IMMEDIATE NEED TO HELP people who have been displaced by the Minden Flood: We need items like hand soap, tooth paste, deodorant, toilet paper, shampoo.
Though last week’s good weather helped to dry things up, the fallout from the 2013 Minden Hills flooding is far from over.
In an effort to bring you up-to-the-minute, I’m devoting this post to the Minden Hills area in hopes that you will reach out and support them in any way you possibly can. Over 150 families are homeless and many will permanently lose their homes as they do not have the option to purchase flood insurance coverage since they live on a flood plain.
Please read above “Flood related Community Information” about the latest, streamlined way that anyone, anywhere can donate to the flood relief fund. This makes me so happy as I’m 700 miles away right now and want to help and now can do so on payday using PayPal. Since I’m spending a month and-a-half in the Algonquin Highlands this summer, I intend to do as much of my shopping at local Minden businesses as possible and I hope other folks follow suit this year.
The sun coming out also brought this snap of the Minden Bridge opening this week past:
Minden Bridge reopens (May 2013)
Coach’s Corner Minden Hills Flood Relief May 8th 2013
A huge thank you to Ron Maclean and Don Cherry for giving our town such needed national exposure as we work to raise donations for our devastated town. Over 150 families are homeless and many will permanently lose their homes as they do not have the option to purchase flood insurance coverage as they are in a flood plain. Please visit www.pinestone-resort.com and click on the “Donate Now” button to donate to the “Township of Minden Hills Flood Relief” Trust account or visit any CIBC Branch – All Donations so VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!
EVERY DOLLAR RAISED IS MATCHED WITH A $2 DONATION FROM THE PROVINCIAL GOVT, ESSENTIALLY TRIPLING THE FUNDS
CBC news report
More damage from high water in Minden Hills.
Fund raising efforts for the Minden Community After the Jump:
Welcome to your weekend! There is plenty in store to look forward to in the Haliburton Highlands in Ontario, Canada no matter what your age or interests. Be sure to click the thumbnails to enlarge them and get all the details you need to get enjoy the many offerings–both indoors and out–in and around the Haliburton Highlands!
Skiing on 1.18.13 in Thornbury, Ontario (CR: weathernetwork.com)
Blue Mountain 1.18.13 (Cr: weathernetwork.com)
Lagoon City 1.18.13 (CR: weathernetwork.com)
Mount St. Louis Moonstone
Skiing on 1.18.13 in Thornbury, Ontario (CR: weathernetwork.com)
Kincardine Harbour
Kincardine Harbour – Penetangore River
Huntsville – Hidden Valley Highlands
Chapleau River
Lake of Bays, Muskoka
Collingwood
Skiing on 1.18.13 in Thornbury, Ontario (CR: weathernetwork.com)
Lagoon City
Blue Mtn. Ski Resort
Credit: haliburtonholidays.com
Haliburton Highlands weather Jan 19 thru Feb 1, 2012
Above: Ski conditions at Sir Sam’s Ski Resort in West Guilford, Ontario (Haliburton Highlands)
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Lunchables. All opinions are 100% mine.
My best memories of my son’s grammar school years are when we went on field trips with the school together. Whether it was a local symphony or the Chicago Symphony, an architectural boat cruise down the Chicago River or a biology field trip to preserved prairie-land, these trips held great meaning for me personally as a shared scholastic experience with my children.
More importantly though was what the kids gained from the experiences. A field trip is a unique, beyond-the-classroom immersion into real-life situations that would otherwise not be experienced. The depth of meaning, the level of comprehension, the enjoyments of “these up close and personal” activities all serve to pull the children into the experience like no textbook can. Further, an immersive group experience can sometimes be the light that flips the switch of true comprehension about a particular idea, place or thing(s).
To my great disappointment, with my younger son, field trip activities began to appear less and less until they simply were non-existent. The reason cited was a simple one: not enough money in the school budget for anything “extra.” As a mother this really broke my heart, not only for my son but for all children who might never otherwise experience some of the wonders beyond the classroom.
I’m very happy to be able to talk today about Field Trips For All which is the first effort from the folks at Lunchables as part of their new initiative called “Project Potential.”
Project Potential is an effort to literally help kids reach their life enrichment potential that otherwise they might not ever get a chance to do.
