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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Monday, December 26, 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 Thank you y There's a certain peace of mind that we all enjoy, not just during the holidays, but all 365 days of the year. It's easily overlooked and frequently goes unnoticed, until a need arises. Whether we're confronted by an intruder, trapped inside our overturned vehicle after a traffic accident, awakened in the dead of night by the high-pitched wailing of a smoke alarm, or suddenly fall seriously ill, there's a small army of f people out there waiting to help us. While most of us are blessed to spend some extended holiday time with those we love most, those who work in emergency services -- firefighters, police officers, paramedics, nurses and doctors -- have to be at the ready to help us cope with the worst life sends our way. We simply can't imagine what our lives would be like absent these vital components of the community we call home. Emergency situations would escalate to pure chaos without them. Our healthcare professionals, law enforcers and firefighters experience humanity in its time of greatest need and, sometimes, in its darkest moments. We rely on these professionals to provide a calming influence during some of our most difficult, most trying times. What may be a stressful but (hopefully) short-lived experience for us, is but one call in one day out of one year for someone who has chosen emergency services as a career path. In Halton, we are so very fortunate to live in one of the safest communities in Canada. (Maclean's s magazine recently rated Halton the safest regional municipality in Canada.) While we still do experience crime and our healthcare isn't always accessible to us as quickly as we would like it to be, we are actually better off than most. Sometimes, during holiday moments of reflection, we need to step back and see all that we have compared to so many less fortunate regions of the world. We should be grateful we live here and not somewhere where wars are raging, basic medicine is virtually non-existent and there's no 911 service to call when emergencies arise. So, the next time you see one of Halton's behind-thescenes heroes, thank them for all that they do to make your life just a little better. Letter to the editor UTM weighs in on debate on fluoride It has been brought to my attention that the Town of Oakville/ Halton Region is considering the removal of fluoride from the water supply. I have learned of this from reading the articles on the topic, primarily from the anti-fluoride group, in The Oakville Beaver. I am a resident of Oakville, in the Clearview area for more than 20 years and my wife and I have raised our two, now-grown, children in Oakville. Oakville I am troubled that this issue has now come to light in my own community and that serious consideration will be given to the removal of fluoride from the water supply. The scientific evidence and experts in the field are strongly in support of water fluoridation as a means to prevent dental cavities. The removal of fluoride will put the future children of Oakville and Halton at greater risk for developing cavities, especially those from lower-income groups. The graduate program in pediatric dentistry at the Faculty of Dentistry is a strong supporter of water fluoridation and would consider it a dental/public-health tragedy if the Town and Region decided to remove fluoride from the drinking water. The public should put its trust in the academic community, which is given the task of independently reviewing scientific evidence and undertaking new studies to ensure the public does have access to the best evidence-based healthcare. The graduate program in pediatric dentistry at the University of Toronto strongly supports continued water fluoridation for the See Evidence page 21 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. Enjoy what matters over the holidays I love the holidays, and want to remind you to take a deep breath and enjoy them. It seems like the holiday months always go by in fast forward, in some red, white and green-induced glitter haze. Don't get me wrong, glitter is great, but with everything moving so quickly it's hard to take time and enjoy the best parts of the season. For me, the holiday season is a chance to spend time with my family, and to sit back and look at all the wonderful things in my life. It's important to reflect on all of the good moments (as well as the not-so-great `growing' moments) of the past year. Because of the business of day-to-day life, we don't get to see our loved ones as often as we'd like, and the holidays are a great time See The page 12 Holiday publication dates Please note The h Oakville k ll Beaver r holiday publishing schedule will include editions on Monday, Dec. 26; Wednesday, Dec. 28 and Thursday, December 29. Previous editions were published on Wednesday, Dec. 21 and Thursday, Dec. 22. The Beaver r will not publish on Friday, Dec. 30 and the office is closed Monday, Dec. 26. 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. Pud BY STEVE NEASE neasecartoons@gmail.com