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Former Kings find the hockey just fine in Germany..................................... »12 THE OBSERVER | Saturday, December 27, 2008
From paper to stone
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VOLUME 13, ISSUE 51
Gas tax agreement aims at infrastructure projects
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2008
www.ObserverXtra.com
» TAKiNG THe PLedGe
A winter wonderland for the holidays
Be it resolved New Year’s resolutions a yearly ritual that tends to fade away pretty quickly
Federal and provincial governments look for input preparing budgets
MARC MIQUEL HELSEN
The federal and provincial governments delivered one of the first components of a stimulus package this week, announcing a major investment in municipal infrastructure. On Tuesday, Ottawa and Queen’s Park signed off on an extension of the Gas Tax Fund agreement. Between 2010 and 2014, the federal government will hand Ontario municipalities $2.9 billion earmarked for municipal infrastructure projects. The announcement follows weeks of pre-budget consultations by the federal and Ontario finance ministers. If the early reports of those consultations are any indication, more infrastructure-related announcements are in the offing. Kitchener-Conestoga MP Harold Albrecht met with federal finance minister Jim Flaherty on Tuesday to relay the concerns of his constituents. “I think the primary concern that we all have is that businesses that have been successful for many years are having a hard time finding credit,” Albrecht said in an interview. “That’s our major concern right now, that companies will have the ability to weather the storm.” See INFRASTRUCTURE page »05
PHOTO | JONi miLTeNbuRG
JONI MILTENBURG
STUnT RIdER Adam brown keeps a watchful eye, but Timothy Shuh had plenty of speed and cleared the jump with air to spare. The boys braved the cold weather monday afternoon to try some runs in elmira.
As sure as Christmas gatherings mean overindulgence, the arrival of Jan. 1 is accompanied by a resolve to change past behaviours in the coming year. For many, resolutions are as much a part of the holidays as a second or third helping of turkey or gulping down that extra cup of eggnog. “Typically, you do notice a sort of increase in referrals for healthy eating, weight-loss, come January – that’s sort of a motivation,” says Jan Inguanez, a registered dietician at Woolwich Community Health Centre (WCHS) in St. Jacobs. As always, the most popular resolutions tend to have something to do with eating healthier, exercising more and smoking cessation. Indeed, this year some people are already taking a preemptive swipe at their New Year’s resolutions. “They want to get a head-start on it and they want to be proactive, which is very positive to sort of try to minimize the weight-gain over the holidays and try to carry it on for the new year,” says Inguanez, who has taken on three new clients in December. “That’s the first time I’ve ever seen that happen, but typically you’d see a slight increase of people that will come on board in January with the intent of better habits, healthier habits.” As far as resolutions go, WCHC professionals suggest that planned, prepared and more moderate approaches tend to be the most effective. While some people can react positively to “crash” diets or regimens after a week of See RESOLUTIONS page »07
hes B Wis a m Gram r yone a ear! Eve ew Y N y Happ HOLIDAY HOURS:
Closed Dec. 25-28th Mon. 29th 9-6 New Years Eve 9-4 Reopening Jan. 3rd
10 CHURCH ST. W., ELMIRA (TOP FLOOR ABOVE VILLAGE PET) | 519.669.9996 | HOURS: Mon.-Wed. 9-6 | Thurs. & Fri. 9-9 | Sat. 9-6 | Sun. 12-5