6- The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday November 19, 2008 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: NEIL OLIVER Vice President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The Oakville Beaver is a division of IAN OLIVER President Media Group Ltd. DAVID HARVEY General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director SANDY PARE Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution ALEXANDRIA ANCHOR Circ. Manager Time for a flu shot There are many tasks we do in the fall. Changing the smoke detector batteries, the furnace filter and winterizing the car are just a few. However, there's another autumn ritual we hope you'll add to your list -- getting a flu shot. Halton Region is offering free flu clinics at several high schools in Oakville during November. To find the next clinic closest to you, visit the Halton Region website at www.halton.ca/health and click immunization. The benefits of flu shots far outweigh the risks, say health officials. Getting immunization protects you from the dreaded effects related to the influenza. In addition, you will also help protect others and reduce the strain on an already over-burdened health care system. The best way to protect yourself from this illness is to be vaccinated each year in the fall. Flu shots are especially important for: · children ages 6 -23 months · adults and children with chronic heart and lung disease · anyone living in a nursing home or chronic care facility; · people 65 years of age and older · people with chronic conditions such as diabetes, anemia, cancer, immune suppression, HIV or kidney disease · children and adolescents on longterm acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) therapy · health care workers, other caregivers and household contacts capable of transmitting influenza to the above at-risk groups · people at high risk of influenza complications who are travelling to areas where the flu virus is likely to be circulating Regular hand-washing is another way to help minimize your risk. By washing your hands often, you will reduce the chance of becoming infected after touching contaminated surfaces. If you get the flu, you should increase the amount of fluids you drink (water, juice, soups) and get plenty of rest for 7-10 days. Roll up your sleeve and let's stick it to the flu. 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 Please keep fluoride in water Having just read your article Region eyes fluoride removal (Oakville Beaver, Nov. 15), I am disturbed and worried about the possibility of Halton no longer providing fluoride in its water. My family recently moved to Oakville from Montreal, where fluoride is not in the water. Despite good dental hygiene habits, my daughter experienced four cavities by the age of five. I spoke extensively about this with her dentist (who has a renowned reputation at the Montreal Children's Hospital), and, although I won't pretend to put all the blame on the lack of fluoride in drinking water, she did confirm that children in Montreal have a higher incidence of cavities than the national average. She added that her boss (the head of dentistry at the hospital) has been lobbying for fluoride in Montreal's drinking water for years (to no avail so far), as she views this simple and cost-effective procedure to be a great medical breakthrough. In the end, as a result of the lack of fluoride, my daughter's dentist fixed her cavities, coated her teeth (which is not commonly done on baby teeth), and prescribed fluoride pills to her, which she took daily. I do hope the decision makers come to realize that the $238,000 budget is a small preventive cost compared to the costs of post-cavity and tooth repair. DIANA LYTLE BY STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.com The case against fluoridation The Halton report on water fluoridation states that 48.4 per cent of Oakville's 13 year olds have dental fluorosis. This is a condition caused by the ingestion of too much fluoride, and is apparent by opaque white spots on the teeth, that can be quite unsightly. This is not normal enamel and the teeth are more brittle. Fluoride is also deposited in parts of the body that you See Case page 9 This week's poll The Oakville Beaver has a polling feature on its website oakvillebeaver.com. A new poll will be posted every Wednesday with the results of the poll published in the following Wednesday edition of The Oakville Beaver. This week's question is: Do you think Halton Region should stop adding fluoride to its drinking water? · Yes · No To vote, visit oakvillebeaver.com Last week's poll: Do you support the proposal before the town's budget committee to cut the Oakville Arts Council's operating grant and funding for cultural grants? · Yes 8.16% · No 91.84% Total votes: 331 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. Pud