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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, May 2, 2012 · 6 OPINION & LETTERS 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5571 Classified Advertising: 632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742 --Open 9-5 weekdays, 5-7 for calls only Wed. to Friday, Closed weekends Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. The Oakville Beaver THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Canadian Circulation Audit Board Member THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America Canadian Community Newspapers Association ATHENA Award NEIL OLIVER Vice ­ President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The Oakville Beaver is a division of DAVID HARVEY Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director SANDY PARE Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution SARAH MCSWEENEY Circ. Manager Safety pays Life is but a breath, and nothing is worth losing that breath especially if it's something that could have easily been avoided. This past week has been plentiful in terms of public displays about the importance of safety. Last week, Thomas A. Blakelock High School hosted a forum called Knowledge Transfer, led by Rob Ellis of mysafework.com, who lost his 18-yearold son David to an accident in 1999. David was working on a co-op job placement. For students across Canada, a part-time job can be an opportunity to learn, gain experience and develop skills needed to achieve dreams. Unfortunately, the workplace can also be a dangerous environment when health and safety is not top priority. Ellis told students that employers must give youths proper respect, on-the-job training and instruction to avoid potentially-dangerous situations. Students must also be confident to voice safety concerns. Last Saturday, Oakville hosted a memorial service to mark National Day of Mourning. Numerous union officials, local firefighters and Lisa Raitt, Canada's Minister of Labour and Halton MP, attended. The Day of Mourning is an annual event that began in Canada and is now commemorated in more than 70 countries. On Saturday, the Oakville event was held outside the Oakville Public Library's Central Branch to remember all workers injured or killed on the job in Canada. Residents were invited to attend and hear personal stories of loss in the workplace to understand how important it is for everyone to make workplace safety a priority. Also last week, a vigil was held to remember adults who have gone missing -- leaving their loved ones with nothing but questions and a lifetime of hope that often becomes unbearable as hopes go unanswered. Nothing is worth losing a life over -- just ask those who are left behind. 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. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Play areas not for toddlers Letter to the editor Letters to the editor 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, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. Thank you for the kindness I am writing to you because I want to acknowledge Kopriva Taylor Community Funeral Home, 64 Lakeshore Rd., in Oakville. At the beginning of April, we had lost our twin girls due to pre-term labour. We were devastated and learned that legally, after 20 weeks gestation, you have to provide a burial or simple cremation for your babies. The cost for these procedures can be quite high. We called around to a few funeral homes in the area including Kopriva Taylor Funeral home. From the initial phone call, they were genuine, compassionate and went well beyond what I had ever expected. I think that they deserve recognition for being so wonderful to us during the hardest times of our lives. I want to thank the entire team and a special thank you to Terry Cooke for making this process as easy as possible. Thank you. Charmaine and Kevin Dudek, Waterdown Follow Oakville Beaver staff on Twitter @OakvilleBeaver or @NewsHooked @DavidLea6 @DominikKurek @BeaverSports or @Halton_Photog I have lived in Oakville for more than 25 years. Oakville is, by far, one of the best communities in which to raise children. The abundant green space and an incredible amount of parks really gives every child the foundation for a healthy environment with plenty of fresh air and exercise. With that being said, I am appealing to parents of very young children to respect the parks and play areas and follow the simple rules of the park. When a slide/climber posts "For children between five to 12 years," please do not allow your toddlers to play on them. Not only is it extremely dangerous for them, but it is also very disrespectful of those children who `are' of age and their parents. I went to a public park Sunday morning with my seven-year-old twins only to find the slides and climbers where occupied by children who could barely walk. My children did not want to play on the same equipment for fear of accidentally running into them or hurting them. So, we left the park and went to another where they could enjoy it, as seven year olds should. All the children have a right to play on this equipment. It is not fair for these children, especially when the town provides suitable play areas for the younger children. With summer around the corner, I ask parents to really take this into consideration. I would like my children to have fun this summer and enjoy everything this wonderful town has to offer -- but I certainly do not want to see my children, or another six or seven year old, unintentionally hurt a very young child because they were simply `having fun'. I do not want to see a two year old hurt because parents are not responsible enough to know the dangers of putting children in an area that is just not appropriate for them. Lisa Stewart, Oakville