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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: 337-5571ClassiOntario CommunityCanadian Communityfied 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 ProductionUnauthorized 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 editorQuit smokingNew parentsand win a cargratefulQuitting smoking is stressful.My wife and I recently had our Anyone attempting to kick the habit is trying to first child at Oakville-Trafalgar shake a very tenacious monkey off their back: nico-Memorial Hospital (OTMH) and I tine.wanted to take a moment to thank The highly addictive active ingredient in tobacco not only the hospital itself, but spe-may not have as dramatic an effect on peoples brains cifically the staff who provided my as cocaine, but Health Canada said the addiction to wife with what I would call the nicotine is just as powerful.above and beyond care that she Trying to quit exposes people to withdrawal side received.effects such as difficulty concentrating and sleeping, As a fairly new husband, this was headaches, anxiety and irritability, hunger, decreased the first time our family had to rely heart rate and blood pressure, and a deep craving for on our healthcare system for any nicotine, the health agency said.kind of major procedure.According to Health Canada, the craving for ciga-We were five weeks premature rettes can persist for months or even years.when we were admitted to OTMH Thats why most people fail to quit on their first at 5:30 a.m. Sunday morning. She attempt: the Canadian Cancer Society says it takes was in no pain and it merely became more than three attempts on average before someone a waiting game until the little guy finally manages to butt out for good.decided to make his grand appear-Officials with the Cancer Society, the Province, the ance on his own or until Jen (my Regions public health department and partners hope wife) was induced. an annual contest launched this week could help con-There were quite a few details/vince smokers sitting on the fence to try one more issues that took place over the next time to give nicotine the boot. The Driven to Quit few days which lead to a little lon-competition gives smokers who remain tobacco free ger hospital stay which at times throughout March the chance to win one of two made for an irritable expecting Honda hybrid cars or two dream vacations among The Oakville Beaverwelcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity,mother and husband, but all deci-Letters other prizes.length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain sions were made based on the best the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Driven to Quit Challenge is a health promo-to the interest of the mother-to-be and The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to tion campaign that encourages Ontario adult tobacco the baby.editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaverreserves the right to refuse to publish a letter.editorusers to give up tobacco with the support of a buddy. Our little one wasnt born until Selected winners are drawn at random and are tested early Thursday morning with our to verify that they have been tobacco-free.Funding for the arts pays dividendsdischarge taking place Saturday The Cancer Society said since its launch in 2006, afternoon. This gave us ample time As a board member of the Oakville Camera The other argument Im putting forth the contest has helped more than 130,000 Ontarians to experience both maternal child Club, it is my sincerest hope that funding for against cutting arts funding (Arts Council and to try to quit.and labour and delivery on a great-the Arts Council and the grants is left alone in grant program) is that while it would save Given the well-documented health risks of smok-er scale than most. the 2011 municipal budget. Looking at the some money in a tough year, it would dimin-ing which causes 85 per cent of lung cancers We experienced three shift big picture, municipal funding of the arts ish community involvement. It also sends a according to the Cancer Society any tool to get changes in labour and delivery over brings a multi-fold return on investment, rather mixed message with the finishing people to quit is valuable.a span of 37 hours and each nurse which in turn means more tax revenue for the touches put on the QE Park Community Once smokers get through that initial rough couldnt have been more receptive, Town of Oakville.Centre, which has a significant arts program-patch, theyre much more likely to stay clean. If the supportive and caring.To refer to the October 2008 article ming component to the facility, yet funding to prospect of possibly winning a shiny new car gets I understand this is often looked Harnessing the Power of the Arts: Capitalizing groups who will be tenants gets cut. them to that point, thats all for the better.upon as just doing their job, but on the Economic Power of the Creative It's sad this issue gets revisited every cou-Enter the Driven to Quit contest online at www.it was incredible to see my family Industry from the International City ple of years at budget time. I appreciate the driventoquit.ca, by dialing 311 or by calling the under the care of these individuals Management Association newsletter, all three tough choices our councillors have to make. Canadian Cancer Society Smokers Helpline at 1-877-who see and do these things every levels of American government spend less Times are tough for municipalities even with 513-5333.single day and for them not to than $4 billion USD per year on arts invest-ones in decent shape like the Town of Oakville become complacent or inattentive The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., ment in the form of grants, yet reap nearly and allocating scarce tax dollars for compet-Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, to any detail was truly inspiring. $30 billion USD in revenue for all three levels ing priorities is a task not taken lightly. in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, We were made to feel at ease, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the of government. Thats a seven-to-one return William Smith, Vice President advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize on investment.Oakville Camera Club advertisements or decline.See New page 7www.insideHALTON.com OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, February 23, 2011 6