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11 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,June 17,2021 insidehalton.comwww.shoppersdrugmart.ca 2501 Third Line905-465-3000 478 Dundas Street West905-257-9737NOW OPEN24 HRS EVERY DAY • Patient Counselling • Complete Diabetic Care• Home Visits • Consultations • Free RX Delivery• Free Nutrition Counselling • Vaccinations• Cholesterol, A1C, AFib and DNA Screening lw ys Here toelp You! DE RANGO PHARMACY INC. 2501 T905-465-3000 • P• H • C AlwaHelp Pharmacist -Fabio De Rango Drug Store/Pharmacy Millions of people across Ontario have received their COVID-19 vaccine. Health Canada-approved vaccines are conveniently available at hospitals, doctors' offices, pharmacies and mass vaccination sites. And every dose brings us closer to what we've missed. Book your appointment today at ontario.ca/bookvaccine or call 1-888-999-6488 for help in 300 languages. Do your part. Get your shot. Paid for by the Government of Ontario Our diversity is one of the reasons why Oakville is Canada's most livable town. Our shared goal of equi- ty and inclusion helps make us more livable, too. June is the month dur- ing which we celebrate both our community's rich In- digenous history, as well as Pride. It's a unique time that honours the diversity and inclusivity of Oakville and acknowledges what makes our town special. Indigenous recognition includes our dedicated town hall flagpole to fly the flag of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. Their flag flies in acknowl- edgement that Oakville is part of the Treaty Lands and Territory of the Missis- saugas of the Credit. Sadly, this flag, and all others at town facilities flew at half-mast during the first part of the month in sorrow and grief over the discovery of the remains of 215 Indige- nous children in a mass grave at a former residen- tial school site in British Co- lumbia. Pride recognition took a step forward with three rainbow crosswalks on Lakeshore Road. Each loca- tion is where Oakville's Business Improvement Ar- eas meet Lakeshore. Fea- turing Pride flag colours, our crosswalks also have black, brown and white stripes to represent Oak- ville's diversity and the har- mony we strive for. Oakville high school stu- dents brought the Pride- themed crosswalk idea to council. Council and I are committed to celebrating our town's equity, diversity and inclusion, and applaud our youth for being so en- gaged in our public life. High school students al- so came forward following their complaints about be- ing subjected to racist ha- rassment in Halton high schools not being suitably addressed by the school board and school staff. At Halton council, Bur- lington Coun. Lisa Kearns and I brought forward a res- olution calling on the board to take action and to reach out to us if they need help to create more inclusive learn- ing environments in Halton schools. Council unanimously supported the resolution because all councillors be- lieve all students should be protected from racism and hateful language within their schools. Racism and discrimina- tion in schools is not only a school issue, but also a com- munity issue. Rob Burton is the Mayor of Oakville. He can be reached at mayor@oak- ville.ca. CELEBRATING INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY OPINION JUNE IS A SPECIAL TIME TO RECOGNIZE WHAT MAKES US SPECIAL, WRITES ROB BURTON ROB BURTON Column SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT INSIDEHALTON.COM