New Acton Library on Schedule

I had a tour of the new 9,000 square foot Acton library this week. Councillors Jon Hurst, Clark Somerville and Jane Fogal were also on the tour. We were all impressed with building thus far. It is going to be a great improvement of the outdated building that is the library now.

The best news of the day is that the library is on time and on budget. That is music to Municipalities ears. This new library will be almost three times the size of the present library. Statistics show that since 2003, circulation is up 45%, children's program attendance is up 23% and in-house Internet usage is up 50%.

The current Acton branch cannot meet the community needs. Not was space limited, users do not have enough room to work and read, and many larger programs cannot be accommodated. This new library will be more accessible for wheelchair users, people with mobility issues and young moms with strollers. Natural light will be maximized, will have more Internet stations.

The new Acton branch is due to open in late February or first of March. The new building will be heated and cooled using Geothermal. The cost of the new branch is expected to cost 3.5 million dollars which is being split between Federal, Provincial and the Town of Halton Hills.

For Acton and area library users this will be an exciting time to see the new building completed.

Mayor's Breakfast for Halton Industry Education Council

Today was a once a year special day for Milton Mayor Gord Krantz and myself as we co-host the breakfast for the Halton Industry Education Council. Over the past 20 years the HIEC has played a key role in providing positive learning experience for the students in Halton Region. The working partnership between businesses and schools has helped make Halton a great place for businesses to locate and students to find excellent employment opportunities close to home.

We know technological advances are upon us so quickly today that the need for a well educated and competent work force is a priority for both business and our community.

Today young people need to constantly upgrade their skills throughout their careers and the HIEC will continue to play an important part in their long learning journey.

Today there was a good crowd of about 200 people at Rattlesnake golf course. Many school board trustees as well as councillor Dave Kentner. Many students, educators and busy people were there. After breakfast there was a panel discussion of businesses and students who have gone through the program and they took questions from the floor.

The Student C0-Op program operated by HIEC is well received by the business community: students learn what the " real working world " is a like. There is no fiction here. It prepares them to enter the work force as productive players.
HIEC should be thanked for their ongoing commitment to make our community and region of Halton a great place to live and work.

Santa Claus is Coming to Halton Hills

This Saturday Santa Claus will be making a few appearances in Halton Hills. That is right, the jolly fellow will be first coming to Acton. Bill Spielvogel and Acton Firefighter's Association have made arrangements for Saint Nick to join him in the Acton Santa Claus parade. The parade begins at 1 PM. It is a fairly long parade so get your spot early. Also the Acton B.I.A. will have photos with Santa tomorrow afternoon at Roxxy Coffee at the corner of Mill and Main St. Acton. The B.I.A. will also be giving out hot apple cider vinegar. The parade begins at Acton Blvd. and runs through Mill St.

Now if you miss Santa Claus in the afternoon he will be making a second appearance in Georgetown for another parade. Al Watts and the Georgetown Lion's Club have Santa booked for their evening parade. The parade begins at 5:00 pm. This is also worthwhile to see as their are many colorfully lit floats. This parade will be going through Guelph St. to downtown Georgetown onto Charles St.

The weather man has arranged for great weather but please bundle up the little ones.

Skating is always a great Excercise in Canada eh!

Last Saturday the Georgetown Figure Skating Club hosted a skatathon as a fundraiser for the Club. What a great way for the members to just come out and enjoy a leisure skate with other members and members of the public. I was invited to go out with them. Hmmm! I hadn't skated in years and boy am I out of practice. I played Jr. C hockey as a goalie so about 7 years ago I traded my goalie skates for a pair hockey skates. There is a huge difference.

I was a little wobbly for the first little while. Many of the families of the skating club were out including the coaches. Full marks to the Georgetown Raiders who sent a couple of their players out for a skate. The Raiders show real community spirit in this Town.

I thought of a skatathon was a real innovative way of fund raising while allowing everyone just to come out and have a great time. Some of the younger skaters were doing circles around the old beaters like myself. It is a credit to the coaches and the Georgetown Skating Club for teaching these young kids how to skate. It is a real joy watching kids out there having fun and show their skills that they had learned.

So now I am convinced I have to get out and do more skating. I do a lot of in line skating in the summer. The movements are similar but stopping is a whole different kettle of fish. The best kept secret in Town is that week day from 10-1 pm is public skating for only three bucks. Not bad eh! I went back today ( Tuesday ) and there is only a handful of skaters. So if want a good cardio vascular exercise over lunch Moldmasters Sportplex or Acton Arena are the places to be. Who knows maybe one day you will be as good as Georgetown Figure Skater.

Should Remembrance Day be a Holiday ?- I Say NO!

Over the weekend I attended many Remembrance Day marches and dinners. Both the Acton and Georgetown Legions organized the ceremonies and the dinners honoring many of our vets as well as the marches honoring those brave women and men who have died for our country.

Both Legion's displayed pictures drawn by students depicting their interpretation of past wars. One which caught my eye was a student in Acton who drew a black and white picture of a field and a lone poppy. The poppy was slumped over with a tear coming from it. It was a powerful statement to make from someone so young.

There is a private member's bill in Ottawa wanting to make Remembrance Day a national holiday. I remember years ago when it was a holiday. Then it was called Armistice Day and eventually called Remembrance Day. As well meaning as it may sound to have a day of recognition for those who have paid the ultimate price I don't agree with it. Here's why. It is being called a holiday. If the kids are out of school I could see them taking it as a holiday. How can we engage our youth so that they will remember the 110,000 plus Canadians who have died for Canada while protecting our freedom and our way of life. They are better in school and learn from the teachers and read about the first and second world war, the Korean War, about the many peace keeping missions and of course the present Afghanistan war on terrorism. I could see hockey tournaments being organized if this was holiday. The meaning of Remembrance Day would be lost on a holiday. We need our kids in school so that they can hear the veterans who visit the schools and tell them what war was like so we don't repeat history. We need see our youth at the cenotaphs to see our present living veterans and say " thank you. "

As much as it may be a noble idea to honour our veterans with a holiday, I think the meaning would be lost by having a holiday.

It was so great to see the scouts, cubs, girl guides, Air Cadets and other youth orientated groups marching with the veterans to the cenotaphs. Watching them laying wreaths so we will not forget the fallen's sacrifice.

If you agree with me write your M.P.'s and tell them not to vote for a Remembrance Day Holiday.

There is No free in Freedom

Cenotaphs across our great nation will be honouring those brave men and soldiers who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom.

The first Remembrance Day was held in 1919 and was originally called Armistice Day. When I was in public school I recall this being a holiday.

This time of year it is time to reflect upon the ultimate sacrifice of 110,000 Canadians who valiantly served our country in WWI and WWII, the Korean War and now Afghanistan.

Being a baby boomer I never lived through the first or second world wars or even the Korean war. I can tell you the Afghanistan War ( make no mistake it is a war ) does hit home. Watching the news clips of our young soldiers being returned in coffins and taking the Highway of Heroes road does hit home. The images are real not fiction.

Remembrance Day purposely keeps alive the memory of those who have served to protect our freedom of Canada. It is through their achievements and sacrifices that have contributed to the development of our great nation.

We must remember, if we do not, the sacrifice for the thousands of Canadians lives lost will be meaningless. They died to protect our way of life.

As Canadians we must never take for granted our current way of life. Our freedom to express ourselves, in cultural and political events.

We must continue to recognize our Canadians stationed around the world today. Particularly those who are engaged in combat in Afghanistan.

Lastly, this week, through November 11th, is a day to reflect upon our grandparents, maybe great grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters who have served or are presently serving our great country.

On behalf of the citizens of Halton Hills, our Councillors, we say thank you for those who have or continue to serve our country.

Lastly, if you know a Veteran, say thank you.

How will you Remember our Fallen????

This is a week that many in Halton Hills will be remembering our fallen soldiers who have paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we may enjoy our freedom. It is a time to reflect on those who died for our country and also to thank those who continue to serve Canada with much courage.

I will write more on this later in the week. You can mark your calendars as there will be three Remembrance Day marches this weekend. They are as follows:

Acton November 6th - 11:00 am
Glen Williams November 7th - 12:00 Noon
Georgetown November 7th - 2:00 Pm

Myself and many of the councillors will be there. I hope to see many of you there to say thank you to a veteran. I will write more as we get closer to the end of the week.

The Newly Elected Council Term of Council Will Soon Begin

Now that the Provincially wide Municipal elections are over it will soon be time for the newly elected council to begin. I was very humbled to receive an acclamation this election year. There were many changes throughout the Province of Ontario. Some municipalities will have completely new councils. Ask anyone who was elected they will tell you there is a certain learning curve to the job of a councillor or Mayor.

