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13 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,F ebruary 6,2020 insidehalton.com NEWPATIENTSWELCOME Call Today 905-257-5628 Sigvaris Compression Stockings & CustomMadeOrthotics Diabetic Foot Care &Nail Surgery www.dundaschiropractic.com Trafalgar &Dundas, Longo's Plaza Chiropody (Foot Care & CustomMade Orthotics)Diabetic Foot Care, General Foot Care CustomMade Orthotics Connie Comtois-Spitman Registered Chiropodist Compression Stockings & CustomMadeOrthotics Diabetic Foot Care &Nail Surgery Online Bookings or Call TodayOnline Bookings or Call Today www.dundaschiropractic.com 905-257-5628 Trafalgar &Dundas, Longo's Plaza Sore Feet/Arch/Heel? Ingrown Toenails?Sore Feet/Arch/Heel? Ingrown Toenails? PlantarWarts? Hard to Cut Toenails? Corns/Calluses? Sore: FeetSore Feet/Arch/Heel? Ingrown Toenails?Sore: FeetSore Feet/Arch/Heel? Ingrown Toenails?Sore Feet/Arch/Heel? Ingrown Toenails?Sore: FeetSore Feet/Arch/Heel? Ingrown Toenails?Sore: Feet MyDirectPlan.com 844-637-6371 support@mydirectplan.com In response to "Passport program problems plague Hamilton families" For the past 4 years, Community Living Toronto has overseen the MyDirectPlan platform to help Passport recipients receive their payments quickly and efficiently. of recipients who submit their expenses on MyDirectPlan are reimbursed within 48 hours. of recipients who submit their expenses on MyDirectPlan are reimbursed within 7 days. MYDIRECTPLAN IS THE ONLY PROVINCIALLY APPROVED AND FUNDED ONLINE SYSTEM directly connected to Passport ONE. The service is fully funded by the province for all Passport recipients and is absolutely FREE to use. There are no service fees or other hidden charges. Thousands of families across Ontario are already enjoying the benefits of online expense-submission and being reimbursed in days, not months. MyDirectPlan is the easiest and most trusted way to file your expenses and get reimbursed faster. For peace of mind, you can also track your claim while it is being processed. Sign up today for your free account at MyDirectPlan.com Our friendly staff is here to help guide you through everything you'll need! OVER 80% OVER 90% The current system of pension benefits needs a major overhaul. The logic behind pro- viding pension income to retirees was based on the fact that people wouldfact that people wouldf stop working, receive a pension for a few years and then, after a very short retirement, they would die. Now, many of us seem to live very long lives, so the obligation to provide pension income for such a long time, from a finan- cial perspective, is over- whelming. That is why the trend over the last sev- eral decades has been for companies to abandon conventional pensions. Pensions obligated to make regular payments to retirees in the private sector have become virtu- ally extinct. Public sector workers now account for approximately 85 per cent of all pension benefits. Our current two-tier pension system is unfair. Considering retire- ment funding on its own, there is good solid logic to have it continue. Adjust- ments will have to be made due to increasing life expectancy. But in the context of fairness, it needs of a ma-fairness, it needs of a ma-f jor overhaul. Here are a few basic principles I believe pen- sion benefits should be based on. Standardize pension benefits between public- and private-sector work- ers. Employers, both pub- lic and private, will com- pete for workers based on salary. The open, free employ- ment market will deter- mine how different jobs will be remunerated. But again, pension benefits are standardized. The same is true for politicians. No more go- ing to Ottawa for a rela- tively short time and end- ing up with a massive pen- sion. Pay politicians what they are worth. Pay them generously if that is re- quired, but don't confuse the issue by providing a sweetheart pension deal that isn't transparent to most citizens. Canada is an advanced society. We treat people with respect and fairness. Our current system does not treat all Canadi- ans equally. It is both un- fair and non-transparent.fair and non-transparent.f Pension reform is needed to realign with Ca- nadian values. Peter Watson, of Wat- son Investments MBA, CFP®, R.F.P., CIM®, FCSI offers a weekly fi- nancial planning column, Dollars & Sense. He can be contacted through www.watsoninvestment- s.com. OPINION PENSIONS NEED TO CHANGE WITH THE TIMES CURRENT SYSTEM LACKING IN FAIRNESS, WRITES PETER WATSON PETER WATSON Column SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT INSIDEHALTON.COM