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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, February 23, 2012 · 14 mypet Consumers should take a page myvet from the Drummond Report Dr. Gesa Kohn-Gould Veterinarian & Owner myanimalhospital.ca O T Askey Animal Hospital has been a proud fixture in the Burlington community for 40 years. After extensive renovations we reopened our doors last spring as a 24 hour animal hospital with emergency care. We offer routine services such as vaccinations and check-ups with the convenience of being open all the time. In addition, we are equipped to take care of critical cases with 24 hour monitoring with an extensive on-site laboratory and equipment such as a blood pressure and electrocardiogram unit, a dental and digital radiology machine. We can perform a large variety of soft tissue and orthopaedic procedures as well as ultrasounds and endoscopy. Come in for a tour of our facility on Saturday. Bring the kids and meet the doctors who care for your family pets. See what happens during ultrasounds and x-rays. You can bring your pet so we can show you how to brush their teeth; kids can pretend to be surgeons and don't forget to take a tour of our kitty comfort suites! Our event photographer will be on hand to take your pet's photos which will be posted on our flickr group and myanimalhospital.ca. Enjoy coffee, lemonade and cookies and celebrate our Open House with us. We look forward to meeting you and answering your pet questions this Saturday. his Saturday February 25th, Askey Animal Hospital welcomes you and your family pet to join us at our Open House from 2pm to 4pm at 3525 Fairview Street in Burlington. You Are Invited To Askey Animal Hospital ntario got a significant wake-up call last week. After nearly one year in the making, economist Don Drummond tabled his blue print of Ontario's financial future with recommendations of spending reductions. Many see this as Premier Dalton McGuinty's opportunity to gauge the political will of voters on which austerity measures to implement. At issue is Ontario's financial health, which appears to be too weak to rely on increased economic growth to generate more tax revenue for the province. Deep spending cuts have to be made. Included in the 543-page Drummond Report were 362 recommendations. Some suggestions may trigger resistance or political battles. The report is considered a trial balloon for reforms that might appear in the next Ontario budget, which is five weeks away. Several newspaper outlets reported that the two-volume report was so weighty that a table collapsed when Ontario Provincial Police officers unloaded the embargoed copies on it to the media. That might be an omen of things to come. The recommendations from the report will spark fierce debate and strong disagreement because of proposals such as Dollars & Sense By Peter Watson fewer hospitals and seniors testing for drug benefits. Other recommendations include eliminating full-time Kindergarten, reducing class sizes and adjusting teachers' pensions. Many of the cost-cutting suggestions are not new. What is new is that the world economy is learning that over-spending is a luxury that cannot be sustained. Ontario is not oblivious to the importance of balancing the books. This reality is identical to individuals. We, as well as the Province, have to manage our finances prudently. The Drummond Report calls for more than a slight adjustment -- it calls for a major restructuring. Success will be measured by how motivated the Province is to correct our weakening economic slide. That same drive is what many indi- viduals will need if they too want to reform their ways. Some citizens are in good financial health; many are not. People are also living longer, but have fewer pension benefits than past generations. As typical consumers, we have used low-cost and readily-accessible debt to spend beyond our means. We must do exactly what the Province has done and do a better job of understanding our finances. We can't all get Don Drummond to write a report about our financial health, but we can get our financial advisor to do this. If an individual is financially weak, adjustments have to be made. That is often difficult. Only if we carefully plan our financial future and there is enough concern about financial failure will we likely be motivated to be pro-active. There will be a province-wide conversation on financial priorities and rethinking Ontario's financial future. Use that dialogue as a backdrop to examining your own financial priorities. Determine what is most important to you and then plan to make those dreams become a reality. -- Submitted by Peter Watson, MBA, CFP, R.F.P., CIM, FCSI. myanimalhospital.ca Askey Animal Hospital 24 Hour Emergency Care 3525 Fairview Street, Burlington 905-634-9088 Join our Group and upload your pet photo today flickr.com/groups/me_and_my_pet/ me & my pet Advertorial