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6 uw ° =z = Ss = The IFP - Halton Hills | Thursday, December 16, 2021 | SPIRIT IF YOU CAN, PLEASE HELP THOSE IN NEED THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, WRITES RICK BONNETTE ~ RICK BONNETTE Column Winter is definitely here. The days are getting etek the nights are get- colder and the holiday season is around the cor- ner. It'satime to think about those in our community who are vulnerable and less fortunate. Thereare many Jocal or they can provide clothing, toys and food to those in need. For those of you who can, please donate to these organizations that give hope and a smile ‘oa a family or individual need during the holiday season. At a recent council meeting, we had a staff re- port on sidewalk snow clearing. We clear about 160 ilo. metres of sidewalks We clear the side. walks in commercial and schoolareas, but we can't do § them all, as that would be § 100 costly for you, the tax- LET YOUR COMMUNITY SHINE payers, to pick up the tab. So, to borrow a phrase from the City of toronto, ar your ice. Your neighbours who may be elderly will be ateful. Speaking of ice, skating is a great form of exercise. The town will once again (weather permitting) be making outdoor rinks. Last year we had more out- door rinks than in previ- ous years, including at ad- ditional neighbourhood lo- cations where volunteers artnered with the town. A special reminder to all parents: do not allow your children to skate or play s shinny on stormwater pond: The ice on these ponds doesn't freeze to a thickness. Last sean youngster in Milton fell through the ice on a storm- water pond and drowned. We don't want the same tragedy here. Iam very happy thatour four-legged friends have an early Christmas gift. Our new leash-free park on Tra- falgar Road is now open. Judging br ging tails, our new bask bark} is a resounding su Lastly, on behalf of ‘town council and staff, I want to wish youa very happy holi- day season (and merry Christmas). Please shop lo- cal and support our busi- nesses. Rick Bonnette is the mayor of Halton Hills. Follow him on Twitter at @RickBonnettel and In- stagram at @rick_bon- TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT THEIFPCA SNAPSHOT Tony Fortunato photo An eastern bluebird prepares to take a dip in a backyard bird bath in rural Georgetown. Do you have a great local photo you'd like to share? Send it to sleblanc@metroland.com, along with a brief description. HOLIDAY SPENDING ON THE RISE CANADIANS PROJECTED TO SPEND SIGNIFICANTLY MORE THAN LAST YEAR, WRITES PETER WATSON Holiday spending is forecasted to rise sharply from last year. After the pandemic lockdown, Cana- dians want to shop, cele- brate and spoil friends and family. This insight is accord- ing to Deloitte Canada's 2021 Holiday Retail Out- look. Holiday spending dur- ing 2021 is expected to in- crease 31 per cent over last year, which is an increase of eight per cent since 2019. A little over half of Ca- nadians want to support businesses in community. That is their PETER WATSON Column preference, but the reality is Amazon will be their re- tailer of choice. Most of us have experi- enced the changing prefer- ence of shopping. The advantages of on- line shopping is a signifi- cant shift, and it is not sur- prising that Amazon was consumer hove for holiday shop- those less fortunate will have to curtail their spending this holiday sea- son. This willapply to some Canadians. Almost 12 per cent gf consumers in the US. not plan to spend doing this holiday season. That is more than double those that indicated they would not be spending in last year's ‘S$ survey. Most of those not plan- ning to spend this year have lower incomes. The main concern was higher food costs. While it might be inter- esting to compare spend- ing patterns with our southern neighbours, it is more meaningful to com- pare spending habits be- een Canadians depend- ing on on their financial re- so "Canadians have varying 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 paper 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 ocna newsroom@theifp.ca IndependentAndFreePress @IFP_11 WHO WE ARE VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague Regional General Manager Jason Pehora Director of Content Lee Ann Waterman Deputy Director of Content Catherine O'Hara Managing Editor Karen Miceli Director rr Distribution Cindi Campbell and Graeme Macintosh CONTACT US The Independent & Free Press 901 Guelph Line Burlington, ON L7R 3N8 Phone: 905-873-0301 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Fax: 905-873-0398 Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 320 words and include your name and and spend- ing reflects that. On a positive note, Ca- nadians expect to donate significantly more this year than they did in 2019. Peter Watson, of Watson Investments MBA, CFP®, REP, CIM®, FCSI offers a weekly financial plai ning column, Dollars © Sense. He can be contacted at www.watsoninvestment- s.com. for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Published letters will appear in print and/or online at theifp.ca For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail Ipotar@miltoncanadianchampion.com or call 905-234-1019. fas Accredited.