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6 uw ° =z = Ss = | Thursday, March 3, 2022 | = MANY SUPPORT & PROGRAMS ARE & = STILL IN PLACE IN 2 HALTON, WRITES GARY CARR GARY CARR Column Thi thout the pan- demic, Halton's local busi- es to keep staffand custom- ers safe. Whether it has been through increasing 0! sales, taking phone onde or co-ordinating curbside piel ‘kup and contactless de- to innovate and adapt to ‘ing circumstances. As our community con- tinues to work together to io help businesses aereate available sup- ports, includi + Small businesses we- binars: You can find webi- nars, boot camp sessions, entrepreneurial program: and other useful events and resources on our Small Business Centre webpa- geathalton.ca. Register online to learn about topics like how to start a small business, market research, building a business online and more. + One-on-one virtual consultations: Our team of expert business _consul- tants are available virtual- ly for a one-on-one consul- § tation. Connect with them £ on Twitter or Facebook, a HELPING BUSINESSES SURVIVE, AND THRIVE email smallbusiness@hal- ton.ca or check out the Hal- ton Business Blog. You can also schedule an online get- ting-started session for an overview of rules and reg- ulations you need to know if starting a business in ton. *COVID-19 Resources Busi usinesses webpa- businesses, with resources and supports from all lev- els of government, the lat- ost COVID-19 information guidance, Public health ‘Tieasutes and in. dustry-specific resources. + Small Business Centre Newsletter: You can also sign up to receive updates by email, including success. stories from local business owners, upcoming events and se guidance on COVID-19 restrictions and public health advice, and er key topics that can help you succeed. more about our ‘onsultant, visit our Small Business Centre webpage on halton.ca or follow @HaltonBusi- ness on. social media. com- mnitnont to helping local businesses succeed and support a strong regional economy that keeps Halton a great place to live, work, raise a family and retire. Gary Carr is regional chair of Halton Region. His column appears the first week of each month. To contact him, email gary.carr@halton.ca. UROPINIONS SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT THEIFP.CA TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT THEIFPCA Record-high fuel prices HISTORY JUST PART OF INVESTING META STOCK PLUMMET A LESSON FOR INVESTORS, WRITES PETER WATSON Recently, shares of, Meta Platforms, Facebook, planed 98 ‘per per lue in just one day. Mark Zuckerberg lost US$29 billion. For the last few years FANG (Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google) shares have appreciated signifi- cantly. When companies do ex- traordinarily well, many in- vestors hop on the band- wagon. shares. Consider the last hun- dred years. When some companies soared and en- joyed significant apprecia- tion in stock values, that mtinue. success did not col In the years before, PETER WATSON Column reaching their peak value stock prices rose si; cantly faster than the road market. But in the few years that followed, the growth of its shares was similar to the underlying market as measured by the S&P 500 int Investing is ; difficult, It's not just a matter of seeing what did well last year and making that the sole rea- son you choose to invest. The history of success does not always repeat itself. of the implica- tions to someone who in- vested a ignificant signi amount in Meta. The one- day erosion of just over a quarter of their investment would be dev: metimes companies rebound, sometimes they do not, and the decline con- tinues. The value of the S&P 500 index has had periods of de- cline, but never has there been a time when the de- cline was not erased and val- ues went on to new highs. ter Watson _ with ‘Aligned Capital Partners Inc. (ACPI) to provide investment advice. Investment products are provided by ACPI. ACPI is a member of the Investment opinions expressed are those of the author and not neces- sarily those of ACPI. Wat- Soi ie man- agement services through Watson Investments. He can at www.wat- soninvestments.com. 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 70 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are 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 VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague Regional General Manager Jason Pehora Director of Content Lee Ann Waterman Deputy Director of Content Catherine O'Hara Managing Editor Karen Miceli Director rr Distribution Cindi Campbell and Graeme Macintosh CONTACT US The Independent & Free Press 901 Guelph Line Burlington, ON L7R 3N8 Phone: 905-873-0301 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Fax: 905-873-039: 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 For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail Ipotar@miltoncanadianchampion.com or call 905-234-1019. fisAe)