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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, Ju ly 21 ,2 02 2 | 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 newspaper 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 Director of Content Lee Ann Waterman Regional Managing Editor Catherine O'Hara Managing Editor Karen Miceli Director of Distribution Charlene Hall Circulation Manager Kim Mossman Directors of Advertising Cindi Campbell and Graeme MacIntosh Director Creative Services Katherine Porcheron 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 Cygnets huddle together on the rocks at Bronte Harbour. Do you have a great local photo you'd like to share? Send it to sleblanc@metroland.com, along with a brief description. Lyn Wiggins photo SNAPSHOT It's about trust. Our rela- tionship with our readers is built on transparency, hon- esty and integrity. As such, we have launched a trust initiative to tell you who we are and how and why we do what we do. This column is part of that project. As your trusted news source here in Halton -- and most other communi- ties across southern Onta- rio -- we're constantly striving for fairness and in- clusion. And we're fully aware that this is a never-ending endeavour. One key step toward that goal came last month, with a presentation by Chantal Fraser of Indige- nous Link. A Métis and re- tired military veteran, Chantal now commits her- self to building bridges be- tween different groups of people. Among the many ways she does so is offering her insight to companies like mine, which welcomed her thoughts and suggestions on Indigenous hiring prac- tices. The session was, to say the least, enlightening. Following a brief histo- ry lesson, Chantal offered a detailed blueprint on how companies can help level the playing field -- for lack of a better term -- for all prospective employees. The overall takeaway was to recognize (and hopefully appreciate) that an Indigenous person might -- in many cases anyway -- likely approach the job search process much differently than, say, I did decades ago. An Indigenous person may, for example, be more succinct on a resumé or not be so quick to sing their own praises during an in- terview. That doesn't make them any less suitable for the job. It's simply a matter of broadening one's idea of how to go about hiring and how simple measures can go a long way toward build- ing trust and making a company more welcoming to potential new employ- ees. One of the prerequisites to any meaningful prog- ress is knowledge and a perspective beyond your own experiences. Chantal is a champion on both counts. She gave us some valu- able food for thought and is definitely deserving of our gratitude. Steve LeBlanc is news editor of the Metroland community newspapers in Halton. He can be reached at sleblanc@metro- land.com. We welcome your ques- tions and value your com- ments. Email our trust com- mittee at trust@metro- land.com. THE NEVER ENDING ROAD TO INCLUSION INDIGENOUS HIRING PRACTICES PRESENTATION A REAL EYE-OPENER, WRITES STEVE LEBLANC STEVE LEBLANC Column PETER WATSON Column "Property values, al- ready slipping, are likely to fall more than 10 per cent in the coming year." This quote is from a re- cent report from RBC Eco- nomics. Add this to other news on housing prices, and the new reality is Ca- nadians' largest asset is losing value. According to the report, the reason for the decline is a combination of ex- tremely high prices of houses and increasing in- terest rates. The Bank of Canada's prime objective is to get control over inflation. Put- ting the brakes on inflation with higher interest rates leaves the collateral dam- age of lower house prices. The financial challenge faced by many is signifi- cant, especially for those who had a relatively small down payment and a large mortgage. Many of those home- owners could lose all the equity in their house and even be in the unenviable position of having a mort- gage greater than the value of the property. Some might end up sell- ing their house and walk- ing away from home own- ership while still owing money. Depending on how high interest rates go, that could end up being very ex- pensive. Previous generations of homeowners have been re- warded because of decades of escalating prices. Capi- tal gains on a principal res- idence are tax-free, so the financial gains in many cases have been enormous. Most investments, in- cluding houses, do experi- ence volatile times with fluctuating prices. The val- ue of houses people have purchased is significantly higher than any other fi- nancial decision they have made. Financially-extended homeowners have difficult times ahead. 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. HOUSE PRICES POISED TO FALL