I’ve had to deal with all of them. I started as a Cantel (now Rogers) customer in 1991 with the slimmer version of a Motorola Brick. It was pure geek envy with vary little justification for the cost. Over the years I’ve bounced between Rogers, TELUS, and Bell including stops at Clearnet and Fido. But now we are in the world of mobile data – and I’m an addict.

In an attempt to reduce my cost I got a MiFi, hoping to wrap all my family’s mobile use into one service. The device is great. No matter how great a device, you need to deal with a carrier and if they can’t take care of things it really doesn’t matter – I vote with my feet and my dollars.

It always starts simply, the MiFi was recalled and I needed to send it in. They provided a temporary USB stick, which didn’t do me much good for connecting iPhones and iPod Touches. I lost use of it for two weekend trip. Oh-well. Stuff happens.

Shortly after I got my MiFi back I was checking my online account to see the usage and some additional phone numbers had been attached to my account. I thought it might be related to the swap and the temporary device. The email on the account had also been changed which is a major red flag on any internet transaction.

• I contacted vendor on initial problem, advised it would be rectified and I would not be billed.
• Bill arrived 10 days later, charges were on bill, contacted vendor multiple times including security department, advised this would be credited and not appear on my credit card.
• Credit card was billed, contacted the vendor again multiple times. They advised a credit against the card would be processed.
• Waited 2 weeks to see the credit, called again, they advised the credit was never put through and I would need to wait another 2 weeks.
• Contacted them when credit card bill was due, advised it was still going through audit, there was nothing they could do, I would need to wait at least another week.

I contacted them to complain about the whole process, advised this was unacceptable, got this:

Thank you for your recent email.

My name is XXXX (Emp# XXXXXX) and I am pleased to assist you.

Upon full review of your email, I regret that our services may not meet
your needs or that some of our policies may not address your concerns to
your satisfaction.  I thank you for providing us with your opinion on
this matter. Although you will not be contacted by a representative,
rest assured that a copy of your message has been sent to our
administrators.

I’ve contacted Bell’s management, they don’t have an executive complaint form (like Rogers Does) so I had to use a general email address.

I’ve also attempted to registered a complaint with the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) as the CRTC site advises but got this:

Your complaint does not fall within our mandate for the following reason(s):

• We cannot take action on a complaint that is currently before or has been the subject of a previous determination by another agency, court or tribunal that has the authority to compensate a customer for losses claimed arising from the occurrence at issue.

We will be unable to proceed with your complaint. However, we strongly encourage you to provide us with additional details relating to your complaint as we provide aggregated reports and statistical information to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to assist them in identifiying areas of concern to consumers.

I have disputed the charges with my Credit Card company when my bill arrived, which I really should have done as soon as the charge went on my card.

Needless to say I called and cancelled the service. Only you can’t cancel it right away. I will be charged for the most recent bill plus another week. As they need 30 days notice to cancel my service. I’m dumbfounded.

I worked in Education for 15 years and the number of times I ran into US assumptions on things like Canadian copyright. For example, the US has a concept of ‘Fair Use’ that doesn’t exist in Canada. Whether for education or other purposes there is no amount of a book or publication you are allowed to use without payment or permission.

This became such an issue that the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) formed a consortium to pay license fees to cover schools use of copyrighted materials. They have advocated for a ‘Fair Use’ provision in Canadian Copyright.

Another major difference between Canada and the US is the ownership of ‘public’ data. In the US, the Constitution created a government ‘of the people’ so by definition the people ‘own’ the data produced by government agencies. Canada (and most other Commonwealth nations) the government is a extension of the Crown. All contracts signed by the BC Government are “Her Majesty the Queen, in the Right of the Province of British Columbia” and the results of any work are subject to Crown Copyright.

This makes is extremely difficult to us the material produced by Canadian Governments without seeking explicit permission. That hasn’t been much of an issue but the advent of online tools that can mashup data as made the need to access and reuse data increasingly important.

