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The Voice of North Dundas

The North Dundas Times

Baldwin's Birds

Second Batch Blues

It would seem that our Bluebirds have not given up on trying to bring more of their species into the world and have just about ﬁnished with their second brood. Lots of noise from their chicks and rapid disposal of any food coming their way seemed to indicate that they were getting fairly big. At least Mum, or Dad, didn't need to enter the nesting box to feed them, as is demonstrated by the picture of one of

them clutching the woodwork by the entrance! Yuk! I have just looked at my picture a little bit more closely and noticed that there is a small piece of electrical wire attached to the bird, just above the left leg and the tail feathers (lower right hand side of my picture). Hopefully, it is only caught in its feathers and will come adrift pretty quickly. None of us watching the bird had noticed it experiencing

any discomfort or inconvenience so, hopefully, everything will be OK. It certainly didn't stop it hunting for food and, thankfully, feeding the "babes". Our regular evening visitor, one of the Hummingbirds, didn't disappoint last evening, and having fed from our feeder, it ﬂew down and perched in the sunlight amongst the leaves of one of our trees. There are no very bright colours to see, so I suspect that it is an immature one or a female. Of course, it didn't stay for very long before disappearing for the night ahead in its roost, wherever that might be! Others in our varied avian ﬂock still come to visit, so despite the slowing-down of the nesting activities in our back garden, there is still plenty to keep us interested and occupied at the front of the house, fortunately. I hope the same is happening for you too. Stay safe and well, Cheers, John Baldwin

60th high school reunion a blast at NDDHS by Brandon Mayer A local reunion for former students and staff of North Dundas’ only secondary school took place last weekend, with hundreds of guests in attendance for various festivities. A key organizer of the event, which was open to students and staﬀ from throughout the past 60 years, was Eric Duncan, former Mayor of North Dundas who is now serving as the Member of Parliament for the local SD&G electoral riding. MP Duncan gave a breakdown of some of the event’s activities in a conversation with the Times. He explained that opening ceremonies took place at NDDHS on August 4, with 410 paid registrations for the opening reception. The following day, on Saturday, August 5, there was an open house, memory rooms, and a staﬀ lounge, all open to the public free of charge at the school. The festivities moved to the Winchester Arena later in the day on Saturday, where over 300 people were welcomed for dinner, and more people joined for a dance afterward. In total, MP Duncan

August 10, 2023

estimates that more than 500600 guests were welcomed in the various events. It appears that former NDDHS staﬀ and student alumni are well travelled. Guests at the reunion came from such places as Costa Rica, France, Ireland, Georgia, British Columbia, Alberta, and of course many guests from Ontario, Quebec, and New York State. MP Duncan described the event as “a chance to go on a walk down memory lane.” The organizers learned from events planned in the past that July celebrations don’t always work since they are so close to school graduations. The August

long weekend was therefore chosen, although it is never easy to choose a date that works for everyone. The reunion was not just a social gathering. It also acted as a fundraiser to aid in the beautiﬁcation of the school, and to support the next generation of NDDHS students. Overall, the event packed two days of great fun and memories. Photos from the event, and an update on the fundraising efforts, will be provided in the September 7 issue of the Times.

Q&ARegistered Education Savings Plans by Cynthia Batchelor, BCom, Financial Advisor O’Farrell Wealth & Estate Planning | Assante Capital Management Ltd. With school just around the corner, you may wonder ‘how do I get funds out of my child’s self-directed RESP for post-secondary education’? One question that often comes up is: does the withdrawal amount need to equal the cost of the school tuition, books etc.? The answer is NO. No one is auditing what the money that is withdrawn is spent on. It can be used for rent, transportation, utilities, tuition, books, or food. Q: How do I get money out of a self-directed RESP? A: Once your child has enrolled in post-secondary school (university, college, trade school), they are entitled to withdraw up to $8,000 in Education Assistance Payments (EAP) from the RESP in their first 13 weeks of full-time school. This portion of the payment is from the growth and government grant inside the plan and is taxable to the beneficiary (child). They can also withdraw any amount of Post Secondary Education (PSE) from the plan. This portion of the payment is your capital and is not taxable. After the first semester, there are no restrictions on withdrawals for full time studies. Part time studies (Specialty Courses/Programs) are restricted to $4,000 per program/semester. (Note: the Canadian government recently changed legislation to reflect these increased numbers in 2023.) Q: What constitutes proof of enrollment? A: A letter from the Registrar of the school, a copy of your child’s timetable with their name, student number, and school name. Q: What if a beneficiary does not pursue post-secondary education? A: There are several options: You can wait – the plan can remain open for 36 years You can choose a new beneficiary – in an individual plan, this can be anyone, but if it is not a sibling under 21, the grants must be repaid. In a family plan, the CESG can be allocated to other family plan members; if the amount is over $7,200 then excess grant needs to be repaid. You can roll the RESP into your RRSP – the grants will be returned to the government, the capital can be withdrawn, and the income can be rolled into your RRSP, so long as you have the room to a maximum of $50,000 per contributor. You can withdraw contributions anytime from the plan – however when you do so, the grants will be repaid to the government. You can withdraw earnings and growth – an Accumulated Income Payment (AIP). If all beneficiaries have reached the age of 21 and are not attending post-secondary education, and the RESP has been in existence for at least 10 years, you can make an AIP payment – it is taxable at your marginal tax rate plus a 20% penalty tax. You can roll the RESP to an RDSP – if the beneficiary has become disabled, you are able to move the accumulated income to an RDSP on a tax deferred basis with no 20% penalty.

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North Dundas Local Financial Service Professionals

Cynthia Batchelor

Financial Advisor

Assante Capital Management Ltd.

Sarah Chisholm Financial Advisor

Assante Capital Management Ltd.

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WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL! Classes start Sept. 5, 2023