LABOUR DAY THE CELEBRATING MODERN DAY SLAVERY

By Joe Ingino Editor/Publisher ACCOMPLISHED WRITER/AUTHOR OF OVER 800,000 Published Columns in Canada and The United States “I live a dream in a nightmare world” Always Remember That The cosmic blueprint of your life was written in code across the sky at the moment you were born. Decode Your Life By Living It Without Regret or Sorrow. - ONE DAY AT A TIME - What is it about human psychology that out of suffering comes relief and out of optimal relief converts back to a new kind of suffering? Think about it. Today we celebrate ‘LABOUR DAY’ as a great human rights achievement. A movement that at the time of inception was much needed. A time in history when workers were taken advantage, abused and neglected. Practically forced to work in some of the worst working conditions for minimal or no wage in dangerous environments. Something had to give. The birth of a united workers front evolved. At first workers would unite to speak as a unified voice against all kinds of neglect, abuse and most importantly pay. Unions normally were made up of workers within a shop that had enough and would utilize all kinds of tactics to get through to management. Management in the name of keeping production and profits going would give in to the workers demands. This carried on in individual shops until the word got out on how well this new ‘union’ concept among worker was working.... this fanning a fire of desire by other shops. Many attempted and many failed. As management would heavy handed oppress any union or request of better working conditions and or pay at their shops by closing shops or firing workers. This gave birth to ‘unionized’ trades. For example the auto workers union. One union representing one industry across the board. Workers pay a union fee to belong and enjoy the benefits of the union representation. Today just about every profession, trade or group has realized on the benefit of unionizing and followed the lead from previous workers. No matter how you look at the worker. They have always been the engine that keeps any industry, trade or commerce going. The modern day slave that would work for minimal reward and benefits. The modern day slave that had no ownership other than that of his own psychological confine. Forced to enter a daily routine out of necessity for survival. Unions gave the modern day slave, hope, purpose and a false sense of worth as now they had perceived rights. I say perceived rights as unions in their collection of dues... They themselves become a form of management. A management that in principle to represent the workers or modern day slaves. Instead in many cases these unions have become political entities pushing agenda other than that of the workers best interest. Using their membership numbers as political tool to influence the outcome of the democratic process. Unions in modern times have gone from being the shield against management oppression to the middle man in the process of fair treatment. Unions in many cases are the hard hand that oppresses worker to conform to their policy and agenda under the guise of representing what is best for the entire union membership. This twist in representation, now leaves the workers with a two tier management process. At the corporate level. The average worker has little or no voice as they are directed to deal with their union rep. At the union level, workers are forced to comply with all unions policy and agenda to get adequate representation. At the end of the day. Who suffers? The average modern day slave. So what has changed? Well some argue that something is better than nothing. Happy Labour Day from a proud modern day slave.

Canada under fire

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East As the summer plods along with a high inflation rate and high interest rates on mortgages, Canadians are also facing an unprecedented rash of forest fires with many communities affected from coast to coast to coast. It has really been a season and a year of extremes. Drought is one example. Canada is a big place and it's always dry somewhere, but not like this year. Agriculture Canada's June 30 drought map shows most of the country was abnormally dry. Large stretches of the Prairies were under at least moderate drought conditions, reaching extreme proportions in southern Alberta. In British Columbia, once the "wet coast," 28 out of 34 river basins were at the province's top two drought levels. Ranchers were selling cattle that they could not grow enough hay to feed, and low stream flows were threatening salmon runs. It has also been really hot. Although the east was generally quite normal, except for the forest fires in Quebec in early June, the west was not. From May through July, Kelowna, British Columbia, experienced 36 days of more than 30 C weather. The normal count is 16 C. Norman Wells, not far from the Arctic Circle in the Northwest Territories, set a new record of 38 C on July 8. Environment Canada senior climatologist Dave Phillips totalled up the number of warm temperature records set this summer versus the number of cold records. There were 372 new hot-temperature marks and 55 cold ones. On top of this, the heat was not restricted to the land only. Phillips said waters off all three Canadian coasts have never been warmer. Hudson Bay is up to 3 C warmer. The Pacific coast is between 2 C and 4 C warmer. Both the Atlantic and Arctic coasts are 5 C above average. Then there were the floods — "so many floods," said Phillips. On July 21, Halifax got three months worth of rain in 24 hours. At least three people died in the floods, up to 600 had to evacuate their homes, and power cuts affected 80,000. Roads washed away and at least seven bridges were left needing major repair or replacement. Then there were the fires that spread smoke across the continent and into Europe, where "Canadian wildfires" made headlines from the New York Times to Germany's nightly news. With more than 13 million blackened hectares, it has been the worst wildfire season in North American history. All 13 provinces and territories have been affected, often at the same time. Tens of thousands of people were forced from their homes, hundreds of houses were destroyed and four firefighters have been killed. Over the years, cities such as Calgary and Edmonton have grown used to "smoke days." This year, that unhappy club grew to include Ottawa (171 smoke hours), Montreal (100 smoke hours) and Toronto, which, on June 30, had the second-worst air quality in the world. If we are looking to the history of forest and vegetation fires in Canada in general, since the 1970s and 1980s, the total annual number of wildfires in Canada has decreased while the total area burned has increased, though there is variability between years. Since 1959, the number and size of large fires has increased and the average fire season has become longer by about two weeks. In Canada, wildfire season usually starts in May. The 2023 fires have been compared to the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire and the 2021 Lytton wildfire, but the fires this year were far worse. When people revert to blaming the now well-known slogan of “climate change” perpetuated by humans, we might do well to consider that the so-called ‘climate change’ is a natural and cyclic phenomenon depending on many variables, including the path of the earth in space etc. At the same we must not ignore the basic issue of forest management. It seems that the elite and elite scientists are not seeing the forest for the trees. Roughly, half of all wildfires in Canada are caused by lightning; lightning strikes and lightning-caused fires are happening more frequently. Lightning-caused fires account for about 85% of land burned, often occurring in clusters in remote locations. The other half of wildfires in Canada are human-caused, often unintentionally sparked by things such as discarded cigarette butts, abandoned smouldering campfires, or sparks from braking trains. But let’s face it; Forest management is also a big factor in the wildfires. So here we are: because Canada's forest management has focused on fire suppression, dry vegetation has accumulated on the forest floor. Canada has generally stopped performing controlled burns, which help reduce the risk of larger and more dangerous fires. It is difficult to get permission for controlled burns, especially for Indigenous groups who have historically performed them and are disproportionately affected by wildfires. Canada lacks a national firefighting service, and local resources are stretched thin due to budget cuts. Pollution due to a global increase in wildfires has created widespread, long-term impacts on human health. Due to wildfire emissions, Canada broke its record for annual carbon emissions in late June. Have any of the so-called climate scientists calculated the contribution of forest fires to the total of carbon emissions in Canada? Well ???? Furthermore, is there anyone in government or the public service looking to establish better forest management practices; a service long neglected by all levels of government in Canada? The answer seems to be a resounding NO. They are looking for carbon taxes in various hidden forms, they are looking for fashionable electric vehicles, when due to the recent rash of forest fires Canada broke the record on carbon emissions and became the laughingstock of the world. It is time to think seriously about better forest management and invest in it, rather than spending huge amounts of money overseas and on politically correct pet projects. The forests are burning and people are suffering from coast to coast to coast, while politicians and their advisers in the Canadian public service are fiddling. Enough is enough! Canadians can do without any more Neros! What do you think?

