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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 5, 20 19 | 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 family of newspapers is comprised f of more than 80 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 editor@oakvillebeaver.com facebook.com/OakvilleBeavfacebook.com/OakvilleBeavf @OakvilleBeaver WHO WE ARE VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague 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 Regional General Manager Steve Foreman Halton Media General Manager Vicki Dillane CONTACT US Oakville Beaver 901 Guelph Line Burlington, ON L7R 3N8 Phone: 289-293-0617 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Digital/Flyer/Retail: 289-293-0624 Letters to the editor 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 Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail kmossman@metroland.com or call 905-631-6095. OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT INSIDEHALTON.COM So what have we here - those one-time sworn enemies Doug Ford and Justin Trudeau suddenly morphing into best friends forever? The photos of Ontario's premier and Canada's prime minister laughing and joking their way through a face- to-face meeting in Ottawa late last month certainly gave this surreal impression and must have been a shock to some systems. Didn't Trudeau use Ford as a punching bag in the federal election as the PM warned Canadians they were doomed if they elected more conservatives? Wasn't Ford the guy who last year gleefully declared his intent to engineer Trudeau's political downfall? What gives with all the nice-guy stuff ? Well, hold on folks. You haven't entered a parallel universe. There's more to these pictures than meets the eye. And fortunately, the story is a positive one for the entire country. With the reality of the federal Liberals' election victoryWith the reality of the federal Liberals' election victoryW sinking in, Premier Ford realizes he needs Trudeau to further the Progressive Conservatives' agenda for Ontario.further the Progressive Conservatives' agenda for Ontario.f First, as he tried to balance his budget without antag- onizing the entire province, Ford needs the money only Trudeau's government can provide. The premier wants billions of more federal dollars for transit projects, most notably a new Toronto subway line. Ford would love to see a bigger helping hand from Ottawa when it comes to health care, too. But if he ex- pects to see that outstretched hand holding cash, he'd better not bite it. Second, Ford needs more political friends, or at the very least fewer political foes. Since taking office in June 2018, Ford has riled Franco-Ontarians, the parents of autistic children, environmentalists, the Toronto political establishment along with much of the prov- ince's public sector, most notably the more than 130,000 teachers now considering a strike. Ford would burnish his public image and accomplish more if he proved that, yes, he can form constructive partnerships instead of turning every political encoun- ter into a bare-knuckle brawl. Perhaps Ford has realized the job of being Ontario's premier has a significance that transcends the province's borders. Ontario is Canada's most populous and econom- ically powerful province. It has always been a cornerstone of Confederation. Throughout history, many Ontario pre- miers felt duty-bound to work with Ottawa for the good of the nation regardless of any partisan differences. Could it be that Canada is witnessing a maturation of its leaders? Sometimes politicians must set aside partisan games and rhetorical one-upmanship in favour of promot- ing the common good. Ford and Trudeau don't need to be friends. They do, however, need to work together.friends. They do, however, need to work together.f FORD AND TRUDEAU CAN WORK TOGETHER SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT INSIDEHALTON.COM Online registration for winter programs at Oak- ville Public Library is now open, and we've packed the coming season with dozens of unique pro- grams and events for all ages and interests. The new year is a per- fect time to introduce afect time to introduce af new self-care practice, so we're excited to offer a va- riety of programs that are designed with mindful- ness in mind: • For adults, a peer mentor from the Canadi- an Mental Health Associa- tion will host free drop-in sessions on Mediation for Mental Health that are de- signed to teach you how to slow the mind, let go of negativity and tune out the noise that comes from everyday life. • For teens, we'll be of- fering a Bullet Journalingfering a Bullet Journalingf program that is designed to spark creativity, mind- fulness and organizationfulness and organizationf while helping to "declut- ter" your mind. • For kids, our Cursive Writing Workshop is theWriting Workshop is theW perfect mindful activity that teaches the art of pen- manship through hands- on learning. If you're looking to un- wind with a good book and connect with fellow read- ers, our adult Book Club is the place for you. Based on customer feedback, we've updated the format of these sessions in order to provide more inclusive programming that meets the demand of our com- munity: • All monthly Book Club sessions are now free and drop-in (no registra- tion required). • 15 copies of the book will be available at the branch's information desk one month prior to the ses- sion date on a first come, first served basis. There will also be copies available in our digital collection and the general collection. • We will also offer a new genre-based book club, Historical Fiction at Erchless Estate, in part- nership with Oakville Mu- seum. Customers can register for library programs us-for library programs us-f ing the online registration system at opl.ca, which makes it easy to browse and register for all of our programs and events. The calendar of programs and events can be filtered on- line according to particu- lar preferences, such as branch location, dates, age group and event type. There are so many more winter programs to discov- er at the library - check out the calendar listings on opl.ca to get started This biweekly column is provided by the Oak- ville Public Library. REGISTER ONLINE FOR OAKVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY WINTER PROGRAMS EVENTS FOR ALL AGES, OPL SAYS OAKVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY Column EDITORIAL