Ontario Harmonized Tax Info

I was planning to put up a “Happy Canada Day ” post and after quite a bit of searching google.ca I came up with very little in the Haliburton Highlands even though I know there is plenty happening. Heck, it’s enough that this is the first official long weekend of the summer, right? That is something to celebrate.*** Scroll down to check out the weather below.

Coincidentally, I was was reading today that if Americans want nationalized health care like Canada and Europe then we shall have to pay taxes as you do. Now that I’ve read through a comprehensive list of what you have been paying for sales tax and what you will as of July 1, Canada Day, for my area of the United States (Greater Chicago) there is __right now__ little difference in taxes. (Illinois’ taxing system is both incredibly complicated and incredibly corrupt. Currently some areas pay 11.50% sales tax.)

Even out here, 25 miles northwest of the City of Big Shoulders we pay 10% sales tax and that includes infant car seats and baby clothes and shoes and of course, we pay our health care out of pocket (including prescription drug taxes, taxes on eyeglasses & contact lenses, etc.) whilst paying relatively high sales taxes overall (the highest in the U.S.– Governor Terminator out in California raised their base state sales tax to 11.5%, allowing county tax to be added so they are probably paying what Ontario is and they still don’t have health care!)

So to get to the point, you really do not have it all that bad especially if you cut your own hair, give yourself your own mani and pedicures, don’t smoke, don’t take vitamins and don’t drive a petrol-fueled car. Just about across the board your so-called sin taxes are going up according to the “Harmonized Sales Tax Guide,” which I’ve pieced together and you can read at it’s full size but clicking on each page twice.
I can’t say I’m thrilled about the gasoline taxes getting higher but we kept that in mind when we needed to replace our family sedan. We aren’t in the income bracket to purchase a hybrid but still we found a decent compact car that sips petrol at about 40 mpg. The fact is we won’t change our behaviours that impact ourselves/the environment without a nudge and sometimes a kick in the derriere and so the new “harmonized” taxes reflect exactly that.

This is completely inappropriate to bring up here but it’s true (skip this paragraph if you have tender sensibilities).
The harmonized sales tax dings diaper-clad babies at the 5% GST but incontinent adults are completely exempt from all taxes. Since diapers are paper products usually, they shouldn’t be in a special category because the are deathly to the landfills so making them exempt from HST makes the “sin-tax” logic go out the window. Same argument for adult diapers and paper-based feminine hygiene products. I’m sure if I read closely I’d find other examples that go back and forth sometimes seemingly tied to logic and others not.
Anyway Happy 143 Birthday, Canada! You look wonderful and are and will remain my favourite country in the world–always.
Canada Day Weather : It is NOT going to rain!

Canada Day Weather Thursday July 1, 2010

Haliburton Highlands Genealogy Group 20th Anniversary Party
June 12 2010
Come and celebrate on Saturday, June 12th from 1:00-4:00 pm.
FREE admission to all!
Door prizes!
Genealogy booths
Refreshments
Opening Ceremony: 1:30 pm
Keynote speaker: 2.00 pm – Melody Richardson “Memoirs-Legacy Writing for Future Genealogists”

“Melody will explore with us the technique of memoir writing, a form of legacy writing for future genealogists in your families and communities.”

Visit Website
Place: Minden Hills Community Centre Minden
Contact: Linda Heeps Tel: 705 457-2064
Email: hhggroup@gmail.com

From the website:
*Haliburton County is located in Central Ontario Canada just to the southwest of Algonquin Park. The area was settled in the latter years of immigration (mid 1850s) when lands in Southern Ontario were all taken. Children of those settlers and new immigrants were led to believe that they might be able to establish farms in an area too rugged and rocky for that purpose but valuable mainly for lumber.

I knew about the lumber but until now hadn’t realized that people were told that the Highlands were good for farming!

Hey Folks!

Welcome to your weekend! (More events to be talked about here in a few hours!–plus later tonight, the weather for the weekend and week-to-come).

I’m sure you noted the name of this blog. Not much thought needed to go into naming it as it is written on behalf of the Haliburton Highlands and more specifically when an occasion arises, the Maple Lake area, which I believe is properly referred to as the Township of Dysart et al.

