The Ontario Retirement Handbook: A Guide to Programs and Services for Retirees

Christine Hughes is a policy analyst at the Ontario Native Affairs
Secretariat.

Dagys, an accountant with government program review and business
advisory service experience, is the current principal of a retirement
management service assisting retired persons with financial, estate,
health, and housing decisions. In this handbook, he has incorporated his
knowledge and expertise into a very helpful concise guide for Ontario
residents. Retirees, people planning for their retirement, and providers
of elder care will be well-served by this resource, which its author
describes as providing the “big picture” of services and options
available to seniors in all income groups. The book is printed in a
large, easy-to-read typeface.

Topics covered include health, housing, legal and advocacy,
transportation and mobility, and leisure and recreation. Rather than
providing an index, Dagys has chosen to start each chapter with a
detailed list of topics covered and corresponding page numbers. Readers
should be able to locate information quickly on a particular topic of
interest. As well, the book contains 12 appendices listing the names,
addresses, and phone numbers of many useful services and government
offices, such as public-health units, regional housing offices, rent
control offices, and seniors’ associations. This contact information
was current in 1996.

Dagys notes that government programs and private-sector services
dealing with nonfinancial and quality-of-life issues are primarily
delivered at the provincial and local municipal levels. This handbook is
useful because it focuses on federal, provincial, and municipal
government programs and private-sector services available in Ontario.
Given the current direction in Ontario on government realignment of
service delivery at the provincial and municipal levels, a second
edition of this book may be required once the impact of these changes
are fully realized.