I congratulate the Acton councillors, Jon Hurst, Mike O'Leary and Clark Somerville on their acclamations as well. Also a congratulations to Jane Fogal, Bob Inglis, Moya Johnson, Dave Kentner, Joan Robson, Bryan Lewis for their solid victories in the election. Ann Lawlor is the one new voice on council. Ann ran an excellent campaign and Ann will be no stranger around the council chamber as she has worked on many community projects and committees over the years. John Duncan was not returned and I will miss is business attitude and of course his Irish humour.

In the next week or so I Will be meeting with the councillors elect to see what committees they are interested in serving also to get their ideas as well as what they may have heard while door knocking.

I personally feel we have a strong council. The election results have proved that the public supports them as they all got re-elected by wide margins with the exception of John Duncan.

The Halton District Catholic School Board has elected Mark Rowe. Mark grew up in Acton, raised his family in the Glen and taught in Georgetown. He will do a fine job.

The Halton District School Board voted to reduce their Halton Hills trustees from having two to just having one. Gillian Tuck Kutarna was elected. This last term board decision of school boards made decision which caused a lot of havoc. The HDCSB cancelled many buses in Georgetown South. They had public meetings but neither Save Our Buses or myself speaking on behalf of the Town could convince the Trustees to change their minds. The Public School Board never gave a chance to have this debated as they approved the cancelling of the buses in one night. Plus they put 2.62 acres of land at MSB School in Acton for sale. 5000 names on a petition could not convince these trustees that this was a big mistake.

Very interesting to note many of the trustees throughout Halton were wiped out at the polls. Some thought it would be best to run regionally. Big mistake as they were demolished at the polls. Councillor Jeff Knoll in Oakville and Councillor Rick Craven gave their opponents ( both Public School Board trustees ) a severe spanking.
Hopefully there will be lessons learned at the board. The now have many new faces and a new Super Intendent. Lets hope they can turn this around and we at the Towns have a positive relationship.

Halloween in Halton Hills

Every year Halloween is celebrated on October 31st and Halton Hills is no different. Starting tonight ( Thursday ) Friday night and Saturday night the Acton Scouts will be having a fun house at the Acton Scout Hall. They really put a lot of effort so if you are around Acton please drop by for a really ghoulish time.

Both the Acton and Georgetown Business Improvement Areas will also have their ghost walk. Georgetown is on in the morning. Most of the stores if not all of them will be shelling out candy to the kids. It is a sight to see all of kids in the their costumes walking up and down Main St.

In Acton the ghost walk is in the afternoon with a prizes for the best costumes at 2:00 pm. My wife Josey and I will be in costume as we do every year. Lets see if you can recognize us.

Parents bring your kids out and have a safe Halloween.

Halton Hills Votes

Today in Ontario, Canada voters are going to the polls to vote for their Mayors and councillors who will represent them for the next four years. Sometimes we do take democracy for granted. I have been privileged to get an acclamation. I am truly humbled by it. There are still elections going on in three of the four wards as well as races for both separate and public school boards.

The polls close at 8pm. The weather is good so I hope you take the time to exercise your freedom and vote.

Georgetown's Knox Presbyterian Church celebrates 150 Years

On behalf of Council for the Town of Halton Hills it was my pleasure to be part of the Georgetown's Knox Presbyterian Church celebration. And what a celebration it was. They celebrated 150 years of service in Georgetown. The reception was held at North Halton Golf Course in Georgetown, Halton Hills.

Worship in our community helps develop community spirit, promotes a common culture and shared values amongst the young and old. This congregation has enriched many lives through worship, social and cultural activities.

Throughout its 150 years, this church and its parishioners have seen plenty of adversity. In 1901 there was a huge fire in the church. As it is today as it was back then the Georgetown firefighters played a key role in saving the church. There was still significant damage in the church. The church elders were smart as they had insurance which replaced the carpet and repaired the damages.

Another challenge of the church was in 1918 when the Spanish flu hit. This was a flu which killed many world wide. The Church was closed from October until late January. That is when the Christmas service was held. They even told the kids that Santa Claus had a bad flu but he is okay now.

All the challenges which this church and it's parishioners faced help bond and build the strong foundation within the community today. I told the congregation headed by Dr. Rev. Jim Cooper at the celebration that is a time to reflect the rich history, and be assured that your forefathers would be very proud of them to celebrate this rich heritage that has enriched the Town of Halton Hills.

Halton Hills Mayor Rick Bonnette launches Children’s eBook

In collaboration with ePublisher eBookGuides4Life.com, The Georgetown Hospital Foundation Board and Mayor Rick Bonnette invite you to one of the area’s first ever eBook Launch Events!

www.goonsharoon.com

Tuesday November 9th, 2010
Open House 6:30pm – 8:30pm; Presentation at 7:30pm
The Club at North Halton, 363 Maple Avenue West, Georgetown, Ontario, L7G 4S5

In attendance to help celebrate will be The Georgetown Hospital Foundation Board, Author Mayor Rick Bonnette, ePublishers Christine Maiorano and Lori King of eBookGuides4Life.com, Illustrator Tamara Talbot and Editor Nancy Kovacs. There will be an unveiling of the main character “Goon Sharoon”.

“The Incredible Adventures of Goon Sharoon” is a fun and lively Children’s eBook about a gentle giant’s exciting adventures and how he created many of earth’s natural wonders and geographical features. This colourful eBook is perfect for school-aged children everywhere because it meshes a fun tale with knowledge of places all around the world. The main character is charming, never scary, has an appetite for cherry pies and is a little daft when it comes to using his brains.

Rick Bonnette first wrote this eBook as a grade six assignment. The first two chapters were the actual story that was handed in. Rick’s love of entertaining children lead him to add more chapters in 1997. At the time of ePublication, Rick Bonnette is the Mayor for the Town of Halton Hills, in Ontario, Canada.
Rick Bonnette will donate his proceeds to the Georgetown Hospital Foundation as his way of giving back to his community.

“We are thrilled that Mayor Bonnette has chosen to ePublish this terrific children’s eBook as a fundraising opportunity for Georgetown Hospital,” says Foundation Chair Laurent Thibault, “we are lucky to have such an exceptional Hospital in our own backyard and community support like this is what keeps the Hospital strong.”

Georgetown Hospital relies on community support to fund top priority medical equipment. Currently the Foundation is raising funds to purchase a Critical Care Ventilator, Blood Gas Analyzer, a Glidescope for difficult incubation's and other equipment for our surgical program, in-patient care and diagnostic imaging.

Come out to the eBook launch on November 9th, 2010 to purchase your copy of “The Incredible Adventures of Goon Sharoon”, or visit www.eBookGuides4Life.com on or after November 9th, 2010.

Acton Scouts Celebrate 100 Years

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Acton 1st Scout Organization. On Saturday there was a celebration with the Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Venturers and Rovers.

The 1st Acton Scout Group started in the fall of 1910 when Mr. Stock attended a Town Council meeting to ask for permission to start a Boy Scout Troop. Council granted permission and Bayden Powell's movement came to Acton.

We are very proud of the contributions that the 1st Acton Scout Group has made to our community over the past 100 years and also recognize the tremendous dedication and efforts for the many volunteers to make scouting happen. Volunteering is rewarding and valuable experience that helps build self confidence: discover strengths and talents; develop independence; and learn new skills. I personally thanked all of the troop leaders for their years of service. Scout masters across Canada help mold boys into young responsible men. Scouts learn the skills of survival, first aid, tying various knots and many other real life experiences. The leadership skills will something that will stay with these young boys their whole life.

On Saturday there was an old fashion barbecue, skill games etc. Long time Scout master George Henderson presided over the ceremonies. Many formers scouts were also present including David Dills who was a scout in 1939. Bill Dawkins and Bill Spielvogel were from the fifties, I was a cub in 1962. Many other former scouts and cubs were on hand.


David Dills unveiled the special 100th anniversary crest. The weather cooperated and over all it was fine kick off to celebrate 100 years of scouting in Acton.

Pat Burns Burned by Hall of Fame Selectors

Former National Hockey League coach Pat Burns has been burned by the National Hockey League in my opinion. Its been well documented the enormous struggle he has had battling cancer. Last year there was a push to see Pat Burns inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Pat Burns has coached in the N.H.L. for 14 seasons.I for one agree that he should be inducted. Let his record speak for itself.

