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6 Independent & Free Press, Tuesday,August 9, 2011 OPINION Battle looms With the provincial election less than two months away we were beginning to wonder if the Liberals viewed the riding of WellingtonHalton Hills as a lost cause. As of today, the governing Liberal party has not nominated a candidate for the riding of Wellington-Halton Hills. However, that will change Thursday when the Liberals are expected to nominate longtime Halton Hills Councillor Moya Johnson as its candidate. While there is no certainty in the game of politics, it would be surprising if this fall's race locally turns out to be as lopsided as the most recent provincial (and federal) elections have been. It's true the riding that encompasses Halton Hills has been something of a wasteland recently for Liberals as they have not held sway in Halton Hills since Walt Elliot won the local seat for the Liberals in 1987-- a span of 24 years. However, as the stunning 1990 election of the NDP showed-- including New Democrat Noel Duignan's win here-- anything can happen when voters cast their ballots. Current Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Arnott secured a win last time out in 2007 with 49 per cent of the vote following three consecutive wins by fellow Tory Ted Chudleigh of 48 per cent (2003), 65 per cent (1999) and 60 per cent (1995). Arnott was acclaimed this past November to vie for the Wellington-Halton Hills seat and now faces a stiff challenger in Johnson. The NDP, likely buoyed by their strong showing in the federal election, nominated Dale Hamilton of Eden Mills as their candidate on June 29. She is a former Eramosa municipal councillor, who lost provincially to Arnott in the riding of Wellington in 1990. So that's the race as it currently stands: three past or present politicians likely to stage a spirited campaign. To put it in the hockey vernacular: Game on! 905-873-0301 Publisher: Ken Nugent General manager: Steve Foreman (sforeman@theifp.ca) Retail advertising manager: Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@theifp.ca) Managing editor: John McGhie (jmcghie@theifp.ca) Distribution manager: Nancy Geissler (ngeissler@theifp.ca) Classifieds Kristie Pells (classified@theifp.ca) Accounting Rose Marie Gauthier Editorial Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@theifp.ca) Ted Brown: Photography (tbrown@theifp.ca) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@theifp.ca) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@theifp.ca) Letters policy Letters must include an address and daytime phone 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. Email: jmcghie@theifp.ca Steve Nease Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1. Letters to the editor Why are teenagers roaming at 1 a.m.? Dear editor, I love Georgetown. I have lived here since I was six years old and am now 28. That said, I do not think I'm so old that things have changed that much and I am behind the times. How is it that children of around 16 or 17 are allowed out at 1 a.m on a Sunday? It's the summer, I know, and I have fond memories of night tag and sitting at our street's park talking with close friends until 11 p.m. However, if that was all kids today were doing I wouldn't be writing now. I woke up at 1 a.m. on June 26 to kids screaming down the street. Upon going to tell them to pipe down, I caught one attempting to break into my car. I scared him off and the two kids ran down the street with backpacks probably full of stuff that wasn't theirs and beer from the case they threw on my driveway. I later found out after talking to neighbours that this has been going on on our street for approximately three weeks and several people have become victims. I understand that we should lock our stuff up (and ours was thankfully) but the Georgetown I'm proud of is not this. Why don't these parents care? Where are they? Where are the curfews? Where are the questions of `How did you get money for that?' Where is the calling other parents or meeting them to make sure your child is safe? I hope these children learn a lesson before someone teaches them one. I beg parents to start asking questions of children, to start enforcing rules and curfews to not only protect the public but the children themselves. I worry for the future if this keeps up. I love our little town and I have felt safe here, now I'm not so sure. Charlotte Marr, Georgetown The tow truck driver who assisted me in and out of his truck and delivering my car to the body shop. The service department at Georgetown Toyota-- the greatest people. And lastly, the body shop owner who saw I got a rental and all was well. All these wonderful people give you hope and bring back faith that there are still great and wonderful people out there. Only in Georgetown, eh? Dianne Tiveron, Georgetown Tourney a success Dear editor, The 7th annual MS Golf for a Cure Tournament was a wonderful success. We were able to raise more than $16,000 for the Halton Chapter of the MS Society. We do not receive any government funding, so the success of our events is very important in providing the services and assistance we do for our members and their families. This event would not be possible without our sponsors, golfers, prizes donors and of course, our wonderful volunteers. Thank you to everyone for helping to make this another successful event. Heather Mattocks, Golf Committee Co-Chair Halton MS Society WEB POLL RESULTS (Go to www.independentfreepress.com) Acton has a new library and the Georgetown branch is being expanded. Will these renovations cause you to use the library more often? · Yes (53%) · No (47%) Grateful for help 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. Dear editor, I would like to thank each of the following people for their kindness in helping me out after I was involved in an accident recently. The young ladies who came to my aid-- calling police, my daughter and staying with me until the police arrived. The police officer was considerate regarding my injuries.