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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, D ec em be r 16 ,2 02 1 | 8 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 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 As we look to the new year, we can reflect on some of the successes of 2021. This year's accomplish- ments included: • Council approved ad- vancing a number of key community infrastructure projects, including moving ahead on a new community centre, library branch, sports fields and other out- door amenities in north Oakville, as well as a new skateboard park at Corn- wall Park; • Opening the town's first protected bike lanes on Speers Road and the ad- dition of 19.2 kilometres of active transportation; • The addition of 235 ki- lometres of trails across Oakville; • The installation of parking sensors along with digital information kiosks, public Wi-Fi and more un- derway in downtown Oak- ville; • Launching the co-ordi- nated Neighbourhood Traffic Safety Program; • The announcement that the Glen Abbey lands will be conserved from de- velopment. All of this was accom- plished while keeping tax increases below inflation and maintaining the high- est credit rating possible -- throughout the pandemic. For the third year in a row, Site Selection Maga- zine, an international busi- ness publication, listed Oakville in the top 20 of Canada's Best Locations to invest. Oakville continued to move forward, even in ad- versity. From my family to yours, I wish you a safe, peaceful and joyous holi- day season. Please remem- ber others during the holi- day season. Our Oakville Profes- sional Firefighters Associ- ation launched their 29th holiday toy drive with the goal of giving every local child an opportunity to en- joy a gift of their own this holiday season. Visit www.oakvillepffa- .com for more information on how to support this wor- thy cause. Please consider donat- ing to some of our local food banks that could use our help. We can also sup- port our small business community and shop local. Stay up-to-date with council, the region and more by signing up for my newsletter at www.Oak- ville.ca/mayor. Please keep well, stay safe, and let me know of any chance to help. Rob Burton is the may- or of Oakville. He can be reached at mayor@oak- ville.ca. LET'S CELEBRATE OUR SUCCESSES PLENTY HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED IN TOWN THIS PAST YEAR, WRITES ROB BURTON A crane takes a dip in a pond in the West Oak Trails neighbourhood. Do you have a great local photo you'd like to share? Send it to sleblanc@metroland.com, along with a brief description. Jane Palmer photo SNAPSHOT Holiday spending is forecasted to rise sharply from last year. After the pandemic lockdown, Cana- dians want to shop, cele- brate and spoil friends and family. This insight is accord- ing to Deloitte Canada's 2021 Holiday Retail Out- look. Holiday spending dur- ing 2021 is expected to in- crease 31 per cent over last year, which is an increase of eight per cent since 2019. A little over half of Ca- nadians want to support small businesses in their community. That is their preference, but the reality is Amazon will be their re- tailer of choice. Most of us have experi- enced the changing prefer- ence of shopping. The advantages of on- line shopping is a signifi- cant shift, and it is not sur- prising that Amazon was the leading consumer choice for holiday shop- ping. Those less fortunate will have to curtail their spending this holiday sea- son. This will apply to some Canadians. Almost 12 per cent of consumers in the U.S. do not plan to spend during this holiday season. That is more than double those that indicated they would not be spending in last year's survey. Most of those not plan- ning to spend this year have lower incomes. The main concern was higher food costs. While it might be inter- esting to compare spend- ing patterns with our southern neighbours, it is more meaningful to com- pare spending habits be- tween Canadians depend- ing on their financial re- sources. Canadians have varying financial ability and spend- ing reflects that. On a positive note, Ca- nadians expect to donate significantly more this year than they did in 2019. 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 at www.watsoninvestment- s.com. HOLIDAY SPENDING ON THE RISE CANADIANS PROJECTED TO SPEND SIGNIFICANTLY MORE THAN LAST YEAR, WRITES PETER WATSON PETER WATSON Column ROB BURTON Column From my family to yours, I wish you a safe, peaceful and joyous holiday season.