A Collection of Daily Wisdom by Dennis Sylvester Hurd since September 2003.

Tax season is officially here. In Canada the main form from the employer must arrive by the end of February. It's called a T4 slip. In the past, I'd always waited until that form arrived in my mailbox before going out to buy QuickTax, the software that allows individuals to prepare their own tax returns. It's pretty straight-forward and the software helps one get the details correct. I especially like the ability to play with what/if scenarios.

I cannot remember exactly, but I'd say that I've been filing directly from my computer for at least four or five years. Actually, I really can't recall when I last drove to drop off a printed form in the Surrey office of Revenue Canada. Any owed tax or rebates are all done through electronic banking too.

This year, though, was the first time I could view my own T4 statement directly from BCIT web services. So as to be less paper dependent, and of course more environmentally friendly, I think I'll forgo purchasing the software on CD in a box this year. If I download the program, then I will help to continue the trend toward paperless taxes.

Labels: government, Internet, software

There are times when I hate having to be at a specific place for an appointment. Tonight's the Annual General Meeting of my apartment complex. It is the night where we go exercise some democracy about how our buildings are run. I don't look forward to gatherings such as this, though. It starts in about 45 minutes.

Labels: complaints, government

Today was my last work day this week. So, on the way home from BCIT, I stopped in uptown New Westminster to have passport photos taken.

Again it's time for that ritual! Canadian passports are only valid for five years. At this time, rather than just a renewal, the whole process must be completed over again. If I had the chance to wait another month, I would be eligible for the slightly relaxed procedures that are due to come into effect. But as there have been long delays, and as I want the new one by mid-September, I chose to initiate the process now. This means I still need to go through the process of having a guarantor from the professions sign the form, verify the photos, and vouch for me.

After getting the photos, I drove home, parked outside, and ran up to get my completed application form. In the morning, I had used Passport Canada's online method to fill in the data and print the forms myself. I had to run back uptown to my doctor's office to drop off the paper work, so he can act as guarantor.

Tomorrow, I hope to get it back from the doc and drop off the application at the Surrey passport office. It will mean turning in my current one. It seems a little silly to have to be without one in order to get a new one. I'm not quite sure how the country is safer because of the required procedures.

Labels: government, passport, Surrey

I always thought the term, surfing the Internet, was slightly annoying. To me, it sounded like a techno-peasant who really didn't know much about the world wide web . . . talking about other people who did. (When I was half done with the sentence above, I decided to look up the phrase to see who coined it. Take a look at this video created by the San Francisco CBS affiliate. It was broadcast earlier this month, no less!)

Now, I've changed my mind. Thank you, Jean Armour Polly, for writing that back in 1992. It does better describe how I used to spend my browser time. It used to be a thrill to find new information. I witnessed websites develop company-by-company and organization-by-organization. It was once a treasure just to find a familiar, old name with a new web presence. I'm talking about a time when Yahoo was a list maintained by hand!

Now I fear, I generally skulk around the same old haunts and usually stay within the first dozen hits of a Google search. The surfing has become more of a laboured stroll through a now-familiar mall.



I did see advertisements for the new web portal for for Canadian government Internet resources. I visited www.ServiceCanada.ca and found myself doing a lot of exploring by clicking various links. Of course, the federal government has a copious amount of data on the Net. Organizing such a deluge of information and making it available from one location seems a worthy, although difficult, goal.

Labels: Canada, Google, government, Internet

Another full week is coming up at work. My class has to finish two writing assignments. There's also a staff meeting on Friday. Then next week, we'll be busy too as my group is giving oral presentations and doing their final exams on the 23rd.

I suppose earning all this cash is worth it. I mean when I'm making more than I spend, I can quite often increase my savings. It's a double-edged sword however. I finished entering all those forms into the QuickTax software over the weekend. We get cash back from the federal government but that only means too much was being taken out on those weeks I worked. And wait a minute! Revenue Canada is still unable to process my returns, so their refund isn't going to show up in my account anytime soon.

Payroll deductions are surely a clever idea. Citizens might tend to revolt or at least scrutinize where the taxes go, if people were whacked with one yearly bill. I honestly believe there's value in the obligatory donations to my governments. I paid more in 2006 federal and provincial taxes than for all other combined expenses though.

