With eight provinces and the federal government in deficit, political leaders across the country are faced with a similar challenge: How do we encourage job creation while regaining control of spending? The responses vary. Some have taken immediate action, while others, like Ontario, have moved at a glacial pace.
In the province that has long been an economic leader, 600,000 men and women are now unemployed. Yet, this week’s provincial budget will neither stimulate the economy nor aggressively attack the deficit. In the next year, the deficit will remain constant, leaving a staggering $15.2-billion gap between revenue and spending. Job creation is forecast to decline.
In New York this month, I met financial experts to discuss Ontario’s debt. Their advice is consistent with the way I would have approached the problem. For starters, I would not have accepted anemic private-sector growth or a slow response to a looming $30-billion deficit.
Businesses can invest anywhere in the world. If they’re going to come to Canada, they’ll look for a few basic things. They want a credible plan to eliminate deficits and get debt under control, and they want a competitive tax environment. Businesses realize that governments burdened with debt won’t be able to create a competitive tax climate and build and sustain infrastructure – two key things that attract investment, expansion and new jobs.
They need low tax rates, so they can retain more of their earnings to expand and hire. They want certainty about government tax policy, too, so the rules don’t change partway through the game. In Ontario, for example, this week’s budget would abandon a promised business tax cut. That’s not how you build an economy. A recent estimate by a leading economist said this measure alone could result in a loss of 30,000 jobs over 10 years. A higher tax burden than businesses had planned for amounts to a tax increase.
Affordable energy is another cornerstone of growth. The provinces that have taken steps to assure a steady supply of power at fair rates are well positioned for growth. Those like Ontario, where power rates are being driven up by subsidies that pay wind and solar producers between two and 10 times the going rate for energy from conventional sources, are not.
We need to pay attention to what’s happening in the world. One of the key factors in Germany’s success, for example, has been a strong apprenticeship system. I have advocated an aggressive apprenticeship plan for Ontario. The failure to act on this has left good skilled trades jobs unfilled.
Growth won’t happen unless government gets the fundamentals right. Our priority must be policies that create the conditions for growth, and that has to be accomplished while making significant structural changes. We can’t cut our way to prosperity; we need to grow our economy, too.
Every day that government puts off difficult decisions adds to debt and narrows our room to manoeuvre in the event of a sudden economic shock. This has been Greece’s sad experience.
The challenges facing Canadian governments may vary, but the underlying principles are the same. When governments control spending, ensure responsive regulation and keep business taxes low, labour markets flexible and energy affordable, jobs and growth will follow. Some provinces realize this, and will pull out of deficit sooner than Ontario. Their next challenge will be to tackle accumulated debt.
As Canadians, we need to reframe the deficit and debt issue. This is not just about government. It’s about the economy, jobs and prosperity.
Tim Hudak is the leader of Ontario’s Progressive Conservative Party.
Mariner motel's advice just start saving early
cause retirement age is going to keep on increasing ...
Eat right, live a healthy balance life and
pay off that debt as soon as you can ...
Take a vacation once in a while
Follow your bliss
Have an attitude of gratitude always!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
For all our clients past and present.
THank You to all our suppliers, workers and family
who have made the Mariner Motel successful for so
many years. THANK YOU!
The Mariner Motel Blog: To help our clients keep in touch with tips and best practice for travel.
Friday, 30 March 2012
Tuesday, 13 March 2012
2012 tax filing season: 5 triggers that could lead to an audit
2012 tax filing season: 5 triggers that could lead to an audit
A Canada Revenue Agency employee at the CRA tax return storage facility in Ottawa.
Canada Revenue Agency photo The dreaded brown envelope arrived just after Christmas. Instant fear! Would it be a full-blown tax take down (called a field audit) or just an inquiry? I’ve experienced the former and a colonoscopy is preferable.
“Our records indicate that you have received income that appears to be partially reported, or not reported on your income tax return,” the Canada Revenue Agency form letter stated. At least the CRA was kind enough to enclose a preaddressed mailing label.
I had been nailed by the T-slip matching program that ferrets out income reported by employers as paid out but not noted as income by the likes of me. The offending amount was $537.83 earned from CBC. The cheque should have been issued to my company not me personally. I deposited in my personal account, transferred it to my company and listed it as revenue, thus compounding the error.
