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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, December 22, 2011 · 6 The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5566 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. Guest Column NEIL OLIVER Vice-President and Group Publisher, Metroland West 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 RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution SARAH MCSWEENEY Circ. Manager WEBSITE oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver is a division of Red-light cameras can help save lives Gary Carr, Halton Regional Chair tarting this winter, you'll see red light cameras at some key Regional intersections to help improve intersection safety. Drivers passing through the Upper Middle Road (Regional Road 38) and Trafalgar Road (Regional Road 3) intersection will be the first in Oakville to see the new red light camera location, which was chosen based on collision history. Gary Carr Over the next three years, Halton will be installing red light cameras at 12 intersections throughout the Region, while at the same time running a community safety campaign encouraging all drivers to "Other municipalities drive responsibly and stop on red. participating in this Running red lights puts everyone at risk. program have seen a To help reduce the risk of intersection collisions, and to help save lives, Halton Region is reduction by more joining many GTA (Greater Toronto Area) comthan 25 per cent in munities in the Provincial Red Light Camera deaths and personal Program. injuries." Other municipalities participating in this program have seen a reduction by more than Gary Carr 25 per cent in deaths and personal injuries -- a majority caused by angle (or T-bone) collisions at intersections. This program is another tool in Halton's toolbox to help improve roadway safety. The current fine for a red light camera violation is $325 ($265, in addition to a $60 victim surcharge). Red light cameras are only a piece of the puzzle to reduce aggressive driving on our roads. You, too, can do something about aggressive driving -- report it! If you see a driver demonstrating unsafe driving behaviour, you can submit a Citizen Report Form through the Halton Community Road Watch program, by visiting online www.haltonroadwatch.ca. The police then send an information letter to the registered vehicle owner explaining that their vehicle was observed being operated in an unsafe manner at a specific time and location and asking for voluntary compliance. Working together, we can make our roads safer for everyone. For more information on red light cameras, dial 311 or visit www.halton.ca. Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America S THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: United Way of Oakville ATHENA Award MICHAEL IVANIN / OAKVILLE BEAVER BOOST TO CHILDREN'S SAFETY: Union Gas representatives Dave Lamourex and AnaMarie Lattuca (both at left) recently presented a $5,000 donation to Cindy Lawrence, Children's Safety Village program co-ordinator, Halton police Sgt. Kim Hill and Deputy Chief Andrew Fletcher. The Children's Safety Village helps create safe communities by providing children with the opportunity pp y to practice p real life skills to reduce their chances of being g injured j in a preventable p accident. A holiday to bring light into the darkest month of the year W hen Christmas and Channuka (Hanukkah) happen at the same time, can we call it Christmakah?" asked a student of Rabbi Stephen Wise of Oakville's ShaareiBeth El Congregation recently. While Christmas happens every year on Dec. 25, the Jewish festival of lights moves around in December as the Jewish holidays are dependent on the cycle of the moon. This year the eight-day holiday of Channuka began earlier this week on Dec. 20. Thus, the two holidays will coincide, which can only bring more and more light into the darker days of December. Hanukkah (Channuka) commemorates a great miracle in Jewish history, actually two miracles. Roughly 2,500 years ago, the Greek-Syrian Empire had conquered the land of Israel. They had established laws and decrees preventing Jews from practicing their religion. The Jews couldn't study the Torah, they were forced to eat pork and the invading army desecrated the Holy Temple in Jerusalem by putting statues of Zeus right in the sanctuary. The first part of the Channuka miracle occurred when the Jewish rebels were able to revolt, defeat the larger Greek army and re-establish sovereignty in their homeland. The second part of the miracle took place when the Jews got back to the Temple. Once they arrived they wanted to re-light the eternal light, a large oil candelabra called the Hanukiyah, or Menorah. They realized all the oil had been dumped out on the floor, and only one Stephen Wise small jug remained. It would take a week to produce more oil and have it brought in, so they asked each other whether they should light the Menorah for one night, which is all the oil would last, or wait for the new oil to arrive. They decided to perform the proper rituals and light the lamp. The miracle that next occurred was the light that was meant to last for one or at most two days, stayed lit for eight days. Ironically, Hanukkah is one of the most celebrated holidays among Jews, but historically, according to the Bible, it is not regarded as important as many of the other holidays in the Jewish calendar year, such as Yom Kippur or Passover. However, Channuka has gained popularity, possibly because of its `competition' with Christmas. In a way, when Christmas became more exciting with lights and the presents, Channuka joined along. These holidays take place in the darkest month of the year -- so to have a warm holiday in the cold of winter, filled with joy, special foods and presents, it became more and more special. For the eight nights of Channuka, Jews light the Menorah, adding one additional candle each night, and say prayers thanking God who performed miracles back in those days. We also spin the dreidels, a fun game with a four-sided spinning top that has Hebrew letters representing the miracle, and we eat foods such as latkes and jelly donuts, which are cooked in oil. There are also opportunities to give gifts, sing a lot of songs and have fun. Join Rabbi Stephen Wise and the Shaarei-Beth El Congregation at the synagogue at 186 Morrison Rd. in Oakville at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 23 for the lighting of the fourth candle. All those who attend are also invited to join in for food and drinks. This event is free to attend and open to the whole community. To learn more, call 905-849-6000 or visit online at www.sbe.ca.