Mayor's Message - June 2021

The Town of Halton Hills joined many municipalities across Canada in mourning the 215 Indigenous children whose remains were found at a former resident school site in Kamloops, B.C. 

This is an appalling and grievous discovery. Like you, my heart aches for the children and families. The remainder of the resident school system is eye-opening, and I hope we as a nation learn from these horrors of the past.  Saying thoughts and prayers is not enough. We need to see change in policy and attitude.

After the elimination of the Edmonton Oilers from the NHL playoffs, Indigenous Oiler defenseman Ethan Bear was barraged on social media with racial slurs. He stood up to his haters with a well thought out video response. I am calling that all Resident School sites should be searched in case there are many more mass graves of Ingenious children.

Eradicating racism, promoting messages of unity, equity and hope should be the very foundation of which we govern to live. Thank you to the Halton Hills Alliance for Social Change for organizing a well-attended, emotional vigil for these children.

June is a special month as we recognize Indigenous Month (see the events calendar on haltonhills.ca for more information). June is also Seniors Month; we take this opportunity to thank our senior adults who have made lasting contributions in Halton Hills. June is also Pride Month, and we are installing a rainbow sidewalk in Acton. Last year we installed one in Georgetown. These sidewalks are a visible reminder that everyone is welcome in Halton Hills and that we support our 2SLGBTQ+ residents.

I was very saddened to hear of the passing of former Councillor Gerald Rennie. He was a remarkable man, English schoolteacher, and Presbyterian Minister. Before he was elected Councillor, he was on the board of ASSIC which later morphed into Links2Care. On Council he pushed hard for Senior Centres in both Georgetown and Acton. He also served for many years on the Acton BIA. After Council he still served on the Acton Seniors Board. Gerald had time for everyone. On behalf of Council, I would like to offer my condolences to his family.