Making new connections through social media

One of the things that I enjoy most about being the Regional Chair is that I get to meet so many members of the community at local events or when I go visiting door-to-door.  A recent survey showed that 97% of residents were satisfied with Regional programs and services and it’s important to me to hear first-hand from the residents of Halton about the things that we can do to ensure that Halton Region remains a great place to live, work, raise a family and retire. 

The growth of social media is making it even easier for residents to connect with their Regional government.  I believe that being connected is so important that I manage my Facebook, and Twitter accounts myself.  If you see tweets from @garycarrhalton, you’ll know that information is coming directly from me.  Likewise, if you have questions or comments about Regional programs and services it’s easy to reach me by email (gary.carr@halton.ca). 

Halton Region’s programs and services also have an active online presence.  Check out the Social Media Centre of our website to connect with programs like Halton Parents, Halton Recycles, Tourism and Halton’s Small Business Centre on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, WordPress Blogs and Pinterest.

With so many easy ways to reach Halton Region, I hope you take a moment to engage with us as we continue to deliver key actions from the Citizens’ Priorities Action Plan, and of course, I look forward to hearing from you. 

To receive further updates on Regional issues, please subscribe to my quarterly e-newsletter, ”The Carr Report.”

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Public Engagement (Video)

• Chair Carr’s YouTube channel
• Public Engagement – video transcript (opens in new window)
• Chair Carr’s Biography

If you have any Regional concerns or comments you would like to share, please feel free to email me at gary.carr@halton.ca. To receive further updates on Regional issues, please subscribe to my quarterly e-newsletter, “The Carr Report.”

This summer, discover Halton with Facebook and Twitter!

Halton’s tourism market is growing.

According to a tourism update (131KB) presented to Regional Council in 2010:

• 3.1 million tourists came to Halton Region in 2008
• the $287.2 million spent by these visitors generated about $123.7 million in direct economic activity (GDP) in Halton
• about 2,400 direct jobs in Halton were generated as a result of visitor spending here
• visitor spending in Halton generates $131.1 million in taxes (direct, indirect, and induced) province-wide, including $4.2 million at the municipal level.

Tourism can make a strong contribution to community building and quality of life in Halton, so it makes good sense to use all of the tools at our disposal, including social media, to promote Halton’s tourism assets.

That’s why Halton Region’s Economic Development Division has just launched a tourism marketing campaign that features a number of new ways to spread the word about all there is to see and do in Halton. Social media platforms Facebook and Twitter are key components in the campaign.  

The new tools will:

• promote upcoming festivals and events
• share interesting facts and useful travel tips
• allow visitors to share their own Halton travel tips, stories, photos and videos.  

The campaign follows on the work started by the Halton Tourism Advisory Committee (2008-2011) which was instrumental in launching a number of tourism initiatives including a new tourism portal called “Discovering Halton” on our website at www.halton.ca/tourism.

Halton offers countless opportunities for entertainment, recreation, education, relaxation and fun including:

• Arts, Culture and Heritage
• A beautiful waterfront
• Eco and Adventure Tourism
• Farmers’ Markets
• And much, much more!

Whether you are planning a staycation, looking for ways to keep out-of-town guests entertained, or just want to help promote our wonderful community, I invite you to discover and share Halton on Facebook and Twitter. Visit Halton Tourism on Facebook or Twitter and tell us your favorite summer spot in Halton. Post a photo if you have one.

If you have any Regional concerns or comments you would like to share, please feel free to email me at gary.carr@halton.ca. To receive further updates on Regional issues, please subscribe to my quarterly e-newsletter, “The Carr Report.”

HaltonParents: 1,000+ Twitter followers and growing

What do I do for my child who is being bullied? My 3-year old is still not using the potty. Any suggestions? How can I manage my teenager’s attitude? These are just some of the questions that a group of Halton Region’s Public Health Nurses and Child Development staff are tweeting and writing about on HaltonParents: a great online community for all things parenting. And with over 1,000 followers on Twitter and more than 2,300 readers of the blog in May alone, clearly it’s hitting the mark with a rapidly growing number of local parents, community organizations, and others across Canada and the world.

HaltonParents offers quality, evidence-based information in a casual forum. The conversation is lively and our professional staff do not shy away from tough conversations. In fact, here’s the opening paragraph to one of the recent posts titled “What’s with weed”, written by one of the Public Health Nurses: “I admit it. I have never tried cannabis (marijuana, weed). According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, I am in a slim majority. Forty-two percent of Ontarians over the age of 18 have used cannabis in their lifetimes. Almost half of Ontario’s grade 12 students (46%) say they have used cannabis in the past year.” She goes on to talk about the rationale and evidence as to why many teens are attracted to risky behaviour, and what parents may be able to do to help guide their sons and daughters into making smart choices.

So, if you’re a parent in Halton, check out HaltonParents. The team will help answer your parenting questions or concerns—no matter if you’re pregnant with your first child or raising your third teenager. If they don’t know the answer, the team will connect you with community services throughout Halton who can.

As per a tweet from mindyourmind, an Ontario organization who supports youth mental health, HaltonParents is “a great new online community to talk about parenting issues at all stages with professional staff.”

Of course if you don’t tweet, feel free to email or call the team with your parenting questions or concerns.

Here’s how to reach them:

• Website: www.haltonparents.ca
• Email: haltonparents@halton.ca
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/haltonparents
• Blog: http://haltonparents@wordpress.com

Phone: Dial 311 or 905-825-6000, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

If you have any Regional concerns or comments you would like to share, please feel free to email me at gary.carr@halton.ca. To receive further updates on Regional issues, please subscribe to my quarterly e-newsletter, “The Carr Report.”