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•Th e IFP• H alton H ills, Thursday, February 6, 2014 7 What a great way to Celebrate our 5th year in Business! Thank you Georgetown -Chris & Nathalie 905-877-3100 www.brooks heating and air.ca Quality & Service You Can Count On! www.bathstudio .ca 905-702-0885 332 Guelph Street, Georgetown (Across from Canadian Tire) • Truck Accessories • Upholstery • Heavy Equipment Glass •Window Tinting 354 Guelph Street, Georgetown 905-873-1655 We handle all insurance work. COMMENT Halton is a great place to live and work Halton is a great place to live and Regional Council is commit- ted to making fiscally responsible decisions that ensure we provide high quality services that contrib- ute to your quality of life, making it an ideal place to live, work, raise a family and retire. Last December, Regional Council ap- proved the 2014 Bud- get and Business Plan and for the fourth time in eight years (2008, 2010, 2011 and 2014), we were able to reduce property taxes on re- gional programs and services while main- taining and enhancing service levels. Over the past eight years, we have either reduced or frozen taxes. This is one of the best records in all of Canada. Once again this year, we have achieved a AAA credit rating. This is the highest credit rating that can be achieved and it is acknowledg- ment of Halton's strong financial position. Our AAA credit rating and re- duced taxes demonstrate that we have been managing your tax dol- lars efficiently and effectively. Regional Council is committed to policies that ensure Halton is resident-focused, well planned and safe and healthy. Value to you as a taxpayer is a critical component of decision making at council. We are fiscally responsible with the regional budget and have been planning our infrastructure needs (roads, waste management, water/ wastewater treatment) so that stra- tegic investments now ensure we meet infrastructure needs in the future with minimal impact to you as a taxpayer. We are also focused on services that contribute to a safe and healthy community so that you can continue to enjoy a high quality of life in Halton. As a regional govern- ment, we continue to build on our record of customer service excel- lence. In January, our Ac- cess Halton group was recognized by the Ser- vice Quality Measure- ment Group (SQM) as a Service Quality Award of Excellence Winner for 2013. Halton received a Highest Customer Ser- vice (government) award and sur- vey results indicated 92 per cent of callers were satisfied overall with their call centre experience. These results are a great achieve- ment given that in 2013, Access Halton managed 304,354 calls and 9,282 emails. Great things are happening in Halton. To learn more, I invite you to take a look at my video blog, The State of the Region, at www.you- tube.com/haltonchair. As always, if you have any Re- gional concerns or comments you would like to share, please feel free to email me at gary.carr@halton.ca. You can also find me on Twitter @ garycarrhalton, LinkedIn or Face- book. To receive further updates on regional issues, please subscribe to my quarterly e-newsletter, "The Carr Report." --Gary Carr is the chair of Halton Region GARY CARR The way we were 'I will always have strong memories and great stories of my time at Memorial.' Mayor Rick Bonnette... see story pg. 5 The deer in the ravine south of town must be pret- ty hungry this year, says reader Janet Duval.This one showed up for breakfast one weekend in late January, dining on the euonymus bush right be- side the sunroom window. Duval snapped it with her iPad. The next day, three females came for lunch, chewing several bushes around the yard. Submit your photos to cgamble@theifp.ca OH DEER From our readers 'Quote unquote' Though the storefronts and owners have changed, this streetscape facing north in George- town is easily recognizable in this photo from 1949. The one difference, the angled parking on Main Street. Photo: Esquesing Historical Society Content: Heritage Halton Hills A walk on Main Street Dear editor, The Acton Salvation Army wishes to thank all who supported our 2013 Christ- mas Campaign and make it possible for us to assist families during the Christmas season and throughout the year to come. A special thanks to the many who stood at our Kettle locations, in cold situations at times, as well as all who assisted with sorting and moving of toys for distribu- tion, to those who assisted with packing of the Christmas Hamper food boxes, and to the OPP who were so generous in support of toys for our Hamper Program. To all who volunteered or helped in any way we want to say "thank you" and let you know we could not do it without your help. It's wonderful when commu- nities come together to help others. Just to let you know of our new food bank hours for the coming year: Wednes- days, 1-4 p.m. and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. with entrance off Wilbur St. to the rear of the Thrift Store building. May God Bless you all. Major Sam Roberts Acton Salvation Army says thanks for campaign support