaths happen between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., when most people are asleep and that is why early detection is so important," Glenn Barwell, public education officer for the Oakville Fire department, said in the release. "At a time when every second counts, working smoke alarms provide more time to escape." In addition to fire safety presentations, activities at the kickoff event will also include a visit from Sparky the Fire Dog, pony rides, inflatable air rides, smoke room simulator, Junior Firefighter water squirt, and fire safety games for all ages. There will also be a free hot dog barbecue and those who attend are encouraged to bring a refillable water bottle for the water bar. Free parking and shuttle bus service will be available at the Bronte GO station (2104 Wyecroft Rd.) while parking at the training campus will be reserved for people with limited mobility or medical conditions. For more information on fire safety and prevention, visit oakville.ca. Great Family DininG For over 40 years! nbhtech.ca COMPUTERS, CELL PHONE Accessories & Repair WE HAVE WHAT YOU NEED! Cell phone & ipad cases, speakers, keyboards, wireless mouse, headsets, HDMI cables, charging cables, USB, screen protectors & More! WATCH BATTERIES ONLY SUNGLASSES 16GB SD/USB HDMI 6 ft. 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Housing is likely to slow only modestly in the next year as the Bank of Canada keeps short-term interest rates at record lows and longer-term yields edge only modestly higher." When it comes to the effect of the federal election, Cooper points out any change in government creates a market selloff to a certain degree, but says talk of balanced budgets and prudent fiscal policy currently being heard by all three main federal parties will likely stabilize the markets quickly. gains this strong, during any previous recession," says Cooper. Seen as one of the most influential economists in Canada for several decades, Cooper says a provincial sectoral decline is a far cry from a true national recession. "Really what drove the numbers down were the difficulties in the oil patch. For Alberta there is a recession but for Canada as a whole, no. When oil prices were high, Alberta was booming and the Canadian dollar was strong. That hurt exports from the manufacturing sectors in Ontario and Quebec." Overall, Cooper remains bullish on the current state of the Canadian economy, "I think we are going to see a significant rebound . . . roughly to 2 1/2 per cent growth for the second half of this year and into next year." This is a far cry from recent reports of growth forecasts of a much more conservative 1.1 percent growth for the coming year by a survey of 16 economists conducted by Census Economics. But Cooper is Dr. Sherry Cooper "I think we are going to see up to 2 1/2 per cent growth into next year." Chief Economist for Dominion Lending Centres Anyone who says Canada is in a recession isn't an economist ­ says leading economist Ottawa, ON ­ Dr. Sherry Cooper, the chief economist for Dominion Lending Centres and long-time trusted economic commentator across North America, offered some strong opinion to recent reports Canada is in an economic recession. "Everyone thinks it's a recession except for economists! Real recessions see widespread contraction, which we simply aren't seeing across the country. We have never seen consumption growth, housing activity, auto sales and employment 1-888-806-8080 www.dominionlending.ca