On the access side, data.gov in the US has been a major initative to provide ready access to government content. In Canada, a new site datadotgc.ca attempts to do the same for Canada. And the project is asking for help with datadotgc.ca. Props to David Eaves for his great work on this topic. David will be hosting a panel at the upcoming Northern Voice conference that I’m really looking forward to.

We’re still left with the issue of permission to use, but hopefully the current sources will start to provide permissive licensing until a more broad standard can be set for all government data. Statistics Canada provides a good example of permissive licensing.

We still run into a regular problem with the online world, just because material is freely available – doesn’t mean its free to use.

For my call to expertise on such issues, the first stop is always Michael Geist’s Blog.

In his comments following the recent policy decision:

It seems appropriate that on the day the CRTC released its decision, a new study was published that found Canadians now spend more time online than watching television. While the world is increasingly moving online, the CRTC decision acts as if the Internet scarcely exists.

In a pure ‘value for money’ look, it is very hard to justify a $60 to $100 cable bill. The limitation seems to be live events such as sports. Short of those, there really isn’t anything on the TV that can’t be had in a more convenient form elsewhere.

In the time of Pearson, it was Canada, that acted as the honest broker while the French, British, Egyptians and Israelis – all under pressure from the United States – solved there ‘differences’. The concept was that the parties would not seek further trouble by taking on the peacekeepers. And for the peacekeepers part, at least at Suez, they were of sufficient military strength provide a presence that could not be easily ignored.

That isn’t to say that various sides haven’t tested that principle. The idea that peacekeeping is somehow a safe and benevolent practice has also been tested and found wanting.

In 1974 a Canadian transport airplane carrying nine passengers (5) and crew(4). The de Haviland Buffalo #461 (s/n 115461) had been assigned to carry Canadian peacekeepers to Damascus, Syria. This was part of the UN peacekeeping mission that followed the Yom Kippur War in October 1973.
On August 9 after being cleared to land in Syria it was hit by 3 Syrian Surface to Air Missles which destroyed the aircraft killing all aboard. This remains the largest single loss of Canadian peacekeepers.

A fragment of the wreckage remains in the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa:

A restored aircraft has been painted as Buffalo 461 by the Canadian Warplane Heritage in Hamilton.

The names of all the peacekeepers killed are recorded in the Book of Remembrance which is on display in the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. On the day I visited it was open to the page from 1974 showing the crew of Buffalo 461.

The complete Books of Rememberance can be viewed online

In 2008, August 9th was designated National Peacekeepers’ Day, now you know why.

But in the absence of real examples Canada gets represented as a stereotype. Not unlike some of the cliches trotted out at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Vancouver Olympics.

I like to think I’m a pretty proud Canadian but I’m not much of a fan of some of the stereotypes. When Canadian Tire advertises the tools for that “tough Canadian winter ” they aren’t really talking to me in Victoria. I can’t say I’ve ever been a fan of Tim Hortons coffee.

On the other hand I was a loyal shopper at Woodwards and Eaton’s when they were around. I’m a diehard CFL fan. And I still can brought to tears with a passionate rendition of our anthem.

For the most part many Canadians can live large chunks of their lives without encountering real symbols, monuments, our ceremonies that honor Canada. There are remarkably few Canadian National Monuments. The largest is probably the Vimy Ridge Memorial and you need to travel to France to see it first hand.

And outside of the odd sporting event, we really don’t celebrate too many symbols of what is means to be Canadian.

As a sports fan I remember my heros past and present from my beloved Eskimos. The fact that Tom Wilkinson wasn’t born a Canadian was a fluke of Geography. That subdued “awe shucks” attitude I think it typically Canadian. Small acts, like when Warren Moon and Ferguson Jenkins thanked Canada during their induction into the Hall of Fame in the United States for their respective sports say a lot about what makes this a great place.

Beyond that as a pilot, I identify with the bush pilots that are real Herod of mine. If you don’t know Wop May, Punch Dickins, and Max Ward (among others) really should. These folks flew all over the remote areas of Canada. They are the 20th Century’s version of Thompson and Fraser.

