The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

12 The Independent,.Canadian Statesman Weekender, Bowmanville, Saturday, February 19,1994 Red Cross Asks for Help In Giving the Gift of Life I want to give you some information information about the Substitute Decisions Act, which is updating the laws on what may happen when someone is not mentally able to make important decisions about his or her life. These can include decisions about finances, property management, and personal care, which includes things like health care, food, housing and safety. The new Act continues to allow people people to plan in advance for incapacity, by naming a trusted member of the family or friend through a power of attorney to make those decisions for them should they become incapable of doing so themselves. There has been some confusion about the new.law, particularly as it relates to durable powers of attorney for property and applications by family family members for guardianship. Here are some of the common misconceptions: misconceptions: Myth #1 - After the Act comes into force, people who are given power of attorney will be required to provide security and file a management management plan. Fact: A person naméd in a power of attorney is not required to provide security or file a management plan. If you do not make a power of attorney, and a guardian has to be appointed, the guardian will be required to provide provide security and file a management plan. The law has always required these safeguards to protect the interests interests of the incapable person. Myth #2 - People should hurry to make powers of attorney before the Substitute Decisions Act comes into effect to avoid certain provisions of the new legislation. Fact: After the Act takes effect, all substitute decision decision makers and attorneys and guardians guardians will be subject to its provisions, no matter when die power of attorney was made, so it really won't make any difference if the power of attorney attorney is signed before die Act is proclaimed. proclaimed. Myth #3 - The Public Trustee will take over the property of everyone who becomes mentally incapable, even if they make a power of attorney attorney or have family who want to act as a guardian. Fact: The Act is designed to limit government involvement to situations where there are no suitable alternatives. alternatives. The Act gives people, the opportunity opportunity to make sure someone they trust will take care of their property by making a continuing power of attorney. attorney. If there is no valid power of attorney, family or close friends could apply to become the person's guardian of property. If no other appropriate appropriate person is willing and available available to make important decisions, and there is clearly a need for decisions to be made, then, as a last resort, The Pubic Guardian and Trustee may make them. No matter who the decisions decisions maker is, the property will continue continue to belong to the incapable person. person. The decisions-maker's job is to manage it for the incapable person's benefit. Myth #4: The Act puts new hurdles hurdles in the way of family members who wish to assume guardianship of an incapable person when there is no Continuing power of attorney. Fact: The Act actually makes it easier for a family member to become become a guardian in some cases by introducing introducing a process that does not require require an application to the court. The safeguards of security and a management management plan have been preserved in the new process because they have proven proven nt the past to be a valuable way of protecting the financial interests of incapable people. Myth #5: Everyone who is suspected suspected of being incapable will be assessed. assessed. Fact: Many incapable people will never be assessed. Since the purpose of an assessment is to put a decisionmaker decisionmaker in place, this would rarely be necessary if a decision-maker had already already been designated under a continuing continuing power of attorney. Even if there is no power of attorney, an assessment assessment would not be needed unless the circumstances indicated that a guardian guardian would benefit the person. Myth #6: Every incapable person will have to have a guardian. Fact: There is no requirement under under this Act that every incapable person person have a guardian or any other form of substitute decision-maker, for that matter, in fact, the Act contains contains certain safeguards to prevent a guardian from being appointed unnecessarily. unnecessarily. The Act treats guardianship guardianship as a last resort when decisions need to be made, the person is incapable incapable of making them, and there is no other alternative. Myth #7: The new legislation is already in effect, or is going to come into effect immediately. Fact: The Substitute Decisions Act will not be proclaimed until early in 1995. Flag Raising Helps Honour Cancer Month April has been proclaimed Cancer Month in Clarington. The Cancer Society flag will be raised on Thursday, March 31, in Bowmanville, Newcastle and Courtice in recognition of the