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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, O ct ob er 24 ,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 The people have spoken. The dust has settled. The members of the 43rd Canadian Parliament have been decided. Another election has come and gone. You may be happy with the outcome, but maybe not so much. If you were disappointed, hopefully in the long run you will be pleasantly surprised. If you voted, you should be proud that you had your say and contributed to our electoral process and a democratic system that should be cherished. But it's important to remember that your civic duty does not end at the ballot box. No matter whom you supported or voted for, you need to continue to make your voice heard and press on issues that are important. While elected officials have a great deal of power in a democracy, the people also have collective power to hold the government and elected officials accountable for the decisions they make and the issues they tackle. As your community newspaper, we will keep you informed on how the government is performing on your behalf and ensure the elected officials in Halton justify their actions and decisions. The federal government has a lot of responsibility. It plays a huge role in Canadians' lives - from the col- lection of taxes to the delivery of social services, and from the supervision of international trade to the safeguarding of national security. The federal level of government deals with areas of law listed in the Constitution Act, 1867 and that gener- ally affect the whole country. The federal government manages a number of na- tional portfolios - responsibilities include mail, taxa- tion, railways, pipelines, the census, criminal law, national defence, Aboriginal rights and foreign af- fairs. We are calling on all successful candidates to al- ways act in the best interests of their constituents. And we also ask those candidates who were suc- cessful on election day, but whose parties were not, to always act for the common good, even though their party is not the one in power. There are many issues this government needs to take on. A couple of big ones are climate change and the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline. How they will play out may be determined this coming term. This is a great country, but there is plenty of room for improvement. We have high hopes that our newly- elected government will make progress on the issues that mean the most to Canadians and will uphold their promises. THE ELECTION IS OVER, SO NOW WHAT? We hope you have seen our new campaign - #You- Too. If you haven't, I hope you will go now and search for it. For over 40 years, the mission at Halton Women's Place has been to provide a gateway to safety where women and their families can thrive. Sensationaliz- ing violence is not the an- swer. At Halton Women's Place, we see the problems - we choose to focus on the answers. Behind almost every woman's story is a person or people who have been in- strumental in helping her get out of her abusive situa- tion and to a place of hope and success. This cam- paign focuses on the help- ers, and how we can all be a part of someone's success story. Sometimes - most times - it is difficult for women to share their stories. They are too raw, too real, too heartbreaking to share. This campaign allows for these women to highlight their heroes and focus on their lives, free of violence and abuse. It's time to change the conversation. We need YOU to help us change it. Earlier this month we launched our campaign with a video - https://you- too.haltonwomensplace- .com. (Scroll to Shift Your Thinking video) This video focuses on the reality that there is more to the story than meets the eye. Even at work, we can see the effects of abuse. We hope that you can share this video through ALL your social media channels! We also hope that you also listen to the stories on this webpage listed above - Every Hero Has a Story. These stories highlight the special peo- ple who helped three wom- en out of their abuse. And if you have a story to tell about who helped YOU, you can share it without reveal- ing your name. Your story will inspire others. Throughout the next few months we will be re- leasing two more videos - one in November, with Woman Abuse Prevention Month, and our final video in the new year. We hope you stay connected with all of them. Help us change the con- versation from, "Why did she stay?" to "How can I help her?" It's a conversation we all need to have. Carm Bozzo is the de- velopment manager for Halton Women's Place. TIME TO CHANGE THE CONVERSATION #YOUTOO CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS THE HEROES TO ABUSED WOMEN, WRITES BOZZO CARM BOZZO Column SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT THEIFP.CA EDITORIAL