Labels: government, money

This fall, it'll already be time to renew my passport. Happily, I don't have to start the process at the moment. Beginning from Tuesday, the rules for air travel into the United States will require a passport, and this means the Canadian offices are hopping. In a year it will be required even for travel by road. This sort of puts an end to the long-held belief about having the longest undefended border in the world, eh?

I remember being able to do a large part of the application process online in 2002. So, I looked around government sites and rediscovered epass Canada. If one takes the time to fill out everything on your computer, the completed application form can be printed on a local printer. Then, one just drops off or sends in the form and supporting documents at the nearest passport office.

I also found out that the epass can be used for services on the Canada Revenue Agency. There is further security as they needed to send me an additional code for their site. It allows residents to check on previous tax returns as well make changes to some personal data.

Labels: Canada, government, passport, YouTube

The media has decided that Canadians are now keenly interested in the environment. Because of this new-found focus, a minority are now shouting for immediate political action. Well, at least on the news, they are. Putting politicians names on an international protocol won't do anything for the environment .

A change in personal habits is what's required. I see those shouting the loudest harbouring much more vehicle than needed in their own driveways. The simple act of turning down the thermostat in your place of residence will have more impact than all the hot air in Ottawa.

It seems like the basic premise is to force government to do things, so we don't have to. Canadians need to take on more personal responsibility rather than demanding government cure all evils. Waste, as well as charity, begins at home.

Labels: government

I just made a year-end donation to PBS. Since I've been watching high-definition TV, I have renewed interest in that valuable public resource. Rick Steves has never made Europe look so good. Last week, I caught Leonard Bernstein's Candide on Great Performances. Patti LuPone played the old lady. That tipped the scales. There's not another way I would have been introduced to the New York Philharmonic's semistaged performance were it not for PBS.



Sending in a few bucks was inevitable, I guess. Doing this sort of thing probably puts me up one rung on Maslow's hierarchy. Financial security may play a bigger role than personal growth although I am not absolutely sure. I've chosen a lifestyle that generates more free time than cash. Yet I find myself more keen on making charitable contributions than back when I earned lots more. Of course, the tax benefit doesn't go unnoticed. I can cut back on the amount of taxes I pay and donate to what I choose rather than leaving that decision to politicians and bureaucrats.

Labels: government, musical, television

In a few hours the property owners of my building are invited to the Annual General Meeting. I should be happy that I have the opportunity to make decisions regarding the property. Strangely, going to the AGM is not tops on the list of things I'd like to do this evening. This has got me thinking about democracy and politics in general.

The Strata Council does an important job. I need to offer sincere thanks to them for their efforts. I have no desire to serve in such a capacity though. In general, it's people like me whom we should blame when we're upset with governance at a local or national level.

I should see the need for civic duty but I cannot help but think that most people who get involved in government are either foolish, on a power trip, or out to feather their own bed. These ideas are constantly reinforced by the media. Therefore, it's a chicken egg situation: People see participation as evil and thus disengage from the system. This in turn leads to less desirable candidates who serve to exaggerate an already vicious circle.

Labels: government

I love living in New Westminster. It's one of the smaller of the 21 municipalities in the Greater Vancouver Region. In fact, out of the two million people in the region, only 53,000 lived in New West in 2001.

I am aware that the size probably means a slighter higher per capita cost for local government. There is undoubtedly a duplication of services as we need to provide many of the same services as our larger neighbours. Still being smaller can provide responsiveness. For example, I e-mailed a copy and link of Sunday's blog entry on the Columbia Street Facelift to our city's mayor. In less than 24 hours I had the following response from Mayor Wayne Wright. That's service!

---

Thanks for email. We are very aware of the changes contemplated for Columbia but with all the new developments coming forward on this street we are going to be doubly sure of our contemplated changes are correct. Good news is we are on the way.

W

Mayor Wayne Wright
City of New Westminster
511 Royal Avenue
New Westminster, BC V3L 1H9

---

Labels: government, New Westminster

The very spring before heading to Canada, Jay went home for the Sinhalese New Year. This picture was taken in Anaradhapura with his mother, both sisters, and father. His brother wasn't with them. The photo was taken by Jay's brother-in-law.

Shortly after getting back to Dubai, the paperwork for Canada was ready. All this took place ten years ago this month.

