Dear Constituents,

Each year as the Parliamentary summer recess approaches, there has always been a flurry of activity in the House of Commons to tie off loose ends. This year was no exception. It also is a time when numerous events occur in our city such as community barbeques, school graduations and special events such as the blessing of the fleet at the Port Credit Yacht Club and numerous Canada Day Celebrations.

I really enjoy getting out in the community to speak to people and learning about developments around the City. On a weekend there could be 2 or 3 events to attend and I do not have to tell you that Mayor McCallion seems to be at them all.

On the cover, I am pictured with the Mayor at the May 15th opening 5k and 10k races of the Mississauga Marathon weekend. We pulled on our lime green event T-shirts, gave the hundreds of runners some upbeat words of encouragement, then sounded the starting horn. Then hop in a bus and get shuttled to the finish line to greet the runners and hand out prizes to the winners. The organizers did a superb job and they deserve our thanks.

This past session of Parliament did have some very difficult issues to contend with including:
• A Parliamentary showdown over the release of government documents related to the treatment of Afghan prisoners.
• The human rights concerns related to the proposed free trade deal with Columbia.
• The Budget Implementation Bill which proposed to privatize AECL, weaken the Environmental Protection Act and enact other non-budgetary legislative changes.
• The Immigration Act amendments to our refugee policy and particularly the designation of safe countries of origin which was resolved through negotiations.
• The Ethics Committee hearings into the alleged interference of the government with Access to information Requests and their refusal to allow political staff to testify, even though they had been issued a summons to appear.

Not all of these matters are fully resolved and there have been some rumours of the government calling an election before the scheduled return of parliament in September. Under Canada’s Fixed Election Date law, the next election should not be held until October 2012. I sincerely hope that the law will be respected rather than thrust us into another expensive election just to avoid accountability.
In this edition of my householder, I have written about a number of other subjects which I hope you will find of interest including:
• Our aging society and the potential implications to our health-care system.
• Your privacy rights and the emerging threats and risks of identity theft.
• Sun safety and how to reduce the risk of skin cancer; and
• The emerging problem of termite infestations in Mississauga and steps that can be taken.
This summer, my family is celebrating the marriage of my youngest daughter and that is enough excitement for now. We are looking forward to spending the summer catching up with family and friends. I hope your summer goes well and as always, I welcome your input on matters of importance to you.

Sincerely,

Paul Szabo

In 2009, there were 4.7 million seniors in Canada or about 13.9% of the population. By 2036, the number of seniors is expected to reach 10.9 million or about 25% of the projected population.
In 1971, there were nearly 8 persons of working age for every Ca-nadian over 65. By 2008, that ratio had fallen to 5.1. By 2019 it will be 3.8 and by 2033 it will be 2.5.
When you consider that the vast majority of our personal health-care needs come in our later years, it is not surprising that some are beginning to wonder whether our health-care system will be able to keep up with the growing proportion of seniors.
This spring, the Parliamentary Budget Officer has issued a report warning that elderly and health-care costs associated with aging will require that taxes increase or expenses decrease by $20 billion over the next decade. Others have said it may not be so bad since the next generations of seniors have lived healthier lives and will live their retirement years in better health. This means that the av-erage cost of health-care for the elderly will be less than for the cur-rent elderly.
Notwithstanding the optimism, some economists are not convinced and have made some recommendations to improve the efficiency of our health–care system. Here in brief are some of their ideas spe-cifically focused on Ontario;
•More aggressively promote healthier lifestyles which would reduce the demand for care. The theory is that we may not live much longer but more of our lives will be healthy and reduce our demand on the system.
• Expand the use of information technology because our current largely paper-based system of medical records is more costly and inefficient.
• Change the way doctors are compensated so that doctors’ pay would not only be based on treating patients but also for care that is cost-effective.
• Change the way hospitals are funded by replacing their global budgets with a system that reimburses them for services they provide.
• Enhance the use of other health-care providers such as nurse practitioners assuming some of the duties traditionally per-formed by physicians.
• Scale back the drug benefit plan and only subsidize drug pre-scriptions of only those senior citizens in financial need.
• Increase bulk purchases of prescription drugs thereby lowering the costs.
• Incorporate a health-care benefit tax into the income tax struc-ture to improve public awareness.
• Pre-fund drug coverage to spread the growing costs of health-care more evenly among generations.
Having spent 9 years on the Board of the Mississauga (Trillium)Hospital and 4 years on the House of Commons Standing Commit-tee on Health, I have heard many of these kinds of suggestions be-fore. What I will never forget is the briefing I received from Health Canada when I joined the Health Committee. In brief, they said that 75% of what we spend is fixing problems and 25% is on pre-vention of problems. They concluded that the system was not sus-tainable unless we shifted to more prevention. Furthermore, a dol-lar spent on prevention could save up to $3 in health-care costs. Health care is by far the most important social program we have. Under the Canada Health Act, our system must be universal, acces-sible, portable, comprehensive and publicly funded. Now our chal-lenge is to protect our system by promoting wellness & prevention.

