Paid Sick Days: Are You Outraged Enough to Pay for It?

 Paid Sick Days:
Are You Outraged Enough to
Pay for It?
By Nick Kossovan
   As a part of the solution to get out of this COVID19 pandemic mess, which keeps sticking to us like sidewalk gum to a shoe on a hot July day, we need universal paid sick days.  
   On Monday, April 26th, for the 21st time since 2016, the Ontario Conservatives voted against provincial paid leave. Michael Coteau (Don Valley East, Liberal MPP) had put forward a bill that would have guaranteed 10 paid sick days for all workers in Ontario. Coteau's bill was voted down 20 - 55.
Pandemic or no pandemic, should all workers in Ontario have easy access to paid sick days? Of course! All Canadians on a payroll, working full-time (no less than 35 hours per week) regardless of whom they work for, the industry they work in, or their employer's size, should.
 The lack of paid sick time is a public health concern. Long overdue is universal paid sick days. Workers need to be able to stay home and not bring sicknesses into the workplace.
However, as with any social program, especially when birthing a new one, who pays is the thorny question. The last time I checked, Canadians don't like tax increases or any increase in living costs. It's as if Canadians, many at least, believe the many social services and social safety nets Canada offers don't have any expenses attached to them.
For universal paid sick days, permanent and adequate, to happen in Ontario, taxpayers will have to pay. This can be equated to the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP), which provides universal healthcare regardless of income, place of employment or any other factor other than being a resident of Ontario, being funded by taxpayers. I feel sick leave should be part of OHIP, where the government absorbs the cost up to a daily limit. This can only be achieved by increasing taxes while businesses absorb lost productivity.  For the record, I'm okay with my taxes being raised to make universal paid sick days a reality. Yes, you read that right. I was brought up if you want something, you must pay for it. As a taxpayer, I want universal paid sick days (10 days annually), and I'm willing to have my taxes increased to pay for it.  
That's the "who pays" side of the equation. However, there's also the political side to entertain.  
It's not a stretch to consider because Coteau's bill was an opposition bill, the vote result was a juvenile rejection. If Coteau's bill had passed, that would've been a massive win for the Liberal. The Conservatives couldn't have that.
A few days later, this past Thursday, Labour Minister Monte McNaughton tabled a bill that was quickly passed through the legislative process. The legislation gives Ontario workers 3 paid days of emergency leave. Businesses are expected to foot the upfront cost, which will be reimbursed up to $200 per day, per employee, through the Workplace Safety Insurance Board (WSIB).
This program has an expiry date of September 25th, as if at midnight on Saturday, September 25th, COVID will suddenly become history. Therefore, on Sunday, September 26th, workers in Ontario with no paid sick days provided by their employer will be back to square one.
Michael Coteau's bill and Monte McNaughton, now legislated bill aren't even remotely comparable!  Political partisanship has its place governing economic direction, but not when it comes to public health. COVID has taught us many deadly lessons, including how dangerous it is to approach a health problem as a political problem. Ford's handling of this pandemic, which undeniably has been guided by appealing as much as possible to his voter base, is a case in point. As well, to deflect, Ford has been leaning heavily on the federal government's Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB) program to claim an Ontario paid sick leave program would be redundant.
The debate around paid sick days has been made into a political issue by politicians of every political stripe. There isn't a political party that can claim not to have been leveraging the social injustices COVID has bubbled up to serve their political agenda.
The largest private-sector union in Canada, Unifor, recently conducted a poll to gauge the level of support for paid sick days (Never judge public appetite by social media posts. Most "social justice" posts are virtue signalling.). Unifor's poll found 70 percent of Ontarians support 5 days of paid sick leave, and 64 percent support 10 days of paid sick leave.
Business interests are often touted as the main reason behind the lack of action on measures like paid sick days. There's much truth to this. Not one person reading this doesn't benefit from profitable businesses populating Canada's landscape. While the yin yang between political power and economic health is complex, it boils down to people wanting good-paying jobs.
For good-paying jobs to be created and exist, a business-friendly environment needs to exist-an environment that's conducive to do business in. Providing businesses with a competitive "cost of doing business" environment, when compared to conducting their business elsewhere (e.g., other provinces, overseas and let's not forget our next-door neighbour, the USA, where most states don't have paid sick leave.), will be the spark for rapid economic growth post-COVID.  Then there's also automation, contracting out, et al., to consider which businesses migrate toward as ways to look after their profit margins. Mandating businesses to take on the financial cost and productivity loss of providing paid sick days will be another incentive for businesses to move elsewhere, outsource work to contractors, fast-track implementing automation, or simply close shop. The common narrative, born from a sense of entitlement, is that because a person owns a business, they are rich and living off the back of their employees. That perception is completely incorrect. Many small business owners-owners of restaurants, convenience stores, mom and pop travel agencies, dry cleaners, coffee shops, retailers-can't afford the financial cost (paying people not to work) coupled with the production loss (work not being done) to offer their employees paid sick days. Imagine the negative impact, financially and productivity-wise, on a flower shop with 5 employees and 2 call in sick or an autobody shop with a staff of 7. The application of economic principles and the ecosystems they create for businesses to thrive can't be dismissed.   Ford has said, "he will not impose any additional burden on the backs of Ontario businesses." This is a fair statement, especially from a conservative perspective and given how most businesses are struggling to stay alive under the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. Many businesses are on the brink of permanent closure.
You don't need to be an expert to see the economic damage the pandemic lockdowns have caused. Whenever any meaningful "recovery" happens (my guess that it'll be mid-2023), it won't be fair or straightforward. An environment that's attractive to businesses starting, expanding, or entice to come to Ontario will be crucial post-COVID for any type of healthy economic recovery to take place. Keep in mind all provinces will be on the same mission. So will countries worldwide, including our southern neighbours, who are the world's most adept capitalists and possess high energy of self-interest.     
My empathy for employers who can't afford to offer their employees 10 paid sick days annually, especially during a pandemic and with consumers constantly demanding cheap, is why I'm willing to pay more taxes.  Adding to my empathy is my enormous respect for anyone who takes on the financial risk, a risk most people won't take, to start a business that creates jobs.
Due to pandemic spending, Ontario now finds itself with a historic deficit (forecasted to be about $33.1 billion for the 2021-22 fiscal year based on four percent growth in the economy). I'm surmising Ford is reluctant to raise taxes. Inevitably somewhere down the line, taxes will need to be increased-the piper always needs to be paid. Right now, increasing taxes would be political suicide, thus permission needs to be given.   I suggest the message to Doug Ford's government be: "The people of Ontario are demanding permanent paid sick days! Let us help you help every worker in Ontario regardless of whom they work for. Increase our taxes if need be."  All Canadian political leaders should hear such a message.
If such permission were granted, no political leader would have any excuse not to provide universal paid sick days. Call it reverse protesting. Currently, those of us, the 70 percent according to Unifor's poll, who favour universal paid sick days, are just sitting idly by watching politicians playing politics.
Ontario taxpayers offering to put their money where their mouth is might be the protest required for Doug Ford's government to finally provide universal paid sick days. I'm outraged enough to be willing to pay more taxes to bring universal paid sick days to fruition in Ontario, are you?

