Other Community News
Phelpston Community Recreation Association Gets $8,548.54
Thank you to the past Phelpston Recreation Association members Ralph Craddock & Sharon Chambers O’Neill for presenting the current Phelpston Community Recreation Association with a cheque for $8548.54 at our meeting on Thursday May 11th!
These were funds raised at the Outhouse Races in the late 80’s and early 90’s.
Looking forward to see the great things we do in our community with these funds.
Submitted by Taylor Kelly
One Day We Booked a Chap From Orillia, Gordon Lightfoot
With the passing of Gordon Lightfoot, it brought some memories back for me, when I was much younger. Please be patient while I explain.
I was a poor student, grade 10 only, tried Gr. 11 twice but didn’t like it, so I kicked around doing odd jobs or shooting pool, until my Father volunteered me for a part time job at Coles Books in Dufferin plaza. I worked there part time for about 6 months, and got to know retail, which I enjoyed. They must have liked my attitude, so they asked if I would move to Oshawa as receiver and window display man at Coles in the Oshawa Centre. I would have been 19 at that time. Oshawa Center was unique as it had underground delivery, built during the early Nuclear threats, which could be used as hiding places and fed from the storerooms of Loblaws.
Once there, I had an opportunity with two other chaps to travel to Toronto one evening, to see the new folk music scene and coffee houses which were springing up, especially on Avenue Rd., in those large homes that converted to serving the University students with the latest craze, which was Folk Music and expensive coffee’s. Ian and Sylvia were just starting out, as were various groups in the U.S., as students rebelled at the VietNam war, etc.
On the way back, we three decided to open a coffee house in Oshawa. We rented an old house on the Main St., tore down some walls and painted the walls purple to resemble the Purple Onion, which we had heard about. The coffee that we served was pricey for the times, but we justified it by adding a shot of Brandy in it, keeping an eye out for the liquor inspector. Cafe O’lait was a favourite. We called our place Club Abstract.
Now we needed entertainment, so we spread the word out and got some local Folk singers to entertain our clientele. One day we booked a chap from Orillia, that was just starting out as a singer. His name was Gordon Lightfoot, and was a few years older than me. He arrived on a Wednesday and played for 4 days, at the huge cost of $250.00 for 4 days. Nice man, not flashy, but gentle.
Two things stand out in my mind for that time. 1) His teacher girlfriend showed up on that Friday afternoon, but refused to stay at the lodgings that we normally booked for out of town entertainers, it was a real dive. It only cost us $7 per night, but her refusal to stay there, we were forced to book her and Gordon at the Genosha Hotel, at the whopping price of $20 per night. 2) At the end of each set, Gordon would sing this ditty, “When I was just a little tot, my mommy put me on my little pot, and there I wee-wee’d quite a lot, wee-wee, see you in a few minutes folks” and he would take a break.
Shortly after this venture, I was transferred back to Toronto as assistant manager at Coles # 1 store on Yonge St. and Charles. The coffee house closed soon after, as the majority of G.M. workers were from the East Coast or Northern Ontario and their preference was Country Music, not Folk. Besides, we were selling our coffee’s at $1 or more, while Timmy’s was only 15c (but no liquor). Many complaints.
Next time I met Gordon was when he dropped by the Coles store to buy sheet music, & I spoke w/him briefly, asking why I had not seen him on the Yonge St. strip, & he told me he had just finished a tour of Europe, where folk music was all the rage. This was 1963, that’s when I applied & joined Zeller’s on their Mgmt. Training program & worked in 12 different communities as manager & associate manager, even twice more in Oshawa.
That folks was my experience with Gordon Lightfoot. He was even younger than attached photo, Curly hair and angelic smile, but as the years went by, probably with many chemicals, his appearance changed to what you see on T.V. now, on his last days. Jan and I saw him twice more in the ensuing years, once at the Orillia Opera House & the second time @ Massey Hall where he appeared yearly. I doubt he would have played for $250 for 4 days there. I hope you enjoyed this bit of trivia and my short link to the great Canadian singer. Regards to All, George Potopnyk
At 80 Years Old, He Received a Doctorate in Woodworking
May 22, 2023 – On May 13, Eric Lauren passed a milestone. At 80 years old, he received a Doctorate in Woodworking. Eric, in addition to building cabinets, and with knowledge of all aspects of home building, has an intrinsic love of music. These skills have all combined in his greatest love, building instruments. His 2006 accomplishment, pictured here, is a violin, made from Maple imported from Germany. There are mother-of-pearl insets in the neck: along the ribs and in the front.
