The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, F eb ru ar y 11 ,2 02 1 | 14 A young child highlight- ed the difficulty of keeping people off frozen stormwa- ter ponds by wandering on- to one as Oakville Fire chief Paul Boissonneault gave a safety talk on the subject. The fire chief was near the stormwater manage- ment pond at Oakville's Memorial Park discussing the importance of staying off the ice when a child, who appeared to be six-to- eight years old, could be seen walking onto the ice on the other side of the pond. The child left the ice on their own after a few mo- ments, before nearby by- law enforcement officers could intervene. "That's exactly what we're talking about," said Boissonneault. "We have to have par- ents talk to their children about safety and staying away from these shore- lines." Footprints visible in the snow at other parts of this pond show this child was not the only one to step on- to the ice recently. Halton police said that over the past few weeks they have received numer- ous calls about people play- ing or skating on unsafe ice. On Jan. 23, they took to Twitter warning that out- door ice will never be com- pletely safe. They said venturing out onto unsafe ice (including ice now forming on storm- water management ponds) puts the lives of residents, bystanders and first re- sponders at risk. On Dec. 19 an 11-year-old boy died after falling through the ice of a storm- water pond in Milton. "Just because there looks to be ice, that does not mean that ice is safe," said Boissonneault. "Stormwater manage- ment ponds can be ex- tremely dangerous. They were never built with the intention of fulfilling rec- reational activities, and we need to take this very seri- ously." The fire chief noted flowing water, air tempera- ture, sunshine, wind, pol- lution run-off such as road salt and snow all impact the thickness of stormwa- ter pond ice, making it un- predictable. He said it only takes a moment for hypothermia and drowning to take place after a child, adult or pet falls through the ice. The chief said parents need to talk to their chil- dren to make sure they stay away from the shorelines of stormwater ponds, flood- ing canals, rivers or any other bodies of water. "We want people to enjoy the winter activities out- doors, but we need to have them do so safely and en- sure that they stay off the ice," said Boissonneault. The fire chief's safety talk is part of a joint winter safety campaign launched by the Town of Oakville, the City of Burlington, the Town of Halton Hills, the Town of Milton and Con- servation Halton to edu- cate residents about the dangers associated with waterways this time of year. Municipal officials said residents can practice wa- ter safety and stay safe this winter by remembering: • To keep family mem- bers and pets away from all bodies of water • Not to follow pets or people on the ice or attempt to rescue, and call 911 for asssistance • Avoid recreational ac- tivities in or around water- ways, and check with your local municipality for al- ternative outdoor skating opportunities. CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED TO KEEP PEOPLE OFF UNSAFE ICE Oakville Fire chief Paul Boissonneault discusses the importance of staying off the ice of stormwater ponds. David Lea/Metroland DAVID LEA dlea@metroland.com NEWS Strategic Planning Session February 2021 3:30-5:00 PM Tuesday 23 Strategic Planning Session Join Us Join Halton Healthcare's Strategic Planning Session We are looking for your input to help refresh our Strategic Plan. Over the past few months our strategic planning partners at Optimus SBR have engaged with patients, families, residents of Oakville, Milton and Halton Hills and members of the Halton Healthcare team. Feedback from surveys, focus groups and one-on-one meetings has identified key themes and areas of focus. Now we'd like your feedback to make sure we are heading in the right direction. Please join Optimus SBR at ourVirtual Strategic Planning Session on Tuesday, February 23, 3:30 - 5:00 pm. Event is open to everyone. To register visit www.eventbrite.ca and search 'Halton Healthcare Strategic Planning Session'.