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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, October 21, 2011 · 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: C Canadian Circulation Audit Board Member A THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association S Suburban Newspapers of America o Canadian Community Newspapers Association ATHENA Award NEIL OLIVER Vice ­ President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The Oakville Beaver is a division of DAVID HARVEY Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief 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 Leaders sought g Who are your community leaders? Across Ontario young individuals are taking control and working hard to make a difference within their communities and around the world. The youths of today are our leaders of tomorrow. There's one in every crowd and they deserve to be recognized for their contributions. We encourage Oakville residents to have a hard look within the community to see who stands out among the rest. The Ontario Community Newspapers Association (OCNA) -- to which The Oakville Beaver r is a member -- is currently accepting nominations for its 2011 Ontario Junior Citizens of the Year Awards. The association encourages residents from across the province to nominate a special individual who invests their spare time into community service, has the courage and drive to overcome the challenges of f living with a disability or illness and still dedicates time and effort toward others. A nominee can be a `hero' or someone who acted quickly in a desperate time to help someone else. Most of all these individuals go above and beyond what is expected of someone their age. They take the initiative to look beyond their own needs and inspire those around them to give, rather than take. We all know someone who falls into this category of being a `good kid.' They are sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, students, team players and employees. Let's give these young leaders a chance to stand in the spotlight. The Beaver r encourages its readers to consider nominating someone between the ages of six and 17 today. These individuals have the potential to be our leaders for tomorrow. They deserve some recognition and encouragement to continue making a difference. Nominations for 2011 Ontario Junior Citizens of f the Year Awards will be accepted until Wednesday, Nov. 30. Up to 12 nominees will be selected as the final recipients for the 2011 Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year Award and will be recognized at a special ceremony in Spring 2011. All local nominees will receive a certificate of recognition and a mention of their efforts in The Oakville Beaver. Nomination forms and additional information about this awards program are available at www.ocna. org or by calling the OCNA office at 905-639-8720, ext. 239. 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 Hats off ff to police for keeping roads safe I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the Halton Regional Police Service for helping to keep my street safe. I live on Rebecca Street, one of the busier east-west corridors in Oakville. As a mother of two young children, I am constantly vigilant of my children children's s whereabouts when we are at the front of our property due to the busy road. Today, however, I was myself quite frightened by a car that was travelling at an excessively high speed past our house while I was near the curb collecting our recycling bins, so much so, that I actually stepped back from the curb as the car approached. To my surprise and delight, the car slowed and stopped a short distance away from where I was standing. As I looked to my left, an unmarked police car approached with lights flashing and pulled up behind the driver. This police officer was patrolling my street with radar and was able to stop the driver of the speeding vehicle before any tragedy occurred. Hats off to the Halton Regional Police Service. Keep up the good work in keeping our roads and children safe. And drivers, please slow down and obey the speed limits. No destination is so important to get to that it is worth risking your life and the lives of others, especially children. Jennifer Erbiceanu, Oakville Letters to the editor The Oakville Beaver r 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 r reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. A plan for old hospital site A suggestion for Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH) when the new hospital is finished. I'd like to suggest that the old hospital be used for seniors' low-cost housing or for lowincome families. Apartments or bachelor units could be created. I truly hope it's not demolished to accommodate some land developer's scheme. That would be a total waste of money. Does Oakville have any heart? Let's face it, Oakville was a prime spot, until Ford reduced and Mack Truck left. It'll never be as it once was. Traffic would not be a problem, the bus goes past there every half hour to connect to Oakville GO and Hopedale (West). Carol Larocque, Oakville Pud BY STEVE NEASE neasecartoons@gmail.com