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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, D ec em be r 5, 20 19 | 22 The foundation for a beautiful room. LAMINATE • HARDWOOD • VINYL CORK • CERAMIC • LVT • CARPET LAMINATE • HARDWOOD • VINYL CORK • CERAMIC • LCORK • CERAMIC • LVT • CARPETVT • CARPET LAMINATE • HARDWOOD • VINYLWOOD • VINYL Locally owned & operated by neighbours you've known & trusted for over 45 years! carpetone.com 26 Guelph St, Georgetown • 905-877-9896 Prearranging your burial or cremation is the last gift you can give your family. It releases them from having to quickly make decisions in their time of grief. It also frees them from the need to pay costs associated with your cemetery arrangements. Contact one of our family counsellors to discuss your wishes and options. Owned and operated by The Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of the Diocese of Hamilton 905-877-8500 | www.devereauxcemetery.ca A Final Gift to Your Family Halton has received almost half a mil- lion dollars from the province to offset costs incurred by police and health offi- cials since recreational cannabis was le- galized last year. Regional council approved the dis- bursement of the funds at its recent meet- ing, with the majority - $330, 573 - going to Halton regional police, and $136,391 being allocated to the Halton Region Health De- partment. The money comes from a provincial fund that was set up to assist with the im- plementation costs of cannabis legaliza- tion. According to a staff report from Medi- cal Officer of Health Dr. Hamidah Megha- ni, the majority of the funding will be used to offset increased enforcement and para- medic costs, followed by the flux in public inquiries. "For paramedics, we have seen a rise in calls related to cannabis use or misuse," she told council. "Overall it's related to cannabis use that leads to things like im- pairment, or other health effects that re- quire emergency care." Preliminary results from a survey be- ing conducted by the region reveal that 46 per cent of Halton adults reported using cannabis in their lifetime, while 19 per cent said they used the substance in the past year. "About 10 per cent of adults who had never used cannabis before, or who had not used it in the year prior to legalization, reported that they had tried cannabis or intended to try it following legalization," notes Meghani's report. Full results from the survey are expec- ted by summer 2020. Public health staff are now exploring options to update a regional bylaw - which prohibits smoking within nine metres of municipal buildings entrances - to include the smoking of cannabis and use of e-ciga- rettes and water pipes. A draft bylaw will be brought back to regional council early next year. CANNABIS AND YOU HALTON GETS FUNDS FOR CANNABIS-RELATED POLICING, HEALTH COSTS MELANIE HENNESSEY mhennessey@metroland.com A Region survey found that 46 per cent of Halton adults reported using cannabis in their lifetime. Torstar file photo illustration