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OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, April 10, 2009 · 6 OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5571Classified 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: NEIL OLIVER Vice ­ President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The Oakville Beaver is a division of Media Group Ltd. 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 SARAH MCSWEENEY Circ. Manager Food for thought Ontario's doctors are calling for calorie counts to be shown prominently on chain restaurant and school cafeteria menus and menu boards province-wide. It's a move we can't disagree with. "People lead busy lives and it's not always convenient to prepare food at home," said Dr. Ken Arnold, president of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA). "Ontario's doctors are not telling people what they can and can't eat, but when you do eat out, you should know how many calories you are consuming." An impetus for this move from Ontario doctors comes from a new OMA report, which highlights the increasing epidemic of childhood obesity. Among some of the study's findings were: · A quarter of Ontario children are obese and almost half are inactive. · There is evidence linking type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, certain types of sleep apnea and the development of chronic kidney disease later in life to children who are overweight. · More than 75 per cent of obese children become obese adults. A 2005 OMA report entitled An Ounce of Prevention or a Ton of Trouble indicates we may be raising the first generation of children who will not outlive their parents. U.S. studies have shown that customers who saw calorie information while ordering consumed 15 per cent less calories than those who didn't. In 2008, New York City introduced a law mandating caloric menu labelling in chain restaurants and national legislation has been introduced in the U.S., but not yet passed. Chain restaurants have been targeted since they serve food associated with high calorie intake and have standardized preparation and portion sizes, which allows for more accurate calorie information. Knowing how many calories we are ingesting -- and more importantly how many our kids are -- when we eat out is a small step towards a healthier society down the road. 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. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Not guilty was the proper verdict in manslaughter trial Re: Not guilty verdict difficult to understand, Oakville Beaver, April 1 Cindy Simmons in a recent letter to the editor states that justice was not served in the recent manslaughter trial of a young person in the death of her nephew, Drew Hildebrand. Simmons no doubt listened, as I did, to the numerous prosecution witnesses as to their perspective of what they saw on the night in question. At the end of the prosecution case, the judge and jury were left with the less than credible evidence of numerous witnesses that were either intoxicated or had been drinking. Drew Hildebrand stated to medical staff that he tripped over his own feet during the scuffle and hit his head on the pavement. Not one credible witness testified that the young person willfully caused Drew to injure his head. This case was a tragic accidental death -- nothing more -- nothing less. The judge was very careful in his instructions to the jury as to the law on the charge of manslaughter. The jury debriefed a short period of time. With the evidence presented, the not guilty verdict was a just and righteous decision. By her comments, it is clear that Simmons has little faith in the jury system. There is no doubt that there were bad feelings between Drew Hildebrand and the young person prior to the confrontation. This was fueled by their consumption of alcohol that was supplied and allowed to be consumed by an adult. Who was being accountable for that? No one wins in a case like this. A good young man has been lost and another young person must live with this tragedy the rest of his life. I suggest that this tragic event could have been avoided with proper adult supervision. ROD WILSON Pud BY STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.com This week's poll This week's question is: In the recent Ontario budget, the McGuinty government announced plans to harmonize the PST and GST into a harmonized tax (HST). Is this a good idea? · Yes · No To vote, visit oakvillebeaver.com. 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. 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