The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, February 12, 2015 | 12 Halton Region budget: investing in the future O n Jan. 28, Halton Regional Council approved the 2015 Budget and Business Plan with a continued focus on investment in the planning and delivery of infrastructure. The Region has made it a strategic priority to invest for the future. That is why we continue to make investments in Regional assets, infrastructure and facilities a priority. The 2015 budget includes a significant investment in infrastructure and an increase in the Region's investment in the water, wastewater and transportation state-of-good-repair capital programs, from $69 million in 2007 to $110 million. Our new budget continues the Region's focus on maintaining service levels, making strategic investments and maintaining the tax rate increase for regional services within the rate of inflation. The 2015 budget includes a 1.5 per cent increase in property taxes for regional programs and services. Here are some highlights of key investments in the budget: Investments to Maintain Existing Infrastructure · Significant investments in maintaining the state-of-good-repair of our infrastructure and our asset management programs, including $5.7 million towards water and wastewater state-of-good-repair. My View ment lands and urban growth centre intensification. Financial Stability · Adjustments to help maintain financial stability over the next 10 years. The 2015 budget approved funding for a new Halton Regional Police headquarters on the Halton Regional Centre site in Oakville. The budget also includes a 4.9 per cent increase in the 2015 water and wastewater rate. Of the 4.9 per cent increase, 1.1 per cent will fund operating costs of Halton's water and wastewater systems to keep Halton's water safe and 3.8 per cent is for investment in treatment plants and pipeline systems. Surveys show that public satisfaction with Regional services has averaged 98 per cent over the past few years. The 2015 budget will allow these service levels to be maintained, along with our AAA credit rating, and ensure that Halton Region remains a great place to live, work, raise a family and retire. If you'd like to find more about Halton's 2015 Budget, visit Halton.ca/budget or dial 311. As always, if you have any Regional concerns or comments you would like to share, please feel free to email me at gary.carr@halton.ca. You can also find me on Twitter @garycarrhalton or on Facebook. To receive further updates on Regional issues, please subscribe to my quarterly e-newsletter, The Carr Report. Gary Carr Halton Region Chair Connecting People to Services · New investments in public health and social services programs including $1 million for additional staff and vehicles for paramedic services and $200,000 for Crisis Prevention / COMMANDE, a multi-agency initiative committed to the health and safety of the community by providing real-time, coordinated responses to high-risk situations. Adapting to Climate Change · A significant expansion to our emergency management program, including $5.5 million towards emergency generators in warming and reception centres and $378,000 to increase the Region's capacity to respond to emergencies; $5 million to assist in the implementation of any potential recommendations of the Regionwide Basement Flooding Mitigation Study. Economic Growth · $1 million towards a pilot area servicing plan study for economic development and intensification to be undertaken in each local municipality for the advancement of employ- www.oakville.ca St. Jude's Cemetery New columbarium ­ for lasting memories Oakville Cemeteries is pleased to announce a new columbarium at St. Jude's Cemetery with a number of niches for cremated remains, offering a scenic setting to remember and visit your loved one. St. Jude's Cemetery lies on 13 acres of lush, park-like grounds south of Lakeshore Boulevard. The Cemeteries staff provides sensitive and special care and understanding of your needs. We will assist and guide you through the decision-making process, answer any questions you may have and provide expert advice. You can be comfortable discussing your plans with us...we understand. For more information, visit oakville.ca or contact ServiceOakville at 905-845-6601 or serviceoakville@oakville.ca Participants will gain knowledge, tips and resources to enhance programming and relationships with children and other staff. A certificate from PRO will be awarded after successful completion of this workshop. Participants will also receive training in PREVNet's Healthy Relationship Training Module (Bullying Awareness) and Development Assets®. Cost for this workshop is $40 and includes materials. The next workshop is Saturday, February 28, 2015 at Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre. Visit oakville.ca for more information and how to register. Do you currently volunteer with children aged 6 to 12 in a recreation and culture setting and want to finetune your skills? Or, are you interested in volunteering in this type of environment? Then we have the workshop for you! Make Your Move Oakville, with assistance from the Ontario Sport and Recreation Communities Fund is offering Active Leadership Workshops for volunteers ages 14+ in recreation and culture. This full day workshop includes Parks and Recreation Ontario's (PRO) acclaimed HIGH FIVE®Principles of Healthy Child Development training. Active Leadership Workshop