Burns began his N.H.L. coaching career with the Montreal Canadiens in 1988. His career ended in New Jersey in 2005. He won the Stanley Cup in 2003 coaching the New Jersey Devils. He won the Jack Adams Award ( award for best coach ) in 1989 coaching Montreal, in 1993 coaching the Toronto Maple Leafs and won it for the third time in 1998 coaching the Boston Bruins. That is three times he had won this award and is the only coach in National Hockey League history to win this prestigious award three times. He took the Montreal Canadiens to the cup final. He also twice took the Leafs to semi finals which is something Cup starved Leaf fans still lament not winning but the Leafs surprised many teams during those two cup runs.

Burns was diagnosed with colon cancer and then liver cancer in 2005. Now the cancer has gone to his lungs. Watching the news, you can see that he is just a shadow of himself. There were reports last month that he had died. Leave it to Burns who called out to a local network and urged them to get the story straight. " I am alive. "

He was honoured in Stanstead ( Quebec Eastern Townships ) with a new arena named after the coach.

Last March there was a Fan based Facebook campaign launched to get him in the Hockey Hall of Fame on the merits of his coaching record. They attracted 71,000 names for support of Pat Burns. This attempt fell on deaf ears of the N.H.L. elite as Burns was not inducted into the Hall of Fame. The N.H.L. blew this one.

One day he will be inducted but it will be too late for Pat to bask in the glory.

Halton Hills is a Youth Friendly Community

The Town of Halton Hills was officially recognized as a Youth Friendly Community at a presentation ceremony held at Queen's Park on Monday October 4th,2010. This is a prestigious award for our community and I give kudos to our Mayor's Youth Action Committee ( MYAC ) for perseverance in getting this award.

Halton Hills is one of only 6 municipalities being honored that night. There is only about 32 communities out of 440 in Ontario to have this designation. There are 16 criteria to be reached and we reached 12. Myself and Councillor Moya Johnson were on hand for the ceremony presided by the Honourable Margaret Best, Minister of Health Promotions.


Being awarded a youth friendly community is a great testimony to know that so many initiatives Council supported over the past few terms around youth engagement have been right on the mark.

Councillor Johnson also noted " engaging youth in shaping our community is not only important for youth, it is important to all of us as they will be the leaders of tomorrow. "

The best speaker of all of the Youth Awards was are own Chair of MYAC Zuha Khan. She stated, "I believe that the Town of Halton Hills is a youth friendly community, because they are always proud of their youth's efforts and manage to encourage, support, congratulate and celebrate every achievement."

There were many of our MYAC members there and they did us proud wearing their bright red MYAC shirts. They looked like a team. All members of council are proud of our MYAC committee!

Juno Award Winner David Usher Plants Trees in Halton Hills

Saturday was a special day for Halton Hills as Juno Award singer David Usher joined many volunteers to plant trees in Cedarvale Park in Georgetown. The morning tree planting was organized by a local environmental group Protect Our Water and Environmental Resources ( P.O.W.E.R. ). Tree Canada ( Trees by the Shore ) was represented by Ed Borczon. We know trees are the lungs of the world. This was a great partnership between Majesta, Tree Canada, P.O.W.E.R. and the Town.



Let me tell you a bit about some of these programs. Trees by the Shore is a program sponsored by Tree Canada. This is a charitable organization established to encourage Canadians to plant and care for trees in urban and rural settings. Trees by the Shore have planted over 74,000 trees in Canada over the last two years. Majesta Brand is privately owned company committed to North America and the environment. They are part of the Irving Forest Products, a company that employs over 8,400 people in North America. All Majesta products are made in Canada and come with a Tree Planting Promise : "To plant trees for every one used to produce Majesta products."

David Usher addressed the crowd. The popular Montrealer spoke very passionately about the environment and he did go out and plant trees with many of the volunteers. It was a family morning activity. We are pleased to see him lend his support to such an important cause.

This was the 50th event of the program in Georgetown. Halton Hills welcomes David Usher to our community in the Year of Biological Diversity.

Town Buys MS-B Lands from Halton District School Board

Ten years ago there was a recommendation by the Halton District School Board to sell off 2 acres of land at the amalgamated McKenzie Smith Bennett School in Acton. There was a ground swell of opposition from the the Town of Acton. One of the main reasons was back in the 1950's the old Town of Acton bought two farm properties to build the school and add additional play fields. This was forward thinking. This remained into the Town's hand until the 1970 when the school boards became Halton County School board and later with Regional Government in 1974 in became Halton District School Board. The rallying cry 10 years ago was " we paid for once why would we buy it again." There were over 2500 names on a petition and three school buses pleaded to the board to change the vote. Board Chair Ethel Gardner was terrific and fought to keep this land out of developers hands.

Now 10 years later the board bureaucrats once again decided to deem 2.62 acres of land surplus. This again struck another raw nerve to the citizens of Acton. I was part of the first fight as a Regional Councillor and now I am Mayor. Myself, Regional councillor Clark Somerville and Board staffer Gerry Cullen are the only ones left from the fight of 10 years ago.

The board hid behind the Minister of Education Kathleen Wynne saying she forced them to sell. BS. I spoke to the Minister myself and she assured me there was no directive to sell this land. Melissa Secord and many parents rallied and collected an unbelievable 5000 names on a petition to oppose the public sale of these lands. Why is it so important. You see Acton is green belted so there is no expansion of the Acton urban boundary there fore if we lose the lands we will not be able to replace the three soccer fields and the baseball diamond. We were in a fix.

I can honestly say the trustees from south of Halton Hills were not of any help. I made a delegation with Melissa Secord of the MS-B parent council and Ian Watson of the Acton Villa Soccer association to present various community arguments why these lands should not be sold. It fell on deaf ears. The board was hell bent on selling these lands even though the lands will not see any servicing for years to come. Unfortunately a developer would only be too pleased to purchase the land and sit on it for five years or so and when service come on board they will build houses on it.

This past Monday night, Town of Halton Hills Council, approved purchasing the land plus licensed 5 additional acres of land for 21 years to make sure that the board doesn't come back in 5 years to sell off another portion of the land.

The cost of this land acquisition is $1,308,000. plus an additional $15,000. for maintenance on the additional licensed lands. That is over a million dollars that we didn't budget for and we really can't afford. However, we couldn't afford to see house built on our playgrounds knowing we can never get them back.

Our Town council came through. This is most unfortunate, however, that the School Board put the Town in a position where it had to spend money it really did not have in order to save the School board from themselves.

Council Jon Hurst said "We feel betrayed by the Halton Board. We had no choice but to buy it back as developers would have purchased the land and turned our kids soccer fields into houses." Councillor Mike O'Leary stated, "This should have never been necessary. This is shameful" and Regional Councillor Clark Somerville commented "While I am also disappointed in the actions of the School Board declaring this land surplus I am happy the Town readjusted it's priorities to allow for the Town to purchase these lands.....It is embarrassing that the Board hid behind the skirt of then Education Minister Wynne to help justify what they did."

The Halton District School Board indeed failed the people of Acton, a small, Town of 10,000 people within Halton Hills.

There are now 5 trustees wanting to be elected to Halton Region. There is now a new Superintendent of the School board. Maybe after the election we can see better relations developing. Ethel Gardner unfortunately passed away about 4 years ago. I knew her personally and I know she to would have been very disappointed with this school board. Let's hope the new school board will not be deeming any more land surplus whether in Georgetown or anywhere else within Halton Hills. I can assure you if this land was in Georgetown the Town would have purchased it as well as we cannot afford to lose soccer and play fields. Even though the Town has purchased these lands one has to remember there is only one tax payer.

Town Hosts Bulldogs

Last night, the Town of Halton Hills hosted the Canadian Jr. B Lacrosse champs Halton Hills Bulldogs. The Halton Hills Bulldogs are simply the best in Canada and they proved it.

After easily rolling through the opposition leading up to the final Founders Cup Championship, the Halton Hills Bulldogs were expecting a tough test from their rival team Mimico Mountaineers. Our guys were playing in front of 1800 fans at the MasterCard Center in Etobicoke. The title match went into double overtime before Dylan Gilbert of the Bulldogs notched the winning goal. This is the first time, in 16years that the Halton Hills Bulldogs have won the Founders Cup.

Our Town is very proud of our dogs. Halton Hills is recognized as a sports community rich in volunteerism and community spirit.

We were pleased to host the young men to a barbecue. Many of the family members came along as well. They players are great ambassadors to our Town. Special kudos to coach Blaine McCaulay and his team of coaches as well as Manager Mike " the Hammer " Hancock who put together quite a team.


After the barbecue councillor Johnson and myself gave our medals to all of the players as they were honored at the council chambers.

I reminded all of the players to take in the glory as when you get older you may never be on a championship again.