Needless to say the very best way to avoid the beady eye of the CRA is to ensure all T-slips are reported, including those you haven’t received. T3 and T5 slips which detail investment income from interest, capital gains, dividends and mutual funds are notoriously late arrivals.
Related: 11 questions you were afraid to ask the taxman
Because T-slips can easily be misplaced, forgotten or occasionally not arrive at all, a great defensive strategy is to compile a list of expected slips. Keep it handy on your computer’s desktop and add to it as money comes your way, rather than trying to re-create all income sources while completing your tax return.
With roughly 1.3 million returns reviewed annually, chances are you will receive one of those brown envelopes more than once during your working life. An audit is rarer, only 200,000 Canadians suffer this fate. Still, dealing promptly with any CRA request lessens the chances that the agency will dig deeper into your return.
Usually you will have 30 days to respond to a query. In my case, I slogged away unsuccessfully trying to get the CBC to re-issue the T-slip. Despite numerous calls to the CRA to explain that I was working on the problem, time ran out and my personal return was re-assessed. I owed $116.61 and the CRA levied $4.73 in arrears interest. Not the end of the world but annoying and if I don’t cough up the money by March 15, I risk a more extensive review or audit.
Related: How to avoid these 8 tax-filing mistakes
Here are three more common signals that might trigger a second look at your return by the CRA.
1. Double dipping: It’s bad enough when a marriage or common-law relationship breaks down. Even worse is the fact that separated spouses often receive special CRA scrutiny. Check with your ex to ensure only one of you claims things such as the children’s fitness credit (line 365), tuition transfer (line 324) or the amount for an eligible dependent (line 305).
2. Change: If your deduction history deviates from the norm, the CRA might come calling. Say you normally have $500 or so in charitable donations annually, then one of those heart-tugging disasters, such as the recent Somali famine, encourages you to hand over a couple of thousand to help out. The increase in your charitable claim, though laudable, is a red flag.
The lesson here is to keep documentation and receipts close at hand especially when there is a big change in your deduction pattern.
3. Self-employment: According to Industry Canada the number of self-employed grew 12 per cent in the first decade of this century. And this is a gold mine for CRA reviewers, as small business owners and the self-employed are audited more often than the general population. Tax software can lead do-it-yourselfers through the process of listing business expenses. Still, it may be worth spending the money to consult an accountant to ensure you are minimizing the chances of an audit.
Related: What’s new for the 2012 tax filing season
Here are five specific deductions at the top of the CRA’s second look list.
1. Other deductions (Line 232). The CRA loves to zero in on this category as Canadians try to deduct funeral expenses, wedding costs, loss on the sale of a home and divorce or separation legal fees.
2. Caregiver amount (Line 315) — You can claim the caregiver amount for an eligible dependent over age 18 with a net income of less than $18,906 and who has a mental or physical infirmity. But don’t try it if that person isn’t living with you. And if your 22-year-old broke her ankle skiing, that doesn’t count either.
3. Medical expenses (Lines 330 and 331) — Medical expenses are one of the most confusing categories for tax filers and, according to the CRA, often riddled with mistakes. Guide RC4064 isn’t perfectly comprehensible, (the CRA scores a C in my book for plain English) but it will clear up some confusion for individuals and families.
4. Student loan interest (Line 319) — You may be groaning under the load of student debt but the CRA won’t let you deduct interest paid for a line of credit or family loan.
5. Education and textbook amounts (Lines 321 and 322) — If the number of months you are claiming doesn’t match the number of months you were a student the red flag will be raised. Students often make the mistake of claiming for the academic year, rather than the calendar year.
One caution, there is no way to be completely safe as the CRA randomly selects an unknown number of returns for review each year. However, you can increase the odds of keeping a CRA inquiry or audit at bay by checking the Common Adjustments web page. Be especially vigilant in maintaining records and receipts for the red flag areas.
Related: Where to get free tax advice
http://www.alisongriffiths.ca/
Mariner Motel
Thank you!
“Our records indicate that you have received income that appears to be partially reported, or not reported on your income tax return,” the Canada Revenue Agency form letter stated. At least the CRA was kind enough to enclose a preaddressed mailing label.
I had been nailed by the T-slip matching program that ferrets out income reported by employers as paid out but not noted as income by the likes of me. The offending amount was $537.83 earned from CBC. The cheque should have been issued to my company not me personally. I deposited in my personal account, transferred it to my company and listed it as revenue, thus compounding the error.
