HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2015-09-09, Page 5rrir
letters to the editor
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Wednesday, September 9, 2015 • News Record 5
www.clintonnewsrecord.com
Reader thinks Harper's time is up
Dear Editor,
Mr. Harper continues to
attempt to persuade Canadi-
ans that only he and his
trained band of performing
troubadours, led by his
devoted, yet unconvincing,
puppet Pierre Pettigrew, can
lead Canadians to a future that
they desire. Fortunately, his
messaging is losing traction
with an increasing number of
Canadians. I have recently
been canvassing door to door
and the most frequently
expressed issue of voter con-
cern was the need to get rid of
Harper. But let us not underes-
timate the amount of work
that has to be done in the
remaining weeks of the elec-
tion campaign to replace
our autocratic, supreme ruler
Harper. With his mind -con-
trolled band of puppets in the
PMO's office, his army of spin
doctors, his massive war chest
of funds for attack advertise-
ments and his abuse of public
funds and institutions to spin
his propaganda, Canadians
should have zero doubt that he
will go to all extremes to hold
onto power. His addiction to
political power and to extreme
right wing ideology, along with
his addiction to control, is far
greater than ever previously
experienced within living
political memory. Without
doubt, Harper is the most con-
niving, deceitful and dema-
gogic prime minister that
Canadians have ever known.
Canadians have to
decide if we wish that our
beloved Canada should con-
tinue to be ruled by the Rule of
One, or whether Canada
should return to its historical
values of equity for all Canadi-
ans, of caring for the environ-
ment and of restoring Canada
to its previous, world -
respected role as an interna-
tional peace maker and peace
keeper. Women in particular
should remain enraged that
Harper has betrayed all
women by failing to convene a
full investigation into the large
number of missing and mur-
dered aboriginal women. On
October 19,Canadians have
the personal power to restore
integrity, democracy and civil-
ity to our national govern-
ment. Quite clearly, it depends
on all of us.
Estate administration tax another tax grab
Dear Editor,
For the past decade, Ontarians
have been seen their hard earned
dollars evaporate faster than ever
as the Liberal government con-
tinues to introduce new taxes,
raise hydro rates and misspend
tax dollars. Now the Liberal Party
has sunk to a new low with their
intent to further tax the deceased
and their loved ones.
Since the government
announced their intention to
bring forward this compassion -
less tax, I have received many
letters and emails from people
throughout Huron -Bruce upset
about yet another insensitive
Liberal tax grab, this time when
families are at their most emo-
tionally vulnerable. Please trust
I share your outrage and want to
let you all know that I stand with
you and your loved ones.
In 2011, my colleagues and I
strongly opposed the budget
that would give the minister of
finance the authority to bring in
changes to the estate adminis-
tration tax. Four years later,
without any debate or allowing
those of us who oppose it the
opportunity to voice our con-
cerns in the legislature, they
have finally gotten around to
introducing it with devastating
results.
These changes in the estate
administration tax now broaden
the criteria of what will be
affected, such as the value of
clothing owned by the
deceased, shortens the amount
of time that is required to com-
ply with the rules and increases
the penalties for misfiling. The
end result is that people who
are still in shock over the death
of a loved one will be forced to
try to pull information together
in a very short period of time or
face significant penalties.
An executor is now required
to access, appraise and value
any and all property owned at
the time of death (excluding
anything that is passed directly
to a spouse or through joint
ownership) on a tight 90 -day
timeline, and include assets that
are being gifted to charity. The
tax is then calculated and must
be paid immediately to the
Province of Ontario as a deposit.
In Ontario, this means that
the estate will pay $5 for every
$1,000 worth of property up to
$50,000 total property value,
and $15 for every $1,000 worth
of property past the $50,000
total threshold. In comparison,
most other provinces charge $3
to $6 for every $1,000 of prop-
erty with no changes for over
$50,000.
Most alarmingly, if an execu-
tor fails to file the required
estate information or makes
false or misleading statements,
which could happen innocently
when people are put under
pressure, they could be found
guilty of an offense and face stiff
penalties, including up to two
years in prison.
With the introduction of the
carbon tax, the payroll tax and
Your sincerely,
Jim Hollingworth.
Goderich
now the death tax, the Liberals
seem to be on a mission to
make life harder for families in
Huron -Bruce and across the
province, and now our legacies
have been reduced to nothing
but a dollar sign.
This policy will do nothing
but further stress those who
have already suffered a devas-
tating loss. The Liberals need to
show more compassion for peo-
ple who are dealing with diffi-
cult circumstances. We know
the Liberals have a spending
problem, but it has escalated to
the point where we are taxed to
death - every which way you
look at it. Shame on them.
Lisa Thompson
MPP for Huron -Bruce
FROM THE ARCHIVES
15 Years Ago...
• The 911 emergency telephone sys-
tem was officially launched for Huron
County. Bell's manager of emergency
911 services said when a Huron
County resident dialed 911 their call
was routed to Ottawa. The address for
the person making the call would
appear on the operator's screen in
Ottawa and then help would be on the
way with the help of a button.
• St. Anne's Catholic Secondary
School in Clinton had a new look in
2000. The students were required to
wear uniforms.
"The response has been very posi-
tive. The only students who are not in
uniform are the ones whose clothes
are on backorder from the manufac-
turer," said then principal, Philip
McMillan.
• A new mental centre opened in
Clinton. There was a need for services
in the community after the closure of a
psychiatric hospital in London. The
project was an initiative of the Alexan-
dra Marine General Hospital in
Goderich.
25 Years Ago...
• A 9 -year-old boy was nearly elec-
trocuted. The boy and two friends
were climbing trees near a tree fort
when the boy climbed near the top of
an ash tree. The branches began to
bend and he thought he was going to
fall. The boy reached out and grabbed
for something to support himself. He
had grabbed a 4,800 volt power line.
The boy fell from the wire and
dropped 28 feet to the ground. The boy
suffered a broken collar bone but doc-
tors could not find an entry or exit
point for the electrical current.
• The 29th annual Huron Pioneer
Thresher reunion took place in Blyth.
35 Years Ago...
• The last wall of the old service station
at the comer of Mary and King Street fell.
The site was being cleared to makewayfor
a large addition to the grocery store.
• There was concem about the safe
evacuation of residents from the second
floor ofHuronviewduring a fire in light of
a disaster in a Mississauga nursing home.
There were plans to build extra fire exits to
ensure that residents could be evacuated
as quickly as possible if necessary.