in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, M ay 28 ,2 02 0 | 10 oakville.ca Spring is coyote pupping season Coyotes play a crucial role in our ecosystems and are common in urban areas like Oakville. They become more visible in the spring when they are having pups. Please remember: • never approach a coyote, their dens or pups • never intentionally or unintentionally leave food out for wildlife • keep pets on a short leash and attended to when on your property Visit oakville.ca to learn more about what to do if you see a coyote. It's about trust. Our rela- tionship with our readers is built on transparency, hon- esty and integrity. As such, we have launched a trust ini- tiative to tell you who we are and how and why we do what we do. This column is part of that project. Telling your stories is ourTelling your stories is ourT job, our mission and our calling. When something hap- pens in our community, whether it's how a pandemic is shaking us up with more disruption than we have seen in our lifetime, the sud- den death of one of our own, or how we have banded to- gether to help a neighbour, it's our job to help you make sense of it through personal stories. For more than a centuryFor more than a centuryF reporters from this newspa- per have been reaching out, talking with our neighbours and amplifying their voices and stories. At its heart com- munity journalism is all about names and faces. So there's a weird discon- nect in this information age. When people have never been more photographed and published than in any time in history, it is becom- ing harder for us to find peo- ple willing to stand up and put their names and faces to issues of the day. Why? It's the comments. When our stories go up on social media, the vomito- rium where the trolls and anonymous commenters live comes to life as the stu- pid and the banal pick apart and find reasons to be judg- mental and just plain hate- ful toward their neighbours.ful toward their neighbours.f For example we recentlyFor example we recentlyF wrote an article about a speeding issue in a Halton neighbourhood. A resident told her story about almost being struck by a vehicle. Response in the commentsResponse in the commentsR put the blame on her. In a world where the vo- cal minority feel empowered to spew stupidity and vitriol at will, kinder, gentler souls are clamming up. It now takes a special kind of brav- ery to share your story with your neighbours. A willing-your neighbours. A willing-y ness to face the madding crowd and say, 'this story means more than your hate.' Not for you to cower in the face of the keyboard bul- lies of the world. You refuse to let the tiny-minded con- trol or silence intelligent, kind discourse. We salute you. You makeWe salute you. You makeW your community better withyour community better withy your courage and your hon-your courage and your hon-y esty. Because your stories are important to all of us as we seek to make sense of our world. Pamela Steel is a Tor- star Community Brands managing editor and a member of the Torstar Community Brands trust committee. We welcome your ques- tions and value your com- ments. Email our trust committee at trust@met- roland.com. IN PRAISE OF SOURCES OPINION TO ALL THOSE STILL WILLING TO STAND UP AND SPEAK OUT, WE SALUTE YOU, WRITES PAMELA STEEL Typically, Halton Wom- en's Place is at or over ca- pacity. This has been our reality for many years, mostly due to the lack of af- fordable and safe housing.fordable and safe housing.f When the pandemic hit locally we expected to be overrun by crisis calls, women who isolated with their partners needed to es- cape immediately. However, we, like most shelters across Ontario, ex- perienced something else. The number of crisis calls did NOT increase as we thought. For many people reading this statistic they are thinking, "that's good news, right?" Unfortunately, no. This is concerning for women shelters and for po- lice. There are likely several reasons for this, such as women not having a safe space to call for help with their partner at home, the fear and hesitation of livingfear and hesitation of livingf in a shelter during a pan- demic and disrupting chil- dren's lives on top of what has already occurred through self isolation. We are all experiencingWe are all experiencingW self isolation. Some days are long, monotonous, de- pressing and boring. Some days are stressful and frus- trating. But SAFE. Now, imagine being iso- lated in your home with someone who belittles you, intimidates you, threatens you, controls you or hits you. This is the sad reality of many women. If you are one of these women, please know that our shelters are open and our crisis, information and support line is also being answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you are able, call us or call a friend, fami- ly member or neighbour who can then connect with us or call the police if you need. If you think someone is in an unhealthy relation- ship and is isolated with their abusive partner, you too, can call our crisis lines for support. for support. f Our 24/7 crisis lines are 905-332-1593 and 905-878- 8555. To find out more about our programs and services or how you can help, visit www.haltonwomensplace- .com Carm Bozzo is the Man- ager of Development and Communications for Hal- ton Women's Place. She can be reached at cbozzo@hal- tonwomensplace.com. CONCERNS RAISED OVER DROP IN CRISIS CALLS WOMEN IN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS MAY BE RELUCTANT TO REACH OUT FOR HELP DURING PANDEMIC, WRITES CARM BOZZO CARM BOZZO Column PAMELA STEEL Column