OAKVILLE’S MORNING NEWS SCRAMBLE

New Stormwater Fee

The Town of Oakville is planning more community engagement on implementing a new Stormwater Funding Fee. The town says its stormwater infrastructure is aging and needs $700M+ in investment over the next 30 years. Right now, it’s paid for through property taxes. The town wants to switch to a separate fee model based on how much run off each property creates, which the town believes will be fairer for taxpayers.

Town budget vote tonight

Council will vote on the budget tonight. The proposed property tax increase next year is 4.91%. That’s up from the original 4.84% proposal since regional councillors gave Halton Police more money than they were asking for to hire 12 extra officers.

New towing rules

The town has introduced new rules for towing vehicles from private or municipal property with the goal of cutting down on so-called “predatory towing”. It will require illegally parked cars to be ticketed, and then waiting 30 minutes before a tow can occur. Property owners also need to get the OK from a town authority before towing and inform police.

College strike or lock-out on the way?

A college faculty strike or lock-out could happen as soon as January 4^th.  The union says it’s looking for better wages and enhanced job security.  The College Employer Council says it’s hopeful an agreement will be reached, and that mediation is scheduled for January 6^th & 7^th.

Trudeau watch

The Globe and Mail reports talks with former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney have broken off, there are more calls for Trudeau’s resignation, and a cabinet shuffle could come as early as Friday.

Doug Ford says this 51st state business will never happen

The Ontario premier says Canada will “never be the 51st state," despite Donald Trump’s taunting on social media. Ford made the comment last night on CTV.

Olivia and Noah top the baby names list in Ontario again this year

Olivia has been #1 for 15 years, Noah has topped the boys’ list for 5 years.

Santa won’t be writing back this year

As operations ramp back up, Canada Post says it’ll still be able to get all letters to Santa in time for Christmas, but kids shouldn’t expect letters back.

Canada Post starts taking commercial mail today

Canada Post to start accepting commercial mail and parcels today as it continues to ramp up post-strike operations. We can, however, expect delays into the new year as it works through a backlog.

Ruh Roh!! A warning for dog owners in Windsor about a deadly viral outbreak

Provincial Animal Welfare Services is warning dog owners in Windsor about a viral outbreak that has left more than a dozen pets dead.  It is a parvovirus outbreak that began downtown, but has likely spread farther.

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KEEP THE CHANGE

Reigning in those rate cuts

The U.S. Federal reserve cut its key rate by another quarter point on Wednesday.  It also indicated it would likely only cut rates twice next year, not the four times that were projected.  U.S. inflation has stalled just above the bank’s 2% target.

Stocks sink

News of fewer expected rate cuts sent stocks sinking on Wall Street. The Dow was down by more than 1,100 points (2.6%), marking a 10-day losing stretch for the index.  It’s the longest consecutive losing streak since 1974.  The S&P/TSX Composite was also down 2.2%.

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HEALTHY START

Heading to a holiday party? Be sure to bring a cheese tray…

Sliced, shredded, or melted, cheese is staple. With over 2,000 varieties which is the healthiest? Cheddar, parm or cottage? Blue, brie or bocconcini?

One of life’s great mysteries - do you use the shiny or dull side of foil? Does it matter?

Well, there actually is a difference between the shiny and dull sides of foil, but not quite what we might be thinking. 

AND… ANOTHER THING!

Keep the peace!

Looking for some tips to keep conversations calm and prevent arguments over the holidays?  A prof at the University of Waterloo has some tips including using “hedges” to “rachet down” people’s responses.

HOLIDAY CHEER!

Beautiful decorations are everywhere in Downtown Oakville!

Have a terrific Thursday!  Thanks for subscribing to Cockadoodle News!