You don’t have to be an athlete or an aviator to make the list. Arthur Currie the great WWI Canadian General started out as a real estate agent in Victoria.

And for understated courage, the Image of Terry Fox says more than anything:

And I think the idea that Canadians are too polite to talk about the things that make this a great place – is one stereotype that we can afford to stretch a little.

For the purpose of your taxes, you can see returns back several years (for me it was 2003 and later) including the critical lines in the tax return. (see list from the FAQ below)

The Help page also includes specific directions for individual browsers and shows at least basic support for most of the major choices, the exception may be Chrome:

• Step-by-step Firefox
• Step-by-step Internet Explorer
• Step-by-step Netscape
• Step-by-step Opera
• Step-by-step Safari

Many people will get nervous about enabling electronic access to this type of information but for those of us who prefer not to archive larger and larger piles of paper every year this is a great option. Nice Job and at least the Web site looks more inviting that their headquarters:

From CRA’s FAQ list:

What can I do on My Account?

With My Account you can see information about your:

• tax refund or balance owing;
• direct deposit;
• RRSP, Home Buyers’ Plan, and Lifelong Learning Plan;
• Tax-Free Savings Account;
• NETFILE access code;
• tax returns and carryover amounts;
• disability tax credit;
• account balance and payments on filing;
• instalments;
• Canada Child Tax Benefit and related provincial and territorial programs payments, account balance, and statement of account;
• GST/HST credit and related provincial programs payments, account balance, and statement of account;
• Universal Child Care Benefit payments, account balance, and statement of account;
• children for which you are the primary care giver;
• Working Income Tax Benefit advanced payments;
• pre-authorized payment plan;
• authorized representative; and
• addresses and telephone numbers.

With My Account you can also manage your personal income tax and benefit account online by:

• changing your return(s);
• changing your address or telephone numbers;
• applying for child benefits;
• arranging your direct deposit;
• authorizing your representative;
• setting up a payment plan; and
• formally disputing your assessment or determination.

But, I can make a few comparisons from the 1980′s version of Ottawa. The most obvious is the massive improvement in the national museums around the capital. The Museum of Civilization, War Museum, National Gallery, and Aviation Museum were formerly located in older buildings that were not designed for the purpose of a museum. Now all of these are in purpose built space that provide enough room to really show what these institutions have and with the interactive and information tools that you expect from a major museum.

The large spaces for vehicles at the War Museum, the open colonnade that leads to the National Gallery, and the open gallery for the six houses of the First People’s exhibit at the Museum of Civilization are all examples of what purpose built space can do over the ‘make do’ kind of spaces that existed before.

Travel Tip:
Used the Museum Passport to get to most of the attractions in Ottawa, not a bad deal if you get to at least 4 of the 9 that are part of the package. ($30/person – $75 for a family of 5)

The Museum Passport includes:

• Canada Agriculture Museum
• Canada Aviation Museum
• Canada Science and Technology Museum
• Canadian Museum of Civilization
• Canadian Museum of Nature
• Canadian War Museum
• Laurier House National Historic Site of Canada
• National Gallery of Canada
• Royal Canadian Mint
• National Arts Centre

The addition of the big museums are going to be a big draw but there is still the obigitory trip to parliament hill. The tours there are free and tickets are given out first come first serve starting at 9AM each day.

Travel Tip:
Visits to Parliament are best on weekends or days when the House of Commons and Senate aren’t sitting. Those parts of the building are not availble for tours while in use.

I love the unique and free, so the Bank of Canada’s Currency Museum is a winner on two counts. I really thought they did a great job with it. The vault with examples of currency from all over the world as well as just about every variation of money ever used in Canada was very interesting. They also do some good presentations on recognizing fake bills.

While the Royal Canadian Mint was an interesting tour, the Ottawa location only does specialty and commemorative work, if you want to see where the pennies come from you need to go to Winnipeg. The Mint was decked out in Olympic decorations to celebrate their work on the medals for the games in Vancouver.

