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A4 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday July 7, 1999 Report rinds elderly, very young most vulnerable J b By Irene Gentle SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Halton is healing from the economic hammer­ ing it took in the early 1990s. But in many ways it has not made a full recov­ ery. That is the conclusion of a report issued by the Halton Social Planning Council (HSPC) recently. The report attempts to concretely measure qual­ ity of life through the use of an index. Currently, children and the elderly are paying the heaviest price for Halton's slow recovery. Social Planning Council finds economic recovery slow here An aging population, coupled with medical advancements that allow people to live longer, have led to a whopping increase in the wait for senior long term care beds. "Historically Halton has the lowest number of long term care beds to population rates in Ontario," - said HSPC senior planner Ted P o lo % R a l p h L a uren S a l e Up To 30% Off Hildebrandt. "That is compounded as the elderly population grows." Though the Province has promised 1,579 new beds for Halton, that probably won't be enough to keep pace with demand, he said. An aging population is also accountable for at least some of the increase in cancer, said Hildebrandt. "Halton has an aging population and that increases the likelihood of new cancer cases," he said. "That has a role to play." Disturbingly, there has also been an increase in kids being put in care of the Children's Aid Society (CAS). "There's a number of reasons that's happen­ ing," said Hildebrandt. "Some families are finding themselves unable to provide the basics for their children." The number of Halton children under CAS pro­ tection will likely continue to grow, he predicted. That's due to recent policy changes in the crite­ ria for reporting child abuse and neglect. After peaking in 1996, personal and business bankruptcies are on the decline, the report cited. But rates are still not as low as in 1990. Overall, Halton fared best in environmental indicators. There have been strides made in blue box col­ lection and air quality. Halton has also managed to hold the line on low birth weight babies. A stronger economy has helped reduce labour force unemployment in Halton, confirmed Hildebrandt. 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And exact numbers are hard to find, with the HSPC relying on 1996 census material for this indicator. The figures don't tell the story of high youth unemployment and job seekers who have simply given up, said Hildebrandt. "They may be the people on social assistance or they may be self-employed," he said. What is known is that social assistance case loads have not yet declined to their 1990 rate. To reach these conclusions, 12 quality of life indicators were factored in and matched against a 1990 benchmark year. When compared to other municipalities that have made the measurements, Halton is running pretty much in the middle of the pack, said Hildebrandt. "We're not the lowest and we're not the high­ est." If Halton is sitting in the mid-range compared to other communities, it has been left in the dust by the Province. Ontario boasts a 99.9% recovery of its 1990 rat­ ing. Halton has regained 88% of its previous rating. "We are doing okay. It's not going downhill," said Hildebrandt. "But there are still areas where we can make some improvements so that everyone in the community has a better quality of life." The HSPC report is more of a snapshot than a detailed fact sheet, he said. The idea is to track the trends in the communi­ ty so that significant issues can be identified and tackled. "One of the main purposes is to monitor change," he said. "I see it as a tool for community dialogue." The report marks the second time the HSPC has used the indicators to measure Halton's quali­ ty of life. Business yields computers to thieves A patrol unit in northeast Oakville came across another computer theft last month, unfor­ tunately, the thief had already made good his escape. During the Wednesday night of June 16th, someone smashed the glass from the front door for TNA Express on Winston Park Drive. The culprit entered the business and grabbed a num­ ber of computer components and a portable tele­ phone. The victim estimated the value of the loss to be in the area of $10,000. Investigators would like to identify and speak with a person seen peering into windows next door to the victim's business the same evening. This person was described to police as male, white, 19-20 years old, 6 feet (183cm) tall, with bushy hair. He wore shorts and a T-shirt. No vehicle was noticed. Crime Stoppers continues to ask for any infor- CRIME L • \ « i ---------------a--- a, a STOPPERS CaU 825-TIPS or 1-800-668-5151 mation about computer thieves, or where the stolen computers are being taken. If you can offer any information, we want to hear from you. If you have any information that leads to an arrest in this or any other case, you may be eligi­ ble for a cash reward. You need not give your name, and your information can be taken with complete anonymity. Crime Stoppers does not subscribe to Call Display. 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