www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, August 1, 2012 · 10 Halton deemed a safe place to live -- again By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Despite a series of homicides early in 2011, Halton was dubbed the safest regional municipality in Canada with a population of more than 100,000 during that year. The finding is based on numbers reported in Statistics Canada's 2011 Crime Severity Index, released last week. According to the report, when compared to the 49 communities with populations greater than 100,000 across Canada, Halton has: · The lowest overall Crime Severity Index (33.6 in 2011, down from 37.0 in 2010) · The lowest Non-Violent Crime Severity Index (35.7 in 2011, down from 40.0 in 2010) · The second lowest Violent Crime Severity Index (28.2 in 2011 compared to 28.0 in 2010) Toronto's overall Crime Severity Index was listed at 70.9, while Peel Region received 50.3 and Niagara Region was at 60.3. Hamilton received an overall Crime Severity Index of 76.1. Halton police said the region's lower index values are consistent with crime trends across Canada. Statistics Canada has reported the overall national Crime Severity Index was the lowest it has been in 40 years. "These latest figures from Statistics Canada speak volumes about the $100 SAVE PATIO Extravaganza ALL PATIO SETS ON SALE! 10'Cantilever Umbrella $379.99 Reg. $479.99 $700 Reg. 199.99 Choose from 8 colours! SAVE Bali 4 piece conversation set $1799.99 Reg. $2499.99 $1000 SAVINGS up to effective partnership between our service and the community to prevent, deter and reduce crime," said actingHalton Police Chief Andrew Fletcher. "It is an honour to have our Maclean's magazine ranking as the safest regional municipality in Canada confirmed by hard crime data." Fletcher said that despite Halton's low crime, there is always room for improvement. He listed traffic safety, preventing the victimization of seniors, youth crime, consumer fraud and domestic violence as areas of focus for Halton police. "Statistics don't always reflect the very real impact crime has on people in our community every day," said Fletcher. "That's why, as a service, we don't simply rely on the numbers, but rather we focus on building positive relationships with the people we serve as one of the best indicators of how well we are serving the community." Statistics Canada introduced the Crime Severity Index in 2009 as a measure of crimes committed in Canada. Crimes are assigned `seriousness weights', which are determined by the number of people convicted of the crime who spend time in jail, and how much jail time those individuals serve. To calculate the Crime Severity Index, the number of incidents for each offence is multiplied by the weight of that offence. 9' Aluminum Market Umbrella $99.99 Tilts 2 ways! Grote 4 piece conversation set SAVE $1599.99 Reg. $2199.99 $600 Social media here to stay Continued from page 5 25% off All Concrete Statuary SAVE Gazebo (10' x 10') Architectural $699.99 Reg. $999.99 $300 Outdoor Chair & Lounge Cushions SAVE Lexington Fibrestone Pottery $9.99-$49.99 Reg. 19.99 - $99.99 50% off All items while quantities last, subject to availability. Category offers exclude "TERRA Essentials" 30% off Sale period: August 2nd - 15th www.terragreenhouses.com OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK: Monday - Sunday 9am - 6pm Burlington Hwy #5 East of Brant St. (905) 332-3222 · Milton Britannia Rd.West ofTrafalgar (905) 876-4000 Waterdown Hwy #6 & 5th Concession E. (905) 689-1999 ·Vaughan Keele St. North of Kirby Sideroad (905) 832-6955 "For Twitter, Facebook (or) LinkedIn, you can schedule updates right from here in advance. I can see who sent me a message, people I reply back to, my home feed and the people who mention me," said Antoniadis. Pinterest -- a content sharing service that allows members to `pin' images, videos and other objects to their pinboard -- is going to be the next big commerce platform, Antoniadis said. "Social media is not going anywhere. It's not a fad. It's going to be around for a long time. Embrace it. It only takes you five minutes a day." The event was presented by the Sheridan Elder Research Centre's Business of Aging: Information Exchange Network (BA:IEN) as part of its quarterly morning meetings for business and industry professionals to discuss marketing to an aging population.