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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Wednesday, November 13, 2013 | 6 Editorial Sometime within the next six days, a Canadian woman will be killed by her partner. That fact -- along with a slew of other grim statistics -- shows this country still has a long way to go to end violence against women. To mark the launch of Women Abuse Prevention Month -- now in its 25th year -- Halton politicians, police and various agencies came together Nov. 1 to highlight the role of the community in addressing the issue and to draw attention to programs aimed at educating residents about recognizing the signs of abuse, dating violence and harassment. On hand for the event, which unveiled the purple scarves campaign to raise money for women's shelters across the province, Halton Regional Police Chief Stephen Tanner provided a local perspective on the issue, noting some 4,000 domestic incidents are reported in Halton each year; in 700800 of those cases, criminal charges are laid. Abuse of women takes many forms; it can be physical, emotional, verbal, nancial or spiritual. It also crosses all socio-economic and cultural, religious and age groups. It can happen in heterosexual and same-sex couples. Likewise, when it comes to ending violence against women, we all have a role to play, as neighbours, co-workers, congregation members, and yes, as friends and family. But even those who are closest to abused women may not understand what they are seeing, or how to help. Ontario-wide network That's why we applaud the Ontario-wide Neighbours, Friends and Families public awareness campaign that aims to provide information on how to recognize abuse, how to offer support and how to access resources in all communities. The initiative reaches out to newcomers' groups across the province, as well as to remote and rural areas, taking into consideration the unique needs and cultural makeup of the community. As noted on the website for the Ontario Women's Directorate (www.women.gov.on.ca), it is every woman's fundamental right to live in safety and security in her home and community -- free from the threat of violence. It is up to us all to ensure that right is ful lled. Diane Beaulieu, executive director of Halton Women's Place, attended the Nov. 1 kickoff and said, "Every time a woman or child is killed by someone they trusted or loved, we feel it at our very core." And so should we all. Anyone involved in an abusive relationship can get help by calling Halton Women's Place 24-hour crisis line (south 905-332-7892, north 905-878-8555) or the Assaulted Women's Helpline at 1-866-836-0511. Online resources for friends, family members and neighbours can be found online at www. haltonwomensplace. "Connected to your Community" U T 447 Speers Road, Oakville ON, L6K 3S4 General Inquiries: (905) 845-3824 Editorial Department: (905) 632-0588 Classi ed Advertising: (905) 632-4440 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 Volume 51 | Number 135 Know the signs of abuse C A R I N G C The Oakville Beaver is a division of Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Vice ­President and Group Publisher of Metroland West Regional General Manager Halton Region Editor in Chief Advertising Director NEIL OLIVER DAVID HARVEY JILL DAVIS DANIEL BAIRD Managing Editor ANGELA BLACKBURN RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director Business Manager Director of Production Maya Szuber, 7, donated 13 inches of her hair from her rst haircut to Locks of Love, which makes wigs for those going through cancer treatments. Here, Maya shows off the hair she's about to donate. Maya also raised $2,500, which was donated to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. | photo by Graham Paine ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog) SANDY PARE MARK DILLS MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager Director of Distribution Be prepared as winter approaches Gary Carr Halton Regional Chair My View CHARLENE HALL KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager H alton is a leader in emergency preparedness. We all need to be prepared because emergencies can happen at any time and in any place. Our emergency response partners, Halton Regional Police Service, City of Burlington, Town of Halton Hills, Town of Milton and the Town of Oakville, work together to assume a coordinated approach to planning for and managing emergencies. Our goal is to ensure residents are safe and Halton is a disaster-resilient community, ready to deal with any potential, imminent or actual emergency. While governments and partners at all levels work hard to keep residents safe, individuals also have an important role to play. Emergency preparedness is a shared responsibility. Are you prepared for a power outage? Winter is approaching and with it the possibility of outages caused by storms that can damage power lines and equipment. Most power outages last only a few minutes, but some last days or weeks. When the power goes out you may be left without heat, lights or running water. You and your family should be prepared to cope on your own during a power outage for at least 72 hours. Take the time to prepare in advance. Have a family emergency kit (72 hour go kit) on hand with spare batteries, a ashlight, portable AM/FM radio, food and water. Winter storms can also make driving conditions hazardous. Make sure your vehicle is winter ready. Keep a survival kit in your vehicle and your gas tank lled above half. Avoid unnecessary travel during winter storms. If you must travel, allow extra time and let someone know your route and expected arrival time. Check weather and road reports before you leave. Visit www.halton.ca/beprepared or dial 311 to learn simple steps you can take to be prepared at home and on the road. Follow Halton's Twitter feed @BPreparedHalton for Halton incident updates and preparedness tips. If you have any Regional concerns or comments to share, please email me at gary.carr@ halton.ca. You can also nd me on Twitter @ garycarrhalton, LinkedIn or Facebook. Proud Official Media Sponsor For: Canadian Circulations Audit Board Member Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Proud Official Media Sponsor For: 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; ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. 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.