Needless to say the very best way to avoid the beady eye of the CRA is to ensure all T-slips are reported, including those you haven’t received. T3 and T5 slips which detail investment income from interest, capital gains, dividends and mutual funds are notoriously late arrivals.
Related: 11 questions you were afraid to ask the taxman
Because T-slips can easily be misplaced, forgotten or occasionally not arrive at all, a great defensive strategy is to compile a list of expected slips. Keep it handy on your computer’s desktop and add to it as money comes your way, rather than trying to re-create all income sources while completing your tax return.
With roughly 1.3 million returns reviewed annually, chances are you will receive one of those brown envelopes more than once during your working life. An audit is rarer, only 200,000 Canadians suffer this fate. Still, dealing promptly with any CRA request lessens the chances that the agency will dig deeper into your return.
Usually you will have 30 days to respond to a query. In my case, I slogged away unsuccessfully trying to get the CBC to re-issue the T-slip. Despite numerous calls to the CRA to explain that I was working on the problem, time ran out and my personal return was re-assessed. I owed $116.61 and the CRA levied $4.73 in arrears interest. Not the end of the world but annoying and if I don’t cough up the money by March 15, I risk a more extensive review or audit.
Related: How to avoid these 8 tax-filing mistakes
Here are three more common signals that might trigger a second look at your return by the CRA.
1. Double dipping: It’s bad enough when a marriage or common-law relationship breaks down. Even worse is the fact that separated spouses often receive special CRA scrutiny. Check with your ex to ensure only one of you claims things such as the children’s fitness credit (line 365), tuition transfer (line 324) or the amount for an eligible dependent (line 305).
2. Change: If your deduction history deviates from the norm, the CRA might come calling. Say you normally have $500 or so in charitable donations annually, then one of those heart-tugging disasters, such as the recent Somali famine, encourages you to hand over a couple of thousand to help out. The increase in your charitable claim, though laudable, is a red flag.
The lesson here is to keep documentation and receipts close at hand especially when there is a big change in your deduction pattern.
3. Self-employment: According to Industry Canada the number of self-employed grew 12 per cent in the first decade of this century. And this is a gold mine for CRA reviewers, as small business owners and the self-employed are audited more often than the general population. Tax software can lead do-it-yourselfers through the process of listing business expenses. Still, it may be worth spending the money to consult an accountant to ensure you are minimizing the chances of an audit.
Related: What’s new for the 2012 tax filing season
Here are five specific deductions at the top of the CRA’s second look list.
1. Other deductions (Line 232). The CRA loves to zero in on this category as Canadians try to deduct funeral expenses, wedding costs, loss on the sale of a home and divorce or separation legal fees.
2. Caregiver amount (Line 315) — You can claim the caregiver amount for an eligible dependent over age 18 with a net income of less than $18,906 and who has a mental or physical infirmity. But don’t try it if that person isn’t living with you. And if your 22-year-old broke her ankle skiing, that doesn’t count either.
3. Medical expenses (Lines 330 and 331) — Medical expenses are one of the most confusing categories for tax filers and, according to the CRA, often riddled with mistakes. Guide RC4064 isn’t perfectly comprehensible, (the CRA scores a C in my book for plain English) but it will clear up some confusion for individuals and families.
4. Student loan interest (Line 319) — You may be groaning under the load of student debt but the CRA won’t let you deduct interest paid for a line of credit or family loan.
5. Education and textbook amounts (Lines 321 and 322) — If the number of months you are claiming doesn’t match the number of months you were a student the red flag will be raised. Students often make the mistake of claiming for the academic year, rather than the calendar year.
One caution, there is no way to be completely safe as the CRA randomly selects an unknown number of returns for review each year. However, you can increase the odds of keeping a CRA inquiry or audit at bay by checking the Common Adjustments web page. Be especially vigilant in maintaining records and receipts for the red flag areas.
Related: Where to get free tax advice
http://www.alisongriffiths.ca/
Mariner Motel
Thank you!
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
OAS at 67? OMG!
By Fred Vettese
In spite of some vehement opposition, the government will probably announce in the next budget the raising of the retirement age for OAS pension to 67. We have already been assured it won’t happen at least until 2020 so it will not affect Canadians over 57. The big question is whether this change will increase poverty among seniors. The answer depends largely on how the increase in retirement age is implemented.