This is enormously important because field trip elimination is affecting scores of school districts across the spectrum. Huge numbers of school districts which are grappling with tight school funds/budgets that just don’t stretch far enough for anything “extra” are cutting out fieled trips all together.
There is some hope on the horizon with the very good news that Lunchables is aware of this dilemma and is taking action to address it by encouraging, as I am doing as well right now, anyone over the age of 6 to nominate a deserving classroom by clicking over to http://www.lunchables.com/potential/ and submitting a nomination for that classroom to receive a worthwhile, outside-of-the-classroom enrichment experience.
I’m sure without too much thinking you yourself can think of a deserving classroom to be nominated to be one of 50 lucky classrooms who will be selected to go on an inspiring, educational field trip and quite possibly have an experience that will be cherished for years to come.
Why not talk this contest up? There’s only gain to be had and speaking for myself it is very easy to think of some great classrooms with fantastic teachers and kids who deserve the nomination.
The more that word of this contest gets around the more classrooms will have a chance to be one of the 50 winners–so go ahead and drop a comment here about who you nominated and a bit about why you nominated them! Who do you think this educational prize should go to? I’m picking Mrs. Parr’s class at Hunting Ridge school in Palatine, Illinois because they are the greatest bunch of kids ever and because she is the most dedicated, motivated, committed teacher I may ever have met.
Ontario will rack up a record $14.1-billion deficit in 2009 as it commits billions to infrastructure projects and job retraining aimed at pulling the province out of a recession, provincial Finance Minister Dwight Duncan revealed on Thursday in the tabling of his $108.9-billion budget.
The fiscal plan also proposes corporate tax cuts to ease costs for struggling businesses and stimulate investment in Ontario’s sagging economy, which has shed hundreds of thousands of jobs in recent years.
The budget forecasts a deficit of $3.9 billion in the 2008-2009 fiscal year, followed by a deficit of $14.1 billion in 2009-2010. It anticipates Ontario will run deficits for the next seven years, with a proposed return to balanced books no later than the 2015-2016 fiscal year.
The province and the federal government have also agreed to harmonize the provincial sales tax and GST into a single 13 per cent sales tax by July 1, 2010, which Duncan called the “next essential step” in growing the province’s economy and improving competitiveness.
It also allocates a $3.4-billion contingency fund, from which an unspecified amount can be directed toward a bailout package for the province’s beleaguered auto industry once negotiations with automakers are completed.
You know what alarms me about Ontario’s fiscal situation? Just last summer the Canadian dollar was worth more than the American. For the first time ever we spent more to vacation in Ontario at the cottage that in my entire life! And I was completely happy to do so. Happy for Canada, happy for Ontario. But in less than nine months time the Canadian dollar has plummeted to be worth roughly 80 cents on the American buck! Call me fiscally naive but that seems really out of whack. What the heck happened?! And so quickly.
Here in the States we are up a creek with no paddle but this has been building for many years. I have to think that the Canadian economy was in a fix 9 months ago but something was over-inflated and it appeared you all were fine. Best of luck. We’ve got a long slog too so at least you are not alone. Hate to consider this but I’ve been told that as the US goes so goes Canada about 6 months later and darned if it’s not happening.
Second point. What is with the word “harmonize” when describing the fusing of the provincial sales tax and GST into a single 13 per cent sales tax? Harmonize? Really? The politicians really know how to spin.
And 13%? Oi! Even with socialized medicine as a benefit and that silly baby supplement that families get– a 13% tax? We have the highest sales tax in the United States and it’s 10.25%. Honestly, when I really start comparing the two countries I have to believe that Canada is not better off than the States. What’s next? Your infant mortality rates going up and life expectancy going down? Do you really want to follow the muddy path that the States has followed– or is it too late? I hope not. On both counts.
I was quite tickled by a number of photos taken in Ottawa yesterday.
In re: the maple cookies which Obama tried to buy for his daughters, Sasha and Malia: He must be freaking the Secret Service right out.
Take a look at the looks on their faces when Obama wanders into a shop to buy a souvenir–they are intensely staring at the arms/hands of every person that is near Obama.
CLICK to enlarge!
Several Canadain News Reports:
Why are they not scanning the room? Because there’s more guys just
steps away. The Secret Service hardly make a secret of their Now the weather.
The Secret Service hardly make a secret of their Now the weather. 
