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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, November 4, 2011 · 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: C Canadian Circulation Audit Board Member A THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association S Suburban Newspapers of America o Canadian Community Newspapers Association ATHENA Award NEIL OLIVER Vice ­ President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The Oakville Beaver is a division of DAVID HARVEY Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor 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 An hour or two With the clocks about to "fall back" and give Ontarians a precious extra hour for one day, Big Brothers Big Sisters and FedEx Express Canada recently asked Canadians to join them on Facebook to discuss how they would use a single hour to make the world a better place. The FedEx Value of an Hour Survey found this is how Ontarians said they would spend their additional hour: 1. Completing household errands and chores (28 per cent) 2. Catching up on sleep (23 per cent) 3. Family and friends (20 per cent) 4. Exercising (13 per cent) 5. Volunteering (eight per cent) 6. Pursuing personal interests (five per cent) 7. Working (four per cent) "The (survey) sends a clear message: Ontarians, like people right across this country, need to make room in their busy lives for their human needs," says Bruce MacDonald, president of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada (BBBSC). "Imagine what could happen to levels of personal satisfaction and connectedness if everyone could free up just one hour to improve life in their communities." That Ontarians are forgoing community service because of the frantic pace of their lives should come as no surprise. However, research clearly shows community volunteers believe they get far more out of donating their time than they give. In today's edition of The Oakville Beaver, Big Brothers Big Sisters organizations representing Hamilton/ / Burlington and Halton indicated they are in dire need of f volunteers -- primarily men and women 19-and-older to work with "littles" (ages five to 14) during weekly or biweekly visits. Volunteers are also needed for school-related programs and a group recreation program. The local organizations pair young people with older `bigs' in a winning combination from which everyone benefits. In Halton, the need is great. Aaron Murphy, diversity recruitment co-ordinator of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton, is working hard to find volunteers to fill a waiting list that has grown to about 170 children. The catchment area for the Halton chapter includes Oakville, Milton, Acton, Georgetown and anyone in Burlington willing to travel to Oakville. "We need all the volunteers we can get," Murphy said. The Halton office is located at 464 Morden Rd. in Oakville. Perhaps that `extra' time you gain this weekend could be well spent helping a local youngster. 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 Breath h of f fresh air on Halloween I live in west Oakville, near Hopedale Mall, and had the pleasure of dispensing treats to a passing throng of well-behaved, polite young visitors Monday night. They respected our property, said thank you and some even engaged me in brief conversation. Two boys, who would have been about 12 years old, insisted on entertaining me with a Halloween song and their friend recited a rap song. All this was offered in good faith and good taste. taste As it got later and I thought we'd have no more callers, I went out to remove some coloured lights from our front entrance area. Two teenaged girls called from across the street, "Are you still giving out candy?" I called them over and gave them most of the treats I had left. They were thrilled. The kids who came to my door this Halloween were a breath of fresh air, to be sure. Fay Copeland, Oakville Letters to the editor The Oakville Beaver r 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 r reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. Proud of young local talent On Oct. 20, we had the good fortune to attend a production called Sheridan in Motion at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts. The show was outstanding, as students from the music theatre performance program at Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advance Learning entertained the audience in a fundraiser for Oakville's ArtHouse Festival Series. Their energy, focus and enthusiasm was a tribute to their obvious talents. We are proud residents of Oakville, knowing that we have such wonderful talent in our own town. They have our full support for their strong representation of today's youth. Bo and Arlene Wisser, Oakville Weighing in on the debate on fluoride As a former candidate for Ward 1 Halton Regional Council (2010), I supported cessation of fluoridation of our water supply. I thank you for raising this issue with residents of Oakville and Halton in your recent article and editorial stand. Bob Aceti, Oakville Pud BY STEVE NEASE neasecartoons@gmail.com