40 Pages $1.00 (plus tax)A member of Metroland Media Group Ltd. Vol. 48 No. 135 USING COMMUNICATION TO BUILD BETTER COMMUNITIES FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2010 SNA NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR 2010 Shes a listener LivingONTARIOS TOP NEWSPAPER - 2005-2008 GRAHAM PAINE / OAKVILLE BEAVER POLLUTION APP: Nik Garkusha (left) of Milton and Mark Arteaga of Oakville, have developed a web application that shows which factories in a com- munity are considered polluters. By Christina Commisso Metroland West Media Group It began with a car-ride conversation between a local open data enthusiast and a B.C.-based public policy entrepreneur. They chatted about the endless possibilities that can be achieved if the mounds of data tucked away on government websites were made available to software developers. It continued in a Milton coffee shop, where local resident Nik Garkusha and Oakvilles Mark Arteaga brainstormed about an A-team of software developers, open data aficionados and environmental activists, who in a matter of weeks could take that government data and make something great out of it. Six weeks later, their labour of love was complete. It was Emitter.ca a web applica- tion that tracks pollution in your neighbour- hood. Living in Oakville, the big thing was the power plant coming to town, said Arteaga, adding that air quality has become a more prevalent issue in the community. Emitter.ca allows users to punch in an address and the web application (app) will gen- erate a list of factories, within five to 25 km that pollute the area. The app shows the name of the factory, its exact distance from the address and the factorys pollution ranking Here comes Santa Claus, so get out the hot chocolate and popcorn as Santa goes Hollywood this year at the 62nd annual Oakville Santa Claus Parade to be held Saturday morning. The parade will begin moving through downtown Oakville at 9 a.m. and will continue through Kerr Village before concluding. Meander down Memory Lane at the movies as the parade is A 'Reel' Christmas at the Movies-themed event. Watch floats and more recre- ate new and old-time favourite holiday movies as you wait to catch a glimpse of the jolly old elf, St. Nick himself. Joining Santa Claus for the parades 62nd anniversary will be an exciting lineup of schools, floats, bands, and costumed entertainers representing numerous local busi- nesses, service clubs, and community groups. The parade begins at 9 a.m. at Lakeshore Road and Reynolds Street. It moves west along Lakeshore to Kerr Street and then north to close at Kerr and Stewart streets. Make sure to look up just before 9 a.m. to see seven airplanes flying in a Christmas tree formation overhead. Normally based at the North Pole, Santa Claus is coming to town Saturday See Bring page 5 Santa Claus Neighbourhood polluters at your fingertips See App page 3 Living in Oakville, the big thing was the power plant coming to town. Mark Arteaga, co-developer of Emitter.ca 905.691.4455 www.shuttersetc.ca SHUTTERS ETC.SHUTTERS E Customer Satisfaction Guaranteed Serving Oakville with Shop at Home Service Wood & Vinyl Shutters, Supplied & Installed High Quality at Affordable Prices CALIFORNIA & PLANTATIONALIFORNIA & P ION SHUTTERS Authorized Eclipse Shutters Dealer FREE Shop at Home Service www.chisholmcentre.com