New Economic Problems on the Horizon in Canada

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East As Canadians, we continue to enjoy our short summer and look forward to the fall, though it may not be a very nice one. Inflation continues to raise its ugly head and that means that the Bank of Canada will probably bump up interest rates even further in September. As outlined by journalist Pete Evans’ realistic analysis of the situation, we are not looking forward to getting out of these economic worries any time soon. Canada's inflation rate bucked its recent trend of slowing last month and rose at a 3.3 per cent annual pace in July, Statistics Canada said’. That was an increase from 2.8 per cent the previous month. Gas prices were a major factor pushing up the inflation rate, mostly due to what economists call the base effect. For most of the past year, the cost of gasoline has been a big factor dragging down the overall rate. However, as you may have noticed, prices are up again. Pump prices increased by 0.9 per cent in July. The same month a year earlier, they declined by more than 9 per cent. Gas prices weren't the only type of energy bill that was a big factor in pushing up the inflation rate. The price of electricity skyrocketed in the past year, up by 11.7 per cent. That's more than twice the annual increase of 5.8 per cent clocked in June and the biggest reason for the uptick was a more than doubling of electricity bills in Alberta, which rose by 127.8 per cent in the year up to July. Food prices, another factor that has been driving up the cost of living, eased somewhat during the month, but they are still going up at an eye-watering pace. Grocery prices increased by 8.5 per cent in the year up to July. That is an easing from 9.1 per cent the previous month, but still three times the overall inflation rate. Not every grocery aisle is getting more expensive, or at the same rate. There was some relief in the produce section, with fresh fruit prices seeing their largest month-over-month decline since February 2008, down 6.5 per cent. The price of grapes plummeted by more than 40 per cent last month, according to Statistics Canada. While a slowdown in the rate that food prices are going up comes as some relief, it remains a crisis, which has prompted calls for drastic measures such as price caps on staple grocery items. Other countries, including France and Greece, have dabbled with implementing price controls, where retail prices for core items are capped at a certain level. Similar attempts at price controls in the 1970s had disastrous results, but some policy experts say it is an idea worth exploring, at least on a limited basis. "It's not the '70s anymore, our markets are different," said Vass Bednar, executive director of the Master of Public Policy Program at McMaster University in Hamilton. "We need to recognize that." While Bednar says she does not advocate for a heavy-handed cap on all types of food in perpetuity, she says it makes sense to look into policies that could ensure some basic necessities — baby formula, bread, certain fruits and vegetables — have at least some options that remain affordable. However, Avery Shenfeld, an economist with CIBC, said he does not see the justification for price caps in Canada's grocery business, given the trends we are seeing beneath the surface. "I don't really think we're in need of that here," he said in an interview. "At the end of the day, the best method of fighting inflation isn't to try to pick one or two prices in the economy and intervene in them. It's really to control the pace of spending power [and] moderate growth a little bit." Food prices are not the only thing getting more expensive, either. Mortgages have been another major pressure point in the increasing consumer price index of late, and that problem got worse in July, not better. Mortgage interest costs have increased by 30.6 per cent in the past year. That's another record year-over-year gain, and the largest single factor in the increase in the overall inflation rate. With this said many smart people in the financial sector seem to think a recession is coming. And yet a lot of them also think that before that, central bankers here, in the United States and overseas are going to raise interest rates some more. The fact is fighting inflation is complicated and politically divisive. For central banks, it becomes even more complicated and politically divisive as inflation gets closer to their target, because rate hikes hurt more for less obvious reward. There are few inflation riddles harder to solve than the fact that the Bank of Canada's own interest rate hikes are actually driving inflation higher, with the mortgage cost component continuing to climb. So let us see what is coming and how our politicians will act to ease the worries of Canadians. Any hope?

Congratulations! You Got the Job, Now What?

By Nick Kossovan The inspiration for this column came from several readers who, after a successful job search, emailed me asking for advice on the best way to establish themselves with their new employer, boss, and colleagues. Therefore, I will be departing from my pragmatic job searching advice. Instead, I will be offering tips on how to start a new job off on the right foot. During your first six months, focus on cultivating working relationships, learning policies and procedures — how things are done — and getting to know your new work environment, especially the culture. In contrast to most new hires, you do not want to keep repeating behavioural patterns that do not serve your self-interests. Instead, use your new job as an opportunity to fix self-sabotaging habits, which we all have to some extent. Use your first 180 days to: · Build relationships. · Establish credibility and trust. · Analyze the political landscape. · Identify influencers and rockstars. · Create a reputation (aka, personal brand) as someone who gets stuff done. Before your first day, think about how you want to be perceived by the leadership team, your new manager, and your colleagues. Decide what you want to be known for at your new job, then take strategic actions — create a plan of action — to control your narrative and define yourself. (Either you decide what you want to be known for, or others will decide for you.) Do you want to be the go-to person for statistical analysis, project management or be seen as a strong people leader? Now is your chance! Additionally, your new job is the perfect opportunity to let go of any baggage you may have. When starting a new job, I suggest you: Arrive early, leave late. Showing up early — prepared and ready to go — and not leaving the moment your eight hours are up demonstrates your enthusiasm, dedication, and commitment to your new employer. Watching the clock is not something you want to be known for. Be friendly and open. A new job entails new relationships. Your new colleagues will notice how you come across; therefore, make sure your first impression is positive. Make it a point to present yourself as open, friendly, and ready to cultivate productive, positive working relationships. Now is not the time to succumb to the "I'm an introvert" narrative you have sold yourself. A lack of interaction or openness will quickly lead to word getting around that you are "difficult" or "rude." Ask questions. Do not be afraid to ask questions, especially clarifying questions. By asking questions, you show engagement, interest in learning, and, most importantly, a desire to succeed. Observe and listen. Spend most of your first weeks at a new company listening to your colleagues, taking in the company culture, and observing workplace norms and conventions. Note how long people take for lunch and how they dress and behave around managers and leaders. Identify influencers who do not hold a leadership position. (e.g., The assistant to the VP of Marketing likely has more influence than the Director of IT.) Use your observations to help you adapt to your new work environment without disrupting it. Not being perceived as a "fit" is the most prevalent reason for new employees not working out. Do not engage in office politics. A boss once told me, "Office politics are inevitable when there is more than one person in the room." Workplace politics is prevalent because everyone is looking out for their self-interests. Unfortunately, you will need to navigate the inevitable gossiping, backbiting, rumours, and badmouthing. For the first couple of months, the longer, the better, refrain from doing so. (Ignore their existence.) Getting involved in office politics right away is a recipe for disaster. Whenever possible, steer clear of employees who spread negativity or create drama. As a newbie, you may feel tempted to align with a particular group. Avoid doing this! You will be judged by whom you choose to associate with. Carefully select who you affiliate with and — I cannot stress this enough — be mindful when sharing information. I have seen many careers stall or, worse, implode due to oversharing. Embrace your employer's ways. Make it a priority to thoroughly learn your new employer's systems, procedures, and policies and to understand the reasoning behind why things are done the way they are. It may be possible for you to suggest improvements in the future, but first, understand "why." Moreover, immediately learn the basics, such as using your telephone's features, accessing your email, logging onto the company's Intranet, etc. A few jobs back, I was walking by the cubicle of an employee who had been with the company for several months. They stopped me to ask how to transfer the caller they had on hold. It was not a good look. Update your LinkedIn profile. By the end of your second week, update your LinkedIn profile, which I guarantee your new boss and colleagues are checking regularly to see if you have. Updating your profile announces your new job and shows your employer you are committed to it, something they will look favourably upon. _____________________________________________________________________ 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

COME ON CANADA WE CAN DO BETTER

By Joe Ingino Editor/Publisher ACCOMPLISHED WRITER/AUTHOR OF OVER 800,000 Published Columns in Canada and The United States “I live a dream in a nightmare world” Always Remember That The cosmic blueprint of your life was written in code across the sky at the moment you were born. Decode Your Life By Living It Without Regret or Sorrow. - ONE DAY AT A TIME - Canada ‘absolutely’ can’t build more houses without more immigrants, The Honorable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship says. Canada aims to welcome 451,000 new immigrants in 2024. By 2025, the number is expected to go up to 500,000. Miller said he was not considering slashing these targets. You got to wonder how these people get appointed to the positions they have. What planet does this minister live on? Walk across any city downtown and you will see how his thinking is way out of wack. We can’t house and feed what we have and we are going to bring in 451,000 new people that many do not even speak the language or have no inclination to adapting to Canadian culture and traditions. Instead he thinks this is the answer to the housing problem. MY MIND KEEPS SPINNING ON HOW WE AS CANADIANS WE CAN HAVE SUCH PEOPLE IN POWER. PUSHING SUCH AGENDA. Agenda that benefits the Liberal party as all this minister is doing is buying foreign immigrant future votes. Insanity. We as Canadian taxpayers have to sit and swallow the garbage he spews. Let’s take the assumption that we are Canadian and we welcome immigrants... and there is a big difference between and immigrant and a refugee. An immigrant has to qualify to enter Canada. A refugee just has to plea that he is being persecuted by his national regime. These are people that carry a heavy anti government chip on their shoulder and in most cases once allowed to enter Canada end up pushing their homeland cause here in Canada. Now what does refugees have to do with housing? Your son or daughter as it stands today. Can’t afford to go out and buy a one million dollar shack. How is an immigrant with no real Canadian work experience to afford one. How is a refugee that in most cases leave their homelands with nothing but what they have one to afford one? What are we the taxpayers expected to pay for them... Under multi culturalism... are we to put some foreigner over our own children's needs? Your son and daughter are forced to work for minimum wage. Knowing that home ownership is as far as some of these refugee’s home lands. I say, if this is the Ministers perspective. He needs to resign. We need to call for his resignation as he is a threat to national security. We, don’t want refugees to continue their homeland causes on our Canadian soil. We want the Minister to focus on working with the Prime Minister to find a way to subsidize all minimum wage earner. Subsidize, in a way that will give those working their asses off a chance at buying a home. Force all multi billion dollar companies that pay minimum wage to contribute by having them pay their employees a minimum of $25.00/hr. No instead we let these multi billion dollar company keep making billions while our people starve. Look at the rate of homeless in our country. Are we to let our standards down so much that we put a refugee’s suffering over our own home folks? I say we have an imbalance of logic when it comes to the out of control rental, home prices, food prices and wages. Why is the government allowing the gouging of food prices? Where is the Minister, intervening...as these food retail chains keep making billions. To think we need more refugees or immigrants to resolve the housing crisis is pure insanity all we are doing is importing other nations problems. What’s your take?