In addition, he has built mandolins, and crafts one-of-a-kind bowls and boxes. To immortalize his legacy, his talented sister painted a portrait.
Eric worked for many years, and truly deserves the accolades accorded to him. In addition to hosting his own birthday party, with a live band and many, many well-wishers, Eric entertained the crowd by playing his pride and joy. It was a unique experience that I am truly fortunate and happy to have been a part of.
by Teresa Butt
Estate Planning – Don’t Put Your Adult Child on Title
By Taivi Tayler, RRC®, CLU® CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®
May 15, 2023 – Over the years, I have heard many ways that people strategize to move wealth between generations in order to avoid the Estate Administration Tax, otherwise known as probate. In Ontario, probate is triggered when the executor applies for an estate certificate to be issued.
It’s a death tax as far as I’m concerned. The government swoops in and strips 1.5% off the value of an estate over $50,000. If your estate is small, the bill won’t be large. If your estate is large (north of $250,000) you need to be proactive and put some tactical strategies in place.
A commonly suggested strategy is for an elderly homeowner to add their adult child to the title of their primary residence. This one is the most prevalent and probably the least effective.
This is one of those situations where you pause before you act.
The biggest risk is to the adult child, not to the senior parent. If the adult child owns their own home, and the value of the parent’s home increases in value, the adult child will face a capital gains tax at their marginal rate on the sale of the elderly parent’s home. The capital gains tax for the adult child could be significantly larger than the Estate Administration Tax.
If there are a multitude of beneficiaries, this situation becomes very messy. Good intentions without understanding the impact on all your beneficiaries could mean that your loved ones wind up suing each other.
I have some rules that should be discussed before anyone puts pen to paper adding their adult child to title.
If you can’t clear every rule, don’t do it.
Rule 1: The adult child should be the ONLY beneficiary of the estate.
Rule 2: The adult child can not own their own home already.
Rule 3: That adult child must want to live in their elderly parent’s home.
Rule 4: The adult child needs to have the mental capacity to care for the home.
Rule 5: The adult child needs to have independent resources to financially care for the home and its ongoing upkeep.
If you can’t check all the boxes, don’t do it. Everyone’s situation is unique and there may be different and better solutions available for the senior homeowner depending on their financial, mental, and physical capacities.
Please reach out if your elderly loved one needs professional financial planning guidance on how to put their estate plan together. At Tayler Insurance & Estate Planning, our solutions are simple and tax efficient. We help retirees grow their wealth, and plan to protect their financial legacy.
Contact information:
Email: ttayler@taylerinsurance.com
Phone: 705-733-3338
Website: www.taylerinsurance.com
Real Estate Fees Generously Donated Back to GBGH Foundation
On May 2, 2023, Squarefoot Commercial Group presented the Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) Foundation with a $10,000 donation to the Foundation’s Impact Fund. Squarefoot believes strongly in supporting their clients and community, and made the donation after they provided commercial real estate services to GBGH on the sale of the former Penetanguishene General Hospital building & property in 2022.
Based in Simcoe County, Squarefoot specializes in sales, leasing, repurposing and repositioning commercial real estate assets, and pride themselves on offering the highest level of commercial real estate services through purposeful, cooperative and innovative practices.
Submitted by Jen Russell, Sr. Marketing & Community Engagement Officer GBGH Foundation
Record-Breaking Charlee’s Run Event Raises $150,000 for OSMH
May 15, 2023 – ORILLIA, ON – This year’s Charlee’s Run 5K run/walk, presented by Subaru of Orillia, was the most successful event yet- raising over $150,000 for paediatric and neonatal needs at Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital (OSMH).
On Saturday, May 6, over 1000 people came out to Tudhope Park to help break the silence surrounding pregnancy and infant loss. The event had fun for the whole family with live music, face painting, Charlee’s Run branded merchandise, memorial keepsakes, refreshments, and most importantly, a village of support for those in need.
“We expected 50 people to join us at the first Charlee’s Run and were so moved when more than 300 people came out to show their support,” said Dave Holmes, event founder and father of Charlee Clare Holmes. “The fact that we had over 1000 people attend this year is absolutely incredible.”
Charlee’s Run is named in honour of Charlee Clare Holmes, who passed away in 2011 only a few hours after birth. Her parents, Dave and Mallory Holmes, started the run as a way to raise awareness and end the silence surrounding pregnancy and infant loss.
