Community
Calkins … Currently (for January)
In 2017, we will be celebrating Canada’s 150th Birthday. There are plenty of events happening all over Canada and in Central Alberta. If you have any event and you would like it published here in Calkins…Currently or on any of my social media outlets, please contact me by replying to this email and I will be sure to help spread the word. I am looking forward to visiting as many events as I am able as we celebrate all year long.
Carbon Tax = A Tax on Everything!
Prime Minister Trudeau and his government will be imposing a national carbon pricing scheme on all jurisdictions across Canada by 2018, despite having promised to work collaboratively with provinces and territories. In fact, while the PM announced his plan in the House of Commons, provincial and territorial environment ministers were blindsided during a simultaneous meeting held in Montreal.
Under the Conservative Government, we fought hard to keep money in the pockets of hardworking Canadian families – this Liberal scheme will cost Canadians more than 11 cents per litre when they fill their vehicles and the carbon tax will cost the average Canadian family $2500 a year.
My colleague, Shannon Stubbs, Member of Parliament for Lakeland and Official Opposition Deputy Critic for Natural Resources is sponsoring petition e-585 that was initiated by Bernard Hancock, an oil and gas worker from Vancouver, BC currently employed on a rig near Grande Prairie, who has struggled to find work during the downturn. It is crucial that we stand up to the Trudeau government and show united opposition against this tax that will make life more expensive for all Canadians.
If you agree that Prime Minister Trudeau is wrong to unilaterally impose this job-killing, cash-grabbing tax, please sign this petition and please take the time to share and promote this petition.
Canada Summer Jobs – Employers
The 2017 Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) application period for employers is from December 7, 2016 to January 20, 2017.
Canada Summer Jobs is a Government of Canada initiative. It provides funding for not-for-profit organizations, public sector employers and small businesses with 50 or fewer full-time employees to create summer jobs for students between the ages of 15 and 30.
The application form as well as the applicant guide are currently available at www.canada.ca/canada-summer-jobs. You can submit your application online, by mail or in person at any Service Canada Centre.
We encourage you to submit your 2017 application online. By doing so, you will benefit from a fast, easy-to-use, and secure way of applying as you will:
- have access to the Canada Summer Jobs application 24/7, from any location, allowing you to complete it at your convenience;
- ensure your application is received immediately by Service Canada;
- receive an instant acknowledgement confirming that your application has been received; and,
- avoid postal delays.
There are two systems available to enable you to apply online:
- Grants and Contributions Online Services (GCOS): If you already have a GCOS account, please use this online platform to submit an online application; or
- CSJ online application form.
Are You Ready for Canada’s 150th Birthday?!
What are you doing for Canada 150 in your classroom or in your group?
Experiences Canada 150&Me is a federally-funded Signature Canada 150 Initiative offering an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for young Canadians to join in a national conversation about the future they want for their country.
Canada 150&Me starts by inviting youth ages 14-19 to answer the simple question, “What is the greatest challenge or opportunity facing Canada for your generation?” They can reply online using whatever creative media they choose – video, music, written word, or visual art. It’s an ideal way to integrate Canada’s 150th celebrations into any classroom. Deadline for submissions is February 1, 2017.
If you are between the ages of 14 – 19, you could be selected as one of the first group of 150 youth offered the chance to travel and experience a week of amazing cultural and educational activities, joined by like-minded youth from across Canada, at one of four Regional Experiences Canada150& Me Forums in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Montreal or Halifax. Each regional event will be themed on one of the broader topics the youth themselves have identified as the most important with the intention of inspiring them to convert a passionate interest into a life-long commitment to community engagement.
The second leadership group of 150 youth will be chosen to travel to Ottawa, to represent their community, share their ideas with government and business leaders, and throughout the rest of the week, take on key volunteer roles in the Canada 150 celebrations. This will be a Canada Day to remember!
For more information on this exciting program, go to http://www.experiencescanada.ca/150.
Compassion Project – A Better World Canada
The head offices of A Better World Canada are located in Lacombe, Alberta, but for more than 25 Years, Eric Rajah and his volunteers have been making a difference around the world. In recognition of Canada’s 150th Birthday, Eric and a Better World have launched the Community Compassion Project which encourages people to show compassion and make a different right here at home. A Better World Canada offers a variety of ways people can show they care and encourages all participants to submit their acts of kindness through their website, emailing [email protected], or by phoning 403-782-0325. If you use social media, you can follow along with the hashtag #compassion12.
Family Literacy Day – a Nationwide Reading Contest
Family Literacy Day is on January 27, 2017. Families are encouraged to report reading for 15 minutes as part of Family Literacy Day. Last year several communities participated in a contest to see which communities read the most on a per-capita basis. Last year the community of Donalda won the competition, but from what I understand the riding of Red Deer – Lacombe has several communities participating in this event. For more information on Family Literacy Day, visit the website by clicking here and if you are wondering if your community is participating the in the Read for 15 Challenge, contact your local library.
Forum for Young Canadians
Would you like to contribute to the future of your community and your country? Are you interested in decision-making and politics? Forum for Young Canadians offers a fun and exciting opportunity to meet other engaged students. Take part in an incredible week behind the scenes of the world of federal politics on Parliament Hill. For nine months, Forum will support you in your effort to make a difference. You will learn to communicate, collaborate and transform your ideas into meaningful community action. Find below some of the exciting activities that take place during the sessions. On top of all these meetings and discussions, you’ll also have the opportunity to get to know your fellow participants through social events. If this sounds like something for you, click here for more information and to apply.
