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w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, S ep te m be r 6, 20 18 | 8 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the news- paper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca editorial@waterloochronicle.ca facebook.com/waterloochronicle @wlchronicle WHO WE ARE VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague Regional General Manager Nelson Parreira nparreira@metroland.com Regional Advertising Director Bill Ford bford@metroland.com Sales Lead Michelle Stevens ext. 795062 Advertising Representatives Cassandra Dellow ext. 795066 Zach Peters ext. 795068 Jan Bodanka ext. 795072 Regional Editor Mike Wilson Reporters Adam Jackson Bill Jackson Namish Modi CONTACT US Waterloo Chronicle 630 Riverbend Dr. Kitchener, ON N2B 2G1 Phone: 519-886-2830 Fax: 519-579-2029 Web: www.waterloochronicle.ca Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 200 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Delivery For all delivery inquiries, e-mail customerservice@metroland.com or call 519-894-3000 OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA EDITORIAL The mandate of this newspaper is to publish the names of those charged in the community with criminal offences. We at this paper believe publishing the names of those accused of a crime serves a justice system that is suppose to be transparent. Also, the publication of names acts as a deterrent to others who might be consid- ering undertaking a criminal act. For years we have published the names of those charged with marijuana offences - college students, men, women, truckers or lawyers - it didn't matter. If you were charged with a joint in a RIDE check, chances are your friends would read about it soon after. Every newspaper from coast-to-coast routinely re- ceives calls requesting that stories about individuals convicted or facing charges be removed from their on- line editions. The reasoning for the requests varied, but often in- cluded: "It was just one joint," to "I'll never get a job now." We understand where the requests, often filled with anguish, come from, but we only update judicial stories with new court information, rarely removing them unless legally obliged to do so. Removing stories from the online record of those charged simply because an individual in legal trouble requested it isn't fair and transparent - key pillars of a balanced, fair paper. If we remove one online story and not someone else's, our integrity would be compromised and that's a posi- tion we won't put this publication in. However, with marijuana legalization just weeks away, we strongly urge Ottawa to pardon individuals charged with simple pot possession. Such a move is gaining favour with some MPs, and on Aug. 27 Alberta-based Aurora Cannabis donated $50,000 to support the Campaign for Cannabis Amnesty. The Campaign for Cannabis Amnesty is a non-parti- san, not-for-profit group consisting of lawyers, activists, and entrepreneurs who are requesting the federal gov- ernment seal the records of those charged with simple pot possession. Society's view on marijuana use has changed, and rightly so the laws of the land have changed to reflect that moral shift. However, it's only fair that those charged with simple possession, especially those charged recently after Bill C-45 was tabled, not be stigmatized and held back for the rest of their lives. More often than not, we are talking about good people - students, the friendly guy next door or the neighbour- hood hair stylist. In a country that values fairness, it behooves us to let those convicted of simple pot possession rebuild their lives. IT'S TIME TO EXPUNGE POT POSSESSION CONVICTIONS It's that time of the year again when the kids are getting ready to head back to school and hit the books. However, what about your books? Have you put thought into making their educa- tion a priority in your savings plan? A simple ways to pre- pare for further educa- tion costs is a Registered Education Savings Plan, also known as an RESP. An RESP is a way for parents in Canada to save for their children's post- secondary education. Whether university or college, the money you save now can have a big impact on those years af- ter high school. When a child starts their post-secondary edu- cation, the "subscriber" (the person that opened the RESP) can start tak- ing out educational assis- tance payments, EAPs, from their RESP. The per- son that is going to re- ceive those payments is called the beneficiary, which would be the child. A great way to grow these savings is through the basic Canada Educa- tion Savings Grants (CESG). The CESG is when the Government of Canada tops up your an- nual RESP contribution by 20 per cent on the first $2,500 annually, per bene- ficiary. Each year the beneficiary can receive up to $500, up to a total of $7,200 in their lifetime. And there are addi- tional CESG grants that a family can receive based on net family income. The great thing about RESPs and CESGs is that they are considered to be investments that are tax- sheltered. As the money grows over the years you aren't taxed, and as a stu- dent, the child may pay little to no taxes on the money they are receiving from the RESP, as typical- ly most are not earning a high income, and also qualify for education tax credits. With a Family Plan RESP, you can name one or more children as the beneficiary. Each must either be your child, grandchild, great-grand- child or sibling by birth or adoption. So even if one of them decides school isn't their next step, the other child can benefit from those sav- ings. Stephen Monaghan is a financial advisor with the Investment Planning Counsel and a freelance writer for the Orangeville Banner. He can be reached at 519-940-0340 or mailto: steve@wealthcare- group.ca. YOU DON'T NEED MATH SKILLS TO UNDERSTAND RESPS AN RESP IS AN EXCELLENT VEHICLE FOR SAVING FOR A CHILD'S EDUCATION, WRITES STEPHEN MONAGHAN STEPHEN MONAGHAN Column