COVID Means Double Trouble, and Worse

 

COVID Means Double Trouble, and Worse
 W. Gifford-Jones, M.D. and Diana Gifford-Jones
If ever a time to act on your health, this is it. Study after study in leading medical journals reports compounding troubles from COVID-19. What was described as a lung disease early in the pandemic is now better recognized as an attack on health systems – your own body’s systems involving multiple organs as well as societal systems of disease surveillance and care delivery. Whether you have been infected or not, chances are high your health is becoming worse.
New research should raise alarm bells.
In the journal, Nature, Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, chief of research at Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System, reported on deteriorated health of COVID-19 survivors. To his amazement, the disease was not just deadlier for people with underlying conditions like diabetes. Data show that people are seemingly developing metabolic disease as a result of the infection.
How this happens is yet to be understood. Some scientists think SARS-CoV-2 not only damages the lungs, but other organs too. The pancreas which produces insulin needed to convert blood-sugar to energy might be affected by the infection. Another concern is the sedentary lifestyle brought on by the pandemic. Late or missed diagnoses of health issues among people skipping or unable to maintain medical appointments could be a factor.
Obesity and poor lifestyle issues are leading ever more children down the path to avoidable chronic disease. COVID is compounding problems for children who develop Type 2 diabetes. A study of such youth published in Diabetes Care showed a troubling and unexplained increase last year in diabetic ketoacidosis, a dangerous buildup of acid in the blood due to inadequate insulin supply.
Pregnancy is another area of concern. Research published in JAMA Pediatrics involving 18 countries found COVID-19 in pregnancy was associated with consistent and substantial increases in severe maternal morbidity and mortality and neonatal complications when pregnant women with and without COVID-19 diagnosis were compared. This underscores precautions to prevent COVID illness during pregnancy by following public health measures.
But how is COVID making you sick, even if you don’t catch the virus?
For one, the pandemic has caused a sharp decline in preventative care and screening, particularly for breast, colon, cervical and lung cancers.
One study in California, conducted by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that between March and June of 2020, the rate of cervical cancer screening among 1.5 million women decreased by roughly 80%, compared with the same period in 2019.
Another study at the University of Cincinnati Medical Centre found that in March 2020 alone, more than 800 appointments for lung cancer screening were postponed. Upon resumption of screenings two months later, the percentage of people tested who had lung nodules suspicious for cancer had increased from 8% before the pandemic to 29%.
In some health care systems, a rapid switch to at-home screening tests, such as the fecal immunochemical test (FIT) for colorectal cancer, has kept pace with pre-pandemic testing. But in most places, individuals need to take the initiative to request the test kits and get it done.
Delays in screening, especially among people at risk, can mean missing early diagnosis. Cancers may grow larger and more deadly before they are detected.
Delays in all kinds of surgeries are yet another concern.
Research has only begun to emerge regarding the tsunami of mental health problems that have crept or crashed into the lives of many. An echo pandemic of mental illness will almost certainly follow.
So do not wait for trouble. Prevention is key. Make lifestyle changes to improve your health. Get tested where advisable or do at-home screening. Read past articles at docgiff.com if you need reminders.

Sign-up at www.docgiff.com to receive our weekly e-newsletter. For comments, contact-us@docgiff.com. Follow us Instagram @docgiff and @diana_gifford_jones

PLEASE HELP - WE ARE NOT THE PROBLEM BUT THE SOLUTION

 By Raymond Bond
Co-founder of Durham Dignity for the Homeless.
At CAMP we were feeding many in need.  We had two servings.  All food was free and donation based.  This has now come to conclusion due to complaints by cowards.   Political entities working to get rid of the poor and homeless from the core.   This is not about good citizens helping less fortunate.
This is about political greed.  About pleasing complainers that because they think they have it good that they can never be the ones at the end of need.   Sad.
Oshawa and Durham Region spends millions per year pushing the homeless from the downtown and into other adjacent communities.
For instance, if you're homeless or undesirable and you set up shop in Memorial Park, you won't last long before private security pushes you to the next phase of your journey.
Perhaps you head west, cross Centre Street and stop to rest at the Robert MacLaughlin Gallery, the library or City Hall. Nope, pan tilt zoom cameras will have you identified and accosted by private security from those properties in no time. A fence is even being constructed at the Gallery to keep the public out.
Will the journey west across the walking bridge and onto the path leading from the beer store to Brick by Brick Park bare any fruit? It depends if you walk south of the John Street bridge, where G4S seems to have the contract to patrol the park from the bridge south.
The natural instinct for someone being herded in this manner would be to find an available plot of land where no one is forcing them to leave. In this case, that would be the path that borders Midtown Mall, where heaps of people congregate to drink beer in eye shot of a Beer Store with no apparent social responsibility for its neighbors.
I get the feeling that our city is more interested in damaging the reputation of our meal program than they are about getting people drug and alcohol free. Using this type of selective enforcement, they can keep the downtown cleaner, build a case for revoking our permit, and ultimately, swoop in like the hero and clean it up after the problem has been allowed to exacerbate.
Midtown Mall has written letters to the Chief of police and the mayor to no avail. All that's happened so far is an increased presence of complacent police and bylaw, at least one of whom have offered suggestions for the crowd to at least put the beer in a Timmies cup and be more discrete. Idle threats include charges for stolen shopping carts and fines that would be used as toilet paper.   
One person I talked to at this location would love a place where they could go to dry out and get off of even Methadone (among the other things). It seems the synthetic heroin is interfering with their ability to be hired for the type of employment that interests them.   
Of course, sending scores of agencies to use private Midtown Mall property to hand out needles and crack pipes didn't work out well along this strip of the path defined as a park. It only led to the mall writing letters instructing municipal and regional services to NOT provide goods and services on their private property.
This does remind me of 101 Quebec street 2 years ago, when the homeless set up on undeveloped, vacant private property and the city used threats of zoning law infractions and fines for the property owner to coerce them to file trespass orders enforceable by police or municipal by-law.
I guess I'm wondering if we'll be doing the right thing this year or if merely pushing the homeless and undesirable out of the downtown and select parks and trails will be the ritual we stick to this term.    
we just cancelled our dinner program to mitigate the complaints that are coming. First Light Foundation will be attacked in the next council meeting as well from what I understand. More complaints for them I hear.
For everyone reading this.  I want you to know that no matter what the politicians may tell  you.  We are not the problem.  We are the solution to the homeless and those in need.   The fact that some have chosen out of not choice to set camp near our set up and subsequently cause us to shut down.  Should be a policing and or bylaw.   Instead they sit idled as if to protect an agenda that will bring public opinion into the formula of making it look as a good deed is the causation for all of downtown problem.  WE ARE NOT.

Recycling Game

 WELCOME HOME FOR LESS
Recycling G

ame
 Written by,  Sharleen Cainer, BSW RSW
The sustainability and recycling game.  In the 70's the youth created what they thought was about to become the alternative culture. They were infamous for creating utopian communities where they spouted peace, love, shared resources and living off the land.  They were considered drop-outs, dropping out of society, and referred to themselves as freaks. Women became liberated and men became mystified. Didn't free love mean they could be sleeping with anyone they wished when the mood was upon them?  Well, no, it really didn't mean that gentlemen.  Meanwhile the Freaks were getting their ducks in a row, quite literally.  Small farming operations were affordable, and many young people went out to the "country" to raise their food and families.
What happens to the economy when the largest demographic decides they don't want to play ball on the same field as everybody else.  So, the 70's produced a group of youngsters who knew enough to know they didn't want to go to fight in a global war but wanted to take up social causes. They fought sexism, racism, and back then what was called pollution.  The baby boomers through no planning of their own, represented the largest demograph in society.  
What ever happened to those ideals? Where is the Utopia that was created back then? Utopia was co-opted and became a cash cow for the advertisers and corporate America.  Canada holds a developing world economy dependant upon the American dollar trade and investment, often using social grids.  A social grid is an amazingly easy graph that measures the age of people against the social needs so as to be prepared. For example, as the baby boomers age society will need many more nursing homes and old age homes, medical treatments and proactive health initiatives such as a fitness boom. When the baby boomers were younger, society needed many schools. As this demograph grew up and had families of their own, they needed to have French emersion schools because they wanted their kids to be competitive in the job market, speaking fluently in both of Canada's official languages. Changes to social order were somewhat easy to bring about, due to the sheer numbers that influential group, the baby boomers held.
What happened to those days when life seemed so much easier? The baby boomers coopted themselves and began marketing their ideas, and amassed large amounts of cash. In an about face, the very group that we depended upon for a read on clean air, clean water, and clean earth; to give us a full report on what was then called "living off the land" had become corporate Canada. They morphed into the oil tycoons, the builders, the shipping companies, and the corporate leaders of today. They became ruthless. They created the buzz words to be used like keys to unlock secret rooms of untold treasures so as to be catapulted into an elitist group of shakers and movers, The policy makers.
If sustainability was popular, we would be a sustainable society by now. We are no where close that that. Hydro, and oil make too much money to let it go the way of the dinosaur.  Government backs fossil fuels despite saying they are moving towards sustainable, renewable energy. Canada promised they would meet certain goals by this year and have yet to achieve success. Why? Follow the money.  Fossil fuels make money, and nobody wants to give up the golden goose. Nobody wants to give up air travel to save the air, and nobody wants to stop dumping waste in the water ways to have clean water. Lets talk about the water. If people were interested in saving the water they would have done it by now. The water would be thriving and its not. Water is life. Without its force the land, us, animal life will not survive. Bottled water was unheard of in the 60's. In 2021, the disposal of the single use bottle is big business and one of the biggest polluters of the waterways.   Everybody wants to drink bottled water and reject the water that comes from the taps. Why? What's wrong with the tap water? Well let's talk about what's not in the water. Microbes. The microbes are missing. Little tiny organisms not visible to the naked eye, are dying off and are not being replaced. A microbe will consume much of the debris in a body of water, in the air and in the earth, leaving the habitats in which it lives in good balance.  Our environment cannot be sustained without microbes. When the microbes go missing then animal life and plant life cease to exist. To reach sustainability the environments which support all live forms, consumer societies must change the habits of unsustainable consumption to respectful consumers of renewable resources.  There in lies the ideology of the movement of the 70's when all was plentiful. What was unforeseen was the extent or the seriousness of today's present climate or planetary catastrophes that are looming on the very close horizon.
During the pandemic, the provincial government has developed many strategies and pre-emptive strikes on environmental legislation. Greenpeace has outlined many initiatives the government has taken such as  expanding their ability to override or circumvent local government land through Municipal Zoning Orders (MZOs) and through this power has greenlit controversial projects that threaten wetlands and heritage sites. Other changes made under the Bill make it easier for the government to expropriate land in conjunction with a new highway expansion that will, if approved, pave over wetlands and send chemical runoff into Lake Simcoe.  Greenpeace use their website to outline all of this. What is our part and what can we do to change this trajectory?

