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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, F eb ru ar y 25 ,2 02 1 | 6 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 As we celebrate Black History Month and the re- markable achievements and contributions of Black Canadians to our country, we must take a hard, pain- ful look at the systemic racism inherent in our so- ciety. We must take concrete steps to tear down and dis- mantle systems that per- petuate systemic injustice and inequity, piece by piece. To do that, we must ac- knowledge that systemic racism is endemic in all levels of society and enact policy change that directly addresses it and holds all levels accountable. As a member of the Pub- lic Safety and National Se- curity Committee and an ally to the Parliamentary Black Caucus, I have had the privilege to work close- ly with colleagues toward reform in many of our country's institutions that have a deep-seated history of racism, including polic- ing and correctional sys- tems. We know there is a great overrepresentation of Black, Indigenous and ra- cialized people in the crim- inal justice system. Gov- ernments must enact re- forms to address these in- equalities now. Supporting Black-led and Black-serving organi- zations is crucial as we work to address systemic barriers that are prevent- ing many from participat- ing equitably in all aspects of our society. To help remove those barriers, our government created the Supporting Black Canadian Commu- nities Initiative, which provides up to $25 million in funding over five years to help Black-led organi- zations serve Black Cana- dian communities. This Initiative is an im- portant part of our govern- ment's work to address sys- temic racism in Canada. This includes advancing Canada's Anti-Racism Strategy, creating a $221- million Black Entrepre- neurship Program to help Black Canadian business owners and entrepreneurs grow their businesses, in- novate and succeed now and into the future, devel- oping justice reforms and modern policing struc- tures and standards, and enhancing mental health and community supports for young Black Canadi- ans. I applaud the work of lo- cal Black-led organiza- tions that work all year to provide opportunities and support for Black Canadi- ans in Halton Region. During Black History Month, let us celebrate Black Canadian successes and excellence, while we engage in the important work of dismantling struc- tures of systemic racism. Pam Damoff is the MP for Oakville North-Bur- lington and parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services. She can be reached at Pam.Da- moff@parl.gc.ca or www.mpdamoff.ca. STRIVING FOR EQUITY AND EQUALITY PLENTY OF WORK NEEDED TO ELIMINATE RACISM AND INJUSTICE, WRITES PAM DAMOFF A friend gave me the synopsis of the book she was reading. The irony was the main ideas of this book published in the early 1960s were the same fundamen- tal ideas of a course she had just completed. That made me think of many courses, conferences and studies I have partici- pated in over the years. Great ideas often stand the test of time. We can apply this notion of solid, basic, good ideas to your personal financial planning. Much of what is written on financial plan- ning is just restating what has been understood for several decades. Set a target of what you want to achieve. This could be saving enough money to help your children with their post-secondary edu- cation or planning for your retirement. Make your target specif- ic and then measure prog- ress. In my opinion, unless you consistently measure your progress, you are un- likely to achieve your goal. For example, you or your financial planner might de- cide to recalculate your progress annually. Pay yourself first. For many, there is not enough money at the end of the month to save. There is a simple solu- tion for that. At the first of the month, pay yourself first. Before you've had time to spend, allocate a certain amount to be de- ducted from your bank ac- count and transferred to an investment. A fairly simple, time- tested process. Articulate an objective, plan to moni- tor your progress on an on- going basis and finally start an automatic savings program. Use the simple, easy principles that have been around for many years. Peter Watson, of Watson Investments MBA, CFP®, R.F.P., CIM®, FCSI offers a weekly financial plan- ning column, 'Dollars & Sense'. He can be contacted through www.watsonin- vestments.com. LEARNING FROM THE PAST USE FUNDAMENTAL PLANNING IDEAS TO HELP ACHIEVE YOUR LONG-TERM OBJECTIVES, WRITES PETER WATSON PETER WATSONColumn A robin finds a place to rest in the River Oaks area. Do you have a great local photo you'd like to share? Send it to sleblanc@metroland.com, along with a brief description. Margaret Sutton photo SNAPSHOT PAM DAMOFF Column