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A6 - The Canadman Champion, Friday, August 31, 2007 OPINO Celebrate safely r HA ID ËE LAST Take precautions when lighting [48 YFES 0F YouR fireworks over holiday weekend 1 LIIFE IOKLKiii FFreworks may entertain us likc toys, but tbey -shoulcl neyer be îreated as sucb. Wbile seemingly au all-too-obvious notion, ils one thats occasionally lost on somc eol - wbo fail to saieguard themselves wben celebrauing bolidays like Labour l)ay by ligbting up tbe nigbit sky As bard as it is to bebieve, tbere's even been reports itbe past few years of Toronto youtbs sbooting off fireworks ai botb rival groups and area residents. inWhile we're fairly confident Miltonians won't be engaging in sucb moronic bebaviour this weekend, tbere may bc e novice bandiers wbo dont know aIl tbe precautions neces- sary to ensure tbetr fireworks display' isnt just enjoyable but safe as well. \Vitb tbat said, beres some tips to kcep in mind. aAppoint a responsible person to be in cbarge. Only adults wbo are awarc of tbe bazards and essential safeîv pre- cautions sbould bandie and discbarge fireworks. -Carefully' read and follow tbe label directions on ire- works packaging. - Alwavs keep a water bosc or pal1 of water close bx' wben disc barging fireworks. "Discbargc fireworks xell away lrom combustible mate- niais like buildings, irecs and dry grass. 0 Keep onlookers a safe distance away, upwind froin tbe area wbere fireworks are discbarged. a Ligbt only one firework ai a trne and only' wben îbey are on tbe ground. Neyer tr>' to lîgbî a fîrework in vour band or re-igbt dud fireworks. F-or dud fireworks, it is bcst to wait r 30 minutes and soak tbemn in a bucket of waîer. Dispose of them in a metal container. -Discharge fireworks only if wind conditions do not cre- ate a safety bazard. * Keep sparklers away from cbîldren. Sparklers burn extremelv bot and can ignîte clotbîng. cause blindness and resuit in severe burns. As tbe sparkler wre remnains bot for some minutes after burnout, it sbould be immcdtately soaked in water to avoid injury - if someone gets burned, run cool water over tbe wound for tbree to five minutes and seek medial attention, if neces- sary And aithte rnsking of stating the obvious, mucb like drink- ing and driving, alcohol consumrption and tbe bandlîng of fireworks certainly don't mix. Please play sale tbis weekend, Milton. Readers Write E-mail your letters to itonW@ghaltons;erch em. Lights, turning lanes welcomed DEAR EDITOR: Tbis lInter is in replv to tbe letier lrom A. \Wallaccin tbe Atigusi I-I We bave lived at tbe Bnitannia and Tbompson Road corner sînce 1967 and are ver>' pleased witb tIhe new stopligbt and îurnîng lanes. We bave seen Bnitannîa Road cbange from a quiet country road to part of tIhe Toronto rat race. CZars would corne ovcr tIhe bll from tbe West and go into a screamîng speed mode domsvn tbe si ratgbi-a-w ,av lu tbc morning and evening we couldn't get oui of our drtveway. Accidents ai tbe corner were a regular occurrence. No%ýýw thtbhie ligbLs and tbe ncw iurning lanes to funnel cars ioxard towsn - not to ibe dcad end - ibe peace is .vonderful. ELEANOR HADFIELD MILTON UpfrCn Th- eres more to be How fitung it us that otîr îown marks each Labour Day weekend with ils traditional Steam-Era. After ail, it's a holiday steeped in bistory and a time of year when celebrating the past 15 ceriainly appropriate. While falling well below Christmas, Faster and Thanlcsgiving on the holiday stature scale, Labour Day provides plenty of cause for both gratitude and celebration as well. That is, unless you long for a return 10 the 12-hour work day, paltry wages and absence of employee nighis that our forefa- thers suffered through. Rooted in Civil War-era New York City, Labour Days birth centres around Young Irish immigrant Peter McGuire, who had multiple jobs long before reaching adoles- cence and like niany newcomers found Amneican livng and worldfg conditions did- p y quite ive Up «s his deaum grateflfor than j, Determnined to reciify the latter, McGuire and ike-minded activisîs hegan champi- oning the caîl for worker's' rights, and aller much struggle - t0 say the very least - the farst Labour Day parade was beld on September 5, 1882. Twelve years later, U.S. Congress declared the first Monday of September as a legal holiday, wvith our own government doing likewise a mere 25 days after that. While Canada piggybacked on ils southern neighbours wth regard to, Labour Day. we do have our own unique chapter in the holiday's his- tory - with members of seven Ottawa unions taking Sir John A. Macdonald along on their parade in 1872. The encounter was apparently fruitful, as Canac tst mpime mister would later Âst aday off work "ýsweep away aIl such barbarous laws from the statute books" that made uni ons illegal. 1 myseli don't have a particularly strong opinion about unions one way or the other. There's good and bad to be found in them, like so many other things in lufe. But as someone who really bas -nothing to complain about when it cornes to employee rights and comu- pensation, it's bard to look back'and not be grateful to those who paved the way for a fair working environ- t. ment. So when you're raising your glass on Monday, be sure to offer a toast to the pioneers for decent wages, reasonable work days and employee beneftts. Rememiber, most of us have a lot more than just a day off work to be thankful for. H-appy Labour Day, Milton! lZbe <Caiîadan Qampîon 555 Industnial Dr. MItton, Ont. L9T SEl 905-878-2341 Editorial Fax: 905-878-4943 Advertising Fax: 905-876-2364 Classified:905-875-3300 Circulation: 905-878-5947 www.mrnltoncanadianchampion.com Publisher Neil Oliver Advertising Director Vendy McNab Managing Editor Karer. Miceli Production Manager Trn C'les Circulation Manager Chalen- Hall Office Manager Te:Casas The Canadian Champions, pubished every Tuesday and Fiday, is a division of Metroland Media Group Ltd. - Group Pubilsher tais Oiver. kb e rtc attteV s"-:'- , 7'e" "-e.2"e&m't R.w eoguoei lotexctte c by cýe efOrý it-.,;tDax mmu sg ,x a Newspape5 ssocaton 'an ad,an Cuo'ssus.W CCIN A ýiespaWs soaion SuutnNeussPaPers The(,àiýdia Campîoii S JigeBel nd UNITED WAY 0F MILTON TV AUCTION MILTON SA NTA C LAU S PAR ADE VYMçA Showcase Milo Awards 7ýeV-znCa,,ýn -aýP:n Rw 6r.,