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OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, May 21, 2009 · 6 The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5571 Classified Advertising: 905-632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742 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. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Commentary Guest Columnist NEIL OLIVER Vice-president and Group Publisher, Metroland West DAVID HARVEY General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director SANDY PARE Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution SARAH MCSWEENEY Circ. Manager WEBSITE oakvillebeaver.com Time to talk Kevin Flynn, Oakville MPP ental illness does not discriminate. It will affect one in five Canadians during their lifetime, and may affect every one of us through friends and loved ones. However, mental health carries a stigma in that it is feared Kevin Flynn by many people who do not understand it. Due to this stigma, many people fear getting help for mental health problems. The fact is, effective treatment exists for almost all mental illnesses. Furthermore, mental illness accounts for a large percentage of hospital visits every year. May is Mental Health Month, a time for us to discuss mental illness openly, share information, and take steps to address the stigma of mental illness. Our government remains committed to provide support and treatment for Ontarians diagnosed with mental illness. Institutions are not the answer. We believe in providing the necessary supports which encourage well being and a better quality of life. Since 2003, our investments have expanded access to more than 290,000 more Ontarians, and hired more than 1,252 additional mental health workers. Since 2004/05, we have invested $32.6 million in new annualized funding for Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams to deliver services outside of the traditional institutional setting. We have invested more than $270 million, a 66 per cent increase, in more than 300 community mental health agencies since 2003. This issue is also very close to me as I was recently appointed Chair of our governments new Select Committee on Mental Health and Addictions. The Select Committee on Mental Health and Addictions has been appointed to consider and report to the Legislature its observations and recommendations with respect to a comprehensive Ontario mental health and addictions strategy. The all-party committee will work with consumers/survivors, providers, experts and others to determine the mental health and addiction needs that currently exist. We will be travelling throughout Ontario this summer to listen to concerns. Since 2003, our government has funded more than 2,250 mental health supportive housing units, and almost doubled the investment in treatment programs for persons with eating disorders. In 2008, we committed an additional $80 million over three years to improve mental health and addiction services and reduce wait times in Emergency. The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care provides $123 million to the Local Health Integration Networks (LHIN) specifically for approximately 150 substance abuse treatment programs and provincial initiatives. We have also committed $16 million over four years for 1,000 new units of supportive housing for people with addictions. Our government remains committed to ensuring that Ontarians with mental illnesses receive the treatments they require, so that they too can enjoy a better quality of life. For more information, contact my constituency office at 905-827-5141. RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America M THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: United Way of Oakville TV AUCTION ERIC RIEHL / SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER JACK IS BACK: As he prepares to host his third annual Jack's Lemonade Stand fundraiser for Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, Jack Yeilding, 6, pours a lemonade last Saturday as Whole Foods Oakville opened its licenced patio. Jack's Lemonade Stand was Whole Foods Oakville's One Dime at a Time fundraising recipient for April and May. Jack's Lemonade Stand will be up from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 2394 Sandstone Dr., Saturday, May 23. There will be pony rides, entertainment, food and more. Jack has raised more than $93,000 for the Toronto children's hospital where he is a frequent visitor as he has a severe form of epilepsy. The trouble with hitting a home run with an old lady bicycle e hit a home run. With a bicycle. Mother's Day was approaching and the kids had no idea what to get their mom. A brainstorming session produced all the usual ideas -- bath stuff, a spa gift certificate, but nothing very exciting or remotely original (she'd already stockpiled enough bath stuff to remain fresh and fragrant through the next century, and the last spa gift card we got her remains appreciated, but unused). A few days later it hit me: what about a bike?" You see, each year my wife further unleashes her inner jock. She horseback rides, she cross-country skis, she's taken up golf, she's currently swinging into tennis lessons, and over the winter, she fell for spinning -- hardcore cycle training -- at her gym in a big way. A bike, yeah, a bike would be perfect. I popped into a cycling store, gave the owner the basic specs of what was needed, and he came out with a bike that he believed was ideal for my wife. Not your standard model -- wider tires, semi-recumbent -- it was, he assured, a cutting-edge style that is all the rage in Europe. Well, I said, if it's good enough for Europe, it's good enough for me. Mother's Day arrived and the kids steered their mom outside W to where the white beauty awaited. She looked at her new ride, gushed appropriately and thanked everyone profusely. Later, when the kids had moved on with their day, she took me aside and whispered: "Are you sure about this bike? It, ah, it looks like an old lady bike." Now, I don't know what exactly an `old lady bike' supposedly looks like, or what by Andy Juniper definition an `old lady bike' is, but my wife creatively described it as -- "you know, the kind of bike an old lady would toot around on, with a parasol, on a Sunday, not the sort of bike you'd actually get exercise on." Maybe it was the wider tires ("It's got fat tires"). Or the semirecumbent style. Maybe it was the bell ("It's got a...bell") ­ ah, but it's a well-disguised bell (just looks like a little button on a bike). It was obvious that this bike was weighing on my wife's mind. She decided to go have a talk with the owner of the bike store. We go way back with this owner. He's a nice, knowledgeable guy and he told my wife that he only wanted her to be happy. Keep the bike for the long weekend, he said, take it for some good long rides, really try it out and, he was confident, she would fall in love with it. If not, he assured, she could exchange it for whatever style she pleased. On Sunday my wife suggested we go for a spin. I don't know if you remember last Sunday's weather: icy temps, windier than a hurricane. My wife hopped on her new bike, I hopped on mine and off we went. Into the cold. Into the wind. As I rode behind her, I could not help but notice that she was peddling with an easy, fluid motion, while I was peddling fast and furious in an attempt to keep up. Still, despite my frantic efforts, she continued to effortlessly put more and more asphalt between us as she glided along, ultimately becoming but a tiny speck on the horizon. Eventually we were reunited back home. I was a rainbow -- purple from exertion, red from exhaustion and green from envy. She was all smiles. "Hey," she said, "I like this old lady bike. I think I'll keep it." Father's Day's coming up. I'm hoping for an old man bike. Andy Juniper can be visited at his Web site, www.strangledeggs.com, or contacted at ajjuniper@gmail.com.