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THE NEW TANNER WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2009 4 Nancy Wi lkes, registered optician 519-853-5133 4 MILL STREET EAST AT THE FOUR CORNERS IN DOW NTOW N ACTON Merry Christmas! At the Holiday Season, our thoughts turn to those who have made our success possible. It is in this spirit that I say thank-you and best wishes to you and yours for a wonderful holiday season! I am happy to let you know that we now have an independent Optometrist on site for your eye exams. In appreciation of your support I am pleased to offer you a $25 discount on any purchase of $50 or more during January and February, 2010. In addition, in lieu of Christmas cards, this year Acton Optical is making a donation to Acton Food Share. Christmas church services The emphasis at Acton churches this holiday season is fellowship, family and festive fun. Here is a list of the services being offered this Christmas. Trinity United Church Christmas Eve, 7 p.m. carols and candlelight service Crossings Community Church Christmas Eve, 6:30 p.m. a carol sing at Mill/Main parkette. 7 to 9 p.m. open house at the Roxy Bethe l Chr i s t ian Reformed Church Christmas Day 10.a.m. service St. Albans Anglican Church Christmas Eve, 5 p.m. childrens service with carols and communion, 7:30 p.m. Communion, 10 p.m. Choral Eucharist Knox Presbyterian Church Christmas Eve, 7 p.m. Service of Lessons and Carols. Christmas Day, 10:30 a.m. a Real Christ service Salvation Army Corps Christmas Eve - 6:30 p.m. Candle- light service St. Joseph Catholic Church Christmas Eve masses at 5p.m., 7 p.m. and at midnight. Christmas Day mass at 11 a.m. Churchill Community Church Christmas Eve, 7 p.m. Service of Les- sons and Carols. Evangel Family Church Christmas Eve, 7 p.m. Candlelight Service. Acton Baptist Church Christmas Eve, 7 p.m. Christmas Candlelight Service. Actons New Apostolic Church Christmas Day, 10:30 a.m. service Nassagaweya Presbyterian Church Christmas Eve, 4:30 p.m. family ser- vice, 7:30 p.m. Carol Service Town Digest ENTRANCE AWARD: Actons Matthew Vander Kooij (centre) received a Seneca College Board of Governors Entrance Scholarship award at a recent ceremony. The scholarships are available to first year students for academic and extracurricular achievement in high school. Vander Kooij is enrolled in the flight program at Seneca. Making the presentation were Seneca President David Agnew and Seneca Board Chair Helen Hayward. Submitted photo No Halton tax increase There will not be a tax in- crease for Halton property owners this year last Wed- nesday, Council approved a $1.1-billion budget with a 0.2 per cent tax reduction for Regional services in- cluding police, ambulance, roads and a combined water and wastewater rate freeze. The 0.2 per cent decrease, combined with a 0.4 per cent increase for police results in a combined prop- erty tax impact of zero per cent for next year. Property taxes make up $318-mil- lion of the total budget with the balance coming from development charges and federal and provincial funding. A motion from Region- al/Acton Councillor Clark Somerville will result in no pay raise for Halton council- lors, a move that will save $17,000 next year. While Councillor Somerville char- acterized the savings as a symbolic pittance. Haltons capital spending plan for 2010 is the second largest infrastructure spend in the regions 35-year his- tory with an investment of $394-million to upgrade, expand and rehabilitate Haltons roads, water and wastewater plants and waste management sites. In Acton, $1.3-million is earmarked for wastewater main re- placement on Longfield Road from Orville Road to Churchill Road. Hospital deaths drop Patient safety initiatives that began three years ago have contributed to a drop in the death rate at Halton Healthcare Services which runs hospitals in George- town, Oakville and Milton, according to Healthcare CEO John Oliver. The death rate is calculat- ed by measuring the number of actual deaths against a baseline of 100, which was the national average in 2004-05. Locally, the rate was 78, and the reduction is due in part to the rates of deaths for palliative care pa- tients in acute care beds at Oakville-Trafalgar Hospital no longer being included in the calculation.