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Friday, September 11, 2020 OPINION & Feedback
COLUMN Estate planning for pets
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THE WAY WE WERE
Feedback and old photos welcome
Dear Money Lady,
I’m in my 80s and I am getting a bit nervous thinking about what is going to happen to my dog if I died. Any ideas?
Candice
Dear Candice,
Great question! There are many retirees that treat their pets like one of their children, a member of the family – but what happens if your pet outlives you? Planning for our future is something we all know to do, but we should also consider proper planning for our pets to ensure they do not face any uncertain fate, should we leave them.
Legally, pets are considered property, therefore unless you state otherwise, upon your death, your pet will become the property of whomever receives the rest of your personal items. Does this person want the responsibility of caring for your pets, and are they suitable? Often a friend or family member may say that they will take your pet when you pass, but I have seen all too often how these arrangements can fail. Sometimes it can be a conflict with other pets, incompatibility with other family members or children, inadequate finances, or maybe they have just changed their mind now that they are faced with this responsibility.
The only way to really ensure that your pet is given to someone willing and able to care for it, is to make a special provision in your Will or Estate Plan. Here are some tips that you should consider when making your own personal plan for your beloved pet(s):
Select one or more responsible persons to take care of your pet for absence during short-term emergency situations, or as a permanent caregiver.
Provide your future caregivers with detailed instructions on care, food, routines, vet and emergency needs. Give them a small notebook with all the specific details that are important to you and your pet should you die or become incapacitated.
Carry the caregiver instructions or contact information in your wallet. I have some clients that even have the details of their wishes put on a card and carry it with them. Some have also given these cards to all their family and friends.
If you have multiple pets, consider how you want them to be cared for – together or apart?
Ensure you have set aside funds for the future care of your pets. This can be gifted to your future pet guardian and provides safeguards so that they are more willing to adopt your pets wholeheartedly without suffering a financial burden.
Good Luck and Best Wishes,
The Money Lady.
Christine Ibbotson is the author of How to Retire
Debt Free & Wealthy. Send her a money question via www.askthemoneylady.ca.
Maureen McLeod found this MacDonald's Georgian Cream of Ice Cream package while cleaning out her attic. She gave it to Lorne Cleary who asked Gerry Blackburn about it. Sure enough, Blackburn remembered the ice cream parlour was in the back of what is now the pub. The ice cream was made by Grant MacDonald. This package is dated 1942.
LETTERS
Off-road vehicles are not the only problem
Editor:
I don’t own an off-road vehicle (ORV) or a bicycle, but before fingers are pointed everyone should look at the complete picture.
Speaking of pictures, look at page 6 (photo of cyclists) in the Sept. 4 edition of The Echo. I saw a really close call driving up the hill from Glen Huron. A woman, in the middle of the road, as in the picture, was approaching the top of the hill and a car came over the top. It’s a blind crest. The only thing that saved her was that the driver was going slow and managed to veer over in time.
Check the other two cyclists side by side. I saw two incidents on Fairgrounds Rd. last week where vehicles had to take evasive action because cyclists were side by side.
There’s a sign south of County Road 9 warning of visibility issues. The saddest was the woman wobbling along trying to text!
ORVs have been seen ignoring traffic signs or crossing main roads without stopping. I guess they figure it’s more important to keep up with their friends than avoid causing an accident. There are speed limits on the trails for everyone’s safety. It wouldn’t hurt to slow down.
I hike and snowshoe in the county forests and don’t like meeting dogs off leash or picking up water bottles, Kleenex , plastic bags, etc.
Maybe we should all clean up our own act first.
Jerry Smith,
Creemore.
www.creemore.com
The Creemore Echo is independently owned and operated.
PUBLISHER Sara Hershoff sara@creemore.com
EDITOR Trina Berlo trina@creemore.com Natalie de Ruiter natalie@creemore.com Bonnie MacPherson bonnie@creemore.com The Creemore Echo is published every Friday and distributed free locally. Editorial and advertising material deadline is Tuesday at 5 p.m. To receive a weekly copy of The Creemore Echo by mail outside of the circulation area or e-mail version please contact us at info@creemore. com. Mail, email and voluntary subscriptions: $55.
Editor:
I wish to thank Elaine Lightheart for submitting the picture of the class of 1961 at Corn Hill School in the August 14 edition of The Echo. I’d also like to thank my cousin, Tom Macham, for sending me a copy of this edition.
I do have this picture as I, and my brother John Macham, were two of the students pictured. I haven’t looked at those old school pictures for a very long time and it brought back many fond memories.
