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

•T h e IF P • H al to n H ill s •T hu rs da y, J ul y 17 , 2 01 4 6 OPINION Halton is investing $1.2 billion on regional road capital programs over the next 10 years -- a move that still makes sense in this public transit crazy era. To meet the needs of a growing population, the Region has once again delivered a roads capital improvement program which invests more than $120 million every year towards ongoing or new construction projects. In 2013 alone, Halton com- mitted $289 million to regional roads, an increase from $50 million in 2006. Conservative estimates state gridlock costs the GTHA $6 billion a year, not to mention the hu- man cost on health and time. Yes, without a doubt, Metrolinx's grand plan, The Big Move, is a bold step in the right direction, however one could argue it should be called The Big Expense. Metrolinx's $50 billion transit plan is a bold first step, however just what projects will be com- pleted and how it will be funded remain a tad hazy for our liking. The aim of the Big Move is to increase the per- centage of people in the GTHA living within two kilometres of rapid transit by 81 per cent. It also wants to reduce the average daily commute to 77 minutes per person. It's all too fashionable today to beat up on driv- ers, especially those living in the 905. However, for most drivers living in the suburbs, driving a car is not a luxury -- it's a necessity. Don't blame drivers, blame city planners for decades of build- ing communities-- seas of subdivisions-- requir- ing car ownership for such simple tasks as going for groceries. If The Big Move is truly going to get people out of their cars, it must be very convenient, and we are doubtful that Metrolinx will find that sweet spot of convenience. However, if the objective is reducing gridlock, the simple act of getting cars, trucks and buses moving, then roads and high- ways have to be part of the solution. The Independent & Free Press is published Thursday and is one of sev- eral Metroland Media Group Ltd. community newspapers. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copy- right. Unauthorized use is prohibited. The Independent & Free Press is a member of the Ontario Press Council, which is an independent ethical organization established to deal with editorial concerns. For additional information or to file a complaint, contact info@ ontpress.com or call 416- 340-1981. The Independent & Free Press Roads play a role Letters to the editor I want to thank everyone who joined us on a beautiful day for the sixth annual Georgetown Acton Walk for ALS. Once again, our little town had one of the most successful walks in Canada. This year, our sixth annual, we were poised to pass the $1 million mark since the inception of the walk. We are very proud to an- nounce that this year's walk raised $185,000, and put us well over the $1 million mark. We had more than 1,000 people from near and far attend this year's walk. Our walk continues to be so successful as we are blessed by the strength of so many volunteers, the support of our community and our local businesses and merchants who make a contribution to our walk. Thank you also to the George- town Kinsmen who donate and Who do you think should have the greater control over the placement of cell towers in municipalities? • The Town, which is currently only a commenting agency (72%) • The federal government, which is currently the sole decision-maker (28%) WEB POLL RESULTS (Go to www.theifp.ca) Walk for ALS says thanks a lot Arnott should be taking the lead Comfortable out back? It is with interest that I watch the Ontario PCs select a new leader. Of the 28 PC MPPs currently at Queen's Park (QP), the three expect- ed contenders are all still relatively new; Elliott and Macleod since 2006, Fedeli since 2011. While half of the party has only been elected in the last five years, a quarter of the party has been at QP since before the turn of the century; the most of any party. Dunlop, Munro, Harde- man, Barrett, Hudak, Wilson, and Arnott are all "veterans" who have Letters must include the author's name, address and daytime phone number. Anony- mous letters will not be published. Letters should not exceed 150 words and may be edited for content and/or length. Publica- tion is not guaranteed. Email: cvernon@metroland.com Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 77, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1. Letters policy 905-873-0301 Publisher: Dana Robbins General manager: Steve Foreman (sforeman@theifp.ca) Retail advertising manager: Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@theifp.ca) Managing editor: Chris Vernon (cvernon@metroland.com) Distribution manager: Nancy Geissler (ngeissler@theifp.ca) Classifieds/Real Estate Kristie Pells (classified@theifp.ca or realestate@theifp.ca) Classified Call Centre 1-855-415-8237 haltonhillsclassads@metroland.com Accounting 1-866-773-6575 Editorial Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@theifp.ca) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@theifp.ca) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@theifp.ca) Get the latest headlines delivered to your inbox by signing up for our twice weekly electronic newsletter. Go to www.theifp.ca and click on 'Newsletter sign-up' at the bottom of the homepage. man the barbecue serving hot dogs and to our local Domino's who has been generously donating pizza since year one. I'm certainly not fond of this disease but I cherish the moments I have learned along the way. Our family gains strength from the town around us. Thanks a million. Scott Murray been considered leaders in their communities enough to have been re-elected at least five times now. Surely winning your riding at least five or more times is credential enough to have a shot at leading your party? Hudak and Wilson aside, based on the ambition they've shown so far in their career it's doubtful that any of these five will put their name forward for leader nor be any kind of real player in the PC party going forward. Rejuvenating the PC party is unlikely to be easy when so many of them might very well prefer to keep things the way they are. Dan Zister Liberal candidate Wellington-Halton Hills