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www.insidehalton.com |OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, May 19, 2017 |6 E d it o r ia l Floating into summer On this Victoria Day/May 24 long weekend, many Oakville residents should not forget the keys to the boat. That is the five keys to safer boating, as touted by the Boating Safety Council of Canada. Despite the problems facing local boaters with high wa ter levels in Lake Ontario and submerged docks and toosoft ground for launching, this weekend is often heralded as the unofficial start to summer and boating season. So before heading out for adventure on the high seas, take along the five keys to safer boating: · Wear your lifejacket Legally you must carry one on board, appropriately sized for each passenger. But don't just carry it, wear it. · Don't drink and boat Boating under the influence is not just illegal; its irre sponsible. Wait until you get back to the pier. · Take a boating course The law requires anyone driving a motorized boat must have a pleasure-craft operator card. · Be prepared Ensure your boat has all required safety gear and suf ficient fuel and that the weather is suitable to a vessel' s ca pabilities. · Beware of cold water risks Cold water is a significant risk. Protect yourself. According to the Safe Boating Council, the May 24 Vic toria Day long weekend historically, has been one that gen erates more than its fair share of boating-related incidents and fatalities -- that' s why the council and its partners re mind boaters to boat safely. May 20 to 26 is North Ameri can Safe Boating Awareness Week for 2017. A number of factors constitute a dangerous mix when on the water, but especially at long weekends when boat traffic can often be 10 times that of a regular weekend. Converging wakes generated by the increased traffic from sport boats to large cruisers can easily capsize smaller fishing boats, canoes and kayaks. While temperatures may get balmy, water temperature has only risen a handful of degrees since the ice receded. The cold shock can be deadly in a fall overboard or a cap sizing. Wear thermal protective clothing with a Personal Flotation Device (PFD). Have the means to call for help, by marine radio or cell phone (service dependent). There need to be sufficient numbers of lifejackets on board for everyone. They should be checked for proper fit as well as for broken zippers or buckles, split seams or excessive wear. Replace any that need it. The greatest contributor to long weekend tragedies is alcohol consumption, which accounts for approximately 40 per cent of all boating-related incidents and fatalities. Boaters should also know there will be many more eyes looking out for impaired operators this season. The Cana dian Safe Boating Council launched an initiative in 2014 called "Help Us Catch Impaired Boaters - Dial 9 1 1 " that is still in effect today. Police and 911 agencies across much of Canada have embraced this initiative where other boaters can alert them of potentially impaired boaters so they can respond. Learn more at www.csbc.ca. Have a great, safe, long weekend, on and off the water. 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 m ust contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to: The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 5 0 4 6 Mainway, Unit 2, Burlington ON L7L 5Z1 or via email to ablackburn@ oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. "C o n n e c t e d t o y o u r C o m m u n i t y " TheB Beaver. 5046 Mainway Unit 2, Burlington ON L7L 5Z1 General Inquiries: (905) 845-3824 Classified Advertising: (9 0 5 ) 632-4440 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 Volume 55 | Number 39 The Oakville Beaver is a division of ·* m e tr o la n d m e d ia · C o n n e c te d to y o u r com m un ity® Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. NEIL OLIVER Vice -Presiden t and Group Publisher of Metroland West KELLY MONTAGUE Regional General Manager DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director ANGELA BLACKBURN M anaging Editor RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director LORI ANN GZOVDANOVIC Business Manager M AR K DILLS Director of Production M AN U EL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution M yV iew K IM M O SSM AN Circulation Manager Boosting innovation a t Sheridan T here has been tremendous excitement and celebration recently over the fact that Come From Away, the Broadway musical originally developed and produced by Sheridan College, has received seven Tony Award nomina tions. The Tony Awards recognize excellence in live theatrical productions that are staged on Broad way in New York City. Sheridan College has likely made history by being the first postsecondary institution in Can ada to receive a Best Musical nomination for a Tony Award. W hat an incredible honour for our hometown college. Some people may be unaware that Come From Away was produced through an innova tive program at Sheridan called the Canadian Music Theatre Project (CMTP). This program launched in 2011 and is the largest incubator for musical theatre in Canada. Come From Away was T h eBeaver. i Proud Official Media Sponsor For: Canadian Circulations Audit Board Member Recognized for Excellence by AW John Oliver Oakville MP Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association LocalMediaassociation Proud Official Media Sponsor For: one of the first projects workshopped through CMTP, while more than a dozen other musicals are being developed through the program. The CMTP gives writers the opportunity to develop and refine their material, with the help of fourthyear students in Sheridans Bachelor of Music Theatre Performance program. The success of Come From Away, which opened on Broadway in March, surely attests to the effectiveness of the CMTP in producing musical theatre of the high est caliber. J2 Welc o m e ^ Halcor P ........, aal,,,iM OPC Ontario Press Council D efen d in gprin cip lestoin sp irep u blictru st The Oakville Beaver is a m em ber o f the Ontario Press Council. The council is located a t 80 Gould S t., Suite 20 6 , Toronto, Ont., M 5B 2 M 7. Phone 4 1 6 -3 4 0-1 9 8 1 . Advertisin g is accepted on the condition that, in the event o f a typographical error, th a t portion o f advertising space occupied b y the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, b u t the balance o f the advertise m e nt will be paid for a t the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements o r decline. see Sheridan on p.8 Pud S P E C k L E S A B T S T U D I0 .c o m