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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, Ja nu ar y 14 ,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 It has been a difficult several months for our province. But with the re- cently- approved vaccines arriving in Ontario, there is light at the end of the tun- nel. The government has been working to ensure a smooth and effective distri- bution of vaccines to local public-health units. A CO- VID-19 Vaccine Distribu- tion Task Force, chaired by retired General Rick Hilli- er, has been created to achieve this goal. The members of the task force will bring their vari- ous perspectives, experi- ence in logistics and medi- cal knowledge to ensure the vaccines are provided in a timely manner. Providing transparency to Ontarians is an impor- tant component of the vac- cine rollout. The Province has created a three-phase program to provide clarity on the different groups who will receive the vac- cine during each phase. The government is also re- leasing daily updates on the total number of vacci- nations administered. The three-phase rollout has been well underway since December, when the first shipment arrived. As part of the implementation plan, Phase 1 involves vac- cinating residents, health- care workers and essential caregivers at long-term care homes. The task force will con- tinue to focus on vaccinat- ing vulnerable popula- tions, and those who care for them, as more vaccines become available. Phase 2 will broaden the scope for vaccinations. It will begin later this winter, when more doses are avail- able. This stage will ex- pand to cover more congre- gate-care settings and adults over the age of 70. The government will work to protect the most suscep- tible age groups from the virus. Finally, Ontario will en- ter Phase 3 when there are vaccines available for ev- eryone who wants to be im- munized. Moving into this phase is dependent on re- ceiving enough vaccines from the federal govern- ment, which is responsible for procuring doses for all Ontarians. To see the daily updates on the number of adminis- tered vaccines, please see the link: www.covid-19.on- tario.ca/covid-19-vaccines- ontario. I am confident that On- tario will emerge from 2021 stronger and more resil- ient. I wish everyone all the best for the year ahead. Stephen Crawford is the MPP for Oakville. He can be reached at stephen.craw- fordco@pc.ola.org. ONTARIO'S EFFICIENT VACCINATION PLAN ARRIVAL OF VACCINE OFFERS HOPE FOR BETTER DAYS AHEAD, WRITES STEPHEN CRAWFORD COVID-19 has perma- nently changed life for mil- lions of Canadians. Indi- viduals are encouraged to embrace innovation as their new path forward. The pandemic is the worst thing to hit our coun- try since the Second World War. Individuals, families and businesses have en- dured much pain. This ar- ticle of optimism in no way takes away from that cruel reality. Every year we face ad- versity, but 2020 contained a decade-plus of hardship and adjustments. The world is different and that presents a signif- icant opportunity. Last January who had heard of Zoom? Now millions of us use it regularly. In some areas the world has advanced many times faster than if we had anoth- er normal year. The key for many is innovation. Innovation is your friend. Now there is an oppor- tunity to harness your skills and hard work into a new business idea. Suddenly your employ- ment downgrade in the number of hours you work provided you the opportu- nity to become an entrepre- neur -- perhaps even the necessity to become an en- trepreneur. What are your strengths? What are your interests? What are the business opportunities that you can explore? Recently, I heard of two friends of someone I know who both had their employ- ment hours chopped. They both developed their own sideline business and are making more money now working part-time with their own business than with their original job. With change comes op- portunity. Capitalize on that change. Be creative in your thinking. Explore new op- portunities. Embrace innovation. 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. INNOVATION PRESENTS WORLD OF OPPORTUNITY EMBRACING CHANGE CAN BE A PATHWAY TO SUCCESS, WRITES PETER WATSON PETER WATSON Column A Cooper's hawk visits a backyard on Longridge Crescent. Do you have a great local photo you'd like to share? Send it to sleblanc@metroland.com, along with a brief description. Graham Western photo SNAPSHOT STEPHEN CRAWFORD Column "I am confident that Ontario will emerge from 2021 stronger and more resilient."