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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, S ep te m be r 10 ,2 02 0 | 6 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the news- paper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca newsroom@theifp.ca IndependentAndFreePress @IFP_11 WHO WE ARE Publisher Kelly Montague Regional Managing Editor Catherine O'Hara Managing Editor Karen Miceli Distribution Representative Iouliana Polar Real Estate Kristie Pells Regional Production Manager Manuel Garcia Halton Media General Manager Jason Pehora CONTACT US The Independent & Free Press 280 Guelph Street, Unit 77 Georgetown, ON L7G 4B1 Phone: 905-873-0301 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Fax: 905-873-0398 Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 320 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Published letters will appear in print and/or online at theifp.ca Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail lpolar@miltoncanadianchampion.com or call 905-234-1019. OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT THEIFP.CA Students are returning to their classrooms and our school board adminis- trators, principals, teach- ers, staff and school bus drivers are working hard to ensure our students stay safe. No doubt there will be challenges ahead and un- anticipated issues may arise, but we can and we will work together to re- solve them. Our children deserve nothing less than our very best efforts. I want to express my sincere thanks to everyone in our education system for their dedication, car- ing, and professionalism, this year above all years. Marking an important milestone Our right to vote and elect our parliamentary representatives in a free and fair election gives each of us an equal and di- rect say in deciding who will govern our province. It also gives legitimacy to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to debate and enact laws, levy taxes, ad- minister programs, and lead us into the future. This year, Elections On- tario is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the appointment of the first Chief Election Officer, who was charged with the responsibility of organiz- ing fair and impartial elec- tions of the Members of the Legislature. This year is also the 50th anniversary of the creation of Elections Onta- rio itself, as a separate in- dependent agency. Around the world in many places, democratic in- stitutions and traditions are being threatened and erod- ed. But in our province, Elections Ontario and an in- formed citizenry will al- ways be the guardians of free and fair elections. MPPs Return to Queen's Park While the Legislative Assembly sat many weeks between February and Ju- ly this year, Members were also kept busy in their Rid- ings. I know all MPPs, Gov- ernment and Opposition alike, have been very ap- preciative of the response of the people of Ontario and the expressions of en- couragement and support we have received. On September 14, we re- sume sitting again. There will be much to discuss and debate, including the best ways to continue the fight against COVID-19, the help Ontarians need from their government, and how we can revive the economy safely. The Legislature is scheduled to sit into De- cember. Ted Arnott is the MPP for Wellington--Halton Hills. He can be reached at ted.arnott@pc.ola.org. RETURN TO SCHOOL POSES CHALLENGES THANKS FOR ALL WHO ARE WORKING HARD TO ENSURING OUR CHILDREN'S SAFETY, WRITES TED ARNOTT The Canada Revenue Agency computers were recently hacked. Those af- fected are now more vul- nerable to having money stolen via the internet. This cyberattack was al- so directed at GCKey, which is an online access to many government services. In mid-August, it was re- ported by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that 11,200 Canadians had their CRA accounts hacked. Hackers were able to change individuals' bank ac- count information. Plus, the hackers will have access to passwords. This is signifi- cant because many people use the same password for various accounts. This has disaster writ- ten all over it, for two rea- sons. First, because the hack- ers may have created new bank accounts for unsus- pecting Canadians, money potentially could be stolen and because people are not aware that new bank ac- counts exist, they will not be monitored. Second, now that these hackers have some Canadi- ans' passwords, they can go exploring the internet to see what other accounts they can access for the purpose of stealing your money. This should act as a ma- jor warning to all of us to be extra careful in protecting ourselves against hacking and cyber theft. The ability and tenacity of these crooks to hack the CRA computers is mind- boggling. In my opinion, the federal government will use significant re- sources to attempt to catch those responsible. If they can target the federal government, they certainly could have the ability to target individual Canadians. Dr. Ali Ghorbani, direc- tor of the Canadian Insti- tute for Cybersecurity, sug- gested that anyone who has been hacked should imme- diately change their pass- words for other accounts. If you have not been a target of a cybersecurity breach do not consider yourself lucky. It will likely happen in the future. Ghorbani said that when it comes to cyberat- tacks, it is not a matter of if but when. Peter Watson, of Watson Investments MBA, CFP®, R.F.P., CIM®, FCSI, offers a weekly financial plan- ning column, "Dollars & Sense." He can be contacted through www.watsonin- vestments.com. CYBERATTACK PUTS CANADIANS AT RISK HACKED CRA ACCOUNTS LEAVE THOUSANDS OF VICTIMS FINANCIALLY VULNERABLE, WRITES PETER WATSON PETER WATSON Column SNAPSHOT A monarch caterpillar visits a local backyard. Do you have a great local photo you'd like to share? Send it to sleblanc@metroland.com, along with a brief description. Tony Fortunato photo TED ARNOTT Column "Our children deserve nothing less than our very best efforts."