Money. Again

Remember when Calgary was flooded out in 2013, causing billions in damages?  That's when the province decided it had to build a dam to prevent this happening again.  That's when negotiations began with Tsuut'ina leaders to get them to agree.  That's also when the band trotted out the pricey lawyers because naturally -- surprise surprise -- the natives would not agree to any part of "their" land being accessed to build the dam.  Better for Calgary to be washed out again than touch a blade of grass on "their" land.

Seven years later, Kenney finally figured out all he had to was throw money at the band to make all the lawsuits go away.  Why it took him so long to figure out this was the obvious solution I have no clue?  So, the other day, the beleaguered taxpayers of Alberta handed the band $32 million and guess what?!  They dropped all their objections and lawsuits!  Wow, what a revelation!

There are approximately 2,000 natives who live there, so what's that, let's see, $160,000 each?  Not bad for having to do nothing.  I bet not a lot of that money will get to your average, run-of-the-mill band member, but at least they can do the math and figure out how much they should be getting.  Oh, and of course, that's over-and-above what they are handed each year via routine taxpayer transfer payments.

They claim the money will be used to enhance wild life and other "nature" stuff.  Yeah right.  Currently, the band's main business is fleecing people out of their money via the Grey Eagle Casino.  Nature walks and enhancements don't really figure, as far as I am aware.  Maybe they'll fix up a couple of houses so the dwellings are more "nature-like".  Here's a picture.  (Not sure which reserve this is, but from what I've seen as we've driven around this part of the country, it's fairly typical.)

  

Daily drone-a-thon

Every day, Alberta's chief medical officer stands before a camera and drones on and on and on and on.  This many cases, this many deaths, this many recoveries.  What does it all mean to the average Joe?  How about absolutely nothing.

Nothing is put in context, nothing is relevant to anyone.  I mean, seriously!  Then let's quadruple it by adding B.C.'s health "expert", Doug Ford and the topper:  Theresa Tam!  When was the country put in charge of a doctor from Hong Kong?  Last time I checked, she wasn't elected and neither were the others, but that's who's running the country. 

It's all so insane. 

Agonizing?

I had to laugh when I saw the cover of 'Albertaviews' magazine the other day:

Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation is certainly not "agonizing".  He's made his choice:  Money.  His band collects $250 million a year from Syncrude, Suncor, Cenovus, Husky and Esso who run pipeline through "his" land.  But, of course, it's not "his" land, it's Crown Land given to the natives for their use.  So, actually he should be giving that money to the Crown, i.e., the Canadian taxpayer -- the people who already fund his tribe to the tune of millions every year.

Thumbing through the piece, I tried to find any reference to the above-money, but there was not a word about any of it.  "I'm a hunter/gatherer," he said.  Well, certainly of money, that's for sure.  He's a founder of something called "The Iron Coalition" which wants to buy TMX and is offering first nations and metis an "ownership interest" to deliver profits back to the investing groups.  Actually, the investors are the Canadian public, so they'd be buying TMX with our money and giving it back to themselves!

It's all so ludicrous.  I have done a few blogs about Adam, see "All yap, no facts", 2017-01-12, and "Things have changed", 2020-02-20.  As a former journalist reared in the "get your facts straight" era, I am disgusted by journalists who do no research.  Here is Adam with a few more of his Hollywood pals:

Let's do the math

Let's say conservatively that Theresa Tam is making $250,000.  Then let's say that each provincial chief medical health officer is making $150,000.  Then let's add in the federal health minister, plus all the provincial health ministers.  Then let's throw in about 50 municipal health officers at about $120,000.  What does that add up to?  I'd say about $8-10 million.  And those are just the top jobs.  Factor in all the underlings and machinery behind these clueless "officials" and you've got millions and millions being dumped into public health policy and yet, somehow they all got it wrong!?

And that's just in Canada.  Wonder what the head of the World Health Organization makes?  ("World Health" is an oxymoron, by the way.)  Frankly, I'm up-in-arms.  Everyone must have been sleepwalking through the multitude of warnings from all corners about how such a virus was going to hit and hit hard.  Even George Bush the Younger spoke about it in 2005!  But no one did anything.  Even now, Trudeau and Tam are clueless.  Tam first said masks were useless; now she says they should be worn.  Even an idiot would have known that covering your mouth and nose would likely be one way to stop germs getting into your body via those orifices.  Duh!

Here are a few gems about "official" health policy a friend sent me:

1. Basically, you can't leave the house for any reason, but if you have to, then you can.

2. Masks are useless, but maybe you have to wear one, it can save you, it is useless, but maybe it is mandatory as well.

3. Stores are closed, except those that are open.

4. You should not go to hospitals unless you have to go there. Same applies to doctors, you should only go there in case of emergency, provided you are not too sick.

5. This virus is deadly, but still not too scary, except that sometimes it actually leads to a global disaster.

6. Gloves won't help, but they can still help.

7. Everyone needs to stay HOME, but it's important to GO OUT.

8. There is no shortage of groceries in the supermarket, but there are many things missing when you go there in the evening, but not in the morning. Sometimes.

9. The virus has no effect on children except those it affects.

10. Animals are not affected, but there is still a cat that tested positive in Belgium in February when no one had been tested, plus a few tigers here and there…

11. You will have many symptoms when you are sick, but you can also get sick without symptoms, have symptoms without being sick, or be contagious without having symptoms. Oh, my..