As a Job Seeker, Know Your Numbers

By Nick Kossovan Employers understand one thing: Numbers. Hence, the language of business is numbers, which is why employers like candidates who include numbers in their LinkedIn profiles and resumes and can discuss their numbers throughout the interview. Numbers = Results = Value Without a number, "business numbers" such as cost of sale, gross margin, net profit, depreciation, and revenue have no meaning. Employees contribute to, or at least heavily influence, business numbers. Rarely is a business decision made without looking at and assessing "the numbers." Therefore, it is imperative that you speak the language of business during your job search, especially when interviewing. Your numbers are your unique selling points (USPs). When asked, "What do you do?" what is easier to picture, understand and judge: 1. "I'm a pharmaceutical salesperson for Simeon." 2. "I sell Simeon's line of heart medications, which consists of seven different medications used to treat heart ailments. Last year I sold over 375,000 units, generating $6.5 million in revenue." The second answer provides the size and scope of what the person does and how successful they are. Numbers are vital to your career story. Without numbers, your story is unsubstantiated, thus lacking credibility, a feeling you do not want your interviewer to have. It is said that everything can be measured and, therefore, quantifiable. According to the ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras, "Number is within all things." Risk, security, satisfaction, morale, and yes, even happiness, beauty, and love (Do you love your wife or your coffee table more? Answering this question provides a rank measurement.) can be measured in ways that are useful. I am not saying everything can be quantified precisely using an objective unit of measure. That is not my point. Most of the time, all you need is a "good enough" metric for you to make a decision. For example, should you need to evacuate your home immediately, what would be your priority, your wife or your coffee table? The purpose of reading numbers, such as in a financial report, the caloric content of a meal, taking a measurement (READ: create a number) or making a guesstimate is to assist you in making an informed decision, such as whether to purchase a company's stock or whether the meal you are contemplating on ordering is healthy. When it comes to measurement, numbers can be concrete, like revenue, weight, distance, discount, number of views or something squishy (elastic) like net promoter or customer satisfaction score. No: "I fundraised for the Heart and Stroke Foundation." Yes: "Daily, I made between 60 – 80 outbound calls to past Heart and Stroke Foundation donors. Since 2020, I increased my donations by 20%. In 2021 I raised $2,750,000." By providing numbers supporting your strengths and results throughout your resume, LinkedIn profile, while networking, and most importantly, during an interview, you are assisting employers in determining if your skills and capabilities will make you a fit for the job expectations and, more importantly, if hired what results you will deliver. As I have mentioned in a previous column, employers hire to achieve results. Your numbers are proof of the results you are able to achieve. No: "I manage Binford's social media accounts." Yes: "I oversee Binford's four social media accounts, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter, which currently have a combined total of 7.6 million followers. This past May, I created content that generated 4.6 million likes, 2.1 million shares, and retweets, resulting in 17% more traffic for Binford compared to April's." Before beginning your job search assess your skills, strengths, and aptitudes and determine how to quantify them. For example, you may be proud of your ability to retain customers. Therefore, calculate your customer retention rate and tell your interviewer something along the lines of, "My customer retention rate, since 2017, at Wayne Enterprises, has ranged between 88% and 96%" Then be ready to explain how you accomplished this. No: "I take inbound calls." Yes: "I handle 60-80 inbound customer calls daily and have an average handling time of two and a half minutes." Numbers sell. Think of all the decisions you make throughout the day based on numbers (monetary, measurements, percentage, time). When possible, use numbers to prove your accomplishments and core strengths. You can describe your skills with obvious metrics like sales volume, market share, or profitability, as well as people-oriented ones such as number of clients served, or number of employees managed. No: “I am a financial consultant.” Yes: "I have ten years of experience in personal finance management and helped 45 repeat clients increase their capital by 15% annually." Regardless of your profession or industry, you have numbers. Some performance numbers that indicate your capability are revenue generated, outbound calls made daily, invoices processed weekly, employees managed, billable hours, and the size of warehouse floor you cleaned nightly, to name a few possible numbers. When job searching, especially when interviewing, know your numbers! Since most candidates do not know their numbers, sharing your numbers that showcase your skills and results will give you a competitive advantage, especially if you saved or made your employer money _____________________________________________________________________ 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

Canada’s Economic Status

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East As this unusually cool and wet weather continues to limit our enjoyment of our short summer, we need to be aware of the similarly cooling economic status of our country. With all the rather bleak goings-on in the world, we have to make the best decisions as we can to secure our own future. With the interest rates high and the cost of living increasing at an alarming rate, we need to be aware of what is going on around us in order to make the best decisions for our lives. The health of our economy is important for us to be able to maintain a good standard of living. Canada faces lingering post-pandemic structural issues driven by inflationary pressure, weak investment, and tepid productivity growth. Furthermore, Canadian households face ongoing short- and medium-term economic challenges to keep up with the rising cost of living. As a result, Canada's economic growth is projected to be 1.3% in 2023 and 1.5% in 2024. These figures are below the G20 averages of 2.2% and 2.7% for 2023 and 2024, and on par with the OECD average. The Covid-19 crisis has negatively impacted Canada's fiscal balance, with the federal government's net debt-to-GDP ratio rising from 31.2% in 2019–20 to 42.4% in 2022–23. Due to high-interest rates and an uncertain economic outlook, Canada requires, at least in the medium run, a clear road map for managing debt to head off risks to fiscal sustainability and reassure capital markets. The month of July brought us some discouraging news. Canada’s unemployment rate rose for a third-straight month in July as the economy shed 6,400 jobs, a softening which economists say could impact the Bank of Canada’s next interest rate decision. According to Statistics Canada the unemployment rate increased 0.1 percentage points to 5.5 per cent in July. This marks the first time the unemployment rate has increased for three consecutive months since the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The soft July employment report is just the latest arrow in the quiver of signs that the economy is losing momentum,” Doug Porter, chief economist and managing director of economics at BMO, said in a note last week. Statistics Canada stated that surprisingly, job losses were led by the construction industry, while the greatest job gains were made in health care and social assistance. According to Statistics Canada, employment fell among core-aged men (25 to 54 years old) by 0.4 per cent, and increased among male youth aged 15 to 24 by 0.9 per cent. There was little variation in employment among young and core-aged women, and among men and women aged 55 and older. More than half of the unemployed (53.6 per cent) had been out of the labour force immediately before in the count for July, while 38.7 per cent had left or lost a job in July. Employment increased in Alberta, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island while it declined in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. All other provinces posted little change in July, as per Statistics Canada. The rising unemployment comes as high interest rates weigh on the economy, making borrowing more expensive for both businesses and consumers and if we are not careful, the possibility of a recession cannot be excluded, with unforeseen effects. The softening in the labour market will have some implications for the Bank of Canada’s next interest rate decision, which is supposed to occur on Sept. 6, 2023. However, the central bank will have additional data to consider, including the July inflation report and June GDP figures, which are due in the coming weeks. As we have seen, the central bank hiked its benchmark rate to five per cent on July 12 in another effort to cool the Canadian economy and bring inflation to its two per cent target. Inflation cooled to 2.8 per cent in June, down from 3.4 per cent in May. Logically, the employment figures, combined with the latest inflation report, makes a strong case for the Bank of Canada (BoC) not raising its interest rate further. “Looking beyond the next rate decision, we suspect that the bank may be done raising rates, although still-firm wage and core price growth means that rates are likely to stay high for long,” Porter added. In this respect, we observe that down south, U.S. employers added 187,000 jobs last month. That led America’s unemployment rate to dip to 3.5 per cent from 3.6 per cent in June in a sign that the U.S. job market remains resilient. So, in Canada unemployment is rising when in the U.S. it is dropping. This issue should be of concern in view of our strongly intertwined economies. In conclusion, as economic activity appears to be moderating amid sharply higher borrowing costs, and the full effects of prior rapid increases in the interest rate have yet to be felt by Canadian consumers and businesses we should not anticipate a bright forecast. The people at the controls in government and public service will need to act responsibly in order to avoid bringing further hardship onto Canadians. What is your opinion?