Labels: Dubai, government

The weather was fantastic yesterday, so I spent a few hours doing taxes!

It's not too tough to file with software; one doesn't even have sharpen a pencil nor remember how to add. Even though it was Sunday, I completed the whole process. E-filing is a breeze. Then, arranging for the refund or payment is easily handled through online banking. It is so easy, it almost makes sending the government a third of one's money ... fun?

The feeling of having it all done early, did make the rest of the day seem great.

Vancouver was lovely.

Labels: government, software

Some blogs focus exclusively on politics. Frankly, I can't think of a more useless exercise. If people happen to agree with the point of view, they may read the entire entry; however, of what benefit would that be? On the other hand, if readers' views differ then they won't bother to venture past the very first sentence.

Still, there are occasions when it's impossible not to say something. I would have had to stick my head in a hole to avoid blogging something political today. Canada has changed political course a bit. We have a new Prime Minister in a minority government.



I think what I want to say today has more to do with representation in general than any specifics about yesterday's results. When I was younger, I was a bit more adamant about the political party I supported. Now, I realize that the world won't end regardless of results. Things won't suddenly turn upside down. People will continue eating breakfast and going to work today.

The world is complex, so no single party can represent me on every topic. I bet most people are similar. Collectively, we must choose the party's idea set that represents the larger number of personal beliefs. Organized change occurs slowly. I'm thankful to live in a country where people have a say. I'm even more thankful that governmental changes can occur without loss of life. Remembering this puts things into better perspective after an election.

Labels: Canada, government

We're in the middle of an election campaign again. It's not on a set schedule; this one's because the opposition forced a non-confidence vote in the Parliament. It should be easy to get excited about national politics here as even the unity of the country comes up as an important discussion on such occasions.

Last night, four party leaders were on the platform (and TV) although the actual voting won't occur until January 23rd. On the previous night the debate was in French but last night it was in English. The format of last night's event seemed constrained as questions came for ordinary voters who were videotaped and each leader was allowed a very specific time limit. Still, what surprised me most was how I knew all the answers before they slipped from the mouths of Paul Martin, Stephen Harper, Jack Layton, and Gilles Duceppe. There were no real surprises. It's a shame we don't vote directly for the Prime Minister. Actually though, none espouses my exact combination of ideas and ideals for Canada's future. At least it'll be after Christmas until much more politicking occurs.

I've always maintained that I'd never blog about politics. What a silly promise!

Labels: Canada, Canada Day, government

My city began with a population explosion. In a single year, 1858, more than twenty thousand men came through this area, primarily from San Francisco, seeking Fraser River gold. The term Gold Rush was pretty accurate! The Hudson Bay Company was overwhelmed in trying to keep law and order. This concerned the British Government too. So, the Hudson Bay Company's charter to British Columbia was rescinded and the land became a British Colony.

Colonel Richard Moody and a corps of Royal Engineers were quickly sent to build a new capital. Colonel Moody chose a location on high ground next to the Fraser River, right before the river branches into the north and south arms. The city was founded to oversee the hordes of new immigrants and to prevent the area from becoming a territory of the United States. This area would be easily protected.



There was a dispute as to what to call the new capital. An appeal was sent to Queen Victoria and she named it after her favourite part of London. New Westminster is still known as the Royal City because of this. In 1866, it briefly kept its title when the British Colonies of Vancouver and Victoria were united. However, Victoria was made capital in 1868.

Labels: British Columbia, government, New Westminster

Last night was the annual strata council meeting for this building complex. This is when condo owners get to vote on the following year's budget and any changes to rules. This year it was my turn to attend and I'm totally convinced that people don't function well in meetings.

It took us two, complete hours to agree:

that $12,000 be moved from one contingency account to a reserve fund. No new money was spent; it was just changing from one pocket to another. Three cheers for accounting procedures.

we'll add a bylaw to charge $100 as a move-in fee to defray maintenance cost on repair to wall scratches, painting, and elevator maintenance.

that seven candidates who offered to sit on council could serve in seven vacant positions.

Just think, in this amount of lost time, I could've cleaned the house or started work on the great, Canadian novel.