The Corn Hill School opened in 1870 and closed in 1962. My grandmother, Jennie Grice (later Mrs. Robert Macham) taught there for the 1897-1898 school year and was paid $225 at the end of the school year. Their children, Dorothy, Howard, Edith, and Douglas (my father) all attended Corn Hill. Edith became a teacher and taught there from 1923-1927. Elwin Lightheart was the last caretaker of the school and was paid $215 a year plus a Christmas bonus. The school had no running water so the washrooms were nothing more than open pit outhouses but were located in the front entrance area. I don’t remember there ever being a smell so they were well maintained. The girls’ washroom was on the right and the boys’ was on the left. The school was heated by an oil furnace that was situated in the center back of the main school room. We had a large crock with a tap that held our drinking water. I can still see Elwin Lightheart walking from his grandfather’s house across the road, carrying a pail of water to fill the crock. It looked so heavy and he did this every morning.
During the first week of school, all the students spent a morning cleaning the schoolyard of sticks and leaves. In the afternoon we would all take a short walk down to a small creek behind Ray Coe’s farm which was located next door to the school. There was a small swimming hole there and we would spend the rest of the afternoon jumping and swimming in the water. Of course one of us would, on occasion, come out of the water only to find a blood sucker attached to our leg but we would just pick it off and go right back in the water. During the fall and spring we would play baseball with the older students teaching the younger ones how to play. We would also play jacks against the school wall, something I never could master. There was the rare occasion when Brenda Longmire would ride her horse to school and let it graze in the school yard. I don’t believe we were allowed to sit on the horse but we all loved to pet her and pick grass for her to eat out of our hands.
In the winter, we would build snow forts and have snowball fights. We also played fox and goose on tracks we made in the snow. Before going A positive perspective on ORVs
Send letters to the editor to info@creemore.com. All letters must be signed with the writer's full name and include a phone number (which will not be printed.) Deadline is 5 p.m. on Tuesdays.
All letters are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of The Creemore Echo. Letters may be edited with permission for clarity or length.
We appreciate submissions for our They Way We Were feature. Bring in your old photos and we will scan them and get right back to you. We also accept submissions by e-mail to editor@creemore.com. back into the school we would sweep or brush the snow off each other. I can still hear the sizzle of snow when we put our mitts on top of the furnace to dry. We would also put on a Christmas concert. My father would borrow or rent long planks and set them up as our stage. Mrs. Ribble?, a piano teacher from Creemore, would come by and help us practice songs for the concert.
The school room was always full of parents, aunts, uncles, and neighbours for the night of the concert. I remember one year I had to sing a solo. I was so nervous that my knees were actually knocking together. These concerts were very special occasions.
Even though the school was very primitive even in those days, I would not have wanted to miss the experience. We all got along (well most of the time), we looked after each other and we had fun, during and after school.
I finished grade seven at Corn Hill and then it closed and I went to New Lowell Elementary School for Grade 8. It was nice too and was certainly a good preparation for high school.
As I read this edition of The Creemore Echo, I noticed a few names I recognized even though so much has changed since I lived in the area. Most notably was an in memoriam notice for my brother John and a letter to the editor written by a relative on my mother’s side, John Miller.
Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions and concerns, I was unable to go ‘back home’ for a vacation this year. By receiving The Echo and seeing that one picture of my 1961 classmates, I felt that a little bit of ‘back home’ had come to me.
So thanks for the memories everyone.
Nancy (Macham) Conrad,
Nova Scotia.
Parks & rec staff do right
Editor:
I would like to commend Terry Vachon, the Director of Parks and Recreation for Clearview Township and his entire staff, for removing the outfield signs at Gowan Park that were decorated with the racially insensitive Chief Wahoo faces.
Already, the park seems to be a friendlier, safer, more inclusive place for all people. Well done.
Perhaps Clearview Township should consider a policy about this sort of thing?
Carolyn Lane,
Editor:
I’ve been following the ATV/ORV opinion pieces in The Creemore Echo quite closely over the summer months and in my opinion, every article I read is bologna.
Arguments are stated such as “ATVs are too loud, they’re smelly, and the riders are disrespectful of home owners.” In my own experience living in Glencairn, I see ORV of all types pass by my house on a regular basis, and they putt into town either stopping for gas at the Shell or just to pass by to get to the next trail opening. These socalled “reckless” riders are the most courteous drivers that come through this small town. Most diesel trucks, Honda Civics and Harley groups roar through here using the stop sign as the starting line for a drag strip. Sadly, I don’t own an ORV of my own because there is a higher cost involved in this sport. Fortunately, growing up, my dad and I would go out to the open trails to ride our dirt bikes and I wouldn’t change those memories for the world! It taught me hands on mechanical skills, being courteous and aware on the road, essentially it taught me to be the better driver that I amtodayat a young age.
Given this, when discussing the allowance of ATV/ORV access on municipal roads and trails, I don’t believe these riders aren’t trying to use their ATV to commute to work – they are using the roads to get from their houses to the trail opening, or from one trail end to the next beginning.
So, instead of exhausting your efforts of disagreeing with the allowance, I feel you should turn your energy and focus towards how we can safely share the road.