First, anyone nearing retirement should find it encouraging that Canada’s retirees are currently doing better financially than most of us realize. If we use Statistics Canada’s low-income cutoffs as the poverty threshold, just 5.2% of seniors would be classified as poor. By comparison, the poverty rate for Canadians age 18-64 is 10.5%, more than double. Similarly, seniors are faring much better than their counterparts in other developed countries. Based on OECD statistics, the poverty rate for seniors is 22.4% in the U.S., 22% in Japan and 17.6% in Switzerland, all roughly three to four times the rate in Canada.
Much of the credit for this happy result is the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) which is payable to low-income Canadians who are eligible for OAS. What will become of the GIS if the OAS retirement age rises to 67? I see three scenarios. One is a decoupling in which the GIS will still be available at 65 and the amount will be increased to make up for the loss of OAS. If so, low-income Canadians will be virtually unaffected by the change in OAS retirement age and the government will still garner some savings to the extent less OAS is paid to middle income seniors. This is the most benign outcome.
Under a second scenario, GIS will continue to be payable from 65 but with no change in the maximum amount. In that case, future low-income retirees will lose $540 a month of OAS pension until age 67. The middle-aged who are caught by the change in retirement age will find this a hardship though that can be mitigated by a slower phase-in that extends beyond 2020.
The most draconian scenario would see GIS eligibility increased to age 67 to align with OAS. For a single person, this means the loss of up to $1,272 a month in pension for two years. It is unlikely something this drastic could be fully phased in as early as 2020. It took over thirty years to reduce poverty among the elderly to the low levels we now enjoy and it would be a tragedy to unravel what has generally been a very positive result.
The other possibility is that OAS and GIS will be made available over a range of ages with actuarial reductions or increases, the same as CPP which can be taken any time between 60 and 70. Making this work presents an interesting actuarial problem given that the GIS is subject to an income test.
In the longer run, Canadians will accommodate to a higher retirement age, but that will take time. We first need to change how we think about work and retirement. Age 65 was an arbitrary choice as the normal retirement age in the first place, the same as it was an arbitrary age for mandatory retirement, which has since been abolished. The retirement age could just as easily have been 70, which in fact is what it was when the Old Age Security Act was first introduced in 1952. Since then, life expectancy has increased by about six years so even if OAS starts at age 67, we are still enjoying OAS payments for about nine years more on average than was the case in 1952. Unfortunately, this is small comfort to middle-aged, low-income Canadians who were counting on OAS at 65.
In spite of some vehement opposition, the government will probably announce in the next budget the raising of the retirement age for OAS pension to 67. We have already been assured it won’t happen at least until 2020 so it will not affect Canadians over 57. The big question is whether this change will increase poverty among seniors. The answer depends largely on how the increase in retirement age is implemented.
First, anyone nearing retirement should find it encouraging that Canada’s retirees are currently doing better financially than most of us realize. If we use Statistics Canada’s low-income cutoffs as the poverty threshold, just 5.2% of seniors would be classified as poor. By comparison, the poverty rate for Canadians age 18-64 is 10.5%, more than double. Similarly, seniors are faring much better than their counterparts in other developed countries. Based on OECD statistics, the poverty rate for seniors is 22.4% in the U.S., 22% in Japan and 17.6% in Switzerland, all roughly three to four times the rate in Canada.
Much of the credit for this happy result is the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) which is payable to low-income Canadians who are eligible for OAS. What will become of the GIS if the OAS retirement age rises to 67? I see three scenarios. One is a decoupling in which the GIS will still be available at 65 and the amount will be increased to make up for the loss of OAS. If so, low-income Canadians will be virtually unaffected by the change in OAS retirement age and the government will still garner some savings to the extent less OAS is paid to middle income seniors. This is the most benign outcome.
The most draconian scenario would see GIS eligibility increased to age 67 to align with OAS. For a single person, this means the loss of up to $1,272 a month in pension for two years. It is unlikely something this drastic could be fully phased in as early as 2020. It took over thirty years to reduce poverty among the elderly to the low levels we now enjoy and it would be a tragedy to unravel what has generally been a very positive result.
The other possibility is that OAS and GIS will be made available over a range of ages with actuarial reductions or increases, the same as CPP which can be taken any time between 60 and 70. Making this work presents an interesting actuarial problem given that the GIS is subject to an income test.
