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

Thursday, O ctober 15, 2015 - The IFP - H alton H ills - w w w .theifp.ca Page 3To book an Appointment, please call: 905-877-7958 or www.hassellautomotive.com As our thank-you to all of our great customers, regulars and new, please accept from us: 45 MOUNTAINV IEW RD. N . , GEORGETOWN AUTOMOTIVE SALES & SERVICE • Change engine oil & filter, lubricate (5 L max., excluding synthetic) • Rotate & balance tires as necessary • Install snow tires that are on rims • Check all fluid levels • Check brakes, steering, suspension, exhaust & fuel system • Check vehicle for tune-up • Scan computer for codes • 12-pack of Pop • $5. Tim Horton's gift card • Jug of Windshield Washer Fluid Our 16th AnnualOur 16th Annual .hassellautomotive.com Our 16th AnnualOur 16th AnnualNOW ON! NEWS who now champions the Citizen of the Year program. "She does so much for the community. Some people may say the BIA was just her job, but to me, it's about the care she gave to everything she did. Her work ethic is like one I've never seen. She would be on the go from six in the morning until the time the job was done." Bonnette, who was nominated for the title by several people in the community, said she was stunned by the news from the Rotary Club last week. "To be chosen is quite an hon- our," she said. "It's very humbling, to say the least. There are people as well-deserving, if not more deserv- ing, than myself." A press release from Wilkes de- tailed the reasons behind the com- mittee's decision, which included Bonnette's efforts to bring events like the Farmers' Market, Winter Carnival, Canada Day in the Park and Light up the Hills to Acton. It said, "Several nominees com- mented that Josey regularly went far above and beyond her regular duties in her capacity as Acton BIA manager to bring so many fun and entertaining events to the commu- nity. She was also a role model for children, teens and young adults, encouraging them to experience the joy of volunteering and giving them the opportunity to develop new skills and experience new ac- tivities." Bonnette was born in Huntsville and moved to Acton as a child, at- tending Robert Little Public School and Acton High School. In 1972 she moved to British Columbia for a job opportunity with a telecom- munications company and spent many years living on the west coast, where she raised her four children-- three girls and one boy. After her father passed away and her mother fell ill, she de- cided it was time to move back to Acton in 2000. It was then that she re-connected with her elementary school friend, Mayor Rick Bon- nette, whom she has now been married to for 14 years. She also began working for the BIA as its part-time co-ordinator. "At that time our office was in the basement of the Hide House," she recalled. "In 2003 the board decided to take me on full-time. We moved to an office downtown and I became the manager." Since then, Bonnette has been key in expanding the BIA's original program of two events-- the Leath- ertown Festival and Halloween Haunted House-- to seven. She also helped implement the Facade Improvement Program, which provides grants to downtown busi- nesses for exterior building im- provements, and spent much time caring for the downtown flower planters, window boxes, hanging baskets and parkette at Main and Mill streets. "I've always done what I can, where I can," she said. "I love Acton and take great pride in my com- munity. I love walking downtown and saying hi to everyone. We've grown out, but we still have that small-town feel. We're in a little treasure." Bonnette has also extensively volunteered in the community over the years, including with the Georgetown Hospital Founda- tion, Acton Ladies Hockey, Salva- tion Army Kettle Campaign and Christmas Hamper Program, Light up the Hills and most recently the Acton Town Hall Board. "Volunteering is about giving back to the community and ex- pecting nothing in return. It's won- derful to be recognized, but that's not why people volunteer," she said. "That's another reason I love Acton-- there are so many people here that volunteer. It's great." Bonnette retired from her posi- tion with the BIA earlier this year, but continues to support the orga- nization through volunteer work. She said she's thoroughly enjoying retirement, which has given her more time to visit her children and 13 grandkids, spend time at the cottage and do some gardening. The Acton Citizen of the Year program dates back to at least 1958 in the community. Each year the Rotary Club accepts written nomi- nations from local residents and forwards them on to a committee of former citizens of the year for a final decision. Wilkes said that eight nominations were received this year. Halton Regional Police Det. Const. Oliver Caves of the Collision Reconstruction Unit gathers some vehicle information at the scene of a crash on 10 Sideroad that claimed the life of a Halton man last Friday. Photo by Jon Borgstrom Halton man dies after motorcycle crash A Halton man in his 50s died after a collision on 10 Sideroad near Eighth Line in Halton Hills last Friday. The identity of the male rider was not released, Halton Police said in a release, but did identify him as a resi- dent of Halton Region. According to a Halton Regional Police release, the first responding officers located a male rider who had been ejected from his motorcycle and was lying on the roadway.  EMS at- tended and subsequently transported the male rider to local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The Collision Reconstruction Unit was notified and attended the scene.  It was determined that the motorcycle was travelling westbound on 10 Sid- eroad when it collided with the rear of a westbound car, causing the rider to be ejected. The roadway was closed for several hours while the collision scene was examined.  The driver of the car was uninjured. Police are appealing for any wit- nesses who may have seen the col- lision to please contact them at 905- 825-4747 ext. 5065. Advanced polls 'busy' As the longest election campaign in Canadian history nears its end, voters seem interested in casting a ballot. Over the four days of advance voting, about 3.6 million people voted. That's a 71 per cent increase over 2011, says Elections Canada spokesperson Dugald Maudsley. While no local numbers were available, Local Returning Officer for Wellington-Halton Thomas Gallagher confirmed Tuesday, the polls were busy over the weekend. Continued from page 1 Bonnette went 'above and beyond' Acton Citizen of the Year Josey Bonnette will be honoured at the Acton Citizen of the Year dinner on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at the Acton Town Hall Centre. Tickets cost $40 each. Available at Acton Optical and Halton Hills Furniture, or Nancy Wilkes, 519-853-5133.