The status of education in Ontario

As you may know, education in Canada is a provincial responsibility. Therefore, each province in Canada enacts its own legislation concerning the education of their students. The Education Act and subsequent acts that govern education in Ontario will be the focus of this article. As emphasized in the act, provincial, federal and international human rights codes and charters also have stipulations on children's learning experiences. In 2009, the Ministry of Education implemented the Equity and Inclusive Education Strategy across the province that included making human rights education part of the primary and secondary curriculum. To assist educators, the Ministry worked with Ontario's Human Rights Commission to develop a guide with lessons, activities and case studies specifically designed to increase students' knowledge of human rights, and prompt discussion on such topics as discrimination, harassment and equality. As we duly observe, a lot of emphasis is put on social studies, especially in the formative years of the children. The intention may be a good one, however it must not to be exaggerated to the point of neglecting the science and technological side of education in the very formative years of children and youth. For a developed nation like Canada, whose economic heart has traditionally beat in Ontario, it is particularly important not to be left behind in creativity and ingenuity in today’s competitive world. Education plays a very important role in maintaining our own standard of living, and that of generations to come. Unfortunately, I must say that my observations confirm a gross neglect in science and mathematics education in this province. Let us, for example, take as an indicator, the measure of achievement of Canadian (Ontario) students in the International Olympics in mathematics, physics, chemistry, informatics etc. They are not performing at all well in comparison with students representing other nations. As a nation, we must not remain complacent, burying our head in the sand, praising our false achievements in isolation. We need to act rapidly and decisively to correct this situation in the Ontario school system. At present, there is too much useless bureaucracy. Various boards of education are working by very loose guidelines, which results in the quality of education offered, suffering badly. Something must change rapidly; otherwise, we will become a less competitive country on the world stage. It is essential that the responsible entities act with conviction, commitment and speed to correct this situation. The Ontario Ministry of Education needs an overhaul that can only be accomplished through political will and public service dedication. There is some evidence of mild action, recently taken by the Ontario Ministry of Education, in directing school boards to have more transparency and accountability in their work. As such, school boards in Ontario will be required to publicly report the details of their professional development (PD) sessions, among several other performance indicators, under legislation that gives the education minister greater control over boards. Along with PD day transparency, the regulations newly outlined by the province include mandates for boards to report on areas that include attendance rates, the percentage of students participating in a job skills program and the rate of students meeting or exceeding provincial standardized test standards. Education Minister Stephen Lecce says the first set of regulations that are part of the recently passed Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act will help “refocus” boards on academic achievement and life and job skills. “This sends a clear signal to Ontario’s school boards we’ve listened to the priorities of our parents putting common sense at the centre of our education system,” Lecce wrote in a statement. The government passed its Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act just before the summer break, giving Minister Lecce greater powers to set regulatory priorities and school board policy. Minister Lecce has said the legislation will get boards “back to the basics” of education. The regulations include setting three provincial education priorities: achievement of learnings outcomes in core academic skills, preparation of students for future success and student engagement and well-being. A memo from Lecce and the deputy education minister circulated to school boards last week notes “local needs and perspectives including Francophone and/or Catholic needs,” can also be taken into account when developing plans to meet those priorities. The memo notes the province plans to bring in regulations in time for the school year to establish a new certificate pathway to get more student-teachers into the classroom. It says the certificate will give teacher candidates more hands-on learning experience and provide boards with “flexibility to address short-term teacher supply needs.” That has obviously raised concerns among some teachers’ unions, which are in the midst of negotiating new contracts with the province. The province also says that it will mandate that the Ontario College of Teachers cut down on the time it takes to issue its certification decisions for internationally trained teachers, from its current 120-day target to 60 days. The teachers’ unions did not like these decisions very much, looking with suspicions on the increase of ministerial powers. But isn’t it time to concentrate on the better education of students, rather than self-serving issues? It is time to give a better education for our children and youths. The Ministry is certainly on the right path, but let us see if it will continue on this road. Once and for all, we need to concentrate on seriously teaching science and job skills. The future of Canada as a developed nation depends on a citizenry that knows understands and can do science. “The key to achieving that, is the effective teaching of a scientifically sound curriculum by knowledgeable and dedicated practitioners in a community of practice,” according to Dr. Cecilia Kutas, an early math education specialist and former Professor of Organic Chemistry, who advocates ‘talking math to make sense of it’. Let’s go to work seriously in this direction, instead of getting lost in meaningless projects that lead nowhere at best, and result in dissatisfaction, misinformation, and undue resentment at worst. Let us put forth our best efforts for the benefit of future generations. What do you think?

KING TRUDEAU

By Joe Ingino Editor/Publisher ACCOMPLISHED WRITER/AUTHOR OF OVER 800,000 Published Columns in Canada and The United States “I live a dream in a nightmare world” Always Remember That The cosmic blueprint of your life was written in code across the sky at the moment you were born. Decode Your Life By Living It Without Regret or Sorrow. - ONE DAY AT A TIME - They say that a man is the king of his castle when it comes to family. That the Kings role is to supply for his courtship. Lead by example and always maintain the best interest of family. A natural understanding that has been with us since the beginning of time. Unfortunately in modern society, where men can be Queens and Queens can be men. We have become some what confused. But let’s not just blame modern norms on this one. We have to blame the church for failing to uphold moral values. Instead the church has been proven to be nothing short of a corporate entity pushing antiquated doctrine. This in contrast with science and technology. The church has failed to maintain the integrity of the family institution. So what do we have? Social chaos. No one respects no one. Everyone looking for an excuse to justify failure. Look at all the out of wed mothers. Look at all the divorce. Look at kids having kids. Look at the level of despair across society. Just this week it was announce in no other than a social media site that Justin Trudeau and his wife are separating. Wow, the social populist once again championed all that is wrong with Canada. Primarily the morality of a nation. The priorities of his personal life mirror that of the nation. How are we to trust a man that can’t even keep his home kingdom. How are we to trust that he is doing the right thing for the nation. Then again. He is following his fathers foot steps. Justin election win by many has been seen as nothing short as pay patronage by immigrants that were brought to this country during Trudeau father governance. If Justin’s last name would had been.... Smith. Would he have had the same opportunity to become Prime Minister? Many doubt it. History is repeating itself once again. Justin is following the Liberal play book by buying future votes. I was reading a report released by the Federal government stating that they project a major need for workers. That Canada has to many jobs and not enough workers. This giving justification to the opening the flood gates for people from all over the world. People that have their best interests at heart and not that of building a nation. Not only that. The jobs that the Feds claim to be so abundant are jobs that are minimum wage at best. How can the government go public with such false statement. First, those working those minimum wage jobs today. Can’t afford to live in most Canadian cities. Rents at an all time high. Property values through the roof. Food prices out of touch for many. And the feds want to bring more people. Justin, how do you go to bed at night knowing there are so many people in your country suffering. Going to bed without a home. Without proper food? But wait let’s worry about the suffering in the Ukraine. I think the priorities are confused. Politicians like to volley the responsibility by comparison to other places that are worst. The reality is simple. One get tough on drugs. Much like ‘NO’ means no. The same should apply to all illegal drugs. Including the cannabis market. We need to take back control. No more paying for a woman having 5 kids from 5 different men. No more million dollar shacks... No more rents beyond one third of anyone’s income. Stop the food giants from raking in billions from gouging prices. No, instead of fixing the problem at home. Justin, decides that the answer to a serious national problem is to bring more mouths to feed. Many that don’t speak the language and have no intention of learning it. What am I talking about. Justin fixing problems at home.... He can’t even fix his own personal family at home problems. It is not that we expect to much from someone that rode his daddy’s coat tails. It is that we the people are to blame for voting him in.

