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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 11 ,2 02 1 | 6 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 news- 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 insidehalton@metroland.com facebook.com/OakvilleBeav @OakvilleBeaver WHO WE ARE VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague Regional General Manager Jason Pehora Regional Managing Editor Catherine O'Hara Managing Editor Karen Miceli Director of Distribution Charlene Hall Circulation Manager Kim Mossman Director of Production Mark Dills Regional Production Manager Manny Garcia Directors of Advertising Cindi Campbell and Ryan Maraj 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 Oakville is fortunate to have natural green spaces, parks and an in- credible waterfront. The environment is important to protect and preserve for future gener- ations. In my role as the MPP, I have had the privi- lege to engage with com- munity members who have a strong passion for finding solutions to pro- tect the environment. The government un- derstands the need to pro- tect our natural green- spaces. This is why public con- sultations were recently announced to expand the Greenbelt. This could result in the largest expansion of the Greenbelt since its creation over 15 years ago. The Greenbelt was created in 2005 and con- sists of farmland, forests, wetlands and water- sheds. Prior to 2018, there were 17 boundary chang- es and 370 acres removed from the Greenbelt. Since 2018, there have been no boundary chang- es and no land has been removed. This consultation is truly a unique opportuni- ty to grow the Greenbelt and protect Ontario's en- vironmental, groundwa- ter and agricultural re- sources. The government wants input on how to grow the size and quality of the Greenbelt lands, in- cluding; The Paris Galt Mo- raine; and adding, ex- panding, and further pro- tecting urban river val- leys, and increasing the footprint into high-densi- ty urban areas, including the areas around the Don River in Toronto and land around Duffins Creek in Ajax and Pickering. Consideration must be given to both urban and rural areas. Feedback is welcome either by emailing green- beltconsultation@onta- rio.ca or through the En- vironmental Registry of Ontario until April 19. The provincial gov- ernment has also taken action to support the Greenbelt Foundation's efforts to protect, pro- mote and improve the Greenbelt in the Golden Horseshoe region. Ontario is investing $12 million over the next three years in projects that are focused on plant- ing trees, enhancing rec- reational opportunities, and maintaining and en- hancing green infra- structure and climate re- silience. Supporting conserva- tion efforts to preserve Ontario's rich biodiversi- ty is a major focus for the Ontario government. Our Greenbelt is a nat- ural treasure that needs to be protected. Stephen Crawford is the MPP for Oakville. He can be reached at stephen .crawfordco@pc.ola.org. PROTECTING OUR GREENSPACES PROPOSED GREENBELT EXPANSION VERY ENCOURAGING, WRITES STEPHEN CRAWFORD A bufflehead takes a dip in Bronte Harbour. Do you have a great local photo you'd like to share? Send it to sleblanc@metroland.com, along with a brief description. John Angelis photo SNAPSHOT Our leaders have some turbulent waters to navi- gate in the aftermath of COVID-19. The first order of busi- ness will be to restart our economy. That will re- quire spending in the mag- nitude not seen in our his- tory. Then the attention will shift to managing our country's bulging debt, in- cluding creative ways to reduce it. That's the challenge. We need to spend. And then we need to stop spending. These two challenges will start to pit different segments of our popula- tion against each other. The next level of dis- course will escalate. How do we bridge the gap be- tween the haves and have- nots of our country? All Canadians contrib- ute to the fabric of our country. As a nation we are respectful and for the most part considerate of others. But now we are down to money, and that's where great divide can occur. Government workers will continue receiving their salary and pensions. Some in business have en- joyed unprecedented op- portunities and are thriv- ing. Others are financially devastated. They include small business owners who have lost their business, their li- velihsood and potentially their house and other as- sets because those were pledged as securities for business loans. Others have seen their employer go out of busi- ness, or a shift toward a new economy that has left them unemployed or un- employable. The pandemic has been difficult. Our recovery might be more so. Peter Watson, of Watson Investments MBA, CFP®, R.F.P., CIM®, FCSI offers a weekly financial plan- ning column, Dollars & Sense. He can be contacted through www.watsonin- vestments.com. ECONOMIC CHALLENGES COULD WELL INTENSIFY TO BE A FEDERAL POLITICIAN NOW COULD BE THE BEST OF TIMES, OR THE WORST OF TIMES, WRITES PETER WATSON PETER WATSON Column STEPHEN CRAWFORD Column