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8- The Oakville Beaver, Friday October 13, 2006 www.oakvillebeaver.com Halton Region chair candidates respond on issues During the 2006 municipal election The Oakville Beaver will be posing questions to the regional chair candidates on a weekly basis. The candidates' responses to these questions will be printed in the Friday edition of the Oakville Beaver from Oct. 6- Nov. 3. This week, the candidates were asked: Halton currently faces development pressure in order to accommodate its rapidly increasing population growth. How do we plan to accommodate this growth without sacrificing the lifestyles of existing residents? Ed. Note: As of press deadline yesterday, candidate Robert Plasckka's response had not been received. Brian Burton To accommodate growth without sacrificing our environment we need to first and foremost stand up to developers. Putting developers ahead of voters has given us pressure to build on green space, put high rises in our neighbourhoods, increased traffic and increased taxes. It will get much worse -- without new leadership. Halton's plan to pay for growth is to Brian Burton raise your taxes by seven per cent every year for the next five years. As your chair I will put taxpayers first, to protect our lifestyles and, to reduce the tax increase to three per cent year. How? 1) The new Provincial Policy Statement directs all councils to defend the natural heritage system for the long term. Using this mandate, I can oversee the design of urban growth areas with a continuous linked natural heritage system, preserved forest cover and preserved wetlands. 2) Innovate; build stylish high-rise communities on the GO line that include entertainment and shopping. 3) Borrow less; for example, by not replacing the perfectly functional Regional Hall with a new $127-million Taj MaHalton Regional Hall. Build an energy-from-waste plant far in the future when it is actually needed and when the technology is much improved. 4) Move growth costs from ratepayers to developers. A vote for Brian Burton means preserving your lifestyle, your environment and your income. Gary Carr The decision of where and when to develop should be made by the elected officials in Halton not by unelected officials in Queen's Park. We must fight to get the changes by the province that will allow us to make the decisions about our communities here in Halton. We need a Regional Chair who has the experience and credibility to deal with the politicians at Gary Carr Queen's Park I was elected Speaker of the Ontario Legislature by politicians of all political stripes. I won the election of Speaker because the Members of Provincial Parliament had confidence and trusted me. I have the credibility to argue on Halton's behalf because I have earned the respect of MPPs from all parties. I also believe that the Region should insist that we do not develop land until we have the infrastructure in place such as the roads, schools, libraries and recreation facilities. We incur traffic congestion because we allow development without building the roads to handle the increased volumes of traffic. If we do decide to develop an area we must provide the proper infrastructure before developing. That is one of the reasons I will not accept money from developers during this campaign. I believe it sends the wrong message to accept money and then have them lobby for new developments. We must put people first. The decision of where and when to develop must be made with the best interests of the residents and the environment. I have always put my constituents first. Brent Marshall Halton Region has a reputation for planning proactively and developing local solutions in consultation with its residents and community partners. In this way Halton Region, in collaboration with its local municipalities, has built a community of choice with qualities residents value --a mix of town and countryside, green spaces and distinct local communities. In the Places to Grow Act Brent Marshal the Province requires that Halton Region grow to 800,000 residents by 2031. This is twice the number of people currently in Halton. The Province also requires existing urban areas to intensify to accommodate more residents, but all the new residents cannot be accommodated in existing urban areas. To some extent, new urban development will expand into Halton's countryside. What the future Halton landscape looks like, the character of its communities, its fiscal foundation, and ultimately the Halton lifestyle, will come down to making difficult decisions on choices about how Halton grows over the next 25 years. These important decisions will be made in the next term of council. As your Regional Chairman, I will lead a full public dialogue on the choices before us and ensure that the decisions about how Halton grows are guided by what Halton residents value. These are complex issues with much at stake. Halton must continue to grow in a fiscally responsive manner where development pays for itself. I have the leadership experience, knowledge and relationships to ensure Halton's valued lifestyle is protected in how our community grows. Vote for real regional experience. Originality, Success, Creativity, Innovation & Growth Small Business Week October 16-19 Kick-Off Breakfast - Monday, October 16 7:30-8:30 a.m. @ Holiday Inn Oakville Centre Guest Speaker: Pierre Morrissette, Founder and President of The Weather Network FREE ADMISSION. RSVP Required Mississauga Halton LOCAL HEALTH INTEGRATION NETWORK RÉSEAU LOCAL D'INTÉGRATION DES SERVICES DE SANTÉ de Mississauga Halton NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETINGS Mississauga Halton Local Health Integration Network The Board of Directors of the Mississauga Halton Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) welcomes residents of its constituent communities (South Etobicoke, Mississauga, Oakville, Milton, Halton Hills) to attend any of our regular or special Board or Committee meetings. Regular monthly meetings of the Board of Directors of your LHIN take place from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., on the first Thursday of each month, in the Mississauga Halton LHIN corporate offices at 700 Dorval Drive, Oakville, unless otherwise indicated on our web site. Regular Board committee meetings are scheduled during the month prior to the regular Board meetings and also meet in the corporate offices of the LHIN. Please consult our web site for the latest information on the Mississauga Halton LHIN meetings (www.lhins.on.ca), or call 905-337-7131, ext. 207. For the month of October, a special LHIN Board meeting will be held on Thursday, October 19, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., in our corporate offices, to approve the proposed Integrated Health Service Plan for the Mississauga Halton LHIN communities. This meeting is the conclusion of a public engagement process that began in May and that has involved thousands of residents and hundreds of health care providers in each of our six local municipalities. The Board wishes to thank all of those who have accepted our invitation to become involved and who have taken the opportunity to participate. Our first Integrated Health Service Plan will be a product of those valuable and extensive consultations. The regular monthly LHIN Board meeting for November has been rescheduled to Thursday, November 16, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., in the Board's corporate offices. While the public is welcome to attend and to observe the public deliberations of the Mississauga Halton LHIN Board and its committees, we would ask you to contact us in advance, in order to arrange for after-hours admission to our offices by building security staff. Our phone number for registration is 905-337-7131, ext. 207, in Oakville. Mississauga Halton Local Health Integration Network: Better Health. Better Health Care. Local Decisions. Personal Branding Seminar - Monday, October 16 9:30-11:00 a.m. @ Holiday Inn Oakville Centre This interactive personal branding workshop will help you understand your current brand position, craft your own unique personal brand statement and provide 3 key strategies to implement to raise your brand profile. Hosted By: Paul Copcutt, Square Peg Solutions Maximize Your Participation in Consumer Trade Shows Monday, October 16 11:30-1:00 p.m. @ Holiday Inn Oakville Centre Learn how to effectively showcase and demonstrate products and services. Hosted By: Sharon Jenkins, Jenkins Agency Inc. Marketing & Advertising - Tuesday, October 17 8:30-10:30 a.m. @ Holiday Inn Oakville Centre For Business Owners who want to learn how to make marketing a core competency. It will conpletely change the way you think about marketing & Advertising. Hosted By: Aby Alameddine & Ben Molfetta, Core Marketing Strategies & Bill Dodge, The Oakville Beaver Sales - Tuesday, October 17 10:30 a.m.-12:00 a.m. @ Holiday Inn Oakville Centre Learn how to master and become comfortable with sales skills to achieve results. Hosted By: Bill Weis, The HRD Group The Art of Networking - Wednesday, October 18 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. @ Holiday Inn Oakville Centre Networking is survival for the small business owner. This seminar will enhance your comfort level with this important skill. Learn how to network, where to network and who to network with. Hosted By: Audie McCarthy, Marrek Solutions Inc. Enhancing Your Business Processes with Information Technology Wednesday, October 18 12:30 p.m.-2:00 p.m. @ Holiday Inn Oakville Centre How to take advantage of new and existing technologies to get work done, organize information and work as a team. Hosted By: Gerard Chiasson, Mysys Ltd. Trade Show Wednesday, October 18 5:00-8:00 p.m. @ Oakville Town Hall-Atrium 1225 Trafalgar Road One of our most popular events! There are no other marketing or sales strategies as effective as meeting face-to-face with your potential clients and telling your business story. Book Your Trade Show Table NOW! Space is limited! Small Business Roundtable Thursday, October 19 5:00-10:00 p.m. @ Holiday Inn Oakville Centre Three interactive venues moderated by some of Oakville's leading business minds in the areas of Advertising, Branding/Marketing, and Sales. Come have all your business questions answered by the moderators. For more information contact: Jad Haffar, Marketing and Events Coordinator 905-845-6613 Ext. 28 Fax: 905-845-6475 jad@oakvillechamber.com