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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, February 19, 2010 · 6 OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5571 Classified Advertising: 632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742 --Open 9-5 weekdays, 5-7 for calls only Wed. to Friday, Closed weekends Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Canadian Circulation Audit Board Member THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America Canadian Community Newspapers Association ATHENA Award NEIL OLIVER Vice ­ President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The Oakville Beaver is a division of Media Group Ltd. DAVID HARVEY Regional 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 Be a life saver If you found yourself in a situation where someone in your presence suffered cardiac arrest would you know what to do? Apart from calling 911, chances are you could not offer much benefit to the person whose life was in jeopardy. With February being Heart Month, the OakvilleHalton & Halton Hills branch of St. John Ambulance is reminding residents that heart disease kills between 35,000 and 45,000 Canadians each year, and in Canada only about 15 per cent of the population knows how to perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed a four-fold increase in survival if CPR is started early in the cardiac arrest casualty. As most cases of cardiac arrest happen at home (approximately 85 per cent) the chances of survival for many victims would be greatly increased if more family members knew CPR. All too often CPR is not being performed when professional medical help arrives, and those precious minutes spent waiting for paramedics to arrive could mean the difference between life and death. Dr. Ian Stiell, an Ottawa emergency physician and principal CPR-researcher, says that doubling the amount of people who know CPR could save 1,000 lives annually in Canada. Another key determinate of survival is the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED). The easy-to-use machine delivers a measured electrical shock to an irregularly beating heart and restores the heart to a normal pumping rhythm. Early application of a defibrillator can improve survival by up to 30 per cent and when combined with immediate vigorous CPR, offers the best chance of survival from cardiac arrest. For each minute that goes by without CPR, there is a 10 per cent reduction in the chance of survival. "The Oakville-Milton & Halton Hills branch has increased the amount of classes being offered so that as many people as possible can learn this life-saving technique," says Tim Bauer, branch manager. "The training is not complicated and does not require a great deal of time, but is rewarding when you are able to save a life, especially that of a loved one." To register for a CPR/AED course, contact your local branch by visiting www.sja.ca. 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. Letter to the editor Time to say no Re: TransCanada would be major emitter, Oakville Beaver, Feb. 12, 2010. The TransCanada Draft Environmental Review Report says, "The report also states residents near the plant will face no respiratory effects, no increased risk of cancer or other expected detriment to their health." As a health professional, who has been looking into the health effects of poor air quality in our area, I would like to counter that. TransCanada admits it will be putting fine particulate matter (PM2.5), into the Oakville/Clarkson airshed and that their levels combined with background levels will put us above their health-based criterion almost all of the time. We know from scientific evidence PM2.5 causes short and long-term health effects and premature death, primarily due to heart disease and cardiovascular events such as stroke. The World Health Organization says there is no safe level below which PM2.5 has no effect on population health. Indeed, for every 1 µg/m3 increase in the level of PM2.5 to which the public is exposed long term, there will be a one per cent increase in premature deaths. The Town of Oakville has estimated at current levels of PM2.5 in ambient air, there will be 80 premature deaths in Oakville attributable to PM2.5 pollution every year. TransCanada in its draft Environmental Review Report says, "In the Town of Oakville where the population is under a quarter of a million people (approximately 170,000), an increase of 10 µg/m3 will result in only a slight change in the death rate or the heart failure rate." I will argue any increase is not acceptable and by this admission TransCanada agrees that health risk in local residents will increase. It's time to put a moratorium on the Oakville Generating Station which should not be built close to homes, schools, daycares, seniors residences and other public places. LYNN ROBLIN, FORMER CHAIR HALTON CHOICES 4 HEALTH, OAKVILLE Letters to the editor 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, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4, or via email to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. Byelection might kill power plant I read with interest that Oakville Liberal MPP Kevin Flynn is submitting a private member's bill to oppose his own government's decision to construct a 900megawatt power plant at the ridiculous location 400 metres from homes and schools. If Flynn truly served his constituents, then he would resign his seat and force Premier Dalton McGuinty to hold a byelection in the riding. Given the premier's largess in doling out the goodies in recent byelections, I am confident the power plant will be shuttered. Mr. Flynn, your constituents are waiting to see if you truly are a public servant serving the needs of the riding. TIM MCCURRY, OAKVILLE BY STEVE NEASE neasecartoons@gmail.com Pud