In the longer run, Canadians will accommodate to a higher retirement age, but that will take time. We first need to change how we think about work and retirement. Age 65 was an arbitrary choice as the normal retirement age in the first place, the same as it was an arbitrary age for mandatory retirement, which has since been abolished. The retirement age could just as easily have been 70, which in fact is what it was when the Old Age Security Act was first introduced in 1952. Since then, life expectancy has increased by about six years so even if OAS starts at age 67, we are still enjoying OAS payments for about nine years more on average than was the case in 1952. Unfortunately, this is small comfort to middle-aged, low-income Canadians who were counting on OAS at 65.
Thursday, 2 February 2012
Is Google Adwords Good or Bad and Will it Work for My Small Business?
Welcome to Small Business Blogging, Video Marketing, Website Design, and Hubspot Tips by Biz Buffs!
Is Google Adwords Good or Bad and Will it Work for My Small Business?
Email Article
Is Google Adwords Good or Bad and Will it Work for my Small Business?
This article was sparked by a conversation I had with a friend recently. His dilemma is pretty cut and dry:His business(he installs swimming pools) is not getting enough leads, his suppliers are not sending him enough leads, and his website stinks in terms of lead generation…. and SEO(free search visits).
So what was his proposed solution to the problem? Well in his mind, he needs to get leads right away. He also knows the old methods of advertising (radio, print, TV,etc) are no longer the answer. But with a website garnering zero visitors via organic/free search, his last line of relief is Google Adwords (aka Pay Per Click). And frankly, he’s right—at least for now.
In terms of Google Adwords (AW for short)supplying quick, qualified leads for businesses, it is a viable solution-- but with it comes the potential of some major problems, which are as follows:
- Spending money faster than you can burn it on a camp fire
- Reaching a small percentage of your customer base
- Adwords Dependency Syndrome (ADS)
How Much will Adwords Costs my Business?
Heck, even my friend mentioned how one of his buddies in the pool industry had spent $120,000 on PPC last year just to sell 30 pools. Although such might sound like a good trade off to some, the amount this person was spending in advertising dollars(to Google alone) just for one sale was roughly $4,000. Considering the average sale price was about 35k for one of the gentleman’s, the numbers were eating him alive.My business used to be no different. Because our swimming pool website stunk for so long in terms of its SEO, we were forced to give the Mother Ship(aka Google) way too much of our money. But like every business in this dilemma, we needed leads from somewhere, somehow, and fast. Over 2 years ago, we were getting roughly 85% of our traffic from AW/PPC. Literally, every 2-3 days we were having $500 kicks to the groin by the Mother Ship. Although many leads were coming in, we knew there was still room for improvement, and AW was quickly becoming a blessing and a curse.
Do Consumers Click on Adwords?
Although the studies vary, the general rule of thumb is that 60-70% of ALL surfers on the internet will not click the right side of the page—AKA Sponsored Links. There are a variety of explanations for this but it really just comes down to, as the old adage states, ‘People don’t want to be sold, they want to buy.’ And because of this paradigm, the majority of internet users never even bother with AW advertisers. So as you can see, if you have a business that is relying solely on Pay Per Click campaigns to drive traffic to your website, they you’re likely missing out on over half of your potential clients.Adwords Dependency Syndrome (ADS)
I’ve seen many businesses suffer from ADS. And why is this such a deadly disease? Because the fact is most businesses are now finally waking up to reality that if they don’t have a powerful internet presence, they are up a creek without a paddle. Old school advertising will soon be as extinct as the dinosaur simply because of the poor return on investment (It’s too freaking expensive). But at the same time, because businesses are now fully understanding just how consumers shop and research, and because so many of these businesses have not bothered to properly optimize their website, their only means for lead generation is Pay Per Click—the same dilemma my friend had. This leads us to a whole new problem, which is the fact that so many businesses are advertising on the Mother Ship and using AW that the cost/competition to advertise on Pay Per Click and actually showing up on the first page is becoming outrageously expensive and unaffordable for many important industry keywords.
So this is the catch-22 that so many businesses are now enveloped in. And what’s the solution? Although there are hundreds of ways to deal with small business marketing in 2010 and beyond, here are my top 5 solutions for anyone who hasn’t yet gotten on the train or not read some of my previous posts on this subject:
1. Change your paradigm: Embrace the internet and everything about it. See yourself as an internet/web expert (If you’re not already, you will be someday, so your essentially just stating a fact before it has actually happened.)
2. Take charge of your website: You no longer have to be a web designer to design and manage your business’ website. With so many incredible CMS (content management systems) out there, any dummy (I should know) can now produce great websites.