As Chair of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics, much of my work involves the protection of the rights of Canadians. Your basic right to privacy is very important because should information about you get into the wrong hands, you may be at risk.
When you do business with a company, you do more than simply exchange money for a product or service: Unless you pay in cash, you also leave behind a trail of personal information about yourself. Your name, address, credit card number and spending habits are all information of great value to somebody, whether that’s a legitimate marketer or an identity thief.
Your personal information includes your...
• name, race, ethnic origin, religion, marital status, educational level
• e-mail address and messages, IP (Internet protocol) address
• age, height, weight, medical records, blood type, DNA code, fingerprints, voiceprint
• income, purchases, spending habits, banking information, credit/debit card data, loan or credit reports, tax returns
• Social Insurance Number (SIN) or other identification numbers.
There have always been scammers who pose as somebody else to carry out fraudulent activities. With today’s proliferation of technology, stealing innocent people’s identities in order to commit fraud has become a very lucrative business.
Cloaked in your stolen identity, a fraudster can cash your cheques, raid your bank accounts, bilk your credit card company and even load a big mortgage on your house. Identity theft is happening so often that we all should be aware of how to protect ourselves.
YOUR PRIVACY & IDENTITY THEFT
Incorporating the following tips into your life doesn’t take long, but it will significantly lessen the chances that your personal information winds up in the wrong hands.
CREDIT CARDS:
• Keep track of when credit card bills are supposed to arrive, and call the company if they’re late.
• Review all credit card and bank statements to make sure there are no unauthorized purchases.
• Check your credit report annually. Major credit reporting bureaus provide one free report each year.
MAIL:
• If you can, use a locked mailbox or one with a drop slot so no one can steal your mail. If you use a regular box, pick up your mail as promptly as possible after it is delivered.
• Shred or destroy items with your name and address, such as pre-approved credit card offers, insurance and loan applications, bills, and credit card receipts. Don’t discard them in your recycling or waste bins.
• If you are going to be away from home, arrange for a trusted neighbour to pick up your mail. If this is impossible, Canada Post provides a mail-holding service for a fee.
PHONE:
• Don’t give out credit card numbers or other personal information over the phone unless it’s to a trusted person or you initiated the call yourself.
• If someone calls offering an ‘exceptional offer’ or to conduct a survey, do not disclose your personal information. Reputable firms never ask for personal information without significant safeguards.
• Teach your children about the risks of identity theft and advise them not to answer any questions from strangers over the telephone. Encourage them to tell you when they receive a suspicious call.
WALLET:
• Carry only essential ID such as your driver’s licence and health card. Leave your social insurance number (SIN) card, passport and birth certificate in a safe place, such as a locked cabinet at home or a safety deposit box at the bank.
COMPUTER:
• Make sure your computer has firewalls, virus protection and online security and privacy safeguards.
• Your online accounts should only be accessible with passwords that you create and change often. Your passwords should be hard for anyone to guess.
• When you shop or bank online, or fill out online forms, look for the padlock symbol at the lower right corner of your screen. This symbol means the information you provide is secure.
• When you log on to your e-mail or bank account from a library or other public computer, make sure no person can watch over your shoulder as you type in your password and other private information. Log out when you leave.
• Be careful about any personal information you divulge online, including in chat rooms and over social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
• Be suspicious of e-mails that appear to come from financial institutions or government agencies, asking you to provide personal information online. Real banks and governments don’t do that, but scammers will often hijack real logos to make their fraudulent messages look authentic.
• Delete any e-mail soliciting funds unless you can verify independently – for example with a phone call – that it’s from a reputable organization.
• Share this and other information about identity theft with your children. Help them better understand what they must do to protect their privacy online.
The website of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (www.priv.gc.ca) offers other useful information about reporting and correcting the damage resulting from identity theft or related frauds.

