COVID-19

Things we aren't talking about instead of COVID-19 should be:

1. Malaria kills over 400,000 people a year
2. Over 10,000 people in the US have died this year from the flu
3. Ebola is still an issue and has killed over 11,500

and let's not forget SARS has a 50% fatality rate.  COVID-19 has a 2% fatality rate.  It drops to 00.2% if you are under 50 and don't live in China!

As far as travel, it's your choice.  It is NOT stopping me.  I am healthy and don't have a compromised immune system.  If I had any condition, yes I would stay at home.

I've been watching cruise prices and they are dropping fast.  Princess and Cunard moved the Sapphire Princess and Queen Elizabeth ships from Asia to Australia.  I wasn't interested in the Sapphire cruises, however, Queen Elizabeth is doing a 27 day cruise from Sydney to Sydney on April 12th around Australia!   We are booked on the Regal Princess next March for 13 days and our price is $2,040.   We took off the free wi-fi and drinks package and if we left those on it was $3060.20.   Because we've travelled so much with Princess we already get free internet an we'll pay for the few drinks we want.

Cunard prices went on sale and in less than 24 hours most cruises sold out.  The 27 day cruise is $2,014 for a balcony cabin!  That's in Canadian dollars, before tax.  It's cheaper than our 13 day Australia/NZ cruise!  We are wait listed for a balcony cabin but the wait list is long and it's doubtful we will get a cabin.

There are still cabins on a 25 day cruise from Sydney to Vancouver!  Prices are amazing and only one way air fare is required.  We've done this cruise and loved it!  I like Cunard and find it a step up from Princess.  It's very British, darts, afternoon tea that's wonderful and they dress properly in the dining room.

If anyone is looking for a great price to Alaska, call me.  Prices are dropping!

I am still following David Abel, a passenger who contacted COVID-19 on the Diamond Princess.  Both David 75, and his wife Sally are still in a Tokyo Hospital testing positive for the virus.  He is an insulin dependent diabetic.  They have received NO treatment.  They both had pneumonia and didn't require oxygen.  It's all viral and there is no medicine that will help.  You use your own immune system to fight it.  They are doing VERY well and hopefully back in the UK soon.

Happy Birthday Snowstorm!

The black mark inside his ear is a tattoo.  He's hardly ever been outside!

Snowstorm is 18 today!  He's the healthiest cat I've ever seen.  Cheryl got him as a kitten from the cat vet in Richmond and he was the runt of the litter.  He lived under the bed for the first ten years of his life coming out for food and litter.  Cheryl decided to get another cat and Roxy came from the Surrey SPCA,  She was two years old and a very sociable girl.  Roxy brought Snowstorm out of his safe place. 

Snowstorm started meowing every night at 3 AM about two months ago.  He would wake everyone up.  He's never made a sound before.  Cheryl took him to the vet, he was checked all over and the vet said he probably can't see to go to his food and litter in the dark.  Now she leaves on a light for the cat and the meowing stopped! 

Whenever I visit he is very friendly.  When Cheryl was in bed with her back problems, Snowstorm parked himself on her pillow and never left her.

Tonight he will celebrate with a chocolate cake!  Happy Birthday Snowstorm!

Surrey Board of Trade

Yesterday, I went to a Surrey Board of Trade meeting.  The reason I went was Wally Oppal was the speaker.  He was scheduled to give an update of the transition of replacing the Surrey RCMP with a city police force.  His role was chair of the transition committee looking at the creation of the municipal force.

He said he could not release the committee’s 450-page report, which was handed to the provincial government in January after months of meetings and consultation.  But Oppal said the committee looked at all the key issues about establishing a municipal force — recruitment, managing pensions, creation of a police board and “what happens to ongoing investigations, what happens to ongoing prosecutions.”

“All of those things are matters we dealt with during the course of our deliberations. I think it is a sound report,” he said.

It wasn't an update, more of an information session. He told us the provincial government cannot offer a referendum as it's not their jurisdiction. He brought up costs of a municipal force and told us the RCMP is organizing a union so the costs of the RCMP will rise. It sounded more like a "we've already decided and it's going to happen talk" to me!  I wasn't the only one who thought that.

