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4 economist suntribune ho ho ho saturday dec 7 2002 are you at risk for heart disease and stroke take your free heart stroke risk assessment visit wwwheartandstrokeca 1888hsfinfo this message brought to you as a community service of the economist sun heart and stroke foukcwlon of ontario notice of annual meeting of members greater toronto area gta savings credit union limited the annual membership meeting of greater toronto area gta savings credit union limited will be held on wednesday january 15th 2003 at the shangrila located at 50 esna park drive markham ontario registration will take place between 530 pm and 630pm the board of directors shall place before the members the following agenda 1 the meeting will be called to order at 630 pm la determination of a quorum lb minutes of annual meeting january 23rd 2002 2 reports 2a board of directors 2b president and chief executive officer 2c audit committee 2d the report of the auditor and the financial reports for the fiscal period ending september 30th 2002 copies of which will be available to the mem bership at the meeting or may be picked up at any branch of the credit union 10 days prior to the annual meeting date 2e loans officer 3 new business 3a election of directors please note the nomination requirements outlined below 3b approval of directors remuneration budget pursuant to bylaw 417 3c appointment of auditors 3d to consider and if thought advisable to pass pursuant to section 309 of the credit unions and caisses populaires act 1994 a special resolution approv ing the credit unions proposed amalgamation with pace savings credit union limited pace and the carrying on of business thereafter with pace as one amalgamated credit union which shall be known as pace savings credit union limited pursuant to the terms and conditions of an amalgamation agreement between gta and pace dated as of the 13th day of november 2002 the proposed special resolution is available at the gta branches 4 other business 5 adjournment notes 1 pursuant to paragraphs 712 and 713 of the credit unions bylaws the board of directors has appointed a nominating committee to receive nominations from members seeking election to the board of directors any two members of the credit union may nominate any other duly qualified person for election such nominations must be in writing signed by the nominators the nominees con sent to the nomination must also be provided accompanied by a resume of the nominees career and credit union involvement the nominating committee must receive nominations at least 30 days prior to the annual meeting the nominating committee will ensure that each nominee qualifies for election as a director pursuant to sections 91 and 92 of the credit unions and caisses populaires act 1994 the act the nominee should be familiar with that act particularly with sections 142 through 158 copies of that are available upon request nominations must be received by the nominating committee no later than monday december 16th 2002 and should be addressed to the chair of the nominating committee greater toronto area gta savings credit union limited 6245 main street po 1019 stouffville ontario l4a 8a1 2 the amalgamation is subject to approval by special resolution of the members of the credit union the holders of class a special shares series 1 of the credit union and the holders of the class b special shares series 95 and series 97 of the credit union 3 members of the credit union must be present at the meeting personally in order to have their vote counted in the members meeting 4 only members according to the records of the credit union as of december 6th 2002 the record date according to the credit unions bylaws shall be enti tled to vote at the meeting signed on behalf of the board of directors barry bushell corporate secretary dont overdo spending counseling agency warns by jeff mitchell staff writer santa has taken up residence and festive lights decorate storefronts as york region merchants hope for a profitable christmas season at the same time consumers are being cautioned by credit counseling centres not to overdo it ron dinelle manager at upper canada mall in newmarket said the christmas shopping season is already gaining momentum the last couple of weekends have been as busy as they should be this time of year mr dinelle saidwhen it happens late its scary he added its critical for everybody to have a good last quarter nationwide retailers are cautiously optimistic cash registers will ring in a solid fourth quarter canadian consumers are spending they have confidence said pamela addo spokesperson for the retail council of canada theyre in the malls they have shopping bags in their hands the importance of the holiday sea son cannot be underestimated ms addo said for some retailers it can be 50percent of their business she said the launch of the holiday season comes on the heels of the retail councils trade report which showed a slight dip in sales in september but overall a general upward trend for the year to date that momentum should cany over into christmas ms addo said retail sales are stable and i think going into this last quarter people are really going to start shopping she said while theyre encouraging shoppers to enjoy the holiday season credit counselors are warning consumers to keep track of what they spend to avoid a bad credit hangover come january the steps to avoiding credit trouble are relatively simple according to cathy may a credit counselor with the markham stouffville family life centre she recommends planning pur chases sticking to a budget avoiding using credit cards and above all resist ing the consumer frenzy that often accompanies the season it doesnt have to be complicated ms may said just some simple think ing about stuff and howyou plan to pay it off thats one of the basic plans for money management one of the simplest ways to avoid trouble is to pay cash ms may said unfortunately its the use of plastic and the inevitable arrival of invoices that cause an influx of new clients at coun seling centres early in the new year part of the reason for the excessive use of credit is holiday spending is an extraordinary expense thats not easily accommodated in the household budget debt loads have increased ms may said the use of credit cards has increased dramatically ms may suggests planning ahead for holiday expenditures and if possi ble setting aside funds to make those purchases you can find out more about credit counseling j york region by calling the markham stouffville family life centre at 18664159723 or emailingmsflconaibncom be smartbeat the new year price increase