Tagged And Released What Next!!!

 So Now That You Are

Tagged And Released
What Next!!!
By Joe Ingino
Editor/Publisher

“I live a dream in a nightmare world”   

   So now that you are tagged and released, what are we to expect next?
Not to sound to religious... but you got to wonder how this tid bit got into an ancient book.   Lucky guess or could there be some truth.
Revelation 14:9 ESV /  And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand,
Revelation 13:17 ESV /  So that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.
   If anything can be called a best.  It surely is governments across the planet.   Abusing and punishing their own citizens.  Deserving or not.
With this Covid crisis.  We are being led by fear and ignorance.  The more we fear the more ignorant we become.   
 Normally vaccines have proven to be the silver bullet when it comes to fighting viruses.   This time around it is a little different.
  A foreign agent is introduced much like a gas that kills all those not prepared.   It surely killed a lot of people.
  Then the beast comes out telling us we have to vaccinate.  That we must carry proof of vaccination or our rights and freedoms may become compromised.
  No proof no access to society.   We must entrust in a beast that has proven to be unreliable and untrustworthy.    To most the dilemma is simple.   Give into it... Everyone else is.
The question is what will happen to us in 10 years?   Will our DNA become so compromised that the beast will have total access to our daily routines.
Afterall, thie nano technology stay in your system for ever.  How much nano-tech can the human body absorb?
 Government are eager to find a solution.   Pharma will play any tune for the right amount of cash.   We the people are led and asked to not question as it is not about you... but about the betterment of society.
  Where do we see humanity in 10 years?   Could this be the beginning that for our good we are force  becoming less human and more robotic.  Artificial Intelligence from within.  What’s your take?

Aiming for WOW!

 The Art of Finding Work
By Nick Kossovan

Your Resume's Goal:

 Aiming for WOW!
In 2021, antiquated as it may seem, employers and recruiters still ask for your resume (afterward, they'll visit your LinkedIn profile and check your digital footprint). I don't foresee this changing anytime soon.
Your resume is your primary marketing tool presenting a concise summary of your experience, skills, knowledge, credentials, and education. Envision your resume as a brochure selling what you're able to offer employers.
It's no secret it's raining resumes these days; therefore, your resume needs to be competitive. It needs to clearly show how you created value for your employers, not that you just put in clocked time.
Your resume will solicit one of 3 responses:
-    No
-    Yes
-    WOW!
You're aiming for WOW!
There are 4 cardinal rules to follow to create a resume that WOWs:

1.    Respect your reader (Be a good date for the reader.)
2.    Create continuity (Show career progression.).
3.    Show quantified results. (Employers don't hire opinions.)
4.    Don't undervalue the importance of keywords. (Assume your resume will be vetted via an applicant tracking system.)

When I read a resume, I look for answers to the following questions:
-    Can I relate to your career narrative?
-    How did you add value to your current and past employers?
-    What is your career direction?
Of the 1,000's of resumes I've read; the majority are simply a list of opinions. The predictable "I'm a team player," "I'm a fast learner," "I'm detailed oriented" appear on almost every resume. Rare is the resume that quantifies. If you can't quantify, then it's an opinion.

HARD TRUTH: Employers don't care about your opinion; they care about the results you can achieve.  What you think of yourself is a far second to what your resume's reader will think of you by what your resume conveys. Just because you claim to be XYZ does not mean you are XYZ. Prove it undeniably (i.e., "Exceeded quarterly sales targets." vs. "For the past 14 quarters exceeded quarterly sales targets by $25,000 to $45,000.")
Businesses revolve around numbers, so should your resume; keep this in mind when interviewing.
Remember my column a few weeks back, 'There's No Universal Hiring Methodology'? -there's no such thing as a "killer resume." Don't sweat your resume's format, or whether it's in reverse chronological or functional. Focus on telling a great ongoing career story, quantifying your accomplishments, having no grammatical errors or typos, and keeping it to 2-pages.
Your goal, the reason you want your resume to WOW, is to make the reader say to themselves, I must meet this person!
When it comes to your resume's format, design it for skimmability. With a quick scan, the reader should grasp your expertise and have a solid understanding of your core skills, accomplishments (I repeat: Quantified), and career direction. Since the reader's eyes naturally return to the left margin once it's ready to move on to the next line of text, don't center your text. Align your text to the left, even your section headings. This significantly improves readability. Don't justify your text. This setting leaves uneven gaps between words making the text harder to read.
You don't earn points for creativity. All points are earned via your content. Creative resumes aren't more effective than a 2-page resume that WOWs. Most employers find "creativity" frustrating. As well, assuming your resume will be passing through an ATS, a resume with bells and whistles can't be read by the computer and therefore will be discarded. Save your creativity for your portfolio.
One last word on your resume's format, have generous margins. Resumes with text crammed edge to edge look messy and unprofessional. Bottom and top margins should be no less than 0.5", your side margins no less than 0.75".
The contents to include in your resume:
-    Contact information
-    Resume summary
-    Professional experience
-    Skills/Certifications
-    Education
I realize constructing a resume to do all the above-mentions asks a lot from a 2-page document; however, I've seen it done.
In next week's column, I'll discuss presenting your contact information, which most jobseekers don't enough credence. In the meantime, brainstorm the following:
-    Details about your current and past roles
-    Accomplishments you're proud of (remember to quantify)
-    How you compared to your peers
-    Career milestones and firsts

Victory in Europe 2021

 

