www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, December 16, 2011 · 6 OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 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 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: C Canadian Circulation Audit Board Member A THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association S Suburban Newspapers of America o Canadian Community Newspapers Association ATHENA Award NEIL OLIVER Vice President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The Oakville Beaver is a division of DAVID HARVEY Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor 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 Protect yourself 'Tis the season for giving; however, it's easy to get caught up in the festive spirit and forget to protect ourselves against those who take advantage of relaxed attitudes around the holidays. That's the message from the Ontario Ministry of f Consumer Services, which issued information to help people ensure they enjoy peace of mind while making the most of Christmas. Areas where consumers may be most vulnerable at this time of year include charitable giving, gift cards and online shopping. When it comes to supporting charities during the holidays -- something the Ministry of Consumer Services says 72 per cent of Canadians do -- residents are advised to do research before digging into their pockets by checking the name of the charity online or in the phone book. The Canada Revenue Agency keeps a listing of registered Canadian charities, as does CanadaHelps, a not-for-profit organization that helps people donate securely online. A good long-term strategy is to keep a yearly plan of the charities you plan to support -- within a set budget -- and stick to it. Gift cards solve many holiday challenges -- they are always the right size and colour and are easy to wrap. Yet shoppers understand the terms and conditions of the card, buy from a reputable retailer and hang onto the receipt as a guarantee of the value of the card. If buying off the rack at a store, check that the card hasn't been tampered with and ask the retailer to swipe the card to show the balance. Online shopping -- something 57 per cent of f Canadians plan to do this Christmas -- offers convenience during a busy season. Consumers can ensure they make the most of the e-tail experience by following a few simple tips: avoid getting reeled in by offers and freebies; buy from reputable businesses; know exactly what you are paying for; remember to factor in all taxes, shipping and handling charges, duty and currency exchange to calculate the true cost of the purchase and make sure your credit card and personal information is protected. For more holiday shopping and charitable giving tips, visit www.ontario.ca/consumerservices. Letter to the editor Rebuttal to letter writer Re: Susan Berry's letter to the editor, dated Dec. 2. Ms. Berry stated that in my Nov. 24 letter, I claimed the objective of Bill C-10 is to uphold victim's rights by imprisoning more offenders with mandatory minimum sentences. This was a misrepresentation. The bill elevates victims' rights by providing victims the right to participate in parole hearings and to be informed of an offender's progress under their correctional plans. Bill C-10 certainly mandates minimum sentences, but only in the instance of the most serious of crimes such as child exploitation and murder. Ms. Berry also stated "police-reported" crime has declined. This is misleading because, according to Statistics Canada, only one out of three crimes in Canada are reported. Therefore, actual crime may not be decreasing, but the crime that is reported. The reality is violent crime has increased since 1962 by 302 per cent. Those against our crime agenda often say violent criminals require rehabilitation, not prison, but prison is where offenders are rehabilitated. Criminals sentenced to house arrest cannot benefit from rehabilitation programs because they are at home. Most of the crime in Canada is organized crime, and Bill C-10 focuses on organized crime. I agree with Mrs. Berry that we need to improve mental health services in Oakville. Too many who suffer from mental illness fall through the cracks and do not get the help they so badly need. However, Ms. Berry neglects to mention that in 2007 our Conservative government established the Mental Health Commission of Canada. This commission is mandated specifically to develop a national Mental Health Strategy. In 2009, the Commission released See Much page 14 Letters to the editor The Oakville Beaver r 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 r reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. Speeding problem in Lakeshore Woods In August, I wrote a letter to The h Oakville k ll Beaver r in regards to the speeding in Lakeshore Woods titled by the editor Action needed to curb speeding motorists in Lakeshore Woods. It was printed in the Aug. 31, 2011 edition. The speeding and careless driving shortly after that did not change, if anything it got worse. My husband and I witnessed three cars go right through the four-way intersection at Great Lakes Boulevard and Nautical Drive. They did not slow down or even hit their brakes. The first two we witnessed when we were just walking up the street with our two year old and were speechless. The third one actually cut us off going south on Great Lakes just feet from the stop sign and they drove right through without slowing down. At this point we had enough and reportSee Keep page 14 Holiday publication dates Please note The h Oakville k ll Beaver r holiday publishing schedule will include editions on Wednesday, Dec. 21; Thursday, Dec. 22; Monday, Dec. 26; Wednesday, Dec. 28 and Thursday, December 29. The Beaver r will not publish on Friday, Dec. 30 and the office will be closed Monday, Dec. 26. 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 BY STEVE NEASE neasecartoons@gmail.com