Georgetown Hospital Walk Raises 30 Grand

Yesterday I went to the Georgetown Hospital Walk to raise money for our Hospital. This is the third year that this walk was held and the weather cooperated quite nicely. It takes a lot of work to put one of these walks on including a lot of planning and volunteering. Many of the councillors walked and volunteered. There had to be close to 250 people who came out for this 5 kilometer walk. Paul Armstrong of Armstrong Insurance was out again with all of his staff dressed in their purple jersey's and they are better known on this day as Paul's Peeps.

McDonald's and Maple Lodge farm were huge sponsors as far as feeding us. McDonald's supplied the morning coffee, juice and muffins while Maple Lodge farms supplied other treats including chicken wraps.

The Georgetown Raiders hockey team showed great community spirit by coming out with many of their fans.

The best news of the day is that $30,000. was raised to buy equipment for the Georgetown Hospital and over the three years close to $100,000 has been raised.
We are so lucky to have a hospital in our town with such dedicated doctors and nurses.

Congratulations to all of the organizers of this annual event!

Cookie Time at Tim Horton's

Today is an important fund raiser at all three Tim Horton's in Georgetown (Halton Hills). Tim's are featuring a special Smile Cookie this week. Thanks to the ALS Ontario and owner of Tim Horton's every cookie purchased today will see the proceeds donated to the ALS to help find a cure.

Store owner Mary Walker is "thrilled to bring smiles to ALS Ontario through the Smile Cookie fundraiser."

ALS is a horrible debilitating disease that affects many in Canada. Last year a good friend of mine, Don Lindsay, passed away from it. Dr. Jeff Sutherland of Georgetown has bravely battled this disease. It is for such highly regarded community people like these two that we must find a cure for this disease.

So if you have an urge for something sweet today, go on to Timmy's and get a Smile Cookie. You will be doing a wonderful thing for such a great cause.

I will be going today at 1:30pm to enjoy my Smile Cookie. See you there.

Dedication Ceremony at Rembrance Park Georgetown

Last Sunday I had the honour and privilege to par take in a dedication ceremony at Remembrance Park in Georgetown. I would guess that there were close to a 200 people at the cenotaph. How many times have you gone to a Remembrance Day Ceremony and listen to the names being read of the Cenotaph of our fallen soldiers but wondered how old they were or where they were killed?

The Dutch Canadian Remembrance Committee spear headed by Martin Boomsma and Tommy Shenk along with John Blaauwendraat, Rein Pater and Nell Ramakers had a vision to put up two story boards that will give a history on each one of our brave soldiers. They have on them their dog tag numbers, the name, their age and where they lost their life.


I was on hand with most of our councillors along with M.P. Mike Chong and M.P.P. Ted Arnott. The Georgetown Royal Canadian Legion color party was also there. It was an emotional ceremony. It was a special day they unveiled the plaques. Someone like me who is a baby boomer never really know about war. Oh yea, I read history books and seen many movies. Now with the struggles in Afghanistan it hits home. The bodies of our young soldiers returned in coffins is real. The imagines on Television are real not fiction.

Mike Chong gave a great perspective as his mother was Dutch and and his father was Chinese and he spoke of the liberation of our Canadian troops in the second World War.

Over a 110,000 brave Canadians paid the ultimate sacrifice. We must remember them, if we do not, the sacrifice of the thousands of Canadians lives lost will be meaningless. They died for our freedom and to preserve our way of life.
Today are forces continue to stand on guard to help aid in world conflicts to peaceful resolutions.

The Sunday ceremony was also a day to reflect on our grandparents, maybe great grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters who have in the past or are presently serving our country.

It was also a day to thank our veterans. There were some on hand for the touching ceremony. Once again, our Dutch Canadian Remembrance Committee are to congratulated for taking such a great initiative.

Terry Fox Runs a Success in Halton Hills

Yesterday all across Canada there were Terry Fox runs. This marked the 30th year of the runs. Terry Fox as many know is real Canadian hero. Terry lost a leg to cancer. While in hospital he wanted to something for all the cancer patients he saw suffering. Terry was an ordinary Canadian who did an extraordinary feat. He started a 143 day Marathon of Hope in 1980. He started in Newfoundland and ran a marathon a day through the Maritimes, Quebec and Ontario. Can you imagine running 26 Kilometers a day, let alone one one leg? Terry passed away in 1981.

Today is legacy is around the world. Even Cuba has one of the largest runs with close to 2 million running.

In Halton Hills we have two runs. One in Georgetown and one in Acton. Councillor Jon Hurst along with a small committee have spear headed the run in Acton since the first run. The last two years Alcoa of Georgetown has supported the run. It was great to see so many out yesterday running, walking, cycling and even roller blading. I had the pleasure of speaking to Eric "Mitch" Mitchell of Georgetown yesterday while roller blading. Mitch is 79 years young and very active. I also roller blade.

Both communities raised several thousand dollars. Unofficial numbers are that Acton raised $24,500 and Georgetown raised over $21,000. That is fantastic for our community to give so generously so that one day a cure for this dreaded disease will be found. Congratulations to all of the organizers of the event.

Its Fall So It Must Be Fall Fair Time

Halton Hills loves it's Fall Fairs. This has been a tradition for many years. Georgetown just celebrated it's 164th Fall Fair and this weekend the Acton Fall Fair will be hosting their 97th Fall Fair.

What a great tradition for both Towns. Fall Fairs are a terrific place for kids to learn about the agricultural industry. They can see real farm animals up close. Acton features a tractor pull as well. Also Elvis will be at the Fair along with many other celebrity impersonators.

I love going to the fairs since I was a kid. The smell of french fries, kids screaming and having fun on the rides as well as I can never get tired of looking at the animals. Speaking of which, this year in Acton will feature the boarder collies herding sheep.

I give kudos to both Georgetown Fair Board and to the Acton Agriculture Society for their many years of dedication and volunteering to put these Fairs on.
Please come out to the Fair. I guarantee you and your family will enjoy it.

Parkinsons Super Walk in Georgetown

I just returned from the Parkinson's Superwalk. This is the annual walk to find a cure for Parkinson's Disease that is held at the Gellert center in Georgetown. There were over 70 walkers and 5 teams. Last year there was $17,000 raised. This year they raised even more. This years total raised is $20,287.00. Good job by the organizers of this walk.

It was beautiful day. Special thanks to the organizers, the many volunteers and all of the sponsors. Most of the money raised goes directly to research as well as support for those affected by Parkinson's. To date there is no cure but we can be hopeful that one day there will be because of fundraisers like this.

See you next year!

Halton Hills Fire Halls Are Now Officially Open

Today it was a pleasure to be part of the official openings of the two Fire Halls and Emergency Operations Facility in Georgetown. Besides members of council on hand there were other dignitaries in Ted Arnott M.P.P. for Wellington Halton Hills, Regional Chair Gary Carr as well as Olaf Lamerz representing the Ontario Fire Marshall's Office.

These two fire halls are an example of how important partnerships between the Town of Halton Hills, the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Region of Halton really are. The financial support from all levels of government enabled these two facilities to become a reality for our community.

It was a great day for Councillor Moya Johnson, chair of Fire Services and Fire Chief Brent Marshall and all members of council for the responsibility of overseeing the efficiency and effectiveness of these two facilities.



The first official opening took place the Fire Station headquarters,a dedicated fire facility in our planned growth area that will provide fire protection and prevention services for the greater Halton Hills community. It also holds the keys to our rich heritage of fire service dating back to the 1800's. There is a community Heritage room depicting much of Georgetown's rich history in fire protection. Georgetown's longest serving Firefighter Jimmy Valentine was honoured by naming the lane behind the Maple Ave. station " Valentine Lane. " Good for Jimmy. He is 97 years young.

The second facility on Maple Ave. is joint facility that replaces two facilities that had exceeded their life expectancy. This is a joint facility with ambulance and fire. All facilities are state of the art. They are heated and cooled by geothermal thus reducing fossil fuels.

All in all it was a great day to part of the opening ceremonies of these two impressive facilities. We are very proud of our firefighters. It is important we give them the tools they need to protect our community.

Support Parkinson Walk in Georgetown

This Saturday September 11th I will be kicking off the Parkinson's Disease: SuperWalk 2010. It is being held at the Gellert Center in Georgetown. For those of you who don't know much about Parkinson's disease here are some facts. it affects 1 - 300 people from young and old, in every culture and race.

The one risk factor we all possess is aging, which is a condition that is currently incurable! However, more and more is being done to understand how and why various risk factors influence the likelihood of Parkinson's.

