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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, S ep te m be r 24 ,2 02 0 | 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 Managing Editor Catherine O'Hara Managing Editor Karen Miceli Distribution Representative Iouliana Polar Real Estate Kristie Pells Regional Production Manager Manuel Garcia Halton Media General Manager Jason Pehora 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 This week Parliament resumes with the Gover- nor General's Speech from the Throne, which outlines the government's priori- ties for the upcoming ses- sion. It has been over six months since Parliament, with its full powers, has met. Parliament was effec- tively suspended due to the pandemic on March 13. Since then it has met spo- radically in the form of a special COVID-19 commit- tee, and other committees, that had little power other than to ask questions and to make statements. After six months it is time for Parliament, with all its powers, to resume to en- sure the proper function- ing of our democracy. The Prime Minister has indicated that the govern- ment will introduce new priorities in the Speech from the Throne. In the weeks after the Speech from the Throne, confidence will be tested in the House of Commons. This could lead to a federal election. Our position as the Con- servative opposition is clear: we do not want a fed- eral election this autumn because Canadians do not want one. The only person who will decide on whether Ca- nadians go to the polls be- fore Christmas is the prime minister. If he de- cides to have an election, we are prepared for one that we and Canadians do not want to have. There has been much speculation about what will be in the Speech from the Throne. My own view is that the government should focus on the eco- nomic recovery needed to address the loss of jobs and income resulting from the lockdowns of the pandem- ic. As Parliament resumes, my Conservative col- leagues and I will be close- ly examining the govern- ment's priorities as out- lined in the Speech from the Throne. We are going to work hard to ensure indi- viduals, families and busi- nesses are front and centre in the economic recovery from the pandemic. Michael Chong is the MP for Wellington-Halton Hills, and the shadow minister of foreign affairs for the official Opposition. He can be reached at Mi- chael.chong.a3@parl.gc.ca. THE RETURN OF CANADA'S PARLIAMENT ECONOMIC RECOVERY SHOULD TOP THE GOVERNMENT'S PRIORITY LIST, WRITES MICHAEL CHONG COVID-19 sure has changed our lifestyle. We're not enjoying the fall fairs this year and we're having virtual runs/walks for Terry Fox, the George- town Hospital and other such events. Even though our COVID-19 numbers are low, in other surrounding areas the numbers are high. We must remain vigi- lant, social distance, wash our hands and wear a mask (unless you have a medical condition). We should all be concerned with the vi- rus. There is also another important threat that is not going away -- climate change. At its meeting August 31, Halton Hills council adopted a climate change adaptation plan, which lays out a series of steps in- tended to help the town prepare for the effects of global climate change. The plan is mainly focused on actions the town and its residents can take, recom- mending additional poli- cies and plans the town can implement to mitigate the effects of climate change, and providing indicators to assess the implementation process. There are five main goals of the climate change adaptation plan: preparing the town for extreme weather events, increasing town resilience to higher temperatures and more frequent heat waves, in- creasing town resilience to flooding, preparing for the socio-economic impacts of climate change, and pro- tecting town residents from the health and safety impacts of climate change. It also provides a series of actions the town can take to mitigate the effects of cli- mate change, such as up- grading municipal build- ings to better withstand ex- treme weather, protecting and enhancing the town's tree canopy, and improving the town's stormwater man- agement capacity. For every dollar spent on adaptation planning, approximately five or six dollars are saved later in damages. For more information please go to: https:// www.haltonhills.ca/en/ your-government/climate- change.aspx#Adaptation- managing-the-effects I also want to acknowl- edge two staff member re- tirements. Dick Spear from Transportation & Public Works and Joanne Wilson from the Gellert Centre. I'm sure many of you in the community know Dick and Joanne, and we wish them a very healthy and happy retirement! Rick Bonnette is the Mayor of Halton Hills. Follow him on Twitter @RickBonnette1 and In- stagram rick_bonnette1. PREPARING FOR THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE THE TOWN OF HALTON HILLS HAS A PLAN TO INCREASE ITS RESILIENCE TO EXTREME WEATHER, WRITES RICK BONNETTE RICK BONNETTE Column A BIRD'S EYE VIEW A wood thrush visits a local backyard in a wooded area of town. Do you have a great local photo you'd like to share? Send it to sleblanc@metroland.com, along with a brief description. Tony Fortunato photo MICHAEL CHONG Column