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•Th e IFP• H alton H ills, Thursday, January 30, 2014 7 • Truck Accessories • Upholstery • Heavy Equipment Glass •Window Tinting 354 Guelph Street, Georgetown 905-873-1655 We handle all insurance work. GEORGETOWN'S Best Kept Secret! 46 Armstrong Ave www.MiskasWoodProducts.com Casings Baseboards Crown Mouldings 416 - 220 - 2741 • your window & door professionals • 341 Guelph St., Unit 3 Georgetown 905.873.0236 www.buy-wise.ca info@buy-wise.ca • awarded readers choice 20 times • Visit our showroom COMMENT Job growth a key priority as we head into 2014 In December, the Canadian economy lost 45,900 jobs, in- creasing the national unemploy- ment rate to 7.2 per cent, from 6.9 per cent in November. While there is significant vol- atility in the month-to-month job numbers, these numbers are nevertheless disappointing. Despite the de- cline in December, more jobs have been created than have disappeared over the last 12 months. For all of 2013, the Canadian economy created 102,000 jobs. The December national job num- bers demonstrate that we must re- main focussed on creating an envi- ronment where job creation can flour- ish. While there are many factors out- side of the federal government's control -- the ongoing challeng- es in the U.S. and Europe are just two examples -- there are things that can be done. Important reforms have been made to the Temporary Foreign Workers Program to ensure that Canadians are given the first chance at available jobs. The federal government con- tinues to refine the plan for the Canada Job Grant, to help close the gap between those looking for work and high-skilled jobs that are going unfilled. The Canada Job Grant will provide up to $15,000 to those seeking to re-train and upgrade their skills (up to $10,000 from the federal government, to match up to $5,000 from an em- ployer, for a total of $15,000). This will help unemployed and younger Canadians acquire the skills necessary to fill the jobs currently un- filled because of a lack of skills. Locally, the job picture is much rosier. Due to the strength of our lo- cal communities, job creation re- mains robust and unemployment low. The unemploy- ment rate in Wel- lington County was 5.5 per cent in December, well be- low the provincial and national rates. Even better, Halton Region's unemploy- ment rate stood at 4.0 per cent in Sep- tember 2013. We are fortunate to live in the communities we do. Since the global recession ended in 2009, the Canadian economy has produced about a million new jobs, almost 600,000 above the pre-recession peak. Nonetheless, as the December job numbers remind us, we must remain focused on implement- ing further measures to foster economic growth and job cre- ation. The upcoming federal budget in February will be a chance for the government to do exactly that. MICHAEL CHONG WELLINGTON- HALTON HILLS MP Our Readers Write 'I'm more concerned about the people who don't know what's happening' --Finn Poulstrup ... see story pg. 5 Carol Ploughman and her daughter, Aimee, cut their hair recently to donate to wigs for cancer patients with the help of Daniel Rodrigues and Mikaela Lohnes of Fringe Hair Salon in Georgetown. Got a photo you want to share? Email: cvernon@metroland.com A GESTURE OF CARING From our readers 'Quote unquote' Politicians need to account for their actions, says reader Dear editor, As a taxpayer in the Region of Hal- ton I am disappointed at recent events that have transpired, most recently in Halton. Politicians of various political stripes and levels of government have been involved in several run-ins with the law over actions they have taken as sitting members. It seems now is the time for some changes. It has been customary in the past for those that hold an important office to step aside from their normal duties while an investigation into their ac- tions is conducted. Recently, I have seen some examples of those unwilling to step aside unless they are forced to by public opinion. I have spent all of my adult life, in one capacity or another, striving to make the political system in this country a structure that can be admired the world over. I volunteer my time for those that I believe can do the greatest good as an MP, MPP, or councillor and I ex- pect they will always do what is in the best interest of those that have elected them. Whether innocent or guilty, deci- sions not to step aside when charged dishonour the positions they hold. Media outlets annually report that the participation rate in this country continues to fall when it comes to elec- tions. Fewer people are deciding not to volunteer. The pursuit of public office is not even on the radar for most young people in a post-secondary institution and the number of people actually tak- ing the time to vote is in decline. A politician must be honest, humble and respect the opinions of others, and when their actions compromise their integrity or make them open to com- promise, they should step aside until the matter can be settled. It is about time that legislation is brought forward, at all levels, to bring some uniformity to these situations and to maintain confidence in our elected representatives. Rob Demille, Georgetown