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

www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday October 1, 2008 - 3 Vital Signs viewed as building block for community Continued from page 1 People may even connect, through the CFO to others of like mind and it's possible grassroots groups may form to tackle specific concerns. Local government and social agencies will use the report's findings to direct upcoming roundtable discussions of what needs to be addressed, funded or otherwise acted upon at the community level. The report itself offers a page listing 52 things we can do, suggestions offered by the general public. "My take on it is that we live in a great place, but there is that feeling that we could lose it really quickly if we're not careful, that problems that are manageable now, may not be so, in say five years," said Anne Miskey, director of community initiatives with the CFO, who has, by virtue of her involvement with Vital Signs, already digested its findings. To generate awareness of the report's publication on Oct. 7, Miskey spoke with The Oakville Beaver about where people will be able to access it, what action will follow its release to the public and to provide a sneak preview at the report. Vital Signs was compiled by using local statistics. Each of its 11 categories was then graded by local residents through a publicized survey process. It will provide a report card on Oakville's vitality as a community. Miskey said one surprising fact is that data on Oakville is not always readily available. Since the CFO intends on doing Vital Signs annually for three years and then bi-annually thereafter, Oakville should be able to compare itself to itself in a few years. Next year's report will delve more into seniors and newcomers to Canada, for whom little information was readily available of the Oakville experience. Vital Signs will offer facts among its statistics and photos -- all of which are strictly Oakville. It will offer familiar sights -- a photo of tennis courts -- to not-sofamiliar sights -- someone living under one of the town's bridges. It will state what we already know -- that the Oakville library system is popular, well-used and a staple of life in town -- to what we may not know -- that one in eight local seniors lives under the poverty line and that one in three recent immigrants lives below the poverty line. "My take on it is that we live in a great place, but there is that feeling that we could lose it really quickly if we're not careful, that problems that are manageable now, may not be so, in say five years." Anne Miskey, director of community initiatives with the Community Foundation of Oakville. Miskey looks at one particular finding that surprised her -- Oakville women have a much higher likelihood of dying with breast cancer than those in neighbouring communities and the province as a whole. Just why, Miskey isn't sure. She noted mammograms that are annual tests in many communities are biannual tests locally. Besides the surprise factor of the finding, Miskey said she pointed it out to demonstrate how the finding can be used to make positive change -- what it's hoped the report will do overall in the community. The CFO and other agencies could network with the local medical community to look at the statistic. Granting agencies could look at funding equipment to enable annual testing. Individual residents could apply pressure to the medical system by demanding more frequent testing -- and politically, to get the tests and equipment funded. One statistic can be taken into many hands and used on many different fronts to effect change. While Miskey admitted that everything of concern cannot be addressed immediately and that success stories may be difficult to improve upon, she hopes change can come about by having knowledge in hand. And by making change happen now, issues that could detract from Oakville's quality of life in future, could be prevented. Miskey said people recognize Oakville as an affluent, clean community, one of the safest in Canada, where education is top shelf and library services always get top marks. The surprises will come in as Oakville and its residents come face to face with faces that aren't so familiar -- kids and seniors who go hungry or that the number of preventable deaths attributed to smog and poor air quality has more than doubled over the last few years. "We're not in a bad state right now, but the trends and indicators show that we better start paying attention or we'll be in danger of losing some of our quality of life," said Miskey. "If we do something about it now, we're going to prevent things from deteriorating and really maintain what is