Many people of been stricken by this disease. Here is a list of them,
Actors, Katherine Hepburn and famous Canadian Michael J. Fox

U.S. Attorney Janet Reno
Evangelist Billy Graham
Country Singer Johnny Cash
Boxer Muhammad Ali
General Douglas MacArthur
President harry Truman
Pope John Paul 11

Chances are you know someone who has suffered from this disease. So if you are free this Saturday come down to the Gellert Center and walk or sponsor someone who is. Give them your support as well as the volunteers and organizers of this Parkinson's Disease Super Walk. Registration is at 9:30 am and the walk starts at 10 am.
See you there.

Keeping Hydro Was a Huge Decision for Halton Hills Council

Two years ago there was a push for many communities to sell their Hydro Utility. Many of did such as Caledon, Brampton just to name a few. The Town of Halton Hills could have sold ours and maybe got paid millions. Sounds good. But what happens at the end of the a 10 year period or so and you spend the money what then. Well you would be paying your local Hydro bills to a faceless corporation making major decisions and we would have little input or say. Perhaps all local employees of the Hydro would be let go. I believe that you don't heat your home by burning your furniture.

Two years ago Halton Hills council approved a strategic review of Halton Hills Hydro. The review said that it is a valuable asset and it is in the best interest of Halton Hills citizens to retain their local utility.

In 2009 Halton Hills Community Energy Corporation was created as a holding company of Halton Hills Hydro to go along with Southwestern Energy Inc. Hummingbird Wireless. the thrust is to have a community focus with viable subsidiaries.

Today we have a dedicated board of directors who provide leadership and corporate governance to our group of companies. Our board is made up of all local residents and that enables the community aspect to be delivered at our board meetings. Our board is comprised of myself, Anne Lawlor, Graeme Goebelle, Mark Burrows, Chris Cameron, Randy Hammell, Michael O'Sullivan and Town CAO Dennis Perlin.

Now about Hydro rates. We all know that electricity prices are increasing in a large part due to the increase in commodity prices as of May 1 and the inclusion of HST on your bills as of July 1st. I still don't know what possessed the Provincial Government to put HST on heating or cooling your home as this is essential service.

To add to this, we had one of the hottest summers in decades and I know many of you, including yours truly, used your air conditioner. Expect a high hydro bill. Your hydro bill will have all the consumption information with comparison to last year.

If any of you have any questions please call 519-853-3701. At Halton Hills Hydro we encourage all customers to learn more about conservation initiatives at Halton Hills Hydro at www.haltonhillshydro.com

Town Honours Our Youth Volunteers

On August 30th Halton Hills council, recreation staff honoured our Youth Volunteers. Many of our youth have volunteered to support Town programs, initiatives and committees over the past year. On this night we honoured 150 volunteers from all over Halton Hills. Some of them volunteered for administrative tasks, summer camps, aquatic programs, special events and the Mayor's Youth Action Committee to give you an idea of what many have volunteered.

A volunteers gift of time not only adds value to community programs and events,it also impacts the lives of children and our community as a whole. Through mentor ship and leadership volunteers become a role model and friend while helping the community grow through positive experiences. Many of the volunteers have learned that volunteering is a rewarding and valuable experience that helps build self confidence, discover strengths and is an experience which will be with them their for life.

Our youth volunteers committed an amazing 7150 hours of their time to Town Services. The volunteers were recognized by signed certificates.

These kids made a difference this year with their hours of volunteering. It was a pleasure to recognize them for their contributions.

Halton Plowing Match - where farmer meets farmer

Today I was at the annual Halton Plowing Match. This year Ernie Alexander's farm was the host farm. There was a lot of events today including 50/50 draw in support of the Plowman's Association, lunch, and of course tilling contests and of course the politician's contest to driving a tractor. All three of the Halton Hills rural councillors were there ( Bryan Lewis, Clark Somerville and Joan Robson ) along with Milton Mayor Gord Krantz and Milton local councillor Cindy Lunau. Most important many farmers from all over Halton were there. You could see many pockets of farmers talking to each other, comparing crops, the markets the economy and a host of other conversations. People came and participated for most of the day. There were even beautiful horses pulling. Once in awhile you can turn the clock back. For the people in the farming community this is a day where they can strut their stuff. For the plow contest there are many rules to score points. I will share just a few of them so you can fully understand how skilled are farming community really are.


1. You lose a point for each five minutes of overtime.
2. Average depth of furrows have to be a minimum of 6 inches
3. No shaping of the furrows by hand, plow stake or otherwise will be allowed.
4. The width of the furrow will not be less than nine inches for walking plows and 12 inches in tractor classes excepting in the crown and finish.

Just a few of the rules that contestants have to obey by.
In Halton Hills we have a rich history in agriculture and it is one that our council will fight to maintain.

Parents Make Sure Your Kids Are Safe At College

As a former College instructor I have seen a lot of College Students in my time getting excited this time of year. Many are moving out of the house for the first time in their lives and are moving into residence at College or University or a rental unit nearby. Believe me, in my 13 years as a College Instructor at Humber College of Arts I have seen it all. I have seen students come in to my 8am classes in their house coats. I seen some under the influence show up to class or hung over. Some were just dog tired from studying all night. So nothing surprises me and it shouldn't surprise parents. What is important is that parents need to have a serious conversation with their kids about being fire safe and good safety practices. It should be an exciting time for students and it should not be marred by a tragedy.

It is important to find a safe rental home. Tell your kids to be an attentive cooker. Never leave cooking unattended. It is so easy to be sidetracked while talking on the telephone, watching television or texting their friends.

Drink responsibly. Alcohol is a common denominator in many fire fatalities involving smoking and cooking. There have been many cases of people being half in the bag and they decide to fry something up and then pass out. This has happened too many times leaving a unnecessary fatality.

Inspect any potential rental to make sure the smoke alarms are working. This is the law. Never tamper or disable a smoke alarm. This could save your child's life. Know where they are going to exit if does goes off and make sure the path is clear. Also keep towels, paper and things that burn away from heat sources such as stove burners, portable heaters and appliances.

These are just a few common sense safety tips that will keep our young citizens and students a bit safer from the dangers of fire. Whether your kids are returning to school or just starting out for the first time, have a frank discussion about fire safety as this could make a difference. Believe me, I know how a lot of kids behave when they are away from home.

Acton Town Hall Gets Trillium Grant as New Plans Unveiled

Heritage Acton members had huge smiles on their faces when they heard they have now been awarded a remarkable $150,000. Trillium Grant. This will go along way for the Town Hall Center to become accessible. The Town Hall in Acton is rich in history. If you ever have a chance to visit please do. It was built in the 1883. In 1977, it dodged a wrecking ball when the newly amalgamated Town of Halton Hills council deemed a parking lot would be a better fit. A small group of citizens headed by Ted Tyler, Kathy Sanford and others spear headed a move to avoid the wrecking ball.

Later council decided not to tear in down but for the Town Hall to be repaired at their own expense. Heritage Acton did get some Provincial Grant money and did a lot of fundraising.

Thirty years later the renovations are complete and the Town Hall is restored. Now there is a phase two in the works. Our Town council has given Heritage Acton $40,000 to Heritage Acton to assist them. The figure was the amount it would have cost to demolish the building in the early 80's. I felt it was time to right a wrong so I brought a motion to council. Everyone on council supported the money going to Heritage Acton. Ron Birrell and Kathleen Dills deserve a lot of credit carrying the torch and putting in applications and for seeing the last renovations being completed.

The Trillium Grant and additional money will go towards an ambitious expansion plan to build a separate building with an elevator to make the Town Hall accessible. Congratulations to all involved. As I said, if you want to go back in history, take a trip to Acton and visit this preserved Town Hall.

Eye See...Eye Learn Program coming to Halton Hills

Did you know that one in six children have a vision problem significant enough to impair their ability to learn? Children with poor vision often find it diffiuclt to focus on their work and may be misdiagnosed as having a learning or behavioural disability. Acton's Melissa Secord told me about an exciting new program to address this issue. I am excited to tell you that a new program is coming to all junior kindergarten classrooms thorghout Halton Hills. It is called Eye See...I learn!

Chidlren who participate inthe program will receive a free comprehensive eye exam by an optometrist ( covered annually by OHIP ) and a free pair of high quality eyeglasses should they require them. Look for your child's Eye See...I Learn package that will be sent home by your child's JK teacher when they begin school. Lets face it, good vision is an important part of learning. You can help your child immensely by having their eyes examined by an optometrists. A child with good vision is vital to developing the skills of reading, copying and hand eye coodination.

You can learn more about this program by going to www.EyeSeeEyeLearn.ca
Your child depends on you to make sure they have good vision. We are lucky to have this program coming to Halton Hills. Congratulations to the Ontario Association of Optometrists, Hoya, Bo Optik, and both of our school boards.

