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Pa ge 8 T hu rs da y, D ec em be r 1 8, 2 01 4 - T he IF P - H al to n H ill s - w w w .th ei fp .c a 311Halton.ca Halton Region's Small Business Centrewould like to thank the many business professionals who volunteered in our Access to Professionals Program this year, offering guidance and support to new entrepreneurs and businesses in Halton.We look forward to continuing our relationships in the year ahead. Experts on Demand Accounting/Bookkeeping Juliet Aurora AIS Solutions, Burlington Evan Brown, CPA, CA EBC Accounting Solutions, Oakville Mustafa Dossajee, CA SB Partners LLP, Burlington Jacquie Manore Workload Solution Services Inc., Oakville John Nunnikhoven, CPA, CA Glenn GraydonWright LLP, Oakville Saurin Patel, CMA, CGMA Burlington Michael Scime, C.A., CFP BDO Canada LLP, Burlington Nelia Taylor, CGA BDO Canada LLP, Burlington Robert B.White, CPA, CA Business Advisory Associates, Oakville Financial/Real Estate/Insurance Rosemary Marsh, Senior Consultant Business Insurance Services, Burlington Christine Spearns RBC Royal Bank, Oakville Legal Michele Ballagh, BA,LLP Ballagh & Edward LLP, Hamilton (Lawyer, Patent & Trade Mark Agents) Daniel Brinza, B. Eng., M.A. Sc., J.D., Lawyer and Trade Mark Agent Daniel Brinza Intellectual Property Law Office, Oakville Valerie Edwards, BA, LLP Ballagh & Edward LLP, Hamilton (Lawyer, Patent and Trade Mark Agents) Hussein A. Hamdani, MA, LL.B. SimpsonWigle, LLP, Burlington Serena Lee, MA, LL.B. SimpsonWigle LLP, Burlington Jeffrey A. Patterson, BA, J.D. Howitt Law, Georgetown Ryan Smith, Lawyer and Trade Mark Agent Feltmate Delibato Heagle LLP, Oakville Vin Tsui, BA, LL.B., MBA Business Lawgix, LLP, Oakville Marketing & Sales Mario Carr Carr Marketing Group, Burlington David Ernst MCAN Communications Inc., Oakville Suzanne Lynch Bare Bones Marketing, Oakville Wendy Marlow, Marketing & Sales Specialist The Art of Marketing Inc., Burlington Elaine Slatter XL Consulting Group, Burlington WebDesign andTechnical Andrea Dubravsky, ADWebcom, Georgetown Steve Loates e-Commerce Essentials, Burlington Bruce Manore Workload Solution Services Inc., Oakville Are you a Halton professional with knowledge to share? Be part of Halton Region's Access to Professionals Program. This program connects new business start-ups in Halton with experienced business professionals who volunteer their time and expertise to help these new businesses achieve their goals. The Access to Professionals Program includes mentoring, coaching and providing youth entrepreneurship and general business start-up advice. Get connected at haltonsmallbusiness.ca! Youth Entrepreneur Programs -Mentors Starter Company Program John Nunnikhoven, CPA, CA Glenn GraydonWright LLP, Oakville CJ Martin CJ's Café in Bronte, Oakville Mark McCrory McCrory Associates, Burlington Cheryl Scoffield Kickstart Your Company, Oakville Ryan Smith, Lawyer and Trade Mark Agent Feltmate Delibato Heagle LLP, Oakville Christine Spearns RBC Royal Bank, Oakville Robert B.White, CPA, CA Business Advisory Associates, Oakville Summer Company Program Tom Cochran Business Advisory Associates, Oakville Liz Kush, Account Manager RBC Royal Bank, Burlington Phil Von Massow, Oakville Ivana Pejakovic Bruno LoGreco Inc., Oakville Steve Sprenger, Senior Manager BDO Canada LLP, Burlington NEWS Thanks to contributions from the federal Gas Tax Fund, there are two smoother and safer roads in town. Mayor Rick Bonnette, some Town coun- cillors and staff, and Wellington-Halton Hills MP Michael Chong were at the Gellert Community Centre Tuesday to celebrate the completion of resurfacing work on Fourth Line and 17 Sideroad. In total 5.5 km of roadway was resurfaced and 25,000 tonnes of asphalt put down on the two roads. Fourth Line's surface was replaced with a new, more permanent, pavement mate- rial to accommodate a significant increase in traffic volume while 17 Sideroad was re- surfaced with a wider shoulder to incorpo- rate future bike lanes to make cycling safer for riders. The federal government contributed $1.35 million through the Gas Tax Fund transfer to the project, and the Town kicked in $205,000. To date the Town has received more than $12.4 million from the federal Gas Tax Fund. "The federal government is providing municipalities with infrastructure funding to rehabilitate local roads and streets," said Chong. "These road improvements, made possible through the federal Gas Tax Fund, are an example of how the federal govern- ment is delivering for local communities, while at the same time creating jobs and economic growth. The federal government, working with the Town of Halton Hills, will continue to fund these infrastructure im- provements through the federal Gas Tax Fund." Chong said gas tax funding to Halton Hills and Halton Region has increased sig- nificantly over the past 10 years. He said 10 years ago the federal govern- ment provided $3.7 million annually to Halton Region in gas tax funding, today it's a $14.5 million transfer. A decade ago the Town received $500,000 in gas tax funds, and today it receives $1.7 million annually. "Investments in municipal infrastruc- ture are critically important to maintain a high quality of life and strong local econo- my," said Mayor Rick Bonnette. "However, local governments can't af- ford to go it alone. These types of projects could not be completed without money from the Federal Gas Tax Fund. Traffic congestion is a growing issue in our com- munity, so continued investments in our roadways is a must. We appreciate the sup- port and look forward to continuing this partnership with the federal government." Gas tax helps pave the roads here By Lisa Tallyn ltallyn@theifp.ca Chong's bill continues on its way Conservative backbench- er MP Michael Chong's bill designed to restore a measure of power to MPs in Parliament has passed another critical hurdle. A Commons commit- tee has finished its study of Michael Chong's Re- form Act 2014, mean- ing it will now go back to the House for two more hours of debate and a third-reading vote in the new year. Conservatives on the committee passed a se- ries of amendments to the private member's bill that were consis- tent with changes that Chong himself had proposed as a way to get all-party backing. If passed, the bill would explicitly give MPs the power over such decisions such as suspending and reinstating colleagues, electing a caucus chair, initiating a leader- ship review and even ousting the leader. Each party's group of MPs would have to vote to adopt such new rules after each election, vote to create their own version of the rules, or else elect to stick with the sta- tus quo. Chong has been a pro- ponent of strengthening the role of parliamentar- ians, in the face of increas- ingly powerful and con- trolling leader's offices. On Sept. 24, the Re- form Act, 2014 passed its first vote in the House of Commons with the support of MPs from all parties, adopting it at Second Reading, 253-17. "While the bill has come a long way since it was introduced just over a year ago, we are only part way through the legislative process," Chong said. "We are up against the hard deadline of the 2015 federal election. It's important that the bill be passed into law before the House rises next June." MP MICHAEL CHONG