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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 15 ,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 70 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 On March 24, I declared a state of emergency -- and I am not looking to end this any time soon. Through this declara- tion, under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, municipal- ities may take certain ac- tions and issue orders con- sidered necessary and law- ful to implement the Town's emergency plan. We do this to keep the com- munity safe. I want to be clear and send the strongest message possible about the need to adhere to the health and safety precautions as di- rected by public health. • Wash your hands regu- larly. • Wear a mask or face covering in public places. • Practice physical dis- tancing. • And most importantly -- adhere to the latest so- cial gathering numbers as directed by the Province On Sept. 19, Premier Doug Ford announced the new gathering limits are 10 people indoors and 25 peo- ple outdoors. We are all in this togeth- er, and I am asking for this community's co-operation. This includes behaving respectfully and responsi- bly in public parks; when children are using play equipment; when entering a facility or business. I urge everyone to do their part so the numbers in Hal- ton Hills do not rise. We also have a CO- VID-19 page on our web- site, and staff keeps it cur- rent. It has contact infor- mation and links to other resources. Visit the Town's website at www.haltonhills.ca or visit Halton Region's web- site at www.halton.ca. Public health is a re- gional responsibility and we follow the direction of the local medical officer of health. BEAUTIFUL ADDITION TO OUR TOWN Kudos to all the volun- teers of Halton Hills for planting butterfly-friendly gardens. The David Suzuki Foundation has recog- nized the Halton Hills But- terflyway as only the 11th in Canada to be recog- nized. The Butterflyway in- cludes private yards and gardens, as well as the Town Hall, Old Seed House Garden, Lucy Maud Mont- gomery Garden, Willow Park Ecology Centre and McNabb Park in Norval. PLENTY TO BE THANKFUL FOR These are uncertain times, and I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving under these trying times. Many in our community may not have been as fortu- nate. Please remember to give to our many charities in town. Rick Bonnette is the Mayor of Halton Hills. Follow him on Twitter @RickBonnette1 and In- stagram rick_bonnette1. WE MUST ALL REMAIN VIGILANT EVERYONE'S CONTINUED RESOLVE NEEDED IN THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19, WRITES RICK BONNETTE Will the U.S. election outcome affect the value of your U.S. stocks? This is a question that in- vestors are asking these days, as the Nov. 3 election quickly approaches. Add in the unpredictability of Pres- ident Donald Trump, and it is easy to understand those that might be nervous. Based on the last 90 years of data, we should predict the election out- come will not affect that country's stock values. Shareholders that in- vest in these companies made a prediction that they will be rewarded based on the success of companies they invest. They bought the companies, not a politi- cal party. The real question is: Will the next president po- tentially impact market re- turns? If so, then yes. But so are thousands of other variables. The theory of investing is that all available market information is incorporat- ed into the price of the stock. This was the finding of Professor Eugene Fama in his thesis during the 1960s, and helped contrib- ute to him winning a Nobel Prize for economics. If you look at a graph dat- ing back to 1929, you see a relatively stable increase in stock values. Stable over in- termediate and long-term periods with lots of short- term volatility is very nor- mal for stock markets. This information comes from the Fama/French Total US Market Research Index. During that long period of time, the Democrats and Republicans have traded the presidency 10 times on what visually looks like a fairly regular back-and-forth. What can we observe from this information? Political parties have not historically influenced the stock market. Peter Watson, of Watson Investments MBA, CFP®, R.F.P., CIM®, FCSI offers a weekly financial plan- ning column, 'Dollars & Sense'. He can be contacted through www.watsonin- vestments.com. WILL U.S. ELECTION AFFECT STOCK VALUES? HISTORY SHOWS THE ELECTION OUTCOME SHOULD NOT INFLUENCE THE MARKET, WRITES PETER WATSON PETER WATSON Column A squirrel scales a fence in a backyard in the south end of Georgetown. Do you have a great local photo you'd like to share? Send it to sleblanc@metroland.com, along with a brief description. Roksolana Lobur photo SNAPSHOT RICK BONNETTE Column