Victory in Europe 2021
     by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU E. CHISU, CD, PMSC,
FEC, CET, P. Eng.
Former Member of Parliament
Pickering-Scarborough East
   As we continue to deal with the worst pandemic of this century, Covid-19, we need to remember one of the greatest tragedies of the last century, which was WWII. This was one of the greatest challenges to humankind and to democracy. The time has come to reflect on this event, in order to avoid a repetition of it in any shape or form.
   We need to protect our basic rights of freedom and democracy, especially our freedom of speech which is under siege from many sides.
In each year we commemorate Victory in Europe Day, also known as V-E Day. On May 8, 1945 Nazi Germany unconditionally surrendered to the Allied Forces of the Second World War. This day in history marked the end of World War II in Europe, although the war would continue in the Pacific Theater of Operations.
V-E Day marked the end of most of the fighting in Europe, where tens of millions of service members and civilians had been killed since the start of hostilities. The second world war was the deadliest conflict in human history, which saw 50 to 85 million fatalities.
This year we celebrated the 76th anniversary of V-E day and because of the issues around the Covid-19 pandemic it seems that this anniversary was relegated to back stage.
We need to remember that the defeat of Nazi Germany was a great success for democracy and freedom. We need to remember and be grateful for the sacrifices made by millions of people to ensure that in today's world we can enjoy relative peace, progress and stability.
It seems however, that there are many challenges ahead, and the forces of darkness are again trying to raise their ugly heads under several incarnations.
So let us take a closer look at the events leading to V-E day in Europe. After six years of heavy fighting in Europe, Nazi Germany was finally defeated on 8th of May 1945 by the allied forces, lead by the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and the Soviet Union (most of today's Russia).
The countries in Western Europe mark the victory in Europe on May 8th. May 9th was chosen in the Soviet Union (Russia today), as it was already the next day when the German military surrendered to the Soviet Union and its Allies in Berlin late in the evening of May 8th 1945.
We need to remember that during the course of the Second World War, over one million Canadians served in places like the North Atlantic Ocean, Italy, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, France, and Germany.
One in eleven Canadians had participated and 42,000 were killed (2,024 in the Navy, 22,917 in the Army, and 17,101 in the Air Force). It was a long and arduous war whose end was long awaited.
When Victory in Europe Day (VE-Day) was declared on May 8, 1945, excited celebrations spilled into the streets and neighbourhoods throughout the world, including Canada.
Prime Minister Mackenzie King, in San Francisco at the time, wrote in his diary, "this has been a good day- a happy day… one in which the burden has been greatly lightened from the knowledge that Nazi militarism has, at last, been destroyed."
Not everyone was at home to celebrate. Around 200,000 members of the First Canadian Army were still in Europe at the time of VE-Day. In addition, over 35 Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) fighter and fighter-bomber squadrons as well as more than 250 Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) warships were abroad when victory in Europe was officially declared. Hundreds of those naval and air force personnel joined the revelries in Britain and France.
Many European cities, especially those in England, had been perpetually blacked out for nearly 5 years due to the impending threat of air raids by the enemy. On VE-Day, lights were free to shine again, and this added to the enthusiastic atmosphere.
Despite all the jubilance, the deaths of millions and the horrors of war tempered the spirits of many. Communities across Canada were deeply affected by the tragic loss of their young men and women. Many found themselves widows and widowers. The small town of Sackville, New Brunswick witnessed 350 of their men enlist-ten per cent of their population-of whom 33 died. For many town residents, VE-Day became a day for remembrance and reflection rather than celebration.
Canada's involvement in the Second World War was costly. In addition to the 42,000 military personnel who died, 54,000 were wounded, and of the volunteer merchant civilians, 1,600 gave their lives for the cause. For those returning home from serving abroad, the experience represented a completed chapter, both in their own lives and in the history of Canada; they relished the long-awaited opportunity to build normal, better lives for themselves, and a better nation for Canadians.
Victory day is about remembering those who gave their lives to achieve the victory we have enjoyed for almost four generations against the forces of evil.
We cannot allow those who would oppress us to succeed, making a mockery of the supreme sacrifice our ancestors made for us during World War II!
It has been said that freedom is not free.  Truer words were never spoken.  Throughout history there have been those who would take freedom from the independent, the individual, the type of person who succeeds by his/her own efforts.  
For generations North America has been the beacon of freedom to the rest of the world, but in the last half century that beacon has been slowly fading.  Our beloved Canada is fast approaching the point where the torch of freedom will totally fade. Indeed, the time has come for Canadians to once again stand up for the freedoms that our ancestors gave their very lives to defend during World War II.  
We need to stand up against the tyranny of incompetence in leadership, political correctness at the expense of merit, and the stripping away of our individual freedoms under the guise of political expediency.  
Are you willing to stand up and be counted?

2021 census arriving in a nightmare scenario

2021 census arriving in a nightmare scenario
by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU E. CHISU, CD, PMSC,
FEC, CET, P. Eng.
Former Member of Parliament
Pickering-Scarborough East
    Statistics Canada in their bureaucratic wisdom, with the enthu
siastic support of the Liberal government, has decided to go ahead with the census of Canadians this year, in the middle of the pandemic.
The last census was taken in 2016, and by law, it is supposed to be taken in 2021.
Section 8 of the Constitution Act, 1867 mandates that a national census must be done every 10 years, on years ending in 1 (1871, 1881, 1891, etc.). However, the section has been interpreted to mean that a census cannot be conducted beyond that 10-year period, but this does not indicate that a census cannot be conducted more regularly-such as every 5 years, as is now required of Statistics Canada by the Statistic Act of 1971.
So, Statistics Canada conducts a national census of population and a census of agriculture every five years and releases the data with a two-year lag.
The Census of Population provides demographic and statistical data that is used to plan public services such as health care, education, and transportation; determine federal transfer payments; and determine the number of Members of Parliament for each province and territory.
The Census of Population is the primary source of sociodemographic data for specific population groups, such as lone-parent families, Indigenous peoples, immigrants, seniors and language groups.
Data from the census is also used to assess the economic state of the country, including the economic conditions of immigrants over time, and labour market activity of communities and specific populations.
Census data are also leveraged to develop socioeconomic status indicators in support of analysis of various impacts on education achievement and outcomes.
Now the question to federal politicians is, why they cannot make a provisional amendment to the Statistics Act in order to take care of the exceptional circumstances and problems raised by the Covid-19 pandemic and postpone the census till the end of the pandemic?
Apparently Statistics Canada has no problem to run the census. They say they are aware that COVID-19 may have an impact on the way Canadians answer some of the census questions, including those on employment, education, commuting and expenditures.
The question is how this exceptional circumstance is defining the scope of the census and how it will reflect the after pandemic effects which will really define the future of Canada. Any thoughts?
For some Canadians it's never a great time to fill out a census form, especially at this critical time. This year, for the first time in its history, Statistics Canada is asking them to do it during a pandemic.
The country's chief statistician says this is precisely the time to find out more about how Canadians are living, working and commuting, because COVID-19 has thrown those things into flux. Is this right and sensitive?
"Getting a snapshot now is absolutely crucial," said Anil Arora. "All these trends that are happening at this time are really important for us to take note of because ... so many policy makers will look at what's happening now and see what do we want to retain, what do we want to change?" The question is, if the data will only be available after two years, how actual will it be?
Though many Canadians aren't commuting to work these days, the census will still ask how they are getting there, though it will offer more options, including multi-modal transport - cycling part of the way before hopping on a bus or LRT, for example.
This census will ask Canadians to list the language in which they received their education. It will also include a question on gender, giving respondents the opportunity to identify themselves as transgender or non-binary.
Canadians will be receiving their access code in the mail, and Statistics Canada hopes that people will file their answers on line.
Canvassers could still knock on doors in areas where the response rate has been low, but they'll be wearing masks and keeping their distance.
"We are absolutely aware of the situation. We understand ... people would have, rightfully so, concerns about their safety," Arora said.
And do not forget that the census has its requirements. The Liberal government brought back the mandatory long-form census and takes pride in doing so. In their opinion the long-form census is key to getting good data about Canadians.
So, when the country is gripped in survival mode and economic hardship, Statistic Canada enjoys its time planning for the census with the government chorus singing support and the opposition of the day insensitive to its citizens. Isn't this akin to the scenario of 'Rome is burning and Nero is playing the fiddle'?
In conclusion enjoy the upcoming census!

My Dear Penny

 

My Dear Penny

By Joe Ingino
Editor/Publisher

“I live a dream in a nightmare world”   

   Dear penny so neglected yet so faithful.   So small yet so mighty
My dear penny how is it that I live day to day and neglect to acknowledge the importance you play in  my life.   How is it that your contributions go unnoticed to my success.   Penny without you I am worth nothing.   
  My life without a penny for my thoughts would be thoughtless.   My Earless penny so profoundly critical to the dollar.   Yet can someone please explain how something so important is being used as a weapon of mass economic destruction?
How do you feel about your pennies?  Do you even think of them?
  Have  you been keeping an eye on the prices at the gas pump lately?  It seems it inches up day by day, penny by penny without us giving it much attention.
A small insignificant increase that most don’t think anything about.  We have gone from 80 cents a litre to almost $1.30 in less than a year.
When we as Canadians wake up and realize that we are being ripped off.
I have a global question.   How is it that during Trump’s presidency he managed to be energy self reliant and force the global price of oil to tumble.   I know first hand that fracking has come to a halt.
We have another newspaper in the state of West Virginia and I can tell you first  hand... that West Virginia has been impacted by the Biden administration.   First no coal.  That killed the traditional labor force in the area.  Then now fracking has halted.   Gas prices are going through the roof again much like during Obama.
I think the biggest mistake Trump made was going after the oil cartels. Buy announcing to the world that America did not need foreign oil.
How else do you explain the sudden drop in oil prices during his presidency.
All I know is that as I drive by my local gas station.  Penny by penny the price at the pump keeps going up.   This is not a reflection of global barrel pricing.
Penny by penny in my opinion is a strategy to increase the prices without consumer confrontation and or knowledge.  After all.  We as modern day slaves pay without thought.  What real choice do we have?
Complain to whom?   File a complaint with whom?   We are led to believe that we have rights and freedoms when in reality we have none but choices.  Pay or walk simple.

