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Count your blessings “This new-fangled and highl y addictive “social m edia” is not alwa y s that social.” The observation was m ade b y Harried Shopper, which is, surprisingl y , not his real na m e. He shared his indignation last week through e m ail, Facebook, Twitter, his blog, and a website posting. fill the need, too m an y kids are still going to school on e m pt y sto m achs.”
A m ong the depressing statistics: one in five households assisted b y food banks has inco m e fro m current or recent e m plo y - m ent. In addition to the “working poor,” people living on old age or disabilit y pen- sions account for about 20 per cent of food bank clients. The HungerCount 2012 re- port provides reco mm endations to federal and provincial govern m ents that, if i m ple- m ented, will m ake significant progress in reducing the nu m ber of people who need help fro m food banks. Reco mm endations include investing in affordable housing so that low-inco m e Canadians don’t have to m ake the difficult choice between pa y ing the rent or feeding their fa m ilies and i m - proving the Guaranteed Inco m e Supple- m ent so that no senior in Canada lives in povert y . Povert y rarel y ranks high on the political agenda, but so m e keep tr y ing to focus at- tention on an issue that will never go awa y . “Groups challenge new Liberal leader- ship to deal with the increased povert y McGuint y left behind,” begins a blurb fro m anti-povert y groups. The y want the poor to beco m e a priorit y for the candidates hoping to succeed On- tario Pre m ier Dalton McGuint y . “The next Ontario Liberal leader m ust undo the toxic legac y of Dalton McGuint y and raise social assistance rates,” said John Clarke of the Ontario Coalition Against Povert y (OCAP). “To afford the necessities of life toda y , people on social assistance would need an increase of 55% just to be at 1995 inco m e levels. The govern m ent m ust raise the rates, i mm ediatel y , for people liv- ing on Ontario Works and the Ontario Dis- abilit y Support Progra m .” More m one y would solve m an y prob- le m s. However, when it co m es to personal finances, too m an y people are banking on the luck of the draw. As Harried learned when he searched “Fi- nancial Literac y Month,” one third of Cana- dians ad m it winning the lotter y or receiv- ing a large inheritance is part of their plans for a secured financial future, according to a recent surve y co mm issioned b y Credit Canada Debt Solutions and Capital One Canada. At the sa m e ti m e, m ore than two thirds have felt anxious or lost sleep think- ing about their financial situation over the past y ear. “It’s troubling to see so m an y Canadi- ans putting m ore trust in the lotter y than sound financial planning - but I see the ef- fects ever y da y in our agenc y ,” said Laurie Ca m pbell, CEO, Credit Canada Debt Solu- tions. “Canadians need to recognize that there is no m agic solution to gaining control of their finances. It m eans hard work and sticking to a budget deter m ined b y in- co m e.” With those sobering words, Harried m oved on, seeking the perfect gift for the person who alread y had ever y thing. He also noted that he ought to find ti m e to consider the m an y others out there who need a helping hand.
“For one thing, so m e ver y anti-social co mm ents are m ade on the social m edia. So m e people. Honestl y . Civilization is not far fro m tipping into the Ab y ss. And I a m finding that there has been an invasion of co mm ercial pitches. Ever y bod y is tr y ing to sell m e so m ething. And it is not just the spa m . The co mm ercialis m is pervasive and sophisticated. I cannot tear my self awa y .” As he shifted to text m essages, conced- ing that he was beco m ing consu m ed b y consu m eris m . “I have concluded that ever y thing I own is outdated. Just realized I need a new 300- foot TV screen, and a new fridge that dou- bles as an oven and entertain m ent centre. Of course, the phone I bought y esterda y is alread y obsolete.” Sadl y , Harried is not alone. Too m an y of us are hooked on being con- nected that face-to-face contact has gone the wa y of dial-up. We m ust be constantl y wired, just in case we m iss so m ething. “I have recovered fro m Black Frida y and C y ber Monda y , which I will still be pa y ing for in Jul y . But this is all about the true spirit of the season, right?” As he surfed for m ore bargains, Harried ca m e across so m e “News” ite m s that un- derlined the great econo m ic divide that beco m es m ore defined during the pre- Christ m as bu y ing frenz y . We know that m an y people live in pov- ert y . For exa m ple, about 2,500 people in Prescott-Russell rel y on social assistance. The percentage of people depending on what was once called “welfare” has tradi- tionall y been high in the Far East of Ontar- io. The current 8.1 per cent une m plo ym ent rate in Eastern Ontario is par for the course. The traditional Yuletide appeals to help the need y have been issued. Ever y one is being urged to donate food, m one y , to y s so all can share the war m th of the season. Harried visits www.foodbankscanada.ca. There he learns that Food Banks Canada re- ports that the nu m ber of Canadians using food banks has reached record levels. HungerCount 2012 shows that after dipping slightl y in 2011, food bank use in Canada increased b y 2.4% this y ear, and is now a staggering 31% higher than before the 2008-2009 recession. The HungerCount 2012 report relates that in a t y pical m onth, food banks across the countr y provide food to 882,000 peo- ple, and m ore than 339,000 (38%) of those helped are children. “It is shocking that, in a countr y as pros- perous as Canada, hundreds of thousands of children rel y on food banks to have enough to eat each m onth,” said Katharine Sch m idt, Executive Director of Food Banks Canada. “Though food banks do what the y can to
Les sportifs de l’École catholique Elda- Rouleau d’Alexandria ont encore une fois réclamé la gloire lors de la saison de soccer. En effet, les filles de la 7 e et de la 8 e année ont allié leurs forces aux ailes de l’école L’Ange-Gardien sous l’égide de l’équipe régionale pour capturer la couronne. Les garçons de l’escouade intermédiaire de Glengarry ont eux aussi hissé le pavillon de la victoire.
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En français ROY DUPUIS FROM FRIDAY NOV. 29
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Megan Assaly from the Hawkesbury Figure Skating Club fared well at her first competition of the year. Megan competed at a higher level at the annu- al Asticou Invitational in Gatineau. She won a bronze medal with her solo at the Junior Silver level.
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SKI-VENT-CLIC INC. Le club de ski de fond Ski-Vent-Clic Inc. de Vankleek Hill est prêt pour une autre saison, il y a un petit changement sur la piste à la traverse sur la route 34. C’est le temps de profiter de nos prix réduits, en vigueur jusqu’au 24 décembre 2012.
Prix rég. Prix réduits
Famille Adultes
55 $ 25 $
45 $ 20 $
jusqu’à 18 ans
5 $
5 $
Enfants moins de 18 ans
Les cotisations peuvent être payées aux endroits suivants
Visitez notre Site Internet : www.champlain.ca Cliquez sur Entrez, tourisme, puis Ski-Vent-Clic. See our Web site: www.champlain.ca Click on Enter, tourism and Ski-Vent-Clic. Rens. : 613 678-3874, 613 678-3621, 613 678-320s VANKLEEK HILL Lalande Dépanneur, 143, rue Main E. White Palace, 110, rue Main E. HAWKESBURY Intersport, 454, suite 110, County Rd. 17 E. Dr Dominique Charbonneau, chiropracticien, 1, rue Main E.
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