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Thursday, January 2, 2020
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WINTER CLEARANCE ON NOW! FURNITURE Getting out of debt our top priority financially
“Where the difference is worth the drive” “Where the difference is worth the drive”
Short Days a Great Excuse for Hockey Under the Lights
10th straight year Staff
The Unity Miners enjoyed some old-fashioned street hockey with local children during Winter Wonderland festivities in December in Unity. This age old informal game under the lights is still a popular favourite with young and old during the holiday break. Photo by Sherri Solomko
1,106 people caught driving in November who shouldn’t have been on the road Submitted by SGI Last month, police and SGI were focused on suspended drivers and unregistered vehicles. If your driver’s licence is suspended (or you don’t have one at all) or your vehicle isn’t registered, you shouldn’t be on the road. Doing so can nullify your insurance coverage in the event of a collision, and – depending on the offence – carries additional penalties including fines, court summons and vehicle impoundments. Police across Saskatch-
ewan reported 302 drivers caught driving while suspended or disqualified, and 515 offences for unregistered vehicles/trailers. In addition to those offences, law enforcement issued tickets for the following offences: • 181 drivers driving without a valid licence; • 64 learner drivers driving without a supervising driver; • 44 drivers failing to comply with a licence endorsement or restriction. That all adds up to 1,106 people who were
caught driving when they shouldn’t have been. It’s a safety concern when drivers continue to drive after getting their licence suspended, because an authority has determined they are not allowed to operate a motor vehicle. There are a number of reasons for licence suspensions, including impaired driving offences, poor driving records and failing to live up to obligations imposed by SGI or the courts. #DoNotRiskIt
Distracted Driving Tickets Drop
After setting a new sin-
Happy New Year
gle-month record in October, the number of distracted driving offences reported by police took a dip in November, with police issuing 653 distracted driving tickets (including 560 for cellphone use). That’s the first time in nine months that the single-month total has fallen below 700. With government announcing Nov. 19 that distracted driving penalties will sharply increase Feb. 1, 2020, let’s hope we’ll continue to see fewer people getting caught driving while distracted.
A new poll finds debt repayment is the number one financial priority for Canadians in 2020, the 10th consecutive year it has topped this annual survey. With getting out of the red top-of-mind, over two-thirds (71 per cent) of respondents to a CIBC poll say they held back from borrowing more money in 2019. The survey also found that 71 per cent are concerned about the rising costs of household goods next year. Half (55 per cent) of respondents agree they are worried about a potential recession in 2020. While 78 per cent of those surveyed feel it is better to pay down debt than build savings, 33 per cent worry they are forsaking building a nest egg by focusing too much on paying back money owed. Canadians are aware there is room for improvement, with 60 per cent agreeing there are likely better ways
to manage their money to meet financial goals.
Key Poll Findings
Paying down debt (21 per cent) is Canadians’ top financial priority in 2020, followed by keeping up with bills and getting by (18 per cent), growing investments or wealth (13 per Continued on Page 2
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