Unfortunately, realistically speaking, whichever way the decision goes and with the vast trail system we have in our area, ATV and ORV riders will continue to use the roads to enter the trail head, legal or not. Given this, let’s turn the conversation towards a focus on incorporating safety and awareness.
Blake Kelley,
Clearview.
Mulmur.
Church Directory
CENTENNIAL UNITED CHURCH IN STAYNER Sunday Services resume live online Sunday September 13th at 10:30am Follow us on Facebook @Centennial United Church-Stayner Subscribe to us on YouTube @Centennial United Stayner Minister: Jennifer Irving (705)428-3711 www.ucstayner.ca office@ucstayner.ca
CLEARVIEW COMMUNITY CHURCH Online service www.c3stayner.com Sundays at 9:30 a.m.
Clayton Culham • 705-428-6543
KNOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, DUNEDIN
We will resume Sunday morning services beginning September 13th at 10:00 Minister: Rev. Chris Gray 705-466-5202
To tell us what is happening at your church, contact us at: 705-466-9906 email: info@creemore.com
ST. LUKE'S ANGLICAN CHURCH
22 Caroline St. W. • 705-466-2206
CREEMORE - NEW LOWELL UNITED PASTORAL CHARGE
Sunday service on our website at 10 am
www.newlowellunitedchurch.weebly.com www.stjohnscreemore.ca Feel free to call us at 705-466-2200 to leave a confidential message which we will return.
THE ANGLICAN PARISH OF HOLY TRINITY CLEARVIEW
Sessions available by phone.
Dial in 705-999-0092 or www.holytrinityclearview.com Rev. Ray Dobson 2 St. Clair Street, Duntroon 705-794-9140 Facebook: The Parish of Holy Trinity Clearview
CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD Our church is closed indefinitely. Online worship can be found on Facebook: @Good Shepherd Anglican |Church Stayner and on You Tube: @Good Shepherd Anglican Church, Stayner
by Trina Berlo
During the pandemic, 14-year-old Creemore resident Beatrix Karsgaard found herself with some time on her hands and in search of a worthwhile activity.
One day in August, Karsgaard came across The British Red Cross’ Miles for Refugees fundraiser, and being familiar with the good work of The Red Cross, she decided to get involved.
Money raised through Miles for Refugees will help the British Red Cross to support refugees and asylum seekers in the United Kingdom. Participants are asked to complete one of several distances that reflect part of a journey that a refugee may have taken to reach safety: crossing the English Channel, 22 miles; Calais to London, 108 miles; Paris to London, 285 miles; Izmir to Dubrovnik, 555 miles; and Damascus to Beirut, 72 miles.
Throughout the month of September, Karsgaard committed to running, walking and cycling 160 miles, or 257 km, representative of the distance from Tunis to Sicily. Asylum seekers regularly make the journey from the economically struggling North African country of Tunisia.
She said she chose that distance, acknowledging the need for assistance in that area and also to ensure she had an attainable goal.
Karsgaard notes that unlike them, she will complete this huge distance that so many have to travel, without a safe, warm home to return to, and notes half of all refugees are children, even though children only make up about one third of the global population.
Karsgaard has been on the move this month, completing 60 km and raising more than $300 so far.
She is trying to do 10 km per day and is keeping track of her movements, even when on vacation with her family.
Contributed photo Beatrix Karsgaard is cycling, walking and running to raise money for the British Red Cross' Miles for Refugees.
Having started Grade 9 this week at Collingwood Collegiate Institute, she will have to put in some extra miles on the weekends.
To sponsor Karsgaard, visit miles-for-refugees-2020. everydayhero.com/uk/Beatrix.
Gigantic book sale at old Stayner library
Clearview Public Library is holding a gigantic book sale at the old Stayner Branch on Sept. 18-19.
The sale will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, on the back lawn. The rain date is Sept. 20.
BYOB (Bring Your Own Box/Bag) and fill it with books and other treasures for $2.
The old Stayner branch is located at 201 Huron Street. For more details, please call 705-428-3595.
Craigleith Heritage Depotand theRoyal Canadian Legion Beaver Valleyare joining forces for the “Our Military Heritage” exhibit launch, a museum exhibit created in partnership withVeterans Affairs Canadaon the military heritage of theBlue Mountains.
See photos, artifacts, memoirs, and add your family’s story to our ever-growing community exhibit.
The launch is Saturday, Sept. 19, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Clarksburg Legion.
There will outdoor tented tables, refreshments and a cash bar. All ages welcome.
This is a socially distanced event, approved by the Grey Bruce Health Unit for COVID-19 protocols, with limited spaces available, and registered seating.
Register by phone a t 5 1 9 - 5 9 9 - 3 6 8 1 ext. 6, email depot@thebluemountains.ca, or visit thebluemountainslibrary.ca and find the event calendar.
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STAYNER | 7040 County Road 9 | 705-466-6232