There’s a fantastic FREE opportunity, Young Eagle Flights for kids ages 8-17, to fly for free out of Stanhope Airport this weekend which calls to mind some of my own recollections of the airport.

My memories of Maple Lake–and one cannot separate Maple Lake from the airport if you take a quick peek on the map*–is how awesome it is when a plane takes off over the water. I’ll be in my default place–in the lake–hear the sound of the small aircraft engine, and look up to see the undercarriage of said small aircraft zipping by overhead, then watch the plane as it disappears into the distance.

*in the aerial photos it looks closer to Green Lake which it indeed may be

I’ve always loved that. However, when I was younger and my mom was around she expressed her displeasure with the noise. That left me perplexed but I’ll leave it at noting that we all have our own reactions/perceptions of things large and small. So dear mum would gently curse the plane flying just a short distance above us and I would silently cheer for the plane and think “Wow!”
My mum cannot make it up to the lake anymore but every time a plane flies out of Stanhope airport I think of her–then I think, “Cool!”

Free small airplane flights for kids age 8-17 (click on Visit Website for details)

Visit Website
Haliburton/Stanhope Airport Haliburton/Stanhope Airport road Minden
Contact: John Packer Tel: 705 754 2611
Email: airport@halhinet.on.ca

April 8, 2010 - North Central Ontario

Ontario weather - April 8, 2010

Sometimes, I miss living in Ontario throughout the year (as opposed to being a cottager). I live in the Chicago area–in the northwest suburbs to be precise, and our weather is uncannily similar to Ontario. However underneath the asphalt we are on what was prairie.
The big, beautiful tress, the massive granite walls lining the highway, the lakes, my goodness the lakes of south central Ontario a/k/a cottage country. We have none of that but we do get the weather. Since I do the forecast for the Haliburton Highlands each week (there will be a post tomorrow) and I need to know the weather forecast here at home to know for example, that at the beginning of this week I could go top-down motoring as I went from picking up my son at school–to taking him to the dentist–going to the library–all in weather in which I was comfortable in shirt-sleeves.

Chris & Raven on the Palatine Trail behind the library - 4.5.10

Today: rainy gloomy, COLD.  A day or two ago we had the same hailstorm activity that Ontario is seeing and next week we’ll have the same warm up. I’d say about 85% of the time the two regions weather is near identical with two significant differences. One, the used-to-be prairie we live on is as you would guess, flat. There is nothing geographical to cut the wind from cutting through you. And it does. I’ve never felt the wrath of the winter winds as I have in Chicagoland. Two the timing of the weather ‘events’ differs by about 36 hours.

I know that cottage country gets very cold in winter and usually there is significant snow but it’s my belief despite that that the snow actually makes the winter feel less harsh and the hills cut the windchill a bit. I realize too that Ontario and much of Canada had a mild 2009-2010 winter.  The consensus here, despite fairly consistent snowfall is that winter ‘wasn’t that bad.’

Now just like their Canadian counterparts, folks here have spring fever as I saw in photographs and read that many Canadians did last week, too. Spring can be quite fickle. Getting one dreaming of a warm spring on sunny days–and then snatching it away with snow flurries.

Don’t dispair. Here is a thumbnail of what you can expect for this weekend. I’ll  have a detailed forecast on Friday.

CLICK twice to enlarge to full size

Courtesy of the Weather Network

Peggy Lamb, Jim McCrackan, summer 1955

This is my dad and mum at Maple Lake during the summer of their courtship.

Photographs preserve moments in time, many of them precious.

My father is now the patriarch of the family. He carries his father’s name, James McCrackan, and his son–my only sibling carries the same name. It is my last name too after giving it up for 6 years and then getting the name legally returned to me decades ago. I’m taking it to my urn (no grave for me).

I don’t think my grandfather had any time for pettiness, jealousies, vindictiveness–certainly none for gossip. My father is very much like his father and I learned from him at his knee that these traits are highly undesirable.

After a truly awful experience at Maple Lake of which I”m not sure what the end result will be ( though unless addressed in an honest way the repercussions will go on for years) I was astonished to hear of a genuine kindness that was extended towards my spouse on Labour Day. I shan’t name the person–it was “persons” actually, but one in particular who sat aside what might have got in the way of being a good neighbour, a decent person and just helped. It meant a lot even if it wasn’t  intended that way. For all the snark that flew past this summer, one person managed to adjust the sails and set a course correction.

