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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, January 29, 2015 | 18 Lack of financial consistency, transparency is bad government P oliticians' lack of nancial consistency and transparency harms our country. Last week, the federal government surprised us by lowering interest rates. The reason is lower oil prices, meaning decreased economic activity, will slow the Canadian economy. The government hopes to accelerate business activity by reducing interest rates. In our opinion, this short-term reaction is a mistake that will hurt Canadians and eventually the entire Canadian economy. Canadians' largest nancial risk is the his- toric high levels of personal debt. That is what the federal government and the Bank of Canada have been saying for about ve years. The way to discourage personal debt is to raise interest rates. Last week's rate decrease will encourage people to increase their personal debt. This is exactly what we have been warned against for so many years. Low interest rates have encouraged us to overspend on everything from housing to personal consumption. If the government was serious about its warning, it would increase, not lower, rates. Dollars & Sense Guest Contributor Peter Watson Managing Your Arthritis Pain FREE PUBLIC FORUM DATE: TIME: LOCATION: February 12, 2015 7:00pm to 9:00pm Holiday Inn 3063 S Service Rd. Burlington FEATURING Carolyn Whisken, RPh, BScPhm, NCMP Pharmacy Program Director The Charlton Centre For Specialized Treatments Dr. Michael Boucher, Bkin, MD, CCFP, Dip (CAPM) Assistant Clinical Professor, McMaster University Consultant Pain-Related Education, Management & Medical-Legal Review Medical Director - Burlington Pain Care Medical Director - Hamilton & York Region Fire Please join The Arthritis Society and the above health professionals. This multidisciplinary team will share their expertise in the field of arthritis pain. This forum covers information on the general recommendations for the management of osteoarthritis touching on interventions, physical activity and medications. Learn how to navigate the medical system and how to know when to go back to the doctor. Q & A session after each speaker- so bring your questions! PRESENTED BY REGISTER TODAY 1-800-321-1433 Ext. 3330 We hAve Arthritis it Doesn't hAve us arthritis.ca · 1.800.321.1433 facebook.com/ArthritisSociety · tiwtter.com/ArthritisSoc ThePain.ca That is the theory, but now all of a sudden the government is in a pickle because the bottom fell out of the oil market. Its strong warnings and encouragement of personal austerity have fallen by the wayside. More people will nd lower interest rates hard to resist. Our message to the federal government is please do not change your economic story mid-sentence. This will eventually hurt Canadians and it is not what is in the best interest for the citizens you serve. While we are on the subject of poor government leadership, we can look at Toronto. Last week, the City of Toronto released its annual budget. Mayor John Tory delivered what he called a balanced budget. Really? It was more like an off-balanced budget. The budget is balanced, but only because the mayor wants a signi cant line of credit from the province to actually balance the budget. He implied there was no short-fall because Toronto got a loan to cover that short-fall. Oh my, arithmetic has surely changed since I left grade school. These are fairly strong comments, so it is fair I share my personal opinion about politicians. I think politicians are some of the most dedicated contributors to society that we have. Their pay is lower than what many would earn outside of politics. They are not in politics for personal gain. We are fortunate that so many good people dedicate their lives to serving others. It is easy to say that politicians are the cause of all our problems. We choose from many different quali ed candidates and collectively decide who gets the job. Politics is hard. Balancing the books is hard. Staying on course is hard. My request is simple for all levels of government: please be absolutely fair and honest with how you report and attempt to sell your ideas. Even if that honesty and transparency is bad politics, Canadians have the intelligence to deal unpleasant economic truths. It is that consistency and transparency that will end up giving us better governance. -- Submitted by Peter Watson, MBA, CFP , R.F .P ., CIM, FCSI., Certi ed Financial Planner Certified Auto Glass Technicians with 22 years of experience All windshield,door & back glass in stock We pay up to 100% of insurance Deductible · We deal directly with your Insurance Company · Life time Warranty against leaks · Stone chip repairs · Free Mobile Service · Free Pickup & Drop OFF d rs n this a Mentio dshield wipe in w e dels e o r F m t d and ge s to most make an Applie 281 Speers Road Oakville ON Creativity is subjective. The truth isn't. 905.339.0339 1.855.339.0339 www.speersautoglass.ca n El iza be ye th cr W of ay tR d Ke Sp ee r sR rv al Dr oa d Truth in Advertising Matters. rr St ee Qu Do . W