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Chart Source: Government of Ontario, www.fsco.gov.on.ca. These 416 different rates are based on only one profile of a married couple. A 40 year old male driving a Dodge Ram, and a 39 year old female, driving a Dodge Neon. Neither driver has any tickets or accidents. Companies (K1Y) (K6V) (L8V) (M4Y) (N6A) (N8W) (P3E) (P7K) AXA Insurance 2714 2547 4390 5528 3616 3896 2915 2810 AXA Pacific 4714 2546 4390 5530 3615 3897 2914 2811 Allstate Insurance 3141 2625 4047 3603 3199 3011 3015 2843 American Home Assurance 2528 2348 3719 3997 3019 3048 2602 2683 Aviva Insurance 2923 2472 5106 4420 3685 4145 2895 2942 Belair Insurance Company 3203 3051 5494 5101 3982 4819 3646 3626 CAA Insurance Company 2295 2237 3431 4472 3002 3489 2559 2611 COSECO Insurance 2395 2163 3567 4304 2648 2572 1918 1846 CUMIS General Insurance 2080 2026 2696 3660 2406 2750 2419 2385 Certas Direct Insurance 2246 2195 3343 3029 2714 2718 2328 2328 Chubb Insurance Company 2812 2695 3692 3365 2385 2901 3364 3270 Co-operators General 2270 1870 3554 3125 2637 2920 2521 2566 Coachman Insurance 2131 1780 2994 2886 2463 2744 2187 2006 Dominion of Canada 2060 2001 3143 3767 2904 2830 2319 2088 Echelon General Insurance 6078 4810 8393 10639 6774 8265 4606 4807 Economical Mutual 1953 1783 2751 2703 2116 2347 1973 1596 Elite Insurance Company 2669 2544 4504 3906 3268 3500 2914 2965 Farmers' Mutual Insurance 3244 2761 3893 4728 3376 4258 3511 3571 Federated Insurance 3394 3048 4218 5050 3321 4033 3798 3703 Federation Insurance 1953 1783 2751 2703 2116 2347 1973 1596 Gore Mutual Insurance 2484 2040 3297 4569 2888 3023 2590 2067 Guarantee Company 2638 2362 4001 4308 3352 3172 2697 2769 ING Insurance Company 3005 2608 4088 3839 3453 3299 3009 2627 Kingsway General Insurance 4998 4094 6447 7838 5698 6449 4675 4922 Lloyd's 3147 3274 4214 5017 3282 3732 3451 3612 Lombard General Insurance 2293 2216 3466 3732 2491 3129 2592 2463 Motors Insurance 2511 2123 3538 3880 2858 3108 2649 2622 Nordic Insurance 2149 2022 3548 3282 2604 3139 2394 2415 Optimum Insurance 2947 2485 3513 5352 3831 3483 3214 2392 Pafco Insurance 3911 3207 4826 6302 4159 4081 3477 3411 Pembridge Insurance 2400 2179 3045 3659 3118 2956 2258 2180 Personal Insurance Company 1391 1356 2006 1808 1657 1634 1416 1416 Perth Insurance Company 3930 3633 5476 5357 4203 4587 3921 3140 Pilot Insurance Company 2917 2862 4801 4648 3684 4123 3035 3222 Portage La Prairie Mutual In 2920 2263 3997 4566 2956 3505 3365 2948 Primmum Insurance Company 2511 2442 3610 4317 2883 3209 2942 3037 RBC General Insurance 1813 1926 3141 2687 2332 2173 2516 2165 Royal & Sun Alliance 2140 2182 3547 3628 2818 2908 1951 2365 S & Y Insurance Company 2517 2405 4475 3599 3086 3391 2752 2725 Scottish & York Insurance 2651 2527 4468 3868 3241 3464 2896 2936 Security National Insurance 3312 2981 4767 5119 3454 4485 3811 3894 State Farm Mutual 2427 2343 4021 3775 3104 3327 3052 2765 TD General Insurance 2596 2651 3721 3807 2801 3279 2909 2906 TD Home and Auto Insurance 2678 2751 3834 5199 2913 4189 3296 2904 Traders General Insurance 2661 2320 4252 3880 3312 3624 2864 2790 Trafalgar Insurance Company 2594 2147 3650 3369 2887 3290 2426 2355 Unifund Assurance Company 1763 1792 2468 3109 2028 2189 2000 2184 Waterloo Insurance Company 1992 1816 2742 2735 2140 2509 1993 1767 Wawanesa Mutual Insurance 2855 2750 4211 4600 3689 3529 3370 2874 Western Assurance Company 2464 2019 3559 3942 2652 2915 2541 2223 York Fire & Casualty 2557 2129 3669 3983 3058 3029 2778 2837 Zenith Insurance Company 4972 4871 6760 7302 5472 6311 5670 5320 Dare to Compare. It costs you nothing to do a quick online quote, but can cost you dearly if you dont. Most drivers, right now, are paying $100s, even $1,000s of dollars more than necessary for their car insurance. A number of drivers believe if theyre paying more, theyre getting more. Theyre not. All insurance companies sell the exact same insurance policy, word for word. Its like buying a can of pop at the variety store for $1 or paying $4 for it at a sports event. Same pop, different price. Same insurance policy, different price. Look at this rate comparison published by the government of Ontario. There are $1,000s of dollars difference between what insurance companies charge for the same policy. Same policy, different prices. The government posts these charts as warnings. They are telling you that if you dont shop and compare you are in danger of grossly overpaying. InsuranceHotline.com instantly compares over 30 insurance company rates for your car, home or life insurance and quotes you