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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR They leave; we grieve Dear editor, We feel compelled to reflect on the increasing numbers of senior Actonians leaving our town. (We could give you a long list of seniors leaving town but have decided to leave this out for now.) Their needs for downsizing (house to condo or one level accommodation) make it necessary for them to go to Milton, Georgetown or Guelph. There is nothing for them here and so they move. Some of them saw early plans for an Acton condo fail and received their cheques for "holding" back-- the builder deciding not to build here was a disappointment to say the least. These people are merchants, teachers, and parents who raised their families here, paid their taxes here for many years and they gave wonderful service to our community. Now we see them go elsewhere. It is our loss they leave family, friends, and their churches behind. We are very thankful for the Legion apartments-- Lake View Villa (Elizabeth Drive) but more is needed. True, a few may choose to move afar but most, "would love to stay in Acton." It seems we fail them at this stage in their lives by not providing adequate senior housing for them. If other communities can do it why not us? Stop the exodus now! Shirley Broostad, Acton Chair of the Seniors West Planning and Education Committee people who bravely stepped forward as candidates in this election and to their campaign teams for their hard work. Moving forward, I am tremendously passionate and excited by the community in which I was raised and where I am raising my family and I am anxious to channel that enthusiasm into projects and commitments that will benefit both Ward 2 and the Town of Caledon communities at large. Thank you for placing your trust in me. Allan Thompson Ward 2 Regional Councillor Caledon `Frenchie' says thanks Dear editor, As a regular reader of your paper and advertiser, I wish to offer a thank you to all my customers. I have owned several businesses in my life but the biggest, best and busiest of them was the last one I owned, called Frenchie's Fries, which operated in Acton for 28 years. Some weekends we went through as many as 161 50 lb. bags of potatoes along with other goodies such as hot dogs, hamburgers and sausages. After the recent passing of my wife Helen I decided to close the business but I wanted to thank everyone for their patronage over the years. Claude Morissette, Georgetown Continue to look for more information on active living programs and services by visiting the Town's website at www.haltonhills.ca or by calling 905-873-2601 ext. 2262. Aaron Matthews, Town of Halton Hills Recreation and Parks Department Civic Centre belongs to all Dear editor, While I generally find your editorial opinions bang-on, I have to take exception with points of your November 8 editorial with regard to banning Derrick Williams. Firstly, our Civic Centre is not a business with the right to ban access to anyone they choose. Our town hall belongs to ALL the taxpayers of this community. It is not there for the enjoyment and benefit of the staff who work within it. Secondly, CAO Dennis Perlin is a civil servant. Effectively, Mr Perlin works for the taxpayers of this community, including Derrick Williams. If he doesn't like the job perhaps he should look at moving to the private sector. I suspect Mr. Williams' outbursts may be born of frustration with the bloated bureaucracy which seems to have been created in Halton Hills. The endgame is not to see how many civil servants Halton Hills can employ, but to serve the constituency in as efficient and cost-effective manner as possible. It's doubtful that the Notice of Trespass would stand a court challenge, and I would be most disappointed if council approved spending any of our tax dollars on pursuing this silly attempt at muzzling Mr. Williams. Don Dagenais, Georgetown Recycling plan flawed Dear editor, Re: Proposed recycling plan is best approach. (Oct. 27, 2006). Mr. Curt Bucey's company, Strategic Materials, does a fine job in recycling glass. But the buzz words, "closed loop" recycling (glass to glass) will not work with the LCBO. Years ago, soda pop bottles had a deposit and the glass was returned to the bottlers to be cleaned and refilled with their products. The Beer Store uses the same method in reusing the bottles. We're all happy that over 90% of the beer bottles do not end up in our landfills. But any quick look at the products supplied by LCBO, shows a myriad of nations exporting fine wines and spirits. How does Mr. Bucey propose to get these bottles back to the foreign vintners and distillers? Set up another costly, taxpayerfunded bureaucracy? And what if those companies refuse to refill the used bottles? We've accepted beer bottles being refilled for years. But people buying something for a special occasion expect a pristine bottle to hold the product. An expensive bottle of cognac in a scuffed bottle somehow doesn't cut it. R.J. Summers, Georgetown Core not wheelchair-friendly Dear editor, My mother-in-law visited us recently. She is 87 years old and needs a wheelchair to go any distance. I told her what a great downtown Georgetown has and wanted her to experience it. We started down Main Street but the sidewalks were so bad she was afraid she was going to fall out of the chair. We had two blocks to go and the intersections at the end of both blocks were not wheelchair-friendly. There was no smooth