Labels: government

My title shows the influence of being in Canada for a long time. Government departments often tuck the noun form after a noun. For example, we all file tax returns to Revenue Canada in the spring. And by the way, we generally fork over quite a lot of money. Or perhaps it was beer names that influenced the title!

Anyway, that's neither here nor there. I am free again today. In fact, I have asked to pick up an intensive class at BCIT from the end of the month. So, now I am still in leisure mode after last month's Eurotrip.

The weather doesn't promise to be too great today. I do have stale bread ends set aside to feed to the ducks at Tipperary Park. Oh, and in the afternoon, I have a batch of wine to bottle down at the wine store. I can add to the 750+ photos at Flickr as well. That's all the pressing business there is.

Labels: Flickr, flora and fauna, government, New Westminster

The writ was dropped so everybody's gearing up for provincial elections in British Columbia. As we're going to be out of the province on May 17th, we've already completed our 'alternative absentee voting'.

As well as the general vote, there's a referendum on electoral reform. If the voters of British Columbia vote in favour of the new electoral system, government is required to introduce the legislation in sufficient time for the new electoral model to be in place for the May 2009 general election. If passed, instead of just marking one 'X', a voter may rank the candidates in order of their preference with a '1', '2', '3', and so on. The votes are then counted like this:

Single Transferable Vote Animation

There's not been lots of information about it and, unfortunately, surveys say that most voters don't know much about it. I think it's a worthy experiment in democracy. See what bloggers are saying.

Labels: government

Businesses switch over first to be faster and more efficient. Shuffling paper is a waste of time, resources, and money. For example, a few of my accounts are at a financial institution that has no physical buildings. Business is conducted solely through bank machines and over the Internet.

It's good to see the continued momentum in education too. At BCIT, I used to have to fill in contracts with multiple sheets. Some went to various departments and I got to keep the canary copy! Now, the whole process is done through a universal web portal. Moreover, the step beyond direct deposit comes into effect in April when we'll no longer receive salary pay slips by post. All will be available through a simple logon.

So, I suppose I should be pleased to see Government's entrenched civil service moving to implement electronic procedures too. The screen shot will lead you to some information about epass Canada. This was just in time for a new passport.

Labels: BCIT, government, Internet

This photo was taken on September 30, 2004. It shows an island area to the west the Jaffna Peninsula in Sri Lanka's north. We headed this way to visit the Buddhist temple of Nagadeepa. It was a low lying area but sheltered somewhat by the top of the country. We wonder what the situation is there.



This area is not controlled by the government in the capital city. A great deal of destruction in the north and east will have occurred in areas controlled by the Tamil-rebels. Hopefully, in the face of tragedy, all people will put aside politics. The statistics of death and damage will be hard to ascertain as these areas are separated politically and physically.

Labels: government, temple

Businesses and organizations need to practice a little email etiquette. (I even have a few friends who could learn a thing or two.) Upon arrival, an immediate message should be returned acknowledging receipt. It should state either the expected response or reference when a subsequent response will be forthcoming. Here's one for which I've been waiting for nearly a week ...

From: Dennis Sylvester Hurd
To: Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa
Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2004 15:45:24 -0700
Subject: Re: from Sri Lanka High Commission/ Ottawa

To: Consular Services, SL High Commission, Ottawa

Thank you for your help and previous email. I am aware that 30-day
visitor visas can be obtained at the airport. However, as stated in
my previous messages, we wish to spend about 60 days there. We've
purchased tickets which show we will arrive on September 2nd and will
depart on October 26th. This is more than the 30 days. As we expect
to travel extensively, it may not be convenient to return to Colombo
in the middle of our journey for visa renewal. It would certainly be
excellent if we were to have the necessary visas in our passport
before our departure.

The following paragraph is taken from your web site
http://www.srilankahcottawa.org:

========================================
Visa for Tourists
Canadian Tourists visiting Sri Lanka will be given visas free of
charge valid up to 30 days at the port of entry. They should have
valid Passports, return air tickets and funds for the stay at the rate
of C$30.00 per day, per person. Those wishing to stay longer should
either obtain a prior visa from this High Commission or, having
entered Sri Lanka with free 30 day visa at the airport, get it
extended on payment of the fee of C$75.00 at the Department of
Immigration and Emigration, Colombo.
========================================

As we wish to stay longer, I would like to know if it is possible to
'obtain a prior visa from this High Commission". I certainly hope
that you can provide additional details which will make our vacation
successful and enjoyable.

