The holiday season is a time to spend with friends and family

I want to thank all of you who generously supported our local Royal Canadian Legion during their Poppy campaign through your donations or your time as a volunteer at their many sale points. Because of your effort, the Legion surpassed their fundraising goal by $8,800 with an impressive total of $153,838. Congratulations to Poppy Campaign chair Richard Guitar, and assistant chair Susan Sloan for their leadership.

As we are getting closer to the holiday season, it was great to attend the lighting of the beautiful tree on Centrum Plaza on Nov. 28. Thanks to the hard work of The Heart of Orléans BIA, the community truly came through to enjoy hot chocolate, music, and Santa..

We also celebrated the 27th anniversary of Santa’s Parade of Lights on Nov. 30. It’s always a special moment to walk along St-Joseph Blvd. to give out candy canes to the young ones and see such a big crowd gathering on a beautiful evening. This event would not be possible without the devotion and hard work of the Ottawa Professional Firefighters Association. I want to especially thank the parade chairman, Bob Rainboth, as well as his entire team, for their leadership and for keeping our community safe. I will never thank you enough, Orléans, for your continued generosity in donations and new toys.

The past few years have been challenging. And while inflation is cooling and interest rates are dropping, we know that you are not feeling that in your household budgets yet. Moreover, our local small businesses, the heart of our economy, are still one of the most affected sectors.

This is why the federal government announced a tax break for all Canadians starting Dec. 14, 2024, until Feb. 15, 2025. This tax break, HST in Ontario, will be applicable for restaurant meals, whether dine-in, takeout, or delivery, prepared meals, groceries, and other essentials goods. Learn more at More money in your pocket: A tax break for all Canadians at Canada.ca.

To our small business owners and non-profit organizations, the call for applications for Orléans employers interested in offering a job opportunity for individuals aged 15 to 30 to gain valuable work experience via the Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program was launched on Nov. 19 and closes on Dec. 19, 2024. I encourage everyone interested to apply and to let my office know you did.

Lastly, as it is my last column before the holiday break, I extend my warm wishes to all of you! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, Orléans!