Acton's Leathertown Festival Draws a Crowd

The Leathertown Festival has now come and gone. This was the 19th year for this Festival in Acton. At one time, it use to be called "Back to Acton Days" as in many ways it is like a homecoming. After a few years it was changed to the "Leathertown Festival" in keeping with the theme of Acton and it's leather industries and businesses.

The Festival usually attracts anywhere from 7,000 to 10,000. This year had to be one of the best ever. The theme this year was "Mardi Gras" and downtown Acton looked like the Big Easy. Street names were changed from Mill St. to Bourbon St. The historic YMCA building had a new sign "Preservation Hall". The Farmers market on Willow St. was renamed "the French Market". The Georgetown Little Theatre youth were dressed in appropriate costumes handing out masks and beads. We even had Louisiana weather, hot, humid and the odd rain shower to make it feel like we were in New Orleans.


The Kids Zone had little cars for kids to drive and obey the stop signs and were awarded with a certificate by our village constable. Councillor Clark Somerville was at the kids corner volunteering for the MasonChip program. A wonderful program in assisting missing children. Lots of service clubs were on hand and of course Jenny the Hot Dog Lady was also on hand as she is really part of Acton's fabric coming to all of the events. There were pizza eating contests thanks to Dominos pizza. The entertainment was terrific. The numbers may have been down but that was because the weather forecast was for thunder showers all day which never materialized but may have had some change their plans. I met an Asian couple of Toronto who experienced corn of the cob for the first time. They went on the Leathertown web-site and decided it was "worth the drive to Acton". Many say the Leathertown Festival is the prelude to the Acton Fall Fair.

I know I am being biased but I can tell you this Festival would never happen if it wasn't for a small group of volunteers headed by my wife Josey. Also Terry Foster, Councillor Jon Hurst and Nicholl Spence. On the day of the festival many other volunteers showed up to clean up and have the streets look as if a festival never happened. I must give kudos to the Town of Halton Hills staff for being prompt on putting up the picnic tables and closing the streets and again being prompt on taking down the tables and opening the streets shortly after the Festival closed.

Mark your calendars for next year's festival. It is always on the second Sunday in August. It is going to be celebrating the 20th year. Plans are already under way.

See you then!

Movies in the Park in Glen Williams

Last Saturday night I went to experience the Movies in the Park that was held in Glen Williams. This is a real family event and I strongly urge anyone to come out to the next one. This is a huge HD screen so it looks just like a drive-in theatre. Families come early with lawn chairs, blankets, tents and pick your spot. Party Cinemas are the ones who put on this free event. The only thing they ask in return is to make a donation to the local food bank. On Saturday night, HeyRay Chesher the real estate agent donated glow sticks and many of the kids and parents put them around their neck.



Councillor Joan Robson was also at the Movies in the Park on Saturday night along with close to 400 people. The movie was " How to Train your Dragon". It is just like going to the drive-in but instead of sitting in cars you are sitting in lawn chairs in the park. These events happen once a month and they alternate between Acton Prospect Park and Glen Williams.

The big winners, besides all the families, experiencing an outdoor movie on a nice summer night are the Food Banks. Thanks to the generosities of the public, already 450 pounds of food have been collected for our local Food Banks. It is this time of year that the food banks need donations. We think of the Food Banks in the winter time but tend to forget about them in the summer months. So everyone wins with Party Cinemas "Movies in the Park".

Halton Hills in Power Pledge Challenge

Last year Halton Hills took up the Power Pledge Challenge and we did extremely well. This year again we will be taking up the challenge. Local residents, businesses and organizations are once again demonstrating their commitment to energy conservation and sustainability by choosing to participate in the 2010 Conservation community Challenge.

The winning Municipalities will earn the right to be considered Ontario's most conservation-conscious community as well as earning valuable " green " awards such as a $10,000 Renewable Energy Award that can be used towards the installation of solar panels on a municipal property.
Presently we are in 6th place out of 89 participating communities-representing 82% of Ontario's population. C'mon Halton Hills we can do this. Currently over 1000 Halton Hills participants have taken the Power Pledge. Just think if each of these individuals fulfills their pledge:

- over 2.2 million kilowatt hours of energy will be saved each year
- nearly $500,000 worth of energy costs will be saved
- about 230,000 kilograms of annual greenhouse gas emissions will be avoided

To help make our community competitive and the challenge a success, the Town has partnered with Halton Hills Hydro, Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce and Practically Green Solutions to raise awareness of energy conservation and sustainability.

This is our you can participate. Register at http://www.powerpledge.ca/ . It only takes a few simple actions to lower energy use and avoid energy costs and reduce greenhouse emissions.

On August 11th, between 8 am and 8 pm do the following:

- turn off any unnecessary lights
- unplug any unnecessary electronics ( i.e. TV, computer, toaster, etc. )
- turn off air conditioner
- avoid major appliances
- do laundry during off-peak hours, use cold water

In the past, it has been rewarding to see so many Halton Hills residents, organizations and businesses taking the Power Pledge. With every new Power Pledge, we are that much closer to winning the competition and being considered one of Ontario's most conservation-conscious communities.

Superior Glove Splash Pad a Hit in Acton

On Monday, July 19th, 2010 I had the pleasure to be at the official opening of the Superior Glove Splash Pad located at Prospect Park in Acton. There were many members of council on hand for the opening. The best part was that there had to be close to 400 parents and mainly young kids there to experience the opening. The Superior Glove Splash Pad was made possible through the generosity of local donors. Long time Acton residents and business people, the Geng, family kindly donated $75,000 towards the project. Also Holcim Canada (formerly Dufferin Aggregates) also donated $20,000 worth of coloured concrete.
Town staff worked closely with water play designer Resicom, Gargoyle Graphics and general contractor Marshall Finamore. The splash pad features a truly unique fish themed water play area with a range of jets and spray area. The feature is a huge fish that will spray your youngster real good.

The splash pad has 33 jets and spray features. The cost of a splash pad is less than an outdoor pool and will be open from 10 am to 8pm everyday and will accommodate hundreds of kids per day and best of all it is free.
This splash pad will be a tremendous feature to Prospect Park as a community hub and destination for all.

Here in Halton Hills, we now have three splash pads, Dominion Gardens, Gellert located in Georgetown and now Superior Glove in Prospect park, Acton. So families, come out and bring your kids to enjoy all three pads in Halton Hills. There is nothing like hearing children laughing, screaming and just having fun while getting soaked on a hot day.

Trillium Grant Helps Out Halton Hills Organizations

I was excited at our last council meeting to announce that three local organizations have recently received funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. They were:
Georgetown Slo-Pitch League -$100,000.00
Light Up the Hills - $21,500.00
Halton Hills Concert Band - $15,000.00

The Georgetown Slo-Pitch League will put the money towards new lights at the new ball diamond located on Trafalgar Sports Field plus they will be donating an additional $25,000.00 towards the cost. How good is that.

Light Up the Hills was the brain child of Councillor Dave Kentner's wife Gerry. Every year over a 1000 come out to see the lights at Dominion Seed House Gardens on the 1st of December. It is a wonderful event to see so many smiling faces and Santa Claus of course is another star attraction.

You can hear the Halton Hills Concert Band perform at many occasions throughout Halton Hills. They play fine music.

This is a time to congratulate all of these volunteer lead groups on their funding proposals, as they continue to enhance the services they provide to our community. We should be proud that Ontario Trillium Foundation is funding these initiatives with our community and we ( Halton Hills Council ) look forward to working with other groups for their capital projects.

Halton Hills Hydro Takes Safety Serious

Halton Hills Hydro employees have a lot to be proud of. Not just their customer service but of one very interesting feat. They had a tremendous company record no injuries on the job.

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. The record ended last week as an employee tripped up the stairs earlier in the year and as a result of that incident required knee surgery. We can all be proud of their achievements as they went an unbelievable 2,424 days without a lost day due to injury. That is a total of 6 years, 7 months and 20 days. Truly a remarkable record. When you think of the dangers of some of the jobs entail this is truly commendable. Also the nature of the injury is one that could have happened to anyone of us in our very own home makes should make us all very proud of this feat.

When the record ended the management of Halton Hills Hydro put on a barbecue for all of the employees and Hydro President Art Skidmore did all of the cooking. Myself and Art Skidmore spoke encouraging words to the employees.

Today as I write this, the employees have 9 consecutive days without injury and who knows the record of 2,424 injury free days may be broken.

No matter where you work, safety in the work place is to be taken very serious. All of us can learn from these 42 employees. They have regular safety meetings at work. Steve Mahoney, Chair of the WSIB says there are at least two work related deaths a week in Ontario. So we should all watch out for each other.