wonderful about our community," said Miskey. The broad picture of Oakville that is painted by examination of 11 specific areas, will also lead residents to see how much each area overlaps another -- and shed light on how taking action on one level, could make changes on several others. Taking time for breakfast could change statistics on kids going hungry. Being open to growth, particularly employment growth locally, won't just represent a savings on a homeowners' property tax bill, but could open local jobs that could improve a teen's chances of an afterschool job, a young graduate's chances of gaining employment in their home community, or of providing a local job so that commuting to Toronto isn't necessary. Tax savings and more local jobs could also make Oakville housing more affordable to buck the trend of those living locally not paying for their home by working outside of town. That, in turn, could make a dent in air pollution caused by commuting and could even reduce youth troubles by putting parents at home earlier so youths are not unsupervised at home and free to find trouble. The age-old resistance against youth centres in neighbourhoods may also be reexamined. Miskey said there's nothing wrong with having a youth centre in the neighbourhood, in fact it's the safest thing to have as youths have a close, "and cool" place to go rather than finding their way into potential trouble. Oakville's Vital Signs exam- ines 11 categories including: health and wellness; arts and culture; learning; getting started; work; the gap between rich and poor; housing; environment; belonging and leadership; and, safety. This marks the CFO's first year of participating in the Vital Signs report that is done across Canada in 16 communities by CFOs. It will be released Oct. 7. It will be available at all local libraries and on the CFO's website at www.thecfo.org or www.oakvillesvitalsigns.ca. All the background data will also be available on the CFO website. An abridged version will be published in the Oct. 8 edition of The Oakville Beaver. The CFO's mission is to strengthen the fabric of the community through effective management of its donors' everlasting gifts and to provide an active leadership role in Oakville. Its vision is to be the town's leader in philanthropy through advocacy, collaboration and active engagement for the continuous betterment of all the community. Baillie said the Vital Signs report will assist the CFO in obtaining a snapshot of the community and guidance to better direct its funding. WAREHOUSE SALE STARTS SATURDAY OCTOBER 4 @ 10:00 AM LAWRENCE HOME 4PC Comforter Sets Compare @ $399.99+ Queen King DOOR CRASHER SPECIAL 100% Bamboo Sheet Sets Compare @ $279.99+ Twin-Double-Queen Size 600 TC KING SHEET SETS Compare @ $299.99+ $99.99 set $149.99 BAMBOO TOWELS 50% OFF GIFT BOXED BAMBOO THROWS Compare @$89.99 $99.99 set King $129.99 set Bamboo Pillowcases $55.00 400 TC/500TC King Sheet Sets $39.99 Special Price 1 day only ­ 04/10/08 Order @ store, by phone or online. $40.00 set King Duvets- Ivory $45.00 LUXURIOUS MATTRESS ENHANCERS Reversible- Four Seasons Compare @ $299.99+ Any Size SUEDE/ SHERPA THROWS Compare @ $49.99 $39.99 ea. Milano Toss Cushions $99.99 Nygard Toss Cushions Animal Print Cushions $29.99 Animal Print Throws $4.99 $9.99 $14.99 $24.99 Town reaches deal with transit workers Oakville Transit workers were granted a wage increase following 14 days of labour negotiations with the Town of Oakville. The CAW (Canadian Auto Workers) Local 1256, which represents approximately 115 Oakville Transit drivers, mechanics and maintenance staff, entered into negotiations with the Town in April and reached a settlement that will see workers gain a 3.5 per cent wage increase for each year during the three-year-term of the collective agreement. The workers will also receive a 60 cent base wage increase incrementally applied over three years, enhanced health, dental and sick time benefits and improved shift work scheduling. Town Council approved the agreement between Town staff and the CAW 1256 on Monday. SAVE UP TO 75% OFF RETAIL PRICES All Pillows on Sale ­ Feather, Down, Polyester, Silk, Snoozetime All Duvets on Sale ­ Feather, Down, Polyester, Silk, Synthetic Silk Bamboo Placemat $1.99 EVERYTHING IS ON SALE WWW.HOMESWEETLINENS.COM 9th Line th 403 QEW Upper Middle Middl S. Sheridan Way heridan Wa her dan W Sherwood Hts herwood Kingsway s y Royal Windsor y Please note Home Sweet Linens is facing South Sheridan Way and the QEW. We are located just west of the Winston Churchill Exit 2857 Sherwood Heights Dr., Unit #8 · 905 842 9877 Winston Church t Churchill C Ch h Hours Monday - Saturday 10am - 6pm Dundas o ord Fo ive D Dr