3. Along with #2, take the time to study your website. Develop it. Learn analytics. Because they had such a profound impact on my life and my business, I suggest you start with Hubspot. They money you’ll spend on their monthly service is more than worth it.
4. Start Blogging: I can’t talk about the power and impact of this medium enough. It does not matter what type of business you have, you need start integrating blogging into the everyday life of your business. Only 1-2 articles a week and you will see major organic (free) search results in no time.
5. Continue with AW: As I mentioned earlier, PPC used to generate over 80% of my business’ web traffic. Today, after blogging and working on SEO for less than one year, PPC brings in roughly 12% of all traffic. Despite the fact that 12% is a low number and many people would say that because my organic search traffic is so good I don’t have to worry any longer about Adwords, I still like leveraging both mediums. And although only 20-40% of all internet users actually click on AW, these same shoppers have a much higher conversion rate in many cases because they are so serious about finding a certain product. Also, when it comes to PPC , don’t feel like you have to rank #1 just to get clicks. What matter is that you’re on the first page. The difference between the two can literally be thousands of dollars over the course of the year.
Is Google Adwords bad for business?
No, of course not. But like every other information technology we pay for, it requires a balance, oversight, and hard work. So that’s the task for most business in today’s world. And to sum it all up, I’ll leave you with this most simple guideline to follow.Mariner Motel has tried free google adwords and it is working out well. Give it a try increase the traffic to your site and get it listed at the top when people search for your type of business.
John
Friday, 9 December 2011
Christmas and New Years Holiday Safety Tips!
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Mariner Motel
Woodstock ON
T: 519 537 5332
www.marinermotel.ca
Be safe this holdiay season... From the staff of the Mariner Motel. Visit us anytime! Thanks!
Thursday, 17 November 2011
New Woodstock hospital celebrating grand opening
Mariner Motel is proud to announce that the new hospital in Woodstock Ontario is a beautiful facility for all in Oxford county. Congrats!
Officials, staff and guests gathered to mark the opening of the new 178-bed state-of-the-art Woodstock General Hospital on Friday.
Minister of Health and Long Term Care Deb Matthews says "You deserve this hospital. You deserve the care that will be delivered in this hospital."
Occupancy at the 350,000 sq. ft. facility will begin this fall, on time and on budget, almost exactly three years after workers broke ground in November 2008.
Natasa Veljovic, president and CEO of Woodstock General Hospital, says "With great optimism we look forward to November 2011 as we move our patients into this new facility."
The community has been lobbying for a newer bigger building for many years.
The project has in fact been in the works for more than 15 years, says Ed Down, chair of the Board of Trust at Woodstock General Hospital.
"The beginning of this long road started back in 1995 with the establishment of ‘Vision 2000.' It took until 2011, but we are here."
The new facility is more than double the size of the current hospital, which opened in 1895, housed 113 beds and hadn't been updated in 30 years.
A full range of clinical services and programs will be offered, and the province also announced Friday that it will provide funding for the operation of the MRI machine 40 hours a week.
The MRI machine along means 3,000 fewer patients will have to travel to London or Kitchener for their scans.
The new facility is badly needed in the area as the population of Woodstock grows, especially with the opening of the Toyota plant.
Up to 200 new staff members and health professionals are expected to be hired, and 10 new doctors recruited once all beds open and services begin.
Officials, staff and guests gathered to mark the opening of the new 178-bed state-of-the-art Woodstock General Hospital on Friday.
Minister of Health and Long Term Care Deb Matthews says "You deserve this hospital. You deserve the care that will be delivered in this hospital."
Occupancy at the 350,000 sq. ft. facility will begin this fall, on time and on budget, almost exactly three years after workers broke ground in November 2008.
Natasa Veljovic, president and CEO of Woodstock General Hospital, says "With great optimism we look forward to November 2011 as we move our patients into this new facility."
The community has been lobbying for a newer bigger building for many years.
The project has in fact been in the works for more than 15 years, says Ed Down, chair of the Board of Trust at Woodstock General Hospital.
"The beginning of this long road started back in 1995 with the establishment of ‘Vision 2000.' It took until 2011, but we are here."
The new facility is more than double the size of the current hospital, which opened in 1895, housed 113 beds and hadn't been updated in 30 years.
A full range of clinical services and programs will be offered, and the province also announced Friday that it will provide funding for the operation of the MRI machine 40 hours a week.
