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6- The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday January 2, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-3824, ext. 224 Circulation: 845-9742 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: The Oakville Beaver is a division of IAN OLIVER Group Publisher Media Group Ltd. NEIL OLIVER Publisher DAVID HARVEY 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 ALEXANDRIA ANCHOR Circ. Manager Give the gift of life Sometimes the best New Year's resolutions are the small ones. Like signing your name, for example. Currently, according to the Trillium Gift of Life Network (TGLN), more than 1,600 people in Ontario are on the waiting list to receive new organs, including kidneys, pancreata, livers, hearts and lungs. Many more are waiting for tissue donations, such as small bowel, stomach, corneas, heart valves, bone and skin tissue. While the total number of organ donations has been increasing steadily over the past ten years ­ from 630 in 1997 to 875 in 2006 ­ time does run out for many patients. During the same period, the number of patients on the waiting list rose from 1,271 to 1,745. In 2004, 122 people died waiting for an organ transplant. Most of us who enjoy good health are potential organ and tissue donors, regardless of our age. According to the TGLN, the oldest Canadian organ donor was over 90; the oldest tissue donor was 102 years old. Even those with a serious illness, such as cancer, can sometimes be an organ or tissue donor. When organs and tissue are recovered, funeral practices are respected, and the procedure is kept in confidence ­ no one will know about the gift unless the donor or their family tells them. The thought of what will happen to our bodies after we die is not something people like to dwell on. Even more difficult may be discussing the decision to become a donor with family members, who will be asked for final consent for the donation of organ and tissue. Making sure they understand the procedure and the potential impact organ donation will have on the life of the recipient and their families will ensure that the donor's wishes will be followed after they are gone. Once the donor's organs and tissue have been recovered, the hospital contacts the TGLN, which keeps a list of everyone in Ontario waiting for an organ transplant. Tissue and blood types are matched to an individual on the waiting list; if a match is found, the individual with the highest medical urgency will receive the organ. If there is no suitable match, a cross-reference is made across Canada and even possibly the United States. The Ontario government let Bill 67, which would have required that all Ontarians declare their intention regarding their organs prior to renewing their health cards or drivers' licenses, expire before going to a vote last summer, which means, individually, we have to make a conscious, voluntary effort to give the gift of life. After all those years of meaning to do it, make 2008 the year you finally sign your organ donor card, and ensure that your family knows your wishes. For more information on organ donation and the Trillium Gift of Life Network, visit online at www.giftoflife.on.ca or call toll free 1-800-263-2833. 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@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. Better way is more expensive Re: Better way to clear streets than dumping snow in driveways, (letter to the editor) The Oakville Beaver, Wed. Dec. 26. I find it interesting that persons writing letters with this theme state that first the Town should find a way to clear snow from the public road allowance that doesn't deposit snow in driveways and then state that they already pay more than enough taxes. What must be understood is that road plowing is done to a mandated level of service approved by Town council. Any change to the level of service to a perceived more efficient method would adversely impact the municipal tax base and most likely result in increased municipal taxes. While the letter writer is correct in stating that the technology exists to clean driveway approaches of snow, does she understand how much it would cost to implement such technology? The City of Toronto does offer this service, but does the writer want Oakville to be in the same financial crisis as the City of Toronto? The removal of snow from driveways concurrent with the residential road plowing would be a very expensive operation. This type of program would also result in significant damage to roadside infrastructure. Such damage would have to be repaired in the spring: another impact on the tax bill. The writer also states: "There have been several incidents of residents suffering heart conditions due to the inhumane condition imposed on us by the town." Pud BY STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.com See Improvements page 7 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.