www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, December 6, 2012 · 6 The Oakville Beaver The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5566 Classified Advertising: 905-632-4440 Circulation: 905-631-6095 Guest Column Neil Oliver Vice-President and Group Publisher, Metroland West David harvey Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief, Halton Daniel Baird Advertising Director ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor Riziero Vertolli Photography Director Sandy Pare Business Manager RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association MARK DILLS Director of Production Manuel garcia Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Website www.oakvillebeaver.com The OakvilleBeaver is a division of Advocating for Halton Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: United Way of Oakville ATHENA Award SUBMITTED PHOTO GIRLS IN SCIENCE: The Canadian Association for Girls in Science (CAGIS) held its annual All Hands On event at the Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre (QEPCCC) Sunday, Dec. 2. CAGIS (www.cagis. ca) is an all-girls club that promotes science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in young girls aged seven to 16. Here, the girls show off the Zoom Mobiles they made during the Junk Box Wars event. The club's older members acted as mentors for its younger ones. dvocating for the residents of Halton is one of the priorities of the Citizens' Priorities Action Plan. Ensuring that growth pays for itself is of critical importance to Halton regional council and we will continue to advocate for long-term predictable funding to ensure that taxpayers do not bear the burden of growth. Regional council recognizes even though there are Gary Carr many of levels of government, there is only one taxpayer. Halton Region has one of the best records in all of Canada for keeping taxes low -- 2013 will make the seventh consecutive year in which we have had an average of a zero per cent tax increase for regional programs and services. The future that Halton regional council envisions includes important partnerships with both the provincial and federal governments. The support of both levels of government in the form of long-term predicable funding is essential to ensuring Halton remains a great place to live, work, raise a family and retire. On behalf of the residents of Halton, I will continue to meet with Halton's MPs, MPPs and elected officials of all political stripes to bring Halton's issues to the forefront. Some of our recent advocacy actions include supporting our local municipalities to protect the natural environment and advocate against the provincially proposed Niagara-to-GTA highway. On Oct. 23, Halton Region, the City of Burlington and the Stop the Escarpment Highway Coalition held a public meeting to raise awareness about the provincially-proposed Niagara-to-GTA highway. More than 500 residents were in attendance. It was great to see so many citizens actively helping to shape the future of our community. If you would like to learn more about the provincially-proposed highway, visit our website www.halton.ca/ ngta. Regional council has also urged the Ontario government to make appropriate decisions to prevent the collapse of the horse racing industry. At council's Oct. 3 meeting, councillors unanimously supported a motion to endorse an interim report that identifies the benefits of a strong equine sector and horse racing industry and the need to make immediate decisions to ensure its long-term viability. Recently, Regional council also supported a motion in support of the Town of Milton's efforts to build more schools to house its growing population. Investing in Halton's future is important to ensure our region will continue to prosper for generations to come and remain a location of choice for new businesses. If you have any Regional concerns or comments you would like to share, please feel free to e-mail me at gary.carr@halton.ca. You can also find me on Twitter @ garycarrhalton or on Facebook. A Gary Carr, Halton Regional Chair The ultimate `favourite things list' that trumps even Oprah F orget Oprah and "Oprah's Ultimate Favourite Things Gift List -- the most fantastical favourite things ever!" No, if you're just realizing it's December, and you have not even started your Christmas shopping, and your head is utterly empty of gift ideas, you don't need Oprah. You need Andy. Specifically, you need Andy's Ultimate Favourite Things Gift List, 2012 Edition. Before unveiling my list, here's a little historical perspective. In my youth, my mother would invariably ask what I wanted for Christmas and I would inevitably reply: "Books and records" -- which made my mother crazy. Apparently she thought there was more to life than books and records. Alas, she was wrong. Give books and records and life will be good. Give socks and underwear -- or stuff from Oprah's Ultimate List -- and the festive season will be considerably less festive. Here we go with some records, then books. The Carpenter, The Avett Brothers -- I attended many concerts this year, but aside from The Boss in Toronto and Kathleen Edwards at the Jackson-Triggs Amphitheatre, none came close to the infectious Avett Brothers at the intimate Danforth Music Hall. The Carpenter, the band's follow-up to the brilliant I And Love And You, oozes Carolina charm: it's country influenced, pop infused, and elevated into the ether by tight musicianship and superb songwriting. Port of Morrow, The Shins -- the indie darling's first album in five years. James Mercer and crew return with a full, fab sound and songs that are lusciously Andy Juniper layered and admirably ambitious. As Natalie Portman's character so famously intoned in the movie Garden State: "The Shins, they'll change your life." The Only Place, Best Coast -- incredibly catchy southern California pop loaded with sunshine-splashed hooks. Grab your surfboard and dive in. Handwritten, The Gaslight Anthem -- evocative, powerchord rock from the New Jersey punks who come heartily endorsed by critics and fellow Jersey-native Bruce Springsteen, whose Wrecking Ball album is also a must-give. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, by Rachel Joyce -- the quirky tale of recently retired Harold Fry, who sets out to mail a note to a dying friend and ends up walking the length of England to visit that friend. My wife and I have been in a book club since the beginning of time. At no point in that club's existence have all members shared the same positive opinion of a book. Never. Until this baby. Unanimous: 11 out of 10. Three thumbs up. The English Major, by Jim Harrison -- in recent years, Harrison has become my desert island pick -- you know, the old: if you are stranded on an island and can have the books of only one author, who would it be? This is a seriocomic tale about Cliff, a 60-year-old English teacher whose longtime wife has just left him. The novel's opening line: "It used to be Cliff and Vivian and now it isn't." The Tender Bar, by J.R. Moehringer -- last Christmas, I dished out five copies of this book. A poignant, wise and wonderful memoir of Moehringer growing up in a dysfunctional, fatherless family, and taking unusual refuge in a bar that housed a considerable cast of memorable characters. You'll laugh, cry, and probably dish out five copies next Christmas. Happy shopping. Andy Juniper can be contacted at ajjuniper@gmail.com, found on Facebook at www.facebook.com, or followed at www. twitter.com/thesportjesters.