You Can Add Luck to Your Job Search

By Nick Kossovan Once you identify what you are in control of throughout your job search, you begin to realize just how much control you have over "creating luck," which is an integral part of job searching. Ask yourself: 1. Do you often blame your circumstances on bad luck? 2. How can you add more luck to your life? There are many things you can do to increase your job search luck. Meeting more people will make you luckier. Learning more skills will make you luckier. Becoming comfortable with taking risks and failing will make you luckier. Helping others will make you luckier. A well-crafted, result-oriented, optimized LinkedIn profile will make you luckier. There is a tendency to think that luck is entirely random and uncontrollable, which leads to a victim mentality that successful people are lucky and we are not. Furthermore, when we succeed, we often minimize it due to luck, which undermines our self-esteem. Without getting too existential, life's hard truth is that every action we take is uncertain; therefore, there is an element of luck in everything we do. I am sure you have experienced more than once having done "all the right things" and not having achieved the results you were aiming for. Job searching is full of such scenarios. On the other hand, you can do everything wrong and achieve success. This paralyzes many people, but others find ways how to influence being lucky. The key to creating luck is to be able to determine what you can and cannot influence. Making such determinations requires extinguishing your ego and any sense of entitlement you may have while doing so. Anything you cannot influence is simply blind luck. Giving in to these factors and giving them mental energy is pointless. Blind luck includes things like your family, acts of God, where you were born, your life starting point, and the result of any single action you take. The last one is the one you need to come to grips with because many times, despite your best efforts, not everything will go as you wish, which is why the number one factor, which you have complete control over, in creating job search luck is your hustle. In other words, are you taking enough shots at your goal? Do you believe in your actions, or are you going through the motions? Because we want "easy" (READ: feel entitled to), we drastically underestimate the number of attempts we must make before finding what respectively works for us to achieve the success we are after. When we see success stories, we only see the end of the success story; we do not see all the struggles, failures and hustle between the beginning and the end. The second most important factor in creating luck is identifying opportunities. Not just any opportunities, but the right opportunities. This entails defining your circle of competence — an area of expertise that matches a person's skills — which I often talk about. Having more than a rudimentary understanding of your field and industry, relevant topics to your career, skills you need for success or your surrounding political and economic landscape positions you for lucky breaks. Additionally, you will be able to recognize emerging trends and subtle changes and capitalize on them. Warren Buffett summarized the concept by saying, "Know your circle of competence and stick within it. The size of that circle is not very important; knowing its boundaries, however, is vital." As Inspector Harry Callahan in Magnum Force, Clint Eastwood simplified the circle of competence concept when he said, "A man's got to know his limitations." Dancing, music, gardening, and numbers, to name a few, are outside my realm of competency, which I accept; thus, I focus on what I am good at. Focusing on my competencies makes me luckier. After all, am I not more likely to succeed by doing what I am good at and enjoy versus trying to succeed outside my circle of competence? The third factor in creating luck is to stand out so luck finds you. Being visible is crucial to being lucky, hence why networking is undoubtedly the most efficient way to find a job. Thanks to social media, promoting yourself, and connecting with like-minded people, is easier than ever. The more people you connect with, the luckier you get — it's not who you know; it's who knows you. In a previous column, I pointed out two life truisms: 1. The world is made by extroverts for extroverts. 2. The most connected people are often the most successful. Being social, talking, learning, and listening to other people's experiences will make you luckier. Participate in ongoing conversations and your community by building relationships online, posting and commenting on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc. As much as possible, spend time talking to people who are ahead of you — who are where you want to be. I like feeling as if I am the dumbest person in the room; that is how I learn. I am sure you know the adage, "The more you know, the further you go," which can be interpreted as, "The more you know, the luckier you get." _____________________________________________________________

Potassium by the Doctrine of the Golden Mean

By Common Sense Health – W. Gifford-Jones MD and Diana Gifford Aristotle’s doctrine of the golden mean lauds the middle ground of two extremes: excess and deficiency. But not everyone follows this sage advice. And not all vitamins and minerals send clear signals of absence or excess. This week, a look at potassium, the third most abundant mineral in the body. People, animals, and plants all depend on potassium for essential functions. Depleted soil requires potassium to be replaced with fertilizer. Young animals lacking potassium will quickly die. In people, there’s danger in either too much or too little potassium. But a healthy diet, including healthy drinks, is the best approach. The American Heart Association recommends 3,400 milligrams (mg) of potassium per day for men and 2,600 mg per day for women. A typical banana provides about 400 mg. A cup of orange juice offers about 500 mg. A serving of broccoli has about 450 mg. A large baked potato can pack in 950 mg! Potassium is like fuel to the electrical systems in the body – mostly in muscle cells, but also bones, the liver, and red blood cells. It helps operate nerve signals and muscle contractions. Potassium also helps manage fluid levels and stabilize blood pressure. A deficiency can lead to muscle cramps and irregular heartbeat. Low potassium levels, especially when combined with high sodium intake, elevate the risk of hypertension. An extensive body of research has shown that a potassium-rich diet has big benefits. Lowering the risk of stroke is one of them. An Italian analysis of cohort studies involving nearly 250,000 adults found “a 1,640 mg per day higher potassium intake was associated with a significant 21% lower risk of stroke.” The U.S. National Institutes of Health reports higher potassium in the diet also reduces the incidence of kidney stones. “In a cohort of 45,619 men aged 40 to 75 years with no history of kidney stones, those with the highest potassium intakes (=4,042 mg/day on average) had a 51% lower risk of kidney stones over 4 years of follow-up than those with the lowest intakes (=2,895 mg/day).” “Similarly, in over 90,000 women aged 34–59 who participated in the Nurses’ Health Study and had no history of kidney stones, those who consumed an average of over 4,099 mg of potassium per day had a 35% lower risk of kidney stones over a 12-year follow-up period than those who averaged less than 2,407 mg of potassium per day.” There’s research suggesting that potassium supports bone health and helps lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. It sounds so good. But can you get too much of a good thing? People with weak kidney function or taking certain medications need to be careful and consult with their doctors. Who else needs to be careful? Aristotle could not have imagined the number of soft drinks consumed by today’s society. The average American drinks 45 gallons (170 liters) of pop each year. Even at the average, that’s excessive amounts of glucose, fructose and caffeine robbing the body of potassium. There’s an established connection between too much soda and potassium deficiency. Patients don’t always confess their excesses of soda and few physicians take the time to ask. Doctors can diagnose a potassium deficiency from blood work. But it is more difficult to measure potassium in muscle and bone cells. The best recommendation is a healthy dose of common sense. Eat a balanced diet that is high in potassium and cut out the sugary drinks. Another piece of advice from Aristotle, “Good habits formed at youth make all the difference.” 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

GAS THE GOOSE THAT LAYS GOLDEN EGGS

By Joe Ingino Editor/Publisher ACCOMPLISHED WRITER/AUTHOR OF OVER 800,000 Published Columns in Canada and The United States “I live a dream in a nightmare world” Always Remember That The cosmic blueprint of your life was written in code across the sky at the moment you were born. Decode Your Life By Living It Without Regret or Sorrow. - ONE DAY AT A TIME - They say that monopolies are against the law. They say that in an open market, customers/clients are to be given a fair shake when it comes to price and service. Normally I do not have the time to sit and look over my bills. I like most of you trust that we are charged accordingly and pay without to much thought. Well, much to my surprise after looking at my recent natural gas bill. I noticed that my usage was $22.88. Wow, I thought that is beyond fair. Then in the line below I noticed a $8.45 for a Delivery to You charge. Ha... delivery to me charge? I thought the lines had been set and the gas just flowed. I did not know that they had someone delivering to me every month. Just below the Delivery to You charge - There was another $3.12 cents for Transportation to Enbridge... Like really! I got to pay for Enbridge Transportation? I thought gas was dispensed via pipelines... Pipelines that once they are placed that maintenance is the only extra charge. So why am I being charged for Delivery to You. Then Transportation to Enbridge? But wait there is more. Under that charge there is another Federal Carbon Charge of $9.04. CARBON CHARGE on a gas bill!!! Below that charge there is another Gas Supply Charge of $9.01. I thought I was paying for that under Delivery to You charge? Now to ad insult to injury... at the bottom of the bill there is a Cost of Adjustment of $1.92 Cost of adjustment. What adjustment? Total bill $54.42. Really? And let’s not forget the governments cut of $7.07 HST. Bringing it to a total of $61.49. WOW. I wonder what would happen if I turned around to my customers and charge them for an ad for example $100. Then Charge them for the paper. Then for the ink. Then charge them for printing it. A maintenance fee. A delivery fee. A processing fee. How long do you think I would remain in business? Not to long. Then if this stands true. Why are companies like the Gas, Hydro, Bell, Roger’s of the world allowed to get away with charging what they want and we the consumer have no real remedy. Why is it that they have the right to charge what they want? Is this fair? The answer is obvious. Then again. For anyone in business. Define fairness. Definition of fairness by dictionary terms: fair·ness noun impartial and just treatment or behavior without favoritism or discrimination. Well, technically. they do treat everyone impartially as they do not care what customers think or the hardships of paying their inflated charges. ‘Just treatment’ - well they are technically an equal rip offers to all clients so it may be seen as “JUST”. Far from right or fair. Behavior without favoritism or discrimination - Well of course not. How dare they practice discriminatory practices as they equally discriminate against everyone by inflating costs and adding all these frivolous charges in order to justify the final charge. I am a proud Canadian. I can tell you that we as Canadians have become to complaisant. We very seldom complain and very seldom question. I am guilty as charged as I have allowed the system to numb me and force me comply or else. The else is not physical but mentally as if you don't pay we cut you off. We have become nothing but a number in a global bingo game. Live your life. Don’t question and your number will be called upon soon enough. Is this fair? I guess if life is not. How can we expect these multi million dollar entities to treat us any other way.

