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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1997-11-19, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19,1997. Letters Parent/teacher responds to Bill 160 THE EDITOR, As a parent and a teacher, this is my response to Bill 160. Micky Harris' Anecdotal Report Card Mathematics: Very good at subtraction and division. Much of his work does NOT add up. Communications: Often caught in lies and then attempts to cover up with more lies. Media work weak. His project, "HOW TO CREATE A THIRD WORLD PROVINCE, lacked planning. Did- well in CRISIS CREATION project with Jonny S. as his partner. Poor listening skills. Needs work on critical thinking skills as he often mistakes opinion for fact. Remains very rigid in his views and body language. Was absent for lessons on Ethics. Social Skills: Micky often acts as a bully. He does not play well with the other children. His group work is very poor. He shows little respect for his teachers or peers. Poor leadership skills. Appears to be led by the Whiz Kids Gang. Recommendations: Micky would NOT benefit from repeating his term. Needs remedial work. Behaviour modification program required. Needs special tutoring in •, democratic procedure. Dave Johnson's Anecdotal Report Card Mathematics: Does his homework but does not show process. Not willing to learn new skills. Continues to use his outmoded methods only. Communications: Very poor listening skills. Repeats material by rote. Although he is very bright, he demonstrates little creativity or original thinking. Consistently off topic in discussions. Does not pay attention to his teachers. Social Skills: Dave is easily led by others. A puppet-like follower. Associates with a mean spirited crowd. Many of his teachers have expressed concern about his lack of empathy skills. Recommendations: Have Dave assessed for hearing ability. Vision should be tested as well. Needs encouragement to think and act for himself. Suggest he move to another area of the classroom away from negative influences like Micky Harris. Donna McCaw Elora, Ontario. Morris inaugural Dec. 1 Teachers say fight not over As the current Morris Twp. coun­ cil neared the end of their term with the Nov. 4 meeting, they scheduled the inaugural session for the new council on Dec. 1 at 11 a.m. A lun­ cheon will be held at the Wingham Golf and Curling Club. After conferring with their part­ ner in road maintenance, Turn berry Twp., council agreed to purchase 20,000 additional km. for a leased truck, at $.04 per km. for a two year term. The total lease price will be $529. Deputy-Reeve Keith Johnston informed council of an inquiry from resident Peter Dorsch, who had asked why he was charged with the cost to remove a ball from the Dorsch Drain. Under the Drainage Act, the cost of removing an obstruction from the drain can be charged to the party causing the obstruction. A meeting will be held the week of Nov. 24 to hear the preliminary report for the McNeil Drain. Reeve Bert Elliott reported a con­ cern from Don Fraser about the straw bales at the Blyth Creek Drain. However, the bales were approved by the Ministry of Natu­ ral Resources. A building permit was issued to Ken and Bessie Johnston as the request complied with the continu­ ing use section of the zoning bylaw. Council authorized a letter be sent to Huron County regarding library services. Councillors com­ mented that the township has no libraries within its boundaries, but four in the periphery. Council requested further information on the shared costs by Morris Twp. They also stated a user fee should be imposed to cover or partially offset the costs of library services. Morris Twp. municipal staff will process tax billings for Tumberry and East Wawanosh Twps. for a cost of $ 1 per bill. Authorization was given for Clerk-Treasurer Nancy Michie to obtain three quotes and purchase a new fax machine for the municipal office. Council supported a resolution from Rockland regarding police services. It asked that OPP billing be delayed until municipalities can budget for the increased expense as well as have the costs phased in. Michie was authorized to attend the Fair Tax seminar, Nov. 17. A wreath was sponsored for the Brussels Legion Remembrance Day service. The Huron Tourism Association received a grant of $50. Council denied a request from the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority regarding the sale of break open tickets as they are not a local organization. Road and general accounts, totalling $29,628.82 and $122,327.50, were approved for payment. nfranfeyou to the voters of West Wawanosh Township for your support November 10. