The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

•T h e IF P • H al to n H ill s •T hu rs da y, J an ua ry 1 6, 2 01 4 6 OPINION Weather has been the number one story this win- ter. Between ice storms, ice thaws, weekly snow and polar vortexes, southern Ontario has not seen a win- ter like this for years and in the case of the polar vor- tex, generations. And yet, people obviously spoiled by previous winters, are not adjusting to the severity of this winter. Online at www.theifp.ca there is the story of Karl Zebarth who after leaving a friend's New Year's Eve party in nothing but a light sweater and jeans, took a shortcut through the park, and fell. Long story short, he developed frostbite in his hands. Zebarth has learned the hard way and says, "You've got to ex- pect the unexpected and just always dress prepared." The whole community needs to be prepared. The Town Environmental Advisory Committee (TEAC) warned in a report compiled by a team of experts and technical consultants in November that climate in the next 50 years will be wetter during the winter and spring, warmer throughout the year with many more heatwaves (days above 30C) in the sum- mer, and more larger and severe storms. Council unanimously agreed to direct staff to prepare a report on developing a plan to deal with climate change including such things as tree trim- ming, and setting up a community-wide storm pre- paredness strategy. Things like the timing and the amount of salting and sanding of roads, which roads and when, school bus protocols and a multi-agency communication strategy could also be looked at. As the December ice storm has demonstrated, this report could not come too soon. Hydro and Town workers are struggling to deal with the after- math of the storm, the Town and Hydro are looking at $2.1 million and $1.5 million bills respectively, This winter, so far, has already proven to be a costly. Don't add to it - stay off the roads when po- lice advise, slow down if driving, listen to the flood and weather advisories, and take steps to protect you and your house. And as Zebarth says "expect the unexpected". The Independent & Free Press is published Thursday and is one of sev- eral Metroland Media Group Ltd. community newspapers. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copy- right. Unauthorized use is prohibited. The Independent & Free Press is a member of the Ontario Press Council, which is an independent ethical organization established to deal with editorial concerns. For additional information or to file a complaint, contact info@ ontpress.com or call 416- 340-1981. The Independent & Free Press Winter woes Letters to the editor Dear editor, The patience of homeowners in Dominion Gardens Drive development is running out regarding the lack of proper and timely snow removal. I have written many e-mails over the last few years to our Ward 3 Councillor Dave Kentner demanding better service, yet he is either unable or unwilling to take proper action with town staff respon- sible for it (last time he Cc-d (Town em- ployees) Kevin Paynter and Dick Spear when replying to my complaint-- they are probably in charge of it). The snow that fell on Dec. 17 was plowed on Dec. 22 after the ice storm. Last night's snowfall is still not prop- erly cleaned, and a 12- hour parking section is completely blocked by snow. Imagine if Halton Hills Hydro was so inefficient, we would still be without electricity today. Since Town approved higher wages to public works staff responsible for snow clearing about three years ago (because they threatened a strike) we see a deterioration in service. You don't always get what you pay for! I hope our councillor Dave Kentner would spend less time fundraising, and more on issues he was elected to resolve. Or in the next election we need to pick someone who really needs the nice pay cheque the job provides and is willing to work for it. Drazen Belosevic Georgetown Four men have already entered the race for the Oct. 27 municipal election. Would you consider running for office? No. I hate politics. (40%) No. I'm too busy. (31%) Yes. I want to serve my community. (21%,) Yes. The extra $ would be great. (8%) WEB POLL RESULTS (Go to www.theifp.ca) Reader: patience is running thin on snow removal Kudos to merchants for clearing walks Dear editor. Bushels of kudos to those Main Street, Georgetown, merchants who had the courtesy and decency to clear the snow and ice, not only from the side- walks in front of their stores, but also up over the curb and down to the street pavement to make accessibility that much easier for their patrons, especially those of us who are considerably handi- capped. I am particularly thankful to the ladies in the healthEnut Café and Juice Bar; these ladies cleared TWO such ac- cess paths. As for those merchants who did far less, and in some cases, nothing at all, no 905-873-0301 Publisher: Dana Robbins General manager: Steve Foreman (sforeman@theifp.ca) Retail advertising manager: Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@theifp.ca) Managing editor: Chris Vernon (cvernon@metroland.com) Distribution manager: Nancy Geissler (ngeissler@theifp.ca) Classifieds/Real Estate Kristie Pells (classified@theifp.ca or realestate@theifp.ca) Classified Call Centre 1-855-415-8237 haltonhillsclassads@metroland.com Accounting 1-866-773-6575 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) Get the latest headlines delivered to your inbox by signing up for our twice weekly electronic newsletter. Go to www.theifp.ca and click on 'Newsletter sign-up' at the bottom of the homepage. one would want what I would put in the bushels I would like to give them! Thank you. Don Parker Georgetown Dear editor, On behalf of the Peace Welcome Club (PWC) I would like to shout out a huge thank you to everyone who has supported us throughout our journey of promoting peace locally and glob- ally. In February of 2014, the PWC will celebrate its third year of existence. To celebrate peace, we would like to recognize a youth who makes his/her community a better place to live, work and play with a 'Peace Builder of the Year' award. Do you know someone in your community who is making a dif- ference? Someone who embodies the Peace Welcome Club spirit of helping others, his/her work should be service- oriented, and help improve the quality of life for people in need around them. Nominations are open to anyone be- tween age of 8-18. For more informa- tion email PeaceWelcomeClub@gmail. com. Harnoor Gill, Peace Welcome Club, Georgetown Club seeks nominees