Life of Canada

Category: News

  • Canadian Family Drove for Two Days with Dad’s dead body to avoid U.S. healthcare

    Canadian Family Drove for Two Days with Dad’s dead body to avoid U.S. healthcare

    Police say they’re investigating after a family attempted to cross into Canada with the corpse of a parent in the back of a van.

    Sûreté du Québec told the Canadian Press, the van’s passengers were a man in his 60s and his two parents, one alive and one deceased. Police say that the call was initially for an unconscious person in the back of the van but when paramedics attended the scene they found that the man had been dead for at least two days. Police say they stopped the van at around 2:30 AM on Sunday at Quebec’s Hemmingford crossing and are investigating.

    The man and his two elderly parents were reportedly driving back to Canada after a trip to Florida. La Presse reports that during the long drive home the father suffered a heart attack and died en route to Canada.

    The mother and son reportedly didn’t want to use the American healthcare system and, further to that, once he was dead, didn’t want to deal with repatriating the body from America to Canada (something that can also be pricey). So, with the cost of medical treatment and flying his body back to Canada in their mind, the two continued their drive north with a dead father in the back of the van.

     

    Making the choice to drive for miles upon miles with the slowly decomposing body of a loved one is incredibly morbid stuff, but one can see the logic in it. For many Canadians a surprise medical expense in the States can break them financially.

     

    In a famous case from 2014, a Saskatchewan mother had an early, emergency delivery of her daughter while on vacation in Hawaii. The mother had travellers insurance but they, being an insurance company and all, decided not to pay her claim because of a “pre-existing condition” that had nothing to do with the birth. The woman was charged $950,000 in medical bills and their daughter became known as the “Million Dollar Baby.”

    This isn’t to say that the Canadian health care system is perfect—it could still be improved significantly, obviously—but, at the very least, it’s telling what country the two wanted to be in to deal with the death of a loved one.

     

     

    Via Vice

  • 5 things to know about the Ontario budget

    5 things to know about the Ontario budget

    TORONTO — Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government tabled its first budget Thursday. Here are five things to know about the $163 billion spending package.

    PATH TO BALANCE: The Tories plan to take five years to balance the books, which means the deficit will not be eliminated before the next election. They say they inherited a $15 billion deficit from the previous Liberal government that has since been cut to $11.7 billion. The Tories plan to reduce the deficit by $1.4 billion in 2019-2020 to $10.3 billion, and further decrease it by $3.5 billion in 2020-2021 to $6.8 billion — the largest scheduled reduction during their term. They plan to achieve balance in 2023-2024.

    CHILD-CARE TAX CREDIT: The government is creating a new tax credit to help low- and middle-income families pay for child care. The Ontario Childcare Access and Relief from Expenses credit, which applies on a sliding scale to families with incomes of up to $150,000, will provide a rebate of up to 75 per cent of care, including in child-care centres, homes and camps. Families could receive up to $6,000 per child under seven, and up to $3,750 per child between seven and 16. It would provide a rebate of up to $8,250 for a child with a severe disability. The credit would cost about $390 million annually.

    POST-SECONDARY CUTS: The Tories plan to cut post-secondary spending by roughly $400 million — from $12.1 billion in 2018-2019 to $11.7 billion in 2021-22. The government says it plans to gradually link more of college and university funding to student performance. It will tie 60 per cent of a school’s funding by 2024-2025 to yet-to-be finalized metrics that will include student skills and job outcomes. The budget also contains a previously announced 10 per cent tuition cut that takes effect this fall.

    HEALTH-CARE SPENDING: The province will hike hospital spending by $384 million, which represents a two per cent increase in 2019-2020. The Ontario Hospitals Association had requested a 3.4 per cent increase to help meet increasing needs. The province will also spend an additional $267 million in home care and community care. The Tories further promise to create 15,000 new long-term care beds and upgrade an additional 15,000 older long-term care beds. The budget also contains a program to provide free dental care for low-income seniors. It will apply to those with annual incomes less than $19,300 or couples who earn less than $32,300.

