Income Splitting Conference

Jan 30th 5:30 am I wake up to get ready for the conference.
We went to the bakery and picked up 4 large boxes of pastries (from a wood burning stove) headed into Ottawa to also pick up the coffee.
Chris & Heather Shaw were amazing by helping me get the coffee and pastries on the hill. We ended up walking 3 large coffee pots, 4 boxes of pastries with cream and sugar on a push cart from Elgin to Parliament Hill. Poor Heather did have socks on and as you know Ottawa is FREAKIN COLD! I'd like to thank Heather & Chris so much for helping us out and just being supportive.
We arrive on the hill and apparently there is a meeting taking place in the room we booked, so we wait. I'm standing there with quite a few reporters and we're joking that the conference doesn't look good if only the media show up and nobody else :). Alas a large group of people were sent to the cafeteria to wait for the room to open up. When the room finally opened up there was no meeting and it was the size of my bedroom!
The other room we had also booked was much bigger but somehow it got canceled.
We were stranded and squished together until Garth showed up and had a few words with security and voila we had the big room back. So we moved our crowded crowd out of the smaller room and into another much larger room (I'd like to add security was very sweet and not grumpy at all).
Finally we set up, received more chairs and had the room ready to go.
Garth spoke very nicely and then it was my turn.
I was terrified but the best part of it was Bev's granddaughters were at the conference and I got to hold the 7 month old baby for quite a bit. Every time someone tried to take her I said "no way", she is keeping me sane!
I got my ass up there, and guess what,,, no shaking. Did I do a good job ummm who knows but I didn't shake j/k.
Then Beverly Smith got up to speak which was wonderful but unfortunately there was no microphone yet so Bev really had to yell. Well Bev is not a very loud woman so it was hard to hear her. I heard her though and the speech was BRILLIANT!

Just as I introduced the Panels a microphone was put into place and then it got a lot easier on my voice :).

The first panel discussed, France models of income splitting and how they treat their parents no matter what choices they make. Then the figures of Income Splitting were brought about as well. Some said 3.5 billion others said 5 - 6 billion. I know the Library of Parliament says 2.2 billion but hey that is economics for you.

Financial Panel
Dr David Murrell - UNB
John Williamson of the Canadian Taxpayers Association
Dr. Philip Merrigan - UQAM


They all did an amazing JOB!
I must say John Williamson really stood out and is a great motivator!

We had quite a few questions after this panel, which was great. We had good remarks and bad remarks in which we need to address the true views on Income Splitting. There was nothing though that was asked that was not addressed at this conference.

Caregiving Panel was up next and it was beautifully put in personal views on many professionals. At some point I thought I was going to go into tears and I can tell you a few others in the room were glossy eyed.

Caregiver Panel
Care of the young and single parenting
Kathy Graham
Care of the Elderly
Caroline Tapp-McDougall
Care of Autistic needs
John Toft




Political and Legal Panel was the next panel and wow those 2 women knocked my socks off. They were very well spoken calm and very to the point.

Guy St-Julien, former MP (but unfortunately he had to leave, and the conference took longer than expected)'
Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada
Rebecca Bromwich, Lawyer and feminist view


When I get a chance I will put up the speeches one by one so you can all see what was said.



Did we win? Who knows, we won't know for a while yet so keep pushing and write letters to your local papers and call you MP's....


By the way there were estimated 65 people there at all times and people left and others came in. I would estimate about 120 people but I do not have the sign in book, Garth has that.

The eve of the Income Splitting Conference,

What does Ottawa think of Caregiving? Join us to discuss how to recognize it through Income Splitting (Open to Public/Free admission) Conference Room, West Block, Parliament Hill Ottawa Tuesday, Jan 30 2007 10am to 2pm http://sharingincome.tripod.com/ online petition http://www.petitiononline.com/share/petition.html Contacts: Beverly Smith 403-283-2400 Garth Turner 613-996-7046 Please RSVP: Sara Landriault 613-720-6609sara.landriault@gmail.com


I'm going insane, too much to do. I was on CFRA with Steve Madley this morning and I didn't even tell you in which I apologize.
Tomorrow morning will be CBC radio with Susan Burgess at 7:30am (estimated time) for Ontario.
I'm trying to finish my speech, dye my hair (yes, we are all still vain even though we don't want to be), ironing my pants, taking out the neighbors dog, getting my hubby mad at me and oh yes playing go fish with my baby. Then volunteering at the bingo, packing my stuff getting up at 5 am to jump in with my neighbor go to the bakery and be downtown Ottawa really really early.

I'm pooped already....

Your results:
You are Catwoman

Catwoman 80% Supergirl 75% Robin 75% Hulk 75% Green Lantern 65% Superman 60% The Flash 60% Wonder Woman 55% Spider-Man 50% Batman 50% Iron Man 40%

You have had a tough childhood, you know how to be a thief and exploit others but you stand up for society's cast-offs.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test


Go to Officially Screwed website to see where this original idea!

CHild care foes face off again.... hehe

Child care foes face off again
Some families with a stay-at-home parent say they should be able to split their incomes to reduce taxes. Opponents say the plan, which would cost the treasury billions, would mostly benefit the upper classes

Tim Naumetz, The Ottawa CitizenPublished: Sunday, January 28, 2007
The new frontier in the battle over child care begins this week in Parliament's venerable West Block, the dust still swirling from the old frontier fight over $100-a-month payments for children under six.
The new frontier goes by a different name -- income splitting. But the front lines have the same armies that went toe-to-toe over the choice between a national child-care plan and universal allowances in the last election campaign. Traditional stay-at-home parents on one side, advocates for publicly funded care and learning on the other.
In the thick of the fray is Garth Turner, the firebrand independent MP who led the charge for splitting pension incomes last fall.
"Yeah, this is my fault," Mr. Turner said as he explained his latest assault on Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's budget-planning fortress. The former Conservative is officially hosting Tuesday's conference on income splitting, but he has a small and formidable cadre of supporters drawing participants from across Canada.
On the surface, Mr. Turner's latest campaign looks only like tax reform.
He wants the federal government to allow all families to split their salaries for tax purposes, the same break he wrested from Mr. Flaherty last year for pensioners.
If one of the spouses earns $50,000, for instance, and the other stays home with the children, the income earner could assign a portion to the spouse at home. That would drop the primary income to a lower tax bracket and leave the family with more disposable income even after tax is paid by the second spouse.
The same would apply to families with two incomes. A spouse earning, say, $90,000 could assign part of their income, splitting it, to the spouse earning only $30,000 or $40,000. The family would again net more after taxes, even with the increase in income by the second spouse.
The goal, says Mr. Turner, is to level the playing field between one-income families and two-income families. He says two working parents pay less in income tax because more individual deductions are available, though a 1999 parliamentary committee argued other costs for families with two working parents tip the scales the other way.
"It's time we had a family tax return," Mr. Turner argues, pointing to European countries where income-sharing has been extended even to dependent children, or the United States, where joint family tax returns have been available for years.
Below the surface are the forces that lined up in the debate over the Conservative child payments -- Real Women of Canada, Home By Choice, Kids First Canada and an entire division of like-minded activists.
A 34-year-old Kemptville woman with three children at home and a husband commuting to a computer job in Ottawa is the chief organizer for the Parliament Hill conference Mr. Turner hosts Tuesday.
Sara Landriault, national co-ordinator of Care of the Child Coalition, says spouses who care for children at home, the vast majority being women, should be paid through the tax system for their work. An e-mail guerrilla who blogs for her cause, Ms. Landriault has crossed Internet swords with several leading opponents and mounted a running campaign lobbying politicians of all stripes: "I'll solicit them all, not just Conservatives."

To view the rest go here

London is 18% higher then needed in daycare spaces...

Other findings about London in the report:

- There's an ample supply of regulated child-care spaces, 18 per cent more than average, the fifth highest mark among 14 cities and regions.

- There are fewer structure fires with property damage.

- Libraries offer fewer selections but are open a typical number of hours with a lower-than-average cost per use.

- Recipients of social assistance receive the highest average benefit.

- Transit offers better than average hours and lower than average costs.


Go HERE to see....



What I would like to see is the report on how many parents are low income,, both single and married to see how we can help them...

Income Splitting Update:

3. Income Splitting with Your Home Based Business

If you have a high paying job, you will pay higher taxes because the rates of tax increase as your income does.

