34 - The Oakville Beaver, Friday February 22, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Museum celebrates black history Are you ready to retire? The Underground Railroad: Next Stop, Freedom has rolled into the Oakville Museum at Erchless Estate. The exhibition and multi-media presentation celebrates the heritage of black Canadians in the Oakville community, and is now open to the public. The theatrical experience, originally created by Parks Canada in partnership with the Ontario Black History Society and the Royal Ontario Museum, presents the moving stories of Deborah Brown and her husband Perry. The pair managed to escape slavery in Maryland to freedom in Canada, through a secret network known as The Underground Railroad. An accompanying exhibition explores Oakville's role as an important link in that network. "I am very excited that we have this exhibition in Oakville," said museum supervisor Bill Nesbitt. "Our visitors will literally feel as if Deborah Brown is speaking to them personally. This is a wonderful way to experience a fascinating piece of our community's history." The Underground Railroad: Next Stop, Freedom opened Feb. 16, to mark Black History Month and Heritage Week. The presentation is offered in both English and French. The Oakville Museum would like to thank Parks Canada, the Ontario Black History Society, the Royal Ontario Museum, and Steve and Claudette Shaw for making this presentation possible. The Oakville Museum is located at 8 Navy St., in downtown Oakville. Call 905-338-4400 or visit the website at www.oakvillemuseum.c a for further details. Is it time for a change to Canada's retirement income system? That's the subject being tackled by the Canadian Club of Halton Peel dinner speaker on Thursday, March 13. Patrick Longhurst is a recognized authority and frequent speaker on retirement planning and savings issues for Canadians. A professional consulting actuary for more than 30 years and, most recently, a Certified Financial Planner with his own business, Longhurst was selected by the Canadian Pension & Benefits Institute as its 2006/2007 National Speaker. Visiting each CPBI region across Canada, Longhurst chose to address `The Search for Common Ground' to see whether there were changes to our retirement system that all stakeholders could agree upon. His presentation to the Canadian Club of Halton Peel will highlight the strengths of our retirement system and the opportunities for improvements that he and other stakeholders have identified. Longhurst has also offered to comment on the new pension income splitting rules and how they might affect 2007 income tax returns. Reservations for the dinner can be made at 905-827-6302 or via email to bwylie@globalserve.net. Tickets cost $15 for students, $30 for members and $40 for nonmembers. The first, not-for-profit, nonpolitical, non-denominational Canadian Club was formed in Hamilton in 1893. The Canadian Club of Halton Peel currently has a membership of 200.