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Pa ge 1 0 T hu rs da y, N ov em be r 2 6, 2 01 5 - T he IF P - H al to n H ill s - w w w .th ei fp .c a - BLACK FRIDAY - Local Motion Fitness ACTON'S PREMIUM FITNESS STUDIO One4me - One4you 4 DAYS ONLY 2-for-1 on 3-Month Unlimited membership! Nov 27-30 79 Main Street South, Georgetown 905-877-3388 ~ LIVE ENTERTAINMENT ~ AMERICAN THANKSGIVING LUNCH BUFFET SERVED THURSDAY & FRIDAY 11:30 am to 2:00 pm $13.50 HST INCLUDED Private Catering Available - Roast Beef - Turkey with all the Trimmings - Pumpkin Pie - Assorted Salads - Dessert Table - Tea & Coffee Roast Beef Featuring: Fri.&Sat. 9:30 pm - close Synsonic Rock n' Roll Dr. Keith DaSilva Specialized dentistry for infants, children, teenagers and all patients with special needs New Patients Welcome! 13219 15 Sideroad, Georgetown 905-877-0900 Fax 905-877-0500 No referral necessary. NEWS Over 100 people attended an information meet- ing on accommodating some of the 25,000 Syrian refugees the federal government has promised to take in by February 2016. But how residents go about doing that was split in two paths. On Nov. 23, St. Andrew's Church in Georgetown opened its doors to talk about the option of sponsor- ing a refugee family. But many residents were under the impression the meeting was an information ses- sion on the arrival of the 25,000 refugees. "We all saw the news about a three-year-old little boy lying on a beach," St. Andrew's Reverend Grant Williams said about the young Syrian boy, Alan Kurdi, who's lifeless body was found on a beach in September. "We would like to do something." First, Diane Anger, chair of the sponsoring com- mittee at Islington United Church in Etobicoke, spoke to the group about the process involved in privately sponsoring a refugee family and the re- wards that come with it. "It really is a very wonderful thing," she said. "I've done a lot of volunteer work in my life and this is by far the most gratifying and the most interest- ing. I have learned so much and I wouldn't change it for the world." Reverend Jean Leckie from Heart Lake United Church in Brampton was the next to speak about her group's recent sponsorship and the cost in- volved, saying it costs more than $27,000 to bring a family of four to Canada. She also mentioned the thick language barrier and warned residents to be prepared to teach the families everything they need to know about our modernized society. "The language issue is something you have to think about," she said. "You have to see what lan- guage services are available in Halton." After the two spoke, many residents voiced their confusion for the purpose of the meeting, claiming they were under the impression the in- formation session was about the 25,000 Syrian ref- ugees coming to Canada and not about pursuing private sponsorship. "Refugees still need your help, whether they're from Syria, or any of those other difficult country situations," Rev. Williams said. After the clarification, a couple residents stood up and requested the emails of people interested in learning more about the Syrian refugee plan so they could stay in the loop. Rev. Williams put a plan in place to secure a steer- ing committee to drive St. Andrew's Church in the di- rection of privately sponsoring a refugee family. Halton Hills residents interested in accommodating refugees By Kathryn Boyle kboyle@theifp.ca About 100 people came out to learn about sponsoring refugees at St. Andrew's Church on Monday night. Diane Anger of Etobicoke talked about her church's experience. Photo by Kathryn Boyle