Each year, The Canadian Dermatology Association visits Parlia-ment to offer a voluntary skin cancer screening and to provide us with the latest information on how to protect ourselves from the risk of skin cancer. This is the most common cancer in the world.
According to Cancer Society Statistics 2010:
• More than 75,500 new cases and 280 deaths from non-melanoma skin cancers are expected in 2010.
• Approximately 5,300 Canadians will be diagnosed with mela-noma (can spread in the body) in 2010 and 920 will die of it.
• The main cause of skin cancer is too much UV radiation.
Skin cancer is one of a small number of cancers that can be pre-vented through simple measures such as limiting sun exposure, seeking shade, wearing hats and clothing, and using a broad spec-trum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher.
Some people are more susceptible to sun damage and skin cancer:
A healthy sun protection regime is particularly important if you:
• Have red or blond hair
• Have light coloured eyes
• Always burn before tanning
• Are unable to tan
•Freckle easily
• Have many moles
•; Had two or more blistering sunburns before the age of 18
• Have a family history of skin cancer
• Spend a lot of time in outdoor recreation activities
• Work outdoors
In Canada, the highest UV radiation levels occur from May through August and the greatest amount of UV radiation reaches the earth between 11am and 4pm. For more information, consult you doctor or visit www.dermatology.

Special personal messages of congratulations may be requested for those Birthdays and Anniversaries listed below.  As these events are very important occasions, you may want to request a message, when applicable, from Her Majesty The Queen, the Governor General and the Prime Minister of Canada.

Greetings from Her Majesty the Queen are available for 100th Birthdays and every 5th year thereafter, and 60th Wedding Anniversaries and every 5th year thereafter.  Please note that copies of birth certificates and marriage certificates are required by Government House for messages from The Queen.

Birthdays

75th and over   - message from the Prime Minister

90th - 99th         - message from the Governor General

100th and over - message from Her Majesty The Queen
                          (copy of birth certificate required)

Wedding Anniversaries

25th and over    - message from the Prime Minister

50th - 59th         - message from the Governor General

60th and over   - message from Her Majesty The Queen
                         (copy of marriage certificate required)

___________Wedding Anniversary or ___________Birthday
     (#)                                                               (#)
Date of Birth/Marriage __________________________________
                                                           Day/Month/Year
Date of Celebration     ___________________________________
                                                           Day/Month/Year
Circle one:  Mr. and Mrs.    Dr.    Mr.    Mrs.    Miss    Ms.

