in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, Ju ne 7, 20 18 | 6 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. 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 editor@oakvillebeaver.com facebook.com/OakvilleBeav @OakvilleBeaver ABOUT US Oakville Beaver 901 Guelph Line Burlington, ON L7R 3N8 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. CONTACT US VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague kmontague@metroland.com | 289-293-0614 Director Advertising Daniel Baird dbaird@metroland.com | 289-293-0624 Regional Managing Editor Catherine O'Hara cohara@metroland.com | 289-293-0615 Regional Manager Digital Content Karen Miceli Director of Distribution Charlene Hall Circulation Manager Kim Mossman kmossman@metroland.com | 905-631-6095 Director of Production Mark Dills Regional Production Manager Manny Garcia WHO WE ARE OPINION • EDITORIAL • • LETTERS & COMMENTARY • Today's the day. Assuming you're reading this on June 7, we hope that you've already gone and cast your ballot in the provin- cial election. If you haven't yet, please go now (we'll wait). If, however, you're reading this on the weekend, then it's all over. We have chosen our members of Provincial Parliament and our province has selected its premier for the next four years. So what now? Well, now the real work begins. Of course, there will be an adjustment period. Cam- paigns, like any great undertaking with a months-long lead in, inevitably have a breathing period afterwards. Signs and pamphlets will need to be recycled, volun- teers thanked and maybe a few offices shuffled. But then it's time for our politicians to roll up their sleeves and start working on fulfilling the promises they campaigned under. Sure, sure. The cynics are now shaking their heads and rolling their eyes, thinking that campaign promises are about as durable as a snowball in southern Ontario this past May. And if we all take that mentality to heart, we'll be absolutely right. We need to do a better job of holding our politicians to account. If they make a promise, we need to remind them about it. We need to be vocal. We need to be involved in our system of government, and not just on Election Day. Sitting back and waiting for someone else to do it is going to achieve precisely nothing. We all have our to-do lists. Some jobs stay relatively near the top (because we want clean clothes to wear and dishes to eat off of). Other tasks fall to the wayside until we're compelled to do something about it. It's no different for our MPPs. They have over 100,000 constituents to represent. That's a lot of voices to listen to, a lot of people to advocate for. If there is a particular issue that you feel passionately about, be the squeaky wheel. Gather the support of your fellow constituents. Write letters, make phone calls, do the work. Show your MPP that yours is an issue that needs to become a priority on their to-do list. And if after all of that, you can't get the results you feel are necessary, then maybe it's time for you to consid- er putting your hat into the ring. You've got less than four years to prepare; better make the most of it. Don't let election promises go unmet Play safe, say child amputees Rebecca Mideros, 13, andRebecca Mideros, 13, andR Neveah Fehr, 10, lost limbs in accidents and are members of the War Amps Child Am- putee (CHAMP) Program. As the weather warms up, they are warning kids to spot the danger before they play in a new War Amps video, PLAYSAFE: Don't Let It Happen to You. At the age of four, Rebec- ca was standing up in a din- ghy when it hit a big wave.ghy when it hit a big wave.g She fell overboard and the motor cut her leg. Neveah was visiting a farm one day and wanted to help by riding on a lawn tractor. She fell off and her right leg got caught in the blades. They are now using their experiences to pass on an essential and pos- sibly life-saving lesson to other children - PLAYSAFE! "Whether you're near, in or on the water, it's good to stay alert. Accidents happen when you least expect it," says Rebecca. "I wouldn't want someone else to get hurt. It's very important to PLAYSAFE and be cau- tious," explains Neveah. In the video, they are joined by six other young amputees who share their stories about how they lost their limbs while at play. They stress the importance of staying away from "mean machines" like lawn mow- ers, trains, boats, cars and farm equipment.farm equipment.f This unique kids-to-kids approach to safety aware- ness is the foundation of the PLAYSAFE Program. "We believe that no one is better qualified to deliver the safety message than Champs like Rebecca and Neveah, whoRebecca and Neveah, whoR know what it is like to lose a limb in an accident," said Rob Larman, director of theRob Larman, director of theR War Amps PLAYSAFE/War Amps PLAYSAFE/W DRIVESAFE Program. PLAYSAFE: Don't Let It Happen to You is a valuable resource for families, educa- tors and community groups. It can be viewed free-of- charge online at wa- ramps.ca/playsafe. Martine Lepine, The War AmpsThe War AmpsT Rebecca Mideros, 13, and Neveah Fehr, 10, members of the War Amps Child Amputee Program (CHAMP). War Amps photo