12. In order not to get sick, you have to eat well and exercise, but eat whatever you have on hand and it's better not to go out, well, but no…

13. It's better to get some fresh air, but you get looked at very wrong when you get some fresh air, and most importantly, you don't go to parks or walk. But don’t sit down, except that you can do that now if you are old, but not for too long or if you are pregnant (but not too old).

14. You can't go to retirement homes, but you have to take care of the elderly and bring food and medication.

15. If you are sick, you can't go out, but you can go to the pharmacy.

16. You can get restaurant food delivered to the house, which may have been prepared by people who didn't wear masks or gloves. But you have to have your groceries decontaminated outside for 3 hours. Pizza too?

17. Every disturbing article or disturbing interview starts with "I don't want to trigger panic, but…"

18. You can't see your older mother or grandmother, but you can take a taxi and meet an older taxi driver.

19. You can walk around with a friend but not with your family if they don't live under the same roof.

20. You are safe if you maintain the appropriate social distance, but you can’t go out with friends or strangers at the safe social distance.

21. The virus remains active on different surfaces for two hours, no, four, no, six, no, we didn't say hours, maybe days? But it takes a damp environment. Oh no, not necessarily.

22. The virus stays in the air - well no, or yes, maybe, especially in a closed room, in one hour a sick person can infect ten, so if it falls, all our children were already infected at school before it was closed. But remember, if you stay at the recommended social distance, however in certain circumstances you should maintain a greater distance, which, studies show, the virus can travel further, maybe.

23. We count the number of deaths but we don't know how many people are infected as we have only tested so far those who were "almost dead" to find out if that's what they will die of…

24. We have no treatment, except that there may be one that apparently is not dangerous unless you take too much (which is the case with all medications).

25. We should stay locked up until the virus disappears, but it will only disappear if we achieve collective immunity, so when it circulates… but we must no longer be locked up for that?

Hahahaha!  Physician, heal thyself.

(Read the article by Diane Francis after I had written this.)

I think a virus killed off the Inca's and Aztec's.  Makes sense.

A stitch in time

I always know exactly what I want to wear and with what.  But if I can't find it, rather than settle for something on offer in a store, I head off to the nearest fabric store and buy the material and notions I need to make it myself.

That's why I related so well to a column in yesterday's 'Globe and Mail' about just such a dilema.  "Find a black, A-line skirt so simple and classic it can be worn regardless of tends," wrote the author.  About 10 years ago, I wandered Bayshore Shopping Centre looking for the same thing.  Hard to believe, but there wasn't a simple, black skirt to be found.  Heading home, I realized I'd just have to make one.  So I went to Fabricland, hunted for a simple pattern, found one, bought several different fabrics and ended up making four skirts and three pairs of pants using different views of the same pattern.  My rule is simple:  No pockets, no zippers.  Just elastic waistbands for all seven garments.

Here are a few examples -- all simple and versatile:

One of the skirts, each has a slit up the middle.

For the pants, the slit becomes two legs (these were Christmas pants of a couple of years ago.)

The original black skirt.

A hundred years ago, sewing was a commonplace -- albeit highly-gendered -- skill.  I learned how to sew from my mother and grandmother, augmented by home ec classes in grade eight.  "For all shapes and sizes, sewing represents an alternative to the often disappointing experience of shopping for clothing stores.  Mastering the skill empowers people to create anything they want to fit their body, says a PhD candidate in the subject at Queen's University.  

Surprisingly, the process involves very little actual sewing.  Most of the time is spent cutting, measuring, pinning, basting and ironing.  The sewing part is just zip-zip.  The other benefit is when sewing, you never think about anything else.  When I look through my closet, I realize most of my most-worn, favourites are outfits I have made myself.  Here's my grandmother's trusty Singer, the one I still use:

It must be 80 years old, solid iron and weighs a ton!

       

You knew this was coming

Right on cue, AFN Chief Perry Bellegarde is calling for more money because of the virus.  He calls it "support", but we know what that means:  $$$$$$$  This would be over-and-above the billions they get every year because they refuse to move off the reserves.

And why do they refuse to move off the reserves?  Because that's how they get money.  See how that works?  It's a chicken-and-egg deal.  Here's a headline in today's Globe:

Perry says unhealthy housing is a problem, but what he neglects to point out is that natives also get millions in housing allowances, which they spend on.......on.......on??  Just ask Charmaine Stick what the chiefs in her band spend on it.  From the Onion Lake Reserve, she has been fighting in court to force her leaders to make expenses public.  Guess what?  Isn't happening.  Here's Perry's take:

The "mouldy and unsafe" housing is because the generous housing allowances aren't spent to fix them.  And "timely access to health care" is not happening because......they live in the middle of nowhere!  Poor, old Jean Chretien really got it in the neck a few years ago when he suggested natives move off the reserves.  Boy, did he shut up fast!

The fact is that more that $7 billion is given each year to natives.  They also have a trust fund, held in common, but allotted to individual bands, of......wait for it.......$2 trillion!!  And that $2 trillion earns more than $35 billion in interest every year!

There are so many myths around the native file that's it's outrageous.  So, please folks, get a grip when Perry says he needs more money.  Ottawa -- that's you and me -- spends 75% more on each native than it spends on the rest of us.