The Mayor and council members who voted to change to a municipal force did not attend yesterday's meeting.  15% of the citizens voted for the current mayor.   Over 40,000 signatures were delivered to the Premier's office from citizens of Surrey asking to keep the RCMP.

The fair thing to do is a referendum and many people have asked.  The mayor refuses to hold a referendum as he knows what the end result will be.

There is a back story to all of this.  It's filled with corruption and if I could publish it, I would.

Open Letter to: 

Surrey Residents

Members of BC Legislative Assembly

Members of Parliament

Media   

written by Brenda Locke, Surrey Councillor and Jack Hundial, City Councillor 

Surrey Residents Want Input into Their Policing 

Surrey residents have lost confidence and trust in the process to transition from the RCMP to a Municipal Police Department due to the lack of communication and transparency.  It was acknowledged by the Solicitor General that the report done by the City of Surrey and Vancouver Police Department was inadequate, requiring the province to review it for gaps in the proposal.  Mr. Oppal was asked to review the proposal and address the gaps in the report.  We understand his report has now been deposited with the Director of Police Services, Brenda Butterworth-Carr.  In keeping with the closed process surrounding this report from the onset, Surrey Council has not seen the recent Oppal report.   

On February 14, 2020, Premier Horgan received a petition with over 40,000 signatures. Over the course of the year, several polls have determined that the majority of Surrey residents want to maintain the RCMP as Surrey’s Police Department.  (Maple Leaf Poll - 64%, City of Surrey’s own Consultation Report - 73% and now the National Police Federations’ Poll - 77%).  These polling results were achieved even though the public did not have a clear indication of the cost impact to the taxpayer.  Certainly, these results point to a discrepancy between Mayor McCallum’s interpretation of the 2018 local government election results and do not support his comments that the Surrey residents are in favour of a move from the RCMP.    On May 23, 2019, Premier Horgan stated “The public needs to have a clear understanding: Why there would be a requirement to change, what the cost of that change would be, and would it be a diminishment or an improvement in the delivery of services to people?” He went further to say, “I can’t answer those basic questions because I don’t know, and if I can’t, I assume the public can’t either.”   

Then on May 24, 2019, it was reported that Premier Horgan stated “I would argue, and I’ve made the case to Mayor McCallum, that the public needs to have a clear understanding why there would be a requirement to change, and what that cost would be, and would there be a diminishment in service to people,”  

Premier Horgan went further to say that the province “has a significant role to play in the delivery of public safety services in Surrey” and will need to look closely at the details of Surrey’s proposal before it decides whether to allow the change. It has been unclear throughout this process what the level of service would be nor has there been a comprehensive comparison of the current service of the RCMP with a new, untested Surrey Police Department.  Certainly, cost implications have never been clearly outlined and communicated to council or the public.   

More recently, on January 23, 2020, it was positive to hear Premier Horgan speak in support of the concerns of Surrey resident and especially taxpayers when he stated:  “Traditionally municipal forces cost more than the RCMP and again those are issues that the public need to know before they make a final decision.  I think the Mayor appreciates that, he would prefer to move faster, I know that, but I think it is our responsibility to make sure that when Surrey makes these choices, they do it with full information.  That is what the Oppal process has been all about.  And there will be costs, so I think it is important that people know that before they take a leap of faith”  

Costs to residents We appreciate that the provincial government is concerned about Surrey taxpayers.  Policing across the country is plagued with escalating cost, therefore, managing those cost is critical to residents and ultimately public safety in general.    

The original Police Transition Report did not provide a solid pathway regarding the cost impact to residents.  Further, we have learned that all cost projections were done on a “best case” scenario.  We already know that the reported cost projections for I.T.  in the report will not be achieved and that those costs will be significantly higher than originally budgeted.   

The RCMP are a good value for Surrey Comparisons between cities will provide a general guideline to better understand the cost implications to Surrey taxpayers should we change our model from the RCMP to a local police force.  The chart below is extrapolated from a report by the Ministry of Public Safety.  These are cost per capita in three “like” jurisdictions that have local police forces.  This is based on 2018 statistics.       