The MRI machine along means 3,000 fewer patients will have to travel to London or Kitchener for their scans.
The new facility is badly needed in the area as the population of Woodstock grows, especially with the opening of the Toyota plant.
Up to 200 new staff members and health professionals are expected to be hired, and 10 new doctors recruited once all beds open and services begin.
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
4 Ways Apps Can Help Your Business Be Greener
4 Ways Apps Can Help Your Business Be Greener
Among all the things your smartphone can do, did you know it can also help you lower your environmental footprint?
More developers are rolling out apps for iPhones, iPads and Android to help businesses and consumers measure their footprint and reduce it in a variety of ways. Do a Google search for “green business apps,” and a huge array of lists pop up.
Here’s a look at four ways apps can help your business be environmentally friendlier, along with some options to check out:
1) Ditch the business cards. During business meetings, it’s almost inevitable that someone will pull out their business card, and then everyone else will, too. But all those paper cards mean more trees getting chopped down and other environmental problems. Some smartphone apps let you forgo the paper cards. The Bump app for iPhone and Android, for example, allows people to trade contact information by bumping their smartphones together. The GreenCard app for iPhone also takes paper out of the equation, and if you update your GreenCard, all of your contacts get their entry for you updated, too.
2) Find green products. Need to find the right energy-efficient light bulb for your fixtures? There’s an app called the Light Bulb Finder that’s available for iPhone and Android. Want to figure which toilet paper is 100 percent recycled? Greenpeace has an app for that. Then there’s GoodGuide, which allows an iPhone user to scan the bar code for a product to look up information about its environmental friendliness.
3) Cut down on the gas mileage. It’s apps galore when it comes to finding ways to cut down on gas usage. The Fuel Saver app will actually make your iPhone beep at you when you’re accelerating or braking too fast, or simply driving too fast overall. Want to simply avoid having to brake? Green Driver uses traffic light information obtained from cities to help drivers plan a route around red lights. Another strategy is to carpool more (and encourage employees to do so). Try Avego to find others in your area willing to offer a lift or needing a lift. Cartipate also helps set up carpooling networks for iPhone users.
4) Reduce your utilities usage. Lowering your electricity usage doesn’t just help the environment — it also helps you save money. There are several apps available to help rein in your electric and natural gas usage. MeterRead helps iPhone users better read their electricity meters, and even calculates estimates of future electricity usage. Green Outlet estimates your electricity bill based on the appliances you are using.
Do you use green apps at your business? If so, do they help?
More developers are rolling out apps for iPhones, iPads and Android to help businesses and consumers measure their footprint and reduce it in a variety of ways. Do a Google search for “green business apps,” and a huge array of lists pop up.
1) Ditch the business cards. During business meetings, it’s almost inevitable that someone will pull out their business card, and then everyone else will, too. But all those paper cards mean more trees getting chopped down and other environmental problems. Some smartphone apps let you forgo the paper cards. The Bump app for iPhone and Android, for example, allows people to trade contact information by bumping their smartphones together. The GreenCard app for iPhone also takes paper out of the equation, and if you update your GreenCard, all of your contacts get their entry for you updated, too.
2) Find green products. Need to find the right energy-efficient light bulb for your fixtures? There’s an app called the Light Bulb Finder that’s available for iPhone and Android. Want to figure which toilet paper is 100 percent recycled? Greenpeace has an app for that. Then there’s GoodGuide, which allows an iPhone user to scan the bar code for a product to look up information about its environmental friendliness.
3) Cut down on the gas mileage. It’s apps galore when it comes to finding ways to cut down on gas usage. The Fuel Saver app will actually make your iPhone beep at you when you’re accelerating or braking too fast, or simply driving too fast overall. Want to simply avoid having to brake? Green Driver uses traffic light information obtained from cities to help drivers plan a route around red lights. Another strategy is to carpool more (and encourage employees to do so). Try Avego to find others in your area willing to offer a lift or needing a lift. Cartipate also helps set up carpooling networks for iPhone users.
4) Reduce your utilities usage. Lowering your electricity usage doesn’t just help the environment — it also helps you save money. There are several apps available to help rein in your electric and natural gas usage. MeterRead helps iPhone users better read their electricity meters, and even calculates estimates of future electricity usage. Green Outlet estimates your electricity bill based on the appliances you are using.
Do you use green apps at your business? If so, do they help?
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