in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, M ay 20 ,2 02 1 | 8 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 of more than 70 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 insidehalton@metroland.com facebook.com/OakvilleBeav @OakvilleBeaver WHO WE ARE VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague Regional General Manager Jason Pehora 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 Directors of Advertising Cindi Campbell and Ryan Maraj CONTACT US Oakville Beaver 901 Guelph Line Burlington, ON L7R 3N8 Phone: 905-845-3824 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Advertising: 289-293-0620 Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail kmossman@metroland.com or call 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 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 OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT INSIDEHALTON.COM After a year of shut- downs and businesses reel- ing from COVID's wrath, many in the private sector had no choice but to pivot their business plans by le- veraging digitization to drive profits. Similarly, the public sec- tor should be keeping pace by making digital technol- ogy a priority. Digital transformation could have immense value and offer cost-cutting opportunity in the delivery of services, as well as planning and devel- opment that intertwine with the private sector. The chamber is encour- aged by the recently-an- nounced town plan for a Digital Oakville 2021. We will continue to encourage the town to establish an ad- visory council to ensure that government collabo- rates with business lead- ers, experts and academia to achieve a digitally-con- nected community. As well, we will urge the town to develop measure- ments for its plan and use analytics to sort data and determine the next steps to success. A digitally-enabled town means you will be able to ap- ply and pay for almost any town permit and licence on- line, and that you can com- ment on important civic topics from your mobile de- vice. New services, plat- forms and a "connected" in- frastructure means reduced congestion and improved safety on our roads. Furthermore, an effi- ciently-run municipality re- sults in increased financial savings. In well-planned digital municipalities, the efforts become profitable within a year or two. Collection of data pro- vides municipalities with the opportunity for a predic- tive capability, seeing the problem before it happens. For example, the City of Vancouver's in-truck mo- bile devices in their sanita- tion fleet services has en- abled the city to better plan routes, co-ordinate pickups and it has seen a 30 per cent return on investment from shift optimizations. Smart city infrastruc- ture and an interconnected urban environment are es- sential for our growing community and for eco- nomic development. Simi- larly, smart planning will ensure our municipality can attract talent and in- vestment. All levels of government need to work together with the business community. This is one conversation that needs to be had in col- laboration with the ecosys- tem of Oakville's leaders and with academia that have the ability and inter- est in exploring pilots and simulations. Faye Lyons is the vice- president of government relations and advocacy for the Oakville Chamber of Commerce. She can be reached at faye@oakvil- lechamber.com. DIGITAL EVOLUTION CRUCIAL FOR US ALL BENEFITS CAN BE SEEN IN BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS, WRITES FAYE LYONS A robin feeds her babies in the Glen Abbey area. Do you have a great local photo you'd like to share? Send it to sleblanc@metroland.com, along with a brief description. Robert Gignac photo SNAPSHOT How much is your house worth? That seems to be a hot topic these days. In many communities, house prices are escalating rapidly. Bidding wars can turn into more than an attempt to purchase your dream home. For many, it is a compe- tition. Some might make an of- fer at a price level that would have seemed out of reach for them financially even a week earlier. The focus is on the sell- ing price. That is what we all want to know. Transaction details are public information. Often news travels faster by word of mouth. In my opinion, the focus should shift to the effect this crazy housing market is having on the buyers of those houses. Think of the mental an- guish a homebuyer goes through. Suddenly, a couple can look at their new domain and realize they have a mortgage approaching $1 million or more. That kind of financial jolt into carrying debt far above their comfort level can be overwhelming. What happens if inter- est rates increase when you renew your mortgage? Can you afford to have an unexpected cost of repair- ing a roof or replacing a furnace? What happens if some- one within the household loses their job? Your previous worry of being shut out of the rising housing market has now shifted to the reality of your financial exposure. That is the new demon that can keep you awake at night. Peter Watson, of Watson Investments MBA, CFP®, R.F.P., CIM®, FCSI offers a weekly financial plan- ning column, Dollars & Sense. He can be contacted through www.watsonin- vestments.com. REAL ESTATE MARKET CAUSE FOR ANXIETY ESCALATING HOUSE PRICES AND BALLOONING MORTGAGES CAN BE A SOURCE OF MENTAL STRAIN, WRITES PETER WATSON PETER WATSON Column FAYE LYONS Column SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT INSIDEHALTON.COM