While the big events of visiting a city and its sites can be easily listed. The real experience I got was the little things that happened at or between the ‘big’ things.

• I saw a swordat the War Museum that matches the family sword that has been handed down to me.
• I saw a section of the de Havilland Buffalo shot down in Syria in 1974 at the War Museum, then when I went to the Peace tower, the book of remembrance was open to that page
• At the museum of Civilization, they had a display about Francis Rattenbury including examples of his work from Victoria – little irony there
• Museum of Civilization had a mock up of Vancouver airport with some vintage CP Air memorabilia, recognized a photoshop-ed background as they show the airport runway that was built long after the airplanes they show on it.

Trip Photos at Flickr

I’ve always believed that you make your own way in life but you needed to recognize that your accomplishments are never solely because of your own effort. If you forget the latter part of that the universe has a couple ways to remind you. Irony tends to focus on the negative or annoying side of things. Serendipity provides for the more positive reinforcement of your actions.

My favorite quote on irony is from Blackadder;

“Baldrick, have you no idea what irony is?”

“Yes, it’s like goldy and bronzy only it’s made out of iron.”

If I was to track my affinity for faith in the ebb and flow of the universe, it would likely go back to my early twenties. I was flying a group of air cadets at Boundary Bay airport. The weather was getting increasingly bad and I just had one of those feelings that it was time to put the airplane back on the ground. There was much disappointment and, all things being equal, I would have felt like an idiot for a good, long time but Serendipity stepped in. As I remember it, that night on TV there was a story of two other pilots in a Mooney who crashed into an area of south Surrey known as Panorama Ridge. This is not intended as a story about making the right choice but rather about being confident in the choices you make – right or wrong. Learned to have confidence in my own decision making and always trusted those little feelings every day after that.

Fast forward to last Friday (Jan 1), a unique Canadian tradition is the New Year’s Levee. When various levels of government open their doors to the general public to welcome the new year. I attended the Levee at my local Municipal Hall. A minor thing, expected to go in shakes some hands, have a cup of coffee and be out in less than and hour. But then Serendipity comes in again ….

At the end of the receiving line there is a gentleman in a white shirt helping out with the food service. An older gentleman to be sure, like semi-retired. He was having a conversation with someone else and I found it interesting enough to join them. Turns out he had served with the Black Watch of Canada. A storied Canadian Regiment known for there heroic but devistating attack on Verrières Ridge during the battle of Normandy in 1944. In a breif conversation I learned he has a son in the Navy, and a grandson in the PPCLI due for deployment to Afghanistan in the next couple months. This unique little piece of Canadian history had just dropped into my lap. I couldn’t end the conversation without offering my hand out of respect and offering my best wishes for the safe return of his grandson from his upcoming duty. The Princess Pat’s are as fine a unit as you will find so that young solider is in good company but the thoughts of their recent loss in an IED blast couldn’t be far from that Grandfather’s mind.

Had it ended there, it would have been a nice anecdote to share. However it didn’t. While standing and having a conversation another unlikely story unfolded. Another older gentleman joined that circle. He was Polish by birth, had been interned in Russia after the fall of Poland in 1940. Interned is probably a little to polite. Russian prisons under Stalin didn’t show a lot of compassion to anyone. He survived the conditions long enough to see Russia join the war against Germany at which time he was allowed to leave to join the Polish Forces in England. He was a paratrooper and mentioned he had jumped in combat twice once in France and once in Holland. Well my sense of history was again peaked. There was only one major airborne operation in Holland and the Polish connection sealed the deal. My response was “You jumped at Arnhem?” – he did. If you don’t know the story of Operation Market Garden , I’d recommend the book or movie “A Bridge Too Far” as a primer. Again a story of valour and horrible loss.

Now I don’t expect this to mean as much to others as it would to me. I find history, especially military history compelling. Serendipity had placed these two stories in front of me in the most unassuming way. All it does it reinforce the value of putting yourself out there and being open to the experiences that arise around you.

