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OPINION & LETTERSTHE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR:The Oakville BeaverTHE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR:Canadian Circulation467 Speers Rd.,Audit Board Member Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 Recognized for Excellence by(905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5571COntario CommunityCanadian Communitylassified Advertising: 632-4440 Newspapers AssociationNewspapers AssociationCirculation: 845-9742 Open 9-5 weekdays,ATHENASuburban NewspapersAward5-7 for calls only Wed. to Friday, Closed weekendsof AmericaEditorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. NEIL OLIVERVice President and Group ROD JERREDManaging EditorMARK DILLSDirector of Production Unauthorized use is prohibited.Publisher of Metroland WestDANIEL BAIRDAdvertising DirectorMANUEL GARCIAProduction ManagerThe Oakville Beaver is a division ofDAVID HARVEYRegional General ManagerRIZIERO VERTOLLIPhotography DirectorCHARLENE HALLDirector of DistributionJILL DAVISEditor in ChiefSANDY PAREBusiness ManagerSARAH MCSWEENEYCirc. ManagerLetter to the editorMost Canadians Cats needliving in denialoutdoorsCanadians, as a whole, are a delusional lot.Thats the gist of The Heart and StrokeIve been following the latestFoundations 2011 Report on Canadians Health,letters to the editor in regards towhich warns that nine out of 10 Canadians are jeop-the cat bylaw.ardizing the quality and length of their lives.The debate could go on and onThe Foundation found that many Canadians areas the indoor cat people and thein denial about their risk factors for heart disease,outdoor cat people air their viewssuch as being overweight and being physically inac-against each other.tive risk factors they can manage and control.Peoples comments are startingThe fact is that were not managing some of theto get my goat (is there a bylaw formost common and deadly cardiovascular risk factorskeeping goats indoors or out?). Idas well as we think we are, says Dr. Beth Abramson,like to add my two cents and Illcardiologist and spokesperson for the Heart andkeep it short.Stroke Foundation. We Canadians are living with aMy two male neutered cats willfalse sense of security that could be fatal.be 17 in May (knock on wood).The poll found that 84 per cent of CanadiansThey have always been indoorknow that nine out of 10 adults have at least one riskand outdoor cats. They have livedfactor for heart disease and stroke.in downtown Toronto on two busyNine out of 10 Canadians polled know that thestreets, three sleepy neighbour-majority of first-time heart attacks are caused by riskhood streets in St. Catharines,factors they can control.gated communities in St. Charles,However, the poll also showed that CanadiansIllinois and Las Vegas, Nevada, onoverestimate their own healthy behaviours:the beaches of Freeport, Grand Almost 90 per cent rate themselves as healthy.The Oakville Beaverwelcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal consider-Bahamas Island and St. Thomas,The reality is that nine out of 10 Canadians have atLetters toations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of theU.S. Virgin Islands and mostleast one risk factor for heart disease and stroke.author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4,the editoror via e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. TheBeaverreserves the right to refuse to publish a letter.recently the streets of Bronte Only about a third said they are not physicallyVillage.active or dont eat a minimum of five servings of They have 'played' with sandvegetables and fruit per day. The reality is about half Hydro board needs better fiscal controlscrabs and lizards and have staredof Canadians dont meet the physical activity anddown iguanas and raccoons. Re:Council closes book on hydro Until the donations were made public, healthy eating recommendations.Their latest home allows themdonations, Oakville Beaver Jan. 19.most of the Oakville Hydro board mem- Eighteen per cent of Canadian adults say theyto roam on two balconies and twoIt is reassuring to know that Oakville bers were not even aware of them.are obese. The reality is that almost one quarter 25terraces.residents will not be saddled with the In addition to their deliberations at per cent of Canadian adults are obese.We let them outside the frontcost of an expensive inquiry into the the Jan. 17, 2011 council meeting, According to Abramson, Canadians, by beingdoor on the ground floor to pokeOakville Hydro political donations and Oakville Town Council should ensure physically active, can gain close to four years of life,around and eat some grass.that policies have been put in place to that the Oakville Hydro board puts in three of those free of heart disease or stroke.They are outdoors for maybeprevent such donations being made in place an appropriate fiscal process so Living longer isnt much fun, if you dont havefive minutes at the most and willthe future.that, in future, the board will review pro-your health, she adds.come back in to use the litter boxHowever, one issue that seems to have posed discretionary spending before deci-On average, inactivity and obesity can each shaveas per habit. fallen by the wayside during the heated sions are made. almost four years off a persons expected lifespan,Allowing them to be outdoorsdebate is that the revelations about the This should help to restore our confi-high blood pressure two and a half years, and lowhas kept their sanity and theirdonations came from information con-dence in Oakville Hydros governance of vegetable and fruit consumption, 1.3 years.wildness at heart.tained in Ontario Elections contribution the expenditure of public money.We all know what needs to be done to better ourMichelle Keyes, Oakvillestatements, not from Oakville Hydro. Keith Spicer, Oakvillehealth: exercise, stop smoking, reduce stress, controlyour blood pressure and cholesterol levels, eathealthy, limit alcohol use, etc.Cat bylaw has succeeded in garnering public's interestRecent polls show that only a small have an interest in municipal affairs. Pheeeew! For a while I thought thereThe Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising ispercentage of Canadians pay any atten-It follows that our town staff andcould be no logical explanation for aaccepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of tion to federal politics. council will get their input and feedbackbylaw prohibiting my neighbours catadvertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowancefor signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paidWe can assume that on the sliding from residents who are categoricallyfrom sunning itself on my driveway.for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisementsscale of issue value even fewer people unrepresentative. Chris Stoate, Oakvilleor decline.www.insideHALTON.com OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, February 2, 2011 6