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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, O ct ob er 18 ,2 01 8 | 8 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised family of newspapers is comprised f of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the news- paper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca editor@oakvillebeaver.com facebook.com/OakvilleBeavfacebook.com/OakvilleBeavf @OakvilleBeaver WHO WE ARE VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague Regional Managing Editor Catherine O'Hara Regional Manager Digital Content Karen Miceli Director of Distribution Charlene Hall Circulation Manager Kim Mossman Director of Production Mark Dills Regional Production Manager Manny Garcia Regional General Manager Steve Foreman Halton Media General Manager Vicki Dillane Regional Director of Media Holly Chriss CONTACT US Oakville Beaver 901 Guelph Line Burlington, ON L7R 3N8 Phone: 289-293-0617 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Digital/Flyer/Retail: 289-293-0624 Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 200 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We for verification purposes. We f reserve the right to edit, con- dense or reject letters. Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail kmossman@metroland.com or call 905-631-6095. OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT INSIDEHALTON.COM EDITORIAL The 2018 municipal election is nearly upon us. Oct. 22 is voting day for municipalities across the province unless, of course, you cast your ballot early in an advance poll. If you have voted already, or plan to on Monday, give yourself a pat on the back. No, really. The fact of the matter is that far too few of us even bother to vote in municipal elections. While the 2015 federal election's voter turnout hit an impressive 68.5 per cent and the recent provincial election saw 58.4 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot, most municipal elec- tions struggle to see voter turnout crack 40 per cent. And that's a shame. Granted, municipal issues may not always pos- sess quite the same grav- itas as those at the pro- vincial or federal levels, but important decisions are still made at your local council table. Arguably, the choices made by members of council at your town or city hall have more of an impact on your daily life than the legislation that gets debated and passed at Queen's Park or Parliament Hill - even if the latter two arenas garner considerably more press coverage and punditry. That's not to say that federal and provincial is- sues aren't important, but upper and lower-tier mu- nicipalities are directly responsible for the admin- istration of many services you rely on every day, in- cluding local and regional road maintenance, provid- ing clean drinking water, garbage collection and countless others. If you have concerns about the delivery of local services, future development and/or your annu- al property tax bill - a perennial gripe for many home- owners - then now is the time to express it both to the incumbent politicians seeking re-election and the new candidates hoping to replace them. It's very easy to get turned off politics these days, but given the important role municipal government plays in our communities, it behooves us all to take some time over the next few days, learn a little bit about those who desire to represent us and then vote for the candidates we think will do the best job. After all, this is your best opportunity to voice what you want for the future of your community. A chance like this only comes once every four years. IMPORTANT TO VOTE IN MUNICIPAL ELECTION "Arguably, the choices made by members of council at your town or city hall have more of an impact on your daily life than the legislation that gets debated and passed at Queen's Park or Parliament Hill." Canada is in the midst of an opioid crisis that has tragically claimed thou- sands of lives. Opioid users come from all walks of life; they are our children, our siblings, our parents - and they deserve our help. We have made some gains in this battle, but the crisis is not over. Our feder- al government earmarked over $230 million in 2018 to fight opioid dependency. Our strategy is grounded in harm reduction: an evi- dence-based, compassion- ate approach that focuses on patient safety first. Many people become de- pendent on opioids from a doctor's prescription, so it is essential for doctors and patients to know the risks. We required drug manu- facturers to clarify dosing and proper usage to im- prove prescribing practic- es by doctors. We are in- forming patients about the risks through warning stickers and patient infor- mation sheets. These mea- sures are designed to re- duce the use of prescrip- tion opioids and lessen the prevalence of dependency. Illegal drugs also play a major role in this crisis. These drugs are often tainted with fentanyl, a very potent opioid, so re- ducing the supply of street drugs saves lives. We made it easier for border officers to stop the flow of illegal drugs at our borders, and the RCMP is working close- ly with our international partners to combat illicit opioid imports. We have made it harder for crimi- nals to produce opioids within Canada, also. For those Canadians with an opioid dependency, we are reducing the risks to their health. In addition to improving access to treat- ment therapies, we are funding new approaches such as mobile clinics, overdose prevention sites, and tools to detect fentanyl. Witnesses to an overdose are more likely to call 911 because of protections pro- vided by the Good Samari- tan Drug Overdose Act. Our federal government continues to work with our provincial, territorial, health and law enforcement partners to attack the opioid crisis from multiple angles. You can help us win this bat-You can help us win this bat-Y tle by learning about the dangers of opioids. Go to www.canada.ca and search for "opioids tool kit" forfor "opioids tool kit" forf more information. John Oliver is the mem- ber of Parliament for Oak- ville. Visit johnoliver.mp for more information or contact him at John.Oli- ver@parl.gc.ca. THE ONGOING BATTLE AGAINST OPIOID DEPENDENCY 'WE'VE MADE SOME GAINS, BUT THE CRISIS IS NOT OVER,' WRITES OLIVER JOHN OLIVER Column