With your own business, you can pay reasonable wages to your spouse and children. In this way, you can legally divert income taxed at your higher rate to your family members that are in a lower tax bracket.

This tax saving technique is called income splitting. It is another good reason why your own home based business is the ultimate tax shelter.

4. Even a Part-Time Home Based Business Works

Even if you have a full-time job, running a part-time business can be advantageous.

Of course, you must actually run a real, moneymaking business. Any attempts to write unprofitable hobbies off will ultimately fail with the taxation authorities.

If you earned eight thousand dollars during the year from your part-time business and were able to deduct eight thousand dollars in car expenses, home office expenses, entertainment costs, office supplies, and other business related expenditures, you would have a net business income of nil. You would pay no tax on this additional income.

Don`t miss this important point! Although these tax deductions are actual, legitimate business expenses, these are expenditures you would probably have made anyway, whether you had a business or not.

Thus, by rearranging your affairs to start and operate a home based business, you have been able to convert non-deductible personal expenditures into legally deductible business expenses. You have successfully sheltered your income from tax and have split your income with family members in lower tax brackets.

Yes, indeed, your home based business has become your ultimate tax shelter.

Credit In Huntington Beach

Nor Sleet nor snow will stop a mailman from saving a child!

Mail carrier rescues child wandering in frigid weather
Boy aged 3 or 4 was visiting day care with his mother when he wandered off
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Conrad Vallee returns to the spot where he discovered the child.
Photograph by : Bruno Schlumberger, the Ottawa Citizen
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Font: * * * * Kirstin Endemann and Andrew Seymour, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Friday, January 26, 2007
Conrad Vallee figured the crying must be coming from inside a house -- just a normal neighbourhood noise. When the Canada Post carrier realized where the sound was really coming from, he ran.

Sitting in the snow, in an open field, was a child, wearing nothing more than a T-shirt, light pants and socks. The temperature was -14C.

Mr. Vallee, who was completing his delivery route on Sawmill Private near the Airport Parkway and Heron Road at about 10 a.m. Wednesday, bundled the boy, who did not respond to questions, into his winter jacket. The mailman followed a pair of tiny footprints in the snow to find out where the boy had come from.

He traced the route back 20 metres, through a snow-covered football field, through the gate of a chain link fence and 75 metres across a parking lot. There, he found a private day-care centre and school, and the child's panicking mother, who was searching for her son with school staff.

The boy, who is believed to be between three and four years old, had made his way out the back door of the private day care, located in a former school building on Brookfield Road, that he was visiting with his mother.

The child "seemed OK, but you never know. He was frozen because he'd been walking in the snow with no shoes. It was a cold day. And he was shivering less and his cry had been getting weaker as I held him," said Mr. Vallee.

According to staff at IBN Batouta, the private school the woman and her child were visiting, the boy's mother had just finished changing his diaper and had left him in a hallway while talking with a day-care worker about enrolling him.

"She said, 'where's my son, where's my son,'" said day-care worker Omar Ali. "She was scared."

Ms. Ali said teachers were with their pupils in the classrooms at the time and the hallways were empty. Staff searched the school before discovering the child with Mr. Vallee, she said.

Hassan Youssouf is vice-principal of the French-language school and day care that caters mostly to the immigrant community. He said it's believed the boy was outside for about five minutes.

"We never would expect the mother wouldn't be paying attention to her own child, even for a minute or two," he said.

Mr. Youssouf said the incident has shaken staff, who are extremely vigilant about watching and caring for the 65 children enrolled there.

Staff can't be responsible for parents who fail to properly supervise their children while visiting the school and day care, he said.

"You always have to be careful. You never know what can happen, especially with a three- or four-year-old," he said. "Especially in the winter."

Despite Mr. Vallee's suggestion that they call 911 to have the child examined, Mr. Youssouf said the mother insisted she would take the child to the doctor herself. He said the woman would not give staff her name and the boy appeared to show no ill effects.

The Children's Aid Society was notified of the incident by Mr. Vallee, although executive director Barbara MacKinnon said yesterday there is little they can do without knowing the identity of the woman.



Ms. MacKinnon said they would like to speak with the woman to determine whether Wednesday's incident was a one-time "mistake" or part of a pattern of neglectful behaviour.

Beyond the danger of a child freezing in sub-zero temperatures, Ms. MacKinnon said children are at risk of being struck by vehicles and other dangers when they are unsupervised outside.

Mr. Youssouf praised Mr. Vallee's actions, saying they could have prevented a tragedy.

"The mailman did something amazing. He came at the right time," he said. "Who knows what might have happened?"

aseymour@thecitizen.canwest.com



Personal Note:

Now what got me was the smart mailman, wahooo Mr. Mailman.
Then as I kept reading the blame the daycare put on the mother, that was shocking. Don't get me wrong, it was her fault. We all know that shit happens daily and we have to be careful be we're not perfect. I get that part.
What I don't get is why the daycare publicly blamed her, that is where I'm confused.
Most people would of said he was right there one min gone the next, you've all had it happen to you. I was in the disney store when my middle child went out of my sight, I screamed her name so hard my brother nearly decked me out of shock lol.She heard me though and came back. This stuff happens.
But reading the story made me proud of the mailman and discusted with the director. He was just covering his ass with the insurance details and not trying to understand how a daycare has a door unlocked and any kid can walk out.... both sides here are at fault, but still in the end was a complete fluke. Shit happens fix them and move on, don't play the blame game.

Minimum wage won't change but income splitting could help

January 25, 2007
Kerry Gillespie
Queen's Park Bureau

Ontario Finance Minister Greg Sorbara says the government can't afford to raise the minimum wage to $10 an hour, a claim that has drawn criticism from New Democrat MPPs and poverty activists.

"A large jump in the minimum wage would have a significant negative impact on employment. The prospect of some 66,000 jobs could be at risk," Sorbara said yesterday.

Next week, Ontario's minimum wage goes up 25 cents to $8 an hour, making it one of the highest in Canada.

But that doesn't mean it's enough to live on, says a coalition dedicated to raising the minimum wage to $10 an hour.

"If you are working full time and you have to use a food bank ... and that is the lot of many of our working poor, then life is not just," said New Democrat MPP Cheri DiNovo (Parkdale-High Park).

"If you work full time you should be able to pay the rent and feed the kids."

Gillary Massa, who makes $8.30 as a theatre usher, certainly doesn't have any spare money to spend. She had to give up her apartment and move back in with her parents because she couldn't pay the rent.

"You just can't live on $8," said Massa, a 21-year-old York University student.

There are about 1 million people earning somewhere between minimum wage and $10 an hour, according to government figures.

The finance ministry recently crunched the numbers to study the impact of suddenly raising the minimum wage to $10 an hour, and found up to 66,000 jobs could be lost.

But DiNovo calls that assertion "absolutely ridiculous."

"There's nothing that shows that that's a fact. No studies have shown from jurisdictions that have raised the minimum wage that it hurts at all."

DiNovo's private member's bill calling for a $10 minimum wage has passed second reading but has no chance of becoming law without Liberal support.

Yesterday, the Toronto and York Region Labour Council launched a campaign to rally low-wage earners and pressure the province to pass the bill.

While there is some debate among economists about the impact of raising the minimum wage, one of the key arguments against a big hike is that companies would hire fewer people to compensate for having to pay increased wages, said TD Bank economist Derek Burleton.

Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory has also warned that a $10 minimum wage would jeopardize jobs.

Small business owners Jeremy Day and Len McAuley don't buy it.

Minimum wage "is a social injustice," said Day, who already pays his workers at Café Taste at least $10 an hour.

"Minimum wage is just unacceptable for families, for single people to pay the bills, to buy food, to pay the rent," said Len McAuley, owner of Pollock's Home Hardware, who starts his adult workers at $10 an hour.

"Even $10 is not a great wage but it certainly will bring people back up to where they can make a decent living and support their families," he said.

"I hope that the government of Ontario, and Canada as well, will hear the call because it's just not fair."

When the Liberals came to power they ended the Conservatives' eight-year freeze on the minimum wage and have since raised it four times, making it one of Canada's highest.

Nunavut's minimum wage, at $8.50 an hour, is the highest, followed by the other territories at $8.25.

Among the provinces, British Columbia – joined next week by Ontario – has the highest at $8. New Brunswick has the lowest rate at $6.50.

When the minimum wage is increased people have more to spend, and that helps the economy, said John Cartwright, president of the Toronto and York Region Labour Council, which represents 195,000 workers.

