Courtesy of Chris Gale

BE AWARE OF TAX TIME SCAMS With the deadline to file your 2023 tax return looming (April 30 for the majority of Canadians, or June 15 for those that are self employed) the number of tax-related phone, email or internet scams is also on the rise. To protect yourself, you are encouraged to be extra vigilant when you’re contacted about anything tax related. From text messages asking you to click a link to accept your refund, to emails asking for your information to approve a transfer of funds, there are a lot of very clever and realistic looking scams circulating the country. Unfortunately, anyone is subject to these scams, but be extra cautious if you or those you know are new to filing taxes (teens and those new to working in Canada) or are elderly or not necessarily technologically savvy enough to be able to spot a scam. Scammers can be quite convincing and know which tactics work best to unnerve a potential victim. If you receive a communication from anyone this tax season with a link to click, demanding immediate payment for the funds you owe, asking for personal or financial information, proceed with caution. To learn more, head to the Canada Revenue Agency website where you can learn about common scams, how to protect yourself or even sign up for CRA scam alerts. Go to https://www.canada.ca/ en/revenue-agency/campaigns/fraud-scams.html. GARDEN BY ZONE With the mild winter seen across a lot of the country, many gardening enthusiasts are itching to start their outdoor gardens and are flocking to home garden centers to get everything they need for the upcoming season. However, when you’re a beginner gardener, or new to a particular area of the country, it’s important to know what can and cannot be started early indoors and then transplanted outside when the ground and weather are ideal. First you need to determine what zone you live in. Head to planthardiness.gc.ca for an interactive look up tool and maps. Once you have your zone determined, you’ll be able to find what should grow nicely and what might not be the best idea to plant based on the local environment. And from there, you can research which plants can be started indoors, planted now or need to wait. Your local garden center will be a wealth of information as well as the seed packets themselves should state their ideal growing conditions.

JOKES

Q: What do you get when you cross a bunny and a leaf blower? A: A hare dryer! Q: Why did the duck cross the road? A: To prove he wasn’t a chicken! Q: What did one ant say to the other ant when they got a mouthful of honey? A: Nothing, ants can’t talk!

Q: What kind of bow can’t be tied? A: A rainbow. Q: If 10 kids try to squeeze under one umbrella, how do none of them get wet? A: Because it wasn’t raining.

Courtesy of funology.com

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