When we answered, a recorded message, said they were the CRA. The recording further said , “We have suspended your social insurance number because of suspicious activity.”
Four calls! In one day!
We don’t even have enough time to play games with one fakey caller, never mind four! Click!
Guess we will just have to suffer the consequences. The good news might be the government has lost us. Maybe we can wangle out of paying taxes. Or maybe we will get a free trip for a CRA interview in Florida.
Hmmm. Maybe we should have stayed on the line. Dang!
The story in eastern Canada is that winter is going to be a long, long drawn out affair.
But just to refresh your memory, our own local groundhogs did not see their shadows. So winter is not supposed to last another six weeks. That’s counting from Groundhog Day on Feb. 2.
Six weeks would take us to March 16. Technically speaking, that means winter could hang around all the way to March 15 of next week. Because, technically, one day less than six weeks is not six weeks. Correct? Anyway, that’s all according to the groundhogs.
Meanwhile, a very wise philosopher of ancient times came up with the observation, “March, in like a lamb, out like a lion.” It has to be said, March 1, or the beginning of March around last week, was kind of lambish, we think.
So, the battle is on friends. A gang of groundhogs from Grimshaw to High Prairie to Smith all agreed winter should be over shortly. Some old geezer or geezerette rodents some place down east says winter is going to last a couple of weeks at least and maybe even longer.
Place your bets.
We’re not sure if we understood this correctly so bear with us. Maybe your friendly councillor can help out. The good councillors know all this already, so they can help out. Right?
What is called MSI – Municipal Sustainability Initiative funding is going away this year. This is money our provincial government gives to towns and M.D.’s and cities and counties to help them run the business of running the local government. This MSI cash will be replaced by what will be called LGFF, the Local Government Fiscal Framework.
Still awake?
Anyway, the new budget released last week says that cash given out this year to municipal governments right across the province will grow from $485 million this year to $721 million next year and maybe $813 million in 2025.
Of course, over the years, the amount the province has given to municipal governments has steadily been declining. Downloading it is called. So this amount going up is really just catching back up.
Sure is wonderful having lots of oil money coming in, right? Which detracts from the ‘catch up’ story, and probably, some tricky new rules how to spend the ‘new’ cash.
“A colleague here at the paper told me had stopped drinking. That was when he remembered why he started.” – Richard Needham
“That woman just won’t stop talking. She never shuts up. Ask her what time it is and she will tell you how to build a clock.” – Grandma Smithers
“That guy talks such a load of crap, and he does it all day long. I bet if you taped his mouth shut, he would fart himself to death.” – Grandpa Jonesy
“There is no talk of a sales tax.” says Alberta Finance Minister Travis Toews during a presentation last week on Alberta’s new budget. Then he added, after a brief pause. “At this point.”
Well, ‘experts’ across Canada and right here in Alberta say the problem in Alberta is the roller-coaster ride of high and low energy prices. One year Alberta looks at multi multi billion dollar borrowings. The next year money comes in like a tidal wave.
Once a sales tax is put in place, it would be easier to raise or lower the tax. But, its a political mine field. Most Albertans don’t really care if the money was being used for a rainy day fund. But gosh, opposing parties would sure have a field day. So would those media trouble makers.
But after the spring election, who knows what might be on the table.
More on the budget, Toews says Highway 43, from Carvel corner west of Edmonton to Grande Prairie, will get major fixings the next couple of years.
Thank goodness for cash tidal waves!
How about that spring weather!
Have a great week!