Action for Happiness
Action for Happiness, Blackfalds, encourages members to create more happiness in their community while promoting sharing, helping out others and getting to know others friends and neighbours in the community. Members are Blackfalds’ children ages 2 and up. For more information on the Action of Happiness program, check them out on Facebook!
Crimewatch Meeting – Lacombe
- Ponoka Secondary Campus Remembrance Day – Ponoka
- Remembrance Day Service – Ponoka
- Remembrance Day Cenotaph Service – Sylvan Lake
- AgriTrade Meet n Greet – Red Deer
- Alberta Jobs Taskforce Roundtable
- Town of Bentley Santa Claus Breakfast
- Village of Alix Parade of Lights
- Town of Blackfalds Christmas Party
- Sylvan Lake Chamber of Commerce Jingle Mingle
- Red Deer – Lacombe Constituency Christmas Open House
- Hope Mission Christmas Open House
Constituency Job Connection
If you are an employer looking to hire, let us know! I will publish 3 positions for jobs in the constituency – Calkins…Currently will be published on the 15th of every month. Submit your employment opportunities by clicking here.
Red Deer – Trail Appliances in Red Deer is looking for a Journeyman Lineman. If you are interested in more details on this position, click here.
Lacombe – Boston Pizza in Lacombe is looking for a cook. Click here for more details.
Eckville – The Eckville Family Restaurant is looking for a manager. If you have experience and want more details on this position, click here.
We would appreciate it if you tell others about receiving Calkins…Currently. We have added a link on www.blainecalkinsmp.ca so that others can join the mailing list. Thank you!
From the Fraser Institute
By Jake Fuss and Grady Munro
There would have been 1.5 million more Canadians who donated to charity in 2023—and $755.5 million more in donations—had Canadians given to the same extent they did 10 years prior
According to recent polling, approximately one in five Canadians have skipped paying a bill over the past year so they can buy groceries. As families are increasingly hard-pressed to make ends meet, this undoubtedly means more and more people must seek out food banks, shelters and other charitable organizations to meet their basic necessities.
And each year, Canadians across the country donate their time and money to charities to help those in need—particularly around the holiday season. Yet at a time when the relatively high cost of living means these organizations need more resources, new data published by the Fraser Institute shows that the level of charitable giving in Canada is actually falling.
Specifically, over the last 10 years (2013 to 2023, the latest year of available data) the share of tax-filers who reported donating to charity fell from 21.9 per cent to 16.8 per cent. And while fewer Canadians are donating to charity, they’re also donating a smaller share of their income—during the same 10-year period, the share of aggregate income donated to charity fell from 0.55 per cent to 0.52 per cent.
To put this decline into perspective, consider this: there would have been 1.5 million more Canadians who donated to charity in 2023—and $755.5 million more in donations—had Canadians given to the same extent they did 10 years prior. Simply put, this long-standing decline in charitable giving in Canada ultimately limits the resources available for charities to help those in need.
On the bright side, despite the worrying long-term trends, the share of aggregate income donated to charity recently increased from 0.50 per cent in 2022 to 0.52 per cent in 2023. While this may seem like a marginal improvement, 0.02 per cent of aggregate income for all Canadians in 2023 was $255.7 million.
The provinces also reflect the national trends. From 2013 to 2023, every province saw a decline in the share of tax-filers donating to charity. These declines ranged from 15.4 per cent in Quebec to 31.4 per cent in Prince Edward Island.
Similarly, almost every province recorded a drop in the share of aggregate income donated to charity, with the largest being the 24.7 per cent decline seen in P.E.I. The only province to buck this trend was Alberta, which saw a 3.9 per cent increase in the share of aggregate income donated over the decade.
Just as Canada as a whole saw a recent improvement in the share of aggregate income donated, so too did many of the provinces. Indeed, seven provinces (except Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador) saw an increase in the share of aggregate income donated to charity from 2022 to 2023, with the largest increases occurring in Saskatchewan (7.9 per cent) and Alberta (6.7 per cent).
Canadians also volunteer their time to help those in need, yet the latest data show that volunteerism is also on the wane. According to Statistics Canada, the share of Canadians who volunteered (both formally and informally) fell by 8 per cent from 2018 to 2023. And the total numbers of hours volunteered (again, both formal and informal) fell by 18 per cent over that same period.
With many Canadians struggling to make ends meet, food banks, shelters and other charitable organizations play a critical role in providing basic necessities to those in need. Yet charitable giving—which provides resources for these charities—has long been on the decline. Hopefully, we’ll see this trend turn around swiftly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wayne Gretzky’s Terrible, Awful Week.. And Soccer/ Football.
Western Campuses Help Build China’s Digital Dragnet With U.S. Tax Funds, Study Warns
Common Vaccines Linked to 38-50% Increased Risk of Dementia and Alzheimer’s
Trump DOJ seeks to quash Pfizer whistleblower’s lawsuit over COVID shots
-
Great Reset2 days agoViral TikTok video shows 7-year-old cuddling great-grandfather before he’s euthanized
-
Daily Caller2 days agoChinese Billionaire Tried To Build US-Born Baby Empire As Overseas Elites Turn To American Surrogates
-
Alberta2 days agoSchools should go back to basics to mitigate effects of AI
-
International2 days agoAt Least 15 Killed In Shooting Targeting Jewish Community At Australia’s Bondi Beach, Police Say
-
International2 days agoTwo states designate Muslim group as terrorist
-
Business2 days agoMajor tax changes in 2026: Report
-
Digital ID1 day agoCanada releases new digital ID app for personal documents despite privacy concerns
-
Bruce Dowbiggin1 day agoNFL Ice Bowls Turn Down The Thermostat on Climate Change Hysteria