Pa ge 1 0 T hu rs da y, Ja nu ar y 15 , 2 01 5 - T he IF P - H al to n H ill s - w w w .th ei fp .c a THE LOBBY Where we welcome family and friends. LOUNGE & COUNTRY KITCHEN A friendly gathering area and a hub of activity. OPENING FEBRUARY2015 Enjoy refreshments, meet our staff, ask questions, tour our spaces & suites. RSVP TO JILL AT 905-582-0395 LIVING ROOM - 2 BEDROOM SUITE Relax in the privacy of your own luxurious, spacious living room. DINING ROOM Our Chef shares his passion here, and new friends are made.activity BOOKYOUR TOUR TODAY! TOURS NOWAVAILABLE 7 DAYS A WEEK Enjo efreshments, meet taff ask tions, t OPENHOUSE ALSO JOIN US ON JANUARY24TH & 25TH ANYTIME FROM 10AM - 4PM 3136 DUNDAS STREETWEST,OAKVILLE,ON (WESTOF BRONTE ROAD) www.palermovillageretirement.ca LASTCHANCETOGETYOURLASTCHANCETOGETYOUR GUARANTEED RATEFORLIFERATEFORLIFE LIMITED NUMBER OF SUITES AVAILABLE DON'TWAIT,OFFER ENDS JANUARY31ST 2015* TO RESERVE YOUR CHOICE OF SUITE AND VIEW. *conditions apply NEWS Tree trimming is required to re- duce the risk of trees or branches bringing down power lines or starting fires and Skidmore said that a tree can become energized if it makes contact with the lines causing an electrocu- tion hazard. Trees touching the lines can also result in nuisance outages. "We value the trees in our com- munity and understand that they are an important asset for Halton Hills," said Skidmore. "We trim to the health of the tree. Some of our residents may not appreciate that." He said that trimming can actually help the tree become more healthy. "We cut to the lateral branches or main trunk, leaving stubs is hard on the tree and can cause die-off." Skidmore showed several photos of trees throughout town that had been dramatically trimmed to meet the clearance requirements. "I appreciate you being brutally honest," said Councillor Ann Lawlor. "I think there might be some that would use the word 'butcher' in de- scribing what's happening to these trees." Lawlor added, however, "the reali- ty is this is what we have to do in order to safely and reliably ensure electric- ity gets into our houses." After viewing the before and after photos of the trees Councillor Bob Inglis asked if HHH ever considered taking a tree down completely rather than trimming it so much. "If the tree is still healthy, we would leave the tree," said Skidmore. "It's not our call to take down a healthy tree." He added if it can't be trimmed to the point where it's still healthy, they do take it down. Inglis also asked if HHH had ever looked at burying its existing hydro lines underground. Skidmore said it wouldn't be cost effective and he doubts they would receive approval to do it from the On- tario Energy Board. Hydro lines are buried in new subdivisions. The 2015 line clearance program is expected to be finished by the end of May and has a $295,000 budget. HHH will put a door knocker (in- formation flyer) on homes in the area where they will be trimming a week before they start. PUBLIC MEETING A public meeting will be held Thursday, Jan. 22 at Williams Mill in Glen Williams from 6 to 8 p.m. to dis- cuss the 2015 line clearance sched- ule. A map of the area is available at www.haltonhillshydro.com Northern parts of town targeted in trimming program Continued from page 1 A Halton Hills Hydro graphic shows the proper trimming techniques used by the trimmers. Halton Hills Hydro graphic