He cites a U.S. example of increased wages being good for the economy.

At almost $8 an hour, Washington State's minimum wage is much higher than neighbouring Idaho's, which is just $5.15.

"It turns out the small businesses in Washington are doing better than their counterparts across the border because there's more money in the community for people to support the businesses," Cartwright said.

Last night, some 120 people turned out for the first of six Labour Council town hall meetings to voice their support for a $10 minimum wage and discuss ways to apply pressure on the government.

"For many years, I've felt less than $10 an hour was an absolutely irresponsible wage for people's labour," said Maria Antonieta Smith, a retired adult educator living in the High Park community.

"The working poor are a whole new category of people now filling up the food banks."

There were calls of "shame" over MPPs raising their own wages by $22,000 before Christmas, and at Sorbara for "plucking a number out of the air" to back up his claim that 66,000 jobs would be at risk.

Ramona Manners said she has worked for temp agencies that paid $8.50 an hour, but even that wasn't enough to support herself and 16-year-old daughter. "Ten dollars is a start, but it's a good start," she said.

Some people suggested MPPs try living on $15,360 a year – that's $8 an hour for a 40-hour week – to see how they manage.

"Let's see how they can do with that. I think it would make for quite an interesting experiment," said Dr. Cadigia Ali, a foreign-trained doctor.

York student Massa said raising the minimum wage to $10 "would be a huge help, not only to students, but to a large (portion) of the population that is working at low-paid jobs."

"Poverty is definitely a big issue in Ontario," she said. "In Toronto we see it just walking downtown."

Mohammadreza Rokni, a foreign-trained dentist, makes $9.25 a hour working in a bakery while he waits for an exam space to get his Canadian certification so he can work in his field.

"It's not even enough to cover my rent," said Rokni, who's using his life savings from Iran.

Many workers are forced to survive on less than he makes.

Some 200,000 Ontarians earn minimum wage.

Someone working full time for $8 an hour would make a little over $16,000 year. After paying rent, particularly in the Greater Toronto area, there's not much left of a minimum-wage cheque.

There is no official definition of poverty in Canada. The closest thing is Statistics Canada's low-income cut-off point.

According to that measure, a family of four in a large city in 2005 was considered to be living below the cut-off if its annual after-tax income was less than $32,556. That means two people working full time at Ontario's minimum wage wouldn't be above the cut.

But improving the lives of low-income Ontarians isn't simple, according to Sorbara.

"It's a more complex issue than simply increasing the minimum wage. If your objective is really to give assistance to the working poor, perhaps public policy alternatives have to be broader than simply an approach by way of the minimum wage," he said.

And while he says there are no plans for a dramatic wage hike, tackling poverty is one issue under discussion in province-wide pre-budget consultations.

With files from Rob Benzie and rita daly


Personal Note:

I agree minimum wage needs to go up, our cost of living these days are out of the ball park. It is insane the rental prices, housing, food etc...
But by both parties in Ontario neither parties will budge.
I offer this though,

Income Splitting can help (not fix it all but it is a good start). Low income wage earners are made up a lot by parents. Someone has to sacrifice when the children come, through maternity leave etc.. it doesn't matter which one but what does matter is they usually lose years from their career that they can't get back. So that leaves them taking low paid jobs. If you income split that will put money back in their own pockets.
This won't fix the problem but it will address it and start something positive.

COME ON PEOPLE TALK RADIO WANTS TO HEAR ABOUT INOCME SPLITTING CALL NOW!

I was on 580 CFRA Ottawa, www.cfra.com
I mentioned the income splitting and the conference. Please call them and tell Lowell what you want the conservatives to do for tax breaks, keep the momentum going

613-521-8255
1-800-580-2372

come on I want to hear your views on tax breaks!!!!

New baby a heavy financial burden

New baby a heavy financial burden



By Jenn Marshall
Reporter
Jan 23 2007


After months of anticipation, the new addition to our family has arrived.

Cadence, a quiet little baby who sleeps through everything but still manages to monopolize everyone’s attention, came to our Christmas celebrations wrapped in pretty dresses.

My brother looked on proudly as his girlfriend paraded her new charge around the room in her little red Christmas outfit with powder white trim and red velvet.

Cassandra (the new mom) looked tired but happy and regret-free over her “gift” to the family’s Christmas celebrations.

As for the rest of the family, there was nothing else that interested them from the moment my brother, Cassandra and the baby arrived, and they talked only about them long after they left.

There were fights for who got to hold the newborn next. My cousin drove from Vancouver to my mother’s house in Port Coquitlam (about an hour-long drive) just to see the little tyke.

When I arrived home after the ferry trip from Nanaimo, I was cheered by the sight of all the presents under my mom’s Christmas tree, before I realized that nearly all of them were for Baby Cadence.

My mom was perhaps most pleased by the Dec. 4 arrival, and her gifts to my brother’s new family included a fully-adjustable playpen and several baby outfits, including one of her favourites she once dressed me in.

I got to watch for the first time as the family members in my mom’s generation looked upon a newborn sired by their children.

This is perhaps the reason the baby has created such a stir. Megan, my eight-year-old cousin and formerly youngest in the family, has been usurping the position of the baby until now.

She had some adjusting to do when Cadence first entered the scene, and so did I, as the oldest cousin. I haven’t been around a baby in a long time.

When I held her for the first time, after rushing to the hospital in Victoria, I looked at that little unassuming face and thought it’s a wonder there are patient parents out there willing to look after babies 24 hours a day, seven days a week while they go through those first few years of utter helplessness.

I know my busy work and recreation schedule leaves nearly no time for even doing basic housecleaning, let alone the full-time job of watching over a baby.

But Cassandra has jumped into the job eagerly and unconditionally (which is good, since she can’t get her money back or return the baby to the nearest baby-return store).

She’s been reading all the books, attending her newborn educational classes and, most importantly, lavishing lots of love on the new child.

There seems to be fewer people out there willing to take a responsibility like this head on.

While Cassandra is staying home at least for the first little while to raise the baby, many people don’t have that option.

Starting a family these days seems to be a terrifying prospect.

I have been told by many people that daycare is not affordable. And money is a huge worry for families if there’s only one income, when living standards are now adjusted to two.

There are children going to school hungry in the Nanaimo school district, an issue district staff are trying to help address with their school meals program.

Cassandra has told me she’s interested in having more kids.

I admire her. Stay-at-home, devoted moms or dads are fast becoming a rarity, and in many cases, an impossibility.

reporter@nanaimobulletin.com

Personal Note:

I came across this last night, it was beautifully put.

No Tory child care plan as waits grow for spaces

This was my actual quote:
No Tory child-care plan as parents face long waits, rising fees Sue Bailey, Canadian Press
Published: Monday, January 22, 2007 Article tools
Printer friendly
OTTAWA (CP) - There's no federal help in sight for frazzled parents facing years on waiting lists for child care.

One year after the Conservatives won power on a platform touting 125,000 new spaces over five years, there isn't even a clear plan on how to create them. And there's uncertainty mixed with alarm across Canada over looming fee increases and program cuts since the Tories dropped the $5-billion Liberal plan to build a national early learning system. "They're really over a barrel," said Monica Lysack, executive director of the Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada.

"They don't have a plan. They haven't created a space. Parents are being caught in the middle of this cut-and-run approach."

Conservatives are handing out cheques worth $1,200 a year (minus taxes) for each child under six. But they're running from the fact that there are registered spaces for fewer than 20 per cent of kids under 12, Lysack said.

Parents - regardless of income - have received $1.2 billion since the first payments were mailed in July, according to the government.

"Great," said Lysack. "But it's not child care. Even they acknowledge that."

In British Columbia and Ontario, it's not unusual for waiting lists to stretch to more than two years for a pre-school spot.

The Conservatives committed $250 million in last year's budget to create new spaces in 2007-08. But their tax-incentive plan to lure employers and non-profit groups into the costly and bureaucratic child-care business has been widely panned. Similar efforts in Ontario under the former Mike Harris Tories failed badly when corporations didn't bite.

Former social development minister Diane Finley held talks with child-care groups last summer and was to draft space-creation recommendations by the fall. The report has still not been released.

Monte Solberg, who replaced Finley after a cabinet shuffle this month, was not available for comment Monday.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has conceded that his government's approach may need tweaking. Still, one of his first acts in power was to cancel $5 billion in promised Liberal child-care funding as of March 31, 2007.