SUSTAINABILITY

 WELCOME HOME FOR LESS
 

SUSTAINABILITY
 Written by,  Sharleen Cainer, BSW RSW
Sustainability has been a trendy topic for some time.  Politicians like the sound of the word sustainability. The Prime Minister hopes his position in politics is sustainable for the duration of his term. The voters like it because we think we think that our social structures, our place in that structure will be sustained and our lives will role out as expected. The youth who have taken up eco warriorism argue we need to become sustainable.  For the eco warrior, our lifestyles here are not sustainable.  Farhara Yamin, an environmental lawyer, a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and an adviser in the United Nations climate negotiations for almost 30 years super glued her hands to the pavement outside the headquarters of the oil company Shell, in London On April 16, 2019. As extreme as that sounds, we now live in what many people have begun to see as a climate emergency.  Ms. Yamin became well-known for her peaceful and gutsy manoeuvre. Her rational poignantly demonstrated that a mother of four could be arrested for civil disobedience, (the charge actually was property damage) while the world's major polluters remain unaccountable for the ecocide they perpetrate. Farhara Yamin continues to use her professional skills to combat what amounts to eco-terrorism by meeting with governments and writing new legislation. A change is going to come.

Historically, there have been those who have established systems and communities where they lived off the land, repurposed their possessions, recycled their useable trash. They lived in shared accommodations, had vegetable gardens, chickens, and often became vegetarians. These people were seen as being Tree hugging, granola eating, long haired, drug smoking, hippy kind of people who rode bicycles, despised the use of cars in the downtown. In general these folks were considered "revolutionaries" They argued for peace, clean air, good food, equal rights and rejected consumerism. They cut up old belts, and old tires to make shoes. The corporate world cringed at the very thought of it all. They were considered radicals and were adamant "A change is gonna come".

Greta Thunberg, is 21 years old and has been fighting climate change since she was 8yrs old. She would skip school every Friday to sit in protest in front of Swedish parliament. She initially would go alone but was eventually joined by others, thereby creating the Friday protest against climate change as a movement. Ms. Thunberg was well aware of the conflict between environmental health and economic development. She points out to governments that the economics are pointless if we destroy planet earth. Like many young folks, she sees in absolutes. Like many activists Greta suffers disrespect, verbal attacks and the usual lip service. We support you Greta, a change is going to come.

Why are the kids so determined? They have been educated as to the consequences of our trajectories since the 3rd grade. Those consequences have become apparent and a reality. Our children have become ecowarriors, eco-saviours because they want to live and enjoy life. People are often quoting "global warming" and make jokes, wondering when the weather is going to warm up in the colder regions. Well, it is not about your cold region, its about our unstable weather patterns. These unstable weather patterns kill. They kill plant life, wildlife, human life, and destroy the eco balance of the planet.

Hence the birth of the re-cycling program. There are financial incentives to create recycling plants. The unfortunate reality is that the cost of recycling is high. Some cities require approximately a 5-million-dollar budget to do the recycling.  Nobody seems to be cognisant of the fact that several millions of dollars worth of recyclable product must be produced, procured, and discarded before its recycled. Now this is where it is about to get tricky.  It can cost more than $18 per ton to collect recycling.  It costs $72 more per ton to recycle a product than to create a new product. Should the recycling exceed the limit that can be recycled, the excess product is then discarded into the landfill site. A change is going to come.
 The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said in 2018 that policymakers have just 12 years to avert the worst consequences of global warming; news coverage is constantly filled with apocalyptic stories of storms and wildfires. Young people, absorbing the gravity of these warnings, have become the defining face of the climate movement - marching, protesting and berating their elders for bequeathing them an uncertain, unstable future (Jason Plautz Feb. 3, 2020).
Our children are terrified and have no idea why they are doing anything that pertains to their future. They don't believe they have a future. Many young people believe they will be killed by climate change, not old age. The Friday protest has been taken up by young people around the world. Our youth organize much better than we ever could. They are the Masters of Social Media and use it to this end. The fear of climate change has transcended racial divides, and inequality for young people.  Child psychiatrists have documented the devastating emotional decline of many young people. Psychiatry has documented an escalation in anxiety attacks after children see the news feed of natural disasters. A change is going to come. We need to protect the planet, save the world and make our children feel safe enough to engage in dreams of the future. That is sustainability.

Write a LinkedIn Connection Request That'll Get Accepted

 The Art of Finding Work
By Nick Kossovan

Write a LinkedIn Connection Request That'll Get Accepted
   Last Thursday, when I logged into LinkedIn, I had nine connection requests (on average, I get around 35 - 55 per week). Three were from recruiters, five from complete strangers, and one from a past co-worker. They all said the exact same thing, which is LinkedIn's default connection message:
"I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn."
I'm no longer surprised when an invitation isn't customized - I'm surprised when it is. Nothing announces, "I'm lazy," more than an uncustomized request.
In last week's column, I mentioned the importance of having LinkedIn connections to increase your profile's visibility, reach, presence, and influence. The more connections you have, the more likely you'll appear in search results and have a higher search ranking.
Richard Branson once said: "Succeeding in business is all about making connections." In 2021 there are no truer words. Your first step towards increasing your LinkedIn connections is to connect with your low hanging fruits; people you already know. With pen and paper, list everyone you currently know and have known but lost touch with. Think of current and former colleagues, bosses, customers, suppliers, friends, relatives, neighbors, etc. Search for them on LinkedIn.
TIP: Use LinkedIn's search feature to search past companies you worked at and then click on 'See all XXX employees on LinkedIn'
Connecting with people on this list should be as easy as clicking on the 'connect' button, adding a simple note, something along the lines of "Hi Bob, great to have found you here. Let us connect." (In some cases, you may want to give some details to refresh the person's memory of how you know each other.), and then click the send button.    
Now create lists of, for lack of a better word, strangers you'd like to connect with. Start by listing the companies you'd like to work for. Using LinkedIn's search features and Google, find hiring managers, department heads, leadership team members, and those holding a human resource title at the companies you want to work for. Your next lists will be professionals in your field (focus on those in your region) and recruiters who work with your industry.
The key to getting strangers to connect with you is your introduction. You must customize each connection request (you have 300 characters to do so).
I like to open with, "We've never met," and then why I'd like to connect. I have found being truthful about not knowing the person gets their attention.
Here are a few simple examples:
1. Professional in your field (295 characters with spaces): Hi Arlene,
We've never met. I came across a comment you left in the LI group Electrical Engineers Networking in Canada. I particularly liked your insights regarding using our industry jargon when interviewing, which I found thought-provoking. I'd like to connect and stay in touch.
- Nick Kossovan
2. Hiring Manager (283 characters with spaces): Hi Karam,
We've never met. I'm currently searching for my next opportunity. For the last 15 years, I was at Telus, where I moved up to VP of Sales. I believe I'd be an asset to Rogers and would love to chat about how my background might fit any openings you may have. Can we connect?
- Nick Kossovan
3. Recruiter (299 characters with spaces): Hi Eric,
We've never met. I came across your profile and want to reach out to discuss potentially working together. I'm a social media strategist with 6 years of experience seeking new opportunities. I'd love to chat about whether my background might be a fit for any of your openings.
- Nick Kossovan
The time you spend crafting your invitations will be time well spent. A customized invitation to connect will be a pleasant surprise for the recipient and significantly increases your chances of being accepted. As we all know, LinkedIn offers a huge opportunity to connect people who can assist you in your job search and career. Spend a few thoughtful moments writing irresistible LinkedIn connection requests, and you'll start quickly building up your network!
Next week I'll begin discussing how to create the hardest working document in business today, your resume. I'll be guiding you on how to create a resume that WOWs!
Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers advice on searching for a job. You can send him your questions at artoffindingwork@gmail.com.

