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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, N ov em be r 19 ,2 02 0 | 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 On Nov. 5, the Ontario government released its first budget since the pan- demic was declared. It was a response to the current crisis and demon- strates the beginning of a long-term plan for econom- ic growth. The business communi- ty welcomes many priori- ties outlined in Ontario's 2020 budget, 'Ontario's Ac- tion Plan: Protect, Support, Recover'. In fact, greater invest- ment in broadband and cel- lular infrastructure, re- forming taxes to enhance business competitiveness, developing new skills train- ing opportunities, and low- ering the cost of electricity for industry were all policy areas identified by the Chamber network in the prebudget consultation. Some key measures sup- ported by the Ontario busi- ness community include reducing commercial and industrial electricity rates that will make businesses more competitive and en- able them to invest in re- covery and growth. For years, Ontario businesses have paid more for electric- ity than most other juris- dictions in North America, and the pandemic has only increased electricity sys- tem costs. The 2020 budget also in- cludes a number of tax re- forms aimed at reducing the tax burden on businesses, including reducing payroll taxes for private-sector em- ployees by making the pre- vious increase to the Em- ployer Health Tax (EHT) ex- emption (from $490,000 to $1,000,000) permanent. The government is also addressing property taxes for business by standardiz- ing and reducing all Busi- ness Education Tax (BET) rates at 0.88 per cent. Fur- thermore, municipalities will be granted the option to target property tax relief to small businesses through the introduction of a new optional small business property sub- class. This measure will provide municipalities with the tools to assist small businesses hardest hit by the pandemic. Investment to improve and expand broadband and cellular access across the province is a requirement in today's economy, but the ongoing pandemic has made it even more essential to public health and eco- nomic resilience. To that end, the government has committed $680 million over the next four years in broadband infrastructure. Finally, Oakville Cham- ber members have cited transportation infrastruc- ture and congestion as crit- ical to business competitive- ness. We welcome the allo- cation of $2.6 billion in 2020- 21 for the rehabilitation and expansion of highways and bridges across the province. Faye Lyons is the vice- president of government relations and advocacy for the Oakville Chamber of Commerce. She can be reached at faye@oakvil- lechamber.com. BUDGET OFFERS CAUSE FOR OPTIMISM The stock market is a form of democracy. Every- one gets a vote to decide the value given to a stock. A popular question among investors: What de- termines the value of the stock? The simple answer is you and other market participants. Every time a stock is traded, the buyer and sell- er independently agree on a price to complete the transaction. Both parties have to agree or there's no trade. Buyers and sellers have an idea of the future earn- ings of those shares and they decide on their re- quired return on invest- ment. That determines their estimate of the value. Assume there are two companies that are expec- ted to have the same earn- ing power in the future. Are the prices of those companies' shares equal? No. The two important vari- ables that determine price are the expected future earnings and the level of risk taken on by owning those shares. Sometimes daily news events cause stock prices to plummet. In most cases, the long- term expected profit is un- changed. What has changed is an investor's perception that there is more risk and therefore, they will offer less for that stock. My recommendation is to invest for the long term. Own stocks that have good prospects for ongoing future earnings. Ignore the daily news that does not di- rectly affect the ability of the company to continue to earn profits. Peter Watson, MBA, CFP®, R.F.P., CIM®, FCSI, of Watson Invest- ments offers a weekly fi- nancial planning column, Dollars & Sense. He can be contacted through www.watsoninvestment- s.com. THE STOCK MARKET IS A FORM OF DEMOCRACY EVERY INVESTOR HAS A SAY IN THE VALUE OF A STOCK, WRITES PETER WATSON PETER WATSON Column A white tailed buck wis seen along the Moccasin Trail at Lion's Valley Park. Do you have a great local photo you'd like to share? Send it to sleblanc@metroland.com, along with a brief description. R.N. Bateman photo SNAPSHOT FAYE LYONS Column PLENTY OF CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE PRIORITIES ADDRESSED BY PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT, WRITES FAYE LYONS