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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, F eb ru ar y 4, 20 21 | 8 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 It's about trust. Our rela- tionship with our readers is built on transparency, hon- esty and integrity. As such, we have launched a trust initiative to tell you who we are and how and why we do what we do. This column is part of that project. If you have been follow- ing the news lately, you should be well aware of the recent media coverage sur- rounding politicians and prominent public figures who travelled over the holi- days. One such public official was Finance Minister Rod Phillips, who the media learned travelled to the Ca- ribbean island of St. Barts over Christmas. He subse- quently resigned from his cabinet role. Flamborough-Glan- brook MP David Sweet re- portedly went to the U.S. to deal with a property-relat- ed issue, but then stayed af- terward for leisure. He re- signed as chair of the House of Commons Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics Committee. Then Halton Police Chief Stephen Tanner joined the list of public fig- ures who exercised poor judgment when it was re- vealed he travelled to Flori- da for a property-related matter. We have received feed- back from our readers ex- pressing disappointment with the actions of their leaders, but others may wonder, why is it so impor- tant for the media to cover these incidents? In a nutshell: These ac- tions erode public trust -- especially at a time when that trust is so fragile. Both the federal and provincial governments have repeatedly asked Ca- nadians not to travel abroad during the pandem- ic and urged citizens to avoid gathering with fami- ly outside their household over the holidays. Halton police also shared multiple tweets en- couraging residents to fol- low public health advice and stay home. Surely, our public offi- cials should lead by exam- ple, and it is the media's du- ty to hold them account- able when they don't. What would become of the checks and balances vi- tal to a democratic society if the media did not own this watchdog role? Democracy would be the next thing packing its bags and going south. Karen Miceli is manag- ing editor of Metroland's four community newspa- pers in Halton. We welcome your questions and value your comments. Email our trust committee at trust@metroland.com. LEADERS' TRAVEL AMID COVID: WHY WE WERE QUICK TO REPORT MEDIA HAS A WATCHDOG ROLE THAT IS IMPERATIVE FOR DEMOCRACY, WRITES KAREN MICELI I am extremely disap- pointed that the federal government has ignored expert advice on signifi- cant harm to the health of Halton residents by ap- proving CN's truck-rail hub in south-west Milton. We've been advocating against this project due to its impact on our commu- nity. The location for the pro- ject is within one kilometre of approximately 34,000 current and future resi- dents, one hospital, 12 schools and two long-term care homes. The facility will operate 24/7 -- resulting in at least 1,600 new trips to and from the facility each day by heavy-duty container trucks. The significant health effects caused by this pro- ject are unavoidable. This includes the release of par- ticulate matter (PM2.5) that is unsafe at any level of exposure and will cause significant adverse effects on human health in the community. The Federal Review Panel also concluded that more than 200 mitigation conditions were required to avoid other significant adverse effects from this project, but only a handful of these conditions are en- forceable by the federal government. It is the unenviable dis- tinction of the federal gov- ernment that it is the first federal Cabinet that has ev- er decided to approve a pro- ject that would cause such health risks. There are many unan- swered questions about what CN plans to do with the remaining 800 acres af- ter it builds its new 400- acre facility. We will con- tinue to work with the com- munity and be their voice on this issue. Thank you to everyone who participated in the consultation process and provided their input for the federal government's con- sideration. To learn more about our position on CN's truck-rail hub, please visit halton.ca/ CN. Gary Carr is Regional Chair of Halton Region. To contact him, email gary.carr@halton.ca. FEDS PUTTING OUR HEALTH AT RISK APPROVAL OF CN INTERMODAL HUB TRULY DISAPPOINTING, WRITES GARY CARR KAREN MICELI Column SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT THEIFP.CA GARY CARR Column