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Thursday, June 4, 2015 - The IFP - H alton H ills - w w w .theifp.ca Page 7 Furnace Air Conditioning Gaslines Boilers Water Heaters Radiant Heating 905-877-3100 proud local dealer of Canadian made products .ca • Truck Accessories • Upholstery • Heavy Equipment Glass •Window Tinting 354 Guelph Street, Georgetown 905-873-1655 We handle all insurance work. Time to Move? Call Derek CallDerek.ca 905-877-8262 Derek Dunphy Sales Representative COMMENT The way we were Georgetown Mayor Jack Armstrong and an employee for Heslop Homes pose with the sign for Rex Heslop Homes Limited in 1960. Text courtesy of Heritage Halton Hills; photo courtesy of Esquesing Historical Society An $11,860 home! Debbie Reid took this pretty photo in her backyard Sunday evening after the rain had finally stopped, beautiful pink sky and very distinct line of clouds in the sky. Have a photo you want to share? Email cgamble@theifp.ca NATURE'S CANVAS From our readers Milk is big business "Got milk?" If not, we should. Even though the iconic slogan is no longer used by the U.S. dairy industry in their marketing campaigns, it still reso- nates with me, and makes me think of my ultimate, all-time comfort food: a glass of cold, delicious milk. But one satisfied consumer is only the start of the story. The dairy industry in Ontario is big business. According to an economic study from a few years ago, 74,000 jobs are dependent on the dairy industry, when suppliers and processers are included. That represents $5.5 billion in gross domestic product (GDP) in Ontario alone. And of interest to all or- ders of government, that translates into an industry that pays $1.1 billion in taxes to municipal, provincial and federal coffers. In Georgetown, the mas- sive Neilsen Dairy, now owned by Sapu- to, is one of our largest local employers, with as many as 200 full-time and 150 part-time employees. In Wellington County, we have 380 milk producers who help to supply the product that Nielsen processes and packages. That's the largest number of dairy farms in the Province, when ranked by County. Our total milk production of 221,119 kilolitres also is amongst the highest in the Province. In addition, Halton Region contin- ues to have dairy farms which are well- managed and family-owned. With the opening of a new dairy re- search facility near Elora on May 29th, it's no exaggeration to state that Welling- ton-Halton Hills is poised to become the centre of Ontario's dairy industry, and the promise of its future. Officially called the "Livestock Re- search and Innovation Centre," the new dairy facility will eventually house 240 free-stall dairy cows for research trials, and 24 cows in tie-in stalls where more detailed and intensive research will be conducted. Advanced ventilation systems will enhance the environment and ensure the accuracy of research results. With the new dairy research facility in our Riding, research will lead to dis- covery. Discovery will lead to in- novation. And innovation will lead to success in the market- place. The dairy facility could not have been built without part- nership. The Dairy Farmers of On- tario, the Agricultural Re- search Institute of Ontario, the University of Guelph, worked together, supported by a $20 million grant from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Wellington-Halton Hills MP Mike Chong also worked hard to secure a $3 million grant from the Government of Canada for the project. I was honoured to be part of the offi- cial opening last week, and welcome to our Riding the Hon. Jeff Leal, Ontario's Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Working together, we can preserve the future of agriculture in Ontario. And it starts here in Wellington-Halton Hills. ***** Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott welcomes your comments. He can be reached at 1-800-265-2366. His website address is www.tedarnottmpp. com. TED ARNOTT