    CHANGES TO ALCOHOL REGULATIONS: The government plans to change a series of laws governing alcohol sales. The changes would permit municipalities to pass laws that allow drinking in some public areas like parks. They would also extend the hours a licensed establishment can serve booze, starting at 9 a.m., seven days a week. The province will also change rules to allow bars to advertise “happy hour” promotions. The government says it will also look at ways to lower beer costs at Royal Canadian Legions by this fall.

    Shawn Jeffords , The Canadian Press

  • Everyone must clear their sidewalk within 12 hours of snowfall to avoid a fine in Toronto

    Everyone must clear their sidewalk within 12 hours of snowfall to avoid a fine in Toronto

    While the Toronto City has active snow removing services throughout snow fall season, residents have the responsibility to clear snow on their properties.

    “If you live in the downtown where sidewalks cannot be plowed, residents and business owners are responsible for clearing the ice and snow from sidewalks adjacent to their properties within 12 hours of a snowfall.”

    Failure to clear snow off your property within the 12 hours could result in a fine of $100.00 plus $25.00 surcharge, total $125.00 as per Municipal Code Chapter 719.

  • Niagara is hosting International Fireworks Competition from Nov 9-18

    Niagara is hosting International Fireworks Competition from Nov 9-18

     

    Nigara Falls is hosting its first ever Cascades of Fire: International Fireworks Competition from November 9-18,

    The competition is a part of the annual Festival of Lights, which will feature billion of lights in Queen Victoria Park and throughout Niagara Parks.

    As for Fireworks, viewers can enjoy 18-minute fireworks displays synchronized to music in a series of professional pyrotechnics in Niagara Parks.

    Each weekend, teams representing countries from around the world will take part in the competition.In finale, team Canada will put on an unforgettable show to the series.

    In order to enjoy the corresponding music with each firework display, viewers should tune in to Star 102.5 FM. All fireworks begin at 9 p.m from November 9-18. Each show will be 18 minutes in length.

    Schedule for Fireworks

    Team Brazil (Sunday, November 11), represented by Fireworks do Brasil, has a background which will include staging the in-stadium fireworks for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2007 Rio de Janeiro Pan American Games and the annual New Year’s Eve fireworks shows at Copacabana Beach.

    Representing Team China (Friday, November 9) will be Celebration Fireworks, based in Liuyang, China, which has created a Guinness Record for fireworks shapes and provided the fireworks for the harbour fireworks shows during the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

    Rest of the shows will be staged by Pyroman Finland (Team Finland; Saturday, November 10), Da Nang (Team Vietnam; Friday, November 16), Industry Pagano Ottaviano Naples (Team Italy; Saturday, November 17), and David Whysall International Fireworks (Team Canada; Sunday, November 18).

    For more info on the display—and the best viewing areas—click here.

  • 3 of World’s 10 Best Livable Cities (2018) are of Canada, Here is the list

    3 of World’s 10 Best Livable Cities (2018) are of Canada, Here is the list

    Three of Canada’s cities are maintaining their spot in the list of world’s top 10 livable cities.

     

    The factors considered are as follows:

    1. Stability: This category examines the prevalence of crime, threat of terror/ military conflict or civil unrest.
    2. Healthcare: This category focuses on the availability/quality of private and public healthcare, over-the-counter drugs and other general healthcare indicators.
    3. Culture and Environment: This category measures various indicators that range from temperature rating, climate, level of corruption, social or religious restrictions, food/drink, and other social indicators.
    4. Education: The category looks at the availability/quality of private and public education.
    5. Infrastructure: This category is an assessment of the quality of roads, public transportation, availability of housing, and other indicators.

    The Canadian cities which are in the list are  Calgary,Toronto,Vancouver.

    These three cities are the only North American cities in the top 10 of the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)’s 2018 Global Liveability Index.

    In comparison to the EIU’s 2017 survey results, Calgary replaced Toronto in 4th place, Vancouver dropped three places to 6th and Toronto dropped three places to 7th.