Provinces had banked on having that cash for another three years.

The Ontario government lost $1.4 billion and has been left hanging, said Mary Anne Chambers, the province's minister for child and family services.

"By September of last year we created 15,000 new spaces - a clear indication of the demand," she said.

The province had hoped to add 25,000 spots, but even that would have filled just one-quarter of pent-up needs, Chambers said.

"Not all parents want this, obviously, but the majority say they need it."

Sara Landriault, mother of three young daughters in Kemptville, Ont., represents Fund the Child. The group wants Ottawa to offer more tax credits and income-geared help that will give parents more child-care choice.

Kathy Graham, head of the Association of Day Care Operators of Ontario, agrees that fiscal policies geared to helping families afford quality care are key to easing what she calls a growing "crisis."

Provincial and federal funds should be used to stabilize and expand already existing centres, and to increase "pitifully low" staff salaries that still hover below $10 an hour on average, she said.

"We've got caught up somehow in thinking that governments should create day care. And that's wrong."

Graham said new centres wind up poaching from the 600 private and non-profit members that her group represents.

"We can't even retain the staff we've got because we're in direct competition with the government-created day cares. We're constantly losing."

Provinces that blame the federal Conservatives for child-care cuts, as the B.C. government recently did, should be held to account, Graham added.

"Too many provinces are not putting any of their own additional money into stabilizing child care. It's children who are becoming the pawns in this political game."


This was the comment I passed over,

From my understanding the daycares are still under the previous government contracts from the National Child Care advocates. If the spaces are not being created then I think Monica Lysack of the CCAC should be asked "why". As for the Conservative initiative on Childcare spaces, they moved quickly on subsidizing all childcare spaces across Canada when they allotted the $100 per month per child under 6 in July of 2006 which was only months after being elected.
"Fund the Child" is based on the childcare funding directly flowing to the parents to have a choice in childcare. Our goals are with income splitting, refundable tax credits and creating many more initiatives to help families directly in their childcare choices.
Sara Landriault

Let me know what you think of the article,,,

Local Woman fighting for single income families

The Packet

By Jeff Morrison

Jan 19, 2007

LOCAL WOMAN FIGHTING FOR SINGLE-INCOME FAMILIES

Care of the Child Coalition Co-ordinator Sara Landriault is taking her crusade for tax equality to Parliament Hill

Single-income families are getting burned by the Canadian tax system, and a Kemptville-area woman is trying to do something about it.

Sara Landriault is the National Co-ordinator of the Care of the Child Coalition. She has been active in bringing the taxation inequalities in the Canadian system to the forefront. On Tue Jan 30^th, she will be joined by prominent politicians like MP Garth Turner and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May in the West Block of Parliament Hill for an Income Splitting Conference.

“The conference is designed to show people how Income Splitting is viewed by so many people from stay at home parents (like me) to professional economists who have offered to pay their own way to speak at this conference because they believe in Income Splitting,” said Landriault. “We would love to have anyone attend since it is free and open to the public, there will be MP’s and possibly a few ministers there for your interest. The Message we are sending out from this conference is a strong united one from families all across Canada in hopes that Minister Flaherty will understand our need to benefit our families financially,”

“Income-splitting is vital to recognize the social value that the family unit porvies our society, and help repair the fiscal imbalance that really matters – between men and women.”

Garth Turner MP

Following a recent landmark Government of Canada decision to revolutionize the tax system by allowing taxpaying couples to share pension income, a groundswell of support for the social benefits that family income-splitting could bring has sprung up across Canada. Landriault has been leading the charge from her Kemptville home. Caregiver advocates, family law experts, economists, academics and politicians will attend the conference to explore the implications of extending income-splitting to all Canadian families. This change could establish a monetary value for home work, give invaluable support to caregivers and significantly increase the financial security of families.

“A broad coalition of retired Canadians was successful at getting the government to act on pension splitting,” said Turner, a leading advocate of the change, “and now that the concept has been adopted, it only makes sense to extend it across society at large, with the huge benefits that will accrue. This new coalition shows, clearly, Canada is demanding it.

“More needs to be done to install fairness in Canada’s tax system,” added Turner. “Income-splitting is vital to recognize the social value that the family unit provides our society, and help repair the fiscal imbalance that really matters – between men and women.”

According to Turner, Canada has been accused of having the worst record of fiscal support for families with children of all G7 nations. Income-splitting could increase household cash flow, encouraging many households to consider having children by lessening the financial burden, and bring Canada back in line with international standards. Income-splitting would even out tax disparities between single and dual-income families, empower stay at home parents with a more secure future by allowing RRSP contributions, and give economic value to the work of unpaid caregivers.

“It’s about time that the government recognizes the value that unpaid caregivers are to their communities,” says Sara Landriault, leading advocate for caregivers.

“We are only demanding the respect and legal recognition that most workers in Canada take for granted.”

Landriault added that many business owners high-income families use income splitting to relieve the tax burden. Among them, she says, is former Prime Minister Paul Martin.

“High income and business owners already income split,” she said “ Right now if you own your own business, or can afford a high powered accountant, you are able to find loop holes in the Canada Income Tax Act to income split with your family. Paul Martin the former PM of Canada was income splitting with his wife years before he was even finance minister in the CHretien government. Paul Martin owned shipping companies in which he transferred half his business into his wife’s name (who was at the time a stay at home mom) to save on taxes. When he became Prime Minister he transferred his company holdings into his children’s name, in which he saved on taxes as well.

“I do not begrudge anyone who already income splits, in fact I am happily jealous of their tax saving and wish that by doing the conference on Income Splitting Jan 30^th, Parliament Hill West Block 10am-2pm that, it will ensure that everyone will benefit like those who already do.”

According to Canadian Business magazine, most social benefits are based on the income of the family as a unit. Whether you qualify for the Child Tax Benefit or the GST credit, for instance, depends on the sum of your income and that of your spouse. But when it comes time to pay taxes, families suddenly disappear. If there are two spouses in a family, both pay their taxes individually, with little account taken of their family situation.

Landriault invites anybody interested in the issue to come to the conference on Parliament Hill. For more information,

Contact Landriault at 613-720-6609 or email her at sara.landriault@gmail.com. You can also visit her blog at choiceforchildcare.blogspot.com.

Does Olivia think we are stupid...

Child care cheque backlash brewing




The Conservative government could face a backlash from parents as the taxman demands his cut of the new $100-a-month child care cheques.

Early next month, families who have been receiving the Universal Child Care Benefit will receive a statement of payments from the Canada Revenue Agency to be filed with their 2006 returns. The feds insist they've been up-front on the fact it's a taxable benefit, but critics say it was downplayed by Tories desperate to sell a flawed program.

Liberal MP Bonnie Brown predicts many Canadians will be taken surprise by the tax bill, and said it will hit working poor and single parents the hardest.

"I don't think anyone is thrilled about paying taxes they weren't expecting, so I think they will be quite angry," she said. "And some won't have it. It will end up adding stress to the lives of those who are struggling already. I think some of them are going to be stressed and sad, and that might turn to anger because they might feel they were fooled."

Brown said a parent with three young children could owe close to $400 for half the year's benefits in 2006.




Murray Gross, a spokesman for Human Resources and Social Development Canada, insisted the department has tried to get the message out from the start. A government website explains how the program works, and a notice with the first payment included a reminder that it's taxable.

DELIBERATELY LOW KEY


"LOW KEY,, how is it low key we all know they are taxed. Don't get me wrong I'd rather them not, but to be fair...

WE WERE TOLD!"

"From the outset, the government has been clear that the UCCB would be treated as taxable income, and that it would be taxed in the hands of the lower-income spouse, ensuring that families get the greatest possible benefit," he said.

But NDP MP Olivia Chow also believes it was deliberately low key and thinks some people will be "really mad" to learn how much they owe back for the benefit.

"It's a sham. It's deceiving Canadian taxpayers and working families," she said. "People will feel they've been cheated."

Chow said the benefit should become a non-taxable benefit, and the millions collected this round should be directed to creating new daycare spaces. She also slammed the administrative costs to run the program, which are running at $31 million for the first year according to department figures.

Lydia Lovric is my hero!

A modern home-economics course should be mandatory in high school
Lydia Lovric, The Province
Published: Friday, January 19, 2007
Federal NDP good girl Olivia Chow wants to dish up a hearty breakfast for Canada's kids.

