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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, Ju ly 14 ,2 02 2 | 6 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 70 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the newspaper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca insidehalton@metroland.com facebook.com/OakvilleBeav @OakvilleBeaver WHO WE ARE VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague Regional General Manager Jason Pehora Director of Content Lee Ann Waterman Regional Managing Editor Catherine O'Hara Managing Editor Karen Miceli Director of Distribution Charlene Hall Circulation Manager Kim Mossman Directors of Advertising Cindi Campbell and Graeme MacIntosh Director Creative Services Katherine Porcheron CONTACT US Oakville Beaver 901 Guelph Line Burlington, ON L7R 3N8 Phone: 905-845-3824 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Advertising: 289-293-0620 Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail kmossman@metroland.com or call 905-631-6095. Letters to the editor Send letters to insidehalton@metroland.com. All letters must be fewer than 320 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Published letters will appear in print and/or online at insidehalton.com OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT INSIDEHALTON.COM The provincial govern- ment is working diligently to make Ontario more af- fordable. To achieve this, the prov- ince has introduced new tax credits, as well as reduced and eliminated costs. A wide range of new tax credits are benefiting Oak- ville residents for the 2022 taxation year. Specifically, the Seniors' Home Safety Tax Credit can be used on a senior's principal resi- dence to make their home safer and more accessible, with things like installing a grab bar or non-stick flooring. The credit is worth 25 per cent of up to $10,000 in eligible expenses, to a max- imum credit of $2,500. Additionally, the Onta- rio Seniors' Public Transit Tax Credit allows resi- dents age 65 and above to claim the fare on eligible Ontario or municipally-op- erated public transit ser- vices, including transit services by Metrolinx. Res- idents can claim up to $3,000 in eligible public transit expenses and re- ceive up to $450 each year. Furthermore, gas pric- es are reaching unimagin- able levels. Individuals and families need relief at the pumps. Upon taking office in 2018, the provincial gov- ernment reduced gas pric- es by 4.3 cents per litre. More relief is being pro- vided. The prior reduction is being complemented with another cut to the fuel tax by 5.7 cents per litre. Consequently, drivers are saving a total of 10 cents per litre. This new cut went in- to effect July 1 and will con- tinue for six months. Commuters are also saving when they take pub- lic transit. Earlier this spring, the province elimi- nated fares when connect- ing to and from GO Transit on municipal transit sys- tems. The annual saving for an Oakville resident is $249.60. Students and youth are also experiencing a reduc- tion in PRESTO fare pric- es. The PRESTO discount has nearly doubled to 40 per cent off the adult fare. This immediate relief will help youth and post-sec- ondary students. In addition, Ontario has eliminated licence plate re- newal fees and toll high- ways. You can renew your licence sticker and take Highway 412 and 418 with- out being charged. Scrap- ping licence plate sticker fees saves Oakville drivers $120 per year per car. The provincial govern- ment is working for Oak- ville residents and putting money back into your pocket. Stephen Crawford is the MPP for Oakville. He can be reached at stephen.craw- fordco@pc.ola.org. WORKING TO MAKE LIFE MORE AFFORDABLE PROVINCE TAKING STEPS TO EASE YOUR FINANCIAL BURDEN, WRITES STEPHEN CRAWFORD Raccoons relax in the Trafalgar Road and Upper Middle Road area. Do you have a great local photo you'd like to share? Send it to sleblanc@metroland.com, along with a brief description. Garry Preston photo SNAPSHOT The RCMP opened an in- vestigation in 2016 as a re- sult of investor complaints about Fortress Real Devel- opments. Two senior executives of that firm were charged with fraud. According to a news re- lease by the RCMP, "Allega- tions were received that the company was fraudulently obtaining investments in a syndicated mortgage invest- ment scheme." The allegations have not been proven in court. Investing has many dif- ferent types of risk. However, there is one thing you do control: diver- sification. An investor who loses a small amount of their as- sets to an allegedly fraudu- lent investment would ex- perience disappointment at the losses suffered and anger at being a victim of crime. For a person who invest- ed most of their life sav- ings, there would be devas- tation. You cannot control the future. That is referred to as assuming investment risk. You can control how much you spread invest- ment risk through strong diversification. The CBC coverage in- cluded a story of a 75-year- old retiree having to return to work because of his loss- es. There may be hundreds of stories of pending finan- cial hardship. This example of the alle- gations of fraud can be a re- minder to us all. Diversifi- cation is a key element of investing. Peter Watson is regis- tered with Aligned Capital Partners Inc. (ACPI) to provide investment advice. Investment products are provided by ACPI. ACPI is a member of the Invest- ment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of ACPI. Only investment-related products and services are offered through Watson Securities of ACPI. Watson provides wealth manage- ment services through Watson Investments. He can be reached at www.watsoninvestment- s.com. A LESSON IN IMPORTANCE OF DIVERSIFICATION A BALANCED PORTFOLIO CAN REDUCE RISK, WRITES PETER WATSON PETER WATSON Column STEPHEN CRAWFORD Column