     

     

    Here is the list of 10 most liveable cities 2018:

    1. Vienna, Austria
    2. Melbourne, Australia
    3. Osaka, Japan
    4. Calgary, Canada
    5. Sydney, Australia
    6. Vancouver, Canada
    7. (tie) Toronto, Canada
    7. (tie) Tokyo, Japan
    9. Copenhagen, Denmark
    10. Adelaide, Australia
  • 15 People Injured from Explosion at Indian Restaurant in Mississauga, Ontario

    15 People Injured from Explosion at Indian Restaurant in Mississauga, Ontario

     

    Two people bombed an Indian restaurant outside Toronto on Thursday night, injuring at least a dozen people, many of them diners, the police said.

    The blast happened around 10:30 pm at the Bombay Bhel restaurant in Mississauga, Ontario, just west of Toronto. The Peel Regional Police said the two people set off an “improvised explosive device” in the restaurant before fleeing the scene. The police said the bombers were male, wore dark sweatshirts with their hoods pulled up and had covered their faces.

     

     

     

  • All about Toronto van attack, Canadians ask simple question: Why?

    All about Toronto van attack, Canadians ask simple question: Why?

    At least ten people were killed and 15 injured after a van plowed into pedestrians along a sidewalk called Yonge Street in Toronto on Monday.The day after this incident Canadians are grieving and looking for answers to the explain the attack.

    A pedestrian, who police say was a witness to a van striking multiple people at a major intersection in Toronto's northern suburbs, reacts in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, April 23, 2018.

    Police in Toronto say they are still trying to pin down a motive while expressing certainty that the suspect intentionally plowed into the victims. Authorities say they have yet to find any evidence tying the incident to international terrorism.

    But as investigators continue to process the mile-long crime scene, Toronto residents are asking a simple question: Why?

     

    BBC map showing scene of Toronto van attack on 23 April 2018

    The prime minister also thanked first responders “who managed this extremely difficult situation with courage and professionalism.”

    “They faced danger without hesitation, and their efforts no doubt saved lives and prevented further injuries,” he said.

     

     

    What is known of the suspect?

     

    Toronto van attack suspect Alek Minassian, 24 April 2018, from his LinkedIn profile

    Suspect Alek Minassian is due to appear in court on Tuesday morning.

    Police said Minassian was from the northern Toronto suburb of Richmond Hill and was not previously known to authorities.

    “The actions definitely looked deliberate,” said Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders.

     

     

     

    What about the victims?

    So far, the name of only one of those who died has emerged.

    She has been identified as Anne-Marie D’Amico, who worked for the US investment company, Invesco, CBC reports. The company’s Canadian headquarters are on Yonge Street.

    A South Korean foreign ministry official told AFP news agency that two of its citizens were among the dead.

    The 15 injured remain in hospitals throughout Toronto.

  • Ice Storm in Southern Ontario causes extensive damage, over 40,000 left without Power

    Ice Storm in Southern Ontario causes extensive damage, over 40,000 left without Power

    Ontario Provincial Police are warning motorists to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary due to a savage ice storm that slammed southern Ontario with ice pellets and freezing rain on Sunday, knocking off power to over 40,000 people.

    Provincial police said there were roughly 750 crashes on highways surrounding Toronto on Saturday, and there had been nearly 700 more by early Sunday afternoon.

    “We would prefer the highways to be empty and are encouraging all non-essential travel to be postponed,” said Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Sgt. Kerry Schmidt in an update Sunday morning.

  • Almost 80-year-old ballet dancer finds way to live out her dream

    Almost 80-year-old ballet dancer finds way to live out her dream

     

    Ballet dance movement always fascinate Fay Richardson At the age of 79 she is living out her childhood dream and being the oldest dancer at the Youth Ballet and Contemporary Dance of Saskatchewan, a Regina-based dance school.

    She admits it that she isn’t as speedy compares to other dancers.She began dancing as an adult at the age of 45, enjoyed the motions of ballet and yes thoughts about quitting come but each time fellow students encouraged her ”

    Fay Richardson
    The encouragement from her fellow dancers fills Richardson with emotion.”It’s also special in the way that the others don’t say give up, or get out and let us show off at a better level. They bring me to their level, somehow.”