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ns id eh al to n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | Th ur sd ay , Fe br ua ry 1 ,2 01 8 | o o OPINION - EDITORIAL - Patrick Brown had to go The four hours that ended just after 1 a.m. Jan. 25 may go down as the most tumultuous in Ontario's political history In that impossibly brief span of time, sexual misconduct allegations against Patrick Brown led to his humiliating resignation as leader of the Progressive Conservatives, left his shocked party in disarray and shredded earlier pre­ dictions for a likely PC victory in the provincial general election just four months away Suddenly between late last Wednesday night and early the following morning, everything changed. And everything had to, given the temper of our times and what Brown was accused of doing. Two women had stepped forward alleging Brown had inappropriate sexual relations with them, when at least one of the women were in their teens, and Brown was a member of Parliament. One woman says Brown met her at a bar and took her back to his Barrie home where he asked her to perform a sexual act. At the time of the alleged incident, more than 10 years ago, she was in high school and too young to legally drink alcohol. The second woman says Brown behaved inappropri­ ately when she was a subordinate working in his constitu­ ency office in 2013. She alleges that after she became drunk at a party Brown put her down on a bed and lay on top of her. When she told him to stop, he did and drove her home. Some people will say it's premature to judge Brown. He faces no criminal charges. Nothing has been proven. But such arguments are wrong. The allegations are extremely serious. To be sure, Ontarians cannot know the truth of what happened or, indeed, if it will ever emerge. They can only hope the authorities will investigate further. Yet in the face of such uncertainty Brown had to go. He could not lead his party into an election while on a daily basis responding to questions about his own, past conduct rather than his party's platform. This is 2018. We are in a new era, the #MeToo era, when powerful men in the worlds of politics, sports, the arts and entertainment are being brought low by accusations of sexual misconduct. Not all allegations are followed by legal action and the light shed by a court of law Yet they leave fair-minded people free to decide, on the balance of probabilities, whose movie they would watch or what party they'd vote for. The Progressive Conservative caucus deserves praise for immediately insisting that Brown step down after he vowed to stay on and fight. But at the end of a sad, troubling week, their challenges have just begun. The PCs need a new leader. They might need a new platform, too. And they have barely four months before election day little time to do so much. Ontarians yearning for a credible alternative to the Liberals, might have already written off one option. ABOUT US The Oakville Beaver, published every Thursday, 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 80 community publications across Ontario. o°© °o m etro landm edia • 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 nnc Apcna In iideHalton.com ^ editor@oakvillebeaver.com E facebook.com/OakvilleBeav Q @OakvilleBeaver 2018 budget: Investing in local priorities Regional tax increase at or below inflation, says Gary Carr As we move into the new year, Halton is already working to ensure the suc­ cessful completion of our current Strategic Action Plan. These efforts are guid­ ed by our 2018 Budget and Business Plan, which de­ tails how we will deliver on resident priorities in the months to come. The 2018 budget focuses on identifying savings and efficiencies by reorganizing resources to priority areas. It also maintains service levels for regional pro­ grams and makes strategic investments in new and ex­ isting infrastructure. As al­ ways, it is based on prudent, :___ t i t .____ L_ GARY CARR Column forward-looking financial planning principles, and keeps property tax increas­ es for regional services at or below the rate of inflation. Key investments in the budget include the follow­ ing increases: • $9.4 million to improve quality, accessibility, af­ fordability, flexibility and inclusivity of licensed child­ care programs. • $3.2 million to acquire new housing units and pro­ vide additional rent supple­ ments for Hatton's housing clients through the Com­ prehensive Housing Strate­ gy. • $1.8 million to address increasing call volumes and maintain service levels in paramedic services. • $835,000 to improve re­ lief staff resources for para­ medic services, services for seniors and children's ser­ vices. • $800,000 to to provide sustainable greenland se- curement funding for the Waterfront Master Plan. • $651,000 to support the state of good repair for re­ gional facilities. • $490,000 to support the inclusion of plastic bags and film in the blue box starting April 2018. • $396,000 to support the Regional Road Mainte­ nance Program. • $350,000 to increase Hal­ ton Community Investment Fund's annual contribution for community initiatives with a focus on health or so­ cial services. • $346,000 to help prevent and address homelessness based on the provincial funding allocation. • $121,000 to support the Conservation Authorities' Emerald Ash Borer pro­ grams. The budget includes a 1.9 per cent increase in proper­ ty taxes for regional servic­ es and a 3.8 per cent in­ crease in the water and wastewater rate to support these actions. By promoting long-term sustainability while sup­ porting our shared vision for the community, the bud­ get will help keep Halton a great place to live, work, raise a family and retire. For more, visit www.hal- ton.ca/budget.- Gary Carr is the chair o f the Regional Municipality o f Halton. CONTACT US W HO W E ARE Oakville Beaver 2-5046 Mainway Burlington, ON L7L 5Z1 Phone: 289-293-0617 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Digital/Flyer/Retail: 289-293-0624 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. Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail kmossman@metroland.com or call 905-631-6095. A c c r d d i t e FDSAWAccredited VP and Group Publisher Neil Oliver Regional General Manager Kelly Montague kmontague@metroland.com | 289-293-0614 Managing Editor Angela Blackburn ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com | 289-293-0617 Circulation Manager Kim Mossman kmossman@metroland.com | 905-631-6095 Director Advertising Daniel Baird dbaird@metroland.com 289-293-0624 http://www.mediacouncil.ca mailto:editor@oakvillebeaver.com http://www.hal-ton.ca/budget http://www.hal-ton.ca/budget mailto:kmossman@metroland.com mailto:kmontague@metroland.com mailto:ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com mailto:kmossman@metroland.com mailto:dbaird@metroland.com - EDITORIAL - ABOUT US °o metrolandmedia Inii deHalton.com GARY CARR CONTACT US WHO WE ARE FDSAW