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www.insidehalton.com |OAKVILLE BEAVER |Friday, December 22, 2017 |6 EDITORIAL | OPINION ABOUT US Happy Holidays We hope you have the very happiest of holidays. And for anyone who is feeling blue or struggling with chal lenges, we hope you know you are not alone. Factors such as mental illness, depression, anxiety over issues such as finances, stress at work or grief over losing a loved one can seem to be magnifed at this time of year. So much so, that some people find it difficult to feel the spirit of the season. A variety of places of worship offer support and special re sources, such as outreach programs and Blue Christmas ser vices, that trade the hustle and bustle of the holidays for quiet reflection, particularly for those who may be dealing with loss and grieving. Schools, service clubs and volunteers reach out to those who may need a helping hand in money-related matters. The whole point of the season is to focus on putting the needs of others top of the list. And though there is a determination to fill wish lists and festive tables with abundance, the season truly is about the abundance of goodwill toward others. It is our wish this holiday season that anyone struggling, with one or more of myriad challenges, is aware that resourc es, goodwill and support are available in abundance in our community year-round as well as at this festive time of year. Reach out. Ask for help. You will find someone is there to help and it may just make for the start of a very brand new year in 2018. Here are a few suggestions to start: · Acclaim Health -- 905-827-8800; toll-free 1-800-387 7127 · ADAPT Substance Abuse Treatment Program -- 905 639-6537 · Alcoholics Anonymous Halton - 905-845-5900 · Alzheimer Society of Hamilton and Halton -- 289-837 2310 · Bereaved Families of Ontario - Halton/Peel -- 905-848 4337 · Canadian Mental Health Association Halton Branch -- 905-693-4270 · Canadian Red Cross -- 905-845-5241 · Distress Centre Oakville -- 905-849-4541 or 905-681 1488 · Fare Share Food Bank-- 905-847-3988 · Halton Healthcare Services (HHS) -- (905) 845-2571 · Halton Women' s Place -- South Shelter 905-332-1593, Crisis/Information/Support Line 905-332-7892; North Shel ter 905-878-8970; Crisis/Information/Support 905-878-8555 · Kerr Street Ministries -- 905-845-7485 · Kids Help Phone -- 1-800-668-6868 · Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual Youth Line -- 1-800-268-9688 · Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital -- 905-845-2571 · Oakville & Milton Humane Society -- 905-845-1551 · Reach Out Centre for Kids (ROCK) -- 905-339-3525; 24-hour Crisis Line: 905-878-9785 · Region of Halton -- 311; 905-825-6000 · Salvation Army of Oakville -- 905-827-5324 · St. John Ambulance -- 905-469-9325 · SAVIS of Halton 24-hour Crisis/Support Line -- 905-875 1555 There are many more. Oakville is an amazing, caring com munity. Happy Holidays to everyone and the very best in 2018! 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. ·* metrolandmedia · * Connected to your community® 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 National NewsMedia Council % N ew s M e d ia C a n a d a M e d ia s d 'ln fo C a n a d a Loc Media hmiS editor@oakvillebeaver.com E | @OakvilleBeav | @oakvillebeaver i^i insidehalton.com M y V ie w Local residents to get affordable housing A ll Canadians need and deserve housing that is safe and affordable. Thanks to the federal government' s 10-year, $40 billion National Housing Strategy, local residents in Oakville NorthBurlington will soon receive more afford able housing assistance. I was pleased to join local stakeholders at Habitat for Humanity Halton-Mississauga last week to share details of the National Housing Strategy that will help reduce homelessness and improve the availability and quality of housing for Canadians in need. The Federation of Canadian Municipali ties has said that this is the "kind of fed eral leadership that local governments have been seeking for more than 20 years". The strategy will reduce chronic home lessness by 50 per cent; remove more than 530,000 households from housing need; create four times as many new housing units as built under federal programs from 2005 to 2015; repair three times as many existing housing units as repaired under federal programs from 2005 to 2015; and Pam Damoff Oakville North-Burlington MP protect an additional 385,000 households from losing an affordable place to live. It will meet the needs of the most vulner able Canadians including seniors, Indige nous Peoples, survivors of family violence, see Thanks on p.23 Pud by Steve Nease WHO WE ARE CONTACT US The Oakville Beaver 5046 Mainway, Unit 2, Burlington ON L7L 5Z1 Phone 905-845-3824 / Fax 905-337-5568 Classified 1-800-263-6480 Digital/Flyers/Retail Advertising 289-293-0624 Real Estate/Homefinder.ca Advertising Suzanne Trickey / 289-293-0677 / 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 Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please call 1-866-838-8960 or email Customerservice@metroland.com Vice-President and Group Publisher of Metroland West Neil Oliver Advertising Director Daniel Baird / dbaird@metroland.com / 289-293-0624 Managing Editor Angela Blackburn / ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com / 289-293-0617 Regional General Manager Kelly Montague kmontague@metroland.com / 289-293-0614 Director of Distribution Charlene Hall / chall@metroland.com / 905-631-6095