w w w . o a kv ill eb ea ve r.c o m O A KV IL LE B EA V ER Fr id ay , D ec em be r 2 4, 2 01 0 6 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5571 Classified Advertising: 632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742 Open 9-5 weekdays, 5-7 for calls only Wed. to Friday, Closed weekends The Oakville Beaver Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. OPINION & LETTERS Letters to the editor 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@oakville- beaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. Around this time each year, like clockwork, absolute strangers help people theyve never met. While the local demand for donations of food, gifts and money is enormous during the holiday season, it is counterbalanced by the amount of goodwill that exists in this commu- nity by people who want to make sure those in need dont go without. We salute the many local organizations that work especially hard at this time of the year to ensure those in need of the basic necessities of life have something to celebrate at Christmas. The Salvation Army through its Christmas Kettle program raises the money needed to administer to those in need through- out the entire year. It also distributes holiday food hampers and gifts for children from babies up to early teens. Again this Christmas, the Halton Regional Police partnered with Canadian Tire to collect new, unwrapped toys, cash and/or Canadian Tire money to help families have a brighter holiday. Local hockey teams also get on board with this cause, giving young people an early lesson on the importance of helping those in need. Feeding the hungry is another important service during the Christmas holiday. Oakville has three foodbanks Fareshare Foodbank, Kerr Street Ministries and the Salvation Army which help ensure no one goes hungry this time of year. These foodbanks are strongly supported by schools, churches, local businesses and service clubs throughout town. Everyone who organizes and/or donates time to these important holiday efforts helps to make Oakville a caring community. While few of us may get to see the difference weve made, rest assured that people are being touched by each of these different gifts of kind- ness. Keep up the excellent work and have a Merry Christmas. The Oakville Beaver is a division of NEIL OLIVER Vice President and Group Publisher of Metroland West DAVID HARVEY Regional 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 SARAH MCSWEENEY Circ. Manager 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 typo- graphical 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. Letter to the editorCaring community THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: ATHENAAward THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIALMEDIASPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Canadian CirculationAudit Board Member Canadian CommunityNewspapers AssociationOntario CommunityNewspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America Pud BY STEVE NEASE neasecartoons@gmail.com Bike lanes not the problem Re: Pilgrims Speedway, Letter to the Editor, Oakville Beaver, Dec. 22 At first, the writer had me in com- plete agreement with his letter regard- ing the problems of speeding and dan- gerous driving on Pilgrims Way. We have the same issues on our street, as do many other neighbourhoods in town. However, the writer loses me when he blames both the Town and bike lanes as part of the problem (and not so much the aggressive and inconsiderate drivers themselves). I agree with the Town installing bike lanes on many of our res- idential streets. Bike lanes attract new cyclists and get people out of their cars. This makes stronger, healthier and more livable communities. I can tell the writer exactly why he doesnt recall seeing any cyclists in the bike lanes its because people do not feel safe riding on our roads due to the reasons he has outlined in his letter. Many drivers drive aggressively and show little courtesy for other road users and their own communities. I see many families on my street riding on the sidewalk despite the fact that there is a perfectly good bike lane just a few metres away. Would you want your kids riding on the same roads as these maniacs? Oakville needs more bike lanes, but we arent going to get more people on bikes until we crack down on aggressive drivers. The writers argument that cyclists do not pay for the upkeep of our roads and therefore should not be allowed to share the roads with cars is your typical anti-cycling rant. Studies have shown that cycling saves the government money and that motor vehicle and gasoline taxes dont begin to cover the indirect and hidden costs of automo- bile use. Most people who ride a bike in Oakville also own and drive a car. Lets blame aggressive driving and speeding for the issues on our streets and not the Town or cyclists. The Town needs to build bike lanes in all of our communities; the police need more resources to help enforce the rules of the road and drivers need to take more responsibility when behind the wheel in our neighbourhoods. Lets get out of our cars, off our couches and start using those bike lanes. PETER PHILLIPS, OAKVILLE Son grateful to emergency lifesavers On the morning of Dec. 14 I was having breakfast with my mom when she slumped over at the table. As I was not sure what was going on I dialled 911. Within a remarkably short period of time two Halton EMS para- medics showed up, assessed the situation and decided that my mother was having a stroke and would take her straight to the regional stroke centre at the Trillium Health Centre in Mississauga. This prompt decision by the paramedics and the care being given by the doctors at Trillium has resulted in my mother cur- rently only having minimal weakness in her left leg and will hopefully be celebrat- ing Christmas at home. The two Halton paramedics dispatched and the doctors and nurses at Trillium must be part of Santas team to give us this Christmas Miracle. Thank-you all very much. GORDON MACKENZIE, OAKVILLE