month. Also, Thursday, March 24, to Saturday, Saturday, March 26, will be proclaimed Daffodil Days within the municipality. municipality. A letter from Ernest R. Eves, the Treasurer of the Clarington Branch of the Canadian Cancer Society, states society members will be canvassing businesses and households door-to- door to collect funds. "This will enable us to cany out our Mission Statement of support for cancer research, education to the public public and services to patients living with cancer." The Clarington Branch wants to raise $79,000 in 1994. PAYING TOO MUCH for Business Insurance? Call 623-0331,623-1838 pine ridge ** INSURANCE 3 Silver Street, Bowmanville Oshawa- 436-6239 Help celebrate Red Cross Month by attending a blood donor clinic to give the gift of life. In Central Ontario, Ontario, more than 800 donors are needed each weekday for the Red Cross to meet requirements of 61 hospitals it serves in the region. Blood is needed to help accident and bum victims, transplant recipients, recipients, cancer and leukemia patients, people with life-threatening blood disorders and patients undergoing major surgery. In fact, six out of ten Canadians will require blood or blood products in their lifetime. Canada's first blood donor clinic was held in 1940 to help Canadian forces fighting in the Second World War. Since then, the blood program has grown enormously in size and scope. There are now 17 blood centres centres across Canada collecting, testing, processing and distributing, blood and blood products to over 900 hospitals. Blood is separated into various Com ponents, so one donation can help save several lives. Despite many developments, the goal of the Red Cross Blood Program remains the same: to provide a safe and sufficient blood supply for all Canadians. To this end, the Red Cross holds 10,000 clinics a year in Canada - 1,700 in Central Ontario alone - and tests every donated unit for a number of blood-borne diseases like AIDS and hepatitis. These tests, along with health assessment at clinics, clinics, have helped make the Canadian blood supply one of the safest in the world. Healthy individuals age 17 to 70 are encouraged to share their good health and be blood donors during Red Cross Month. For more information, information, please call (416) 974-9900 or a local branch of the Red Cross. Donors Donors are reminded to bring identification identification with them. on complete B FIREPL4 INSTALLATIONS this month! Heating & Air Conditioning ZZT r Bowmanville/Newcastle 436-3212 Oshawa/Whitby 428-0333 Authorized Consumers' Gesi Dealer, Quality Body Work Quality Painting FREE ESTIMATES ON BOTH INSURANCE AND NON-INSURANCE WORK Open 5 Days a Week Monday through Friday f q.lVZ PONTIAC-- BUICK LTD BOWMANVILLE -- ONT. 166 King Street East Telephone 623-3396 / PATRICK G. DEEGAN Denture Therapy Clinic A Complete Denture Service Relines • Repairs • New Dentures Soft Liners FREE CONSULTATION 5 George Street Bowmanville 623-4473 Looking for a Christian Education for your children? Contact KNOX CHRISTIAN SCHOOL (est. 1957) KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION for the 1994-95 school year Wednesday, February 23,1994 Thursday, February 24,1994 Location: Knox Christian School, 410 Scugog St. North Bowmanville - 623-5871 Junior Kindergarten: two mornings per week Children must be 4 years old on or before Dec. 31,1994 Senior Kindergarten: three full days per week Children must be 5 years old on or before Dec. 31,1994 * Please bring written proof of health records indicating immunization dates * Proof of age (e.g. birth certificate) is required * Please call the school for an appointment time * Registration for all other grade levels (1 - 8) will be accepted as well. Principal: Mr. W. M. Helmus THE NORTHUMBERLAND-CLARINGTON BOARD OF EDUCATION KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION Junior and Senior Kindergarten registration for the Clarke A.S.G. Schools will be held as indicated in the following schedule. (Children currently enrolled in Junior Kindergarten need not reapply for Senior Kindergarten.) SCHOOL Kirby P.S. TELEPHONE (905)983-5802 DATE 22 February TIMES 9:00 -12:00 1:00-3:00 Newcastle P.S. (905) 987-4262 (at Lockhart Campus) 22 February 9:00 -12:00 1:00-3:00 Newtonville P.S. (905) 786-2550 22 February 9:00 -12:00 1:00-3:00 OronoP.S. (905) 983-5006 22 February 9:00 -12:00 1:00-3:00 1. Children four years of age on or before 31 December 1994 may be registered. Proof of age (Birth certificate, official birth registration notice, etc.) is required. The Board may require proof that the person registering the child is the legal custodian. 2. Please bring written proof of health records indicating immunization dates. 3. Proof of public school support must be produced at the time of registration (tax bill, property tax, or property tax notice.) 4. Precise information regarding location of residence and postal code is important. Rural residents require lot and concession numbers. 5. Parents/legal custodians are requested to telephone the school for an appointment time prior to the date of registration. Charles W. Kennedy Superintendent of Schools