Surrey          RCMP          $284
Vancouver    VPD            $458
Delta            DPD            $351
Victoria        Vic PD         $491

Surrey % Increase   38%↑   19%↑  40%↑ 

There can be no question that the police transition will increase taxes for Surrey residents.  The question is by how much. These numbers do not include the capital costs of the transition nor does it include any costs from a risk management (insurance) perspective.  Cities fund the risk management where there is a local police service whereas the costs for the RCMP are borne nationally. Suffice to say risk management can be a significant and unknown cost to the city when there is a requirement to compensate for personal or property damage done in the line of duty.  Similarly, with employee costs like the health employer tax, the RCMP funds those nationally however, they are funded by cities with local police departments.   

Hiring police officers is a challenge throughout North America.  It should be predicted that Surrey will be faced with that same challenge to recruit the number of officers required for a police service even to meet the minimal requirement as stated in the Police Transition Report of 805 officers.  While it has been stated that some members will come from the current Surrey RCMP detachment, that has not been confirmed. There is a further concern that some of  the officers will come from other police departments like West Vancouver, Vancouver and New Westminster because of the cost of living in Surrey is more in line with a police officer’s wage.   

Training for all municipal police departments in British Columbia is done through the Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC). The funding and ability for the JIBC to train officers is limited and just keeping up with the existing need for officers in B.C. In the BC Budget 2020, there was no additional funding to the JIBC to meet the need of a new police department the size of Surrey.  The RCMP training facility in Regina has more flexibility and can increase or decrease intake as the national need dictates. 

 In the end, if this issue is that Surrey is concerned about local input into policing in our city, that can be achieved through a Local Police Board for the RCMP.  While this is a new option, it is working successfully in several jurisdictions in the country. Stephen Thatcher, Assistant Commissioner of the Lower Mainland District Commander, ‘E’ Division, RCMP said “a type of police board, in the form of an advisory or local police committee to support the mayor and council in working with the RCMP is a potential option for the City of Surrey.” The province is in a position to listen and provide Surrey citizens with an opportunity to have their voices heard.  Likewise, it is important that First Nations peoples are consulted in a meaningful way – government to government – in accordance with all that is right and just.   

Now that police transition file is out of the hands of the local government and the purview of the provincial government, we trust that the province will consider the wishes of the residents of Surrey. 

Time for a laugh

How to mess with a vegan...

Newspaper headlines

Do they even read what they write?   \

Harry and Meghan's Vancouver Island Rental

Right now they are in the UK, but when they come to Canada it's alleged this is where they are staying.  We know they stayed there during Christmas and New Years but I'm not sure if they still rent it.  It's up for sale for CAD$ 18 million dollars.  It's private and the views are amazing!  One thing about Canadian's, we kept it a secret until just before they returned to the UK.  They may like their privacy here and if they do, this would be a lovely family home.

I was happy to hear a charter boat operator in Victoria was asked to take a camera crew by water to view their house.  They had cameras and a journalist.  He refused!  Way to go, let's hope everyone else gives this couple the privacy they deserve!

Formal Dining Room

Nice kitchen!

A wonderful study

Private with gorgeous views!

Prince Harry and Meghan were staying in what’s known as the Mille Fleurs estate, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The estate offers the couple plenty of privacy behind gates with private access to the beach. Prince Harry grew up in Buckingham Palace, he’ll feel right at home with 11,416 square feet in the main house alone.

The estate comes fully furnished, designed with a French Country style. Throughout the house are timeless pieces of furniture and elegant lighting. The light-colored flooring on the lower level of the two-level living room balances out the dark wood featured in the beams and door frames.

The home was a perfect option for Prince Harry and Meghan, as its completely turnkey. They want to enjoy their privacy and this spacious home offers plenty of square footage to enjoy while sheltered from the outside world. 

The Estate Features French Country Style

Nearly every window in the five-bedroom, eight-bathroom estate faces out to the water. Harry and Meghan are able to enjoy incredible views from the living room, looking out to the back patio. Their beach access is private, offering a quiet and serene location on Vancouver Island.

