6- The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday January 13, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-3824, ext. 224 Circulation: 845-9742 The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate.The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Commentary Guest Columnist NEIL OLIVER Publisher JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director TERI CASAS Business Manager MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution ALEXANDRIA CALHOUN Circ. Manager IAN OLIVER Group Publisher Is your business ready for a flu pandemic? By John Sawyer Executive Director of the Oakville Chamber of Commerce At the height of a flu pandemic, up to 50 per cent of all employees may be absent from work. John Sawyer That startling statistic is quoted in a pandemic planning tool kit developed for businesses by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and available through the Oakville Chamber of Commerce. Ontario has been affected by three major disruptions to its economy since 2001. The terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre in September, 2001 sent a shockwave through North America and caused significant disruption to trade and supply routes. Effects of this catastrophic event are still being realized as changes continue to be made to address concerns about safety and security. In 2003 the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak affected Toronto directly but rippled through the entire healthcare system in Ontario and to communities like Oakville which suffered lost business. And on Aug. 14, 2003 the largest blackout in North American history literally turned the lights out on 50 million people. Although we do not wish to see another major emergency, scientists predict that an influenza pandemic might affect the world in the next few years. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that due to the interconnected nature of the globe, all countries will be affected by a pandemic. WHO adds that a pandemic will cause social and economic disruption. Ontario's economy cannot be inoculated completely against the impacts of a possible pandemic. However, careful planning by all businesses will help cushion the effects. The largest impact on businesses will be staff absences. While it's predicted that if a pandemic occurs, businesses will also see interruptions in the supply of essential services like telecommunications, energy and transportation; trade disruptions; reduced capacity of sub-contractors and increased or decreased demand for services depending on the nature of their operations. Based on the experience of SARS, sectors that rely on heavy foot traffic, like tourism operations or restaurants, will experience a significant downturn as people avoid public places and crowded spaces. The Pandemic Planning Tool Kit, available through the Oakville Chamber of Commerce, provides detailed instructions for businesses so that they may help mitigate these effects. And according to the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, it is their responsibility to do so both for the benefit of their employees and their customers, and for the benefit of the Ontario economy. The kit guides businesses to identify key staff positions, cross-train employees to ensure coverage of these duties, build flexibility into their operations (for instance accommodating work from home), protect key company documents, create communications plans and adopt strategies to protect employee health. These, along with other strategies identified in the tool kit, should allow businesses to lessen the impact of a health emergency such as an influenza pandemic on their operations. Copies of the Pandemic Planning Tool Kit are available from the Oakville Chamber of Commerce at www.oakvillechamber.com or by calling 905-845-6613. WEBSITE oakvillebeaver.com THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS A DIVISION OF Media Group Ltd. RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: United Way of Oakville TV AUCTION Weighing the assorted pros and cons of a winterless winter e've become obsessed. It's all anyone can talk about. Of course, I'm referring to the weather in this, The Wacky Winter Of 2006-07. Call it simply unseasonable. Call it meteorological madness. Call it The Curse of Al Gore, or The Winter That Never Was. Call it heaven. Or call it hell. Whatever, this is the most prolonged period of weird weather even seasoned weather-watchers can recall. Seriously, this morning marked the first time I've donned a winter coat getting by with a thin windbreaker since that premature cold snap back in November. Oh, and throughout the Christmas holidays I could be found jogging along bare country roads near our home. In shorts. While some people are loving this winter, others are loathing it. And while some are suggesting that this is but a precursor of the future wrath of Global Warming, others are smugly saying: hey, if this is Global Warming bring it on! Personally, I'm on the fence, unable to decide whether I'm lovin' or loathin'. To help decide, I've created a pro-con list. Pros. Lower heating bills. In previous winters I could be found W cursing the arrival of the propane delivery truck, and weeping profusely over the propane bill. This winter, less cursing, no weeping. No true "winter driving". No sinking into drifts too deep to drive through. No risking my life, slip-sliding away on blackice stretches of hilly country road. No shovelling. No helping myself to a Andy Juniper hernia. No wondering if/when we'll ever get ploughed out. Or if/when we'll ever be able to make a survival supply run into civilization. No crazy storms. Less power outages. Less time spent stumbling about in the dark searching for flashlights, matches, the phone number for the local hydro company, and someone to hug (for warmth I'm not afraid of the dark. No, really!). Oh, and did I mention that I jogged over the Christmas holidays? In shorts? Boy, what an awesome Yuletide treat of arresting eye-candy that must have been for the local ladies! Cons. Everything around our home is either marsh or muck. With no deep freeze, and ridiculous amounts of rain, our property remains practically submerged and our laneway is one big potholed mud-bath. Every time the dogs go out they come back covered in muck. Which, despite persistent toweling off, they then generously track all over the house. No cross-country skiing. The skis remain in the basement. Collecting dust. No skating. We have a pond. During our first winter here we skated on that pond. This, however, is the third consecutive winter where the pond remains unsafe for skating, although it's probably perfect for swimming! Leaves a person pining for a Good Old-Fashioned Canadian Winter. No brisk invigorating air to slap you senseless and make you subsequently feel truly alive. No deep-freeze to kill all the damnable winter germs. No snow-laden landscapes to admire. No white stuff for the kids to play in. No sense that the seasons have changed and that life is progressing as it should. Ah, who am I kidding? Both lists are full and appealing. So, in this great debate, I remain sitting on the fence. In my shorts. Andy Juniper can be visited at his Web site, www.strangledeggs.com, or contacted at ajuniper@strangledeggs.com.