Remembering Canadians in the Korean War

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East With dark clouds of war, which are, again covering the horizon we ought to remember the sacrifices Canadian soldiers made in the Korean War, which started on 25th of June,73 years ago, and ended 70 years ago on 27 August 1953 with an armistice still in force. It is important to pay our respects to our countrymen who made the supreme sacrifice, particularly in today’s world, when by counter-culture education there is a reluctance to remember facts of history which cemented the spirit and the patriotism of the nation. Korea is often considered a “forgotten war.” Most Canadians know that Ypres, Vimy, Dunkirk and Juno Beach are places where important battles took place. Kapyong? Not so much. It is time to remember. The situation that sparked the Korean War seems to be replaying itself in a different dimension, with quite the same players. Can this be a warning sign for impending trouble? The Soviets, after declaring war on Japan, occupied half of the Korean peninsula; North Korea, while the United States took over control in South Korea. The 38th parallel was chosen as the dividing line. It was assumed that the occupation would be temporary and that a unified, independent country would eventually be formed. The western allies soon found themselves engaged in a new struggle with their former ally, the Soviet Union. As the Cold War developed rapidly in other parts of the world, especially in Europe, in Korea the 38th parallel gradually hardened into a permanent boundary. In the north the Soviets quickly established a communist regime which they decided to arm heavily. In the south the United States set up a shaky democracy relatively weakly armed. In the end, the Korea issue was submitted to the United Nations General Assembly. The Assembly created a Commission for Korea to supervise free and secret elections and to oversee the withdrawal of the occupation forces. In South Korea the Republic of Korea was established and was recognized by the United Nations General Assembly which recommended the withdrawal of occupying forces. In North Korea, the Soviets immediately created the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" under the control of a communist guerrilla leader, Kim II Sung. Trouble soon flared up along the border as both sides claimed the right to rule all Korea and on the morning of June 25 1950; 75,000 North Korean troops crossed the 38th parallel into the Republic of Korea. The magnitude of the assault made it clear that this was a full-scale invasion. This was the first open act of aggression since the establishment of the United Nations Organization. The invasion was declared a breach of the peace, and 21 member nations joined forces to resist the aggression. The UN forces pushed the North Korean troops back across the 38th parallel and towards the border with Communist China. Alarmed by this turn of events, the Chinese intervened in the war which changed the tactical situation and complicated the war. Canadian participation in these hostilities marked a break with traditional policy. It was the beginning of a new era of involvement in world affairs which saw Canadian troops deployed around the world in truce teams, peace commissions and emergency forces. A new page in Canada's proud military history was written. In the Korean War 26,791 Canadians served and approximately 7,000 continued to serve in the theatre between the cease-fire and the end of 1955 and 516 lost their lives. The initial Canadian contributions to the Korean War actually came at sea and in the air. The Royal Canadian Navy deployed a total of eight Canadian warships to serve in the waters off Korea during the course of the conflict. The Royal Canadian Air Force’s 426 Transport Squadron supported the war effort by carrying supplies and troops; carrying more than 13,000 passengers and 3,000 tons of freight and mail without loss between North America and Asia. An important battle where Canadian soldiers distinguished themselves is the Battle of Kapyong. In late April 1951, the retreating Chinese and North Korean forces regrouped and counter-attacked. The South Korean forces were overwhelmed and hurriedly fell back in danger of being overrun and wiped out. The 27th British Commonwealth Infantry Brigade along with its Canadian contingent was called up from reserve to the Kapyong Valley to cover this desperate retreat. It was a wild battle and some Canadian positions were overrun; at one point the Canadians even called in an artillery strike on their own location to hit the enemy soldiers amongst them. The Canadians took cover while the attackers bore the brunt of the fire and the enemy was driven off. Holding the line at Kapyong was an impressive achievement of the 2nd Battalion of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry and a testament to their skill and organization, when 700 of them held off 5,000 Chinese soldiers for two days inflicting heavy casualties, but it came at a cost. Ten Canadians were killed and 23 were wounded. Other battles where Canadian soldiers excelled were the two main battles on Hill 355. On November 22, 1951, the Royal 22e Régiment (nicknamed the “Van Doos”) was shifted to a new stretch of the front lines that bordered on the American-held Hill 355. The Van Doos were just getting settled in their positions under the shadows of Hill 227 and Hill 355 when the Chinese began an intense bombardment followed in the afternoon of November 23 by waves of Chinese soldiers storming the Van Doos. It was desperate fighting in the snow, cold and mud that left the Van Doos with 16 killed, 44 wounded and three taken prisoner, but they held their ground until the Americans retook Hill 355 for good on November 25 and the communist attacks came to an end. Canadians would again find themselves in heavy combat in the area of Hill 355 in October 1952. The Royal Canadian Regiment had been stationed on the hill since early September under intermittent fire from enemy forces. In the early evening of October 23rd the Chinese attacked. Under heavy assault they resisted and the Chinese withdrew and the Canadians succeeded in reoccupying the position in the early hours of October 24. This action had again taken a heavy toll, with 18 Canadians being killed, 35 wounded and 14 men taken prisoner. The Korean War was dangerous duty in a harsh land and 516 Canadians lost their lives in service during the conflict. Their names are inscribed in the Korean War Book of Remembrance located in the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. The Korea Veterans Association of Canada erected a Wall of Remembrance in Brampton, Ontario's Meadowvale Cemetery dedicated on July 27 1997 to the 516 Canadians who are commemorated in the Korean War Book of Remembrance. In a conflict some would come to call “the forgotten war,” Canadians would add to the proud national tradition of military service in the cause of peace and freedom that our country has demonstrated time and again in conflicts and peace support efforts over the years. Lest we forget!

A Job Seeker's Biggest Asset:

Being Likeable By Nick Kossovan Undeniably, having solid and proven skills and abilities (e.g., technical, project management, problem-solving, communication. sales) are essential for landing a job. However, there is a personality trait, a soft skill that can be learned, that is of far greater importance than your hard skills; being likeable. Being likeable is critical because the foremost question running through your interviewer's mind throughout the interview: "Do I like this person?" TRUISM: Being likeable supersedes your skills and experience. Job seekers often overlook the importance of being likeable due to the widely given advice from Internet talking heads to "be yourself" and "people need to accept you for you." However, nowhere is being likeable more relevant than during a job interview, where your likeability greatly influences what your interviewer thinks of you. Bottom-line, hiring managers — human beings — do not hire candidates they do not like. Would you hire someone whose personality you did not like or felt would not mesh well with the current team? Likeability is not an inherent quality. It is a skill that, like any skill, you can learn and develop. I do not mean just being "nice," "charming," or "friendly." Likeability is correlated with certain behaviours. Therefore, by focusing on the right behaviours and applying yourself, with practice, you will get better (READ: more skilled at) at being liked by people. The following is how candidates make themselves more likeable to their interviewer: · Likeable candidates greet their interviewer(s) by name. "A person's name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language." – Dale Carnegie. An essential part of a person's identity is their name. Use your interviewer(s)'s name regularly throughout the interview, not just when you are introduced. If you have trouble remembering names, then write them down. · Likeable candidates smile a lot and use an appropriate sense of humour. It is natural for people to mirror the body language of those they are speaking with. When you smile at your interviewer(s) throughout the interview, they will unconsciously return the favour and feel good. Who does not like someone who makes them feel good? · Likeable candidates engage their interviewer(s) by asking questions. You will become more likeable if you ask questions about the company and position, indicating that you are interested in the job and want to ensure it is a good fit for you. Give your interviewer(s) your full attention, pay close attention to their answers, and ask follow-up questions for elaboration and clarification. Do not interrupt your interviewer while they are speaking. Doing so will kill your chances of being liked. · Likeable candidates make connections and find commonalities. Research shows, as I am sure your experience also shows, that people are attracted to people with similar backgrounds and interests. When your interviewer begins your interview with small talk, take advantage of this opportunity to find common ground. Look for anything: hometown, college, sports, dogs. Identify something about your interviewer that you can relate to; this will make small talk easier, and you will appear more likeable. · Likeable candidates do their research. It is easy for your interviewer to tell how much you know about the company and the industry and how well you understand the position. Your interviewer will not think highly of you if they see and feel you have not bothered to prepare for the interview or considered what you can offer the company. · Likeable candidates are reliable. Reliability, which every hiring manager looks for, is easy to demonstrate — never arrive late for an interview! There are no excuses for doing so. No matter your reason for being late, you are unlikely to recover from it. Lastly, body language profoundly influences first impressions; therefore, practice positive body language. Generally, people decide whether they like someone within seven seconds of first meeting them. Then they spend the rest of the conversation internally justifying their initial reaction. First impressions are profoundly influenced by body language, which begins with having a good posture making you appear engaged, confident, and professional, all qualities hiring managers like. When meeting your interviewer for the first time, remember the acronym SOLER: S – Face your interviewer squarely and open your shoulders. O – Open and positive body language. Do not cross your arms, smile, and speak enthusiastically. L – Give the appearance of listening by leaning forward slightly. E – Eye contact. Be sure to maintain eye contact. R – Be relaxed and comfortable throughout the interview. The stakes are high in interviews, particularly if you are interviewing for a job you are hoping for; some anxiety is inevitable. You are less likely to be likeable if you are visibly anxious, especially if your anxiety makes you seem rigid. Arrive in plenty of time, be well prepared and take time to build a rapport with your interviewer. (Commonality creates likeability.) Your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile job are to get you interviews. However, ultimately, the success of your interview will be largely determined by how likeable you are; therefore, it is a trait (READ: skill) worth honing. As I mentioned, hiring managers do not hire candidates they do not like _________________________________________________________________________ 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