Guest Cottage

The charming guest cottage is 2,349 feet, more space than the average family’s main home! The cottage features three bedrooms and two bedrooms, which would be enough room for Prince William, Duchess Kate, and their brood to stay in if they visit.

Thinking Day

If you were ever a Girl Guide, this will mean something to you.  Today is Thinking Day!  It is also the birthday of Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of Boy Scouts and Girl Guides.

The World Thinking Day is celebrated every year around the world on February 22nd by Girl Guides. The day is celebrated to appreciate the help and guidance of brothers and sisters around the world.  On a larger perspective, it is a day to think about fellow brothers and sisters around the world, address their concerns and understand the true meaning of guiding.

I was involved in Girl Guides as a child, I was a leader when Cheryl was a Brownie and Guide and a leader when Lexie was a Spark.  It's a wonderful organization and next time you see a Girl Guide, Brownie or Spark selling cookies, even if you don't want them, buy them and donate them to the food bank!  

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines

In this time of the coronavirus, Royal Caribbean has done something amazing!  They have two ships that are being relocated.   This is what they are doing:

Royal Caribbean Cruises announced it will dedicate two ships to "humanitarian efforts in Australia and California" to support those affected by recent crises in both areas.

Both the Spectrum of the Seas and Celebrity Millennium, which are out of service due to the coronavirus outbreak, will redeploy for these sailings.

The 2019-built Spectrum of the Seas will move Australia and be deployed on complimentary cruises sailing from Sydney in support of Australia's first responder community, according to a statement.

The ship has been out of service since mid January due to the coronavirus outbreak, with cruises cancelled through mid March.

"When things go wrong, this is a company that wants to find a way to help," said Richard Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises. "At Royal Caribbean, we consider ourselves fortunate to be able to use our ships in a positive way during difficult times."

"We are in a fortunate position to offer these brave and selfless members of the Australian community the opportunity to join us for a few days and let them relax and unwind in the company of other volunteers and first responders," added Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International. "By welcoming and accommodating them aboard Spectrum of the Seas, we hope to recognize their contribution and offer them our hospitality."

Fain said Royal Caribbean was working with its suppliers to deliver one million N-95 protective masks into China for government distribution into affected areas.

"We admire the all-out efforts of the Chinese government and people to address this crisis, and we want to bring our resources to bear to help their efforts," Fain said.

In addition, the Celebrity Millennium is moving to the West Coast of the U.S. earlier than previously scheduled ahead of her Alaska program and will offer a series of "Cruising for Heroes" voyages in support of California firefighters, other first responders and veterans.

These voyages will run through March and April. A variety of three-, four- and five-night sailings have been added to the brand's offerings to travel the breathtaking Pacific Coast. The sailings will leave from Los Angeles and details will be announced soon.

Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, president and CEO of Celebrity Cruises, said, "While the circumstances have not been what any of us would have wanted, we now have the opportunity to show the State of California our stunning Celebrity Millennium and do some good in the process by honoring and helping our everyday heroes who do so much for so many. Celebrity Millennium is a beautifully appointed ship and was recently revolutionized. It's exciting to share it with this market and to honor the men and women who come to the aid of others every single day."

Royal Caribbean also announced it plans to dedicate a ship in China to a series of complimentary sailings to thank first responders and medical personnel when the outbreak is under control.

Happy 100th Birthday!

Taken at Glacier Bay, Alaska

Today my mom would be 100 years old!  I love this picture as she loved to travel and went to Alaska many times.  This picture was taken when my sister and I went with her on a Princess Cruise.  That's my sister in the coral coat.  They spent a lot of time in the smoking area and the casino!  It was a great cruise.

I miss her every day and know she's looking down at her great grandchildren and very proud of all three of them.

Plastic

I've kept cloth shopping bags in my car for a long time.  I try to remember to take them into the grocery story but many times I've had to go back to my car to retrieve them.  I believe we have too much plastic waste.  I'm glad most stores charge to get a bag.

