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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, December 4, 2015 | 6 The following guest editorial was written by Laurie Edmiston, executive director of CATIE, Canada's source for HIV and Hepatitis C information. HIV in Canada? It's a question I often hear on World AIDS Day (Dec. 1), when much of our attention turns to the global HIV epidemic. Many of us think of HIV/ AIDS as an issue affecting other countries. But an HIV epidemic in Canada? More than 70,000 Canadians are living with HIV and, on average, seven to eight new infections happen every day. While these numbers are concerning, Canada's overall rate of new infections is still lower than the global average. However, HIV has reached epidemic levels in key populations across the country. In the Ahtahkakoop First Nation in Saskatchewan, for example, 3.5 per cent of the population is living with HIV . In Toronto, an estimated one out of every ve gay and bisexual men is HIV-positive. And in Vancouver's Downtown East Side, an estimated 27 per cent of people who inject drugs are HIV-positive. At this year's International AIDS Society conference in Vancouver, we heard success stories from around the world as countries scale up efforts to meet ambitious new testing and treatment targets set by UNAIDS, the United Nations agency responsible for co-ordinating the global HIV response. Modelling studies show achieving these new targets will end the epidemic spread of HIV by 2030. With new targets at the global level and new federal leadership in Canada, now is the time to renew our own HIV response and catch up with the world. Over the past decade, Canadian harm-reduction programs were strongly opposed by the federal government, despite clear evidence they save lives and prevent the spread of HIV . An estimated 11 per cent of Canadians who inject drugs are HIV-positive. In Australia, where early and consistent adoption of harm reduction initiatives, such as needle syringe programs was supported by government, fewer than two per cent of people who inject drugs are HIV-positive. In Canada, a large proportion of people living with HIV do not know their status because they have not been tested. We may be able to learn from countries that have a strong focus on testing. By similarly expanding access to testing, we can help diagnose more people living with HIV , giving them a chance to start treatment, take care of their health and prevent transmission. With no national pharmacare plan, access to treatment is inconsistent for Canadians with HIV . Treatment access is estimated to be greater in Botswana, where a national program provides free treatment to two-thirds of people with HIV , improving health and reducing deaths. New infections in Botswana fell 70 per cent over the 10 years following introduction of its program. Canada's national HIV strategy was written more than 10 years ago and doesn't include actions related to any of the new scienti c developments that should be guiding our national response, such as people who start treatment soon after infection stand a good chance of living a near-normal lifespan and of not being infectious to others. This World AIDS Day was a perfect opportunity for us to commit to think globally and act locally. Let's create our own ambitious strategy to address HIV in Canada. HIV in Canada? Editorial F A R E S H A R E O F "Connected to your Community" A R T 5046 Mainway, Unit 2, Burlington ON L7L 5Z1 General Inquiries: (905) 845-3824 Classi ed Advertising: (905) 632-4440 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 Volume 53 | Number 97 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 NEIL OLIVER DAVID HARVEY Advertising Director Since 2008, St. Ignatius of Loyola students have produced and sold an art calendar annually year to raise money for Fare Share Food Bank. This year the sales were the highest ever -- $2,020 was raised for the food bank. Pictured are some of the students who helped produce or sell the calendar: (back row from left) Nina Nissan, Daniel Hoggett, Tina Hoang, Rebecca Turner, Christian Srutwa, Daniel Callin, Connor Goedecke, Natalie Nowak, Nicole Jubran, Darcy Large, Maria Jeri, and Meagan Malixi. Front row, from left, are: Michael Conzelman, Thalia Lusterio, Gabrielle Geronimo, Taylor Tabry-Dorzek, Kayla Correa, Elora Franklin, Sandra Nastah, Sheneice Joseph, Paula Miquelarena, and Nina Shaba. | submitted photo DANIEL BAIRD Managing Editor ANGELA BLACKBURN RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director Business Manager Director of Production SANDY PARE MARK DILLS Letters to the Editor Re: Dollars & Sense by Peter Watson, Oakville Beaver, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2015 What Mr. Watson does not understand is that when we, baby boomers, bought our ranch bungalow in Bronte in 1987 for $185,000 it was already more than 30 years old and in need of major updates. We added an addition and renovated. At this time, our property tax doubled. In the 28 years that we have owned our home, we have paid roughly $120, 000 in property taxes. Yes, our home is now worth close to $1 million, but don't forget, we live in Oakville, which happens to be one of the most expensive places to live in Canada. Maybe if our children's generation, my kids are aged 22 and 19, worked as hard as my husband and I did, sacri ced on some luxuries Homeowners have earned housing profit MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager Director of Distribution CHARLENE HALL KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager like my husband and I did, and maybe if the Town of Oakville provided some more affordable housing instead of building million-dollar homes, my kids and their generation too can afford to buy their own homes and pro t just as much as their parents' generation did. So, to answer your question: No, I don't agree that we should be taxed on the pro ts of our principal residence. I feel that we have already paid our fair share of taxes. Why don't we increase taxes on people who have more than one home, like the many people who own a cottage in Muskoka. When are our kids' generation going to start working for what they want and stop this expectation of entitlement that they and people like you feel they deserve just because they were born after baby boomers? Claudia and Joe Stampone, Oakville 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: Disappointed OTMH won't be a refuge I was disappointed to read that we can't push ahead faster on the decommissioning of the legacy Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH) to help house Syrian refugees. I understand there are timelines and proper ways to decommission a hospital, but some- times, when there is a crisis or an emergency, one has to be willing to do what's necessary in order to mitigate the crisis. The refugees need temporary housing and we have an empty hospital. Seems to me that it would be a perfect t. Renee Sandelowsky, Oakville 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, 5046 Mainway, Unit 2, Burlington ON L7L 5Z1 or via email to editor@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. 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