in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, Ju ne 23 ,2 02 2 | 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 newspaper 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 Director of Content Lee Ann Waterman Regional Managing Editor Catherine O'Hara Managing Editor Karen Miceli Director of Distribution Charlene Hall Circulation Manager Kim Mossman Directors of Advertising Cindi Campbell and Graeme MacIntosh Director Creative Services Katherine Porcheron 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 June is Pride Month -- an opportunity for Oak- ville residents and all Ca- nadians to celebrate the strength, resiliency, and contributions of LGBTQ2 Canadians. As I reflect on the fight for equal rights, I am proud to be part of a government that has always stood alongside the LGBTQ2 community. While there is always more work to do, we have made significant progress. In 2017, we established the first ever LGBTQ2 Sec- retariat to provide funding opportunities for commu- nity organizations and to ensure that queer perspec- tives are better reflected in federal policies and pro- grams. This led to impor- tant initiatives like major investments in Pride events through the Federal Tourism Growth Strategy. At the Department of National Defence, we launched a transforma- tional Canadian Armed Forces Positive Space Ini- tiative to better promote a safe and inclusive environ- ment for all. As a volunteer and peer- based support group for members of the communi- ty and allies, the Positive Space Initiative is seeing amazing results. Former queer RCMP and military personnel who have faced oppression due to our nation's historic discriminatory policies are now able to access crit- ical supports. With the recent passage of Bill C-4, Canada made history. After decades of hard work spearheaded by activists, allies and, most importantly, brave survi- vors, conversion therapy is now banned across the country. The medically discred- ited practice of attempting to change a person's gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation has ruined countless lives. In April, we fulfilled an- other major promise. We invested millions in re- search through Canadian Blood Services, and Health Canada has approved Ca- nadian Blood Services' submission to eliminate the MSM (men who have sex with men) blood dona- tion ban in Canada. This discriminatory practice prohibits gay, bi- sexual, and other men who have sex with men from do- nating blood and makes it harder for Canadians in need to receive a life-saving blood transfusion. Now, all blood is equal, while Canada maintains one of the safest blood sup- plies in the world. With a nationwide Ac- tion Plan set to roll out lat- er this year and so much more, the Prime Minister and I are proud to stand with LGBTQ2 Canadians. Anita Anand is the MP for Oakville and the Min- ister of National Defence. She can be reached at an- ita.anand@parl.gc.ca. CELEBRATING CANADA'S LGBTQ2 COMMUNITY PRIDE MONTH AN OPPORTUNITY TO RECOMMIT OURSELVES TO INCLUSION, WRITES ANITA ANAND ANITA ANAND Column A cardinal visits a home on Tansley Drive. Do you have a great local photo you'd like to share? Send it to sleblanc@metroland.com, along with a brief description. Philip Savage photo SNAPSHOT Tech giants that posted phenomenal stock market gains over the last decade have now suddenly come crashing back to reality. The companies often re- ferred to as "FAANG" in- clude Facebook (now called Meta), Amazon, Ap- ple, Netflix and Google (now called Alphabet). For the 10 years ending in 2021, their annual return was 28 per cent. That was 12 per cent higher per year than the underlying mar- ket as measured by the Russell 3000 Index. As of May 5, four out of the five stocks did not keep up with the value of the overall stock market. Com- bined, they underper- formed the Russell 3000 by nine per cent. There's disappointment for those who own those stocks, particularly those who watched the stock soar and then recently bought them before they declined in value. That type of underper- formance is not unusual. Firms that have significant stock market value appre- ciation that join the covet- ed Top 10 largest compa- nies in the United States of- ten do so because of tre- mendous growth. For the three years prior to joining the Top 10 largest market capitalized compa- nies, their stock values in- creased by nearly 25 per cent per year more than the general stock market. Five years later, those stocks underperformed the market by one per cent an- nually. Stock values can rise significantly; however, that strong growth tends not to continue. Peter Watson is regis- tered with Aligned Capital Partners Inc. (ACPI) to provide investment advice. Investment products are provided by ACPI. ACPI is a member of the Invest- ment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of ACPI. Watson provides wealth management services through Watson Invest- ments. He can be reached at www.watsoninvestment- s.com. THE RISE AND FALL OF TECH STOCKS PETER WATSON Column SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT INSIDEHALTON.COM SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT INSIDEHALTON.COM