The Citizen, 2008-02-14, Page 6(NC)—If you are feeling the
emotional and financial squeeze of
taking care of your children and
parents, you are not alone. More
Canadians than ever are balancing
their own needs with those of their
loved ones and this trend will
continue to grow as the population
ages.
According to a recent BMO
Financial Group study, a third of
Canadians between the ages of 45
and 60 are currently assisting aging
relatives.
Adding to the pressure, 44 per
cent of these boomers also
financially support their children.
Yet fewer than one in 10 have
asked for professional advice in
providing the necessary financial
and emotional assistance these dual
responsibilities demand, including
making contingencies for one’s own
health and well being.
“The multiple and often
competing responsibilities of
Canadian boomers is hardly a new
revelation. However, what is new
are the growing number of
resources and professional support
available to help them manage the
process in a more realistic and
financially secure way.” said
Kris Vikmanis, head of retirement
market at BMO Financial Group.
“Unbeknownst to many boomers,
this kind of support is now available
at some local bank branches.
Investment professionals at BMO
have exclusive access to a
comprehensive online database of
eldercare and caregiver services
through BMO’s partnership with
Best in Care.”
This partnership will enable
caregivers to not only search for
eldercare information in their
community, including qualified
elder care professionals, in-home
services, long term care facilities
and geriatric services that match
specific needs, but get the financial
clarity needed to make responsible
decisions.
The service is ultimately bringing
together the complimentary
financial, emotional and practical
advice needed to ensure all parties,
including the caregiver, are well
looked after.
“Our research has found that
despite the increasing family
pressures of caring for aging
relatives, only 26 per cent of
boomers have a plan for their own
care in the event they personally
need assistance when they get
older.”
“One of the advantages of
planning in advance for the care of
others is that it encourages people to
consider the care they would prefer
for themselves down the road, so
they can start planning for it now,”
said Vikmanis.
PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2008.
Continued from page 1
is up to the principal. OPP and the
Ministry of Transportation are also
involved in discussions.”
Howe said that every effort is
made to make the decision before
6:30 a.m.
Two hour delays are generally
reserved for fog situations. “Snow
varies dramatically from north to
south. There are buses that have
double or triple runs so some might
be able to get going on their route,
but other’s couldn’t.”
So with the decision to close
having to be made so many times
this year, Howe said there are
options to be considered to get those
days back. These include the
postponement of extra events,
such as assemblies or half-day field
trips. “We consider a number of
options.”
The difficulty with some of the
field trips, however, is that they may
be tied to the curriculum. “They are
very valuable. But these are the
types of thing that will be shared to
see where lost time can be picked
up.”
Pre-planning also helps. “Schools
that expect to get hit do things such
as snow day assignments, all things
that support the curriculum. Others
are taking advantage of teacher web
pages and e-mails with parents. It’s
just a little planning ahead.”
Consultations between principals
and staff will be looking at the issue,
said Howe, and he expects the board
to soon issue a statement to schools
to begin looking at opportunities to
gain some of the time back.
In the very worst-case scenario,
which Howe spoke of with some
reluctance because of the
improbability of it ever occurring,
there is the option of extending the
school year. “The Ministry does
mandate a minimum requirement to
be covered in the curriculum. There
is flexibility in this, but if the
number of days got too high for a
subject to be covered, the possibility
is there.”
He stresses, however, that this has
never happened and the chances are
slim it would.
“Even in times when there had
been snow days, then a teacher’s
strike, they were able to get through
the curriculum. It’s just that
the option is there in a critical
situation.”
Which, he reminds, this is not.
However, it is reaching a point
where attention is required.
“We are not at the panic level
yet, but I think we’re pretty
close.”
Tips to help you save money effortlessly
Idea angers Goderich councillor
Babyboomers feeling the financial squeeze
While nearly everyone likes thenotion of saving money, quite
frankly, most people aren’t very
good at it. While some have
perfectly understandable reasons for
not saving enough cash, the majority
of people in a position to save still
don’t.
Such a reality can make getting
out of debt or getting that first home
all the more difficult. For those
ready and willing to save more
money but struggling to find ways to
do it, the following tips could help
you get on the right track.· Decide what’s a need and what’s
a want. For many people,
distinguishing between what they
need and what they want is the
biggest obstacle to saving money.
Certain things definitely qualify as
a necessity. Food, shelter and
clothing are all tops on the need list.
For those living outside of large
cities or in more sprawling cities, an
automobile is often a necessity as
well.
However, the type of clothing you
buy and even the make of yourvehicle can be great ways to save
some money. You likely don’t need
an entirely new wardrobe each
season and choosing a car that costs
less to fill up and less per monthly
payment can save you a substantial
amount of money.
While you might want that
expensive luxury sedan, you likely
don’t need it.
· Open an interest-bearing
account. Thanks to inflation, your
money actually grows less valuable
with each passing day if it’s notearning interest. Open a bank
account that earns interest. Though it
might not seem like much, the more
you save the more interest you’ll
earn and the more money you’ll
have.
· Pay off debts. While some bills
such as the monthly mortgage and
car payment likely cannot be paid
off, a great way to start saving
money is to pay off those debts that
can be eliminated.
Credit cards, for instance,
typically boast extraordinarily highinterest rates, particularly for young
people. That’s not the case with
other debts you might have accrued
such as car loans, which often have
far lesser interest rates than credit
cards. Pay off any credit card debt as
soon and as quickly as possible,
since those high interest rates are
only making the mountain of debt
grow taller.
In addition, avoid accruing any
more debt on those same credit cards
you’ve worked so hard to pay off.
Continued fromm page 1
Shewfelt was just short of enraged
by Bezaire’s suggestion. “First the
amendment is out of order because it
changes the original amendment.
But also, I think this is a blatant
attempt to torpedo this group. He’s
been against this from the start. And
I take exception to him using Justice
Donnelly’s name when he’s not
here.”
Bezaire assured that he had
obtained the retired Supreme Court
Judge’s support before speaking to
council.
To allow a friendly amendment,
usually made to enhance the original
motion, the person who first made
the motion must agree. After hearing
that there is $4.7 million in reserves
forecast for 2008, Van Diepenbeek
said he was comfortable with his
motion and would not accept an
amendment.
He asked for a recorded vote. In
favour of the $500,000 coming from
reserves to the CT scanner
committee were: North Huron,
Murray Scott and Neil Vincent;
Goderich, Shewfelt and Grace;
South Huron, George Robertson and
Oke; Bluewater, Dowson, Johnston
and Jim Fergusson; Ashfield-
Colborne-Wawanosh, Van
Diepenbeek and Neil Rintoul.
Opposed were: South Huron, Jim
Dietrich; Central Huron, Bezaire,
Bert Dykstra and Tim Collyer;
Huron East, MacLellan and Bill
Siemon; Howick, Max Demaray;
Morris-Turnberry, Dorothy
Kelly.
Huron East councillor Joe Seili
was absent.
A still angry Shewfelt left the
meeting following the decision.
Winter weather has school staff looking at options
Students bring fresh
ideas, energy and
enthusiasm into the
workplace
To find out more about offering high school students
work experience contact the
Foundation for Enriching Education Perth Huron
at 519-527-0111 ext 231 or visit
www.foundationforeducation.on.ca
Sponsored by the Ontario Learning Partnernship Group and the
Provincial Partnership Council
Supported by The Government of Ontario