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2a99 ki x r t- r c v r v- v people many york region seniors say theyre struggling to make ends meet month after month givingmbneh bydawnuersch r staff writer roy taw is dusting off his walking shoes preparing to travel by foot for the next little while when his car conked out recently he had no choice but to feed it to the wrecking ball living oh a fixed income the richmond hill senior cant afford to buy another vehicle y i can afford to buy a car but not a decent vehicle its not worth it i guess ill just be walking a lot he said i would like to see a tax break for the older person there are a lot of people struggling according to a new report from the national council on welfare law is not alone manyseniors in canada are strug gling to make ends meet the report says there are 600000 poor seniors in canada representing about 17 per cent of those 65 and older this hardest hit according to the report are single seniors particularly women living on their own june padley a senior who is on the advisory board of the newmarket seniors meeting place and who volunteers at the centre says she has seen the struggle first hand ski snowboard short notice due to new 2000 product arriving we are offering existing inventory at liquidation prices many items at or below cost final sale on all items limited sees and quantities save 15 off all accessories all year round k i some examples skis ski boots ski bindings snowboards atomic beta race 928volant superiarve lmsl upto 949 atomic mega carax 624 volkl carver accessmsl upto 530 nordica gp cxtreme next 50 tecnlca tirmsl upto 850 dalbello mx 581 nordica next 57 rossijno stxmsl upto 550 marker m51 eps tyrolia td9 rossignol ft 100msl opto 250 tyrolia t7 rossignol fd 65 cut marker m41msl opto 200 elan seth miller limited all around msl upto 575 ride timeless option signature limited transilionmsl upto 700 blowout prices on remaining snowboard boots 4 bindings all sm and snowboard wear 5070 off- 179 99 47998 24998 29998 98 or less plus summer product clearance sale runs thurs 109 ffi 1010 sat 109 sun 11 unionville 170 main street nnphi 9054790442 at academy of sport fitness emm w mmwom mmmm awwwm it- us wijtfk p fall programs full range of competitive programs special group rates brownies preschools etc recreational gymnastics dance gym evenings weekends preschool gymnastics days evenings weekends sport specific training flexibiutycpnditioning for skating hockey etc aero for dance birthday parties new art lessons painting drawing cartooning open house wednesday september 15 600 pm 800 pm 9057800913 40 vogell rd unit 31 north off 16 avenue 1 stop light west of hwy 404 staff photodawn uersch markham residents from left terry needham barbara miller joan gomes and irene lusty talk about life as a senior in york region you know by the way they spend their money she said theyre not crying po or but theyll say oh no i cant afford if if a bus trip is a little higher than the norm padley points out there are perks to being a senior such as exemption from bank charges free coffee refills at some restaurants and reduced rates for theatre arid airline tickets hotels and at some businesses but paying taxes on your pension once you start drawing from it can be a real drain on resources she stressed they give it to us in one hand and take it back in another shesaid allourlives weve worked hard arid paid bur bills arid for someone to say were taking this away from you its dis heartening markham senior joan gomes would prefer money over seniors discounts they give us passes for buses and subways that are of no use tome if they gave us money we could spend it on what ever we want she said the council on welfare report suggests the federal govern ment could find the 15 billion needed to raise the incomes of poor seniors to the poverty line by converting tax deduc tions for rrsps to tax credits people have money irivested in rrsps arid they cant cash it in because it cuts irito their income- a tax credit would not take away from your mepme law said there are some people who only have their pension to live on at the end of the month during that last week before their pension comes in theyre really skimping gomes noted some seniors are then forced to move away from family to find a home they can afford one single woman at the newmarket seniors centre who refused to give her name said the tax burden has forced her to sell her home and live with her daughter while she doesnt mind the arrangement she admits she is disappointed she isnt financially able to go it alone we enjoy each others cornpany arid i still have my inde pendence she cher daughter understands and lets me come arid go as i please the woman said but it is harder for a single person to make ends meet barbara miller a markham senior and widow suggested the government hasfocused more on extracting money from seniors than helping them they keep you in poverty she said they give you a pension and then take it away at tax time im thinking of going back into the workforce christine torriaselli the communications coordinator with york regions community care access centre said the report wasnt surprising but she points out that future seniors may have an easier time with more women working theyll be eligible for canada pension plan benefits later in life tpmaselli said she added the cenue 18884702222 can link seniors with social services in york dr estralito mccarthy dr carolyn wong are pleased to announce the opening of their new optometric practice at the markville shopping centre 2nd level by sears call 905 9401 01 3 for appointments new patients and walkins wei come