Her party's Children's Health and Nutrition Initiative is a $250-million plan that would help to provide healthy meals and snacks for anyone under the age of 18.

"It is absolutely essential that kids have a decent meal," insisted Chow at a recent Ottawa news conference.

"We know that children cannot learn very well when they are hungry or they are hyped up by sugar or bad food and junk food."

The program wouldn't just target low-income families that have difficulty affording wholesome meals.

It would also cater to well-to-do kids who can't be bothered to wake up early enough to eat breakfast before leaving for school.

While there is nothing inherently wrong with Chow's plan, it fails to address the real problem, which is as follows: Many Canadians are simply too lazy or too stupid to ensure that their kids receive proper nutrition and exercise in order to combat the alarming increase in childhood obesity.

Fat child? I'll bet you dollars to donuts that mom or dad are overweight as well.

What we really need in Canadian schools is daily physical-education classes, as well as a mandatory home-economics course for all high-school students.

Home ec, which has been re-branded cleverly by some educators as "Family and Consumer Sciences" is probably the most important course a student can take.

The home-ec class I propose wouldn't teach kids how to bake a pie from scratch. Rather, it would teach students about proper nutrition, how to read food labels and how to plan healthy meals.

It would also include important financial lessons, such as how to save for college or university, how to fill out income-tax forms -- and how to avoid credit-card debt.

Family planning wouldn't focus so much on the birds and the bees -- since most teens are more than familiar with the concept -- but on learning the true cost of raising kids.

If little Billy sees how expensive child-support payments can be, he may think twice before fooling around on prom night.

And if little Suzy sees how tough life can be as a single mother, she may decide to delay certain amorous activities.

Students should also be acquainted with the latest advice from parenting experts, health experts, mortgage experts -- and any other type of expert who may have something meaningful to offer in terms of everyday life.

For those teens who believe they'll never have kids, well, we know the overwhelming majority of students will one day become parents or step-parents.

Besides, how many of us use calculus or chemistry on a day-to-day basis?

The NDP plan is a temporary, band-aid solution.

If we want to help kids long-term, education -- not hand-outs -- is the key.

Lydia Lovric can be reached through her website: www.lydialovric.com


Wahooo what a woman!

Dad may not be cool but he loves his kids...

Globe and Mail

Brace yourself, dude. Generation X, that misanthropic mass of marginally employed slackers, has finally started to reproduce. They have traded in their beat-up Volkswagens and New York Dolls T-shirts for bigger beat-up Volkswagens and baby New York Dolls T-shirts. They go to play groups, wipe vomit off contemporary sofas and spend hours moshing with toddlers to the latest Killers album.

It's all very hip and new and guess what? They want to tell us all about it -- in books, movies and magazine articles, and over organic protein drinks at your local family dance party.

In his new book, Alternadad, American writer Neal Pollack explores a hipster's journey through fatherhood. It involves a lot of watching The Wiggles in a dumpy row house in Austin, Tex., where he and his wife choose to live because hey, South by Southwest rocks.

read more


Personal Note:

Ok here is a story of a dad trying too hard, but can you blame him.

He is right if you leave it up to the kids they would dress in curtains with plastic bags on their feet. What do you do, you pick the coolest clothes for your kids and why... So they will be cool and not be teased like you were as a kid.

I've got 3 girls and my middle one is the outgoing personality with a side of bubbly. The oldest always has her head in the books and couldn't care if red and pink do not match, then the youngest who we assume will become the THUG but for good not evil...

I've tried with my oldest to teach her about well ok I'll admit it, being cool. Getting her hair right, wearing cool clothes, and no spinach in her teeth. Why did I do that, because I didn't have that as a kid and I remember the teasing and mental torture from the bullies.... I thought I was doing the right thing...

Thankfully my daughter taught me I wasn't, at least someone in this house had sense. My daughter has taught me that it really doesn't matter what you wear it matters how you feel, apparently I taught her that and she listened. Rather than being with the cool kids my daughter will find the nerdy kids and play with them so they are not alone, and in my book that makes my daughter the coolest kid of all.

Please don't blame the dad in this case for trying to save his son from the torture he went through as a kid, just understand he is doing it out of love for his child.

If your kid is taught or already has confidence then all the teasing in the world won't scar your child, even if they do wear your curtains!
We learn as parents as much as kids learn from us.

CTV and stay at home parenting.... but did they ask a parent at home?

Parents using patchwork of child care: survey
Updated Mon. Jan. 15 2007 11:20 AM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

Canadian parents often have tough choices to consider when making child care decisions. And according to a survey by Today's Parent magazine, there is often no single solution.

The magazine received over 5,000 responses in its call for parents to describe their child care woes. The results are published in the February issue of the magazine.

Caroline Connell, editor in chief of Today's Parent, says the most surprising result of the survey for her was the number of families who are getting by with no single child care arrangement.

"A lot of families are using multiple arrangements, cobbling together different things, some parent care, some day care," she told Canada AM. "We were also surprised by the prevalence of problems people had both in finding care that they felt good about and paying for it."

The survey found that the most common types of child care were at-home parents -- 38% of respondents had one parent staying at home, including mothers on maternity leave -- and part-time care by a relative; 17 per cent of families used that option. Just 16 per cent of the respondents used licensed day cares full-time.

"The actual day care number was lower than I was expecting," Connell remarked.

"A lot of families have a grandma at home or whatever. It's a mixed bag, and the surprising thing again was the number of parents who use several different arrangements in a single week."

The survey also asked parents to describe the kinds of challenges they faced with their child care situation. The Top 3 challenges were:

The high cost of care - 59 per cent cited that as a problem
Concerns about the quality of care -- 50 per cent cited that
Trouble finding full-time space in a day-care centre - 39 per cent
Being unable to afford to stay at home - 39 per cent
Alison MacLean is a full-time parent who works part-time. She told Canada AM that middle-income earners like her family often find the costs of day care difficult.

"We really feel like we're in the middle where we make too much to be subsidized to put our child in day care and then we don't make enough to put him into full-time day-care."

Connell agrees, noting that with a full-time space for an infant costing in the range of $1,000 a month, it's simply not affordable for a lot of families.

The parents told the magazine that governments can do a lot more to help working families:

51 per cent want increased tax breaks and credits for all parents of children under six years of age
46 per cent want tax breaks specifically for stay-at-home parents
45 per cent want legislation requiring employers to allow parents of young children to work part-time or flexible hours.

Personal Note:
This whole article is based on childcare but yet CTV never asked a parent at home....

Chow to take over MOM of Canada

The Toronto Star


"For some kids this may be the only meal. I hate to say that but sometimes it is because of family income," Chow said in an interview yesterday.

"It's by no means a solution for poverty. But a lot of kids, if they go to school hungry, they cannot learn," she said.

"You can't concentrate on an empty stomach so it makes a big difference."

The Toronto MP (Trinity-Spadina) says she'll be seeking all-party support for her Children's Health and Nutrition Initiative, a program aimed at improving the eating habits of students. She says she's got the backing of nutritionists, food-program organizers, health officials, chefs and parents.

While poor kids are a focus, she notes that child obesity rates are inching up, suggesting that middle-class kids also need a prod towards healthy snacks.


Personal Note:

Sounds good to me, poor kids who haven't eaten get some good food. I'm all for it, except....

this program is going to every child in school even the ones who's parents can afford it. Why can't they aim these programs at those who need them instead of EVERYONE...
I know how important food is for school, and some kids really need it. I tell my daughter to watch her school friends and if she notices anyone hungry share and I will always send extra food. Nutrition in one major key in learning but vital in life.
But,, and I know you may think I'm sounding cruel but why are we paying for those kids whose parents have money to buy proper food and the smarts to do it?

Olivia, seriously sit down and create this program for those who really need it, the teachers will tell you exactly who they are. If you don't it will get way too expensive, and the higher income families will take full advantage of it. Lets see mom or dad is late for work, oh well kiddo go eat at the school. Yet their fridge is filled with healthy nurtitional things. Makes you think doesn't it....

This whole thing sounds like the National Daycare program, it sounds good in theory except it being created for EVERY child across Canada. That is the link between the two....

