A reminder that the Ancaster Food Drive is taking place on Saturday, February 25^th. Volunteers will be collecting food or you can also drop off your donation at Ancaster firehalls before Saturday. Please be generous.

With our federal budget on the horizon, we’re mindful that the fiscal crisis in Europe and budget deficits in the US are impacting the global economy. Canada is not immune to these economic shocks from beyond our borders. While Canada is in better shape than our trading partners, the budget will focus on eliminating the deficit by the middle of the decade to ensure our economic recovery is not jeopardized. 

There have been many news stories and much speculation since last week about an increase in the age of eligibility for Old Age Security (OAS). While there has been no formal announcement yet, our government has been clear that we will take prudent action now to ensure OAS remains sustainable for future generations. 

Why is this necessary? Consider that while there are currently four taxpayers for every senior in Canada today, there will only be two taxpayers for every senior by 2030 due to aging demographics. Canada must be vigilant, with plenty of advance notice, or in our future we could very well face similar decisions as Greece and Italy do today. This is a circumstance that I believe no Canadian would wish to see come to pass and one I will pour all of my energies into avoiding. 

Meanwhile CPP remains fully funded through premiums and on a secure and sustainable path.

What’s important to note, and seems to be lost in the discussion thus far, is that any changes to OAS will be done with substantial notice and adjustment period and in a way that does not affect current retirees or those close to retirement. It will also give others plenty of time to adjust and plan for their retirement. 

I’d also like to underscore a contrast in budget approach to the Liberal governments of the mid-1990s who made major cuts to health transfers to the provinces in order to balance the budget. We have been clear that we will not balance the budget in this way.

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Congratulations to Ancaster resident Michael Ciccarelli for winning the gold medal in Snowboard Slopestyle at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Austria in January. Michael also earned 4^th in the Snowboard Halfpipe, missing out on the bronze medal by only one-quarter of a point. Thanks, Michael, for representing Ancaster and Canada so well on the world stage!