ramp-like transition from sidewalk to road and there was at least an inch bump at each intersection. Our downtown is not wheelchairfriendly. There are so many shops we would have visited but could not because of steps or rough sidewalks. Something should be done about the wheelchair accessibility in our downtown area. Kay Wright, Georgetown Honour appreciated Dear editor, I was honoured recently to receive the "Kenneth R. Harrison Award for Working with Youth". Thank you to the Arts Alive Group for that honour and all the unsung work they do to promote the arts in Georgetown. No one does anything in theatre alone. It is a collaboration which is better than the sum of its parts. Thank you, all of you, who are just as crazy as I am, for jumping in and getting involved. None of it would have happened without you. For anyone searching for a "Fountain of Youth" -- try volunteering to work with young people. They are an amazing energy source. Thank you guys for the enthusiasm and creativity that you bring, not to mention talent. Thank you, Halton residents and the Independent & Free Press for your support and attendance. It's more fun with an audience. Cat Heaven, Georgetown Rotary Club thanked Dear editor, I would like to express my appreciation to the Rotary Club of Georgetown and its many co-sponsors for the dinner and fellowship I enjoyed Oct. 30 with 275 fellow seniors of Georgetown and the community. This benevolent gesture has been an annual event for 52 years for members of our community who have celebrated at least 70 birthdays. To the members of the Rotary Club I send my sincerest thanks. Mildred Blackett, Georgetown Town race was amazing Dear editor, The Town of Halton Hills' hosted it's very own `Race for the Hills' on Saturday October 14, a spin on the popular TV series Amazing Race. Race for the Hills invited adults in teams of three to scour the community for clues and endure physical challenges-- manoeuvring through checkpoints, detours, roadblocks, and pit stops, testing not only their physical but also their mental abilities. In total, 23 teams, (69 participants), participated in this fun-filled race and everyone went home a winner, despite the rain, sleet and cold temperatures. The event's success was due in large part by the enthusiasm of those who participated, the volunteers who so graciously dedicated their time and efforts to the race and also all the corporate supporters who donated prizes and giveaways. Corporate sponsors included, Feet in Motion, Young's Pharmacy & Homecare, Eagle Ridge Golf Club, Silvercreek Café, Power Zone Fitness, Ontario Triathlon Association, McDonald's (Georgetown), Frito Lay Canada, SunOpta Canadian Food Distribution Group and Laidlaw Education Services. Race for the Hills was hosted by the Town as an initiative to support and provide active living opportunities in Halton Hills. Jumbo provided good times Dear editor, As an employee of Jumbo Video in Georgetown since 1995 I would like to thank, not only the wonderful customers who walked through the doors faithfully, but the employees as well. I honestly admit that I am missing my work and the customers at Jumbo very much, but most of all the staff. Now that I think back I must admit Jumbo was one of my "happy places". Terry and I had an amazing crew when Jumbo closed their doors on August 23, 2006. I remember my first day starting at Jumbo as a supervisor with the first owner-- we had 25 employees-- and when Jumbo closed we had nine, including Terry and I. With there being only nine of us, we were able to build wonderful friendships. There were tough situations that arose between us at times, as this happens in most workplaces, but overall we got along pretty well. I want to thank Terry for being a great manager and allowing me to have a family life outside of my job...that meant more then you'll ever know. And to the rest of you-- Chris, Bryan, Sarah, Kevin, Ben, Kirstin and Melanie thank you for making Jumbo Video a great place to work. Michelle Feenstra, Rockwood Relay a rousing success Dear editor, I would like to thank all the participants, volunteers and sponsors who helped make the recent Relay for Life event such a great success. The first Acton, Erin and Rockwood event was held at Rockmosa Park and despite the rainy weather we had a great turnout, fantastic food, wonderful entertainment and raised more than $13,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society. We would like to thank all those businesses that donated and prepared food items, the entertainers who performed, and the Rockwood Lions Club for supplying the breakfast for volunteers and participants. We would like to extend a huge thank you to the Independent & Free Press and New Tanner for their coverage of this event-- we really appreciate your support. Cathy Gerrow, president Acton branch Canadian Cancer Society Councillor thanks helpers Dear editor: As one of my first duties as the newlyelected Town of Caledon Regional Councillor for Ward 2, I wanted to extend the heartfelt thanks of myself, my family and our entire campaign team to the residents of Ward 2 who entrusted me with their support and confidence and who helped me secure victory in our municipal election. Congratulations also to all of the other successful councillors who will be joining me around the council chamber table. It isn't easy to step forward, take a position and be willing to let your name stand on a ballot seeking election and credit must certainly be given to all of the