The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, O ct ob er 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 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 Director of Content Lee Ann Waterman 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 On Oc. 4, Lt.-Gov. Eliza- beth Dowdeswell delivered the Ontario government's throne speech. It highlighted various initiatives and funding measures since the onset of the pandemic, and set a path for our province's re- covery. A primary focus of the speech was providing funding for expanding ca- pacity in health care and long-term care. The gov- ernment has been focused on providing needed fund- ing to the health-care sys- tem to improve access to care. Unprecedented in- vestments have been pro- vided to create new hospi- tal and intensive care beds, as well as establish new hospitals. Alongside the historic investments being made in hospitals, critical funding is being directed to long- term care. Ontario is in- vesting $2.68 billion to build 30,000 beds over a de- cade, while other beds are being upgraded. Progress is being made. Currently, there are more than 20,000 new beds and 15,000 upgraded beds in de- velopment. With more capacity, the government is dedicated to providing the necessary in- vestments to increase the quality of care. An invest- ment of close to $5 billion is being made to hire more than 27,000 long-term care staff and provide four hours of direct care per day to residents in long-term care homes. Ontario's front-line health-care heroes have worked tirelessly during this pandemic. The Onta- rio government's health- care investments put the province in a better posi- tion to deal with this pan- demic. The province is set to have an economic recovery. As mentioned in the throne speech, economic growth will lead the fiscal and economic recovery -- not spending cuts or tax hikes. Investments in infra- structure will fuel the re- covery across the province. Building roads, highways, and transit systems will be fundamental in creating jobs. The government will continue to create the con- ditions to attract invest- ment. Necessary public health measures have been imple- mented to provide stability for people and businesses. As we continue to navigate this pandemic, we all have a role to play in preventing the spread of the virus by following health guide- lines. As the legislature re- turns for the fall session, the Ontario government will continue to be there for residents and business- es. Stephen Crawford is the MPP for Oakville. He can be reached at stephen.craw- fordco@pc.ola.org. SETTING FORTH OUR PRIORITIES IMPROVING HEALTH-CARE AND LONG-TERM CARE AMONG PROVINCE'S TOP COMMITMENTS, WRITES STEPHEN CRAWFORD A house value warning has been issued by the Can- ada Mortgage and Housing Corp. It issued its highest risk rating and specifically mentioned three cities: To- ronto, Hamilton and Otta- wa. According to the Cana- dian Real Estate Associa- tion, many smaller com- munities have seen prices increase from 35 to 55 per cent. The CMHC report said, "exceptionally strong de- mand and home price ap- preciation over the course of the pandemic may have contributed to irrational expectations of continued price growth and, in turn, more buyers entered the market than was warrant- ed." My concern is that after we emerge from the pan- demic, house prices may return to pre-COVID lev- els. What happens if home values decline and results in the house mortgage be- ing higher than the value of the house? This is a risk for the homeowner and the mort- gage company. High home prices are pushing affordability -- a prominent issue during the federal election -- out of reach. Owning a house has been a good strategy for many who sell the house in order to fund retirement. If you overpay for a house now, will that limit the po- tential gain when you re- tire? Parents have provided funds to children wanting to get into the housing mar- ket. Will a housing market correction negatively af- fect the parent's well-being and their ability to have a comfortable retirement? Your house is your home. It is also a potential risk. 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 VALUE WARNING ISSUED CMHC SOUNDS ALERT THAT HOUSE PRICES HAVE BECOME RISKY, WRITES PETER WATSON PETER WATSONColumn A pair of raccoons hang out in the trees on Nottinghill Gate. Do you have a great local photo you'd like to share? Send it to sleblanc@metroland.com, along with a brief description. William Blain photo SNAPSHOT STEPHEN CRAWFORD Column