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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, January 13, 2012 · 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 Starting a new 2012 tradition We know a great way to start off the new year -- donate blood. Why? The need for blood and blood products is constant and you could save a life. You never know what's waiting for you around every corner. Life is full of uncertainties. And sometimes, the uncertainty of needing the gift of life -- blood -- may be knocking at your doorstep. For those of you who have been involved in a life-threatening accident or required a life-saving surgery, you'll know well the importance of donating to Canadian Blood Services, a national, not-forprofit charitable organization that manages the supply of blood and blood products in all provinces and territories outside of Quebec. For those who haven't need to rely on its services, there's always a possibility that you may need to one day. Approximately every minute of every day, someone in Canada needs blood, according to Canadian Blood Services. Many treatments and procedures require blood products from multiple donors. A person who has been involved in a serious accident may require 50 units or 50 donations of f blood, while a leukemia patient may require eight units a week. According to a recent poll, 52 per cent of f Canadians say they, or a family member, have needed blood or blood products for surgery or for medical treatment. The good news is that one blood donation -- in just one hour -- can save a life. Canadian Blood Services operates 43 permanent collection sites and more than 20,000 donor clinics annually. A variety of blood donor clinics were held over the holiday season in Oakville to ensure supplies were kept up during the time of most need. Other clinics are held regularly throughout the year and are usually announced by Canadian Blood Services in advance. To donate, you must be at least 17 years of age, in general good health and feeling well on the day of your donation. Appointments are preferred but walk-ins are also accepted. Call 1-888-236-6283 to give the gift of f life. Remember, the gift of life is in you to give. 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 Noise bylaw must be fair Motorcyclists are at great risk on the roadways. There is no question we riders only have our wits, and skill (and I would argue whatever protective gear one chooses to wear) to protect us. It's also true there are a lot more distracted drivers out there than most realize. From my perspective the most important point is that the Town should not be targeting motorcycles, but noise pollution in general. There is much room for debate on the issue of what contributes most to increasing our level of safety. I consider the well worn adage that "loud pipes save lives" a myth. First, consider the siren of an emer First emergency vehicle. Who can tell from which direction the emergency vehicle is coming simply by hearing the siren? Second, how many motorists have the same response to hearing loud pipes as they do to hearing a siren? I would argue very few, if any. Third, if you really want your loud pipes to you get noticed, you should be turning them around. The majority of the noise is directed towards the rear. So, for the noise from the pipes to be effective, you'd need to turn them around to face the front. Finally, if vehicle noise is so critical a factor in road safety, I think the automotive industry is behind the eight ball in ensuring all those hybrids and electric cars out there are safe. The loud pipes argument implies that as we see more near silent vehicles on the road, we will also begin to see more accidents. I don't believe this to be the case. If the Town feels it's necessary to enforce a noise bylaw, I don't think it should single out one type of noise. Further, I think the Town needs to measure and assess the many forms of noise pollution before it can reasonably draft a bylaw. All we're asking for is reasonableness and fairness to direct the creation of bylaws. Timothy White, 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. Pedestrian bridge needed, too Recently, the railway bridge across the 16-Mile Creek has been widened to accommodate for a third rail line. I do not understand why a pedestrian crossing -- parallel to the tracks -- was not added at the same time. It could have been built at relatively low cost. Currently, people living in the Speers/Kerr Street area have to go down the valley and up on the other side to get to and from the GO or VIA stations. A pedestrian bridge would have been level and much shorter. In order to entice people to use public transportation, it is of utmost importance to make it as convenient as possible. The omission of a pedestrian bridge is particularly regrettable in view of f the planned condominium developments in the Speers/Kerr street area. Dr. Stefan Wille, Oakville Pud BY STEVE NEASE neasecartoons@gmail.com