It starts with one person.

Fleming Collage, Haliburton Campus (Photo: Roger Corrao)

Hey there!

I’m spreading the news about  the Internet Outreach Program’s series of courses through Fleming College that is being offered to folks in the Haliburton County. It’s been a long time coming but with the funds from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Farm, and Rural Affairs’ (OMAFRA) finally released Haliburton County can finally join the information age with the Internet. I’ve supplied all the information you should need (below) no matter if you are an absolute beginner, beginner through intermediate, or perhaps a business person building a brand on the world wide web.

I’m truly impressed with the diversity of offerings and the token fee involved for each series that should make this endeavour one that anyone can undertake.

It’s my understanding that broadband service is now or soon will be available to 95% of Haliburton County residents and  the cost is extremely low.

I’m looking forward to taking advantage of this service next summer. Unfortunately, since the funding was held up and I needed to work from the cottage my spouse and I committed to a 2-year contract with a satellite Internet provider and the cost is ridiculous. I’ve been told by a Broadband Outreach Program representative that this provider will need to lower his rates to be competitive but I’m not holding my breath as he’s made no offer yet.

As my cousin’s spouse remarked, this guy should be paying us as we agreed to be the point of origin for his satellite dish so he could offer services to the folks on Maple Lake.

I thought he’d put some effort into marketing as we were promised a lower fee when 5 more people signed up. He never did much–at least not via his website–and he certainly won’t now and it’s become a real pain. Lesson learned. I simply wanted to spend more time at the Lake but the reality was I couldn’t afford to do so without working. Now I’m paying over two years many times more than I made in the sum total of two months using the service.

But back to you smart people for whom the waiting is now paying off. All the info on the almost-free Internet classes is below.

Enjoy!

County of Haliburton- Broadband Outreach Program
Internet Courses for individuals and businesses
at Fleming College for only $10

Fierce rain, wind and thunder and a weird, orange sky - Maple Lake August, 2009

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Click thumbnails to embiggen

We had some notable weather whilst at Maple Lake plus I had some really intense storms go over when alone  in the cottage for an additional week. My battery was charging on the new Panasonic Lumix point and shoot I bought specifically for this trip when the tornadoes hit the area and spouse had taken the other camera home with him so I was late to the picture-taking party of the crazy-orange skies. At least I’d finally gotten the hang of taking clear pictures. I’d been doing the stupidest thing or more correctly, not doing the most basic thing you do before taking a digital photograph.

Anyway I ran out of good weather and out of time prior to me getting very many shots off but spouse did ‘cos he gets up in the a.m. so I have many to post that he took and technically, he’s a better shooter than I am—not that I’m all that. :p

*These are all mine, tho’.

Cheers!

Cyn

Maple Lake between storms - August, 2009

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It finally turned warm for the first full weekend this summer. It turned really warm. And humid.

In the early evening, prior to sunset I thought I’d go and snap a few photographs–which I did– but as soon as I got in the  vicinity of  the back field I started getting eaten alive–and I had bug spray on!

Big storms came in tonight. They came up so quickly that the screen blew in at the front of the cottage and quite a bit of water came in too through the upper window which I have to go outside to close. I was too late though. The winds were so strong I could barely open the  front door, never mind play around with a 12 foot window closing stick (I usually love using it–so simple yet effective–a wonderful example of something made by my grandfather, who with my dad, built these cottages that we all enjoy).  Anyway I got some plastic sheeting and *lightbulb,* a large umbrella and after the worst of the first storm passed I went out and closed up.

Right now, I’m alone here as we are driving back to the States in shifts.

Despite the rotten weather the first two weeks here were OK and then I really wanted to be done with it.

Cabin fever, I suppose.

Also, things are so different here now. It’s like party central every weekend. The guy across the way shoots off fireworks well into the late evening (meaning near midnight) every. single. weekend and that crew is incredibly raucous until 2, 3, 4 in the morning.

I work at night as you can see from the posting time and me and a bunch of party animals just don’t mesh well.

You were here and so was I and it’s the same as it ever was, isn’t it?

