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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, October 3, 2014 | 6 Editorial O N T H E "Connected to your Community" W A T E R 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 52 | Number 114 The Oakville Beaver is a division of `It's in you to give' Canadian Blood Services is appealing to all eligible donors to make a blood donation as soon as possible to increase the country's blood inventory, which it says is critically low. All blood donors are needed, in particular those with type O and A blood. Is that you? "Without the help of Canadians, we may have difculty meeting the expected hospital demand across the country. For patients, this may mean deferring elective or routine treatments," Mark Donnison, Canadian Blood Services vice-president of donor relations, said recently. "We are committed to doing everything that we can to bring new blood donors into the system and encourage current donors to regularly donate to ensure we don't nd ourselves in the same situation in the future." In recent months, extremely low attendance at blood donor clinics across Canada, in combination with the constant need for blood, has caused the national inventory to be used faster than it can be replenished. This has created the lowest national blood inventory since 2008. Approximately 52 per cent of Canadians say they, or a family member, have needed blood or blood products for surgery or for medical treatment. Every minute of every day someone in Canada needs that lifeline. To meet anticipated hospital demand, Canadian Blood Services regularly collects 17,000 units of blood per week. On top of that regular requirement, it now needs 7,500 blood donations to replenish its lower-thanrequired inventory. To donate, you must be at least 17 years of age, in general good health and feeling well on the day of your donation. If you have never donated before and have had your 61st birthday, or if you are between the ages of 67 and 71, and have not donated within the last two years, you must be assessed by a physician who will have to ll out a form letter. You must also meet the other standard requirements for donation. Canadian Blood Services offers free wireless Internet at select clinics for those wishing to electronically bring in moral support or to book their next appointment using the GiveBlood app. Alternatively, appointments can be booked by visiting www.blood.ca or calling 1-888-2-DONATE (1888-236-6283). Time to roll up your sleeves, folks! Wai Nui Outrigger Canoe Club hosted a Friends and Family Day. The free-to-attend event was for the public to experience outrigger canoeing and stand up paddling (SUP). CharterAbility also offered its free services that enable physically challenged people to experience being out in a boat. Pictured above Keilana Rymes, right, and Taylor Welland try out SUP on Sixteen Mile Creek. | photo by Michael Ivanin - special to the Beaver 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 SANDY PARE MARK DILLS Endless parade of unsightly signs must Recently, while driving through Burlington, it struck me that its picturesque streets were not spoiled by the endless parade of signs that we must endure in Oakville during the current municipal election campaign. Unlike Oakville, Burlington has a bylaw that prohibits placing election signs on City property. Why is it then that Oakville's natural beauty has to be disrupted during every municipal, provincial and federal election? I've always felt that with candidates' yers delivered to our door, all-candidates' debates and the many electronic media outlets available to us, as well as the Oakville Beaver, we have suf cient access to all the election material that we need, in order to make an informed decision at election time. I don't have a problem with signs placed on Letters to the Editor MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager Director of Distribution CHARLENE HALL KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager private property, as that is one of the privileges of our democratic society, but whether driving, cycling or walking in Oakville, we see a proliferation of signs on Town property. Apart from being a distraction when driving, they are often in a bad state of repair -- some teetering like the proverbial `drunken sailor,' others turned around or even vandalized. Perhaps the newly-elected Oakville Town Council can make the passing of a bylaw similar to Burlington's one of its rst priorities. If so, it will certainly indicate a council that is working to protect our town from what is, in my view, an outdated and environmentally unfriendly method of seeking votes at election time. To invoke a slightly modi ed version of a Bob Dylan song, let's hope that `The Signs They Are A-Changin.' 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: Re: Where are the issues?, Sept. 26, 2014, Oakville Beaver I could not agree more with the comment you quoted from a reader: "I do not need a paper Issues are plentiful in candidates' platforms 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, 5040 Mainway, Burlington ON L7L 7G5 or via e-mail to; ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. to tell me how to vote, I need a paper to report." You ask, "Where are the issues?" It is not that dif cult to nd real and urgent see Problems on p.7 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.