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Pa ge 6 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 lights and as well avoid accidents. Installing the count-down signal will go a long way in helping the drivers to anticipate the traffic light changes, and as well prepare ahead of time to stop at the intersection, thus avoid running the red light and inability to stop or at least slow down during snowy or slippery condi- tions, when the lights change very fast. The Region or the Town, whoever has the responsibility should please assist and look into this situation and install the countdown signals at the intersection. Boye Abdul, Georgetown So much destroyed in so little time. Harper's Conservatives have doled out over $2.4 billion for undisclosed con- tracts. According to the Toronto Star's inves- tigation, we have no idea of the tendering process, what work was done, or the results. Add this lack of transparency to secre- The Independent & Free Press is published Thursday and is one of several Metroland Media Group Ltd. community newspapers. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. The Independent & Free Press is a member of the Ontario Press Coun- cil, 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 Treat our money with respect Letters to the editor Do you have your Christmas shopping done? • No... haven't even started (58%) • Yes... ages ago (42%) WEB POLL RESULTS (Go to www.theifp.ca) 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 (realestate@theifp.ca) Classified Call Centre 1-855-415-8237 classified@theifp.ca 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. Some roads need better signals So much gone in so little time Letters must include the author's name, address and daytime phone number. Anonymous letters will not be published. Letters should not exceed 150 words and may be edited for content and/or length. Publication 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 In a nearly 600-page report delivered last week, auditor general Bonnie Lysyk de- tailed how the provincial government has wasted taxpayer money at virtually every turn. Among the key findings in this annual watchdog assessment of government op- erations were: • The provincial debt ($267 billion as of last March) will reach $325 before the Lib- erals have pledged to stop running deficits in 2017. • At $1.9 billion, the smart metre pro- gram has cost nearly twice as much as first planned and produced little result. • Public-private partnerships have cost taxpayers $8 billion more in borrowing costs and other expenses than if they had been public funded. • Only about half of licensed daycares have staff criminal background checks on file. • Nearly 14 years after the Walkerton water tragedy, many of the tainted water inquiry recommendations remain unful- filled. Though the government will undoubt- edly argue the validity of some of the au- ditor general's findings, there's no ques- tion Lysyk's office revealed many troubling problems that must be addressed. It's time for the government (all gov- ernments) to stop their duck-cover-and- deflect approach to such reports and get down to making meaningful improve- ments. Our money should be treated with re- spect. A count-down signal is required for the street light on Mountainview and 10 Sideroad intersection. I would like to express my concerns for the intersection of Mountainview and 10 Sideroad. It is great that a red-light camera is installed at the intersection to catch those motorists who disobey the law by running the red light. In addition to this, I will like to suggest an installation of a count-down signal or meter which indicates (by countdown) to motorists the exact time when the light will change from green to yellow (amber), and then to red and vise-versa. Currently, it is quite difficult to know when the change will occur while drivers are driving by. The lights change so quickly one can hardly escape being captured by the red- light camera. It is even more difficult to anticipate the light change and slow down or stop during winter weather or snowfall, when the light changes quickly. Drivers want to avoid running red tive Supreme Court appointments, con- tempt of Parliament charges and stack- ing -- not reforming -- the Senate (as promised), it is clear there is a renegade posse in power. When former PMs (even Conservatives) begin a chorus of criti- cism, we are neck-deep. While Tony Clement laughably claims "Our government is the most transpar- ent in government history," Harper et al wastes our money dragging First Nations bands into court because 48 of 582 have not produced audited statements on- line. Diane Ballantyne, Fergus OPINION