Name:    _____________________________________________

Address: _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

______________________Postal Code:  ____________________

Telephone Number:  (      ) _______________________________

Send message to:  same as above __________________________

or c/o:  _______________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

_______________________Postal Code:  ___________________

Telephone Number:  (      ) _______________________________

Your name:  __________________________________________

Your telephone number:  (      ) ___________________________

The subterranean termite is probably the most destructive and widely distributed species in North America. Presently in Metropolitan To-ronto, the termite infested area extends through a radius of 30 kilo-metres. Guelph Ontario has reported infestations since 1975 and now Mississauga has reported infestations.
Termites eat wood and other cellulose-based materials. They live in colonies in the soil or in wood itself. Termites need moisture to live and the soil is the main source of that moisture. Decaying or damp wood is also a good source of moisture but termites are also able to feed on sound dry lumber. Damage to wood is not usually notice-able on the surface, as termites avoid exposure to the air. Therefore the exterior surface of the wood must be stripped away to see the damage. The damage that can be caused to a home can be very sub-stantial and costly to repair.
What you can do to prevent an infestation of termites
1. Conduct a complete and thorough removal of all scrap wood and wood products from around the property.
2. Improve the water drainage around your property. If the soil is constantly moist, optimum conditions are provided for the ter-mites. Repair eaves trough, slope concrete walks away from the house and repair all leaks.
3. Proper ventilation is essential to eliminate moist conditions. The main areas of concern are verandas and crawl spaces. The amount of ventilation will be variable according to regional and local factors, and must meet building standards.
4. Break the wood-soil contact. Too little clearance between the soil and wooden structures often results in all of the physical require-ments for a termite infestation being met (moisture, decaying wood, and food readily available). A general rule is that there should be a 45cm (18 inch) clearance between the soil and low-est horizontal members of the structure. If wooden lattice-work is used around verandas, there should be a space of 50 – 75 cm (20-
TERMITE INFESTATIONS
30 inches) between the soil and this lattice-work. Other problem areas include veranda and basement steps, where the wood is in direct contact with soil.
5. Termites often enter buildings through cracks and holes and expansion joints in foundations. Spaces around piping and wir-ing are also points of entry. These openings may be filled with either roofing-grade coal-tar pitch, sealers or similar commer-cial caulking products.
6. Avoid storing firewood directly on the ground. Care should be taken when obtaining infesting material (such a soil and dis-carded lumber) from known termite areas.
Suppression of Termites
Suppression refers to measures intended to reduce and eventually eradicate termites from infested materials in a designated area. Sup-pression methods include systematic location and destruction of colonies not associated with buildings (such as in street trees), sys-tematic inspection of wood products leaving an infested area to quarantine the infestation, burning of infested lumber and heat treatment of reclaimed lumber.
Chemical Treatment
Before any chemical treatment can be done all wood in direct con-tact with the soil must be removed from the property.
Conventional treatment for termite control requires the services of a licensed exterminator. Several firms in Ontario are qualified, and your Yellow Pages or a Local Search will assist you in locating companies in your area.
Chemical treatment takes approximately one full day, and involves four distinct phases:
1. Treatment around the exterior of the foundation walls as deep as the footings.
2. Treatment under the basement floor adjacent to the foundation walls and any supporting pillars.
3. Injection of pesticide into the basement wall itself.
4. Finally, all exterior areas where trees, sheds or fences are lo-cated are to be treated.
Checklist for Staying Termite-free
If you live in a termite-prone area, assess your hazard exposure and use the information here to develop a termite management strategy that includes some or all of the control measures presented. Termite management is an ongoing process that with constant vigilance and maintenance can save a lot of trouble, worry and money.
• have a professional inspection done every year
• keep termite habitats away from the immediate area around the building
• clear or relocate buried wood such as tree stumps, firewood, scrap wood, cardboard boxes and plants
• be vigilant for foundation settling or shifting that could open new paths for termite access
• quickly fix any roof or plumbing leaks so that moisture does not enter the building envelope
• keep roof gutters in good repair and ensure they direct water away from the building
• maintain the integrity of physical barriers such as sand or mesh - do not lay soil or mulch over the barrier, or let roots grow through it
• repair poorly ventilated bathrooms, leaking pipes, clothes dry-ers and air-conditioner condensation leaks that result in termite-attracting moisture accumulation
• do not store wood, cardboard boxes or other cellulose-based material in crawl spaces
The problems with termites in Mississauga has been a very disturb-ing experience for many homeowners. This situation involves all levels of government in some way and I will continue to work with homeowners. There is no simple solution as the City of Toronto has found but there is some advanced work being done by the Ter-mite Control Officer in Guelph. He has provided some guidance and affected areas will be kept informed.

From the Mississauga News
“Szabo Now Second Busiest Beaver”
Paul Szabo has been dethroned as Canada's hardest-working Mem-ber of Parliament. After three straight years of winning the award handed out to the country's hardest-working elected federal repre-sentative, Szabo finished second this time around.
When the awards were handed out last night in Ottawa, Ted Men-zies, a Conservative from Alberta, was named the most diligent MP.
Szabo had held the honour since the awards, which are sponsored by Maclean's magazine in association with the Historica-Dominion Institute, L'actualité magazine and TD Bank, were first handed out.
The honours have added significance since they are voted on by sitting MPs. This year, almost 70 per cent of the 308 Parliamentari-ans voted.
The award winners will be featured in a special issue of Maclean's that will hit newsstands today. Ottawa-Nepean MP John Baird was named Parliamentarian of the Year. Bob Rae, former Ontario Premier, was named best orator. Other winners included the NDP's Peter Stoffer, who was voted "most collegial." Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe was determined to be "most knowl-edgeable," while the Bloc's Robert Bouchard was honoured for best representing constituents. Conservative MP Kelly Block of Saskatchewan was voted to be the "rising star" in Parliament.
jstewart@mississauga.net June 3, 2010
SECOND PLACE STILL AN HONOUR

Visit us on the Internet: www.paulszabo.com

Mississauga Office Hours: Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Appointments can be scheduled during office hours or other arrangements can be made by calling the office.

Constituents may write to any Member of Parliament or Cabinet Minister postage free. Simply address your envelope to the particular Member, c/o House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6. Your views and suggestions are important.

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