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March 28, 2021

Americans top list of illegals working in Canada: report

Following the lead of several U.S. cities, the City of Toronto recently passed a controversial 'access without fear' motion that would provide undocumented migrants access to municipal services such as food banks and homeless shelters.

The move sparked howls of protest from groups like The Centre for Immigration Policy Reform, who argue that by failing to uphold the law, Canada´s largest city has sent a message that the law doesn´t matter.

Dissenting councillor Minnan-Wong doesn't agree with the decision either, suggesting that illegals don't deserve access to government services.

“We shouldn’t encourage them. We shouldn’t help them. We should not facilitate them. They are an insult to every immigrant who plays by the rule to get into the country. They are an insult to every immigrant who is waiting to enter this country legally,” Minnan-Wong told the Toroto Star.

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January 14, 2022

Some EI recipients face nasty surprise upon returning to work

Being out of a job always means belt tightening — and sometimes dipping into savings as well.

The trouble is that harried workers often find themselves making assumptions and snap decisions under pressure that can have unexpected tax consequences.

Take EI, for instance, particularly now that those looking to collect EI face stricter, more complex rules for keeping their benefits.

Although it’s a surprise to most recipients, the government holds back part of your EI cheque in the form of withholding tax. The good news is that it assumes you’ll be in the lowest tax bracket, keeping deductions to the minimum.

The bad news is that if you do get back to work and your net income works out to more than $57,375, you may be required to pay back a portion of the benefits you received. Happily, maternity, parental and sickness benefits don’t count towards this total.

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Gordon PowersGordon Powers

A long-time fund company executive, Gordon Powers now heads up the Affinity Group, a financial services consulting firm. Gordon was a personal finance columnist for the Globe & Mail for many years, has taught retirement planning...