November 21: The last month has unfolded behind an ominous drumbeat of increasing COVID case numbers. As the Ford government threatens a lockdown and dithers about when and if it will happen, hospitalizations and deaths increase daily. The weather has turned colder and a tendency to remain indoors and isolated has made for a melancholy time. But in spite of all the bad news, there have been some bright spots.
Cottaging: In August I wrote about a trip to Muskoka to see the sights and railed in a sanctimonious way against the oversized and out-of-character nature of recent cottage homes. Shortly after, and completely by accident, I stumbled across a listing for a very dilapidated cottage on a private island directly in front of the last cottage we owned (now owned by my friend McCart). It struck a chord in me and I have spent the last month trying to figure out a way to buy it. It’s eye-wateringly expensive and needs far too much work to be a reasonable proposition at my stage in life, but unfortunately, I have a vision of what it could be like, and I have become a bit fixated on getting ahold of it. We are a long way from any sort of deal. I’ll let you know how this goes.
May I Help You: Also in August, I wrote about trying to get a replacement Pleasure Boat Operators Permit from Boaterexam.com . I had telephoned at least 5 times, and sent a further 4 or 5 e-mails to the company trying to get a replacement license, but heard absolutely nothing from them in the intervening 4 months. About a week ago I decided to contact the Federal Ministry of Transportation to see if they could get a response, and in the course of that, called Boaterexam once again. As expected, I got the robot answering machine, left a message and expected nothing further.
A couple of days later the phone rang with one of those long – short rings that signifies a long-distance call. I was trying to ignore it when I spotted Boaterexam on the call display. Snatching up the handset I found that it really was them, actually returning my call. When I mentioned to the caller that I had first called in July and had subsequently heard nothing, she said “We’ve been a bit busy….” No apology, no further explanation. “We’ve been a bit busy….” For 4 months. Anyway, 10 minutes and $30 later and I now have a replacement license. And if the cottage works out, I’ll need it.
Keep Left: Paul Romer, Stanford economist, once said “A crisis is a terrible thing to waste.” With the COVID pandemic in full swing there seems to be no shortage of crises that we are in the process of wasting. In no particular order we have Black Lives Matter and the need for racial equality; indigenous land claims and the need for reconciliation (however you define that); climate change and environmental impacts including the extinction of species; social inequity and the need for affordable housing across the country; inter-provincial relationships and trade structures; Police relations with minorities and the need to eradicate a toxic work environment at the RCMP. Feel free to add as many more as you wish.
Throughout it all, our governments have been banging the drum of getting COVID under control. Every day I see various talking heads say “I’d love to tackle that problem, and we will, but right now we have to be focused on helping each and every Canadian through the pandemic ….” Chief among the apologists is Justin Trudeau. Make no mistake: I’m an old lefty from years gone by. But false concern expressed in his practiced theatrical voice drives me nuts. When will he actually DO SOMETHING rather than talk about it ? So here’s a little something to consider from the ever insightful and prickly Rex Murphy. Wouldn’t it be nice ….