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Pa ge 6 T hu rs da y, O ct ob er 1 5, 2 01 5 - T he IF P - H al to n H ill s - w w w .th ei fp .c a We have a duty to report child abuse Letters to the editor 905-873-0301 Publisher: Dana Robbins General manager: Steve Foreman (sforeman@theifp.ca, 905-234-1011) Retail advertising manager: Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@theifp.ca, 905-234-1012) Managing editor: Chris Vernon (cvernon@metroland.com, 905-234-1020) Distribution manager: Nancy Geissler (ngeissler@theifp.ca, 905-234-1019) Classifieds/Real Estate Kristie Pells (realestate@theifp.ca, 905-234-1016) Advertising Sales Jenny Hawkins (jhawkins@theifp.ca, 905-234-1014) Jennifer Spencer (jspencer@theifp.ca, 905-234-1013) Rachael Scutt (rscutt@theifp.ca, 905-234-1015) Kelli Kosonic (kkosonic@theifp.ca, 905-234-1018) Classified Call Centre 1-800-263-6480, Fax 1-866-299-1499 classifieds@metroland.com Accounting 1-866-773-6575 Editorial Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@theifp.ca, 905-234-1021) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/photographer (emaher@theifp.ca, 905-234-1023) Composing Shelli Harrison (sharrison@theifp.ca 905-234-1017) Get the latest headlines delivered to your inbox by signing up for our twice weekly electronic newsletter. Go to www.theifp.ca and click on 'Newsletter sign-up' at the bottom of the homepage. October is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and this year, both the Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies and local Children's Aid Societies will highlight how calls from the community play a vital role in preventing child abuse in Ontario. Last year over 171,000 Ontarians reached out to Children's Aid with concerns about the safety of a child, an indication of the extent to which the community safety net is working. The vast majority of families they work with remain as a family unit during DCFS in- volvement and their work together is for the purpose of mitigating risk. In 2013, children remained with their fam- ilies in 97 per cent of CAS investigations. A removal occurs only when exceptional circumstances exist. A removal is never undertaken lightly. Child Abuse Prevention Month is about creating awareness of everyone's responsi- bility to report suspected child abuse and neglect. Every Ontarian has a moral and legal role to play in protecting children and supporting vulnerable families in the community. Types of child abuse: • physical abuse • sexual abuse • emotional abuse • neglect Signs of Child abuse: • not wearing clothing that's suitable for the weather • be dirty or unbathed • be very hungry • not be properly supervised A study published in the Canadian Medi- cal Association Journal, found that 32 per cent of Canadians had experienced physical abuse, sexual abuse, exposure to domestic violence or a combination of these while they were kids. It's time to end the cycle. Pick up the phone and make the call. OPINION Re: Eric Doubt of Georgetown's letter to the editor in the Oct. 1 edition of the IFP titled Car- toon was out of line: reader The cartoon Eric refers to was hardly "out of line". It's only reflecting our plight as we get on with it; loss of jobs, new and higher taxes, cuts to health care, et al. Does he have no sense of humour? The cartoon was funny! To find the cartoon inappropriate and of- fensive is just silly, and displays his own stance on the lowest rung of the cultural ladder. How welcoming is Canada, Ontario, and our hometown? Very. Norman Paulsen, Acton Cartoon was funny, and true Investment in housing is important Thanks for the help I would like to take this opportunity to thank the incredible staff (and dentist) at the South Georgetown Dental Care office. Recently at school, my seven year old was knocked to the ground and hit her front teeth, one baby tooth and one brand new adult tooth. As you can imagine there was a lot of blood and since her adult tooth looked and felt like it had been knocked out of place, we were a little freaked out thinking she was going to lose the tooth. Since our regular dentist office is closed on Fridays, I didn't know where to take her other than to the hospital but a volunteer at the school told me that she had seen a sign for emergency appointments at the South Georgetown Dental Care office. I can't begin to describe the amazing reception we had when we walked into the office. My daughter The Independent & Free Press is published Thursday and is one of several Metroland Media Group Ltd. community newspapers. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. The Independent & Free Press is a member of the Ontario Press Coun- cil, which is an independent ethical organization established to deal with editorial concerns. For additional information or to file a complaint, contact info@ontpress.com or call 416-340-1981. The Independent & Free Press Congratulations to Mayor Rick Bonnette for joining Greater Toronto and Hamilton (GTAH) Mayors and Regional Chairs in call- ing on the federal parties, in their Oct. 6 joint letter to five political parties, for enhanced federal infrastructure and social housing funding. Halton Hills and Halton Region are imple- menting a comprehensive strategy to encour- age a continuum of housing options for all incomes but much more needs to be done. Investing in social housing, in the Toronto and Hamilton area, with which Halton is very connected through employment, trade and recreation, is an investment in a more pros- perous future for all of us. However, as per the 2014 State of Homelessness in Canada Report, over the past 25 years, while Canada's population increased by almost 30%, annual national investment in housing has decreased dramatically, by over 46%. To put it another way, in 1989, Canadians contributed, through taxation, an average of $115/person to federal housing investments. By 2013, that figure had dropped to just over $60/person (in 2013 dol- lars). In Canada, almost 1 in 5 renter house- holds are experiencing severe housing afford- ability difficulties--spending 50% or more of their income on rent. Over 235,000 Canadians experience homelessness over the course of a year. On any given night, and cold nights are coming to us ever so soon, 35,000 Canadian citizens are homeless. Will Postma VP Programs and Research Pathways to Education Canada was a little scared about going to a different dentist but the hygienist and dentist explained everything they were doing for her and she was immediately comforted by them. So thank you to everyone in the South Georgetown Dental Care office for turning a very bad situation into a very positive one. Kelly Warnock, Halton Hills