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Year of change ahead? While 2006 may well be remembered for its unusual, often turbulent weather, a gaze into the crystal ball indicates 2007 may bring more winds of change-- those of the political variety. Having just enjoyed (endured?) a year that featured two elections--a federal one last January and the municipal vote less than two months ago-- voters in Ontario can expect to cast ballots twice again in 2007. With the Stephen Harper Conservatives clinging to a slim minority in Ottawa most observers believe it will be sooner, rather than later, that we will head to the polls again for a federal election. Traditionally, minority governments have a shelf life of about 18 months which, by the time June rolls around, should be an adequate amount of time for new Liberal leader Stéphane Dion to decide he's comfortable enough to challenge Harper. While a federal election may be in some doubt, there is no question Ontarians will be asked to decide whether Dalton McGuinty's Liberals deserve four more years at Queen's Park. Thanks to legislation brought in last year, Ontario voters will be asked to cast ballots in October, every four years, beginning this year. Regionally, Gary Carr, an ex-MPP gets his feet wet , in the municipal pool and he is expected to run things much differently than former region chair Joyce Savoline did for the previous nine years. Locally, Halton Hills will once again see a restructuring of its electoral boundaries-- this time at the provincial level. For the fall election campaign, Halton Hills voters will see their current riding of Halton (held by Tory Ted Chudleigh) mirror the federal riding of Wellington-Halton Hills. As stated many times previously we are not fans of this realignment-- or any which takes Halton Hills out of Halton. Unfortunately, we must play the cards dealt us by the election boundary gurus in Ottawa who surely lost their map when they opted to place Halton Hills in the same riding as their distant cousins in Fergus. Yes, the winds of change are blowing into this area in 2007 and not all of it is the hot air usually associated with election campaigns. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR MPPs deserve `reward' of a pay hike Dear editor, I want to respond to all of the people who are complaining about the recent pay raise legislated for MPPs in Ontario, particularly Craig Gray of Georgetown. To be completely honest, I am not crazy about politicians. However, I have a great deal of respect for every single person who chooses to run for political office, regardless of level of government or political stripe, for one particular reason: they open their entire lives up to public scrutiny in order to do what they feel is best for their little part of the world. Imagine what it would be like if every decision we make in our careers were under a microscope for everyone to criticize; every little mistake is revealed in the media so that people who know nothing about what we are doing can tell us exactly how we did it wrong. Imagine how it would feel to not to be able to go home to our families every night after work, because our homes are too far away from our workplace to commute every day; we therefore require a second residence where we live alone for much of the year. And if we are lucky enough to live within commuting distance of our workplace, we still have to work nights and weekends because those are the only times when we can directly interact with our employers. While I admit that I only have the IQ of a "soap dish", I cannot see any reason why an intelligent and educated person would want to put themselves through this grief if they didn't have altruistic motives. Otherwise, they could work relatively anonymously for a large corporation, making at least $110,000 per year, and just lobby the government for their selfish goals. I therefore consider this wage increase a REWARD for choosing a career that demands large sacrifices from a largely unappreciative public. Benjamin Atkinson, Acton `Right fit' for Glen plan lies with residents Dear editor, How many times have we heard the expression "you can't fight city hall" or "once a developer decides on a project there is nothing we can do to stop or modify it"? With reference to the Oct. 20 article, "Glen subdivision plan drawing plenty of interest", this shows a lot CAN be done as much of the plans to maintain the historic character of the village mentioned by Sheridan Nurseries did, in fact, originate with the residents of Glen Williams and those who came forward to protect their interests. Such items as "environmentallyfriendly roads, no sidewalks and extensive green space" were among the many suggestions advanced by the Glen Williams Community Association (GWCA). There are many other concerns that have been put forth by that group to Sheridan, such as traffic that will be generated by the development. With 91 homes being built on the site it seems obvious that egress on to Prince Street alone is neither safe nor desirable, and that egress from the development should be on to Tenth Line. Sheridan is planning to surround the development with a black chainlink fence. The GWCA is concerned that gates be incorporated so that residents would have access to trailways allowing them to walk to the village and also that trees be strategically located on the site to serve as buffers, wildlife corridors and protection. Other concerns include water runoff (i.e. locating storm water ponds) and green space. Also important is the location and specification of pumping stations for sewage, as it will affect not only the Sheridan project, but the existing residents of the Glen. We are pleased to hear Sheridan Nurseries president Bill Stensson's desire to ensure the "right fit" in the hamlet but it is important to keep in mind that "right fit" depends to a large degree on the residents of Glen Williams being alerted to developer's plans and not be shy to express opinions for and against. L. Robert de Langley,Glen Williams