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.