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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, A ug us t 20 ,2 02 0 | 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 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 newsroom@theifp.ca IndependentAndFreePress @IFP_11 WHO WE ARE Publisher Kelly Montague Regional Managing Editor Catherine O'Hara Managing Editor Karen Miceli Distribution Representative Iouliana Polar Real Estate Kristie Pells Regional Production Manager Manuel Garcia Halton Media General Manager Jason Pehora CONTACT US The Independent & Free Press 280 Guelph Street, Unit 77 Georgetown, ON L7G 4B1 Phone: 905-873-0301 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Fax: 905-873-0398 Letters to the editor 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 theifp.ca Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail lpolar@miltoncanadianchampion.com or call 905-234-1019. OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT THEIFP.CA I do really appreciate that Premier Doug Ford was in north Halton on Ju- ly 29 making an important announcement. While at the news conference, he was asked on his thoughts with respect to the pro- posed Campbellville (Reid) quarry. His response: "I am not in favour of that. I believe in governing for the peo- ple. And when the people don't want something, you don't do it. It's very simple. I know the mayor, he doesn't want it, no one wants it. I don't want it. We are going to make sure it doesn't happen, one way or another." On Highway 7, just out- side of Acton and Milton, in the Township of Guelph/Eramosa is anoth- er proposed quarry, the Hidden Quarry. This mir- rors the Reid Quarry pro- posal in Milton. I can tell you Mr. Pre- mier, Halton Hills council fought for years against the Hidden Quarry. Halton Hills, Milton and Halton Region sent countless reso- lutions to your predecessor and past and present min- isters as well. This quarry has been universally condemned by Guelph/Eramosa Town- ship, Halton Hills and Hal- ton Region. A local citizen group, Concerned Resi- dents Coalition, Halton Hills, Milton, Guelph Era- mosa and Halton Region spent over $800,000 oppos- ing this parallel applica- tion. Same acres, same un- derwater blasting, same traffic issues, same owner. This quarry received an interim approval in Febru- ary of this year from the Local Planning Appeals Tribunal. As final approv- al has not been granted at this point, the Town of Hal- ton Hills, Halton Region and The Township of Guelph/Eramosa are ex- pecting that the Hidden Quarry's approval would be cancelled by your gov- ernment and the wishes of the local community re- spected. Thanks for your efforts Halton Region is now at Stage 3 of the COVID-19 re- covery. We could not have received approval if it wasn't for the efforts of res- idents to be so vigilant. It's been hard on everyone, but our numbers are low. Happy retirement Special thanks for years of dedication to Geoff Can- non, chief of library servic- es, and to John Archibald, whom many of you know from the Mold-Masters SportsPlex arena. Congrat- ulations on your retire- ment! Rick Bonnette is the Mayor of Halton Hills. Follow him on Twitter @RickBonnette1 and In- stagram rick_bonnette1. HOLDING FORD TO HIS WORD PROVINCE MUST RESPECT THE PEOPLE'S WISHES WHEN IT COMES TO ALL QUARRY PROPOSALS, WRITES RICK BONNETTE RICK BONNETTE Column SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT THEIFP.CA SNAPSHOT Goldfinches snack at a feeder in a backyard in Georgetown. Do you have a great local photo you'd like to share? Send it to sleblanc@metroland.com, along with a brief description. Chris Cronin photo One way to return to a more normal pre-CO- VID-19 existence is to have contact tracing. The smartphone app to facilitate this was launched in Ontario on Ju- ly 31 and is free on both the Google Play and App stores. To put this in proper context, let's summarize the implication COVID-19 has had on our country. The illness is very con- tagious, so it spreads easily when people are not prac- tising social distancing and following other advice from health professionals. People get sick. People die. Many who recover have long-lasting health problems as a result. We can't lock down the country. That causes other medical and psychological problems and it absolutely destroys our economy, which also has significant negative human side ef- fects. Health experts have been saying the key to fighting this disease is to be able to quickly identify those who are sick. Isolate the sick and quickly notify others that have been in contact with them so they can seek medical advice. Canadians, all levels of governments, and busi- nesses want to get back to some sense of normal life. People will get sick, but we cannot allow that sickness to spread like wildfire. COVID Alert is an im- portant tool in our battle against the pandemic. But there is a question, a very big one; that is: Will you use the new app? For COVID Alert to be effective it must get a large part of the population to use the app. Your privacy is protect- ed, and if you are notified that you were in close con- tact with someone who has tested positive, it will be your option on how to pro- ceed with that information. My hope is that we all in- stall the COVID Alert app. New technology like this will help keep us all safer. Let's all play our part and use this new and inno- vative app. 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. ALERT APP HELPS FIGHT PANDEMIC ONTARIO IS THE FIRST PROVINCE TO USE THIS NEW AND HELPFUL SAFETY TOOL, WRITES PETER WATSON PETER WATSON Column