A4 Boundary Creek Times Thursday, November 1, 2012
Jewelry sales support African women Just in time for the gift-giving season, the Boundary Gogos are excited to offer Kazuri Jewellery as a fundraiser for the Stephen Lewis Grandmother to Grandmother Campaign. “It is so important to us that we have the opportunity to sell the jewelry because it is a shining example of women in Africa being employed. They earn higher than average wages as well as benefits,” Gogos organizer Gay Hoon told The Times. “The whole thing is dignity for African women, which is what Stephen Lewis is all about.” The Stephen Lewis Foundation (SLF) works with community-level organizations which are turning the tide of HIV/AIDS in Africa by providing care and support to women, orphaned children, grandmothers and people living with HIV and AIDS. Since 2003, the SLF has funded over 700 initiatives, partnering with grassroots community-based organizations that are the lifeline for their communities.
Kazuri is the Swahili word for “small and Kazuri prices range from $15 to $48. Hoon also reported that three members beautiful”. African women in a fair-trade, healthy workplace make each hand paint- of the Boundary Gogos recently attended ed bead. The brand started in 1975, when Lady Susan Wood began making beads in a small shed in her back garden in Kenya. She hired a couple of women who were disadvantaged. They realized there were lots more women who needed employment and it just grew from there. Today the fair-trade workshop employs over 300 marginalized women, who earn higher than average rates of pay and enjoy excellent working conditions. Peggy Edwards and Margaret Thompson set up a not-for-profit company Kazuri Jewellery: The Grandmother Connection (KJGC) in 2007 to make the jewellery available as a fundraiser for grandmothers groups across Canada. KJGC donates ALL profits to the Stephen Lewis Foundation. Boundary Gogos will be selling at the Greenwood Library annual Arts and Crafts Fair on Nov. 17. They will also be in Grand Forks this Saturday, Gay Hoon models some Karuzi Jewellery piecNov. 3 at the Perley Elementary es the group is selling to raise funds for the School pre-Christmas craft fair. Stephen Lewis Foundation cause.
KAZURI African Jewellery at Greenwood Library
the first conference of Interior grandmother groups in Kamloops. She said that about 50 people showed up for the daylong conference on Tuesday, October 23, 2012. Keynote speaker Zahra Mohamed, an African woman who works with the SLF in Ontario, joined them. “Zahra was very emphatic about how much we are helping and how the Grandmothers in Africa are just overwhelmed,” remarked Hoon, “and how thrilled they are getting so much support from Canadian Grandmothers and Grandmothers.” Groups shared their experiences and knowledge about fundraising. The Boundary Gogos started in 2009. Hoon says they now have nine members; three attended the Kamloops conference: Linda Anderson-Thibault, Trichia Purdy from Grand Forks and Hoon. The Boundary Gogos are at many craft fairs throughout the year where they fundraise by selling handmade crafts and spread the good news and hope that the SLF brings to African families. Hoon reported that the group recently sent $1,100 to the Grandmothers Campaign.
More information is online at: www.grandmotherscampaign.org, and www.stephenlewisfoundation.org
Car accident tragically claims life
Christmas Craft Fair Saturday, Nov 17 ~ 10 am - 3 pm McArthur Centre
The West Kootenay Traffic Services (WKTS) office of the RCMP reports that there was fatal car MIDWAY accident just south of Beaverdell last week. Both Midway police and West Boundary Highway Rescue responded to the single vehicle incident at about 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 25. “Initial investigation revealed the vehicle, a 1991 Olds Cutlass, was travelling northbound along Hwy 33 and left the roadway on the right shoulder over an embankment,” said RCMP Sgt. Derrick Donovan, head of WKTS. The sole occupant was transported to Kelowna by BC Ambulance and later died from her injuries. The BC Coroners Service has confirmed her identity as Sharlene Gayle Johnston, 46, from Grand Forks.
The road was closed for approximately four hours to one-lane traffic during the investigation; the BC Coroners Service and RCMP continue to investigate this incident. *** On Saturday, Oct. 27 Midway and Grand Forks RCMP received a report of a stolen Ford F350 heading south on Highway 33 from Kelowna. According to Cpl. Kevin Christensen from the Midway detachment, officers located the stolen truck at a residence located just south of Beaverdell and two people were taken into custody without incident. A charge of possession of stolen property over $5,000 is being sought against a 36-year-old Grand Forks man.
LIBRARY RCMP BRIEFS REPORT
Investment Planning Counsel
Fight the clawbacks – reduce line 234 to maximize income in retirement
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Rod Rezka 250-495-4336
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Canadians age 65 and older may qualify for many valuable government bene¿ts – Old Age Security and the Age Credit are examples. However, if the income reported on line 234 of your federal income tax return is too high, these bene¿ts can be clawed back and, in some cases, forfeited altogether. This can result in the loss of thousands of dollars in bene¿ts. A look at the issue and the opportunities Avoiding clawbacks involves more than simply creating tax credits – which reduce taxes owing. It is important to look at ways to reduce reported income. However, when retirement arrives, most of the familiar deductions – such as Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) contributions, pension plan contributions, child care expenses and union dues – are no longer available. Here are two solutions for achieving this goal: 1. Carefully structure your non-registered income. Active management of income-generating investments can signi¿cantly affect the way your income is taxed, and may help reduce clawbacks. The example based on $10,000 of non-registered investment income, shows the impact of different types of investment income. As you can see in the chart, dividend income can be the least “income-friendly” to retirees because the grossed-up amount is reported on your tax return. Although the dividend tax credit provides preferential tax treatment, the grossed-up amount exaggerates the total income on line 234. To maximize bene¿ts and retirement income, you should identify investments that could be restructured for more favourable tax treatment. Examples include exploring the advantages of prescribed annuities, withdrawals from a mutual fund or segregated fund contract, or distributions from a Series T mutual fund.
Consider the amount reported on your tax return Income of $10,000 Eligible dividends1 GIC/bonds Capital gains Income fund with return of capital (ROC) Prescribed life annuity Mutual/segregated fund withdrawals Series T mutual fund
138 100 50 402 153 2.54 05
13,800 10,000 5,000 4,000 1,500 250 0
2. Create dollar-for-dollar tax deductions Although most of the familiar deductions are no longer available in retirement, there are still appealing options to consider in order to generate deductions to reduce line 234 income. If you are at or near retirement and would like more information about reducing line 234 of your federal income tax return in order to avoid clawbacks and maximize your government bene¿ts, contact me, Rod Rezka at 250-495-4336. Rod Rezka
H.BSc. CPCA
#102 – 8309 Main Street Osoyoos, BC 250-495-4336 (Next to Shoppers Drug Mart)