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9| The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,O ctober 4,2018 theifp.ca HAVE YOU HEARD? 1 8 1 0 9 3 6 C N Desjardins Insurance refers to Certas Home and Auto Insurance Company, underwriter of automobile and property insurance or Desjardins Financial Security Life Assurance Company, underwriter of life insurance products. Desjardins Insurance and related trademarks are trademarks of the Fédération des caisses Desjardins du Québec, used under licence. State Farm branded policies are underwritten by Certas Home and Auto Insurance Company. ® State Farm and related trademarks and logos are registered trademarks owned by State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, used under licence by Certas Home and Auto Insurance Company and certain of its affiliates. State Farm Canada is becoming Desjardins Insurance. Now you can enjoy a simple and modern approach to insurance alongside the personal service and expert advice you have come to expect. Find out how we're bringing better things to you. Call, email or drop by my office today. Lora Greene, Agent 211 Guelph Street Georgetown, ON L7G 5B5 Bus: 905-873-1615 lora@loragreene.ca Creating great smiles New Patients Welcome Family and Cosmetic Dentistry marketplace Dental Centre Georgetown Marketplace Mall 905-877-CARE (2273) • www.georgetowndental.com HOURS: Monday & Wednesday 8:00am - 8:00pm • Tuesday & Thursday 8:00am - 6:00pm • Saturday 8:00am - 3:00pm Proudly Serving Georgetown Since 1994. find the right fit for Halton Hills. JON HURST The issue I hear most about is traffic and trucks, particularly in Acton and Norval, where the need for bypasses has been ex- pressed for years. The threat of an approved hid- den quarry west of Acton would absolutely exacer- bate the present situation, as the proponent has said they have every right to bring trucks along High- way 7 through the heart of Acton, Georgetown and Norval. This is why I have vocalized my opposition to that quarry, not to mention the serious environmental threats and underwater blasting concerns. Howev- er, I think a more impor- tant issue affecting all of Halton Hills is the need for housing options for seniors wishing to downsize to smaller homes so they can stay in town, along with af- fordable housing options for young families and first-time home purchas- ers. In a recent memo to council, town staff provid- ed several options and their ramifications that could be considered by the new council to encourage affordable housing con- struction. They include land use policies, develop- ment charges, taxation, in- clusive zoning and other fi- nancial incentives. Moving forward, I support a strate- gic planning exercise by the new council that would review those options and lead to the development of a comprehensive afford- able housing policy. WARD TWO, TED BROWN Many people in the ur- ban areas of Halton Hills express concerns about public transit, and when council might implement it. Most people are not aware that we already have a form of public tran- sit, with our Acti-Van ser- vice. When adding a public transit service to the town, I believe we must proceed carefully, certain we cre- ate a system that specifical- ly answers the needs of the residents of Halton Hills, and not become a huge fi- nancial drain in the pro- cess. Public transit is an expensive service and tra- ditionally highly subsi- dized. Some communities, like the Town of Innisfil, have taken the unique step of partnering with Uber to subsidize their transit ser- vices. Other municipalities are investigating small electric buses to cover their needs.Whatever route we take, I support working toward incorpo- rating some form of public transit in Halton Hills, but I just want to be certain we move slowly, and get it right, rather than throw to- gether a quick fix service that is not a good fit, and in doing so, becomes a very costly item. The last thing I want to see is a full-blown transit system driving around town with only one or two passengers on board. BRYAN LEWIS May I please lump four of the more concerning items being presented by the rural portions of Hal- ton Hills: roads, taxes, ser- vices received (including policing), and infrastruc- ture well-being.Roads are far more than the surface coverage. And we must ad- dress land purchase (e.g. Trafalgar Road); roadbed conditions; ditching; sig- nage; lighting; bridges; hard-surfacing or road- sealing (e.g. frost heaving); markings of road and in- tersections. Stay focused on needs to each rural road ... they vary. We must be aware of any tax increase to justify any services pro- vided. I have not heard from anyone who has the desire to cut any current provided services. Any tax increase should be mindful of the cost of living to the average household. GEOFF MALTBY We have a few major is- sues our town is facing, I believe they all go hand-in- hand. We can not tackle one issue without ensuring the other things are in pla- ce.Seniors housing