The states of Hawaii and North Carolina have banned plastic bags, and states in Australia and India have done the same. Countries that have banned disposable plastic bags include Italy, China, Bangladesh, many countries in Africa including Rwanda, Kenya, the Congo, and South Africa.

I look in my fridge and see ketchup, mustard, mayonaise, seafood sauce, pickles, tartar sauce and even spaghetti sauce is now distributed in plastic containers.  Glass containers that are 100% recyclable are now gone and plastic has taken it's place.  Plastic recycling isn't as easy and you need an app to figure out what you can put in your recycle bin.  

So while we stopped plastic bags, that's a start but what about all the other useless plastic?

David Abel

David and Sally Abel

If you follow my blog, I've written about David Abel.  He's a Brit who is a passenger on the Diamond Princess.  He's been doing Facebook live posts and You Tube posts about life on a quarantined ship.  He's always been very positive and trying to make the best of a very bad situation.  I just read his last post on Facebook and both him and Sally have been transferred to a hostel.  At first they thought it was a hospital!   They've been told there is no wi-fi, phones or medical facilities.  I will continue to monitor his sites and hopefully he can access the outside world.  I'm sure his children are very worried!   The Guardian Newspaper said the UK is planning a flight an they've blocked an entire hotel for the Diamond Princess UK passengers to stay in.  I hope that is true and David and Sally are back in the UK soon!

They will report how many more cases of the virus have been found on the cruise ship.  The quarantine has not worked!  Those poor passengers have been quarantined in their rooms for almost 14 days and they are still getting sick in huge numbers. 

On our three night cruise last March I accepted a "move down offer" from Princess cruises.  I was thrilled.  If I moved from my nice Caribe balcony (9 X 9) to an inside cabin they gave me all my cruise fare back!  We did and boy did Cec complain!  It was only three nights and it's been ages since I was in an inside cabin.  When we disembarked I said to myself "never move down again!".  When I think of that cramped dark cabin and think people have been forced to stay in their room for 23 hours a day with no fresh air, I feel sickened!

So far the Diamond Princess is the second most infected:

Confirmed Cases by Country/Region

72,438 Mainland China

454 Diamond Princess

77 Singapore

66 Japan

60 Hong Kong

35 Thailand

31 South Korea

22 Malaysia

22 Taiwan

16 Germany

16 Vietnam

15 Australia

Happy Family Day

Today is Family Day.  We decided it was a great day to go to Granville Island.

Great boats for rent!

Lots of traffic

Inside the market 

Lots of outside entertainment

We really enjoyed our day!  Lots of families out enjoying the great weather too!

February is Heart and Stroke month

Yesterday, our neighbour Gord came to see us.  We met him twelve years ago in first month we lived in our townhouse.  He's had four heart attacks!  He survived them all and every day I see him walk to the YMCA where he participates in the Healthy Heart program. 

Yesterday he told us his wife woke up with severe pain, he called an ambulance and she had atrial fibrillation.  He called and ambulance and she is recovering well. 

Gord collects for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.  He always gives us good information, but this email has been circulating and even if you read it before, read it again.  It could save your life.

How to survive a heart attack if alone:

1. Let’s say it’s 7.25pm and you’re going home (alone of course) after an unusually hard day on the job.

2. You’re really tired, upset and frustrated.

3. Suddenly you start experiencing severe pain in your chest that starts to drag out into your arm and up in to your jaw. You are only about five km from the hospital nearest your home.

4. Unfortunately you don’t know if you’ll be able to make it that far.

5. You have been trained in CPR, but the guy who taught the course did not tell you how to perform it on yourself.

CALL 911, UNLOCK YOUR DOOR,. CHEW AN ASPIRIN. Then,

6. Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack without help, the person whose heart is beating improperly and who begins to feel faint, has only about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness.

7. However, these victims can help themselves by coughing repeatedly and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest. A breath and a cough must be repeated about every two seconds without let-up until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again.

8. Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating. The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way, heart attack victims can get to a hospital.

9. Tell as many other people as possible about this. It could save their lives!!

10. A cardiologist says If everyone who gets this mail kindly sends it to 10 people, you can bet that we’ll save at least one life.