Green is Good - Local is Better - Biofuels

I was on a tour of Zuraw Technologies -Biodiesel Production Facility in Acton. They are connected to Everpure cooperative Biodiesel Cycle. There were many from the surrounding media as well as M.P. Michael Chong. It was a most fascinating tour as this company is into biodiesel fuel. I can tell you Michael Chong is well versed on the subject. The Federal Government is a strong supporter of biofuel. What is biodiesel fuel? Biodiesel can be used in any existing diesel engine, including tractors, generators, and home heating furnaces. It is readily biodegradable, less toxic than salt and does not give off volatile vapors. It has greater lubricating properties than regular diesel fuel and can increase the life of your engine. In fact, I learned yesterday, that diesel engines were originally designed to run on natural oils!

Making biodiesel from vegetable oils is a simple procedure involving a chemical/catalytic process. The final product can be used in your vehicle's fuel system with NO modifications to the engine.

When you use biodiesel in your engine you dramatically reduce greenhouse gases, carcinogens, toxins, soot, sulfur and others produced by your diesel engine. What I learned is Biofuel is made from recycled oils, minimizing the impact from food production.

The Everpure Biodiesel Cooperative is committed to using only waste oils to produce biodiesel. This will be supporting local farmers while promoting economic and environmental sustainability.

How does this work locally. Everpure provides quality cooking oil to local restaurants. They will collect the used restaurant oils and process this into bio fuel, suitable for any diesel engine including cars, trucks, and farm vehicles.

There are a lot of benefits to the local restaurants. They will supply free regular deliveries, free waste oil collection, free oil management advice, high quality fryer oil and knowing that all of your waste vegetable oil is recycled into carbon neutral biodiesel fuel. Seems like a win win for everyone. For more information go to http://www.everpurebiod.ca/.

As of yesterday, there are 6 Halton Hills restaurants who have signed into this program. So the next time you order fries in Halton Hills, ask " Where did you get your cooking oil from?"

Halton Hills Seeks Intervener Funding From Province

Halton Hills council is asking the Province of Ontario for financial assistance to cover potentially huge court costs over the Provincially legislated " Places to Grow Act." Here is a little background for you.

Over the years I have been critical of the Provinces " Places to Grow " Legislation. This was the legislation where the Province has legislated G.T.A. municipalities to increase their population. In Halton Region's case the population is to increase from 400,000 to 780,000 from 2021 to 2031. That is almost double the population. Halton Hills has accepted a modest increase of 20,000 with Milton taking the bulk of new growth. As you may guess there are developers with deep pockets who think their lands outside of Georgetown that were not included in the conformity exercise should also be developed. They are looking to add an additional 40,000 population. Halton Hills council has stood firm in keeping our Town small. We have conformed to the Places to Grow Act. As far as I am concerned, we have amended our Official Plans and we have laid out where the new growth will go and that should be end of the story.

Now many developers have put the Town of Halton Hills on notice that they may be appealing our decisions to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB). The Province permits appeals of its approval decisions on Regional and Local Official Plans regarding conformity to be appealed to the OMB despite the fact that any appeals of the Growth Plan itself are handled by way of a Hearing officer. The defense of any Regional or Municipal Local Official Plan can be a very long and costly process. The financial impact to municipalities from this legislation has already been significant and I can tell you the OMB costs will be staggering as developers will challenging Municipalities and the Regions to get more growth on their properties. The lawyers and the consultants will get rich on this one.

On June. 28th, I put forth a motion which was unanimously supported by Halton Hills council requesting the Province of Ontario to cover all appeals costs to the OMB. After all this is a Provincial initiative. These projected astronomical costs will be born by our present taxpayers based on this Provincial legislation. Another word for this is downloading. The idea isn't all that far fetched. Twenty years ago there was an application to turn the Acton Quarry into a landfill site by a private company. The Town of Halton Hills and its citizenry fought long and hard over a few years to " Stop the Dump. " At the time, we asked for intervenor funding and we were going to get some but then the shell company R.S.I. retreated on the application.

Today, the Halton Hills resolution had big leap as it was approved at the Regional Planning and Public works committee unanimously and now it will go to Halton Region Council next week for support. This will be a big step as Town Council will want to see this resolution endorsed by all of the Municipalities in the G.T.A. to ask for funding to help off set legal bills. I think we all know that taxpayers money should go to supplying arenas, better roads, sports facilities, parking lots and much more.

Growth should pay for itself. The way it is now, the present taxpayers will have to be paying for the future growth and that is not fair.

Chuvalo Still Fights Against Drugs

Last week, while I was at Wasaga Beach I met up with former Canadian Heavywieght champ George Chuvalo. We were in Boston Pizza when I noticed George coming in with a couple of friends of mine at the beach. George Chuvalo still looks amazingly good and looks like he could still go a few rounds. George has stepped into the ring with some of the world's best boxers in the 60's and 70's. He fought an amazing 15 rounds with Muhammad Ali in Maple Leaf Gardens. Ali threw everything he had at him but couldn't knock Chuvalo out. He also fought George Foreman and " Smokin " Joe Frasier.
Today Chuvalo is currently fighting the most important fight of his life, the fight against drugs.

The Toronto native is recognized as of Canada's greatest fighters and is in the Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame. That's when boxing was a major sport. Today it has lost a lot of the lustre as the Ultimate Fighting seems to have taken over in popularity in the pugilist sports.

Amazaingly, Chuvalo had fought in more than 90 fights and was never knocked off his feet.

Today, Chuvalo is an inspirational speaker to schools across the country speaking to kids about the dangers of drugs. Chuvalo knows what he speaks of. He tragically lost his wife and three sons as a result of drugs abuse. He lost his first son when he became addicted to heroin after a motorcycle accident, he later committed suicide in 1985. His second son committed suicide in 1993 from an overdose and then his wife committed suicide shortly after. In 1996, his other son Steven died of an overdose.

His message is clear to kids. You start doing drugs when you are in your 50's and 60's. It is in your teen years that the temptation starts. When you are young it is time to make some of the most important decisions in your life.

He was very personable to meet. I was wearing my Active Choice Sharks t-shirt. That is the ladies hockey team that I coach. He was in Wasaga Beach as a special guest at the Rumble at the Recplex, an amateur boxing showcase.

If you have young teenagers, do not hesitate to read up on George Chuvalo. His message is clear "don't get in drugs." I respect Chuvalo, not just for is boxing matches but more importantly is tenacity in keeping our youth off drugs.

Canada Day in Halton Hills

Halton Hills will once again be celebrating Canada Day with two major community events. Glen Williams is a historic village featuring a former woolen mill and flour mill that are now used as artisan and antique markets. Glen Williams should be on every ones list to start the day with a pancake breakfast. Noon hour is the parade followed by opening ceremonies, Duck Races and many more family events. Special thanks to the volunteers who work so hard in putting on the Canada Day Festivities in the Glen. Glen Williams has been a Canada Day tradition for decades attracting 1000's of families. St. Albin's church will also have a barbecue followed by fireworks.

Acton's Prospect Park will also be a hub of activity as the annual Canada Day Concerts in the Park. Local entertainment will be provided by last year's Acton Idol winner Kelsey Kirkpatrick. A fireworks display will be held at Prospect Park. Bring your lawn chairs. What better place to see these brilliant fireworks reflect on the waters of Fairy Lake. The fireworks are put on by the Acton Fire Association. Although the fireworks are free a donation will be very much appreciated.

Again, special thanks to the Acton B.I.A. and the Acton Firefighters Association for their efforts in making Prospect Park a special place to celebrate Canada's 143rd birthday.

Also, I would like to add that Norval will also have a BBQ and fireworks at the Norval United Church.

Happy Canada Day.

Enjoy the Summer but be Safe!

Summer is now upon us and many of you will be enjoying the great outdoors with your families. I want as many of you as possible to be physically active. Run, cycle, blade, hike, golf or camp. What I would like to tell you is that you must beware when enjoying the outdoors.

Besides the concerns of mosquitoes there are also two other concerns that I want to share with you. The first are ticks. Some of these nasty ticks can carry Lyme disease. This is caused by the bite of an infected tick. It was once thought that we did not have the species of ticks that carry this disease in this part of Southern Ontario. Limehouse resident Keith Poullos found a such tick recently on his dog. Keith, himself has suffered Lyme disease for a number of years proving that these little buggers do exist in our midst.


The symptoms of Lyme disease can be extensive and that is partly why physicians have a lot of trouble detecting and diagnosing the disease. Early symptoms can, but not always, include any of the following:

-flu like symptoms
-sore muscles and aches
-sore joints
-headaches and stiff neck
-rash

Please check out the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation web-site at www.canlyme.org. It is invaluable if you suspect Lyme disease and are looking for educated help.

