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6 Independent & Free Press,Thursday, January 6, 2011 OPINION Arena faceoff "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need." -- The Rolling Stones So, what exactly does Halton Hills need? That is the question obviously facing Town council after the first budget meeting of 2011 turned out to be something of a barn burner. Expecting to move forward with a plan to bring in two new ice surfaces at the Mold-Masters SportsPlex and another at the Acton Community Centre in a bid relieve the town of its ice shortage crisis, council instead found itself deferring the matter for a month so staff can explore alterative financing scenarios for the $29.1 million it would cost for the three rinks. Wards 3&4 Regional Councillor Jane Fogal, said she was shocked to see what would be cut from the budget if the arenas went ahead-- items such as her beloved cycling routes, trails and parks. Ward 2 Councillor Bryan Lewis, a fervent supporter of the new arenas, who has spent the past two years heading the Arena Task Force, was furious with the deferral wondering what more needed to be discussed. The Town is in a bit of a jackpot here. To be sure, ice time demand is through the roof. Memorial Arena's best before date was three decades ago and is nothing but a money pit. The only alternative is to build new ice surfaces, but that will force the Town into a debt situation. Cutting other capital budget items (i.e.) cycling trails will help to keep Town costs down. Regardless, the lack of development, both industrial and residential, has put financial pressure on the Town which will undoubtedly turn to the taxpayers for help. Oh yes, and then there will be various fundraising campaigns needed for new seniors' centres, libraries, hospital, tennis club, etc.-- how much money is there in town to go around? So, perhaps the more important question facing council isn't what this Town needs, but what it can reasonably afford. 905-873-0301 Publisher: Ken Nugent General manager: Steve Foreman (sforeman@independentfreepress.com) Retail advertising manager: Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@independentfreepress.com) Managing editor: John McGhie (jmcghie@independentfreepress.com) Distribution manager: Nancy Geissler (ngeissler@independentfreepress.com) Classifieds Kristie Pells (classified@independentfreepress.com) Accounting Rose Marie Gauthier Editorial Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@independentfreepress.com) Ted Brown: Photography (tbrown@independentfreepress.com) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@independentfreepress.com) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@independentfreepress.com) WEB POLL RESULTS Do you think there will be a general election in Canada in 2011? · Yes (63%) · No (37%) Steve Nease Go to www.independentfreepress.com Letters to the editor Use of `holiday' is idiotic-- reader Dear editor, I'm writing in response to the Dec. 23 letter from Barbara Wallace entitled, "Reader offended by use of `holiday'". I totally agree. A holiday is a time to get away from it all. A lot of people have to work on Christmas Day-- that's not a holiday. Christmas time is a celebration of the birth of Jesus. He came as a gift from God to all mankind, whether you believe it or not. We give gifts to remind us of the greatest gift. You wonder why the word is in the state it's in? It's because of man's idiotic ideas. People need to stop this nonsense about offending others. I'm not Canadian but in this country it's Merry Christmas. Andrea DiMonte, Georgetown grandchildren would enjoy them, especially the three-year-old who lives with us. However, someone has stolen the little deer from our front lawn. My granddaughter is sad that it is gone. I know a few other people who have lost things from their lawns. If you have now acquired a small deer for your lawn I hope you enjoy it. What is it coming to that you can't put a few things outside without someone either destroying or stealing it? M.Switzer, Georgetown sible without the incredible contribution provided by the Maple Avenue Baptist Church, whose congregation provided singers, technical support and the venue. Thank you to The Freckled Lion, Halton Hills Public Libraries, Pat's Prime Cuts and Deli and Royal LePage, and our many community supporters; we couldn't have done it without you. The event was put together by a dedicated group of Literacy North Halton volunteers. Supported by the generous donations of Maple Lodge Farms, Remington Homes, Paul C. Armstrong Insurance Brokers Ltd., Young's Pharmacy and Homecare, Media Pull Inc., and community businesses and citizens, much needed funds were raised to support adult literacy in this community. Literacy North Halton has dedicated more than 20 years to the needs of adults in this community who wish to improve their skills in order to find fulfilling employment, go on to further education and improve their everyday life. Special thanks to all of the volunteers who make this event such a special addition to the season of giving. It was, in a word, SPECTACULAR! Kim Sopinka Chair, Christmas Spectacular Literacy North Halton Spectacular support Dear editor, Literacy North Halton's Christmas Spectacular, held Dec. 4 at Maple Avenue Baptist Church, was a huge success. Thank you to Georgetown Little Theatre for providing a director, Gina Van Raalte, pantomime actors and indispensible support. And thanks to the Georgetown Children's Chorus, Georgetown Choral Society, Halton Hills Concert Band, and Entropy for filling the evening with music and song. None of this would have been pos- Letters to the editor policy Letters must include an address and daytime telephone number. Anonymous letters will not be published. Letters should not exceed 150 words and may be edited for content and/or length. Publication is not guaranteed. E-mail: jmcghie@independentfreepress.com Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1. Reindeer stolen Dear editor, I know everyone enjoys seeing Christmas decorations and lights. I bought three smalll reindeer that light up as I thought my The Independent & Free Press The Independent & Free Press is published Tuesday and Thursday and is one of several Metroland Media Group Ltd. community newspapers. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.