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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, M ay 2, 20 19 | 6 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the news- paper 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 WHO WE ARE Publisher Kelly Montague Regional General Manager Steve Foreman Regional Director of Media Holly Chriss Regional Managing Editor Catherine O'Hara Managing Editor Karen Miceli Distribution Representative Iouliana Polar Classified/Real Estate Kristie Pells Regional Production Manager Manuel Garcia Production Shelli Harrison Halton Media General Manager Vicki Dillane CONTACT 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, con- dense or reject letters. Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail lpolar@miltoncana- dianchampion.com or call 905- 234-1019. OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT THEIFP.CA EDITORIAL For every 100 Ontario kids who need support and treat- ment for mental health issues, 67 aren't receiving them. Imagine that. It is estimated that about a million children in the province battle mental health problems. So two thirds of them - about 667,000 - aren't getting help. What would happen if that same abysmal statistic ap- plied to kids fighting childhood cancers? Or muscular de- generative diseases? Or visual impairment? Mental health disorders are nothing more or less than that. Same as diabetes. Same as any other illness. We would not tolerate that many kids being deprived of any other essential health service, but we do just that when it comes to mental health care. That suggests that while societal views on mental health have come a long way, we still have a very long way to go. The information, damning and baffling, comes from the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study (OCHS) published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry last month. It gets worse. The same research tells us that no one in Ontario is ultimately responsible for children's mental health care. To quote from the journal: 'In essence, the 2014 OCHS provides a 30-year report card on children's mental health, suggesting that for far too long, Canadians have tolerated an inadequate patchwork of services - which the public may be unaware of until children develop problems and families try to get help.' The research spotlighted by the respected medical jour- nal was carried out by the Offord Centre for Child Studies, which is affiliated with McMaster University and McMas- ter Children's Hospital. It studied 10,802 Ontario youth aged four to 17. Eight papers were generated, which required an entire issue of the journal dedicated to the research. How important is this exhaustive work? Consider this from the report: "Mental disorders typically start in childhood and cause substantial individual and collective burdens across the lifespan. These disorders are also now the leading cause of childhood disability worldwide. Exacerbating the burdens, high childhood disorder prevalence has been coupled with low children's mental health service reach. Service short- falls have persisted despite growing research evidence on effective interventions and despite widespread recognition that timely access to adequate health, social, and educa- tional services is a fundamental right for all children." What do decision-makers need to do now that we have this authoritative data? Again, from the report: Ensure coherent policy leadership, make and sustain comprehen- sive children's mental health plans, ensure the use of effec- tive interventions, reach all children with mental disorders using innovative service approaches and ensure adequate and dedicated children's mental health budgets. It's a tall order, but it starts from one place: ditch the patchwork quilt approach and adopt a more unified, holis- tic strategy. A diverse array of service-providers need to be heard and incorporated. But it all starts with everyone pulling in the same direction, with everyone being aware of what other stakeholders are doing. It's an ambitious approach, requiring a high degree of collaboration. But it's hard to imagine a more worthy cause and more deserving population. KIDS' MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES NO PLACE FOR A PATCHWORK QUILT I am pleased to an- nounce that Moody's In- vestors Service has upheld Halton's top credit rating once again, and we have now maintained this dis- tinction for more than 30 years! In their recent report, Moody's shares high praise for Halton's finan- cial management, plans and policies. They also as- signed us a "stable" out- look for positive and con- sistent fiscal outcomes in the future. Moody's highlighted the following credit strengths as part of its analysis: • Halton's excellent track record of posting strong fiscal results each year, supported by stable operations and an effec- tive multi-year budgeting process; • Halton's forward- looking operating and cap- ital plans to address pres- sures and spending re- quirements early on; • Halton's low and de- clining debt burden; and • the community's di- versified economy and strong population growth. The agency also praised Halton's conservative debt and investment manage- ment policies and compre- hensive, transparent and timely financial reporting. This rating helps us fi- nance major investments by providing continued ac- cess to the best capital fi- nancing rates available. This means that public funds go further whenever we perform regional works, such as road, water and wastewater projects in your community. As a result, it helps keep prop- erty taxes low as we main- tain and enhance our in- frastructure, supporting economic prosperity and a high quality of life. Earning the highest possible credit rating from two international rating agencies each year - Moody's Investors Service (Aaa) and S&P Global Rat- ings (AAA) - is critical to maintaining our strong long-term financial posi- tion. In June 2018, S&P Global Ratings upheld its own top rating for the re- gion, and earning this dis- tinction from both agen- cies is a key objective of the 2019 Budget and Busi- ness Plan. Moody's credit opinion report confirms that we are moving in the right di- rection. Our prudent fi- nancial practices will con- tinue to support a thriving community in the years to come, keeping Halton a great place to live, work, raise a family and retire. To learn more about fi- nance and transparency at Halton Region, please visit halton.ca. Gary Carr is regional chair of Halton Region. His column appears the first week of each month. To contact him, email gary.carr@halton.ca. HALTON HAS TOP CREDIT RATING, STRONG FINANCIAL POSITION A 30-YEAR DISTINCTION, WRITES GARY CARR GARY CARR Column