is one of my top priorities. We should be "courting" senior old age homes to build a new residences in our town. We should be looking after our seniors, as they made our community great. Why are they forced to move away out of there community?Our roads are in terrible disrepair. Over the past five weeks I have driven up and down every road in ward two. Every road needs major recon- struction, with so much new development being put into the town and no re- al plan to alleviate the traf- fic woes we are already fac- ing.A By pass? 15 years away? Council says it's so important, they are work- ing on it in every way pos- sible. Yet in the debate it was stated: "It will be at least 15 more years before any movement." Why an- other 15 years away? This is where we need the "made in Halton Hills" solution to our problem, not just sit back and wait. I believe it's time we elect people to start getting these jobs done. WARD THREE, DAVE KENTNER 1) Growth. This is the major puzzle with many large pieces, which council will have to fit together to form our Halton Hills solu- tion. The province has man- dated growth by way of the 'Places to Grow Act.' They have done this in response to the flood of new legal im- migrants arriving in Cana- da each year, the majority of them wanting to live and work in the GTHA. The Town of Halton Hills is planning for 20,000 new residents between 2021 and 2031. Planning has al- ready begun on the growth for 2031-2041. So you can see that we are going to un- dergo decades of lifestyle- changing growth as Cana- da and Ontario accept more and more new resi- dents. Careful detailed plan- ning is required (such as Vision Georgetown and Destination Downtown secondary plans) in order to fit the new growth (high density town houses and multistorey condo and apartment buildings) into our existing urban bound- aries. From these efforts, initiatives such as afford- able housing, transporta- tion, jobs, the production and distribution of mari- juana, our accessibility needs, our cycling and pe- destrian needs, and infra- structure changes address- ing the atrocious Halton Hills driving habits (failing to stop at red lights and stop signs and speeding). MOYA JOHNSON Growth and its impacts (traffic congestion, service levels, need for transit) is the major issue facing resi- dents of Halton Hills. I believe that the best strategy for addressing growth and change is en- suring that we prepare and plan ahead. Current offi- cial plans and up-to-date zoning bylaws provide res- idents with a clear vision of where growth will occur, what it will look like, and how it will affect them, both personally and as a community. It is important that council follows these plans when applications are presented and to allow amendments/deviations only if there is a very good reason. This creates a level of trust in council's com- mitment to growing a sus- tainable community. Maintaining service levels to keep pace with growth is an ongoing pro- cess of evaluation, plan- ning and updating service levels, programs and facil- ities, so growth does not negatively affect current residents and their access to town services. New resi- dents also require timely access to town services in order to integrate and feel a part of their new communi- ty. Expansion of our cur- rent transit system will al- so ease congestion result- ing from growth, and im- prove employment oppor- tunities. A "made in Halton Hills" solution is currently being studied. PATRICK CRYAN I believe the biggest is- sue facing Halton Hills is growth and development. Infrastructure is the key to handling the influx of pop- ulation into the communi- ty that has been mandated by the province. We need to work with the region to widen the gateway roads that enter the community. We need to synchronize traffic lights to keep traffic flowing. We also need to have a plan for sustainable transportation in the com- munity. I would like to see link routes to surrounding areas such as Milton/Oak- ville, Mississauga and Brampton. I believe the first steps should be to try to establish deals with these surrounding areas to extend routes into Halton Hills with a shared cost. This would prevent the massive startup costs of creating our own compete service. There are many possibilities in this scenar- io that could serve us well to connect to residents to outside work opportuni- ties as well as educational institutions. We need to be working with all levels of government to ensure all growth is manageable lo- gistically and financially. WARD FOUR, BOB INGLIS The top issue affecting our community is growth, and the intensification of that growth, particularly in the Vision Georgetown lands.The town embarked on a strategy to address these lands. Residents, the development industry, town staff and consultants were actively involved in the process. A secondary plan for the area was ap- proved by the town. The start of that development will be within the next NEWS See CANDIDATES, page 14 Continued from page 14