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w w w .insidehalton.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, A ugust 2 5 , 2 0 1 7 | 6 EDITORIAL | OPINION ABOUT US HLF on a mission - can you help? The summer break is quickly coming to an end for Halton students, and in advance of their September 5 return to the classroom parents are flocking to area shops to outfit them with everything they need to hit the books. From school supplies like pens, binders and duo tangs to clothing and sporting apparel, families are dishing out a pretty penny. Previously published reports suggest Canadian par ents spend several hundred dollars on clothing and sup plies. Last back-to-school season saw that number hover around $ 4 5 0 with the average spend varying depending on the student' s grade level. From an economic standpoint, that' s good news for re tailers. However, for families of limited means struggling to put food on the table, this hefty price tag can throw a monthly budget right off kilter. The reality is, new clothes and school supplies are un affordable luxuries for many. In Halton, about one in 10 students in Oakville, Milton, Burlington and Halton Hills are going without. And that can have a tremendous im pact on a child' s academic success. Take Ben, for example. Last year, the 12-year-old Halton boy missed several days of class because, without a winter coat and boots, he was unable to walk to school when the weather got too cold. Unfortunately, he is not alone. Some school-age chil dren in Oakville miss school or are made to feel like out siders because they don't have appropriate clothing. Enters the Halton Learning Foundation (H LF), a notfor-profit organization that provides emergency funds and subsidies to Halton District School Board students to ensure kids stay in school and engaged in learning. In Ben' s case, his principal reached out to the founda tion and requested funds to purchase the winter gear the Grade 7 boy needed. Just like that, Ben was outfitted with clothing appropriate for our cold winters. The donation did more than keep him warm -- it helped him fit in. "I'm not the weird kid in a sweater when it's minus 1 0," he said. With nearly two weeks to go before the new aca demic year comm ences, the HLF is on a mission to raise $ 1 0 ,0 0 0 to ensure students can start the school year with the basics they need to be successful. "The high cost of housing in Halton, low-paid work and unexpected events like illness or accidents can affect a family' s income to the point where they can no longer afford to buy their children new shoes or send them on a school trip," said HLF Executive Director Lesley Man sfield. Knowing that the foundation provides emergency funds to more than 1,000 students every year, it's a fun draising effort we can -- and must -- get behind. Even the smallest of donations will have an impact. So, please, consider making one today · · · Donate to the HLF online at www.haltonlearningfoundation.ca or call (9 0 5 ) 3 3 5 -3 6 6 5 , ext. 3408. The Oakville Beaver, published every Thursday and Friday, 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 100 community publications across Ontario. View our digital edition online at: Insidehalton.com under Print Editions found in the footer. ·* m etrolandm edia * C o n n e cte dtoy o u rc o m m u n ity ® The Oakville Beaver is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the newspaper 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 News Media Canada I Medias d'lnfo Canada National NcwsMcdia Council Loc M e d ia lnsideHalton.com hmiS editoi@oakvillebeaver.com E | @OakvilleBeav | @oakvillebeaver in sid eh alton .com Letter to the Editor Reader asks, `What kind of `Town' do we want?' My family moved to Oakville from Mis sissauga 15 years ago because of the trails, the vibrant historic downtown and the kinds of amenities that distin guish it from many GTA communities, -- places like the 5 Drive-In, where I remember seeing Back to the Future as a child with m y dad; the golf courses, some of which have been swallowed by development; and lively social places like Sharky' s , the terraced riverside res taurant and club that has disappeared beneath yet another condo building. In recent years the "town" has spread north of Dundas Street in accordance with Halton Region's plan to accom modate tens of thousands of added residents within municipal boundar ies. Worsening traffi c proves that road infrastructure has not kept pace with the level of development, and far more building is on the way. Oakville is now a town in name only. It will be a mid sized city of around 2 5 0 ,0 0 0 people within two decades. Clublink, own ers of the historic Glen Abbey Golf Course that hosted the Canadian Open 29 times and became synonymous with Oakville's identity, plans to turn it into housing. Municipalities like to expand their tax base and collect rev enue through development charges, but residents are asking, to what end? Do we want to trade our few remaining cultural, recreational and environmen tal resources for more privately-owned residential units? Town council is seek ing heritage designation of the famed see Oakville on p.7 Pud by Steve Nease WHO WE ARE Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please call Kim Mossman 9 0 5 -6 3 1 -6 0 9 5 or email kmossman@metroland.com CONTACT US The Oakville Beaver 5 0 4 6 Mainway, Unit 2, Burlington ON L7L 5Z1 Phone 9 0 5 -8 4 5 -3 8 2 4 / Fax 9 0 5 -3 37 -55 6 8 Classified 1-8 0 0 -2 6 3-64 8 0 Digital/Flyers/Retail Advertising 2 8 9 -2 93 -06 2 4 Real Estate/Homefinder.ca Advertising Suzanne Trickey / 2 8 9 -2 93 -06 7 7 / strickey@oakvillebeaver.com Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 200 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com Vice-President and Group Publisher of Metroland West Neil Oliver Advertising Director Daniel Baird / dbaird@metroland.com / 2 8 9 -2 9 3 -0 6 2 4 Managing Editor Angela Blackburn / ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com / 2 8 9 -2 93 -06 1 7 Regional General Manager Kelly Montague kmontague@metroland.com / 2 8 9 -2 9 3 -0 6 1 4 Director of Distribution Charlene Hall / chall@metroland.com / 9 0 5 -6 31 -60 9 5