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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, February 1, 2013 · 6 Opinion & Letters The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 905-845-3824 Fax: 337-5566 Classified Advertising: 632-4440 Circulation: 905-631-6095 -- 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington 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: Canadian Circulation Audit Board Member THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America Canadian Community Newspapers Association ATHENA Award Neil Oliver Vice ­ President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The OakvilleBeaver is a division of David Harvey Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief, Halton Region Daniel Baird Advertising Director ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor Riziero Vertolli Photography Director Sandy Pare Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production Manuel garcia Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Empowering residents Letter to the editor "Information is power." That is part of the reasoning behind Halton Regional Police's decision to launch a mapping function that will allow residents to monitor criminal activity in a particular neighbourhood, according to Halton Police Chief Steve Tanner. Tanner made the comment at last week's launch of the function, which is available on the police website at www. haltonpolice.ca. "Providing reliable, timely crime data to the communities we serve is one of our top priorities, because an informed public is a safer public," said Tanner. "This partnership with CrimeReports gives us the ability to keep the public informed on a regular basis as to what is going on in our community." Police dispatch data is stripped of personal information, including the exact address, and sent securely to CrimeReports.com, which hosts the crime mapping software. The public can access the data through the Halton Regional Police Service's website, under the Crime Files/ Mapping navigation button. Incidents reflected on the map will be shown within 100 numbers of the address, to protect individual's privacy, while still being within the general vicinity to give people an accurate idea of crime in their neighbourhood. The crime mapping data will include police-dispatched calls for property damage, sexual assault, assault, robbery, break and enter, theft, impaired driving, homicide, attempted murder, offensive weapons, drug-related offences, and various traffic-related offences, such as impaired driving, hit and run, and motor vehicle injuries and fatalities. The idea behind the map is to allow the public to understand crime trends and thus better help police in preventing crime. Residents are often surprised to learn a break-in had occurred on their street or that a particular neighbourhood had been vandalized. This is where the map can help keep communities informed. However, we wonder if anyone in real estate or the tourism industry will be equally as enthralled with this mapping device. Crime can happen anywhere, and the more people realize that, and take precautions to safeguard themselves and their property, the better. This new project is simply another educational tool to help keep Halton residents safe. PHOTO COURTESY OF TOMAS PENNEY Spotting a fox in town I was driving between Fourth Line and Third Line on Lakeshore Road West (earlier last month) and I happened to capture of a photo of a wild fox crossing the street. Almost every day I pass the same area and find either a fox or wild raccoon. I thought it would be interesting to share the photo with The Oakville Beaver readers. Tomas Penney, Oakville 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. Canadian Cancer Society marking 75th anniversary with Relay for Life events Picture thousands of people -- friends, families, co-workers and cancer survivors -- united together for one night for one common cause. Every three minutes, another Canadian is faced with fighting cancer. That is why hundreds of people in Oakville will be spending 12 hours together on May 31 at the Canadian Cancer Society Relay For Life. Similar events will also be taking place in Burlington and Milton in June. Relay For Life is an inspirational 12-hour overnight fundraising event that brings our community together to fight cancer and celebrate life. Teams of 10-15 people will gather with cancer survivors at Appleby College and take turns walking laps all night. Each team keeps at least one member on the track at all times, while all around them the party is in full swing. Teams stay overnight in the decorated tent city, united together to enjoy music, food, activities, and entertainment. Every Relay begins with the Survivors' Victory Lap, where cancer survivors celebrate success in their battle with cancer and give hope to those still facing the disease. At dusk, a Luminary Ceremony takes place to honour cancer survivors and remember loved ones who have lost their fight with cancer. Then, as the sun rises, participants join together to make a personal commitment to fight back against cancer in their own lives all year long. The Canadian Cancer Society is marking its 75th anniversary in 2013 in celebration of our successes over 75 years while recognizing the work that still needs to be done in our fight for life. Help us do more by joining Relay For Life. Visit relayforlife.ca to register a team, raise funds as a participant or donate. Maggie Irving, co-ordinator, Relay for Life, Canadian Cancer Society Halton Unit 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.