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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, September 20, 2013 | 6 Editorial Good news along a rough road Someone was overheard saying, "I wish our company was making an announcement like that." Indeed. Thursday's news out of Ford of Canada's headquarters in Oakville is indeed good -- on many levels. It provides hope to those who have been struggling through a beleaguered economy. Some have hung on to their jobs, but have lost ground when it comes to workload, bene ts and more. Some are not employed and others are resorting to employing themselves in some form or fashion. It's welcome in the manufacturing industry where many companies have been on an uphill journey as the Information Age descends, as it is wont to do, very rapidly, on society. It's a huge signal to the business sector. Times will get better. Locally, a further investment in Ford by the company and the federal and provincial government secures 2,800 jobs. The total anticipated project investment is more than $700 million, with Ontario and Canada providing grants of nearly $71 million. It's a sigh of relief for the autoworkers' union and its members -- both of whom made some big-time concessions just to keep Ford headquarters on this side of the border not too many years ago. It's not a handout, but a handup for governments spending public money -- not to save an industry, but to help it improve its prospects, and in turn, employ residents, create jobs and grow a business sector on the global scene. The Oakville plant is being upgraded with global manufacturing processes -- a common structure for the base of a vehicle, onto which a range of models can be built. Ford will bring several new models to the plant, positioning Oakville as one of its most competitive manufacturing facilities. Global platforms are said to be the future of modern vehicle assembly and this investment will open up new export opportunities for the plant, and for the province. It will also support auto-parts manufacturers in Ontario. And, as it is often noted, business tends to build business. With one job, comes others as parts, facilities, services are all needed to support the rst. The project will anchor new research and development activities in the areas of lightweight vehicles and advanced powertrain technologies. Since 2004, Ontario has been the No. 1 producer of vehicles in North America. The industry supports hundreds of thousands of jobs in communities across the province. Ontario's economic plan is said to be to create jobs and help people in their everyday lives by investing in people, building strong infrastructure and creating a dynamic and innovative business climate across Ontario. It appears to be putting money to its claim. Good news, indeed. "Connected to your Community" Guest Column 467 Speers Road, Oakville ON, L6K 3S4 General Inquiries: (905) 845-3824 Editorial Department: (905) 632-0588 Classi ed Advertising: (905) 632-4440 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 Volume 51 | Number 113 The Oakville Beaver is a division of Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Vice ­President and Group Publisher of Metroland West Regional General Manager Halton Region Editor in Chief Advertising Director NEIL OLIVER DAVID HARVEY JILL DAVIS DANIEL BAIRD Managing Editor Students collect $1,100 for peers Sara Lian Student World Alliance for Teens From left, Student World Alliance for Teens (SWAT) members, Elise Lum-You, Emma Barbu, Tope Aladetimi, Sara Lian, Sydney Cook. Absent are, Yoo-Jeong Lee and Hannah Wieler. | submitted photo ANGELA BLACKBURN RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director Business Manager Director of Production SANDY PARE MARK DILLS Seven Oakville students visited W.H. Morden Public School, recently, to drop off hundreds books and school supplies, which were collected throughout August. Last May, Abbey Park High School students Sara Lian and Hannah Wieler formed the Student World Alliance for Teens (SWAT). As a student-run organization, SWAT aims to connect youths locally and internationally, and works towards providing other students with the supplies and opportunities needed for success. For their rst initiative, the members organized a two-week Back-to-School Book & Supplies Drive to help promote the value of education within our communities. Wieler, SWAT's co-president, understands the concerns about education for Halton youths, noting low literacy often leads to other social issues. "If we can get the right tools to students who need them, we can work towards reducing the illiteracy rate and dif culties that come with it." The campaign began in mid-August when the team discovered the need for more books and supplies in elementary schools across Oakville. A recent annual report published by the Oakville Literacy Council stated "about 50 per cent of the Halton population falls into low literacy skills levels," and after reading the report, the Student World Alliance for Teens knew it was time to take action. By the end of the campaign, the SWAT members managed to collect more than 160 new and gently-used books, as well as everyday classroom supplies such as pens, markers, pencil crayons, binders, and calculators. Although their goal was to collect enough materials to support a single classroom, the SWAT team completed its campaign with approximately $1,100 in donations after hours and hours of door-to-door fundraising and collecting. All books and supplies were donated to W.H. Morden, which recently renovated its library and was in need of new books. Donations were also distributed throughout the school and to various classrooms. Main contributing members to the campaign included: Elise Lum-You, Emma Barbu, Tope Aladetimi, Sara Lian, Sydney Cook, Yoo Jeong Lee, and Hannah Wieler. To nd out about how you can join the Student World Alliance for Teens, or learn more about the organization, contact studentsworldalliance@gmail.com. MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager Director of Distribution CHARLENE HALL KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Proud Official Media Sponsor For: Canadian Circulations Audit Board Member Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Proud Official Media Sponsor For: The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to: The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to: ablackburn@oakvillebeaver. com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline.