The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, O ct ob er 15 ,2 02 0 | 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 of more than 70 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 insidehalton@metroland.com facebook.com/OakvilleBeav @OakvilleBeaver WHO WE ARE VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague Regional General Manager Jason Pehora 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 Directors of Advertising Cindi Campbell and Ryan Maraj CONTACT US Oakville Beaver 901 Guelph Line Burlington, ON L7R 3N8 Phone: 905-845-3824 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Advertising: 289-293-0620 Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail kmossman@metroland.com or call 905-631-6095. Letters to the editor Send letters to insidehalton@metroland.com. All letters must be fewer than 320 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Published letters will appear in print and/or online at insidehalton.com OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT INSIDEHALTON.COM The COVID-19 pandem- ic hit our communities and our province hard. Since March, our government's top priorities have been to, first, protect the health of Ontarians, and then to help our people and businesses get through the crisis. The Ontario legislature has recently been debating Bill 204, the Helping Ten- ants and Small Businesses Act. It would freeze rent in- creases for almost all ten- ants for the year 2021, sav- ing them some money, and extend our ban on the evic- tion of commercial tenants until Oct. 30. When COVID-19 first hit our province, we suspend- ed all residential evictions indefinitely on March 16 -- a ban which lasted until Aug. 1. We had to ensure that people could remain in their homes while we fought COVID-19, to keep them safe as we learned more about this disease. Many tenants told me how worried they were about losing their job and not be- ing able to pay their rent. To assist commercial tenants, we worked with the federal government to build a program to support commercial tenants, the RENT FREEZE WOULD BE A FINANCIAL LIFELINE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT EXPLORES WAYS TO KEEP SUPPORTING OUR BUSINESSES, WRITES EFFIE TRIANTAFILOPOULOS During this unprece- dented pandemic, I have been extremely grateful to you for your diligence in following public health guidelines. Our Oakville communi- ty has displayed strength, compassion, generosity and resilience. Our federal government will continue to support Canadians as we work to- gether to keep each other safe and contain the virus as much as possible. This support includes the federal $19-billion Safe Restart Agreement with the provinces and territo- ries. Here in Oakville, we champion values such as generosity and empathy through supporting each other. I encourage individuals, organizations, and chari- ties in Oakville to continue to step up to support those most vulnerable in the face of challenges presented by COVID-19. As the prime minister has said on many occa- sions, "when we give back, we raise each other up." Our government will con- tinue to do whatever it takes to support Canadians through this difficult time. A country can only be as great as its people, and the actions of Canadians dur- ing this time have been a testimony to the tenets that our country holds dear. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has also exposed fundamental gaps in our society which must be ad- dressed. Together, we will take bold action on health, equality, the economy and the environment to build back a more resilient and accepting Canada for ev- eryone. My constituency office remains available at 905- 338-2008 should you have any concerns or questions. As always, my thoughts are with our community. Anita Anand is the MP for Oakville. She can be reached at Ani- ta.Anand@parl.gc.ca. YOUR COMMUNITY SPIRIT HAS BEEN INSPIRING THANKS TO ALL WHO'VE STEPPED UP DURING THIS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TIME, WRITES ANITA ANAND ANITA ANAND Column A group of swans relax on the 18th hole at Deerfield Golf Course. Do you have a great local photo you'd like to share? Send it to sleblanc@metroland.com, along with a brief description. Rob Lefebvre photo SNAPSHOT EFFIE TRIANTAFILOPOULOS Column SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT INSIDEHALTON.COM Ontario-Canada Emergen- cy Commercial Rent Assis- tance program. In discus- sions with local businesses and our chambers, I heard about how our small busi- nesses were hurting and that they needed help. Ontario contributed $241 million to this $900- million plan, in which landlords and tenants vol- untarily worked together. The two governments con- tributed 50 per cent of the rent, forgiving the land- lord's portion, if the land- lord reduced the tenant's rent by 75 per cent. Unfortunately, some landlords declined to par- ticipate, so in June the On- tario government institut- ed a ban on commercial evictions until Aug. 31. Bill 204 would extend this ban until Oct. 30. Since COVID first hit Ontario in March, the gov- ernment has had to make tough decisions, closing schools, non-essential businesses and public spaces. This was for health reasons, but we know it made things difficult for people and businesses. Jobs were put at risk. The survival of many small businesses was put at risk. In our communities, we have only succeeded by working together during the crisis. We must contin- ue to work together as we rebuild our economy and prosperity, while protect- ing our health. Effie Triantafilopoulos is the MPP for Oakville North -- Burlington. She can be reached at ef- fie.triantafilopou- los@pc.ola.org.