But the story doesn’t quite end there. I found myself out at lunch today just randomly wandering deciding where you grab a coffee. Whether it was serendipity alone or a unconscious sense of something else. I found myself standing by the side of a street in downtown Victoria shortly after noon as the procession carrying the body of another PPCLI soldier passed by. I paid my respect to Lt Nuttal and went on my way.

My favourite quote on serendipity is from Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, by Douglas Adams, on following random choices that come before you:

“it doesn’t always get you where your going but it frequently gets you where you need to be…”

A new study shows the use of business jets and other small aircraft is more about companies trying to gain efficiency and improve the bottom line than about providing a luxurious perk to those at the top of the corporate ladder. The industry wants to dispel many misconceptions about how and why companies use general aviation.

(from Wired)

I’ve been a General Aviation pilot for over 20 years. I fly for enjoyment and occasionally to get from A to B. The focus of ‘Business Aviation” has been the jet – but the reality it that the small single and twin engine propellor aircraft are used by everything from the small construction company to major hydro and communication companies. Especially in British Columbia where driving distances are vast – travelling as ‘a crow flies’ takes a massive amount of time off getting somewhere. As the wired article points out only a small fraction of communities have scheduled air service. If you live in the lower Mainland, Victoria, Kelowna, Prince George you probably have some choices, less so for Prince Rupert, Smithers, Dawson Creek, and Cranbrook. If your in Nelson  or Quesnel you’ve got a significant drive head of you before you can even get to a scheduled air service.

Now there is no reason to expect that scheduled service can get everywhere. When you have to travel to some locations, costs are going to be high, including chartering a small aircraft if that is cheaper than a 12 to 16 hour drive.

General aviation has two challenges. The added security continues to put more and more restrictions on where you can fly and the amount of paperwork required. The latest example is the massive areas of the lower mainland which will be restricted during the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. The restrictions extend to include Naniamo, most of the Gulf Islands and into the northern San Juan Islands.

The second challenge is keeping small airports operating. There was the notable case of the City of Chicago bulldozing Meigs field . Small aviation fields are considered a nuisance, and when land values rise, pressure to ‘develop’ can be overwhelming.

Aviation, like boating, hiking, snowmobiling, gets you out to experience areas of our planet you may not get to any other way. Its not a charity, and no one should feel that GA pilots are hard done by, but it shouldn’t be considered a luxury pursuit for the idle rich.

• Bien Phu Victory (May 7) Vietnam celebrates victory over the french army May 7, 1954
• Algeria celebrates 1 November as start of the War of Independence in 1954 that caused the retreat of French forces.
• Syria celebrates 17 April Independence Day as the retreat of French forces in 1946
• Cinco de Mayo celebrates Mexican defeat of French Army May 5, 1862
• TRAFALGAR DAY celebrates British Defeat of French Navy October 21, 1805
• L’Escalade is a Swiss day to celebrate the defeat of Duke of Savoy (allied to France) Dec 11, 1602

And, of course:

• July 14th is Fete Nationale (Bastille Day) where the French celebration of the defeat of the French Military by a bunch of peasants in 1789

While not really National holidays;

To Celebrate the September 7,1812 Russian Victory over French Army at the gates of Moscow was Tchaikovsky wrote a pretty catchy tune in 1882. Not Very originally named “The 1812 Overture”

Also while creating a 1965 Celebration of the Battle of Waterloo one British Parliamentarian thought to ask:

HANSARD: HC Deb 02 June 1965 vol 713 c218W

72. Mr. Biggs-Davison

asked the Secretary of State for Defence why he invited the French Army to take part in the celebration of the battle of Waterloo.

Mr. Mulley

No such invitation was issued.”

Probably just as well, would have been one of those ‘one bitten, twice shy’ kind of moments. They don’t call it “Meeting your Waterloo” for nothing.

Also, When Asked the Germans responded “Days to celebrate beating the French, if we did that we’d never get any work done, those Mercedes and BMWs don’t build themselves!”