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Pa ge 6 T hu rs da y, Ja nu ar y 8, 2 01 5 - T he IF P - H al to n H ill s - w w w .th ei fp .c a perstore in Georgetown; and c) Saputo dairy. The event was made all the more joy- ful by the active involvement of about 15 young people who participated not only as smiling friendly servers but a number of whom also added their musical tal- ents to an impromptu choir and music -- with the likes of these young people, the future of the community is clearly in giving hands. The dinner provided a wonderful demonstration of the close- ness and generosity of Halton Hills -- you should all be proud. A special thank you to the subset of volunteers who took on specific leader- ship roles essential to making the dinner flow so smoothly. Blessings to all for a Happy New Year On behalf of St. Alban's, Don Robinson On Saturday, Jan. 3 while shopping at Canadian Tire I lost my wallet. It was not at customer service. I felt sick realizing what contents needed cancelling and replacing. As I drove home and up my 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 New smoking regs are welcome Letters to the editor 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. Christmas dinner a great success 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 There might be some backlash regarding new tobacco regulations, though the majority of people will likely embrace them. A recent Forum Research poll shows that less than one in five Ontarians smoke, and 74 per cent of those who said they smoke have tried to quit several times. Suffice it to say smoking is highly addictive and unhealthy. It kills thousands of people each year and costs taxpayers billions of dollars. To say that prohibition in public areas is an attack on our freedoms is hogwash. Smoking is a dirty, intrusive habit that non-smokers should not be forced to participate in, and it likely won't be long before smoking regula- tions are extended to even more outdoor ar- eas, as they should be. As for the overall impact on business, it will likely be positive. When the Smoke Free Ontario Act was rolled out back in 2005, some municipalities had already implemented their own restric- tions, creating an uneven playing field for businesses within their jurisdictions. Today, province-wide legislation puts businesses on a level playing field for the most part, thereby attracting more non-smoking patronage to bars and pubs, with no exceptions for smok- ers - the majority of whom have already tried to butt out. That's a New Year's resolution we can all support, and new regulations will also help deter younger people from ever lighting up. If you are thinking of quiting we encourage you to follow these tips: • Make an appointment at a Halton Stop Smoking Clinic. The staff can help you come up with your own personal quit plan. • Set a quit date. Try to pick a date that is important to you and that you will remember in the near future. • Create smoke-free zones. Designate your entire home and car to be smoke-free. • Track your smoking behaviours. Before your quit date, keep track of when and where you smoke, what mood you were in, and whom you smoke with. On behalf of St. Alban the Martyr church in Glen Williams a heartfelt thank you to the many people and organizations in Glen Williams and the broader Halton Hills community for their generous sup- port in making our seventh annual free Christmas Day dinner a great success. A total of approximately 120 guests and volunteers attended. The dinner made it possible for people who had limited family or community support on Christmas Day to enjoy the hospitality and companionship of a diverse, warm and sharing group. One only had to be present and helping to see the joy that it brought to both the guests and volun- teers. The event could not have been the success it was without the generous outpouring of support in terms of food donations, gifts and physical presence from the many volunteers and support- ers. In particular, we want to thank sev- eral corporate sponsors who supported the event: a) Carl's Catering & Rotary Banquet Hall through Bino Dalli; b) Su- street, I saw a pickup truck turning into my driveway. A young man got out and held up my wallet. He found my wallet, checked my driv- ers licence, drove it to my home and re- turned it intact. I could not believe my relief. I asked him if I could give him some money. He declined and said he was just happy that I got it back. His name is Vic. His honesty, integrity and generosity in going out of his way to help me makes me proud of having lived in Georgetown for 50 years. Thank you Vic. Don Smith OPINION Georgetown is a great place to live