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Pa ge 6 T hu rs da y, A ug us t 1 3, 2 01 5 - T he IF P - H al to n H ill s - w w w .th ei fp .c a The Independent & Free Press is published Thursday and is one of several Metroland Media Group Ltd. community newspapers. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. The Independent & Free Press is a member of the Ontario Press Coun- cil, 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 It's wise to have a storm plan Letters to the editor 905-873-0301 Publisher: Dana Robbins General manager: Steve Foreman (sforeman@theifp.ca, 905-234-1011) Retail advertising manager: Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@theifp.ca, 905-234-1012) Managing editor: Chris Vernon (cvernon@metroland.com, 905-234-1020) Distribution manager: Nancy Geissler (ngeissler@theifp.ca, 905-234-1019) Classifieds/Real Estate Kristie Pells (realestate@theifp.ca, 905-234-1016) Advertising Sales Jenny Hawkins (jhawkins@theifp.ca, 905-234-1014) Jennifer Spencer (jspencer@theifp.ca, 905-234-1013) Rachael Scutt (rscutt@theifp.ca, 905-234-1015) Kelli Kosonic (kkosonic@theifp.ca, 905-234-1018) Classified Call Centre 1-800-263-6480, Fax 1-866-299-1499 classifieds@metroland.com Accounting 1-866-773-6575 Editorial Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@theifp.ca, 905-234-1021) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/photographer (emaher@theifp.ca, 905-234-1023) Composing Shelli Harrison (sharrison@theifp.ca 905-234-1017) 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. Environment Canada has confirmed an EF1 tornado touched down north of Halton Hills recently. For those who live here know tornadoes are a routine occurrence in the dog days of sum- mer. Last Wednesday (Aug. 5), Environment Canada announced a tornado had touched down near a dairy farm located close to County Roads 3 and 25 east of Marsville. The EF1 tor- nado left a path of destruction about two kilo- metres long with maximum width of 500 metres. With that in mind, it is a good idea to plan ahead for the next round of windy weather. Emergency Management Ontario, emer- gencymanagementontario.ca, has a number of good suggestions worth heeding: • Arrange a meeting place or a way of com- municating with family members who may be away from home when a storm hits. • Make sure you have an emergency surviv- al kit with a sufficient supply of food and water. • Regularly inspect trees in your yard and remove any damaged limbs to make them more wind resistant. • Secure lawn furniture, trash cans and any- thing else that can be picked up by wind and become a danger. • Designate a safe room in your home where household members and pets can gather if winds become extremely high. • Avoid windows. Get in your basement and under some kind of protection (heavy table or work bench), or cover yourself with a mattress or sleeping bag. • Know where heavy objects rest on the floor above (pianos, refrigerators, waterbeds, etc.) and do not go under them. They may fall down through a weakened floor and kill you. • Those exposed outside should lie flat in a depression or on other low ground and wait for the storm to pass. As clich as it may seem, an ounce of preven- tion is worth a pound of cure. OPINION Here we go again-- another election, and more of these extremely distasteful ads. How low is Stephen Harper willing to go to win an election? Frankly the Conservative Party should be ashamed of their low class, bullying tactics. As a former Halton District School Board employee, I know that we are preaching anti-bullying and no put- downs in the schools; the Harper gov- ernment is spewing out exactly that, against Justin Trudeau. Justin does not show weakness in not retaliating, he is simply a better princi- pled man. Can we really endorse the country being run by someone who would use dishonourable tactics such as putting others down, bullying and lashing out with constant negative personal attacks, I certainly hope not! I have voted Conservative most of my life, but there is no way I can vote for a Conservatives lack class Concert band needs help leader with these ethics, or lack thereof. The ads are offensive and send a terrible message to all, especially the young peo- ple. I am disgusted with the Conservative strategies, and will certainly not be voting for them in this election. Caroline Peasgood, Georgetown We are on the brink of losing one of Hal- ton Hills's truly exceptional treasures, the Halton Hills Concert Band. They need a new home to rehearse (one night a week) and store their instruments. They encourage musicians from 14 years to 90+ to make a positive contribu- tion to the community while having fun and nurturing personal pride. The band has played Christmas con- certs at Georgetown Market Place Mall, Light Up the Hills at Dominion Gardens Park and of course, joined in annually to the Georgetown Santa Claus Parade and numerous other events in Halton Hills. Their most significant concerts pay tribute to the Armed Forces on Remem- brance Day every year. If you or someone you know has the facilities to accommodate the Halton Hills Concert Band, please get in touch with the band's President, Roper Gallo- way, 905-873-6144, haltonhillsconcert- band.com Rita Nicholson Georgetown Knights appreciate golf tourney support On behalf of the Georgetown Knights of Columbus organizational committee, we would like to extend a big thank you to our 2015 golf sponsors. Your partnership is truly appreciated. We look forward to seeing you next year on June 20, 2016 to once again sup- port a great cause and enjoy a great day of golf. Jim Pickett Knights of Columbus Georgetown