the lowest rate. If youre already paying the best rate, this service will confirm it for you. So be happy. If youre not, youve just found yourself a bunch of free money. How much fun is that?!?! Th un de r Ba y Su db ury Wi nd sor Lo nd on Tor on to Ha mi lto n Br oc kv ille Ott aw a $5,000 $4,500 $3,500 $3,000 $2,500 $1,500 $1,000 $500 InsuranceHotline.com finds this rate for drivers! InsuranceHotline.com Dare To Compare. Insurance brokers interested in participating, go to InsuranceHotline.com and click on the top bar entitled brokers. Theres over a $10,000 spread in car insurance rates for this car. You can bet I didnt pick the company that cost the most. I went to InsuranceHotline.com and found the insurance company that had the best rate for me. Comparing Is Fun Its Also Profitable Rewards Points & Newspaper Offers Directory Commercials Talking Directory Characters Free Website & Update Service Gold Book Local Directory ASK THE GORILLA. WHY ARE SO MANY LOCAL BUSINESSES JOINING ? Call 310-GOLD or email sales@goldbook.ca to find out more. Mountaineer MoversGold Club Members COM PLET E M A RKET ING PACK AGE ALL THIS FOR ONLY $ 36.0 0 mon th Adver tiseme nt In D irecto ry Websi te With FREE M onthly Updat es Newsp aper Special Offers Parenting Section, Friday, October 19, 2007 5 The Just Say No mantra is not enough to keep your kids safe from potentially lethal drugs, like crystal meth, that are now widely available, especially in smaller com- munities and rural areas across the province. The RCMP says theyre seeing increasing use of methamphetamines including ecsta- sy, PCP (angel dust) and this dangerous groups latest deadly addition, crystal meth. While these drugs are available in larger cities, crystal meth use is most prevalent in small town Ontario, police say. Cooked up locally, where theres a ready supply of chemical ingredients that are common in farm products like ammo- nia, crystal meth can be supplied to kids by people they know and trust. Parents in smaller communities may not think this kind of viper drug is available to their kids, says Cynthia Kiy, a social worker at Covenant House, a Toronto youth shelter. But a great many of the youth we see who are struggling with its serious physical and mental effects have come to us from small town Ontario. This drug is so highly addictive that try- ing it even once can lead kids into a highly dangerous and potentially fatal nightmare that can destroy families, Kiy says. Are you in the know? If you dont already know about the dan- gers of crystal meth, here are a few key facts: Intense, long-lasting high Crystal meth is more addictive than crack cocaine or heroin. When inhaled or smoked, it trig- gers an intense rush or flash and then a feeling of euphoria, loss of appetite and heightened alertness that lasts for up to 12 hours. Cheap and easy to get Crystal meth can be had for about $10 a hit or point It is an odorless, white crystalline powder that also dissolves easily in water or alcohol, although it also comes in capsule form. Made with toxic chemicals Also known as ice, glass, crystal or tina, it is made in clandestine, unsanitary amateur labs with easily accessible ingredients like cold medicine, red iodine and phosphorus. It may also include Drano, ammonia and lithium taken from batteries. Serious health risks Meth addicts may experience serious adverse psychological effects such as delusions, psychotic episodes and memory loss. They may com- mit impulsive acts of violence. Long-term use can lead to permanent brain, liver and kidney damage. Look for warning signs Sadly, there is no quick fix for this dependency once it takes hold. Parents who notice any drastic changes in their childs personality or habits should look for warning signs such as declining grades, withdrawal from family and friends, erratic behaviour, agitation, extended alertness, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, weight loss and increased demands for money, among others. Be an involved parent There is no substitute for being an active, involved par- ent. Keep the lines of communication open with your child. Start early and talk often. This is not a subject to leave for the school or your kids friends to handle. Know who your kids friends are, where they are and what theyre doing. This column is brought to you by Covenant House, a national leader in the care of homeless and runaway youth. Covenant House, the countrys largest shelter for home- less kids, offers a second chance to thousands of youth annually. For more, go to covenanthouse.ca. Crystal Meth: What parents need to know