W WOOD N FLOOR We Install All Kinds of Floors, Stairs and Railings Refinish Your Wood Floor Like New Serving Oakville residents for over 20 years Call KAZ 905-338-1881 www.woodnfloor.ca 3 Friday , Septem ber 17, 2010 O A KVILLE BEA V ER w w w .o akvillebeaver .co m By Christina Commisso METROLAND WEST MEDIA GROUP While Gary Carr has already been acclaimed as Haltons regional chair, he says not to be sur- prised to see him at your doorstep as he contin- ues to campaign. Ive been out there for four years, Im con- tinuously out talking to people between elec- tions, said Carr, who will soon be entering his second term at the helm of regional council. On Sept.13 Carr, a former Conservative MPP and Liberal MP, was acclaimed as regional chair after his sole opponent, Oakville resident Joseph Kus, did not submit the required docu- mentation before the Sept. 10 nomination deadline. His door-to-door campaigning strategy is two-fold. Carr says its a great way to connect with his constituents and it keeps him in shape. Health promotion is one of the things we want to put in the (regions) strategic plan, said Carr, explaining that childhood obesity is becoming a growing concern in Halton. He said regional staff will begin hashing out a strategic plan in the new year, after municipal councillors come off the campaign trail. Im a big believer in the strategic plan driving every- thing we do, said Carr. Then at budget time, we put the budget into those things deemed as priority items. So the next six weeks is about lis- tening to people and learning the issues. He said during the next four years, the region will continue to focus on keeping taxes low, investing more in infrastructure and work- ing on master plans for transportation, water and wastewater. Asked if he expects the population boom continue through his next term, Carr said it depends on the economy. Were still fortunate that businesses are coming to Halton; we did well through the recession. He attributes Haltons continued growth to low taxes. A Regional budget with a zero per cent tax increase was approved in 2010 and Haltons tax increase was 2.2 per cent in 2009, and 1.3 per cent in 2008. In June, a report from Regional staff suggested taxes could rise by 3.1 per cent in 2011. He also said the regions reputation as one of the safest communities in Canada attracts new residents. We want to continue with that and we need to give police services the tools to get the job done. Regardless of the Haltons growth rate, Carr maintains that the growth will continue to pay for itself. Were going to make any new devel- opment be paid for by the developers, not by the existing tax payers. With experience at all levels of government, Carr said he feels like hes contributing the most at the regional level. At the federal and provincial level, Ive often said youre nothing more than a marketing per- son. The decisions get made and (party leaders) just send their MPs and MPPs to go out and champion whatever theyve decided, he said. At the regional level, youre managing more, youre more involved. The other thing I like is that you really have to work with people, there isnt the party lines, he continued. In municipal politics everyone is free. If I want to get something through I have to convince my colleagues, because Im only one vote. Regional chair wont rest on laurels after acclamation Ive been out there for four years, Im contin- uously talking to people between elections. Gary Carr, Halton Regional Chair The Town of Oakville is holding an open house Sept. 21 to introduce new planning requirements for assessing proposals for power generation facilities. The new requirements are part of the proposed amendments to the towns official plan, zoning by-law and north Oakville zon- ing bylaw, and will provide the Town with the ability to assess appropriate scale and location of power generation facilities, including cogeneration facilities. The proposed amendments are now available on the Towns website and the final study report should be posted online today. The open house is from 79 p.m. at Town Hall with a brief presentation from staff at 7:30 p.m. Following the presentation, Town staff will be available to speak with individuals regarding the proposed amendments and the final study report. A public meeting on the proposed amendments will also take place at Planning and Development Council on Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. in the Council Chamber at Town Hall. Council will hear public delegations at this meeting. To register in advance as a delegate, con- tact Kathy Patrick, supervisor, council and committee services at 905-338-4235 or at kpatrick@oakville.ca. For more information, visit the town website at www.oakville.ca and click on the Planning Study Power Generation button. Town Hall is located at 1225 Trafalgar Rd. 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