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

www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, February 8, 2013 · 6 Opinion & Letters The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 905-845-3824 Fax: 337-5566 Classified Advertising: 632-4440 Circulation: 905-631-6095 -- 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. 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 OakvilleBeaver is a division of David Harvey Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief, Halton Region 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 KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Be wary of fraudsters on the prowl It takes a certain type of person who would take advantage of someone by faking a crisis situation to try to extort money. Unfortunately, we can't properly or adequately describe these individuals in a family newspaper. But be forewarned, there are plenty of these low-lifes out there, eager to pounce on an unsuspecting senior or someone who has let their guard down for a moment. Halton police recently issued a warning for area residents to be aware there are plenty of fraudsters currently at work and there are two types of scams that are particularly active right now -- Emergency and Internet. In `emergency' scams, usually the target is a senior who receives a call from someone saying he or she is their grandchild in distress. The caller elicits pertinent personal information from the senior by suggesting they have been involved in a car accident or require money for bail. They then ask the senior to wire them funds through a money transfer company. Malicious software is an Internet scam where the victim receives a call from someone who identifies himself as a representative of a software company. The caller will attempt to have their software installed on their computer so access can be gained to files, personal banking records and passwords. Phishing -- another Internet scam -- involves getting the victim to hand over personal and banking details. The e-mail sent appears authentic, however, police say genuine government organizations and financial institutions never expect people to send personal information in such a format. It's a good idea for families to discuss these scams to ensure every member of the family, no matter their age, is aware of how these fraudsters operate. For more information on scams, visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website at www.antifraudcentre.ca and/or the Competition Bureau's Information Centre at www.competitionbureau.gc.ca. Information can also be found at www.haltonpolice. ca under the Criminal Investigation ­ 'Fraud' tab. 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. Searching for relatives 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 ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. Safety first while riding outdoors With areas of the province expected to be covered in a blanket of snow, local residents might take to the great outdoors -- astride their snowmobiles. But before you do, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) remind riders to take several precautions. While the OPP patrols Ontario roads, it is also committed to saving lives on provincial trails and waterways. The OFSC, committed to proactive leadership in promoting safe and responsible riding on and off Ontario snowmobile trails, too, wants to do what it can to ensure local residents are safe on snow-covered trails. To ensure snowmobilers make it home, safe and sound, here are a few OPP and OFSC tips: · Before hitting the trails, service your sled to help prevent any breakdowns that can leave you and your passenger stranded · Have a repair kit on board, one outfitted with proper tools to address minor breakdowns · Carry a first-aid kit. Preassembled kits are available at outdoor and sporting good stores, as well as online · Get a survival kit, which can help make spending the day (or night) out in the cold much easier and safer. These, too, can be purchased at outdoor and sporting good stores · Go high-tech. A variety of devices, including Global Positioning System units, cellphones, satellite phones and SPOT Personal Trackers, can prove very useful, especially during emergency situations · Invite a friend to join you for a ride; riding as a pair or in groups is safer than going solo · Know your sled's safety features. Review your sled's safety manual. Safe Riders messaging on the OFSC website is also a great resource These safety tips are designed to ensure you and your passengers are safe on trails -- no matter how experienced a rider you are. Please consider them. I am hoping that some Oakville Beaver readers may be able to help me out. Some years ago, several of my husband's grandmothers' siblings moved from Yorkshire in the U.K. to Oakville and Bronte. Their names were Isabelle and Thomas Blakelock, and John, Harry and Robert Wilfred Parnaby. Robert and Harry and their families were living on Reynolds Street in Oakville in 1956. Their sister -- and my husband's grandmother -- Nora Parnaby, had married Ernest Thompson, a Methodist minister but they never visited Canada as far as I know. She had several siblings -- four of whom went to the Oakville and Bronte area of Ontario. When I was tracing the family tree, I drew a blank at this point until my husband's cousin came across some letters written to Nora in 1956 from Robert Wilfred Parnaby, who lived at 22 Reynolds St. N. (at the time) and also Harry Parnaby, who lived at 136 Reynolds St. N. Nora's elder sister, Isabelle, and her husband Thomas Blakelock, were living on Church Street, I believe, and John Thomas Parnaby was living in Bronte. Do any of your readers know of any Parnaby families living in the area -- my family would love to know. Thank you. Valerie Thompson, Cambridgeshire, U.K. Due to technical problems with the e-mail address editor@oakvillebeaver. com, The Oakville Beaver may not have received your letter to the editor. If you sent a letter recently that has not been published, please resend it to ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com. This is the new permanent address for sending letters to the editor. We regret any inconvenience this has caused. Notice