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OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, September 18, 2009 · 6 OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5571 Classified Advertising: 632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742 --Open 9-5 weekdays, 5-7 for calls only Wed. to Friday, Closed weekends 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 Regional 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 Eat your veggies When it comes to eating fruits and vegetables the province's children deserve an F grade, according to a new report card from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario. The report, released last week, found that only one in eight children eat five or more servings of fruit and veggies a day, compared to one in five kids in a survey conducted a decade ago. In addition, the number of kids being physically active three or more times per week fell to 57 per cent compared to 66 per cent in 1998. We guess too many parents have given up making their kids eat their veggies -- and anything else that is good for them. The proportion of those eating whole-grain bread and cereals rose to almost half from one-third, but consumption of junk food remained about the same. The foundation says if the situation doesn't improve, the new generation of children will be at risk of developing problems such as high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. "This is extremely disturbing given the rising tide of (being) overweight and obesity among Canadian children," said Marco Di Buono, director of research for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario. Partly to blame in the "disappointing" findings is the economic downturn. The survey found nearly 25 per cent of families usually avoid buying staple foods, including meat, fresh produce and dairy, because of the high cost. Another 48 per cent of families said they occasionally avoid such items because of the price. Nearly 2,000 parents of children aged 6-12 were questioned for the survey. However, a major drawback to the findings is that the new report compares Ontario data with national statistics, which can potentially skew the results. Regardless, the numbers do intend indicate a disturbing trend -- today's youngsters are less active and not eating as well as those years ago. "This report should serve as a wake-up call that the health of our children is not making the grade," said Dr. Di Buono. "Despite mandatory nutrition labelling and a new edition of Canada's Food Guide, we're not seeing bigger gains in healthy eating." Maybe it's time we told our kids to put away the cell phone, shut off the computer and go outside for fresh air and exercise. Next spring why not plant a vegetable garden? This report should be food for thought for every Oakville parent. 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. Letter to the editor Concern over turf I am very disappointed to read that the Halton Catholic District School Board (HCDSB) is replacing natural grass with plastic turf at four of its high schools. There are still many environmental concerns and health questions regarding artificial turf. Satellite images show a heat island effect over synthetic fields allowing for a possible chemical outgassing. Sprinkler systems are still needed to cool the fields. If crumb rubber (from recycled tires) is used in the base of the field, the crumbs contain chemicals that can be toxic or carcinogenic under some circumstances. Weeds, moss, bacteria, fungi and algae may find their way into synthetic turf through contact with human skin/perspiration, food, moisture, bird droppings, pet urine and feces etc. These microorganisms reproduce and often result in foul odours. Careful attention must be paid as to what chemicals are used to eliminate these growths. Professional sports teams are reporting an increase of infections and injuries when playing on artificial turf. Gas-powered brushing equipment is still needed for the maintenance of synthetic fields. In the past, products have been approved by government agencies only to find out later that they are not safe. There are still many unknowns about artificial turf. There are very few health concerns about natural grass. How do we ensure that our children's health and the environment are safe? There is also another issue: highintensity sports field lights. Phone calls to the HCDSB confirm that they plan to install sports field lights at Loyola HS, the same as St. Thomas HS. In 1988, Oakville Town Council voted against the installation of sports field lights at Loyola High School, as the lights would have a negative impact on area residents. These con 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. No point to income hike I am one of many subsidized seniors living in an Oakville accommodation run by Halton Housing. We just got an increase of $12.50 from the government to help us with money problems and a little more for food. Now, Halton has raised my rent and that of many other renters here by $10 because our income has increased. This leaves us with $2.50 -- enough for a bus ride. I feel that Halton should be able to just take a percentage of the $12.50 instead of all of it, or, have the government just pay them the money and leave us alone. JEANNIE GUNN BY STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.com Pud See Keep page 7