Cheers,

Cyn

The weekend weather forecast for the Haliburton Highlands is the best so far this summer!

It’s truly gorgeous–sunny, clear, humidity is tolerable. And it’s going to be nice on Sunday, too! Can you believe it? I need to pinch myself ‘cos it’s been so long since Maple Lake has had an entire weekend that was this nice.

My weekender neighbours are quite fortunate since they just need to pack an overnight bag and in a snap they can be in paradise. Not quite as fortunate are folks like my immediate family who left today to return to the States.

Turning quite serious, folks, we are all on the same page on global warming now, right? We acknowledge it; it is happening right now. We have used and abused our poor planet and it does not have to be reflected as “warming” in certain spots. Here in the Haliburton Highlands, it’s been really cold and wet until this week. Pay attention to the excessive precipitation, especially.

Maple Lake, to be frank, has given me an eye infection simply by using lake water to wash my face. I know this because I wear goggles in the lake as I am unable to see without my contact lenses. The waters of Maple Lake have spewed up all kinds of garbage this summer–literally all kinds of plastic, coke cans. I’ve not ever seen it like this and it makes me really sad.

I’m sure I’m not the first but I feel that the year-rounders, the permanent residents should move forward to protect the lakes of Haliburton County. Obviously, we cannot change how Mother Nature is behaving right now but we can change human behaviour. Impose restrictions to protect our lakes and all nature that depend on the ecosystem, as people haven’t shown willingness to “reign it in” on their own.

First, I would like to see the obvious pollutants removed from the Lake. I would like to see a ban on motorboats that leak gasoline into the lakes and nearly drown swimmers like me with their huge waves (not kidding– HUGE waves).

Truly, I hate the noise too, but it’s the pollution that is sickening me. The boats are getting more powerful, ridiculously fast, and burning petrol at a time when I thought we were supposed to be practicing conservation. Our lakes are what make this area the paradise that it is. And we are doing our damnedest to destroy paradise.

Please, Haliburton Highland year-rounders, restrict the use of motorboats to the weekend and otherwise allow all the the other nonpolluting boats free and unfettered any time. The beautiful sailboats, the rowboats, canoes, paddleboats—all of them wind/man-powered and not harmful to our dying lakes.

If we don’t start reigning in our excesses and our abuse of the lakes of Cottage Country there is no doubt in my mind that we shall lose them. Nothing would be sadder if our unquenchable need for “things” and need to have the biggest, fastest motorboats and personal motorized vehicles hastened the death of our lakes–leaving nothing left for anyone.

I can only hope that the fine people that live year-round on Maple Lake and in the Maple Lake area take action this winter and next summer to deal with the craziness that breaks out every weekend here with ridiculous amount of polluting watercraft on what was what was once a clean lake. It’s not just here but throughout Cottage Country.

Also, as related to a lesser pollution, what the heck is with the unrestricted use of fireworks on Maple Lake every single weekend? Hey, I LOVE fireworks. They can be really special–but every weekend?! WTH? My poor dog is terrified. She shakes and glues herself to her people.

Ban fireworks on Maple Lake except for Canada Day, period. Stop the insanity, please.

/end preachy rant

Here’s the rest of the weather. If you can, stay up an extra day as Monday will still be beautiful:

As for the bugs, it has warmed up, they like warm, there are lots of them. Stay in the lake and otherwise slather on your insect repellent of choice.

Have a great week!

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I must say I’m running into the same roadblocks that I did last summer in getting some good snaps of Maple Lake–it is just so rainy and windy–at least in the afternoons and early evening-to-sunset when I’d like to take photographs. We would have had a few more to share but both spouse and I are using the new camera and we are not quite adept yet at making sure the settings have not been fudged with.Taking snaps of loons on the “portrait” setting just does not get a good result. Here are a few photos just the same. We went to the Haliburton campus of Fleming College for the Arts and toured the Sculpture Forest which is adjacent to it. It was the nicest day that we’ve had thus far weather-wise. We each had fun and spouse, who took pictures on our older camera, really got some nice shots. He’s not cooperating however with sorting through them and believe me, going through 1oo’s of snaps like I’ve just done isn’t the fun part of photo-taking. Cheers! Cyn