All That’s Left Is Goodbye

 All That’s Left Is Goodbye
   Q My boyfriend was married to a psycho for 30 years. She stole over $100,000 from his company accounts and didn’t file personal or business taxes for five years! She wrote herself checks and kept no receipts.
     When they separated six years ago, their children were grown, and I was in the picture. She vandalized my Jeep and followed me. She found out where I worked and phoned me 30 times a day. Over a three-year period, I filed five police reports and got a restraining order. Even the police were getting exasperated. All the while my boyfriend was still talking to her! He told me many times he would stop because there was huge drama with her and I couldn’t deal with it.
     A couple of years ago, he changed his number because I said I couldn’t handle them talking. He promised, if she discovered his phone number, he would change it as many times as needed for my sake.

     Eight months ago, we bought a beautiful house and she is still calling. He says he can’t be mean to her, and he now refuses to change his phone number.
     I am starting to hate him. Before we bought the house, I told him the only thing important to me is keeping her as far away as possible. Now he thinks I’m overreacting.
     The other day, when he told me he wasn’t going to change his number, I heard her voice and I lost it. I was livid! I don’t know what else I can say to him. I don’t know how long I can live there, yet I would hate to lose it all! My mind won’t let me calm down about her. I was honest with him from the beginning and said I would never be okay with it. It seems like it doesn’t matter to him.
Misty

A Misty, the author Simon Sinek became well known by encouraging people to ask themselves a simple question: what is your why? Why do you get up in the morning? Why do you do what you do? Why are you living the life you live?
     In the same spirit, we ask you two things. What is his why? What is your why?
     Perhaps your boyfriend is one of those men who are attracted to crazy. He has a toleration for her after all those years together. It must seem like a radical change not to live in the same house with this woman. His life went from 100% crazy to 50% crazy.
     But every year you stayed with him made it harder for you to go. Each year proved to him that you could deal with things as they were. When people don’t get consequences, they know they don’t have to change. That’s why, when errors persist in our life, we have to eat the blame and take responsibility for what happened.
     If there is no consequence for not paying your bills, then why pay them? If your kids have a 9 p.m. curfew and don’t come home until 10—and you do nothing—you just gave them a new curfew time.
     So the question becomes, what is your why? Why have you stayed? The answer cannot be love because he is actively involved with someone who harms you.
     One police report might not have been enough for you to leave. But five? The police got sick of both sides of this, and the man you live with still isn’t protecting you.
     Buying a house with him was self-punishment, it became one more reason not to leave, and you proved to him that he need not change. He knows you won’t leave. He probably knows why you won’t leave, whether it is money, lifestyle, or something else.
     Ask yourself, what is my why? And if you can’t come up with an answer, then ask him.
 Wayne & Tamara  
write:  Directanswers@WayneAndTamara.com

Bridging generations online for health

 Bridging generations online for health
 W. Gifford-Jones, M.D. and Diana Gifford-Jones
   Everywhere, people are fed up with enforced isolation. While adhering to stay-at-home orders at the urging of public health officials and in empathy with frontline health care workers, the restrictions are taking a toll on the physical and mental wellbeing of all. While senior citizens can be especially impacted, it is less commonly acknowledged that younger people, particularly teens, struggle with isolation too.
For older adults, enduring long periods cut off from family and friends is known to cause depression, generalized anxiety disorders, decreased sleep, and functional impairment. Research published in Lancet Public Health warns that social isolation can also accelerate cardiovascular and brain aging, exacerbating dementia.
Likewise, students of all ages are suffering from lockdowns. They are not getting the exercise and outdoor time they need. Schooling has been repeatedly disrupted. The entire cohort of first-year university students in 2020-21 has missed a formative experience. Many in this highly social generation have shifted to virtual friendship circles and online entertainment. Others exist in boredom and loneliness, absent engagement with anyone.
Dr. David Nabarro, a Special Envoy on COVID-19 for the World Heath Organization, made headlines last October when he articulated the WHO’s position that "The only time we believe a lockdown is justified is to buy you time to reorganise, regroup, rebalance your resources, [and] protect your health workers who are exhausted."
Yet, despite repeated regrouping, the virus is easily out maneuvering the experts. And the lockdowns and movement restrictions continue.
So what can be done? A prescription for patience is the order. But there is ample opportunity to harness this awful pandemic to connect isolated people – young and old – in innovative, health-inducing ways using online platforms.
Research shows that matching up young people with older people on digital platforms has a remarkably positive impact on both generations.
This is not a new idea. The aging of the “baby boomers” has had many researchers advocating for policymakers to leverage this generation as a massive learning resource. There is ample evidence of benefits to the boomers. One study showed that older adults providing internet-based tutoring to fifth-grade students became comfortable using computers, had improvements in mood, and had an enhanced quality of life from the interactions.
In a Canadian program, older adults provided second-language coaching to young people through video conferencing. An evaluation determined that participants of all ages valued the program with youth reporting benefits from the language immersion. Older adults demonstrated high levels of motivation to participate.
The pandemic has many more programs underway. Dr. Li Feng Tan, a researcher at Alexandra Hospital in Singapore, runs intergeneration programs that bring older and younger people together for exercise, dance, charades, bingo, Pictionary, music classes, performances, and virtual tours. A comparison of in-person programs with virtual programs found that online platforms have engage more participants within the hospital, enabled engagement by patients in different wards, and eliminated the risk of cross-infection, a major concern during the current pandemic.
In addition to the health benefits, the basic skills with phones and computers that teenagers and even young children can teach to seniors enables older people to connect themselves with other online platforms they enjoy, including resources for health promotion.
The programs are low-cost, easy to scale up, and do not require expensive health care professionals, therapists, or technicians.
Generations United, a clearinghouse for information on different types of intergenerational programs, has a publication in its resource library called Staying Connected While Staying Apart. The report lists dozens of engaging programs around the world and step-by-step guidance on how to get involved or set up new virtual intergenerational programs. See www.gu.org.
Sign-up at www.docgiff.com to receive our weekly e-newsletter. For comments, contact-us@docgiff.com. Follow us Instagram @docgiff and @diana_gifford_jones

Hello Mr. Joe

 SCAM ALERT

By Joe Ingino
Editor/Publisher

“I live a dream in a nightmare world”