We owe Keith Poullos alot as he has contracted the disease and has been a strong advocate to assist others as well as making many of us aware that these ticks do exist in our neck of the woods.

Also there is a weed in the rural area called the "Giant Hogweed". This is a rather tall plant that should be avoided at all costs. The sap from this weed tends to burn the skin and leaves a sore. Not treated, this can lead to skin cancer. It is unlikely that you will see this weed on trails but you will see them near farms and open spaces.

In Halton Hills and Canada we have lots of activities one can do outdoors. Just be cautious and protect yourself and your family.

Georgetown Boys Remembered by Halton Hills and Armenian Community

On Saturday I was honored to be part of a ceremony to designate Cedarvale Park, which includes the Freeman-Bradley House, Cedarvale Community Center and Cedarvale Cottage a historical site.

The Town of Halton Hills Council recognizes the important role the Armenian Farm School, as it was then known, played in the 1920's with the arrival of orphaned boys and girls who called Georgetown their first Canadian Home.

In the aftermath of the Armenian genocide, thousands of children were orphaned, having lost their parents in the slaughter that continued from April 1915 until the end of WW1 in 1918. Canada is one of a few countries who recognizes this chapter of history as a genocide.

At the wars end Canada adopted some of these orphaned children. It was then called the "Noble Experiment". These children were brought to Georgetown in 1923, where they were given new identities and trained to become good Canadian farmers. Can you imagine these poor Armenian children whose parents were killed coming across Greece and France by train, then by boat to Montreal and eventually to Geoergetown Ontario? They were brought to a new country where they had to adjust to a new language and culture.

Saturday was a marvelous event to be part of. There were many dignitaries and Halton Hills Councillors on hand who gathered for the unveiling of the plaque commemorating our history. Arman Akopian, Charges d'Affaires from the Embassy of Armenia called Canada the "nurse of the world" for our humanitarian actions. His Holiness Aram 1, the head of the Catholiscoste of the Great House of Cilicia delivered a powerful message about the genocide and the crimes against humanity.

It was an emotional affair as for many of the 600 Armenian Canadians who journey to Georgetown, Halton Hills on this rainy day. The rain didn't put a damper on this ceremony. The Georgetown Boys are part of Halton Hills history and Halton Hills is part of Armenia's history.

I must say that our Town staff did a wonderful job coordinating this event. Special thanks to Ashley Mancuso, who quarterbacked the event, Kelly Withers, Max Lawlor, Warren Harris, Kevin Okimi and Grant Harris.

All in all it was a wonderful day to reflect and to celebrate our heritage. Another reason to be proud to be a Canadian.

Save Our Hospital - Its already been Six Years

Six years ago, June 24th 2004, seven bus loads from Georgetown and one bus load from Acton and many others drove to a rally at Queens Park to Save Our Hospital. What a six weeks it was. It all started with a press release,in May of that year, from the William Osler Hospital Board to close obstetrics and paediatrics at the Georgetown Campus (hospital) on July 5th. There was no public consultation, just a closed door board decision which had enormous impacts on our community. For all intense and purposes, I was a rookie Mayor, having been on the job for 6 months and now we have a crisis.

The first thing was to put the new Health Minister George Smitherman on notice that our community was angry over the decision. I wrote a very strong letter outlining our communities deep concern with the impacts of closing our obstetrics. Many were worried that this was going to be the beginning of the end for the hospital. Georgetown hospital was opened in 1961 on Father's Day. In the mid 90's the Ontario government of the day had amalgamated Georgetown Hospital with two larger centers of Brampton and Etobicoke General to form William Osler. I always find that when there is an amalgamation the little guy always gets hurt. This was not going to happen in Halton Hills.

We organized two buses to go to Etobicoke Hospital to make plead our case to the board. I did a 10 minute deputation only to fall on deaf ears. Halton Hills had a strong council and many local doctors, community leaders plotted strategies to get to the Minister. I had daily meetings with a group of councillors I affectionately called the " War Department. " Myles Lawlor made 1000's of post cards that citizens could sign with messaging to the Minister. We collected 1000's of them and sent them directly to the Minister so every day he would receive about 100. The Independent Free Press jumped on board with clip out coupons of their own to save our hospital. There were 7039 that were collected and signed by angry Halton Hills citizens in a 10day period. I issued weekly press releases to keep this issue top of mind. Believe me it soon became the number one issue in our community.

We decided to have put a notice on a Friday edition of the paper to hold a rally for our hospital on the following Wednesday. Myself and the councillors weren't sure what the turn out was going to be but we encouraged everyone to make their own signs. The rally was to be held at Georgetown District High School. When we arrived, were we surprised as over 700 citizens crammed the gym. Man was it hot. Chants of shame, shame and Save our Hospital were loud and clear. Citizens of all ages were there and many colorful homemade placards were waving in the crowd. We had Dr. Sutherland and Dr. Debbie Zeni speak, as well as myself and Jane Fogal. Councillor Fogal received the loudest cheer when she suggested that CAO of William Osler Bob Bell dust off his resume and look for a new job. He was a pompous little ass.
That hot humid night many citizens signed up to go to a protest at Queen's Park the following Tuesday June 15th. Many were our senior citizens. On Monday afternoon I received a faxed letter from the board saying that William Osler were not going to close obstetrics on July 5th. I cancelled the protest at Queen's Park. The following day I met many people in the Moldmasters auditorium as they were prepared to go to Queen's Park. We won! We won! So we thought.

Myself, Jane Fogal and Councillor Jon Hurst drove to Toronto to let those know who we couldn't get a hold of in time, that the protest had been called off. Upon returning to the my office the phone had been ringing from nurses saying they have now been told they cannot book summer holidays as they didn't know when obstetrics was going to close. Well I got on the phone immediately and phoned Osler CAO Bob Bell to ask what the heck is going on. He said, "all I said I wasn't going to close obstetrics on July 5th but it will close sometime before the end of summer." Needless to say choice words were exchanged. The best volley came from Councillor Jon Hurst as he laid into Bell over his handling of the nurses. We hung up. They winked and we blinked.

The next day I made one of my first major decisions and decided we are going to Queen's Park on June 24th the last day of the legislature. I called Buzz Hargrove to get the CAW out. I called Sid Ryan who brought out two busloads of retired nurses from Oshawa.

Our first rally which was cancelled had 5 busloads of protesters. Now the citizens were really riled. People don't like to be fooled. Once word got out that the Osler board tricked us we had even more sign up to travel to Queen's Park. We now had enough citizens to fill 8 buses in total plus many drove down themselves. Halton Hills you now have a protest happening. There is no course called "Queen's park protest 101." I had no idea what was going to happen.

June 24th buses showed up with so many people, seniors, expectant moms, children. You name it they were there. John Vierra of JV Clothing supplied everyone with a t-shirt with " Save Our Hospital " printed on them so we all looked unified.
We had about 10 speakers on the front lawn of Queen's Park. Global TV, CHCH news as well as the French CBC.

After the hour or so demonstration we went inside and held a press conference with Dr. Zeni. This was my first taste of the Toronto media. They had been generous.
Later Dr. Zeni and myself ran into Smitherman in the cafeteria. We exchanged words and wasn't sure if this was going to be good.

We grabbed our seats in the gallery for question period as the house just sat. Out of the blue, then deputy Preimier Greg Sorbara walked out of his seat in front of everyone came up the stairs and sat down beside me. Asked how I was doing and shared some small talk. Of course the hospital came up. I wasn't sure what that gesture meant but was hoping it was a good sign.

As the debate started, Minister Smitherman announced that he was not going to sign off any documents to close Obstetrics or paediatrics at the Georgetown Hospital. The six weeks of uncertainty of our hospital was over. My wife Josey, Councillor Fogal and myself all cheered loudly. When we cheered so did all political parties cheer. We cheered so loudly that the speaker of the house, Alvin Curling, asked us not to cheer anymore as he had lost control of the house with the excitement. It was a David vs. Goliath struggle and David won. Bob Bell soon resigned his position of CAO of William Osler after the Minister over ruled the hospital board.

Later George Smitherman transferred Georgetown Hospital to Halton Health Care. We are now with Milton and Oakville. Two communities that we have in common through our ties with Halton Region. There is another long story how that had transpired. The first move was to change the name of Georgetown Campus to it's original name Georgetown Hospital. Gawd, I hated that name Campus. Today, six years later, Georgetown Hospital is flourishing. There are now two obstetricians.

This is part of Halton Hills history that I am proud to have played a role in. This was largely due to the many people of Halton Hills who rallied in those six weeks to save our hospital.