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Census Canada recently released the population counts through to 2006. These statistics are rather interesting. Halton Hills' population in the past five years has increased by 14 pre cent. Some may say, "Wow, look at how fast we've grown!" In comparison, Milton has grown by 71 per cent, and our neighbour to the east, Brampton, has grown by 33 per cent. Growth is a double-edged sword. While it brings in business opportunities, it also puts great demands on our infrastructure, i.e. arenas, roads, fire halls, schools, hospitals, sports fields etc. Hence, the regional chair's and four area mayors' fight with Queen's Park. I feel we are not being respected for our Official Plans by the Province. The ink was not even dry with council's approval of our Official Plan when the Province legislated the Places To Grow Plan demanding that Halton Region grow by a whopping 68 per cent by 2031. Our Official Plan states that we do not expand the urban boundary of Georgetown. We know now that, in the near future, this will probably be challenged. Chair Carr and the four area mayors, along with our council, have questioned the Province as to how one is going to pay for this forced growth. I think that this is a flawed legislation by the bureaucrats at Queen's Park. This legislation should be scrapped and let the local municipalities decide how much growth we want. We can't afford the Places To Grow and its time the Province should be keeping it real. It will be interesting to see what the Liberals will come up with, let alone the Province showing disrespect Rick Bonnette Conservatives, as we head into the October election. ··· Reconstruction of Main Street, Georgetown is under way. Please support the downtown merchants during this time. This will be a difficult period for them in the upcoming months. ··· Mark your calendar for April 20 for the Third Annual 20-Minute Makeover, and April 2 for Earth Day. Councillor Jane Fogal, along with the Litter-Free Committee, have been busy organizing these dates. ··· Local heroes: Elyse Schultz and Richard Pyman. ··· The Mayor's Showcase is presently featuring the artwork of local artist Janet Bailey. Janet is a visual artist with much of her work being inspired by an appreciation of her own family life and the rural countryside. Her House on the Hill Studio is located in Glen Williams. ··· Keeping it real! I can be reached by telephone at 905-873-2601, ext. 2342, or by email at mayor@haltonhills.ca. --Rick Bonnette is the mayor of Halton Hills