A Job Search Is Your Chance to Get It Right

By Nick Kossovan Few endeavours in life are as challenging and when done right, as rewarding as finding a new job. Job searching is a journey filled with uncertainties, rejection, and doubts. When faced with such challenges, imagine the mental power you could cultivate by considering your job search as your chance to get the most influential factor in your life, your job, right, or as close to "right" as possible. I recently met with a job seeker who appeared to be in their late 40s. After eight years with a national telecommunications company, the last three as regional director of sales and marketing, he was let go due to structural changes, a common occurrence nowadays. What I found remarkable was his excitement about his job search, which has been ongoing for over five weeks. Rather than being anxious, angry, and frustrated that he was job searching, as most job seekers are, he was excited about all the possibilities his job search could lead to... · working remotely · making more money · having a boss that actually "gets him" · having four weeks of paid vacation· being part of an RRSP matching contribution plan · doing meaningful work and therefore being happier ... his list went on. He understood how his job colours every aspect of his life. Therefore, he saw his job search as a tremendous opportunity to improve his life. Consider all the aspects of your life that your job influences, a few being: · Where you live. · The car you drive. · Where you vacation. · The quality of your children's education. · Your identity. (There is a reason, when first meeting, people ask each other, "What do you do?") It has been my experience that a job search, especially when unplanned, often turns out to be a blessing in disguise, resulting in finding a better job and a better working environment. Understandably, most job seekers do not view job searching as a blessing, resulting in a negative attitude. You should view your job search as more than just finding a job to secure financial stability. Think of it as an opportunity to redefine your purpose, explore new horizons, and reset your life. When treated as a chance for "life improvements," which is how my conversation partner treats his job search, it becomes a transformative journey of self-discovery and growth. Embracing Change: Being open to change and leaving behind the familiar is the key to making your job search as stress-free as possible. A job search offers a wealth of opportunities for transformation (READ: Create the life you want.). However, to take advantage of them, you must step out of your comfort zone and re-evaluate your skills and passions. Self-reflection and a realistic assessment of your strengths, weaknesses, and aspirations are necessary for this process. When you actively seek out new opportunities, the essence of a job search, prioritizing your needs and wants, you begin to understand yourself and your true desires better, increasing your self-awareness, which is a competitive advantage. Exploration and Reinvention: Your job search is a chance to explore different industries, job roles, and possibly living elsewhere. By broadening your perspective, you may discover hidden passions, untapped talents, and previously unimagined career paths. Job searching is an opportunity to align your values and passions with your work, creating a sense of fulfillment. Personal Growth and Resilience: Job seekers will inevitably experience rejection and setbacks during their job search. Resilience and personal growth are fostered by these challenges. Each rejection or setback teaches valuable lessons, cultivating adaptability and determination. In adversity, perseverance builds character and strengthens your resolve to overcome future obstacles with grit and determination. Expanded Networks and Connections: Networking—introducing yourself to people who can help your job search and building connections—is an essential part of job searching. As you engage with individuals from diverse backgrounds, you broaden your horizons and stimulate your intellectual and personal development. Networking exposes you to new perspectives and opportunities, often leading to making new friends or finding a mentor. The connections you make while job searching do not end when you land a job. When maintained, these connections can be invaluable resources that can shape your professional trajectory. Discovering Purpose: Looking for a job that provides more than a paycheck is a quest of sorts—a search for meaning and purpose. Your life's purpose becomes more evident when you reflect on your skills, interests, and values. Your job search is your chance to align—to "get it right"—your work with your purpose, leading to greater job satisfaction and living a more fulfilling life. When viewed positively, such as the job seeker I spoke to was viewing their job search, a job search you will see that your job search is your chance to reorient your life toward purpose and fulfillment rather than just pursuing jobs that are only a means to an end. By embracing change, exploring new avenues, and fostering personal growth, allowing your job search to be a transformative journey, you will open doors to uncharted possibilities. When you see all the opportunities job searching offers you regarding reorienting your life, you realize job searching is good for you. _________________________________________________________________________ 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

The economic, fiscal and health effects of COVID in

Canada by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East As the COVID-19 pandemic recedes into history, it is important for Canadians and governments in Canada to understand its effects in order to better manage future pandemics. What is really needed,is a sincere and comprehensive after action report, and the study carried out by the Fraser Institute is a promising start. In terms of public health response, Canada performed reasonably by the available international standards, but there is room for improvement. At 103,874 total cases per million population, Canada had the 4th lowest incidence rate among the advanced economies by June 2022. It was 27th in mortality at 1,103 COVID-19 deaths per million population (with Japan the lowest at 248) and had the 7th highest vaccine uptake rate (at 227 vaccinations per 100 population). In addition, however,it had the 3rd highest level of “stringency” in its government responses (e.g. lockdowns) to the pandemic as measured by Oxford University’s COVID-19 Government Response Tracker. In terms of economic effects, out of 40 advanced economies, Canada ranked 29th in estimated real per-capita GDP growth from 2019 to 2022 and second-worst in the G7. During the first pandemic year, Canada had the second-worst employment drop at 5.1 per cent, just ahead of the United States. However, during the rebound in 2021, Canada had the second-highest employment growth. With respect to inflation, in 2021 Canada was mid-ranked (19th highest). However, a high share of Canada’s inflation appears to be linked to demand-side rather than supply-side factors. As well, Canada ranked 9th out of 30 OECD comparator countries for the size of the pandemic increase in housing prices. The pandemic elicited a particularly strong fiscal response in Canada, ranking 25th out of 194 countries with an increase in government spending of 19.7 per cent in 2020—well above the world average of approximately 9 per cent, the G7 average of 13 per cent, and the advanced economies average of nearly 11 per cent. Canada also averaged a 2.2 per cent drop in general government revenue in 2020 according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF); less severe than the average drop for both the IMF advanced economies and the G7. The world saw its negative fiscal balance widen from 3.6 per cent of GDP in 2019 to over 10 per cent in 2020 before starting to decline to under 8 per cent in 2021 to just over 5 per cent in 2022. According to the IMF, Canada saw a negative fiscal balance in 2020 of 11.4 per cent of GDP, with forecasts of 4.7 per cent in 2021 and 2.1 per cent in 2022. As well, Canada saw its gross debt-to-GDP ratio increase by nearly 25 percentage points from 2019 to 2021, the 15th largest increase in the world. It’s worth noting that the increased government debt accumulated during the pandemic in Canada was incurred mainly by the federal rather than provincial governments. In terms of pandemic economic performance, Canada fared poorly in per-capita GDP growth; employment growth was also initially low, though this did improve in 2021. Canada’s success in some aspects of dealing with COVID appears to have come at an exceptionally high economic price, particularly from negative short-term employment effects, weaker per-capita GDP growth and more robust demand-side inflation. Canada’s fiscal response was exceptionally large mostly due to the federal response. In some respects, the ability of Canada to ramp up its fiscal response in time of need reflects its long-term prudent fiscal management and resulting low debt-to-GDP ratio achieved in the decades after the federal fiscal crisis of the 1990s. At the same time, the size of the deficit and fiscal response during the pandemic should not be allowed to become a long-term feature of public finances given the recent rise in interest rates. In particular, this kind of public financing limits the nation’s ability and fiscal flexibility in responding to future events. In view of these important issues brought forward by the Fraser Institute Study, it is more important than ever for the Parliament of Canada to undertake a serious review of Canada’s public finance policies. Such a review is necessary to ensure it can better manage future events of this magnitude and such devastating effects on the country. In other order of facts, it would be necessary that the Parliament of Canada should have a more say in the decisions made by the Bank of Canada, which is more connected to international finances than the direct interests of the country are. I am of the opinion that the study of the effects of the COVID pandemic is most important for the nation than other less important but polically fashionable studies that are in the works duringthis parliamentary session. For the sake of the judicious spending of taxpayers’ money and a better life forfuture generations, this study should be givena high priority. What do you think?

