10 - Orono Weekly Times, Wednesday, September 4,2002 J Welcome Back During July and August, we do not normally publish Staying in Touch. However, with the summer of 2002 winding down, I'm pleased to get back to the regular routine of this weekly update. I trust you had a safe and enjoyable summer. In addition to my responsibilities responsibilities at Queen's Park, I welcomed welcomed the opportunity to spend more time in the Riding these past two months. Thank you to all those who have offered insights and shared concerns in areas such as health care, business, agriculture, agriculture, education, transportation, and our environment. I would like to also thank all who attended the Annual Durham Riding Barbecue Wednesday, August 28th, at Trillium Trails in Raglan. Our guest speaker was the Hon. David Tsubouchi, Minister of Culture, and Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet. Staying in Touch John O'Toole Province invests in land ambulance Health and Long-Term Care Minister Tony Clement has announced a $32.5 million investment to increase the numbers of paramedics and improve ambulance response times across Ontario. Most of this commitment ($29.2 million) will go to municipalities to share in the cost of hiring over 500 paramedics paramedics and to fund the operation operation of more ambulances. In addition, $3.3 million is being provided to improve training and upgrade equipment in the ambulance dispatch centres. Sixty-six new full-time equivalent equivalent positions will be created at the province's ambulance dispatch centres. Each municipality's share of the funding will be finalized and announced in the next few weeks. When someone is suddenly taken ill or injured, the care provided in the early minutes is cmcial to survival. By providing providing increased funding for ambulances and staff, we are f Orono Country Cafe g Full Menu W -- «3» w 46» Main Street., Orono, Ontario • 983-9009 9^8 <Sfe .^liyArV Jv Wedding Cafes Cafes for all Qccasms Pastries - Donuts - Pies 'v i Bread & 13 uns r -- 905-983-9779 Main Street, Orono Proprietors: Gary & Carol Vrecker Closed Sunday and Monday Come Sing with Us! Orono United Church Junior Choir weekly practices begin Friday, Sept. 13 Gather: 3:30 - 3:45 pm / Sing: 3:45 - 4:45 pm EVERYONE IS WELCOME TO JOIN! For more information contact the choir director Karen-Anne Kastner at 905-983-5431 or n e-rnaii: karenanne. kastnet@sympatico. ca IraïŒzm:*™ working to ensure accountable and universal access continues to be available to patients when and where it is needed. We will continue to work closely with the province's municipalities, emergency personnel, and health care providers on this important health priority. Going back to school As elementary and secondary secondary schools re-open, I would like to take this opportunity to wish our students, staff and trustees a successful year. I would also like to congratulate the University of Ontario Institute of Technology for its success in establishing Canada's newest university adjacent to the Durham College Simcoe Street N. Campus. Founding President Gary Polonsky and his staff have announced an opening date of September 2003. That's just one year away. As you are no doubt aware, the Province of Ontario has invested well over $565 million million in additional funding for Ontario's elementary and secondary secondary schools. This includes money for textbooks, student- focused funding and local priorities. priorities. At the same time, we are also committed to a review of school funding through the Task Force announced earlier in the summer. The Education Equality Task Force, led by Dr. Mordechai Rozanski, President of the University of Guelph, is reviewing the student-focused student-focused formula that funds publicly funded elementary elementary and secondary education in Ontario. The Task Force will help ensure education resources are fairly distributed, distributed, providing equality of opportunity to all students in the province. It is hosting comprehensive consultations with stakeholders and the public. public. You are invited to contribute contribute written submissions by September 30, 2002, via the Education Equality Task Force's website or by mail. The website address is www.edfundingreview.on.ca and its mailing address is: Education Equality Task Force, P.O. BOX 22, 77 Wellesley Street West, Toronto, Ontario M7A 1N3. Latest Numbers Show Robust Economy Ontario's labour markets continued continued to strengthen during the summer, with 6,500 net jobs created in July. Other positive trends reported by Ontario's Ministry of Finance this summer summer include: • Ontario Department Store Sales were up 7.2 per cent in the first half of 2002, compared compared to the same time period in 2001. • Over the first seven months of this year, housing starts are 17.8 per cent ahead of the same period in 2001. • Ontario's real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased 1.7% in the first quarter of 2002. That's the strongest growth in over two years. Further Support to Victims of Crime The Ernie Eves government will provide $2.5 million from the Victims' Justice Fund for projects that help prevent revictimization and ensure victims of crime receive the recognition and respect they deserve, Attorney General David Young announced last week. A three-year grants program program will support research and revictimization prevention prevention projects throughout Ontario. (advertisement) Accounting Corner Q I read your recent budget analysis. You seem overly excited by the drop in tax rates. Is this an accountant thing or am I missing something? something? A You're missing something. something. It's technical term is "the velocity of money." In plain English, it means that, unlike food or a tank of gas, a dollar can be used more than once. Let's say that you pay $100 less tax this year. That's $100 less that's sent to Ottawa to redistribute to, let's say, PEI or Alberta, or even a new sports centre in Toronto. Still doesn't seem like much though. But here's what happens: You have some extra cash, so you go down to the local hardware store and get some new shelves. The lumber store is busier than usual now, so it takes your hundred dollars and hires a new student. student. That student takes his share of the $ 100 and takes his girlfriend out for Chinese. The Chinese restaurant takes that money and buys more food from the grocery store. The grocery store buys that food from the local farmer. The local farmer goes back to the hardware store for supplies supplies and the cycle starts again. Studies show that a dollar is spent and respent about 10 to 12 times before it finds its way back to the government coffers. Although the government never printed another dollar, by leaving this $100 dollars in the Clarington region, the lumber store, Chinese restaurant, restaurant, and grocery store increased their sales, the student student has a job and enjoyed a nice dinner, and the farmer got some repairs done. And that's based on your $100 tax decrease only. Let's take it to its logical extreme. How much more stuff would you have if you paid NO tax? That's why most communities communities are so interested in tourism. If we can get tourists to spend their money here during events like the band festival, we can benefit from that money many times over before Ottawa gets a swing at it. So the big deal with tax decreases is that everyone in the community benefits from even small decreases, because the standard of living of everyone can go up. That's why I'm excited about even small cuts. The above article is for general purpose information only. Before acting on this, or any other information, information, readers should seek competent competent professional advice. CA Mark L. Hendrikx Chartered Accountant • Certified Financial Planner • Accounting and Auditing • Computer Consulting • Planning & Taxation Services for businesses, Individuals, Corporations, Estates and Farms • business Start-ups • Free Initial Consultation 37 King St. West, Newcastle, Ontario LIB 1H2 Fax:(905)987-9809 • Phone: (905) 987-0570