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•T h e IF P • H al to n H ill s • D ec em be r 2 4- 26 , 2 01 3 6 OPINION This weekend's ice storm served us two stark reminders. The first was just how reliant we have be- come on electricity and power use. No power means no heat, no cooking, no comforts we take for granted every day. The second is just how lucky we are to live in a community that has such professional emer- gency services. Halton Hills Hydro crew workers deserve a huge pat on the back for the work they have done over the past 72 hours in trying to get the lights back on to thousands of homes in Halton Hills, and keeping residents informed through social media. Crews have been working 16- hour shifts in dangerous conditions, removing branches and reconnecting power lines. It is a thankless job done in terrible conditions. We ask all residents to show patience as crews con- tinue to work in the coming days. A tip of the hat also goes to all the Town's pub- lic works crews, and to emergency services per- sonnel from police, to fire to emergency medical services (EMS) who worked diligently to prevent this horrible situation from being worse. Mayor Rick Bonnette and his council have also been front and centre during this crisis ensuring heating centres are open to the resi- dents. As well, they should be commended for their foresight in fighting the Province to retain control of Halton Hills Hydro earlier this year. Undoubtedly, this decision has led to better lo- cal service delivery. We hope this severe weather situation doesn't entirely dampen the Christmas spirit this week for many residents. Merry Christmas. The Independent & Free Press is published Thursday and is one of sev- eral Metroland Media Group Ltd. community newspapers. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copy- right. Unauthorized use is prohibited. The Independent & Free Press is a member of the Ontario Press Council, which is an independent ethical organization established to deal with editorial concerns. For additional information or to file a complaint, contact info@ ontpress.com or call 416- 340-1981. The Independent & Free Press Ice capades Letters to the editor Dear editor, I just got back from watching my kids in their annual Christmas concert at Robert Little School and I must say, that I have never been as upset as I am now. Here was the evenings setlist, for all children to sing. Grandma Got Run Over By A Rein- deer Le Petit flocon de neige Reindeer rap Sing Gloria Rap on the rooftop Hannoukah La chanson de la toupie Winter solstice Christmas la Nuit de noel Kwanza is Here This little Light of Mine Am I wrong for wondering where all the holiday songs are? Not one person in that audience knew any of those songs, and I guaran- tee you, that not one kid will be singing any of those songs with their friends, or on sing-a-longs in a car. Ask anyone walking down the street to name five Christmas songs, and no one will list the ones the kids were taught. What's wrong with Deck the Halls? Frosty the Snowman? Jingle Bells? Ru- dolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer? Most of the kids didn't even know what they were singing! We are so busy celebrating other people's cultures that we are forgetting our own. Even at the end of the concert, no one said Merry Christmas-- we were told to have a Happy Solstice. How wrong is that? I am in no way religious, but I still say "Merry Christmas". I will always say it. I'm done caring about offending everyone, because no one cares about offending an average Canadian like me. I think the main problem here, is that while many of you might agree, most stay silent. I say it's time we start being vocal. If we keep adapting to everyone else's values and beliefs, we will lose our own. Stuart Cain, Acton How will you likely celebrate New Year's Eve? • Spend a quiet night at home (72%) • Attend a party (16%) • Go out for dinner (7%) • Go on vacation (5%) WEB POLL RESULTS (Go to www.theifp.ca) Concert leaves reader upset 'Thiefs' forewarned Dear editor, To the person(s) who stole $1.1 billion from myself and the rest of the Ontario Taxpayers: I hope you're happy and proud of yourselves. We had been saving that money for a long time, working long hours including plenty of overtime, pinching our pennies, years of sacrific- ing and budgeting....and in one act of brazen disregard, you disguised your- selves as the caretakers of our precious savings-- and you stole it. We had plans for that money. It was to look after our aging parents to ensure they got decent care in their later years, it was for arenas, playing fields, and schools for our children and grandchildren, it was to improve our roads and infrastructure, it was to hire more doctors and nurses to tend to our growing population, etc. However, you seem to feel that you need it more than we do. Well, you should beware of one thing. Karma can be a nasty mistress, and you are very high on her list. Chris Wilson, Georgetown 905-873-0301 Publisher: Dana Robbins General manager: Steve Foreman (sforeman@theifp.ca) Retail advertising manager: Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@theifp.ca) Managing editor: John McGhie (jmcghie@theifp.ca) Distribution manager: Nancy Geissler (ngeissler@theifp.ca) Classifieds/Real Estate Kristie Pells (classified@theifp.ca or realestate@theifp.ca) Classified Call Centre 1-855-415-8237 haltonhillsclassads@metroland.com Accounting 1-866-773-6575 Editorial Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@theifp.ca) Ted Brown: Photography (tbrown@theifp.ca) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@theifp.ca) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@theifp.ca) Get the latest headlines delivered to your inbox by signing up for our twice weekly electronic newsletter. Go to www.theifp.ca and click on 'Newsletter sign-up' at the bottom of the homepage.