11. Rather than sending jokes, please... contribute by forwarding this mail which can save a person’s life.

12. If this message comes around you... more than once… please don’t get irritated... You should instead, be happy that you have many friends who care about you & keeps reminding you how to deal with a Heart attack.

Keep the RCMP in Surrey

Delivering 40,008 signatures to Premier Horgan's Vancouver Office

This is my long time friend and travel mate Laurie Haliburton (in the heart)

Feb 14, 2020 at 12h00 we, the KEEP THE RCMP IN SURREY CAMPAIGN, handed over to the Premier John Horgan, 40,008 petition signatures (in 41 boxes) at the BC Government offices in downtown Vancouver. The petition was graciously accepted on Mr. Horgan’s behalf by Mr. Danny Loubert. The boxes, each containing 1,000 signatures, were carried into those offices in loads of two or three by our volunteer group all wearing KEEP THE RCMP IN SURREY tee-shirts. Also carrying boxes were Anita Huberman (Surrey Board of Trade), Ramona Kaptyn (CARP), Brian Sauve (National Police Federation), and Steven Pettigrew (Surrey City Councillor). The presentation and submission was carried out flawlessly and all thanks go to Paul Daynes for organizing it, and also to all who took part to result in such a respectful and satisfying undertaking today. The extremely hard work with long hours put by our very dedicated group of volunteers got us to this point and I would like to applaud them all. The fight is unfortunately not over yet and we will still be pressing on to achieve our 50,000 signature goal as soon as we can. I believe though that Mr. Horgan and Mr. Farnworth definitely now have to take the majority views of Surrey into account when they make a decision on whether or not to accede to Mr. McCallum’s personal desire to change out the RCMP for his own SPD. Surrey has spoken with 40,008 voices so far!

We will not fail.

Ivan Michael Scott

Coordinator KEEP THE RCMP IN SURREY CAMPAIGN

I'm so happy so many citizens are helping with this campaign.  On February 26, Wally Oppal will be giving an update at the Surrey Board of Trade Breakfast Meeting.  Laurie and I already have our tickets and I am looking forward to hearing what he has to say!

I am collecting signatures, so if you live in Surrey and haven't signed the petition and want to, call me!  They are still collecting signatures and hope to get 50,000 that will be more signatures than Mayor McCallum received in votes in the last election.

Happy Valentines Day

We don't celebrate Valentines Day.  We celebrate every day.  Cec wants to go to Purdy's and buy me chocolate.  I told him to wait until tomorrow when they are on sale and I'll enjoy them more.  My florist friend and I would go to the floral wholesalers and watch the price of roses double and triple!  After Valentines Day one year we got one dozen red roses for $1.00!  It was a Friday, we were at lunch and he was closing at 2 PM.  We bought flowers for all the girls in the office and no one believed us when we told them what we paid! 

This post is a lot later than usual.  Last night just after six we heard sirens.  We hear a lot of sirens and unless they come in our complex we ignore them.   At 6:48 Richard sent me a text to say there was a bad car accident and Highway 10 was closed eastbound.  Traffic around here was nightmare.  At 8:32 our power went off.  We turned on the laptop and found some movies we'd loaded on for our flight to Europe!  We watched Frozen which I'd never seen before.  We enjoyed it!  At 11:00 power was still off so we went for a walk!

That's King of Floors in the background.  I texted the picture to Brad.  The store looked fine.  I was thinking of Smokey the cat on the top floor.  I'm sure she was okay.  The BC Hydro Power Outage website said power would be restored by 5:30 am.   At 2:15 AM our house alarm was making a weird sound so I turned it off and went back to sleep.  We woke up at 7;15 and still no power.  I went out and took this picture:

The power trucks moved further west and Hwy 10 was open to one lane.

I continued on to Starbucks and bought our breakfast.  Our power came back on at 8:00!  I was happy my phone and laptop were fully charged.  I do have a power bank if I needed it.  I can't believe how much we rely on electricity.  That's was a long outage.  I haven't heard what happened with the car accident.  Obviously it hit a power pole. 

Everything is charging, the dishwasher and clothes washer are both on.  What would we do if we had a major earthquake?