6- The Oakville Beaver, Friday July 13, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com OPINION & LETTERS 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 Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: The Oakville Beaver is a division of IAN OLIVER Group Publisher Media Group Ltd. NEIL OLIVER Publisher JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director TERI CASAS Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution ALEXANDRIA CALHOUN Circ. Manager Avoid being a statistic Three weeks into the official start of summer it's easy to become complacent about water safety. This Sunday marks the start of National Drowning Prevention Week, an effort by the Lifesaving Society to make Canadians aware that they can help prevent water fatalities. With more than 400 drowning deaths recorded coast to coast each year, drowning remains the third leading cause of accidental death among Canadians under 60 years of age, according to the society. Many of us are drawn to backyard and public pools, lakes, creeks and rivers to beat the season's extreme heat. Add to the mix the lure of pleasure boating, water-skiing, fishing, camping and visits to popular water parks and it becomes clear many of us will spend a portion of our summer on, in or very close to water. There are two really simple ways to ensure you and your loved ones make it home safely from all the fun activities summer offers; make sure there's a trained lifeguard at public swim areas and wear a life jacket. In both cases statistics supporting these basic preventive measures tell a startling story. According to the Canadian Red Cross and Lifesaving Society, 78 per cent of all recreational boating drownings in Canada in 1999 involved victims who were not wearing a life jacket or personal flotation device (PFD). The presence of a certified lifeguard greatly reduces the risk of drowning while swimming. Less than two per cent of all drownings in our country occur when there is lifeguard supervision. Since trained lifeguards can't be everywhere the society encourages every Canadian to be aware of how they can prevent a tragedy. To help reduce water fatalities this summer -- more than half of all drowning deaths each year occur in June, July and August -- the Lifesaving Society recommends these water safety tips: · Make sure everyone in your family can achieve the Canadian Swim to Survive standard. · Take a life-saving course and learn how to reduce the risk of drowning and what to do if something does go wrong. · Keep your children within arm's reach and, whenever possible, choose to swim in a lifeguard-supervised area. · When boating always wear a life jacket or PFD and leave alcohol behind. · Practice safe boating procedures and get your pleasure craft operator card. The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Breast cancer patient overwhelmed by community support I am overwhelmed from the outpouring of support and generosity that this community has shown me in my fight against breast cancer. We live in a community that I am proud to call home. I am so grateful to Rob at Price Chopper (Third Line/Dundas Street) who gave a portion of the parking lot to the fundraiser to help my family and I, and also donated all of the food and drinks that day. Many local companies have helped me -- Pet Connection, Sobeys, Shoppers Drug Mart, Home Depot, Rona Lansing, Soleil Salon & Spa, The Weather Network, to name just a few. There were numbers of people who turned out to give money, lend kind words of support and their own success stories against this battle. I can't thank them enough. My neighbours, my family, friends, old friends, have gone above and beyond the call of duty and to each of them I say `Thank you.' Carrie Olver has been more than the dearest of friends to me, she has also been an inspiration to others for what she managed to accomplish. This is a community and neighbourhood that everyone should be proud to raise their families in. I am shocked by how many people know someone who has or had breast cancer, it seems to touch us all. I will win my own battle against this terrible disease and I will go on to do what I can to help others. Thank you Oakville. SANDI HALL Sandi Hall and Carrie Olver Pud BY STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.com Rescue attempt was act of heroism Re: Senior dies in collision with bus, Oakville Beaver July 4 Article did not make mention of the on-site heroes who I witnessed moments after the tragic car collision involving an elderly woman driving into the back end of an Oakville Transit bus. I saw a police officer running with a fire extinguisher from the patrol car to aim it at a car on fire potentially ready to blow up. Inside the car was the senior with two men fighting desperately to get her out before the car exploded from the road side. All three of these are true heroes and need to hear that they should feel so proud of a very brave, valiant effort to save this woman. Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! M. FOLEY 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.