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6 s oS Zz = Ss = Oakville Beaver | Thursday, May 4, 2023 | HERE'S HOW T0 BE PREPARED, WRITES GARY CARR GARY CARR Column As we prepare to recog- nize Emergency Prepared- ness wreck (May 7 to 13), I e to thank our Hourgenty Management team at Halton Region, all first responders and every- one working hard to keep Halton safe. Emergencies can hap- pen at any time, and being prepared is a critical first ep to ensuring you keep yourself — and those around you— safe. Iencour- age everyone to prepare for emergencies by following three simple steps: KNOW THE RISKS Ensure you are aware of potential hazards, includ- ing severe weather condi- tions that can cause or con- tribute to an emergency in your community. You can check the ergency Alerts and Public Informa- tion page to stay informed of potential emergencies in Halton and sign up for heat as summer ap- proaches, to help prepare for extreme temperatures ¢ in the months ahead. = MAKE A PLAN Know how to respond in an emergency. When mak- insidehalton.cor ‘ARE YOU READY TO HELP IN AN EMERGENCY? ing your plan, consider where exits are located in your home, where you keep essential supplies, who to contact and how you will shelter in place if left with- out power or water. You show also have plans in children, older eats ‘persons with disa- bilities, pets or service ani- friends and family you can contact and note the clos- est evacuation centre in your commu: GETA KIT Have an emergency kit on hand that co: iS eV- erything you bene to keep yourself, your family and pets safe during an emer- gency. Your kit should con- tain food, water and other necessities in case you lose en to 9 running water or ‘ing a sepa- rate aire for your car that contains items that will help you stay safe during emergencies 0} road. To learn more oben what to include in your emergency kit, visit the Get aKit section on halton.ca. th you're prepared, an able to properly care for your loved ones, neigh- bours and friends. By be- ing prepared, your actions help ensure first respond- ers can focus on the emer- gency and assisting those in critical ne Emergency _prepared- ness starts with you. Gary Carr is regional chair of. Halton Region. To contact him, email gary. carr@halton. ca. TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT INSIDEHALTON.COM WHEN WILL CANADA INCREASE RETIREMENT AGE? Canada has to gmake tough de it will affect when individuals re- otis could affect every- thing from Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security, the Registered Retirement In- come Fund, and the cur- rent age some younger workers are able to retire with pension benefits. We had a recent exam- ple of how a population re- acts to these types of changes by observing what happened in France. France increased the re- tirement age from 62 to 64. The country's rationale was that if this were not done, its current pension system would go broke. The reaction was ex- e. The government had to use a special procedure to skip the requirement to vote on the unpopular pen- sion reform. For our ‘country, mak- PETER WATSON Column me any significant and un- pular changes that affect people’ 's ability to would be political Suelae My thought is if Canada got into a serious financial predicament, our govern- ment might be forced to make difficult financial changes. This could hap- pen with a collapse of our economy that required ma- jora adjust ent secon. way this might happen i is aresult of therefore spending more years in retirement. Rebal- ancing our current ways might require everyone to work longer. Sixty-five used to be considered the ideal age to retire. In hindsight, a more affordable option for Cana- of years before life expec- ancy. Pension reform is likely to happen, and my feeling is politicians would like to delay that as long as possi- ble. Peter Watson, of Watson Investments MBA, CFP®, R.E-P., CIM®, FCSI, offers a weekly financial plan- ning column, Dollars & Sense. He can be contacted through www.watsonin- vestments.com. SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT INSIDEHALTON.COM ABOUT This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a Metroland Media Grot of newspapers is comprise publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the He newspaper and, if not satisfied, ite The National NewsMedia Council, Suite rn i Yonge St., Toro1 forot Phone: 416- Sa 961 : www.mediacouncil.ca nnc Aocna meeibe ne - Samet | Canada insidehalton@metroland.com com/OakvilleBeav @OakvilleBeaver ublisher and Chief oe Officer leil Oliver Vice President, Content, Community and Operations ana Robbins Regional General Manager jason Pehora Director of ment Lee Ann Wate: Regional Manag Editor Manoa ig eater Karen Miceli Director of pietouton Charlene Hall Circulation on Kim Mossman Directors of Advertising Gna Campbell and Graeme Macin- tosh Director Creative Services Paul Gostlin Oakville Beaver 211 Pritchard Rd., pata, Hamilton, ON, La) 0 Phone: 1-866-838- 200 Classifieds: 1-800-263- 480 Advertising: 289-293-0620 Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail kmossman@metroland.com or call 905-631-6095. 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