    Not to sound prejudice.... but am i the only asshole that is tired of getting some uneducated thirds world criminal calling me by using the wrong syntax when addressing me.   Mr. Joe....  I got a deal for you.
A message to you fucker... Go to school to at the least address people in  proper syntax...   You never use Mr. after a person’s first name.
GOOGLE IT.  
Ok.  Now that my blood pressure has lowered a bit... Here is the number one reason WE THE WEST.  Must stop outsourcing to these third world ‘SHIT HOLES’.  (not my words that of former President Trump).
  99.9% of today's scams come from over seas.  Scams that have obtained our personal information illegally from these so called corporation such as Bell, Rogers and others.   
These giants instead of keeping the jobs at home they farm it out to people they pay a bag of rice and a coke a month.
Now these fuckers in their desperation to make an extra buck.  They steal our personal information and sell it to scammers.... as in most of these countries... ..SCAMS are as rampant as the poverty.
  We from the WEST are so ignorant of the fact that lurk around the world.   How the rest of the world see us and how they in a heart beat kill each one of us and take our place only to turn it into another shit hole.    It is a well documented theory amongst sociologist that if you give a cave dweller a pent house.  He will treat it like a cave.   If you give a penthouse dweller a cave. He will treat it like a penthouse.
DON’T BITCH AT ME I AM NOT GOD.   Life is what it is.  If it offends you FUCK OFF....now you have a reason to be offended.
 It appears that more and more fraud is being reported.   The latest comes from Sri Lanka.   The way this scam works is as follows.  Victims get an email as follows:
Thank You for processing the payment.
Renewal charges of $347.26 is processed VIA  CHECKiNG ACC0UNT
Your confirmation number is NJSM-5S85678
RENEWAl  DATE           :         04/29/2021
RENEWAl AM0UNT      :          $347.26
PR0DUCT                       :         #N0RT0N# firewaII
lssue with the transaction
call us @ +1(855) 528-2639
Thanks & Regards,
  Victims call to inquire as they never ordered anything from NORTON.  Upon calling you get someone with a very heavy Sri Lanka accent.   They inform you that the call is being recorded and it is not.   They then proceed to identify you.... they will ask you for your banking information to confirm that it is you.... DO NOT GIVE THEM ANYTHING.   Then they proceed to tell you that in order to refund you the $347.26 that they will have to take out a dollar first.    What they are doing is verifying your account.   Here is where it gets interesting.  If you give them the right info.  They will take every penny in that account.   THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO.  YOU REPORT IT TO THE POLICE.... They can’t do nothing.  You report it to the mounties they can’t do a thing.   You just lost all your money.  The bank will investigate but their hands are tied as it was a legal transaction from their end.
This is not the only scam... Another very notable one is the GOOGLE registration scam.  You will either get a very formal email and or call informing you that if you do not update your GOOGLE account right away that GOOGLE will delete all your online information.  DO NOT DO IT.   These scammers will also ask you for $350.  to update your account.   It is a fraud.   This fraud comes from the U.S.   Cops in Canada can’t do a thing about it.   These companies what will sell you is an optimization package...under the disguise of GOOGLE.   These companies have nothing to do with GOOGLE.  These companies take advantage of small businesses.  People ignorant of technology and desperate for some results.
At the paper those that claim to only be advertising through GOOGLE, we deemed them third class as they are normally small businesses with little or no budget and have very limited knowledge of advertising and promotions.
GOOGLE ranking in itself is a kind of a scam.    GOOGLE ranks your business in accordance to a parameter.  Outside of the parameter you are just another ranking.    People pay because it gives them a false sense of worth.    They get some response as GOOGLE is notorious for flooding local markets with spam type advertising including some of the local.    I always tell people.  If you are getting any results from GOOGLE.  This is a huge indicator that you are missing a large number of possible clients that GOOGLE will never reach.  The key is to use GOOGLE as a ruler or indicator of where your customers come from.
Speaking of GOOGLE.   Another GOOGLE oriented based scam includes.  People showing up to your door and claiming that they must check your internet connection.  That according to GOOGLE, your system has been compromised.  Once inside they attempt to charge you $400 for something that they never repaired and or touched.
Consumers be aware that there are all kinds of scams out there.    Rule of thumb.  Let no on in your house.  Do not accept offers of any kind.  No matter how good they may be.  Never ever give out your personal information and or contact.
We live in an age of information.   Our beloved companies like Rogers, Bell and others that outsource to third world countries put all of us in Canada in great risk of our personal information ending up in the wrong hands.
The Rogers and Bells of the world will promise to no end that they have the outmost secure system to protect consumers from their personal information from being sold.   What they do not tell you is that the main vein of information leak is by employees.   Something that can’t be prevented and or stopped.   These corporation hire people and pay them a fraction of what they would have to pay someone in Canada.  The people they hire are not stupid and see by the amounts they are being asked to collect on the corporation behalf is 100x what they would  make a year.
People are people, so they look for ways to increase their wealth.   Easy money.  Sell information to the highest bidder.   Make extra money on the side.  A victimless crime.   An untraceable crime.
What has become of Canada.  What has become of our standards.   We through our generosity have become those that we have so generously welcomed.    Corporations are taking advantage of our confusion and make claims that in order to stay competitive and lower costs they must go off shore.
In reality... these corporations are ripping us off.  Take Rogers.   Their biggest cost is employees. Followed by equipment.   Cellular technology is FREE.   Once you have the equipment set up and running.  All you have to worry is maintenance, upkeep.    In other word it is a legal golden goose that keep laying that golden egg every month.  Look at how much the CEO and top brass make.   Look at how they push convenience.   Just recently, I signed up for their 1G net service.  Once they install it. They tell you that in fact is not 1G service, but instead up to 1G service.   Your system on the best of day may push 550mgbts.
Is this not false advertising?   How about their TV service?  Half of the channels are duplicates, not to mention to the 100’s of music, off the air and the like.  The question is why do we let these companies treat us this way?  I guess for the same reason our gas prices have gone from .70 cents a litre to now almost 2.00 dollars.  Are we the Canadian consumer that ignorant?  Hey maybe that is why scammer target it us.

BILL C-10

 

BILL C-10

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU E. CHISU, CD, PMSC,
FEC, CET, P. Eng.
Former Member of Parliament
Pickering-Scarborough East
BILL C-10 An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act, leading to censorship and further limiting our freedom of speech.
As the third wave of the pandemic precipitates a real healthcare crisis in Canada, the Trudeau government is again meddling with our freedoms, instead of concentrating on handling the crisis at hand.  They are proposing to regulate the internet and censor social media, despite an apparently clear constitutional problem with doing so.
Parliament's authority over broadcasting derives from paragraph 92(10)(a) of the Constitution Act and is factually based on the use of radio waves to carry broadcast programming to listeners and viewers. The courts determined that cable television is an extension of over-the-air broadcasting. All of which was based on the notion that radio waves crossed provincial and international boundaries.
Streaming services do not use assigned radio frequencies to reach their audience. Hence, they are not, themselves, interprovincial undertakings. For the delivery of content, online streaming services depend on telecommunications carriers to transport programming across provincial and international boundaries.
The mere fact of relying on telecommunications to conduct one's business is not enough to bring an enterprise within federal legislative authority. Netflix and Spotify are not broadcasters: they are, respectively, a digital video store and digital jukebox. Federal legislation has never reached to the regulation of video stores or jukeboxes - or cinemas for that matter.
How can the mere fact of digital transmission change the fundamental nature of the underlying undertaking?
The implications of this argument are very significant.  It suggests that even if Bill C-10 makes it through the Parliamentary process, a constitutional challenge is a distinct possibility.
By proposing Bill C-10 the government is treading on dangerous ground, making a covert move in the style well known in the legislation regarding media, in former communist countries.
This Bill is definitively a covert one. Under big ideas and a pretense to help the public and tax big international entertainment corporations for the benefit of taxpayers and local entertainment and media the Bill is introducing limitations on the use of the internet and social media by individuals.
This government imposed limitations are, in plain language, called censorship. All Canadians should be aware of this alarming piece of legislation, moving forward under the radar, in which the government calls for state regulation of the internet and social media.
At the outset of the clause by-clause revisions of Bill C-10 on April 19, Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage Chair Liberal MP, Scott Simms set the tone: "Buckle up, folks. This is the fundamental core of parliamentary democracy at its best. It's going to be an exciting time-so exciting that we'll probably sell the story rights to Netflix."
Of course, such a declaration should alert us to be circumspect.  Just what will we find buried under the covers if we buy into this option?…
As the discussions on the proposed bill moved forward at the parliamentary committee, with amendments introduced by parties, the government, through the voice of MP Julie Dabrusin, parliamentary secretary of the Minister of Canadian Heritage, decided to remove Bill C-10's section 4.1, which reads:
"This Act does not apply in respect of (a) programs that are uploaded to an online undertaking that provides a social media service by a user of the service - who is not the provider of the service or the provider's affiliate, or the agent or mandatary of either of them - for transmission over the Internet and reception by other users of the service; and (b) online undertakings whose broadcasting consists only of such programs."
This section "seemed to have created some confusion for people as to whether or not social media is excluded or included, so we recommend actually voting against 4.1. The reason I should be recommending that is we would be making clear that social media is included if they're acting like a broadcaster," said Dabrusin.
The official line on bill C-10 is a strong attempt to dissemble. They claim that censorship was not the intent, that the government is not regulating the use of the internet and social media by individuals, and the committee has adopted clause (2.1) in C-10 on April 19 which says:
"A person who uses a social media service to upload programs for transmission over the Internet and reception by other users of the service - and who is not the provider of the service or the provider's affiliate, or the agent or mandatary of either of them - does not, by the fact of that use, carry on a broadcasting undertaking for the purposes of this Act."
However, the devil is in the details. By the verbiage and wordsmithing of the legislation and the cloudy interpretations of it, the Bill tries to give assurance that in fact the best intention of the government is not censorship.
However, these types of actions are well known for being inspired by fascist and communist type thinking; limiting democratic rights of communications by individuals and only channelling information to the public that is in line with government agenda and talking points.
If you look closely at the Bill as it has been amended by the committee, it would appear to exempt individual users from being considered broadcasters.  The catch is, that anybody can be categorized as a broadcaster at the pleasure to the government regulator….Great…
There are many other aspects of the Bill debated at the committee and soon it will come to a vote.
If the Bill is voted into legislation, there are serious questions about what it will mean for our freedom of speech.
Wake up Canada!

