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

OPINION Today, Halton regional councillors will vote on whether to review the number of politicians sit- ting around their table. It seems Burlington councillors, who do dou- ble-duty as both regional and local councillors, claim their workload is overwhelming. But Halton Hills Wards 1&2 regional councillor Clark Somerville voiced opposition to the review when it was first proposed at the Administration and Finance committee last week. I dont think there are people out there saying, we want more politicians, said Somerville. Aint that the truth. Halton Hills Wards 3&4 regional councillor Jane Fogal rightly pointed out this seems to be a Burlington-only issue. And to be fair if Burlington gets more representatives, then so should Halton Hills. If Burlington councillors need more political colleagues to ease their workload, they should be looking at their own local council makeup before involving the whole of the region. Why should all Halton taxpayers pay for a deci- sion made by the City of Burlington to downsize its council several years ago? As well, perhaps a review is premature in light of the current Sustainable Halton planning process that is currently under way. As pointed out in our lead story today, Sustainable Halton could mean an explosion of growth for both Halton Hills and Milton and subsequently a possible overwhelming work- load for the north Halton councillors. Future Sustainable Halton decisions could dra- matically impact the current proportional repre- sentation around the regional table. If regional councillors do go ahead with this review, the committee should keep this in mind before adding more politicians that taxpayers may not need...or want. Put hold on the politicians The Independent & Free Press is published every Wednesday and Friday at 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown Ont., L7G 4B1. It is one of several newspapers published by Metroland Media Group Ltd. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with reasonable allowance for sig- nature will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the acceptable rate. In the event of typographical error advertising goods or services at wrong price, goods or ser- vices may not be sold. Advertising is merely an offer to sell which may be withdrawn at any time. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Price: Store copies 50 each; Subscriptions $26 per year by carrier; $92.50 per year by mail in Canada; $130 per year in all other countries. Plus G.S.T. Second Class Mail Registration Number 6869. The Independent & Free Press is a member of The Canadian Community Newspaper Association and The Ontario Community Newspaper Association. Steve Nease THE INDEPENDENT & FREE PRESS LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dear editor, This letter is in response to the letter entitled Dogs should be banned from Farmers Market printed August 29. As a proud local dog owner who regularly frequents the market with my four-legged friend in tow, I was very surprised by this letter. We have never received anything but pats and hellos when we bring our dog to the market. He is kept on a short lead, is never allowed very close to the food, and we would always pick up after him at the mar- ket or anywhere else. The Farmers Market is an out- door space where dogs are permit- ted. Dogs are not inherently danger- ous to children, and there is no need to muzzle a dog unless they are unfortunate enough to be a pit bull. As for near dog fights I have never witnessed anything close to that, and the Market is an excellent place for dogs to socialize with each other. Of course there are certain dogs that may be the exception to the rule and do not behave well in public, but those owners should be aware of that and leave them at home. I have never seen an antisocial dog at the Market. I would recommend if you are afraid of dogs that you stick to your local grocery store. I can assure you that I will continue to bring my dog with me when I frequent the down- town Farmers Market, and if you dont like that, simply dont stop to say hello. Kristian Rogers, Georgetown Pet owner confused by dog ban letter Letters to the editor must include an address and daytime telephone number. Unsigned letters will not be published. Letters should not exceed 200 words and may be edited for content and/or length. Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1 E-mail: jmcghie@independentfreepress.com Something bugging you? Publisher Ken Nugent Advertising director Steve Foreman (sforeman@independentfreepress.com) Retail advertising manager Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@independentfreepress.com) Managing editor John McGhie (jmcghie@independentfreepress.com) Distribution manager Nancy Geissler (distribution@independentfreepress.com) ADVERTISING Advertising co-ordinator Jennifer Christie (jchristie@independentfreepress.com) Retail Sales: Jennifer Spencer (jspencer@independentfreepress.com) Andrew Key (akey@independentfreepress.com) Amy Sykes (features@independentfreepress.com) Real estate: Sue Spizziri (realestate@independentfreepress.com) Classifieds: Kristie Pells (classified@independentfreepress.com) ACCOUNTING Rose Marie Gauthier, Michelle Wimmer EDITORIAL Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@independentfreepress.com) Ted Brown: Photography (tbrown@independentfreepress.com) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@independentfreepress.com) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@independentfreepress.com) PRODUCTION: Mary Lou Foreman, Kevin Powell, Shelli Harrison, Dolores Black, Debbie MacDougall STAFF DIRECTORY Send us a letter! Phone: 905-873-0301 Fax: 905-873-0398www.independentfreepress.com Dear editor, Heres a solution to our roaming cat problem. In Stroud, Ontario, they have a bylaw banning cats from being outside, on the loose, during daylight hours. This would protect our birds at feeders, birds in nests, and all the small animals that are abroad in day- light. How disgusting to see a limp little creature hanging from the mouth of your neighbours cat as it hurries home to display its catch! When a cat is allowed to roam freely, day and night, it can no longer be considered a pet, for when do the owner s pet it? We are bothered by cats hanging around our yard, at all hours. They hide under the shrubbery and then jump out at the birds and chip- munks. They make messes in the flower beds and lounge around on the patio as if they owned it. I have always liked cats, but not when they are allowed to go wild and no longer live at home. Lets call or write our Councillors and ask for this bylaw. Then we have a right to enforce it. Marion Vito, Georgetown. Follow Stroud, and ban cats outside Dear editor, Since the limits on town expan- sion due to water-taking have been known for some time, and since the library is presently only half the size that it should be for the population that it serves, why was library expan- sion not a milestone to achieve in proportion to growth of the towns population? It seems to me that development charges should already have paid for this library expansion, given the tremendous development growth of late and the associated, proportional deficit of library service to this towns population. Matt Buckley-Golder Georgetown Library should have been paid for already Dear editor, To the person who stole my sons cane from a store in Acton I hope you are very proud of yourself. Dave had a stroke and has enough difficulties without losing his cane. I can only hope you trip over it and break something. Bill McEachern Acton Dad disgusted by cane theft 6 Independent & Free Press, Wednesday, September 19, 2007