= B OPINION W EDITORIAL FORD AND TRUDEAU CAN WORK TOGETHER So what have we here - those one-time:sworn enemies Doug Ford and Justin Trudeau sutldenly morphing into best friends forever? The photos of Ontario's premier and Canada's prime minister laughing and joking their way through a face- to-face meeting in Ottawa late last month certainly gave this surreal impression and must have been a shock to some systems. Didn't Trudeau use Ford as a punching bag in the federal election as the PM warned Canadians they were doomed if they elected more conservatives? Wasn't Ford the guy who last year gleefully declared his intent to engineer Trudeau's political downfall? What gives with all the nice-guy stuff? Well, hold on folks. You haven't entered a parallel universe. There's more to these pictures than meets the eye. And fortunately, the story is a positive one for the entire country. With the reality of the federal Liberals' election victo- ry sinking in, Premier Ford realizes he needs Trudeau to further the Progressive Conservatives' agenda for Ontario. First, as he tried to balance his budget without antag- onizing the entire province, Ford needs the money only Trudeau's government can provide. The premier wants billions of more federal dollars for transit projects, most notably a new Toronto subway line. Ford would love to see a bigger helping hand from Ottawa when it comes to health care, too. But if he ex- - pects to see that outstretched hand holding cash, he'd better not bite it. Second; Ford needs more political friends, or at the very least fewer political foes. Since taking office in June 2018, Ford has riled Franco-Ontarians, the parents of autistic children, environmentalists, the Toronto political establishment along with much of the prov- ince's public sector, most notably the more than 130,000 teachers now considering a strike. Ford would burnish his public image and accomplish more if he proved that, yes, he can form constructive partnerships instead of turning every political encoun- ter into a bare-knuckle brawl. Perhaps Ford has realized the job of being Ontario's premier has a significance-that transcends the prov- ince's borders. Ontario is Canada's most populous and "economically powerful province. It has always been a cornerstone of Confederation. Throughout history, many Ontario premiers felt duty-bound to work with Milton Canadian Champion | Thursday, December 5, Ottawa for the good of the nation regardless of any parti- san differences. Could it be that Canada is witnessing a maturation of g its leaders? Sometimes politicians must set aside parti- } san games and rhetorical one-upmanship in favour of 8 promoting the common good. Ford and Trudeau don't need to be friends. They do, however, need to work to- gether. insidehalton.co TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT INSIDEHALTON.COM SNAPSHOT Angela Mercurio photo A squirrel gathers nuts for the winter in a Milton backyard. Got a great local photo you'd like to share? Send it to sleblanc@metroland.com. AVOID THESE = COMMON MISTAKES, WRITES PETER WATSON PETER WATSON Column Your credit rating is ex- tremely important. Every time you attempt to borrow money, the lend- er will check your credit rating to determine if they should approve the loan. This includes applying for amonptgage, credit card, car financing debt. Because so many con- sumers use credit cards for their financial transac- tions, a large part of credit ratings come from credit card use. Here are tips to help you avoid five common credit or any other: card mistakes that could hurt your credit rating: 1. Pay your credit card debt on time. Any business that lends you money wants to be repaid. Having a history of not fulfilling your . obligation of pay- . ments will hurt your credit rating. Also, interest charges on overdue pay- ments are astronomically high. 2. Do not use more than 75 per cent of your allow- * able balance. For example, if your credit limit is $5,000 try not to owe more than about $3,700. The logic is simple: if you have a $5,000 credit limit, lenders want to see that you are living well within that limit. If you consistently use up your available credit, there will be a lingering question about whether you are able to pay off this amount of debt. 3. Try not to withdraw cash at an ATM using your credit card. This can be in- terpreted as your inability TIPS ON YOUR PERSONAL CREDIT RATING to manage your monthly cash flow and makes you less attractive to lenders for future credit. 4. Do not apply for more credit cards than you need. Lenders view this as shop- ping for credit, which can lead to a lower credit score. 5. The final mistake peo- ple make with their credit card is paying it off immedi- ately after a purchase. In- order to build your credit rating, wait until the due date on the bill, so the com- pany knows you use your card and are able to pay it off on time. Personal credit is impor- tant. Avoid these common credit card mistakes to help put your mind at ease re- garding your credit rating. Peter Watson, of Peter Watson Investments MBA, CFP, RFP. CIM, FCSI, offers a weekly financial planning column, Dollars . & Sense. He can be contact- ed through peterwatsonin- vestments.com. 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. 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