The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.insidehalton.com |OAKVILLE BEAVER |Friday, December 15, 2017 |6 EDITORIAL | OPINION ABOUT US Slow down on wintry roads Slow down. W hile this is sage advice as we close in on the holi days and the regularly h ectic pace of life, topped with shopping, w rapping, parties, get-togeth ers, con certs, planning and m ore, reaches a frenetic pitch , it is best applied on the roads. W hile it's n ot quite w inter yet -- officially -- it sure feels and looks like it and this w eek we navigated our hrst com m utes through the white stuff, and in m any instances, the frozen stuff. W hile drivers, for the m ost part, appeared to pro ceed with caution on local roads, we heard the OPP report 10 jack-knifed tracto r trailers on the 400 -se rie s highways over the course of the Alberta clipper that stopped by. As always, police, from local to provincial, caution that m ost accidents are preventable. Granted m any drivers do w h at's required, but safety can becom e havoc by one or two w ho think it will never happen to them or believe that by som e stroke of fate, they are n ot subject to the sam e laws of nature that bind the rest of us. L et's face facts... w hen it com es to safety issues and certain w eather conditions, no one is exem p t from facing the w rath of M other Nature. W e have all seen the ou t-of-con trol vehicle that no longer responds to its driver's will. M any have heard the chilling cru n ch of m etal as vehicles collide. Some of us know som eone w ho sur vived a crash only to face often tragic results. W in ter driving is serious business. And even w hen the utm ost of precautions are tak en, it's still a risk. Heed the advice of Halton police w ho advise m otor ists to give them selves plenty of time to get to their destinations, drive slowly and give vehicles in front of them lots of space. Be alert, keep off the cellphones, don't drive dis tracted and leave lots of space, so you have a lot of room to stop, say police. Drivers are also recom m ended to -- com pletely -- clear snow and ice off their vehicles to ensure proper visibility -- yours and for those around you, should you choose to let snow on your vehicle blow onto others as you drive. The OPP also offer w inter driving tips, as do m any local car dealerships' websites, the Province of O n tario, insurance houses, the CAA and m ore. Take a few m inutes to review them and take a few m ore m inutes to drive safely in bad weather. Or stay off the roads until the w eather im proves, if at all possible. And please, everyone, at no time at all, drive while under the influence. It's w orth it to you and others. Your actions could save your life or the lives of oth ers. The Oakville Beaver, published every Thursday and Friday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 100 community publications across Ontario. View our digital edition online at: Insidehalton.com under Print Editions found in the footer. ·* m etrolandm edia · * C o n n e c te d t o y o u r c o m m u n it y * The Oakville Beaver is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the newspaper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca News Media Canada I M ediasd'lnfo Canada National NewsMedia Council LocalMedia editor@oakvillebeaver.com E I @OakvilleBeav | @oakvillebeaver in sid eh alton .com MyView Giving the gift of tim e over the holidays T he holidays are a wonderful and ex citing time of year as we celebrate our traditions and enjoy spending time with our loved ones. The spirit of giving and helping others is very strong in this community, as Oakvillians not only extend their generosity to family and friends, but also give to toy, food, and clothing drives to ensure happy holidays for all. I see this generosity and concern for others expressed throughout the year, and it makes me very proud of this community. Another way to consider helping the community over the holidays is to give your time. There are many holiday events and activities planned for December that need volunteers to make them a success. If you have a few hours to spare over the holi days, please consider helping out. I've high lighted a few suggestions below; you can also consult the Volunteer Halton website (volunteerhalton.ca) for information about other holiday volunteer opportunities. Ensuring that no one goes hungry over the holidays is a key priority for all com- John Oliver Oakville MP muni ties. The Oakville Fare Share Food Bank is seeking student volunteers to assist with see Check on p.7 Pud by Steve Nease WHO WE ARE CONTACT US The Oakville Beaver 5 0 4 6 Mainway, Unit 2, Burlington ON L7L 5Z1 Phone 9 0 5 -8 4 5 -3 8 2 4 / Fax 9 0 5 -3 37 -55 6 8 Classified 1 -8 0 0-263-6480 Digital/Flyers/Retail Advertising 2 8 9 -2 93 -06 2 4 Real Estate/Homefinder.ca Advertising Suzanne Trickey / 2 8 9 -2 93 -06 7 7 / strickey@oakvillebeaver.com Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 2 0 0 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please call 1 -8 6 6 -8 3 8-89 6 0 or email Customerservice@metroland.com Vice-President and Group Publisher of Metroland West Neil Oliver Advertising Director Daniel Baird / dbaird@metroland.com / 2 8 9 -2 9 3 -0 6 2 4 Managing Editor Angela Blackburn / ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com / 2 8 9 -2 93 -06 1 7 Regional General Manager Kelly Montague kmontague@metroland.com / 2 8 9 -2 9 3 -0 6 1 4 Director of Distribution Charlene Hall / chall@metroland.com / 9 0 5 -6 31 -60 9 5