Living paycheque-to-paycheque

Most Canadians live paycheque-to-paycheque and nearly 60 per cent of Canadians would have trouble paying the bills if their paychque were delayed by one week, a nation-wide survey suggests.
The survey revealed that 59 per cent of respondents were living paycheque-to-paycheque and were unable to set aside money for their retirement.
It goes without saying that many small businesses likewise have no cash to spare. So it seems difficult to understand how so many businesses find financial room to donate to good causes, sponsor events, make pledges to projects which are partially publicly-funded or donate to other charities such as those aimed at cancer research, patient support services, mental health, palliative care, minor sports, school trips, church groups, heritage renovations . . . where can they draw the line?
We must contrast the so-called urgent needs for drug conferences against those of food banks, for example. We stack up sports complexes and hospital expansions against families facing survival. 
Just this week, our newspaper received a request for free advertising space in print and online for the upcoming Drug Awareness Conference, taking place in Rockland on October 28 and 29. The letter points out that other sponsors like the RCMP, the United Counties of Prescott and Russell, Caisse populaire Nouvel Horizon and Emergency Services of Prescott-Russell are other sponsors who have confirmed their participation in this event.
“We all volunteer our time to make this happen,” the letter says. How can we refuse?
Likewise, many businesses and families across the region have, as a group, pledged millions toward the expansion of the Hawkesbury and District General Hospital. This newspaper, and our competitors, have been supplying free ad space in our pages to recognize other contributors.
If individuals are living from paycheque-to-paycheque, so, it seems, are many of our institutions and levels of government.
Parents are constantly raising funds for additional school resources. Our community is supporting the less fortunate by sustaining food banks.
We apparently do not pay enough taxes to support a hospital expansion when we need it. Local citizens have to kick in extra for that.
We have firefighters raising money to leverage their municipalities into purchasing new equipment and libraries holding bake sales to buy more books.
In nearby North Glengarry, citizens are working to raise $125,000 for a $1.6-million indoor recreation complex. Maybe recreation is optional, but some would argue that recreational facilities ultimately reduce health care costs.
It is heartening to see that we can all rise to these challenges, especially when there is a need to help the less-fortunate. When it comes to food banks, the need is great.
Setting aside the psychological component of “ownershipship” that comes into play when we fundraise for projects in our communities, dare we consider asking multi-million-dollar entities like school boards, why parents and students need to raise money for “extras” like a wood gym floor, as in the case of the new Vankleek Hill Collegiate Institute?
Imagine, for a moment, if we could focus fundraising efforts where they would have the most impact in our community. The real challenge is to ascertain where the need is greatest.                                                                                         L.S.