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© BOPINION -HALTON ADVISORY -COUNCIL TO CONTINUE wer | Thursday, 3 PLANS FOR #2023 INITIATIVES * ALREADY IN THE WORKS, WRITES KAREN MICELI KAREN MICELI Column It's about trust. Our rela- tionship with our readers is initiative to tell you who we are and how and why we do what we do. This article is part of that project. You may or may not be familiar with Metroland's Halton Advisory Council, which I have written about from time to time. To fill you in on some background, Metroland's Halton Division newspa- pers — the Burlington Post, Oakville Beaver, Mil- ton Canadian Champion and Georgetown/ Acton In- dependent and Free — formed the community advisory council in 2021 to help us better understand the issues facing our resi- dents, readers and busi- ness partner: We invited a group of community leaders from across the region, asked them to talk about what is- sues were most pressing in € eens with us. = The first 8 meeting of the Halton Ad- visory Council was held § May 13, 2021 in a vi 3 roundtable. 2 FORGING AHEAD IN 2023 then, members branched off into subcom- mittees to focus on specific issues and we held a sec- ond-year meeting of the oe council this past spl "The Halton council and committees have provided excellent feedback and ide- as, many of which have landed on the pages of our newspaper: For example, we extend- ed guest columns to feature diverse voices on our edito- rial pages through con- tacts made at the advisory council. We published a se- ries on newcomers to Hal- ton. rtnered in a stu- dent Black history essay- writing contest. We pro- duced a series on housing. We also did a crime series. We have made changes as well to avoid clickbait headline Ihave "enjoyed one-on- one chats with some of the members. So what's next? Alread: in the works for 2023 is a se- ries on accessibility and the barriers faced by peo- ple with disabilities living in Halton. As well, our third-year meeting of the council is coming up in mid-April, which I expect will lead to more great feedback. Stay tuned! Karen Miceli is manag- ing editor of the Burling- ton Post, Georgetown/ Acton Independent and Free Press, Milton Canadi- an Champion and Oakville Beaver She can be reached at insidehalton@metro- land.com and news- room athe. ca. fe welcome your ques- _ and value your com- ments. Email our trust committee at trust@met- roland.com. TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT INSIDEHALTON.COM SNAPSHOT Philip Savage photo Asquirrel finds some peanuts at a home along Tansley Drive. Do you have a great local photo you'd like to share? Send it to sleblanc@metroland.com, along with a brief description. THE NEW FINANCIAL CHALLENGE FOR SENIORS Statistics Canada_re- cently reported 1.5 million people older than 65 hada an increase from 1.2 mil- lion during the previous five year: Rising. interest rates will make paving rae a mortgage more difficult, it is understandable that the trend for more seniors to have a mortgage wit continue. That added pressure on Oy ae abinty to retire in comfort. survey conducted by Angus Reid during 2022 found that 40 per cent had either delayed retirement or planned to delay retire- ment because they had too much debt. This is a time for cre- ative thinking. are several op- tions to consider, includ- ing: Selling your current house and buying a less x pensive one in order eliminate your mortgage heer PETER WATSON Column debt. + Sharing your accom- modation with family. This could include a younger generation family member who would be able to con- tribute to household ex- penses including mortgage payments. your financial position and if changes needed, make them. Peter Watson is regis- tered with Aligned Capital Partners Inc. (ACPI) to provide investment advice. Investment products are provided by ACPI. ACPI is er of the Invest- ment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada. ‘he opinions expressed are ped of the author and not necessarily those of ACPI. aly inv investment-related ucts and services are offered through Watson Securities of ACPI. Watson This newspaper, published very Thursday, isa wan of pli, a brite ‘owned iene of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family mprised publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the pate NewsMedia Council. omplainants are urged to bring ther concerns to the attention of insidehalton@metroland.com facebook.com/OakvilleBeav @OakvilleBeaver WHO WE ARE a and Operations Dana Rol Regional General Manager Jason Pehora Director of Fontent Regional Mareaing Editor Catherine O'Hara Managing Editor faen Miceli leped or Distributi Charlen Circulation | Manager km Mossman Directors of Advertising Cindi Campbell and Graeme Macintosh Director Creative Services Paul Gostlin CONTACT US Oakville Beaver 901 Guelph Line Burlington, ON L7R 3N8 Phone: 905-845-3824 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Advertising: 289-293-0620 am ait delivery inquiries, please lossman@metroland.com or all 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 + Sharing your home provides wealth manage- andexpenses withafriend. ment services through ‘here are several op- Watson He tions that willhavebothad- can be reached at vantages and di: wwu i es. s.com. personal _ a nancesis important di all stages of your life. These are challenging SIGN UP FOR times for seniors. We en- OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT courage you to evaluate INSIDEHALTON.COM ition purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Published letters will appear in print and/or online at insidehalton.com Acerédité Accredited