“We struggled in silence for a long time, there were endless nights crying on the kitchen floor and struggling to find a way through,” Dave Holmes said. “Eventually we found a group of parents that had lost a piece of their hearts as well and it was here that we found the strength, the comfort, and, above all, hope.”
Each year, the community around Charlee’s Run, known as “Charlee’s Village”, continues to grow.
“Losing a baby is something we wish no one had to deal with,” said Mallory Holmes, event founder and mother of Charlee Clare Holmes. “Charlee’s Run has reminded so many people that they are not alone in their suffering. No one should have to cry on the kitchen floor alone.”
Through seven successful events, Charlee’s Run has raised more than half a million dollars for OSMH. The donations have been used to purchase crucial equipment for the OSMH Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), obstetrics, and paediatric departments, as well as stocking the dedicated bereavement cart to support patients experiencing a pregnancy or infant loss.
Due to the success of this year’s Charlee’s Run, OSMH will be able to purchase two new Giraffe Warmers for the NICU. Giraffe Warmers are the beds used in the NICU to keep OSMH’s smallest patients warm and provide easy access for medical professionals to provide the care needed.
“Charlee’s Run continues to be a day to remember the lives lost far too soon and a day to remember that no one is alone in their suffering,” said Carmine Stumpo, President and CEO of OSMH. “Our hospital team members, many of whom participate in Charlee’s Run, are so grateful for the support they receive from Charlee’s Village.”
This year’s success would not have been possible without the support from participants, donors, sponsors, and volunteers. The OSMH Foundation will be celebrating those who went above and beyond with their fundraising initiatives by handing out awards to the top individuals and top teams.
Congratulations to the Charlee’s Run top individual fundraisers: Jen French, Kara Greene, and Heather Murphy. The top fundraising teams were Ripple of Kindness Orillia, OSMH Regional Women & Children’s Team, and Jensen’s Joggers.
For more information about Charlee’s Run, visit CharleesRun.com.
Submitted by Heather Price-Jones, Communications Officer, Foundation
Fundraise with Kidney Clothes
May 17, 2023 – – Are you looking for an easy and cost-free way to raise funds for your school, team, or community organization? Kidney Clothes wants to partner with you to host a clothing drive, raising funds that will support your cause as well as people in the community living with kidney disease.
The average Canadian throws away over 80 lbs. of clothing a year and 90 percent of those items could be recycled or reused. Having a clothing drive is a great way to capitalize on that waste, not only raising money to support your initiative but also protecting our planet by keeping textiles out of landfills.
Hosting a Kidney Clothes drive is easy and costs nothing. All you need to do is spread the word about your drive and collect unwanted clothing and textiles from your family, friends, and community. Kidney Clothes will pick up the donations and turn them into funds. It really is that easy!
The funds raised through the Kidney Clothes program are used by The Kidney Foundation of Canada to provide hope and support to Canadians affected by kidney disease. More clothing drives will enable people in local communities to access more Kidney Foundation programs which include financial assistance, peer support, and educational materials such as the Living with Kidney Disease patient manual given to every newly diagnosed kidney patient.
To learn more about Kidney Clothes and our partnerships visit www.kidneyclothes.ca.
Submitted by Jennifer Breese
What’s It Worth?
There’s Money in Your Stuff
Let me teach you the difference between
“VALUE” N “STUFF”
This is a column by Mr David Kai for VMLC. David Kai is a published author nationally, a TV and radio commentator on investments, asset classes, collector and investment markets.
May 19, 2023 – Why renting a storage locker is among the dumbest decisions you can ever make!
Your Mom is going to a home, but she is not sure if she will stay there. So, mom convinced you to let her store her furniture in the storage locker.Cost? $400 a month or 4,800$ a year. She never leaves the home but will not let you sell her stuff because she will need it when she gets out! You are downsizing but you’re not able to part with certain items that were given gifted or obligated to you with emotional attachments. So instead of purging you rent a storage locker. Cost $500 a month, or $6,000 a year. Two years old and $12,000 later, you still feel guilty about getting rid of the cherished silver plate, the dining room set, and the awful paintings other sister did during her hippie stage! You are taking an offshore non-Canadian job and you don’t need anything for two years, so you rent a storage locker at $450 a month or $5400 a year. You stay an additional two years, and you fine that your taste changed, styles changed. A couple of true stories. A lady has all her stuff including her catering business materials and supplies she goes into a home, and it sat in the storage locker for 17 years. We calculated the cost of the storage, and it was around $43,000 over that time. The locker was eventually abandoned and sold by auction for $450. I know because our company was buying storage lockers for a short period of time, another story, another bogus TV fantasy.
