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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, S ep te m be r 5, 20 19 | 18 WE DESERVE BETTER Students across Ontario are returning to school this week. They will find larger class sizes, fewer course options, fewer teachers and education workers, and less support. Visit knowmore.ca to contact your local MPP and tell them to stop the cuts to publicly funded education. JOIN US for a Public Information Centre Morrison-Wedgewood Flood Risk Mapping Conservation Halton has retainedMorrison Hershfield Ltd. to generate new flood risk mapping for theMorrison-Wedgewood Flood Control Systemwatershed. Models and mapping generated through this project may be used by Conservation Halton, and municipal partners, for many purposes including: •flood forecasting and warning, • emergency planning and response, •prioritization of floodmitigation works, • community planning and land use decision making, • infrastructure renewal, and • restoration works. Public Consultation Conservation Halton will seek community feedback through two Public Information Centres (PICs). The first PIC will summarize the project scope. The second PIC will be held in March 2020, and will present draft study findings. Please drop by the PIC to find out more: Thursday September 19, 2019 | 6:30-8:30pm Conservation Halton Administrative Office 2596 Britannia Rd. W., Burlington To share your feedback, request additional information, or to be added to the project mailing list, please contact: Amy Mayes, P.Eng. Coordinator, Floodplain Mapping Conservation Halton 905.336.1158 ext. 2302 amayes@hrca.on.ca Information will be collected in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. With the exception of personal information, all comments will become part of the public record. Representatives from the National Coalition Against Contraband To- bacco (NCACT) say illegal cigarettes continue to be a problem in Halton and are calling for better laws to halt their manufacture and distribution. Gary Grant, spokes- person for the advocacy group, stopped by Oakville on Aug. 27 to talk to the me- dia about the dangers of the contraband cigarette trade. The 39-year veteran of the Toronto Police Service and founder of Toronto Crime Stoppers noted that while the sale of contra- band cigarettes is a prob- lem across the country, the epicentre of illegal tobacco is Ontario. In Halton, Grant said, 25 to 30 per cent of the ciga- rettes consumed are ille- gally manufactured con- traband cigarettes. "The Ontario govern- ment is losing about $750 million a year in provincial taxes due to the contra- band trade," said Grant. "Also, the people that are selling the contraband cigarettes don't care who they sell it to. They don't worry about the age re- strictions. They will sell a 12-year-old kid a baggy of cigarettes for the price of a movie ticket." Grant said another problem with illegally pro- duced cigarettes is that or- ganized crime uses them as a way of funding more seri- ous criminal activities such as drug trafficking and illegal firearms deal- ing. He noted that according to the RCMP there are 175 criminal gangs involved in the contraband cigarette trade. "People think this is vic- timless crime, but it is a big crime and it is going on right here in our own com- munity," said Grant. "We are urging the Pro- vincial government to do something about it." NCACT has been meet- ing with the Province over the last year and has rec- ommended Ontario pass legislation similar to that seen in Quebec. Grant said Quebec pre- viously had a problem with contraband tobacco, but then passed laws authoriz- ing all police officers in Quebec to enforce the to- bacco excise laws. He said Quebec also cre- ated a task force of 54 offi- cers dedicated to tackling the contraband tobacco fight and provided consis- tent funding to deal with the issue. These changes, Grant said, resulted in contra- band cigarette sales in Quebec dropping by 50 per cent. NCACT had expected to see Ontario legislation dealing with contraband cigarettes in the spring budget and say they were disappointed when this did not emerge. "We're urging the Pro- gressive Conservative gov- ernment not to drop the ball on this," said Grant. "We want them to get moving on the file and do what they said they would do in the fall." NCACT is made up of 14 members including Toron- to Crime Stoppers, the Ca- nadian Chamber of Com- merce, the Ontario Cham- ber of Commerce, the Ca- nadian Tobacco Manufacturer's Council and the Canadian Taxpay- ers Federation. For more information, visit https://www.stopcon- trabandtobacco.ca. NEWS COALITION URGES ACTION ON CONTRABAND TOBACCO DAVID LEA dlea@metroland.com THE ISSUE: HOW TO STEM THE TIDE OF ILLEGAL CIGARETTES IN HALTON LOCAL IMPACT: PROFITS FROM ILLEGAL SALES HELP FUND DRUG TRAFFICKING AND ILLEGAL FIREARM DEALS, FOR EXAMPLE STORY BEHIND THE STORY Ontario has failed to act on the problem while Quebec's efforts have halved the sale of illegal cigarettes. National Coalition Against Contraband Tobacco calling for action on illegal cigarette trade in Ontario. Randy Risling / Toronto Star