HOW TO BE A SERVANT LEADER IN YOUR COMMUNITY

 HOW TO BE A SERVANT LEADER
IN YOUR COMMUNITY
 Written by,  Jessica Williams
   My name is Jessica Williams, I am 26 years old, born and raised in Pickering , Ontario.   I am a philanthropist, behaviour specialist, business owner, and coach. Today I want  to share some of  my story with you. Ever since I can remember, giving back and volunteering has been instilled in my blood. I'm not sure how young I was when it began, but one specific memory I can pin-point is when I was in grade 8 when my class was required to have a certain amount of hours done in the community in order to graduate.  
     It was from there that I found a passion in giving back and being a good influence, and servant leader in the community. It started with a snack bar once in a while, then volunteering for a special needs soccer team weekly, raising money for walk-a-thons, to feeding the homeless with my church group . This was all throughout highschool, where of course, everyone was required to have their 40 hours of community service work. In those years I documented more than 100 hours of community service. Upon graduating, community service was no longer a requirement for anything. However, the passion for giving back still burned bright in my soul.
    Over the past 5 years I have been involved in many community events. My friends and I got extremely passionate about helping Toronto's homeless, and low income population. Over the past 5 years we have collectively raised over $60,000 to help this community, and have also executed 6 different events to give back over this time span as well. We have blossomed so much that we have applied to become a registered charity and will be diving into as many fundraising events possible when the time comes.
    Although, lately I have found that my passion for giving back goes beyond just our Canadian borders. My heart has recently been called to help out a nonprofit orphanage in Jinja, Uganda by the name of Mercy Orphanage Care. I was called to this cause by one of my independent contractors whilst carrying out a promotions and marketing event. She shared with me the dire needs of this orphanage.  
    The orphanage was founded and is funded by a young man named Derrickson Mercy and his aunt. They funded the orphanage out of pocket prior to COVID-19, not requesting help from anyone. Merely through hard work and dedication, Derrickson had been working two jobs at local gyms, and dancing in the streets to raise money. Due to the lockdowns and restrictions Derrickson is unable to receive those streams of income right now. These lockdowns have placed this orphanage in a position of intense need. Both Derrickson and his aunt have been forced to spend their savings on bulk food and mosquito nets. Due to the lack of work available, they have been left without the resources to provide for these children. Sometimes causing them to go days without food. Due to a shortage of funds they are also unable to provide mosquito nets for the children, resulting in many of them catching Malaria. Which then means that they need medical attention, which is another cost they have to endure. These things alone are causing a huge impact in their ability to properly run the orphanage. Along with many other things like a need for a water filter, in order to filter the water from harmful contaminants. A need for materials to fix the toilet hut that is currently falling apart which acts as a huge hazard to the children using it.  This need screamed to me , being as privileged as I am to live here in Canada and have been given the opportunities I have worked so hard for along the way, I knew I had to do something. So, I did what I knew how to do best, I reached out to my closest fundraising friend and asked her what I should do. She jumped right on board with me and told me to do it, about a week later the fundraiser "MIRACLES FOR MERCY"  was born. We have set out a goal to raise enough money to provide Mercy Orphanage Care with 40 mosquito nets, a water filter, materials to fix the toilet shelter, and enough to supply them with bulk food for a few months.
The needs of these children are greater than many of us would endure here in Canada. From my experience, a little bit goes a very long way when people come together. Can you imagine if just 200 of us came together and donated $10 to a cause we are passionate about, that is $2000 right there ! In this case, that reaches our goal and changes the lives of so many young souls. These children are able to live on so little, it humbles you to reflect on the abundance we have available to us on a daily basis here in Canada. I have seen these children happy with just a lollipop, it is something that has humbled my soul to a different degree.
In addition to the fundraiser, we have also set up a clothing/toy drive to collect childrens clothes of all sizes for these children. As well as any gently used or new toys that you may have laying around would be greatly appreciated.
I encourage anyone looking to give back or start something to tap into your inner leader. Start today, right now, with baby steps you can accomplish anything. I am just a young woman who had an idea, with passion behind it. I took action, and took the baby steps required to do it. Now I am here to tell you that you can do it too, just take your first leap of faith.  
If you are interested in donating to the fundraiser you can check out our link on facebook : https://www.facebook.com/donate/190257249594942/?fundraiser_source=external_url
Or you can contact me at jessicanicolewilliams@outlook.com to learn how to get involved or donate toys or clothing.
EDITORS DISCLOSURE:  The Oshawa Central Newspaper cannot verify the validity of the above organization/group.  The opinions are that of the author registered above.

The Chestermere

 The Art of Finding Work
By Nick Kossovan

The Chestermere
Last week I provided 5 suggestions on how you can make your LinkedIn profile, which in 2021 is a non-negotiable must-have for job seekers, to stand out. The suggestions were:
1. Add a headshot
2. Create an eye-catching headline
3. Craft an interesting summary
4. Highlight your experience
5. Use visual media
I'll continue with my next 5 suggestions:
6. Customize your URL
Your LinkedIn URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the web address for your profile. The default URL will have your name and some random numbers and letters (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-kossovan-647e3b49). Customizing your profile URL (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickkossovan/) makes your profile search engine friendly; therefore, you're easier to find. As well a customized URL invites the person searching to make some positive assumptions about you:
- You're detail oriented.
- You're technologically savvy.
- You understand the power of perception (Image is everything!).
 James Wooden, one of the most revered coaches in the history of sports, is to have said, "It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen."
 To change your profile URL, go to the right side of your profile. There you'll find an option to edit your URL. Use this option to make your URL concise and neat.
7. Make connections
The more connections you have increases the likelihood of being found when hiring managers and recruiters, looking for potential candidates with your background, search on LinkedIn. Envision your number of connections as 'the amount of gas in your tank.'
At the very least, you should aim to get over 500 connections. Anything below 500 LinkedIn will indicate your number of connections as an exact number (ex. 368). Above 500 connections, LinkedIn simply shows you have 500+ connections. Getting to 500 implies you're a player on LinkedIn.  
As much as possible, connect with individuals you know personally, have worked with, met in a professional capacity (tradeshow, conference), is in your city/region and industry/profession. If you'd like to connect with someone you haven't met, send a note with your request explaining who you are and why you'd like to connect. (This'll be my topic in next week's column.)
8. Ask for recommendations and skill endorsements
This is vital to making your profile stand out! Employers want to know that others think of your work.
When asking for a recommendation, or skill endorsements, think of all the people you've worked the past. Don't just think of your past bosses; also think of colleagues, vendors, customers - anyone who can vouch for your work and professionalism.
Instructions on how to ask for, and give, a recommendation, can be found by going to the LinkedIn 'Help' field (Located by clicking on the drop-down arrow below the 'Me' icon in the upper right-hand corner.) and typing 'Requesting a recommendation.' Do the same for skill endorsements.
TIP: It's good karma to write recommendations, and endorse skills, in return and to give unsolicited.
9. Keep your profile active
LinkedIn is not simply an online resume - it's a networking social media site. To get the most out of LinkedIn, you need to be constantly active (at least 3 times per week). Write posts and articles. Check out what is being posted, especially by your connections. Like and share posts that resonate with you. Engage with thoughtful comments that'll put forward your expertise.
Join groups that align with your industry and professional interests. Groups are an excellent way to meet like-minded professionals with whom to network and share ideas and best practices.
10. Check your LinkedIn profile strength
It's in LinkedIn's interest that you're successful using their platform. Therefore, they've created a 'Profile Strength Meter' to gauge how robust your profile is. Basically, this gauge tells you completion level of your profile. Using the tips, you'll be given, keep adding to your profile until your gauge rates you "All-Star." For instructions on how to access your 'Profile Strength Meter,' use the LinkedIn' Help' field.
The 10 tips I offered is a starting point for building a LinkedIn profile that WOWs! Jobseekers need to make the most of their profile to stand out in a sea of candidates, sell their skills, and validate their accomplishments. Make it easy for the reader to get a feel for who you are professionally.