ELECTRIC CARS ARE THEY THE ANSWER?

By Joe Ingino Editor/Publisher ACCOMPLISHED WRITER/AUTHOR OF OVER 800,000 Published Columns in Canada and The United States “I live a dream in a nightmare world” Always Remember That The cosmic blueprint of your life was written in code across the sky at the moment you were born. Decode Your Life By Living It Without Regret or Sorrow. - ONE DAY AT A TIME - The shocking truth of electric cars... Or at least my version. Remember the days of eight track tapes. When it first came out. The greatest thing since sliced bread. Remember when the power on hand attempted us to buy diesel fueled cars. They promised longer mileage and cheaper at the pump. All great ideas that quickly fell to the side. Today with all this save the environment crap. We the people are not only being forced to pay phantom carbon taxes but are forced to comply with all kinds of ridiculous sanction and or regulations. On the surface. Electric cars would seem to be the great Messiah in public transportation. The problem is like all that is rushed. It shows major drawbacks. The electric car run off a battery. All batteries operate on the principle that it has a shelf life. After all it works on the basis of constant expansion and contraction. Heat and drainage. The combustion engine works on similar fashion. The big difference is that the logistics of the combustion engine... has many parts that can be replaced. In the electric car. The battery goes down, depletes, dies. You are looking at replacing 50% of your car. On the average electric cars sell for 50,000. This means consumers will be facing at the least $15,000 battery replacement. Remember these new age batteries do not operate the way of the old. These batteries are normally one solid component and replacement is an undertaking. But let’s leave the battery aside for a moment. Normally, you can pull up to any gas station and within minutes you are good to go. With an electric car. It can take up to an hour to fully charge. Is this convenience? I believe that the science has not fully caught up with the electric car. Let’s look at the electric grid of some states. Many are running on full capacity. So much so that on peak usages. The utility companies ask consumer to scale back on usage. Then, what are we to do with all that purchased electric cars. Now remember. This is today. What will happen in 20 years. After the forced everyone to purchase an electric car? Personally. I believe that all electric cars should come with a lifetime battery warranty. If at any time the battery goes. You are covered. Hey... for any insurance buffs out there.... maybe I just gave you an idea for a new product to offer new electric driver purchasers. Second, I believe that more science needs to go into finding some sort of apparatus that goes over the electric charge intake... that produces through a dynamo type of device never ending energy fed directly to the batteries. This way. You would have an electric car that never runs out of power. Now that is an idea. That would make electric cars self sufficient when it came to producing energy for it’s contraptions. The other option is to develop some sort of paint that harness sun light so that as you drive your battery gets the proper energy boost to keep it always topped up. Now lets go Star Trek on this for a moment. If we could develop a device that could generate electricity and feed into the vehicles battery. We may in the future not need a battery but just a receptacle or storage unit in every vehicle that would feed the cars need. Imagine the savings on the battery per car. Now the biggest cost of the new electric cars is the battery. The world hold a bright future. The world has shown great potential in technology and it’s implication when it comes to transportation. Could we also be at the end of the automobile and finally be reaching the paramount age of 1010101 or one’s and zero’s in computing? Could it be that we one day all be digits to be coded and decoded in teleporting type of contraption? I am sure in the day. If you had told them pilgrims about cell phones, electric cars. They would have responded in a similar fashion as to my proposal of becoming truly digitalized. REMEMBER ALWAYS Hope for the Best. PREPARE FOR the worst.

Nuclear Energy, Pickering and Durham Region

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East In today’s world our energy needs are constantly increasing, especially our need for electrical energy. Because of that, we need an energy source, which is reliable, puts less stress on Nature, and is less challenging to the environment. At this point, we can certainly affirm that nuclear energy is one of these kinds of energy. Moreover, we have the technology, the plants and the science to support it. So let us put Canadian ingenuity to work for us Canadians, once again. Durham region is a hub of nuclear plants in Pickering and Clarington. So let us capitalize on them and keep them working at their best. In addition, it is high time that Durham region had a serious nuclear science center. Why is that, you ask? It is important to consider this type of energy more closely. I will make a comparison with the rapid evolution in electronics, from the invention of the transistor to the very sophisticated integrated circuits of today, which enjoy a broad range of applications in our daily lives. In a few decades, we have witnessed an evolution from the bulky transistor to the nanotechnologies of today. The relevant question is obvious: why can we not accomplish a similar transformation in the field of nuclear reactors? We see efforts to make electric vehicles with improved battery life, but we do not see any research and ideas on miniaturizing nuclear reactors, for vehicle use for example. Such reactors would certainly be better that the proposed batteries for powering vehicles. Your reaction to the idea might be that it seems impossible to do, but my answer is that it definitively is not. We have the example of the first nuclear submarine, going back to the middle of the last century. In early 1950’s, regardless of the challenges faced in developing and operating brand-new technology, Admiral Rickover and the team did not disappoint. The result was a highly reliable nuclear reactor in a form-factor that would fit into a submarine hull with no more than a 28-foot (8.5 m) beam. This became known as the S1W reactor. Nautilus was launched and commissioned with this reactor in 1954. Seventy years have passed and we have not seen further miniaturizations of reactors. So I say, it is time to do some research in this direction right here in the Durham region. Yes, but for this we need vision, political will and expertise, all of which is badly lacking in Canada at this time. Imagine having a car that you do not fill up for years! I think that my thinking is well ahead of its time, but hope that the future will vindicate me. Anyway, there are some signs that nuclear energy is in the spot light again, but not for the right reasons. Politicians promoting the use of electrical vehicles have mounted pressure for nuclear energy as an answer to the problem of lack of electrical energy for the electric vehicle project. So now, all levels of politicians who proudly professed the elimination of nuclear power plants in the past, especially in Pickering, are doing an about-face, praising nuclear energy. Both federal and provincial governments have officially recognized the importance of nuclear energy for meeting climate and energy needs. Even so, development and licensing of a new site can take years. Ontario's electricity demand is rising and refurbishing nuclear plants is a way to meet it cleanly and cost-effectively. The Pickering site, which is ideally positioned to supply the Greater Toronto Area with zero-carbon electricity around the clock, is licensed for over 3,000 MW of nuclear capacity — though the operating licences will have to be renewed, as they have been for the refurbished units at Bruce and Darlington. Then, in a move likely unnoticed by most Ontarians, the province has inched closer to quite a change in energy policy. Last week, Ontario Power Generation (OPG) submitted an application to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) to extend the life of the Pickering nuclear generating station until the fall of 2026. The plant had been scheduled to close at the end of 2025. However, an extra nine months of affordable, low-carbon electricity from the station will benefit Ontarians. More importantly, the reprieve could pave the way to a full refurbishment that would protect Ontario’s domestic supply of clean electricity and high-quality jobs for decades to come. Operating through 2026 would allow skilled refurbishment workers and OPG project managers currently redoing the Darlington Nuclear Station to switch over to Pickering after the Darlington project wraps up that same year. Meanwhile, the Pickering station would be able to generate extra revenue from the extension, keeping up employment and helping to offset the cost of refurbishment planning. Keeping the Pickering plant running makes sense from a cost perspective. Refurbishments at Ontario’s two other nuclear plants, which are proceeding ahead of schedule, are costing only half the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s estimates for what brand new nuclear capacity costs. Using existing equipment, licences, transmission capacity, buildings and other structures saves both time and money. Apart from legacy hydro dams, Ontario’s nuclear fleet makes the cheapest electricity in the province, while abundant natural fuel and a local supply chain shore up our energy security and economy. With some of the lowest fuel costs of any thermal power plant in the world, revenue from Pickering supports nearly 5,000 high-quality jobs at the plant and thousands more in the surrounding area. The sudden love the Ford government has developed for nuclear energy is also noted. OPG has chosen GE Hitachi to construct a small modular reactor (SMR) at the Darlington generating station in Clarington. The SMR is expected to be constructed by 2028. The Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) is loaning almost a billion dollars to OPG to build the country’s first grid-scale, small modular reactor (SMR) in Clarington, Ontario. The Government of Ontario is presently looking at a new large-scale nuclear plant to generate up to 4,800 megawatts on the site of Bruce Power's current generating station on the shore of Lake Huron in Tiverton, Ontario. In conclusion now that Ontario has entered its first energy crunch in decades, and refurbishments at Darlington will be wrapping up, the rationale for moving refurbishment workers to Pickering is stronger than ever. My hope is that politicians at all level in Pickering will be able to secure a bright future for nuclear energy for the benefit of the city, the province, and Canada. It is up to you to check on them!