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© BOPINION -HALTON ADVISORY -COUNCIL TO CONTINUE alton Hills | Thursday, i=] ~ > = wn nm So -~ = 2023 INITIATIVES 2 ALREADY IN THE * WORKS, WRITES KAREN MICELI KAREN MICELI Column It's about trust. Our rela- tionship with our readers is initiative to tell you who we are and how and why we do what we do. This article is part of that project. You may or may not be familiar with Metroland's Halton Advisory Council, which I have written about from time to time. To fill you in on some background, Metroland's Halton Division newspa- pers — the Burlington Post, Oakville Beaver, Mil- ton Canadian Champion and Georgetown/ Acton In- dependent and Free — formed the community advisory council in 2021 to help us better understand the issues facing our resi- dents, readers and busi- ness partner: We invited a group of community leaders from across the region, asked them to talk about what is- sues were most pressing in thoughts with us. = The first meeting of the Halton Ad- visory Council was held § May 13, 2021 in a vil : roundtable. FORGING AHEAD IN 2023 then, members branched off into subcom- mittees to focus on specific issues and we held a sec- ond-year meeti of the oe council this past spl "The Halton council and committees have provided excellent feedback and ide- as, many of which have landed on the pages of our newspaper: For example, we extend- ed guest columns to feature diverse voices on our edito- rial pages through con- tacts made at the advisory council. We published a se- ries on newcomers to Hal- ton. rtnered in a stu- dent Black history essay- writing contest. We pro- duced a series on housing. We also did a crime series. We have made changes as well to avoid clickbait headline Ihave "enjoyed one-on- one chats with some of the members. So what's next? Alread: in the works for 2023 is a se- ries on accessibility and the barriers faced by peo- ple with disabilities living in Halton. As well, our third-year meeting of the council is coming up in mid-April, which I expect will lead to more great feedback. Stay tuned! Karen Miceli is manag- ing editor of the Burling- ton Post, Georgetown/ Acton Independent and Free Press, Milton Canadi- an Champion and Oakville Beaver She can be reached at insidehalton@metro- land.com and news- room athe. ca. fe welcome your ques- _ and value your com- ments. Email our trust committee at trust@met- roland.com. Ared-bel descriptiot TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT THEIFPCA SNAPSHOT Rebecca Malcolmson-Cronin photo lied woodpecker and blue jay feast in a peanut feeder on Joycelyn Crescent. Do you have a great local photo you'd like to share? Send it to sleblanc@metroland.com, along with a brief THE NEW FINANCIAL CHALLENGE FOR SENIORS Statistics Canada_re- cently reported 1.5 million people older than 65 hada an increase from 1.2 mil- lion during the previous five year: Rising. interest rates will make paving rae a mortgage more difficult, it is understandable that the trend for more seniors to have a mortgage wit continue. That added pressure on Oy ae ability to retire in comfort. found that 40 per ce! either delayed retirement or planned to delay retire- ment because they had too much debt. This is a time for cre- ative thinking. veral op- tions to consider, includ- + Selling your current house and buying a less x pensive one in order eliminate your morigage PETER WATSON Column debt. + Sharing your accom- modation with family. This could include a younger generation family member who would be able to con- tribute to household ex- penses including mortgage payments. + Sharing your home and expenses witha friend. ‘here are several op- tions that will have bothad- your financial position and needed, r Watson is regi: oh ‘eth Aligned Capital Partners Inc. (ACPI) to provide investment advice. Investment products are provided by ACPI. ACPI is er of the Invest- ment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada. ‘he opinions expressed are ped of the author and not necessarily those of ACPI. Only inv investment-relate ucts and services are offered through Watson Securities of ACPI. Watson provides wealth manage- ment services through Watson Investments. He can be reached at wwu ABOUT US This newspaper, | published 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 heir concems. Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca , soca newsroom@theifp.ca IndependentAndFreePress. Publisher and Chief Executive Officer Neil Oliver Vice President, Content, Community and Operations Dana Robbins Regional General Manager Jason Peho! Deputy bhiector rot Content Catherine O'Hara pay Editor n Micel Director ‘f Distribution Charlene Hall Circulation Manager ‘i sman Cindi Campbell and Graeme lacintosh Director Creative Services Paul Gostlin The Independent & Free Press 901 Guelph Line Burlington, ON LTR 3N8 Phone: 905-873-031 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Fax: 905-873- 0308 ters to the Allletters must ‘te ‘ewer than 320 words and include your name and telephone number for verification Published letters will appear in print and/or online at theifp.ca Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail vantages and es. personal fi- ing ese times for senioi courage you to evaluate S.com. SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT THEIFPCA call 905-234-1019. EO)