A view on Income Splitting form a simple stay at home mom:

Here you go,

A view on Income Splitting from a simple stay at home mom:

Most people's minds are now on income splitting and who could blame them. Last year on October 31st, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced "pension splitting' and oh boy that got us excited about the possibility of "family income splitting".
Just ask Garth Turner, we've been chatting about this for months. Garth has much more experience in this matter than I do though, he has been working on it for years and me well about 10 months. Don't blame me, I'm a stay at home mom who reads Stephen King instead of the National News. Honestly I only learned what income splitting was when I started gabbing to Garth about it.
Like some of you, I had no clue what income splitting was but I knew instinctively it would save me money. So what I'd like to do is explain to you what it is, don't worry I'm no economist so it'll be basic and brief.

Two spouses can split the incomes exactly down the middle to drop the tax brackets and save on taxes. Even if both spouses are in the paid work force then they can still benefit from income splitting. Yes, it is true the family with a stay at home parents will save the most in taxes.
{Oh by the way, if both spouses are in the paid work force we call that a double income family. If one spouse is at home childcaring their own children and the other is in the paid work force then that is called a single income family. Regarding the referral to "spouse", that is officially the correct way to call someone who is married to one another. Don't blame me for the confusion I'm just trying to be politically correct but it is causing me a headache.}

So now you know about income splitting and the differences in the single to double income families. Now I suppose their could be three or four income families but that would just be too much math for me to think about, so we won't go there (does this make you feel smarter or just cause you headaches like me).

Who is against income splitting?

Well a few say income splitting goes against a women's right but, last time I checked I'm 99.9% sure I'm a woman. So that blows that argument right out of the waters don't you think...

Others say only single income families would benefit the most. Well, d'uh! They will save up to 42% on their taxes but... yup there it is another but...
I disagree on the benefit deal of this accusation. Now a double income family who both make the exact same salary already income split let alone all the business owners and anyone who can afford a decent account, can also already income split. Yet, I can't income split with my husband errr I mean spouse, but they can. If I am allowed to income split all of a sudden the news headlines are "Desperate Housewife hits jackpot while childcare workers only eat kraft dinner". Seriously this will be my fate. Instead how about the truth, something like this "Single income and double income families are all paying equal amount in taxes since they all work REALLY HARD". Sigh, if only.

Look at Alberta, income splitting won't even effect them. They have a flat tax rate (which is way better than income splitting but alas too far beyond out reach since our back yards are not filled with gold) and do you hear an Albertan screaming "no fair they get income splitting, and I already have it"... I think not...

I'd like to offer you a choice, come to our Income Splitting Conference Jan 30th Parliament Hill West Block at 10am and agree with me, disagree with me or just learn. Your choice, but either way you have to show up to do it.

So alas I shall say good night since I have 3 children to chase to bed. Have a good day and please keep asking those questions becaus ethe more you learn the more you can annoy your MP's and make them work for their salaries!


Sara Landriault
Stay at home mom
Spokesperson for "Care of the Child" Coalition
"Fund the Child" movement
Active blogger
and one exhausted LADY!

Today's Parent magazine asks parents "what they want"...

Parenting at home full-time is the most prevalent type of care, used by more than one-third of the parents polled (although some are moms on maternity leave who will be returning to work). That’s more than twice as many as send their kids to a daycare centre, which was the second most common choice. Many families use multiple arrangements to stitch their week together. That accounts for the remarkably high prevalence of part-time care — fully 43 percent of the arrangements listed. Seventeen percent of respondents did not list any of their child care arrangements as full-time.













Child Care: What Canadian Parents Need Now
Listen up, politicians, as Today's Parent readers tell it like it is


By John Hoffman

Quebecer's want income splitting,,,

Quebecers are embracing income-splitting with open arms
Changes in taxation of pension payments
PAUL DELEAN, The Gazette
Published: Monday, January 15, 2007
If the flood of emails on the subject of pension-income splitting is any indication, this is a measure Quebecers are embracing with open arms.

And while the wording of the Conservatives' original announcement was a bit nebulous, it appears more types of pension income will be covered than initially suggested, starting with the 2007 tax year.

On its website, the federal finance department has a comprehensive list of inclusions and exclusions.

Included are payments from standard employee-sponsored defined-benefit or defined-contribution pension plans, regardless of the recipient's age.

Also included is income from a Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF), a life income fund (LIF) or an RRSP annuity or deferred profit-sharing plan annuity, provided the recipient is 65 or older.

The Finance Department says the age requirement is to prevent people who are not retired from gaining "significant tax advantages" by arranging to withdraw money each year as RRSP annuity or RRIF income while still saving for retirement.

RRSP withdrawals and retirement compensation payouts do not qualify for splitting.

Quebec Pension Plan payments also are excluded under this formula, which is basically a paper transaction on tax returns that must be confirmed annually, but qualifying couples can share QPP benefits as well if they apply directly for it.

Quebec has announced it will integrate the Conservatives' pension proposals into its tax system, provided they are formally enacted federally, but the province has added a few twists.

Taxpayers in Quebec won't be required to make the same election for pension splitting on their federal and provincial tax forms.

You could conceivably elect to do it federally but not provincially, or designate different percentages on the federal and provincial returns.

Quebec will even allow a taxpayer to attribute up to 50 per cent of his or her pension income to a partner with revenue equal to or greater than their own.

This could enhance, or make them eligible for, certain credits and benefits.

If a spouse receiving the pension is living outside the province, however, Quebec will require he or she make the same pension designation on federal and provincial tax returns.

Jamie Golombek, vice-president of tax and estate planning for AIM Trimark Investments, said pension splitting represents "a huge opportunity" for taxpayers, one that might require study, planning and/or professional counsel for maximum benefit."

"It could, for instance, be advantageous for someone to convert part of an RRSP into a RRIF earlier than the deadline age of 69, to fully use the federal and provincial pension credit," Golombek said.

What's unfortunate is that it doesn't treat all Canadians the same way, he said.

People who have conventional pensions will have a lot more flexibility than those who have done most of their saving in RRSPs.

Here are answers to some of the specific questions we have received about pension splitting:

Q: Do I have to contact the Canada Revenue Agency or my bank, to request the splitting?



A: That's not how it works. Basically, it's a designation you'll make when completing 2007 tax returns in the spring of 2008. And it will require the spouse's endorsement, since he or she might find their tax bill actually rising while yours decreases

Q: I am a senior, but my wife is not yet 60. Can I split my income with her?

A: There's no age restriction on recipient spouses.

Q: Can an individual earning $70,000 per year split this 50/50 with his spouse if she has no income other than her Quebec pension?

A: Provided the pension income falls into one of the qualifying categories, the answer is yes. And the combined tax savings will be sizeable - probably upward of $5,000 for a Quebecer earning more than $60,000.

Q: I am 57 and retired from a federal crown corporation and receive monthly benefits from a

defined-benefit pension plan. Can you tell me if my monthly pension income is shareable with my spouse?

A: It should qualify as eligible pension income.

Q: If I share pension income with my wife, will she be allowed to claim the pension-income deduction, both federally and provincially?

A: Provincially and federally, the answer is yes.

pdealean@thegazette.canwest.com

TO my Rae Rae

Rae Olive
OLIVE, Rae Louise Rae Louise Olive after conquering many afflictions in her loving life she was returned to the enrapture and care of our Lord God on Wednesday, January 10th, 2007 , at the age of 23. Many thanks to those who enriched her life. Beloved Daughter of Lloyd and Susan Olive. Loving sister of Martha, Stephanie and Rory. Cherished aunt of Celeste, Charlotte and Spencer. She will be fondly remembered by the loving support of her Aunts, Uncles and friends. Friends may visit at the Central Chapel of Hulse, Playfair & McGarry,


I'll be off for a few days.

Conservatives slammed over lack of daycare spaces

CBC.ca



The Conservative government has not produced any new child-care spaces despite promising before the election a year ago to create 25,000 spots within 12 months, critics say.

In a report to be released Thursday, the Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada calls on the government to abandon its plan, which it describes as piecemeal. The non-profit group demands the government come up with a more comprehensive strategy.

"There has not been one new space created," said Monica Lysack, the association's executive director told CBC News.

"Somewhere around 80 per cent of children don't have access to licensed early learning child care programs. So there's a huge need."

During the campaign before the Conservatives won the election of Jan. 23, 2006, Harper promised to ease the childcare crunch. He promised to give families $1,200 a year per child under six. Parents have been getting their cheques since July.

Harper also said a Conservative government would create 125,000 spaces over five years with the help of the private sector and non-profit organizations which would get a $10,000 tax credit for every space created.

