ns id eh al to n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, F eb ru ar y 22 , 2 01 8 | o > - EDITORIAL - OPINION Olym pics give us som ething to cheer for It seems the lead up to every Olympics is about the struggles to mount the games and the controversies surrounding the athletes. The 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang South Korea were no different with worries about what North Korea might do to disrupt the games to the banning of the Russian Olympic team for systematic doping infractions. There was even a fear an outbreak of norovirus, that struck down more than 1,200 work ers who were supposed to be helping out at the games, might pass on the illness to athletes or others. That all changed when the opening ceremonies finally kicked off and the focus shifted from the poten tial pitfalls to the athletes pursuits of their hopes and dreams. They usually labour in anonymity in the four years between games only to be celebrated when they finally get to the big stage of the games and find that the whole world is watching. It's that spirit of humanity coming together for something bigger than individual bickering nations that make the Olympics such a unifying event. It doesn't matter where the athlete is from as long as we collectively share in the pursuit of their dreams, pull for them as they rise above the struggles and celebrate as they achieve their personal bests or even reach the podium. Canada sent one of its strongest contingents to the games and pre-Games predictions suggested the home team might even challenge as the top team in the total team medals race. But beyond the collective pride we can share in the raising of the Canadian flag, and play ing of the anthem, we can also celebrate the amazing personal stories of what it took for athletes to get there. They include Oakville's Cody Goloubef, who is put ting his NHL career on ice to pursue the once-in-a- lifetime opportunity to compete at the Games in men's hockey Brianne Jenner, 26, of Oakville, is determined to defend Canada's gold medal while Evan McEachran, also of Oakville says he can't wait to have freeskiing showcased and "show how awesome it is on a world stage." Other Halton athletes going for gold include Bur lington's Keri Morrison (long track speed skating), Jesse Lumsden (men's bobsleigh), Darren Gardner (alpine snowboard) and Renata Fast (women's hockey). These athletes are chasing a dream, one they have worked so hard to achieve. As the end of the Games near, we wish them contin ued success on their quest for gold. We also celebrate the overall spirit of the games and watch as they bring us all together and cheer for Canada. Go Canada go! ABOUT US The Oakville Beaver, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. o°© °o metrolandmedia • Connected to your community* The Oakville Beaver is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the newspaper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca nnc Apcna IniideHalton.com ^ editor@oakvillebeaver.com E facebook.com/OakvilleBeav Q @OakvilleBeaver Preparing children for success in digital economy CanCode a ground-breaking initiative writes Oliver Today's young people are growing up in a time of tre mendous change. Every day, the world becomes more digitized as technolo gy both disrupts and trans forms our lives, creating new opportunities and ca reer paths. Making sure our children have the digital skills to work with emerg ing technologies is critical to setting them up for suc cessful futures. Our government is com mitted to supporting the shift to a digital economy. Digital skills, like coding and understanding how new technologies can be JOHN OLIVER Column used to solve real-world problems, have become in creasingly vital across all sectors of the economy. We must ensure that more young Canadians, of all backgrounds, acquire the digital skills they need to ex cel in the jobs of the future. The Government of Can ada's Innovation and Skills Plan comprises a large suite of programs designed to support skills development and improve Canadians' digital literacy. One of the newest components of this plan was launched in late January and is called Can- Code. The CanCode program is a ground-breaking initiative that will give almost one million Canadian students, from kindergarten to Grade 12, the opportunity to learn coding and digital skills. The program provides fund ing to not-for-profit organi zations to deliver digital skills training and educa tion to kids and teachers. CanCode is designed to com plement existing education al curricula and equip more than 63,000 Canadian teach ers with the know-how to teach our kids these new digital skills. On Jan. 25,1 was pleased to announce the CanCode program at James W. Hill Elementary School. Our lo cal, not-profit partner for this program, Canada Lear- ing Code, joined me for this exciting announcement. Their mobile computer lab, called the CodeMobile, will start touring our area in the coming months, bringing an engaging and interactive learning experience to a school near you. Our government is com mitted to setting up young Canadians for success, and this includes making sure they have the right skills for the jobs of tomorrow. We want to make Canada the most innovative country in the world, with a skilled and diverse workforce. Initia tives like CanCode are smart investments in Cana da's future. - John Oliver is the MP for Oakville. Visit online at johnoliver.mp or contact him at john.oliver@parl.gc.ca. CONTACT US WHO WE ARE Oakville Beaver 2-5046 Mainway Burlington, ON L7L 5Z1 Phone: 289-293-0617 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Digital/Flyer/Retail: 289-293-0624 Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 200 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail kmossman@metroland.com or call 905-631-6095. 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