Thank you very much for your time and attention to this matter.

Labels: government, passport

Last weekend, the Prime Minister called the election, so until the end of June it's national politicking time in Canada. This means when one switches on the TV or cracks open a newspaper, there's going to be non-stop coverage.

On another tangent, I've been patiently waiting for examples from Google's Gmail to show 'targeted advertising' near my message. Few messages have included any. The privacy clan are all up in arms about how Google is evil and such. These are the same people who demand spam filters so as to not be bothered by ads for get-rich schemes and penis-enlargement devices. I wonder how they think anti-spam software does its job? Oh gads, is it really going through their email? Oh, protectors of my privacy, here's a little fact: Some of us find advertising a whole lot more palatable when it is personalized.

I'll now explore the connection between these two ideas. Today, my realtor sent the following email:

---

For those of you involved in the Election:

I am renting an apartment. Can the Landlord prevent me from having an election sign in my window or on my allocated lawn?

NO! Elections Act sec. 322(1)

I own a Townhouse (or apartment,..condo, strata).Can the Strata Council prevent me from displaying an election sign?

No! Elections Act takes precedence over any rules passed by the Strata Corporation... regarding election advertising.

Can a municipality prohibit the placement of election signs on boulevards, street corners, etc.?

No! The elections act takes precedence over local government bylaws.

Best regards,

Randy Book
Re/Max Central

---

Google tried to match up some useful links to this message. I guess we can't accuse the robots of being overly U.S.-centric.

Sponsored Links

2004 Presidential Race
Read washingtonpost.com For All The Latest Election News!
www.washingtonpost.com

John Kerry
Issues, profile, endorsements, speeches and articles.
www.johnkerry.com

Related Pages

Bernard applies to strike out polls petition
Kota Kinabalu: Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri ...
www.dailyexpress.com.my

Waiting list opens for
Families looking for below-market-rate housing can apply to get on a ...
www.sanmateocountytimes.com

Strataman... All you need to know about strata
Everything you wanted to know about strata but didnt know who to ...
www.strataman.com.au

Apartments For Rent:: Search Thousands of Apartment Communities ...
Find your apartment fast! Search over 40,000 apartment communities ...
secure1.forrent.com

Labels: Canada, Google, government

One week ago today, when we were in Victoria, the Legislative Assembly re-opened for its spring session. The whole affair turned out to be quite a big deal. We heard the sound of the cannons. The crowd on the lawn wasn't too large, but there were several 'protesters' on hand. We spotted the Premier, Gordon Campbell, greeting Iona Campagnolo, the Lieutenant Governor. They climbed the main, red-carpeted stairs. (The Premier's role is similar to that of a US governor and Ms. Campagnolo is the official BC representative for the Queen of England and officiates at important, provincial events.)

The story of why an island city hosts the seat of of government is rather interesting. Maybe I will comment on that at some future date.

Labels: British Columbia, government, Vancouver Island

I left the computer on last night and apparently, Telus got its act together. WinXP healed my connection once TCP/IP was available. I surely rely on the Internet nowadays. Not having access seems as troublesome as not having utilities such as water or power!



Politics are not something I normally blog about. One should never assume they know nor try to affect the political affiliation of family or friends. Political opinions, no matter how heartfelt, are just that, only opinions! However, I've got to say Belinda Stronach is surely a breath of fresh air for that party. The good ol' boys are deriding her lack of experience; which plays as a plus in my book.

Her choice of web name --- www.belinda.ca ... is cute. I guess she figures she's Canada's top-most Belinda. Dare we call this the Cher-complex?

The newspapers reported rather less politically-relevant material at www.belinda.com. I guess it's time for Belinda.ca to release some 'emergency' money so her organisation's computer geeks can buy up that domain!

Labels: government, Internet

Thanks for stopping in town yesterday. I think it was a smart move for you to switch from Zellers to Sears Canada. I also feel that you should be receiving a medal rather than a subpoena and court date. You get more of my respect than many government officials; after all, you have created an empire through your own efforts.

==Dennis

P.S. I drink a lot of wine and I'm very happy with the quality of your corkscrew. In addition, I hope you've forgiven Cybill Shepherd.

Labels: government