"We figure we'll reasonably create about 25,000 spaces a year," Harper said then.

A year later, no spaces have been created and the plan for more spaces hasn't been completed yet.

7,000 on waiting list in Ottawa alone
In Ottawa alone, 7,000 children are on a waiting list for licensed child care spaces — a problem seen across the country.

'It could be up to a two-year wait to find a spot in a registered day care in Ottawa.'
-Ottawa resident Rachel InchOttawa resident Rachel Inch said she's worried about what to do about child care for her 5½-month-old daughter when she returns to work.

"It could be up to a two-year wait to find a spot in a registered day care in Ottawa," she said.

Victoria Sopic, the president of Kids and Company, a company that creates day care spaces for corporations, said business has lots of interest in child care.

"We launched our business four years ago. And in the last four years, we've had over 300 companies that have signed up to be clients," said Sopic, who was appointed to sit on a committee to advise the Harper government on how to implement its plan.

Not all businesses have room for child care
But Catherine Swift of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business said not everyone in the business community is able to provide space for child care.

"It may work with a larger company on a large premises. But the small- and medium-sized business sector, it's not likely to be practical."

Monte Solberg, who became minister of human resources and social development in the cabinet shuffle on Jan. 4, was not available to comment. His office said he was still learning the file.




Our response,


"Care of the Child" Coalition and "Fund the Child" Movement would like to see the current government strengthen its childcare plan to deliver more choice to all parents. Childcare can be defined in many ways, such as daycare, home care, parental care, family care etc... we who believe in Fund the Child would like to see more funding flowing directly to the parents. Income splitting, refundable tax credits and tax breaks would be a better solution for all who use the many forms of childcare rather than directing it to only a one style daycare system.
We as a coalition of parents who represent different choices in childcare understand the needs of the child is greater than the needs of the system. We would like to call on Monte Solberg current Min of Social Development to upgrade the current Childcare plan of $100 per month per child under 6 to a higher amount and a longer term for the age groups and keep the status of the funding going directly to the parents.

The "Care of the Child" Coalition stand on two points for childcare.
1. The parents must be the primary caregiver, and decision makers.
2. The funding MUST flow with the child.

Thank you,
Sara Landriault
Stay at home mom
Spokesperson for "Care of the Child" Coalition
http://fundthechild.blogspot.com

Income Splitting conference invite!

What does Ottawa think of Caregiving?

































Join us to discuss how to recognize it through
Income Splitting


(Open to Public/Free admission)

Conference Room, West Block, Parliament Hill Ottawa
Tuesday, Jan 30 2007 10am to 2pm
http://sharingincome.tripod.com
online petition http://www.petitiononline.com/share/petition.html



Contacts:
Beverly Smith 403-283-2400
Sara Landriault landriault@ripnet.com
Garth Turner 613-996-7046


Please RSVP to assure seating and security matters are taken care of.

My turn on 3 parents and a baby,

This is a tough one for me, I don't disagree nor do I agree. Well lets go through it and see what comes of it.


TORONTO (CP) - Gay rights organizations applauded Wednesday while an evangelical group questioned just how many parents one child can have following a landmark Appeal Court decision that allows an Ontario boy to have three parents.
In the case of the boy, 3 parents wow I had 1. This boy will grow up with 3, which is kinda cool for him.

Legal recognition that the five-year-old has two mothers and one father - which some say opens the possibility of nightmare custody battle scenarios - was hailed by Egale Canada as the courts simply catching up to the reality of Canadian society.
Egale is looking for equality the only way they know how, gay parents are not as you know natural baby makers so for them to create babies, they have to mix.

"This isn't the only couple that's had a baby with another person and wanted the three people to be equally involved in the child's upbringing," said Kaj Hasselriis, acting executive director of the Ottawa-based gay rights group.
Which is true, and it will keep happening whether you like gay marriage or not. My friend is having a baby and she did it with donated sperm which kills me. Donated sperm means no father and that is what that baby will miss. 2 moms are there and will love that child no matter what but the fact is there will be something missing. I should know.
I don't disagree with gays having children, what I've always said is just keep both parents in their lives because that is better for the child. It may not be good for you but it would mean putting the kid first.

The Ontario Court of Appeal's decision Tuesday to recognize the child's three parents simply shows that the "justice system is ahead of politicians on this issue," Hasselriis said.
For Egale I'd say this is a win.

"There is now legal recognition of relationships and families that already exist in Canada, and have existed across Canada for years."

The ruling - believed to be the first of its kind in Canada - revolves around a lesbian couple raising their son with the continued involvement of his biological father.

In 1999, the couple, one a university professor and the other a lawyer, asked the man, who is also a university professor, to help them start a family.

The female university professor became pregnant in 2000 and gave birth early the following year. The boy, who turns six next month, calls both women "mama."

Court documents state that the biological father brings his three other children to the women's home for weekly family dinners.
I'd love to see how the child is reacting to 2 mommies and a daddy...

While the Appeal Court's decision was specific to the boy and his three parents, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada - which had intervener status in the case under the umbrella organization Alliance for Marriage and the Family - said the ruling will have a "definite ripple effect" throughout society.
Now here is my twist, the evangelical fellowship has a point on the marriage deal. Here is where my head is,
what if I leave my hubby and shack up with another guy, the declare x hubby and new boyfriend 2 dads then the new boyfriend and I break up but he goes for full custody of my children? Any thoughts on that one?

"We have great concern about the future serious implications of the decision," said Don Hutchinson, legal counsel for the group.

"It raises questions that are unanswered, such as how many legal parents may a child now have?"

If the relationship between three or more parents breaks down, it would complicate custody hearings, he said.
Very true,

Those concerns were shared by the judge who first heard and dismissed the case in 2003.

"If this application is granted, it seems to me the door is wide open to step-parents, extended family and others to claim parental status in less harmonious circumstances," Superior Court Justice David Aston wrote in his decision.

Another scenario, what if grandma does not agree with your parenting and legally goes after custody, we all know our mothers do not always agree with our parenting.

"If a child can have three parents, why not four, or six or a dozen," Aston wrote, adding that "the potential to create, or exacerbate, custody and access litigation should not be ignored."

Ultimately, Aston ruled that while he was prepared to declare that the boy could have three parents, he said he didn't have the legal authority to do so.

On Tuesday, the Appeal Court ruled it did have that authority, namely because it found a gap in the legislation due to new reproductive technologies and society's understanding of relationships.

But at least one critic disagreed with that line of reasoning.

"It's not the court's role to fill legislative gaps," said Joseph Ben-Ami, executive director of the Institute for Canadian Values, a conservative Ottawa-based think-tank.

"The Ontario government must appeal this case regardless of whether they think the decision of the court was right."

"The whole notion that there is such a thing as three parents ... has potential ramifications on public policy on a lot of levels."

An appeal would "defend the integrity of the legislative process," said Ben-Ami, who added a government study of marriage and family issues is long overdue.

Several so-called pro-marriage groups have called on the federal government to launch a royal commission on marriage and families.



© The Canadian Press, 2007


Now I do have a possible solution,

They didn't adopt the child because it would take away the fathers right, which is great but they went to court to make all 3 legally parents which threatened the marriage hmmm... no matter what happened they couldn't win.
So why not make a new law specifically designed for the spouse of the parent, in this case the girlfriend (or wife) of the gay mother to become full legal guardian of the child. The legal guardianship would not effect marriage, nor adoption so why can't this be done. This gay marriage is new but the parenting of gay families is not, so don't you think its time we stepped up and adapted the legal agenda to put the kids first.
Parents of the child need to be first and with full rights, but there could beamendmentss done to help other parties involved become part of thechild'ss life without have to take away the fathers rights or interrupting the role of marriage.

Come on people there has to be a solution here somewhere, so stop fighting and sit down together and figure it out.

Australlia says childcare counts are off too.....

Childcare crisis a myth, according to dataBy Sue Dunlevy
January 04, 2007 02:00am
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THE childcare crisis is a myth according to new Federal Government figures which show there were up to 127,500 childcare vacancies around the nation last month.

Figures from the Government's childcare access hotline show Monday is the easiest day to find a childcare place, with 127,530 vacancies. Friday is the next easiest day to get a place with 119,146 vacancies around the nation.

Ninety per cent of the nation's childcare centres have provided vacancy information under the new compulsory system.

