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Town hosting budget Q&A on Twitter Jan. 30 Oakville residents with budget-related questions can get them answered during an interactive Twitter budget Q-and-A on Monday, Jan. 30. The event will last from 7-9 p.m., with residents encouraged to tweet their questions to @townofoakville to get their answers. Oakville Mayor Rob Burton and 2012 Budget Committee Chair and Ward 6 Town and Regional Councillor Tom Adams will be on hand to supply the answers. All questions and answers (especially those longer than 140 characters) will also be posted online by the Town at www. oakville.ca. "In a spirit of innovation, we are taking the concept of a telephone town hall meeting to Twitter," said Burton. "We'll see if the fast, fluid nature of social media opens up a chance for new participation from people too busy for the traditional, more formal styles of participation in meetings." On Monday, Jan. 16, Town staff proposed a 6.7 per cent hike to the Town's base budget. That would be reduced to a three per cent jump for the 2012 property tax bill after the Town's increase is combined with the 1.2 per cent increase in Halton Region's budget and no increase to the education rates. "Using the power of Twitter allows us to engage a broader demographic of Oakville taxpayers," said Adams. "This is new territory for the Town and we're excited to see what happens. We hope our constituents take advantage of this opportunity to chat with us," said Adams, who is a veteran on the Town's budget committee. Those residents who prefer face-to-face meetings can attend the budget open houses, which will take place on today (Jan. 26) from 7-8 p.m. at inside the Committee Room at Town Hall, 1225 Trafalgar Rd. -- a previous meeting was held Tuesday at Woodside library. Residents can also have their say at the 2012 budget committee meetings located inside the council chamber at Town Hall on: · Thursday, Feb. 2, from 7-10 p.m. (Delegations) · Tuesday, Feb. 7, from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Delegations) · Thursday, Feb. 9, from 9:30 a.m.12:30 p.m. (Deliberations) · Tuesday, Feb. 14, (as required) from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Deliberations) · Monday, March 5, beginning 7 p.m. (Council Approval) Residents who wish to appear before the budget committee as a delegate should register at townclerk@oakville.ca or call 905-815-6015. For those who cannot attend the budget committee meetings in person, they will be video-streamed live at www.towntv.ca For more information about the 2012 budget visit www.oakville.ca. 11 · Thursday, January 26, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com BDO is pleased to congratulate Sante Sacchini, Stephanie Pettau, Daniel McIntyre and Timothy Egan on passing the Uniform Evaluation (UFE). This commendable achievement grants them entrance into the Chartered Accountant profession in Canada. We salute these individuals for their determination and effort, and look forward to their further contributions as valuable members of our team. BDO is one of the leading accounting and advisory firms in Canada with 90 years of experience providing value-added assurance, accounting, taxation and advisory services to a broad range of clients. With a national team of more than 2,700 partners and professionals, we build strong relationships with businesses and communities from Vancouver to St. John's. Our Burlington office has a skilled team of 13 partners and approximately 100 professionals who offer a variety of expertise. 400 - 3115 Harvester Rd Burlington ON 905 639 9500 www.bdo.ca BDO Canada LLP, a Canadian limited liability partnership, is a member of BDO International Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, and forms part of the international BDO network of independent member firms. BDO is the brand name for the BDO network and for each of the BDO Member Firms. CONGRATULATIONS Every time you donate to Goodwill, you help someone find a job. Here's how... 1 You donate to Goodwill. 2 3 The revenues help fund job training and other services to prepare people for job success. Goodwill sells your donations in our stores. 4 People find good jobs. CONVENIENT GOODWILL LOCATIONS Burlington Oakville Milton 4051 New St. 407A Speers Rd. 550 Ontario St. S (at Walkers Line) (west of Dorval) (at Hwy 25 & Derry Rd) 905-333-8989 905-338-6240 905-875-3533 Donate Wisely Not all organizations that collect donations make the best use of them. Some thrift stores solicit donations under the name of a charity but as little as 5 percent of the money generated from these donations may actually go to the charity. At Goodwill, 84 percent of our revenues are funneled directly back into our employment and training programs. Goodwill is consistently ranked among top charities that make your donation go further. Every 42 seconds Goodwill connects someone with a job