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

www.insidehalton.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, September 1, 2017 | 6 EDITORIAL | OPINION The last vestiges of an all-too-short summer are falling away. On Sept. 5, the doors to Oakville schools will be wide open and awaiting the arrival of elementary and high school students once more. The lead-up to back-to-school has begun in earnest across Halton. Moms and dads with their kids in tow are beginning to ood shopping plazas and local malls to ensure there are new clothes for their students as well as backpacks, pens, and pencils, and other necessities are purchased for the new school year. It's a familiar progression in the lead-up to school being back in session. For parents, it also means re-establishing the daily routine of getting their children to bed at a reasonable hour, up earlier in the mornings and either getting to the bus stop or giving them a ride to school before the bell rings. It's also a time to remind children to be mindful of the streets, as traf c ticks up with the start of the new school year. Unfortunately, each school year seems to bring about a spike in injuries -- even fatalities -- from accidents involving pedestrians. Safe Kids Canada reports that pedestrian injury is the third highest cause of injury-related death among Canadian children. Driving defensively and observing the rules of the road will help ensure everyone remains safe. We sincerely hope motorists in Halton show courtesy and patience on the road when school begins next week -- looking out for the safety of children and teens at crosswalks, signalled intersections and side streets across the region. Children can be unpredictable and may run out into traf c at any time. Watch carefully as you approach a school zone and be prepared for children to step on the road unexpectedly. The message is simply this: slow down and certainly pay extra attention when driving within school zones, so no parent has to experience having their child either killed or injured simply by attempting to get to school. Pedestrians need to remain alert and should dress to be seen. Wear light or brightly-coloured clothing or reective material. In dark or bad weather, wear re ective material on clothes, coats and backpacks so you are more visible to drivers. Stop, look in all directions and listen for traf c before crossing safely when the road is clear. It is very important to remove headphones, and put away phones when crossing. Parents also have a responsibility to teach their children the rules of traf c safety and school bus etiquette. Our wish for students across the region is a problemfree return to school, meeting new friends and teachers, and having a positive learning experience this year. Slow down, pay extra attention when driving in school zones ABOUT US The Oakville Beaver, published every Thursday and Friday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 100 community publications across Ontario. View our digital edition online at: Insidehalton.com under Print Editions found in the footer. The Oakville Beaver is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the newspaper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca editor@oakvillebeaver.com @OakvilleBeav @oakvillebeaver insidehalton.com CSJ program offers students valuable work experience Last week employers and students joined me to celebrate the end of the 2017 Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program in Oakville North-Burlington. The CSJ program is a federal program that provides funding to help employers create summer job opportunities for students in their community, allowing them to gain the experience and skills they need to get their careers started. This summer, more than $600,000 in government funding helped Oakville North-Burlington employers hire 165 students through the CSJ program in a variety of elds, including health care, not-for-pro t, law enforcement, engineering, social services, the arts, environmental studies and education -- nearly double last year's numbers. Through the CSJ program, employers gain extra staff to improve productivity while students learn transferable skills such as time management and organization, work experience, self-con dence and enjoy a reliable income through paid summer employment. Students My View Pam Damoff Oakville North-Burlington MP return to their studies in the fall better prepared for future employment and with a new found con dence thanks to their summer work experience. I was thrilled to hear from so many see Program on p.11 Pud by Steve Nease WHO WE ARE Delivery Vice-President and Group Publisher of Metroland West Neil Oliver CONTACT US The Oakville Beaver 5046 Mainway, Unit 2, Burlington ON L7L 5Z1 Phone 905-845-3824 / Fax 905-337-5568 Classified 1-800-263-6480 Digital/Flyers/Retail Advertising 289-293-0624 Real Estate/Homefinder.ca Advertising Suzanne Trickey / 289-293-0677 / strickey@oakvillebeaver.com Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 200 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com For all delivery inquiries, please call Kim Mossman 905-631-6095 or email kmossman@metroland.com Advertising Director Managing Editor Daniel Baird / dbaird@metroland.com / 289-293-0624 Angela Blackburn / ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com / 289-293-0617 Regional General Manager Kelly Montague kmontague@metroland.com / 289-293-0614 Director of Distribution Charlene Hall / chall@metroland.com / 905-631-6095