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© BOPINION -HALTON’S BUDGET AIMS falton Hills | Thursday, Janua = BUDGET INCLUDES ® VARIETY OF * PROJECTS AND PRIORITIES FOR YEAR A\ HEAD, WRITES GARY CARR im Ae GARY CARR Column On Dec. 15, Halton Re- gional Council approved the 2022 Budget and Busi- ness Plan. It outlines our upcom- ing investments in pro- and services that our ir community relies on, as well as our ongoing re- sponse to COVID-19. The 2022 Budget keeps property taxes low while preserving the high quali- ty of life in Halton. Its com- water and wastewater ser- vices is2 2.8 Bper cent. Some key investments include: + COVID-19 Response: $13.9 million for additional costs in Public Health, Para- medic Services, Long-Term Care, ildren's Services and Housing, as well as fa- cility and technology-relat- ed costs. The majority of this investment is funded by the Federal and Provincial Safe Restart Agreement and COVID-19 Recovery Fund- ing for Municipalities, and additional Provincial fund- ing, resulting ina net cost to § taxpayers of $711,000. : +Public Health and Long- TO KEEP QUALITY OF LIFE HIGH, TAXES LOW Term Care: $2.0 million to provide needed capacity in Public Health and Long- Term Care, partially funded by anticipated Provincial fundi fing ina net cost to taxpayers of $751, -Halton's Digital Strate, gy: $1.3 million to enhance digital services by trans- ing business process- es and ¢ services to ensure complete, high- eee on- line service delive! . Strategic Investents: $2.7 mil service Tenals Rae at the objectives, outcomes and actions identified in ment in the Halton Rental Assistance Program to support an increased num- ber of rent supplement units. This investment in- cludes one-time funding re- sulting in a net cost to tax- payers of $573,000 in 2022. + Employment and So- cial Services: $300,000 to in- crease food security for On- tario Works recipients and their families. + Halton Region Com- munity Investment Fund (HRCIF): $250,000 to meet new and emerging commu- nity needs and to continue with recovel om the im- pacts ¢ of the COVID-19 pan- demi . “state-of: Good: -Repair water state-of-good-repair capital program. By making strategic in- vestments in our commu- nity, we help keep Halton a great place to live, work, raise a family and retire. Gary Carr is regional chair of Halton Region. He can gary.carr@halton.ca. TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT THEIFPCA 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 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 ocna newsroom@theifp.ca IndependentAndFreePress @IFP_11 WHO WE ARE VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague Regional General Manager Jason Pehora Director of Content Lee Ann Waterman Deputy Director of Content Catherine O'Hara TIME FOR A CAREER RETHINK YOUR CURRENT OCCUPATION TO SEE IF YOU SHOULD MAKE A CHANGE, WRITES PETER WATSON Financial success starts with your ability to earn an income. Your employment is not just a job, itis your current It makes perfect sense to periodically evaluate your working life. Consider making this CHANGE? es and minuses of your cur- rent employment. Then consider your ide- al job in terms of what you are good at, what makes you happy, location of em- ployment and flexibility, the ability to PETER WATSON work remotely and your re- Column I Crate « pitaliz. were laid off. ing on our changing world This rovided some _ tosee if youcan make aca- with the opportunity tore- reer 7 ppgrade. think their careers. jours you are Some have returned to school to upgrade their Ss. Others will use their multi-tasking ability, plus their strong personality, to apply those skills to a dif- all the he awake your job, including commuting, is likely the single task that takes up the most Do nh need to make a e? your new year The idea for this column originated from hearing how hard it is for restau- rants to hire staff. The pandemic shut down that sector and staff ferent job. M is Peter Watson, of Watson 3A, CFP®, ‘y to invest some time and ef- fort into rethinking your career to see if doing some- thing aiferent may en- hance your life Break down, all the plus- REP. CIM®, FCSI offers a weekly financial plan- ning column, Dollars Sense. He can be reached through www.watsonin- vestments.com. Karen Micel Director rr Ditton Cindi Campbell and Graeme Macintosh CONTACT US The Independent & Free Press 901 Guelph Line Burlington, ON L7R 3N8 Phone: 905-873-0301 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Fax: 905-873-039: 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 For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail Ipotar@miltoncanadianchampion.com or call 905-234-1019. fisAe)