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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, Ja nu ar y 24 ,2 01 9 | 8 ABOUT US This newspaper, 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 family of newspapers is comprised f of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the news- paper 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 editor@oakvillebeaver.com facebook.com/OakvilleBeavfacebook.com/OakvilleBeavf @OakvilleBeaver WHO WE ARE VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague Regional Managing Editor Catherine O'Hara Managing Editor Karen Miceli Director of Distribution Charlene Hall Circulation Manager Kim Mossman Director of Production Mark Dills Regional Production Manager Manny Garcia Regional General Manager Steve Foreman Halton Media General Manager Vicki Dillane Regional Director of Media Holly Chriss CONTACT US Oakville Beaver 901 Guelph Line Burlington, ON L7R 3N8 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 for verification purposes. We f reserve the right to edit, con- dense or reject letters. Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail kmossman@metroland.com or call 905-631-6095. OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT INSIDEHALTON.COM EDITORIAL Ontario Premier Doug Ford didn't wait long before creating another stir within municipal government. This time it's not Toronto, but dozens of towns and cities left wondering what changes the province has in mind with the appointment of special advisers to review regional governments in order to make "better use of taxpayers' dollars." Unlike Toronto's appalling experience, where council was slashed nearly in half in the middle of an election campaign, the province is starting with consultation this time. But once again, the Ford government has identified no specific problems with how all these mu- nicipalities are working, just the usual vague references to cutting red tape and finding efficiencies. That's certain to create turmoil for big city regions like Halton, with politicians and staff scrambling to figure out what any of this will actually mean for them - good, bad, or perhaps in the end, not much at all. But all that noise has already served to divert atten- tion from another announcement the government made on recently to overhaul Ontario's growth plan. And with this one, we do know what it means - and it's not good. The government is dramatically rolling back the density targets brought in under the Liberals and en- couraging urban sprawl with single-family homes that can't support public transit. These changes, along with others in Bill 66, the gov- ernment's wide-ranging omnibus legislation introduced last month, are bad news for protecting the Greenbelt, and more broadly the very principle of compact, sustain- able growth. The government's plan would take Ontario back- wards by green-lighting urban sprawl once again and saddling future communities with neighbourhoods that have such low density, they can't even support a bus service. That means long commutes and more grid- locked highways for everyone. That's not to say this won't be a popular move. In some quarters, it's bound to be. That's because the Ford government is selling it as what's required to get more housing built. With the price of housing rising far faster than in- comes, lots of people are being priced out of the housing market across the Greater Toronto Area and the whole Golden Horseshoe region. There certainly is a shortage of affordable housing, both ownership and rental. And there's no shortage of developers who are quick to claim that those problems would be solved, if only the government would open up more land for development. LOTS TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT INSIDEHALTON.COM Our community is the safest in Canada because we all work together to keep it that way. Our police services are guided by Sir Robert Peel's principles of policing, which were established in 1829 and boil down to this simple approach: The po- lice are the community and the community are the po- lice. Our officers are the indi- viduals paid full time to ex- ercise the duties that are in- cumbent upon every one of us if we are to have a safe and strong community. Our community is lucky that our residents under- stand we have a shared re- sponsibility - that we all play a role in keeping Hal- ton safe and healthy. Our involvement with each oth- er, having each other's backs if you will, and our level of community engage- ment is the reason why we enjoy a great lifestyle. Crime Stoppers of Halton helps us protect each other by letting people give anon- ymous tips to police. We continue to nurtureWe continue to nurtureW our public safety programs and services, and invest in keeping our community safe. As the Halton Police Ser- vice Board chair, I'm pleased to see that the re- gional budget has passed with a 3.5 per cent increase to the Halton Regional Po- lice Service budget to tack- le key priorities, including: • Increasing new officers for front-line dutiesfor front-line dutiesf • Upgrading/replacing front-line technology pro-front-line technology pro-f ductivity tools • Planning for the con- solidation of Milton/Hal- ton Hills facilities in a new station • Increasing public en- gagement with community mobilization bureaus • Reducing sources of crime with the community safety and well-being plan Through these priori- ties, I'm confident we will remain the safest commu- nity in Canada for the 14th year in a row. We will also continue to be the best for the lowest crime rate, the best on crime solving, the best for lowest staff to pop- ulation ratios and on cost per capita. We are committed toWe are committed toW stay the leader in commu- nity safety and policing ex- cellence, and to be as safe or safer tomorrow as we are today. Our community is the safest, most sustainable and livable community in Canada because we care for one another. And if we keep doing that, our future will always be bright. Rob Burton is the mayor of Oakville. Visit www.oak- ville.ca/mayor for more information and follow @MayorRobBurton on Facebook and @Oakville- Mayor on Twitter. KEEPING OUR COMMUNITY THE SAFEST IN CANADA WE ALL PLAY A ROLE IN KEEPING HALTON SAFE, WRITES MAYOR BURTON ROB BURTON Column