The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, A pr il 26 ,2 01 8 | 6 The Georgetown Independent & Free Press, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corpora- tion. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. The Independent & Free Press is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the newspaper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca newsroom@theifp.ca IndependentAndFreePress @IFP_11 ABOUT US The Independent & Free Press 280 Guelph Street, Unit 77 Georgetown, ON L7G 4B1 Phone: 905-873-0301 Classifieds: 905-234-1016 Fax: 905-873-0398 Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 200 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail lpolar@miltoncanadiancham- pion.com or call 905-234-1019. CONTACT US VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague General Manager Steve Foreman Retail Advertising Manager Cindi Campbell Regional Managing Editor Chris Vernon Regional Managing Digital Editor Robyn Wilkinson Distribution Representative Iouliana Polar Classified/Real Estate Kristie Pells Regional Production Manager Manuel Garcia Production Shelli Harrison WHO WE ARE OPINION This is the week we get our annual nudge to be better citizens of the planet. Spring cleanups are happening, kids are considering ways to reduce their family's carbon footprint, and we're being slammed with information about how devastating our wasteful lifestyles are to the environment. We get it, but not all of us change our ways. And every year we hear the message expressed with a little more urgency. We can't continue to ignore our impact on the planet and think it's sustainable. But does this heightened awareness really resonate? Are we changing our lifestyles to reflect the grim reality of our wasteful habits? Evidence of human neglect for the environment is everywhere. Last month, an autopsy on a sperm whale that had washed up on a beach in Spain revealed why it died - 64 pounds of plastic and other debris was lodged in its stomach. On the other side of the world, a massive patch of floating garbage spins in the North Pacific. It's not all bad. There are some good local stories, like the University of Guelph hospitality department's recent promise to eliminate plastic drinking straws and bags across cam- pus starting in September. It's a small gesture that should give a renewed empha- sis to annual protests calling on the university to ban bottled water, in part because of the plastic waste it creates. Let's all go further. Don't be a jerk and toss your cof- fee cup, plastic lid included, into the garbage. Get it into the blue cart. Carry a reusable water bottle and fill up at the foun- tain. Some municipalities recycle plastic bags, as do most of the retailers that offer them at carry out. These are small things we can all do to make a big difference. Recognized annually on April 22, Earth Day is a world-wide event to create awareness for the environ- ment and to encourage people to be environmentally friendly and take action to reduce environmental im- pacts. More than six million Canadians and one billion people from over 170 different countries participate in Earth Day celebrations and events. Small efforts can make a big difference Is the Green party the only answer? For the most part, I do not comment on elections and who someone is voting for. for. f You are allowed to voteYou are allowed to voteY for whom you wish.for whom you wish.f Most of the people I know would not mind a Liberal government in On- tario, and some would vote Progressive Conservative, but almost everyone I have spoken to would not like Kathleen Wynne as our premier. Some people are voting PC just to get another par- ty in power, regardless of who they think might be up for the job. for the job. f For most people who have a common sense, they will try and deduce who would be best for the job. One thing that Kathleen Wynne may have going forWynne may have going forW her is comparing Doug Ford to our south of the border president, Donald Trump. That way of campaign- ing may very well backfire on her, as it did for Hillary Clinton, and believe it or not the campaign has not even started. Although most people do not want a Liberal gov- ernment under Kathleen Wynne, they do not want aWynne, they do not want aW PC or NDP government ei- ther. Where does that leave us? Green party? Ron Horner Does Facebook need to know when we call a plumber? I did what Facebook said and downloaded all my data and what did I find? - everything. find? - everything. f It had about 200 num- bers, including the wash- ing machine repairer. It had every email ad- dress I seem to have used on the phone and every phone call including the recipient, date and dura- tion. Why would anybody want to know how long I spoke to the washing ma- chine repairer? It's time for Facebook to provide some answers, rather than 457 pages of da- ta. Dennis Fitzgerald Voter hopes to have last laugh at election time To the editor: Re: Doug Ford is no mir- acle worker, letters, April 19 I had to laugh at this let- ter when Nancy Veals states that Doug Ford is in this election for himself. What has Kathleen Wynne been doing for the last eight years, but pushing her personal beliefs and agenda through? Now that the election is less than two months away Premier Wynne is getting very desperate and is offer- ing perks and promises that the taxpayers of Onta- rio cannot possibly pay for, as the province is already in such great debt. I wasn't surprised to see her "smear ad" against Doug Ford on TV, and the blatant lies in it. I hope to have the last laugh in June when we say goodbye to Kathleen Wynne. Wynne. W Elaine Johnson Orono • EDITORIAL • • LETTERS & COMMENTARY • lMORE ONLINE See all our published letters to the editor online at theifp.ca