PLWBlogSpot2

New rules adopted by Canadian securities regulators. Starting July 15, 2014. Investment dealers must tell you what they charge before they do any transactions for you. Ask what charges are Income Tax Deductible? So, let me refresh some key points. First, there are sales charges. You have to choose a sales charge option when you buy a fund. Ask the seller about the pros and cons of each option. Initial sales charge You pay 0 to 4 per cent of the amount (or $0 to $40 of every $1,000 you buy). You and your adviser decide on the rate. The initial sales charge is deducted from the amount you buy. It goes to the adviser's firm as a commission.  Deferred sales charge (DSC) You pay 0 to 6 per cent of the amount ($0 to $60 on each $1,000 you buy). The DSC is 6 per cent if you sell within one year of buying, going down to 1 per cent within six years of buying, and is deducted from the amount you sell. Then, there are fund expenses. You don't pay these expense...

How often have you wished -------- Those gd arrows on shortcuts are a pain in you know where. It is especially irksome if you use small icons and half of the icon is blotted out.  Well here is a fix if you are using XP, Win 7, or Win 8.  There are a number of fixes out there but this  one works with no maleware or bloat. It really is a problem solver and it's free.

On Interior barriers to Provincial Trade  The topic at issue was what's known as"internal barriers." We have more of them in between each of us — more exactly, in between our provinces and territories — than does any other country in the world. We have learned how to make quite good wine, but we haven't yet learned how to allow someone in Ontario, say, to order British Columbia wine and get it delivered directly rather than having to go to the Liquor Control Board of Ontario.And on and on and on. Estimates of the amount of money we're ourselves utterly unnecessarily varies from $12 billion a year $50 billion. Specifically the trio called for scrapping the existing federal-provincial agreement that is called, surprise, surprise, Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT). The one thing everyone agrees on is that AIT, enacted in 1990, is totally useless because everyone ignores it whenever they want to.

Texting and driving might be the new epidemic in our society. OPP Inspector Mark Andrews says older demographics drive distracted too. "People cannot put their phones down," he said in an interview this week. "It happens from new drivers to middle age, but people seem to notice young people more." According to OPP statistics, distracted driving has been the sole cause of 16 collisions across the province this year, with five people being injured but no deaths reported.

At an Ottawa walk-in clinic last winter, a patient requested a prescription and was denied. Instead, she was handed a letter explaining that the one doctor on duty that day would not fill the prescription "because of reasons of my own medical judgment, as well as professional ethical concerns and religious values."In fact, it was neither.  The long-standing policy of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO), and other medical regulators across the country, is that doctors can refuse to provide treatment on moral or religious grounds as long as the case is not an emergency and the patient can access care elsewhere. The patient, who is 25 and married, was able to find a doctor at another clinic to write her a prescription. But what if she had lived in a more remote area with fewer accessible doctors? What if the doctor at the next clinic also objected? Canada's medical regulators, who, after all,is a publicly funded system, should be able to...

Before I retired from Ontario Hydro now called  Hydro One, the customer was always treated fairly. I recall Line Crews who were sent out to disconnect customers for non payment would find some excuse to thwart this process, because they knew the person was in a financial difficulty. Not any more NIPISSING - Hydro One is responsible for the largest investigation in Ontario  The Ontario Ombudsman released his annual report for 2013 on Monday, June 23. The report details the Ombudsman's largest investigation yet into Hydro One's billing practices and customer service, which has generated more than 7,800 complaints. "Many of those who have contacted us are in vulnerable situations and say they have faced significant financial hardship and stress because of their dealings with Hydro One.  Ombudsman Andre Marin in February, at a press conference announcing the investigation. It some times like wrestling with a slippery pig - and that's why my heart...

What would you rather carry? Canada's gold-coloured $1 coin, nicknamed the loonie for the waterfowl emblazoned on one side, was first minted 25 years ago. The shiny new 11-sided-edge coin, was introduced on June 30, 1987 as a cost-saving measure and quickly had a fan following. It was a hit with tourists and vending-machine operators, who predicted higher profits with more people carrying coins instead of paper. It was decidedly less popular, however, with some business operators who complained about the heavier haul to the bank. Collectors admired its design by Ontario wildlife artist Robert-Ralph Carmichael, whose initials appear near the bird's beak. Before the introduction of the loonie, Canadians used green and white paper one-dollar bills. The bills wore out quickly: most only lasted between nine and 12 months.  By switching from a bill to a coin that would last much longer, the government calculated it could save taxpayers $175 million to...