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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 31 ,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 EDITORIAL You don't need a crystal ball to know Justin Tru- deau's second term as prime minister will be more gru- elling than his first. Burdened by a minority instead of buoyed by a ma- jority, he faces daunting environmental, economic and Indigenous-relations challenges at home in addition to the sobering uncertainty of a world order upended by an increasingly unreliable America and an ever-more assertive China. So many and varied are the problems, threats and troubles pressuring Trudeau, it may be difficult for him to know where to start in confronting them. But we have no hesitation in saying what should top his to-do list. It should be managing divisions - the ones deepening through the House of Commons as well as the ones weakening Canada. And, to achieve this, he should keep his promises to do more to fight climate change while expanding the Trans Mountain pipeline out west. These issues are all intertwined. No one can deny the nation is more seriously split on regional lines today than after Trudeau's 2015 election triumph and the "sunny ways" it briefly ushered in. Incensed by the roadblocks to getting their oil to market and the reality they're without a single MP re- presenting them in Ottawa, Albertans are suddenly musing, however impractically, about "Wexit." Mean- while, a less obstreperous Quebec has renewed its push for greater autonomy. Only by finding a way to make the 43rd Parliament function productively can Trudeau bring Canadians and Canada back together again. Working in his favour is the size of his minority government. With 157 MPs, the Liberals are just over a dozen votes short of a major- ity in the House of Commons. As the most centrist party in this polarized House, the Liberals share common ground with the New Demo- crats on the left and the Conservatives on the right. With some heartfelt goodwill, Trudeau should be able to garner the support he needs to create a stable, effective government for at least a year or two. Trudeau need not be lured into forming a coalition with the NDP or anyone else. And it was heartening to hear Trudeau reject this option at an Ottawa news con- ference last week. The Liberals should be able to govern on an issue-by-issue basis - without making costly and major concessions to another party. TRUDEAU MUST CROSS THE NATION'S DIVIDES On any given day I col- lect a lot of stuff. You name it I've decluttered it out and away from basements, attics, closets, garages, storage units, under the stairs, from rafters, trunks, boxes, bins and bags and found a myriad of ways to get it all gone and used as opposed to contrib- uting to landfills. One avenue is what I call packsacks for the homeless. Each morning I drive my wife to work in Toronto from Oakville to relieve her of a relentless commute. She buys me a coffee and I'm usually back in time for my morning cli- ent booking. This is where the pack- sacks come in. Once off the Gardiner at Spadina I am greeted by the many home- less who strive to survive in a completely different world - one most of us can never imagine. For the most part they are polite and thankful for any small offering. But instead of just a jingle of nickels and dimes I love to surprise them with, "How about a packsack full of great stuff you can use?" I asked myself what I would need if I had to live on the streets. I think like a camper or traveller. I stuff in power bars, water, a flashlight, a paperback of short stories, reading glasses, a portable medical kit with bandages and such, an airline gift bag of soaps, shavers, sewing kits, a baggie of change, maybe a Tim's gift card, gloves, a sleeping bag rolled up and tied on, camping utensils and cups, a thermos, a hat, a scarf, clean socks, a sweat- shirt, something funny to lighten their lives, some- thing they could sell - any- thing I've collected in the packsack until I'm happy with it. One young woman, head shaved and plastered with tattoos, had one word for the packsack I handed out to her, "Sweet." That made my day. Declutter something for the homeless. It'll bring a little therapy to your home. Stephen Ilott is a home organizer and author of The Domestic Archeolo- gist. Visit www.declutter- ing.ca or contact him at info@decluttering.ca or 416-460-8098. PACKSACKS FOR THE HOMELESS 'SWEET' COMMENT MADE MY DAY, WRITES STEPHEN ILOTT STEPHEN ILOTT Column SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT THEIFP.CA