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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, April 30, 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 Couch potatoes take root early The 2010 report card from Active Healthy Kids Canada, released Tuesday, reveals we are raising a baby nation of couch potatoes. The findings were part of the group's sixth annual report card, which draws on a range of data and is produced in partnership with the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario. According to the report, less than half the children between ages one and five are getting the necessary two hours of exercise they need each day for healthy growth and development. This lack of exercise, be it time spent in the playground or running around the backyard, is putting youngsters at risk for obesity and other health problems before they've completed Kindergarten. "Active play (is) not frivolous," says Mark Tremblay, chief scientific officer for the organization. "Kids have a biological need to move." But, according to the study, our modern lifestyles are conditioning kids out of their instinct to move around. Strapped into strollers or car seats, kids today are not getting the exercise previous generations did. An international survey of children's activity levels in 96 child care facilities found sedentary behaviour was more common than active play. While under Ontario rules, licensed child care providers must include two hours a day of physical activity; babysitters and unlicenced home-care providers are not subject to those requirements. That is more food for thought. This year's report card also noted only 12 per cent of Canadian children are meeting recommended guidelines of 90 minutes of exercise per day. It also awarded a failing grade for screen time spent on TV, video games or surfing the Internet. Perhaps the most concerning aspect of the study is the amount of time we allow our kids to watch TV. In 1971, the average age kids started watching television was four; today it's five months. National data shows 15 per cent of Canadian kids ages two to five are overweight and 6.3 per cent are obese, making them more likely to become overweight and obese adults. Failure to reverse this trend today will only lead to bigger problems -- both literally and figuratively -- down the road. 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 416-3401981. 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 Matthew William Robbie McGregor Parents grateful for support We would like to thank all family and friends for their love and support throughout this sad time. We would especially like to thank all Matthew's friends for their amazing tributes. Matthew was always special to us, but we now appreciate just how special he was to so many others. We thank you for sharing your memories. WILLIAM AND SHARON MCGREGOR 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 e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. `This is suburbia, we enjoy our cars' Re: Car first mentality dominates Halton, says consultant, Oakville Beaver, April 23 For several years we have been hearing groups trying to get public transit in Oakville (Halton) to be taken seriously, to put funds into it, to have people use it. It's time for someone to speak up clearly. I am confident that I represent the majority of Oakville (Halton) when I say: "We don't want it, stop pushing it." That's right, we don't want public transit, or better transit, or more efficient transit in Halton. This is suburbia, we enjoy our cars, we like the convenience, the comfort and the practicality. That is why we live in the suburbs. If you want to take transit, go to downtown Toronto. The article pointed out that we have to "change behaviours." You will not be BY STEVE NEASE neasecartoons@gmail.com Pud able to, so please stop trying. Don't you get it, this is Oakville, a two to four car per household town. There is nothing you can do to public transit that will make the majority of us want to take it, or choose to take it over our cars. And, furthermore, stop spending taxpayers' dollars trying to create something very few people want. In the last eight months we have seen ugly bus shelters go up in places they should not be going up, giving vandals a new surface to spray paint, and more buses later into the night. But slow down and take a look, 90 per cent of the bus shelters are empty 99 per cent of the day, and the buses are empty as well. It is frustrating to see empty See Acceptance page 11