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, O ct ob er 10 ,2 01 9 | 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 Managing Editor Catherine O'Hara Managing Editor Karen Miceli Distribution Representative Iouliana Polar 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: 1-800-263-6480 Fax: 905-873-0398 Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 320 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Published letters will appear in print and/or online at theifp.ca Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail lpolar@miltoncanadianchampion.com or call 905-234-1019. OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT THEIFP.CA Every week more than 167,000 copies of the Burling- ton Post, Georgetown/Acton Independent and Free Press, Milton Canadian Champion and Oakville Beaver hit the street and land on doorsteps across Halton. Eight in 10 Canadians read a newspaper every week - either in print or online - including 85 per cent of millen- nials. And still, newspapers are in a battle for survival. Research has found 63 per cent of Canadians are un- able to distinguish between legitimate news websites and fake news stories, and 65 per cent are worried false information or fake news is being used as a weapon. Access to truthful news is under threat. For years, the credible, independent news reporting that newspa- pers provide has been funded by local advertiser sup- port. But as readership moved online, many Canadian brands and companies transferred their advertising dollars to global conglomerates. Seventy per cent of Canada's online ad revenue goes to Facebook and Google - despite the fact that ads in either digital or print news- papers are the most trusted of all ad formats. This is National Newspaper Week in Canada. It is our chance to remind readers that newspapers are snapshots of history. They are accurate reflections of moments in time - what we were all thinking, doing and experiencing. We asked our journalists to explain why newspapers are still essential. Here are some of their responses. Roland Cilliers, reporter "Newspapers give people access to worlds and per- spectives they often times wouldn't even be aware of. A world without community news is one with an ever more segmented population." Louie Rosella, online editor "Newspapers matter because residents want to stay informed through the objective and investigative lens that our journalism offers regarding the issues impact- ing their community, whether it's a crime in their neigh- bourhood, taxes going up, a new development project, the need for a stop sign and so on. Without the delivery of this important, local content, the conversation dies. Change cannot be effected." Steve LeBlanc, news editor "Newspapers matter because we don't just pass the baton of information at any given moment. Often we explore and share how the facts of a single event fit into a greater truth." It's a clear consensus. Democracy depends on profes- sional journalism. Without the journalism we produce, what would happen to the checks and balances that go hand-in-hand with the accountability we expect in our society? Please sign a pledge of support at newspapersmatter- .ca and send a message to Canadian businesses, ad- vertisers and all levels of government that newspapers matter, now more than ever. NEWSPAPERS ESSENTIAL SNAPSHOT OF HISTORY Do you ever drive a car, take the bus, or use a side- walk? I'm betting the an- swer is "yes." Municipali- ties are responsible for much of what you do on a day-to-day basis, yet we re- ly on other levels of govern- ment to support you through the infrastructure you use all the time. De- spite being responsible for 60 per cent of Canada's pub- lic infrastructure, munici- palities collect only 10 per cent of each Canadian tax dollar. The Federation of Cana- dian Municipalities exists to ensure that municipali- ties are properly supported by the federal government. For this election, we re- leased a platform called Building Better Lives (www.buildingbetter- lives.ca). We are calling on par- ties to permanently double the federal Gas Tax Fund, so we can renew your local infrastructure in a predict- able way. If you live in Halton, traffic is almost certainly an issue for you. And you probably also use your lo- cal community centres, and the clean water that Halton provides. Roads, bridges, water systems and community centres get bet- ter through stable and pre- dictable funding. Perma- nently doubling the Gas Tax Fund will provide that predictability. We are also calling for permanent public transit funding mechanisms to empower municipalities to continue easing gridlock, and shorten commutes for workers and families. Also, our housing af- fordability proposals would increase the supply of affordable housing. On climate change, new long-term funding for local climate adaptation would protect Canadians from more frequent, severe weather extremes - from wildfires to floods and storms. And we are urging par- ties to commit to universal internet access. Municipalities across the country, including Hal- ton's, want these policies from the federal govern- ment. Halton Region is ask- ing local candidates to re- spond to a questionnaire that reflects residents' con- cerns, including many of the above items. We are al- so asking candidates about their position on confirm- ing regional and provincial regulatory roles in the pro- posed CN truck-rail hub. You can check out can- didates' responses at Hal- ton.ca. It's an exciting and im- portant time for Canada. See you at the polls. Rory Nisan is an elected member of the board of directors of the Federation of Canadian Municipal- ities. He is councillor of Ward 3 in Burlington. EMPOWERING LOCAL LEADERS KEY TO BUILDING BETTER LIVES FCM PLATFORM PRESENTED TO CANDIDATES, WRITES RORY NISAN RORY NISAN Column EDITORIAL