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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, M ar ch 24 ,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 March 8 marked Inter- national Women's Day. On this day, and throughout the month of March, we recognize the social, eco- nomic, cultural and politi- cal achievements of wom- en and girls across Cana- da. This year, our theme is "Women Inspiring Wom- en." This theme leads me to think of the many wom- en and girls who inspire me by demonstrating leadership in their day-to- day lives -- from my daughters, to my late mother, to the many femi- nist trailblazers who worked hard to create last- ing change for future gen- erations. Throughout the pan- demic, women have faced job losses and reduced work hours, shouldered the majority of the addi- tional unpaid care respon- sibilities at home and con- tinue to be on the front lines of the pandemic. During this difficult time, I proudly reaffirm our government's strong commitment to gender equality, and to building a Canada that is diverse, eq- uitable and inclusive. As we begin our recov- ery from COVID-19, we must ensure our recovery benefits everyone, includ- ing women. That is why we are committed to making a significant, sustained, and long-term investment to create a Canada-wide early learning and child-care system. Access to affordable child care will help Cana- dians find and keep good jobs, give our children a good start in life and cre- ate a more resilient econo- my. Since International Women's Day in 2021, our government has an- nounced that 237 projects will receive funding under the $100-million Feminist Response and Recovery Fund. This fund invests in pro- jects that address systemic issues faced by vulnerable and under-represented women -- helping to en- sure an inclusive recovery from the social and eco- nomic impacts of the pan- demic. This month, we honour the change-makers who paved the way for us, and we celebrate the incredible women in our lives. Though we have made progress on the path to- ward gender equality, there remains much work to be done. Let us continue working together every day to build a better future for women and girls across Canada and the world. As always, if you re- quire any assistance of a federal nature, please do not hesitate to reach out to my constituency office at anita.anand@parl.gc.ca or 905-338-2008. 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. STRIVING FOR GENDER EQUALITY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY A TIME OF INSPIRATION AND NEWFOUND PURPOSE, WRITES ANITA ANAND The Bank of Canada has warned us of pending inter- est rate increases for a long time. Recently, interest rates increased by one quarter of one per cent. Many are anticipating six interest rate increases over a relatively short peri- od of time. These increases are necessary to slow down economic activity in order to bring inflation under control. As borrowing costs in- crease, many will find it more difficult to make ends meet. We know that a sig- nificant number of people live pay cheque to pay cheque, without much room for additional costs. Plus, inflation means we are paying more for pur- chases than we have in the past, and this too is a bur- den. Add in Russia invad- ing Ukraine, which is add- ing additional price in- creases, particularly at the gas pumps. Personal expenses are escalating quickly. Consid- er this fiscal "tough love." For the good of our country and all Canadians, interest rates have to rise. Even though it will hurt many. Now is the time for indi- viduals to be proactive. Your expenses are increas- ing, and that upward trend is going to continue over the next year -- and per- haps longer. What costs do you cur- rently have that can be re- duced or eliminated? De- pending on your financial circumstances, you might have to be aggressive at finding areas of savings. Tough times are ahead. 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 Investment Industry Regulatory Orga- nization of Canada. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not neces- sarily those of ACPI. Wat- son provides wealth man- agement services through Watson Investments. He can be reached at www.wat- soninvestments.com. INTEREST RATE HIKES WILL BE PAINFUL INCREASE TOUGH BUT NECESSARY FOR ECONOMY, WRITES PETER WATSON PETER WATSON Column A pair of squirrels explore a backyard in the Third Line and King's College Drive area. Do you have a great local photo you'd like to share? Send it to sleblanc@metroland.com, along with a brief description. Jennifer Adams photo SNAPSHOT ANITA ANAND Column