In all of the above examples, selling the things, giving them away or throwing them out would have been much wiser. You can buy a complete apartment of furniture and all the trimmings from a used resellers such as VM LC for under $5000 and I would suggest you probably for as little as $2500. The worst example I have personal experience with is a doctor who bought stuff over 30 your period, took it home, put it in boxes, then start in boxes. After two years he started storing it in the storage warehouse. At the end he had 260 skids paying $15 a month, for each or $3,900 a month in total, for a total of $46,800 a year. The skids were sold at auction for $12,000. Simple rules! Buy, purge, upgrade and display. If you store, then set limits on the activity. We see all the time those who become hostage to theirs and others stuff.
VMLC is a quality reseller of used household goods along with high end collectables and investment grade items. We accept consignments and will help you downsize.
Georgian College Auto Show back in person June 2 to 4
The largest outdoor, student-run new car auto show in Canada is back at Georgian’s Barrie Campus June 2 to 4 with the theme Revive the Drive – representing the shift in the electrification of the industry and emergence of new technologies.
The event is organized by students enrolled in programs in the Automotive Business School of Canada (ABSC) under the leadership of five dedicated student directors who manage all show tasks, including marketing, sponsorship, recruitment, event logistics, and more.
“After three years of not being able to host the show due to the pandemic, we’re so excited to be back,” said Grace Stein, Director of the show’s Media and Marketing Relations and a second-year student in the Automotive Business program. “Get ready for an action-packed weekend with fun for the whole family. Thanks to our incredible industry partnerships, we’re welcoming back popular automotive manufacturer brands and favourite attractions, as well as introducing cool new enhancements.”
New this year:
- Full show Friday: Enjoy all the features of the auto show on Friday rather than just on the weekend
- Pfaff autocross track: We’ve got a new spin on a longstanding favourite. Experience the autocross track with a professional driver in a new Porsche Taycan EV. Donations to the Georgian Food Locker, our on-campus student food bank, will be accepted
- Harley Davidson: We’re excited to welcome this manufacturer to our show for the first time
- Interactive activities: Check out our driving simulators, laser tag, electric vehicle autocross track and more
- Silent auction: In place of our live auction, we’re running a silent one with proceeds directed toward ABSC student awards and scholarships
- Food vendors: Don’t go hungry! Enjoy delicious eats from Quesada (franchise owned by a Georgian grad), Dominos Pizza, Foodiez and Smoke’s Poutine
Back by demand:
- Fun field activities and KidZone: Enjoy our bouncy castles, a dog show, and see vehicles from Canadian Forces Base Borden and Barrie Fire Service
- Show and Shine: Love classic and customized cars? Don’t miss this display
- Smart Adventures mini-bikes: For children ages six to 12, we’ll offer a chance to learn how to ride mini-motorcycles. Donations will be accepted toward our student directors’ charity of choice
NEWS RELEASE
One Georgian Dr.
Barrie ON L4M 3X9
- 705.728.1968
GeorgianCollege.ca
“Being a director for the Georgian College Auto Show has set me up for future success,” said Stein. “I’ve met some of the most amazing people in the industry and some of them now know me by name. I’ve also formed close relationships and built an incredible network within my program.”
The automotive industry has always been in Stein’s blood. Her dad owns an auto repair shop that her grandfather opened more than 50 years ago. Some of her earliest memories were at the racetrack. Her parents drag raced together for years.
“I grew up with the roar of engines and the smell of race fuel,” reflected Stein. “Once I was old enough to race, I was given my mom’s drag car. From there my love of cars took off.”
Stein learned about the Automotive Business School of Canada when she was in Grade 10 from an auto teacher and knew that’s where she’d end up. She also started advocating for other women in the industry and began using social media as a way to start conversations and celebrate women’s achievements.
The Georgian College Auto Show – in its 35th year – has attracted more than 11,000 visitors from across Ontario over the weekend in the past. Stein expects the Barrie Campus to be buzzing all three days.
The show runs Friday from noon to 5 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free for those ages 12 and under. General admission early bird tickets are $7 until May 19 when they jump to $10. You can get a family of four pass for $30. Get your tickets online and learn more about the show.
