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© BOPINION “DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION OMMUNITY LEADERS GATHER ROUNDTABLE, WRITES KAREN MICELI The IFP - Halton Hills | Thursday, October ford = = =| [ —f > Ss KAREN MICELI Column It'sabout trust. Our rela- tionship with our readers is built on transparency, hon- esty and integrity. As such, launched a trust initiative to tell you who we areand how why we do what we do. mais article is part of that project. Earlier this year, I told you about the Halton Advi sory Council that formed by Metroland's Halton Division communi- ty newspapers to help us better understand the is- sues facing our residents, readers and business part- ners. yuncil —led by the Burkecan Post, Oakville Beaver, Milton Canadian Champion and George- town/Acton COMMITTEE DELVES INTO LOCAL ISSUES Late last month, the first meeting of the Diversi- ty and mevusion Commit- tee was hel a vi roundtable. We asked the committee members: + In your opinion, what are some of the key chal- lenges facing Halton's di- verse communities? + What should Metro- land take away from this meeting? What are you tak- ing away from this conver- sation? We heard about issues surrounding trans youth in accessing gender-af- firming health care, bully- ing of newcomers in schools, overall rampant racism in Halton, as wellas the need for panes ed- veation for all ees, ane rogramming adults with "evelopment disabilities. As a result of feedback from the meeting, we are planning editorial initia- tives, including a special series of stories anda acom- munity outreach project, to focus on diversity is issues in Halton. Next week, the Trust ind T Com- and Free Press — brought together a group of com- munity leaders from across the region to share their thoughts on what is- sues were most pressing in Halton. After taking it all in, we formed three sub-commit- tees fod delve into the is issues more closely — rsity and Ieluson, trust and Transp: Com: g rannity He Health, eurety and : Wellbeing mittee with meet for the ue time and we expect we gain more insight into our relationship with our readers. Stay tuned. Karen Miceli is manag- ing editor of Metroland's Halton community news- pers. We welcome your ques- tions and value your com- ments. Email our trust committee at trust@met- roland.com. TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT THEIFPCA SNAPSHOT ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gina Patterson photo A frog basks in the sun on a deck in the Ewing and Ontario streets area. Do you have a great local photo you'd like to share? Send it to sleblanc@metroland.com, along with a brief description. UNDERSTANDING INFLATION VITAL TO INVESTING LET FACTS, NOT FEAR, GUIDE YOUR DECISIONS, WRITES PETER WATSON Should investors worry they may eive poor stock market returns if in- flation rates rise? not been the case. Assume the stock mar- ket gained 10 per cent dur- inflat was three per cent. The first three per cent of re- turn is needed to account for inflation. An investor needs to recover the three per cent of purchasing power that was eroded dur- ing the year. In this example, the af- ter-inflation "real" ret to the J investor was seven "since: 1926, the U.S. stock market has posted an aver- fe annual after inflation "real" return of 7.3 per cent. ey. Bonds ae Jess short- term been significantly lower than stocks. Inflati is an impor- tant consideration. We rec- PETER WATSON ommend understanding its Column implication on both your and your abil- More recently, the S&P 500 index had positive re- fol during times of inflation is key xy. That comes down to evaluating your financial opectives understanding and ity to meet your ‘nancial objectives. Peter Watson is regis- red with Aligned Capital Fiat Inc. (ACPI) to provide investment advice. Investment products are provided by ACPI. ACPI is a member of the Invest- ment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada. deciding how to allocate your investments. listorically, stocks have had ‘ificantly higher returns than bonds. Stocks also have a higher risk, and some years you should expect to lose mon- are feds of the author and not necessarily those of ACPI. Watson provides wealth management services through Watson Invest- ments. He can be reached at www.watsoninvestment- s.com. Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of i d of more than 70 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member 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 nne fjocna NewresaiaCounet oO newsroom@thei IndependentAndFreePress @IFP_11 WHO WE ARE Regional Managing Editor Catherine O'Hara Managing Editor Karen Miceli Distribution Representative Real Estate Kristie Pells Halton Media General Manager Jason Pehora CONTACT US The Independent & Free Press 901 Guelph Line Burlington, ON L7R 3N8 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 elivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail Iolrmitoneanadianchampon com or call 905-234-1019. fas Accredited.