The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, April 1, 2016 | 6 Get active, every day Nearly 40 per cent of Halton residents aged 12 and older were largely inactive during their leisure time over a recent one-year period. That staggering gure came out of the most recent Active Transportation Health report, recently discussed at Halton Region's health and social services committee. (You can view a related story online by visiting bit.ly/20WXX1E). The good news is Halton's percentage of residents who spent their leisure time inactively was better than the provincial average of 46 per cent. The bad news is the lack of pursuit of an active lifestyle increases our risk of such chronic diseases as type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer (including colon and rectal) and circulatory system disease. The prescription for resolving our potential risk for poor health is simple -- get up and be more active. According to Canada's Physical Activity Guidelines, an adult, 18 years and older, needs approximately 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity a week -- divided into sessions of no less than 10 minutes each. Children between ages ve and 17 need 60 minutes a day. The Region's report recommends any number of active transportation modes to cure what ails us or, more accurately, to prevent us from acquiring something that may ail us. Residents are encouraged to walk, cycle, inline skate, skateboard or move about with mobility devices. In addition to improving your own health, making personal healthy choices also provide a spinoff to our community's health. "Active transportation is a way of reducing congestion and it's good for the environment and that sort of thing...," said Halton Hills Councillor Jane Fogal, who added, "I really do feel the motivation of health behind it is really important." According to the report, "Physical activity can also help decrease the risk of falls and fall-related injuries by increasing bone density, balance, control, muscle strength, mobility and exibility." Halton's Medical Of cer of Health, Dr. Hamidah Meghani, credits the Active and Safe Routes to School program for encouraging more of Halton's young people to bike or walk to school in order to meet their daily need to be active and help prevent childhood obesity's myriad of health-related problems. This one is not rocket science. The road to better, longer-term health is in being active, every day of our lives. Editorial "Connected to your Community" Hudson Abbott, 7, dropped off donations he asked for during his birthday party last weekend to Halton Women's Place this week. The donations will go to a new mom at the women's shelter. | photo by Riziero Vertolli ­ Oakville Beaver Hudson Abbott, 7, loves other kids, especially infants, says his dad Jason. So, it was a "no brainer" when the Oakville youngster decided to turn his birthday gifts this year into help for a new mom at Halton Women's Place shelter. A call to the shelter was taken by a volunteer who mentioned it was helping an expectant mother of minimal means. "They were even thinking of throwing this young soon-to-be-new mother a baby shower," said Jason. "We immediately said, `Well, we can help with that.'" Hudson, a competitive dancer, sent invitations to his Grade 1 classmates at St. Bernadette Catholic Elementary School and the Canadian Dance Company, where he trains, asking for a gift of under $20 for a baby girl to be donated. Hudson's birthday was yesterday (March 31), but his birthday party was held last weekend. "With every gift he (Hudson) opened, he would say, `Oh, this is so cute,' or `They are really going to enjoy this.' It was quite awesome to see," said Jason, adding the look on his son's face was priceless. More than 15 gift bags were donated on Wednesday (March 30). Gifts included sleepers, blankets, stuffed animals, diapers and gift cards. Good deed 5046 Mainway, Unit 2, Burlington ON L7L 5Z1 General Inquiries: (905) 845-3824 Classi ed Advertising: (905) 632-4440 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 Volume 54 | Number 27 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 Advertising Director NEIL OLIVER KELLY MONTAGUE DANIEL BAIRD Managing Editor ANGELA BLACKBURN RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director Business Manager LORI ANN GZOVDANOVIC Director of Production MARK DILLS MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager Director of Distribution CHARLENE HALL KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Thanks for a touching story about Paul Farley Re: Paul Farley, a councillor and a gentleman, Thursday, March 24, 2016, Oakville Beaver I am writing this letter to thank David Lea for the lovely `write-up' on my husband, Paul Farley. It was very well-written and touched my heart. The outpouring of love and affection for my husband even astounded me -- so many people have written to me and telephoned me and left numerous owers and plants outside my door. To say that I shall miss Paul is an understatement. His booming voice and wonderful personality will always be with me. Paul Farley Esther Farley, Oakville Letter to the Editor 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: Please, keep household cats indoors: reader I would like to remind residents with cats to please keep their cats indoors, especially with the edgling bird season coming up. Fledglings are juvenile birds developing their feathers and wing muscles for ight, and therefore will spend their time on the ground, making them easy prey for cats. Oakville does have a bylaw to prevent cats from roaming outside. There are many reasons for this bylaw, one of which is to protect the bird population. Kevin Uhlig, Oakville 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, 5046 Mainway, Unit 2, Burlington ON L7L 5Z1 or via email 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.