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THE NEW TANNERTHURSDAY, JUNE 07, 2018 7THE NEW TANNER THURSDAY, JUNE 07, 20186 Letters The views expressed in these published letters are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The New Tanner Publishing Ltd. To the Editor, Las t yea r a t th i s time, Halton Hills was responding to the chal- lenge to make Halton Hills the Most Patriot- ic Town in Canada by registering and flying at least 15,000 flags on Canada Day. The Most Patriotic Town Chal- lenge was organized by a sub-committee of the Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce. The committee, co- c h a i r e d b y C h e r y l Cardon and Ann Lawlor and aided by dedicated community volunteers, worked tirelessly for months to develop mar- keting plans, developed a web site, obtained sponsors, sold street sponsorships and pur- chased 22,000 f lags for resale and distri- bution. This last point was very significant, each flag needed to be assembled, packaged, sold and placed on dis- play in public areas. Literally hundreds of volunteers were re- quired to handle this large volume of flags. The community re- sponded not only by purchasing flags from the Chamber but from local retail stores in such volume that many were out of stock. On July 1, 2017 at noon, the registrat ion web s i te was c losed and M a y o r B o n n e t t e a t Canada Day Celebra- tions in Glen Williams announced that over 57,000 flags were of- f i c i a l l y r e g i s t e r e d making Halton Hills the Most Patriotic Town in Canada. The hard work had paid off, never have so many flags been on display in the commun- ity, the milestone was marked with both lo- cal and national press coverage. The Canada 150 Secretariat were aware of what Halton Hills had accomplished and arranged to have the Canadian Forces Snowbirds do a fly over of Halton Hills in late August, once again in- stilling a surge of pride as thousands viewed the f ly over waving their Canadian Flags. The committee has produced story boards for the project and these have been ins ta l led at Dominion Gardens Park, Mold Masters Sportsplex and Acton Arena. The Town of Halton Hills as part of the legacy installed new flag poles and street banners that will be in use for many years. Why no t o rgan ize this year? The commit- tee did meet to discuss making this on ongoing project however it was decided that the 150th Anniversary was so special it would be hard to duplicate the success of the project each year. I know tha t many residents and business- es still have their flags from last year. Let's all put them out again for Canada Day. If last year's flags look a bit tattered, new flags can be purchased from local retailers or better still, why not install a flag pole? As a member of the Most Patriotic Town Challenge Committee, I am sure that Halton Hills can rise to the challenge again this Canada Day. Happy Canada Day 151. Doug Penrice Member Most Patriotic Town Challenge Committee RE: Most Patriotic Town Challenge Residents rated their quality of life in Halton very high at 98 per cent and their satisfaction with the quality of Regional services at 97 per cent in a recent survey conducted by Pollara Strategic In- sights on behalf of Halton Region. The survey, con- ducted in November 2017, also identified pri- ority issues for residents including traffic/conges- tion, infrastructure/roads, growth and development, and transportation. "The Service Opti- mization Survey helps us understand what issues are top of mind for Hal- ton residents," said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. "We use this information both at a staff level and in Council to guide deci- sions that are made about Regional programs and services. I'm proud that we have achieved a high rating of satisfaction for Regional programs and services of 97 per cent-- this is 23 per cent higher than the provincial aver- age, which is a testament to the hard work and dedi- cation of our staff and Council." The survey results also provide insight to the type of Regional services that are most important to our residents including: • quali ty of drinking water; • waste management ser- vices; • planning and mainten- ance of infrastructure; • sewage treatment and disposal; • preservation of natural heritage; • health promotion and protection; and • Paramedic Services. In addition to the Service Optimization Survey, Hal- ton Region's call centre, Access Halton, conducts annual customer satis- faction surveys with the Service Quality Manage- ment Group (SQM) to ensure it continues to meet the needs of residents. SQM is a leader in meas- uring customer service. A December 2017 survey indicated that 92 per cent of callers were very satis- fied with their call centre experience and 93 per cent of callers were very satis- fied with their customer service representative. Ac- cess Halton was recognized for excellence in custom- er service as the recipient for the "Highest Customer Satisfaction Award" for the government sector by SQM in 2017. To learn more about Regional programs and services, please visit halton.ca. By: Vivien Fleisher Despite the abrupt departure of BIA manager Diane Gowland recently, things continue apace for the association under the interim stewardship of Halton Hills Economic Development Officer Cas- sandra Baccardax. With both Canada Day and Leathertown Festival events coming up fast, things are well in hand given the challenges. Baccardax ex- plained her role is to ensure a seamless transition and assist with the recruitment efforts for a new manager. In the mean- time, they've already made some solid moves. She added, "It has been less than a month since I've been in this role, but I feel that things have moved very quickly and we are getting a lot accomplished." Starting with the hiring of a summer student named John to support her in her role. He'll be involved with the aforementioned events and be present in the office from Monday to Thursday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. and from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Fridays. A third- year university student, he starts on June 18. He will also be able to provide con- tinuity by overlapping Baccardax's time there and that of the new manager, who they hope to have established in that role by mid-July. With ads in over 15 places, they hope to field a large candidate pool with lots of talent on offer. With a hir- ing committee in place to interview, the deadline for applying is the end of day on Sunday, June 10. Last month was the Annual General Meeting, which saw the successful re- cruiting of four new board members. Linda Olson of Royal LePage will serve as Chair; Monica Galway of Profile Hair Salon is now Vice Chair; Patrisha Som- erville of Future Forward Properties Inc. is Treasurer; and Acton Optical's Nancy Wilkes will sit on the Board, though not part of the Executive. Councillor Mike Albano will continue as the Council rep- resentative. For this year's Canada Day celebra- tions, there will be entertainment, a cake cutting and fireworks. The Leathertown Festival on August 12 is also booked with entertainment, music, vendors, food and the car show. Additionally, look for the hanging flowers and planters throughout the downtown which were installed last week by a local garden centre The Flower Shed--all part of the beauti- fication initiatives that were already underway. Baccardax is very optimis- tic about the overall plans for the town despite the hiccups along the way, say- ing, "the Town's support has allowed me to be here on an interim basis. Coupled with the enthusiasm and participation of the BIA members and some wonderful volunteers, it has ensured that it's busi- ness as usual." Residential surveys confirm high level of satisfaction in Region Business as usual for Acton BIA