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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, F eb ru ar y 21 ,2 01 9 | 4 Since being elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, many things have changed for me. However, there is one thing which hasn't changed: That being, my continued desire to put the concerns of our people in Wellington-Halton Hills first. My commitment to my constituents has always been my primary focus during the 28 years I've served as a member of pro- vincial parliament at Queen's Park in Toronto. I'm determined to demon- strate that this will contin- ue to be the case, as long as I'm an MPP. But let's go back a bit. Just a few months ago, on June 7, a hard-fought provincial election result- ed in 76 Progressive Con- servatives, 40 New Demo- crats, 7 Liberals, and 1 Green party candidate be- ing sent to Queen's Park. The Ontario legislature was almost immediately called into session. As al- ways after a provincial election, the first order of business for the House was the election of a Speaker by secret ballot, with all MPPs being given the opportunity to partici- pate. A few days before the vote, having been encour- aged by MPPs on both sides of the House, I agreed to allow my name to stand for the position of Speaker. I told MPPs that if the majority of them wanted me to serve as Speaker, I was willing to do so, to the best of my ability. For better or worse, they took me up on my of- fer, and I was elected Speaker on July 11. The legislature then proceed- ed to sit through the sum- mer and for most of the re- mainder of 2018, right up until Christmas. My new role as Speaker is challenging, to say the least. However, I hope to make a positive contribu- tion to Ontario and our provincial parliament, while continuing to do my job as your MPP. I've been asked many questions about what it's like to be the Speaker. Here are some that come up frequently: Question: Now that you're the Speaker, how do you represent us? Answer: In many re- spects, my work as an MPP continues as before. When the House is not in ses- sion, I still work in our rid- ing office, meeting with constituents, responding to correspondence, re- searching the issues, and working with my staff. We also meet with con- stituents outside of the of- fice, and we continue to have regular "Halton Hills Days," when we meet with Halton Hills residents in the boardrooms of our lo- cal libraries. I go to bat for my con- stituents, as I've always done. Question: That's all well and good, but does the Speaker have a voice in the government's decision- making process? Answer: My experience so far has been that MPPs on all sides of the House, including the members of cabinet, have an apprecia- tion and respect for the role of the Speaker. They are quite attentive to the concerns I bring forward on behalf of our people and seem to make them a priority. Because the Speaker must maintain the confi- dence of the both govern- WHAT DOES A LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO SPEAKER DO? OPINION HERE ARE SOME ANSWERS, WRITES MPP TED ARNOTT See - page 5 TED ARNOTT Column CONQUER WINTER. Limited time lease offers available through Honda Financial Services Inc. (HFS), to qualified retail customers on approved credit. Weekly payments include freight and PDI (ranges from $1,655 to $1,795 depending on model), tire & environmental fee ($21) [This fee covers the cost to Honda Canada of collecting and recycling tires], A/C charge ($100), and OMVIC fee ($10). Taxes, licence, insurance and registration are extra. *No payments for 90 days (payment deferral) offer is available on any new and unregistered Honda vehicle financed through Honda Financial Services (on approved credit), and delivered at a participating Honda dealer, between January 3 to February 28, 2019. Monthly payments are deferred for 90 days from the start of the finance contract, and the term of the contract will be extended accordingly. Applicable interest charges will not accrue during the first 90 days of the contract. After 90 days applicable interest will start to accrue, and no later than 90 days from the start of the contract the purchaser will begin to repay principal and applicable interest over the scheduled term of the contract. Offer ends 28 February 2019 and is subject to change or cancellation without notice. Cannot be combined with any other offers. Dealer may sell for less. Visit Honda.ca or your Honda dealer for details.ΩRepresentative weekly lease example: 2019 Civic LX Sedan 6MT (Model FC2E5KEX) // 2019 CR-V LX 2WD CVT (Model RW1H3KES) // 2019 Accord LX-HS Sedan (Model CV1F1KE) on a 60-month term with 260 weekly payments at 2.49% // 4.49% // 3.99% lease APR. Weekly payment is $61.28 // $84.77 // $85.71 with $0 down or equivalent trade-in and $0 total lease incentive included. Down payments, $0 security deposit and first weekly payments due at lease inception. Total lease obligation is $15,934.08 // $22,041.18 // $22,284.89. 100,000 kilometre allowance; charge of $0.12/km for excess kilometres. PPSA lien registration fee of $45.93 and lien registering agent's fee of $5.65, due at time of delivery are not included. For all offers: licence, insurance, PPSA, other taxes (including HST) and excess wear and tear are extra. Taxes payable on full amount of purchase price. Offers only valid for Ontario residents at participating Ontario Honda Dealers. Dealer may lease for less. Dealer order/ trade may be necessary but may not be available in all cases. Colour availability may vary by dealer. Vehicles and accessories are for illustration purposes only. Offers, prices and features subject to change without notice. See your Ontario Honda Dealer or visit HondaOntario.com for full details. LEASE PAYMENTS INCLUDE FREIGHT AND PDI. EXCLUDES LICENCE AND HST. DEALER ORDER/TRADE MAY BE NECESSARY. honda.ca MODEL RW1H3KES MODEL CV1F1KE MODEL FC2E5KEX MODEL CV1F1KE FOR 60 MONTHSB FOR 60 MONTHSB 3.99% 2.49% LEASE WEEKLY FROM LEASE WEEKLY FROM $0 DOWN PAYMENT/OAC $0 DOWN PAYMENT/OAC NEW LOWER PAYMENT THE REFRESHED 2019 CIVIC LX NEW LOWER PAYMENT THE WELL-EQUIPPED 2019 ACCORD LX $0 SECURITY DEPOSIT$0 SECURITY DEPOSIT $86 APR $62 APR C2E5KEXMODEL F NEW LOWER PAYMENT THE VERSATILE 2019 CR-V LX FOR 60 MONTHSB AT 4.49% $0 DOWN PAYMENT/OAC $0 SECURITY DEPOSIT $85 APR LEASE WEEKLY FROM CONQUER WINTER. 3KES1HWMODEL R YMENTAWER PONEW L V LX-TILE 2019 CRTHE VERSA NTHS MO 60ROF B ATOMY FRLEASE WEEKL Enriching the lives of Children Since 1985. LOCATIONS 479 Guelph St., Norval 905-877-4376 483 Guelph St., Norval 905-877-4375 www.georgetowndaycare.ca 2018 Halton Hills Meet new friends and have fun! Limited Spaces Available for March 11th - 15th CALL NOW! Includes SPECIAL OUTINGS, all Snacks, PLUS Sub Thursday and Pizza Friday! (BYO Lunches Mon-Wed). Only $225 for the week. SPECIAL OUTINGS! Mon Mar 11 th Birds of Prey Show Thurs Mar 14 th Derfla the Magical Pirate Sho w GS! Ages 6-12 Register now for MARCH BREAK!