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year Walter Elliott What to do with that early retirement package By Linda Henhoeffer Financial Advisor Most of us have learned to think of money in small amounts: our weekly allowance when we were kids and then, when we started working, our regular paycheques. We have learned how to pay our bills, save a little for a rainy day and splurge a little for a treat We are not usually prepared to deal with a large sum of money, such as an early retirement package. Also, a severance package is a complicated investment picture as it is made up of several parts. Each part has its own language, choices and income tax concerns. Our decisions are important because our severance package has the potential to determine our retirement income. This is one of those confusing situations where the best thing we can do is ask for help from a professional money advisor. Also, reading about early retirement choices and learning the language of severance packages will give us a foundation of knowledge when we are discussing our options with professional financial planners. Severance Packages In the past several years, severance packages have been in the news as companies closed, downsized or offered employees early retirement A severance package is usually made up of a lump sum representing a number of weekly paycheques, a retiring allowance and a commuted value of the company pension plan. The lump sum of weekly paycheques is treated like a regular paycheque. It is income taxed and will have all the other usual payroll deductions, such as Employment Insurance, Canada Pension Plan, union dues, group benefits plan, etc. The retiring allowance can be rolled into our RRSP investment to avoid paying income tax on this lump sum. Revenue Canada allows us to transfer $2,000 per year of employment or part year of employment, up to 1995. If we did not belong to the company’s pension plan for one year before 1989, then we can transfer tax-free another $1,500 to our RRSP investment. Transferring our retiring allowance to our RRSP investment is an excellent choice as it saves us paying income tax on this lump sum. Our RRSP investment will grow with no income tax payable until the money is withdrawn at retirement. The retiring allowance will give us a big start to our retirement needs. Usually, there are several options of dealing with our company pension plan. One option is to let the funds accumulate with the current company pension plan until our retirement. If our new employer has its own company pension plan, then there is the possibility of moving our pension monies to the new company's pension plan. Locked-In RRSPs Another choice is to move our company pension plan funds to our RRSP investment. This will be called a 'locked-in' RRSP as Revenue Canada places extra restraints on our company pension plan investments. A 'locked-in' RRSP has all the usual Revenue Canada rules, ie. limited foreign content, taxable on withdrawal, etc. In addition, a 'locked-in' RRSP investment can not be cashed until our retirement and all monies in the account at our age 80 must be used to purchase an annuity. Revenue Canada's goal is to make sure we are using our company pension monies to support ourselves in our retirement. The main advantage of transferring our company pension plan funds to our 'locked-in' RRSP investment is that we have control of our retirement funds. We can decide how our money will be invested: GICs, Canada Savings Bonds, Mutual Funds, Deferred Annuity. We can also decide where our money will be invested: bank, mutual fund company, life insurance company, etc. Investing a lump sum of money is a challenge as most of us are used to dealing with money in small, regular amounts. An early retirement package is more complicated because of its special language and Revenue Canada rules. A professional financial advisor can help guide you through the process. Continued from page 5 county. Our fight is not over by any means. We are continuing our battle against Bill 160 and this government and we will continue to educate the public about the horrors of this bill and the dictatorial policies of the Harris government, so clearly evident in this legislation. Every teacher in this area appreciates the various forms of support we received across Huron County. To all of you who donated hot coffee, hot chocolate, donuts, cookies, muffins, apples, picket signs, time on the picket lines, money, a friendly wave, a supportive word, a handshake, etc. - Thank You! Our struggle is not over. We are continuing our information programs around the county. PLEASE, for the sake of publicly funded education in Ontario, take the time to learn about Bill 160. It is important to the future of this province that each person know what this government is doing. EDUCATE YOURSELF. Huron Coalition (Alma Westlake, FWTAO, Paul Dyck, OPSTU, Terry Wilhelm, OECTA, Mary Ann Cruickshank, OSSTF). CHRISTMAS CHEER HAMPER APPLICATIONS The Salvation Army, Wingham will be taking applications for Christmas hampers on Monday, December 1st, 1-4 p.m, & Friday, December Sth, 1-4 p.m, at 292 Edward St, (Church), Wingham If you need more information, please call our Director of Family Services - Mrs. Captain Edna Rowe at 357-3757 or the church office al 357-1951 To the Ratepayers of Grey Township THANK YOU for allowing me to represent your interests for 23 good years Best Wishes to all of you and the new Council in the years ahead Leona Armstrong Thank You I wish to thank the electors of West Wawanosh for their support at the polls on November 10. I will endeavor to work with the others elected to the best of my ability. Any concerns or questions call 357-2208. Neil Rintoul