About half of the places available are in long daycare, about 4000 are in family daycare and the rest in after-school care.

But the high vacancy rate hides a frustrating reality for many parents who still can't find childcare despite an apparent oversupply of places.

The Labor Opposition has attacked the way the new hotline works, claiming it does not tell parents if the vacancy is suitable for a baby or a preschooler.

The high vacancy rate may reflect an oversupply of family daycare when parents actually want a long daycare place. And it won't record a childcare shortage in an area where there are no long daycare places if there are family daycare vacancies.

Family Services Minister Mal Brough's spokesman said the Government moved to finetune the new $72 million system last month.

Childcare centres are now required to state whether they have any vacancies for the high-demand under-2s places. Long daycare and family day carers have to say whether they have vacancies for after-school care, he said.

More information on childcare vacancies was now available than ever before, he said.

The Government last year promised the hotline, which will not be fully operational until 2008, would be able to address alleged regional problems in childcare by pinpointing childcare availability hotspots.

If lots of parents phoned looking for places in an area where none was available, this could help childcare operators decide where to open a new centre.

Similarly the system will be able to highlight areas which have a high vacancy rate.

A Senate Estimates committee has been told an area will not be nominated as having a shortage if there are family daycare vacancies even though parents can't find a long daycare place.

Personal Note:

Just like Canada, the non-profit daycare here create false stastics to pump up more funding and make everyone feel pity for them.

Tax savings for this year,,, been a long time!

Ring in the changes
New numbers in effect from taxes to hydro


By MARYANNA LEWYCKYJ, TORONTO SUN




If you've made a New Year's resolution to stay on top of your spending this year, it may take some time to fine-tune your numbers.

A host of tax changes, price hikes and even cost savings could throw off your calculations.

Here are some of the changes -- good and bad -- that consumers face in 2007.

TRIMMING TAX: While the government is trumpeting tax changes for 2007, the payoff varies greatly, depending on your circumstances. The people who will benefit most are families with young children. An Ontario family with two pre-schoolers and two incomes totalling $60,000 will save $866, according to the Canadian Taxpayers' Federation. However, the CTF estimates that a single person earning less than $80,000 will save only $10 a month.

ELECTRIC RANGE: There's good news and bad news on the electricity front. At the start of 2006, homeowners were paying 5 cents a kilowatt hour for the first 750 KwH used in a month, compared with the current rate of 5.5 cents a KwH for the first 1,000 KwH per month. However, the current rate is below the 5.8 cents per KwH which applied from May 1 to Oct. 31.



GAS LIGHTER: Enbridge gas residential rates are 31.5 cents a cubic metre, compared with a record 43.1 cents per cubic metre at the start of 2006. A quiet hurricane season, a mild fall, high inventory levels and falling crude prices have helped pull down natural gas wholesale prices, resulting in lower residential prices.

BRACKET BOOSTS: The basic personal amount that will be taxed in 2007 rises to $8,929 from $8,839. Tax bracket thresholds are being adjusted by 2.2% to combat inflation. The 22% tax bracket kicks in at $37,178 (up from $36,378) while the 26% bracket begins at $74,357 ($72,756) and the 29% bracket begins at $120,887 ($118,285).

PAYROLL RELIEF: A lower EI premium kicked in on Jan. 1. The employee rate fell to $1.80 per $100 of insurable earnings, down from $1.87. The employer rate is $2.52, down from $2.62 per $100 of insurable earnings. But the earnings ceiling has risen to $40,000, up $1,000 from 2006. Workers will pay a maximuum of $720 in EI in 2007, down from $729.30 in 2006.

ELDER CARE: Canadians collecting Canada Pension Plan benefits will pocket slightly more money next month. CPP benefits increased by 2.1% on Jan. 1. The basic Old Age Security pension remains unchanged at $491.93 per month. However, OAS benefit rates have risen 2.5% over the past year. The Guaranteed Income Supplement will increase by $18 a month for individuals and by $29 a month for couples.

SENIOR SPLITS: A new income-splitting measure which kicked in Jan. 1 allows pensioners to allocate up to half of their pension income to their spouse. The government estimates a senior couple with a single pension income of $30,000 will save $1,100 in federal taxes.

RENTAL RISE: Ontario renters face a higher cap on standard rent increases. The maximum amount landlords can automatically increase rental rates for 2007 is 2.6%. It was 2.1% in 2006, 1.5% in 2005 and 2.9% in 2004. Landlords who wish to boost rents by more than 2.6% in 2007 must make an application to the government to justify the increase.

ROAD RAISE: Motorists will be paying more to use Hwy. 407 starting Feb. 1. The light-vehicle toll for peak times will rise 1.35 cents to 17.6 cents per km, an 8.3% increase. The non-peak rate will be hiked by 1.3 cents to 16.8 cents per km, an 8.4% increase. Last year the rates rose by 8.7% and 9.9%, respectively. The highway's operators claim the 2007 increase will help offset improvements to the toll road.

CARS NEUTRAL: Workers who use their car for business won't gain any ground in 2007.

The limit on tax-exempt allowances paid by employers remains 50 cents a kilometre for the first 5,000 km and 44 cents for each additional kilometre.

The ceiling on the capital cost of passenger vehicles remains $30,000 and the limit on deductible leasing costs stays at $800 per month.


Personal Note:
Yes, I do know families will save more than singles but like I said families have more mouths to feed. Yet, in the end single people as well as families are getting a tax break and that to me is a good thing.
Adding one more, the seniors save more than anyone else, and that hasn't happened for a long time. Anyone up to disputing the seniors benefit more than the rest of us? Didn't think so!

Chinese newcomers sending infants home: report

Chinese newcomers sending infants home: report
Updated Tue. Jan. 2 2007 8:41 AM ET


CTV.ca News Staff

Financial burdens are forcing hundreds of recent Chinese immigrants to send their infants back home to spend their early years with relatives, according to a newspaper report.

Social workers in Toronto's Chinese community say the immigrants are separated from their own children despite the fact that, ironically, they thought Canada would be the right place to raise their little ones, The Globe and Mail reported on Tuesday.

Difficulties finding employment in their professional fields as well as unaffordable daycare is forcing Chinese newcomers to send their children back home, a trend that experts are calling "transitional parenting."

This troubling pattern may help explain a recent drop in immigration applications from China.

"We discovered dozens of professional immigrants from mainland China were doing this because they all asked us how to get passports for their babies," Florence Wong, a social worker with St. Stephen's Community House in Toronto, told The Globe.

In 2002, Wong conducted a study of Chinese immigrants in five prenatal programs.

The study shows 70 per cent of the women planned to send their children back to China to be raised by relatives.

Wong's findings were bolstered by observations from social workers in Scarborough, Ont.

The Toronto social worker has since produced a documentary that features several Chinese newcomers who sent their children back home. She screens the film for recent immigrants in an attempt to convince them to keep their children here.

But word has already trickled back to China that professionals may find difficulties finding jobs in their field and are forced instead to work in minimum-wage jobs to make ends meet.

A spokesperson for Citizenship and Immigration said the department is aware that foreign professionals face difficulties getting their credentials recognized in Canada.

Marina Wilson told The Globe that the department is also setting up a portal on a website so that potential immigrants can assess themselves before they decide to make the move.

The number of immigrants applications from China to Canada has dropped dramatically in recent years.

In 2006, Canada's mission in Beijing processed some 19,000 applications, compared with a high of some 40,000 in 2004.

The number of applicants from Hong Kong has also seen a decrease, with about 32,000 last year, down from about 47,000 in 2004.

Meanwhile, the number of newcomers from India is on the rise, with 132,000 applicants in 2005, showing an increase from 2004 when some 88,000 were processed.



Personal Note:

What a shock the daycare advocates blame daycare on women sending their children back to their mothers. How many twists can this story get!

OK here is a few reasons,
One spouse cannot make enough to feed the family so they are both FORCED to work, which means sending their child away.
But the daycare advocates would rather you believe that means fund them so they can take the kid 12 hours a day. Personally I think if you funded the parents they could have their own choice of childcare and would not have to ship the kid half way across the world.
Has anyone asked why these mothers or fathers are giving up their children to their mothers half way across the world?
Funny the price of 2 kids going to china would be more expensive than bringing one grandma here to childcare.

I'd say more but I gotta run, kids bday tomorrow!

Think amongst yourselves here,,,,

why would they send their kids back to China, is it really the daycare?