Wednesdsay July 28, 1999 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER A5 Photo by Barrie Erskine P E R F E C T PADD LING: Okay, so getting up at the crack of dawn and heading down to Sixteen Mile Creek for a workout in a war canoe isn't your idea of a good time. The same can't be said for these paddlers with the Burl Oak Canoe Club who seem to relish the chal lenge. Alerted by an incident last week involving a Burlington man, the Halton Region Health Department is warning residents to be wary of rabid animals. The man is currently undergoing treatment after he was bitten on the hand by a bat while attempting to capture the critter. This marks the first reported rabid animal in Halton since 1996. The Ministry of Natural Resources' baiting and immunization program has been successful in reducing rabies in area foxes - the most com mon carrier - but currently no method of immu nizing bats is available. While bats are beneficial by eating three times their own body weight in insects every night, residents are advised to be cautious around them. Anyone who is bitten should contact their doctor and the health department. Anyone wak ing up in a room and discovering a bat should report it since bat bites are so small they can go undetected. The following is a list of rabies facts every one should know: - Rabies is caused by a virus usually spread by the bite of an infected animal. This virus enters damaged nerves in the wound then trav els toward the brain. - Rabies is a common and fatal disease of wildlife in Ontario. It can often spread to domestic animals, including dogs and cats. - Common carriers are foxes, skunks, rac coons and bats. Rabbits, squirrel and other rodents rarely contract the disease. - Keep away from wild animals and unfamil iar pets. - Vaccinate your cats and dogs and keep pets under control at all times. - If you observe a wild or stray animal behaving strangely, report it to the Humane Society, 845-1551. - If you are bitten by an animal, thoroughly wash the wound with soap and water and apply an antiseptic. For more information call 825-6060 ext. 7814 (TTY 827-9833). Property damage in collisions on rise ( C o n t in u e d f r o m p a g e 1 ) Some crimes have increased over the first half of this year. Robbery, for example, jumped 31% (55 from 42); break and enters rose 7.8% (862 from 800); auto theft increased 24.1% (510 from 411) and offensive weapon cases rose 7.4% (73 from 68). The year-to-date clearance rate dropped slight ly from 45.4% in 1998 to 43.8% this year. At the same time, the total number of calls for service have crept up by 1,270 occurrences (3.2%) in the first half of this year. Other trends include a 23.1% jump in property damage vehicle collisions, 1,878 cases to 2,311. (Property damage collisions occurring on provin cial highways within Halton are handled by the OPP, but are registered with the local Police Reporting Centre and are not included in the pre vious statistic.) Injury collision totals are 22 occurrences fewer (4.6%) than at the mid-point of 1998 for a total of 453 so far this year. 183 L A K E SH O R E RD . E. D O W N T O W N OAKVILLE • 845-8911 THERE'S A SPACE FOR YOU! PARKING METERS The e lec tron ic m ete rs located on d o w n to w n s tree ts accept tw o d o lla r co ins as w e ll as qua rte rs and loon ies. Parking on Lakeshore Rd. is lim ite d to tw o ho u rs at $1 .00 per hour. LONG-TERM PARKING Sportcoats $149" Dress Slacks $C Q 99 from w v J k f t , " \ Outstanding Selection! Shop early for best values! 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Leases exclude freight, licence, insurance, registration and taxes. These are dosed end leases with no buyback requirements. ' Price exdudes $675 freight and indudes factory to retailer incentives. LOCKWOOD 845-6653 175 WYECROFT RD., OAKVILLE (B E T W E E N K E R R & D O R V A L ) w w w . l o c k w o o d c h r y s l e r . c o m Day lo ng park in g is availab le in lo ts 5, 7 , 8 & 11B. In a d d itio n the re are lo n g -te rm m ete rs a long W ater, R ob inson and D ouglas S treets. HANDICAPPED PARKING There are a to ta l o f 18 s igned spaces availab le in lo ts 1 ,2 , 3 , 1 0 , 11a, 15, in the M u n ic ipa l Park ing Garage and a t spec ified s tree t m ete rs. FREE PARKING is available in ail Municipal Lots and at street meters daily after 6:00 p.m., Sundays and holidays. TOWN OF OAKVILLE PARKING OPERATIONS 338-4394 DOWNTOWN OAKVILLE BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT AREA 844-4520 THERE ARE M ORE TH AN 2 .8 0 0 PA R K IN G SPOTS A V A ILA B LE IN D O W N TO W N O A K V ILLE 60% * Health Department warns ̂ residents about rabid animals http://www.lockwoodchrysler.com Sportcoats $149" Dress Slacks $CQ99 from wv Outstanding Selection! Shop early for best values! 175 WYECROFT RD., OAKVILLE FREE PARKING