Emergency Planning

Congratulations to the Happy Bonner Couple

Well Folks - Please let me introduce you to the newest member of the Bonner Wicked Awesome Team, to be known as EV. Her full name is Evangeline-Vesper Lynne Bonner.

A well wisher signing the Toronto Star classified guest book referred to the newest member of the Bonner family as the "Little Red Rockette". It is not certain yet if she will be a red head.

Dad, Matt Bonner is known for using the TTC to get around Toronto, hence the nickname. It was not his red hair which gave him the title but I am certain it did add to the appropriateness of it.

Here is my beautiful grandchild. It is my hope there are more to come.

Should anyone want to wish the Happy Couple their good wishes please go to the shortcut below to do so.

Here is the announcement placed in the Toronto Star today.

BONNER

It's A Girl! BONNER  Matt and Nadia are pleased to announce the birth of their ''WICKED AWESOME'' daughter Evangeline-Vesper Lynne Bonner on Father's Day, June 21, 2009 in San Antonio, Texas. Proud first time grandparents are Pamela Kullo-Egelton and her partner Gary Manning, Ali and Renata Kullo from the Toronto area, and Paula and Dave Bonner of Concord, New Hampshire. E.V., as she is to be known, is also welcomed with love by Uncle Adam Kullo of Toronto and Luke Bonner of Concord, New Hampshire and Aunt Becky Bonner also from New Hampshire.

Link below for guest book:

http://www.torontostarclassifieds.com/OLCSApp/do/view_guest_book?adId=1527965&classId=030&subclassId=00&name=BONNER&categoryName=BIRTHS+%26+ADOPTIONS

Until next time.

Happy Father's Day

Today, my son-in-law Matt Bonner and daughter Nadia became parents.

Matt Bonner got to truly celebrate being a father for the first time when Nadia gave birth to their daughter Evangeline-Vesper Lynne Bonner this morning. My daughter thinks she is going to be a red head like her father.

All the grandparents of E.V. as she is to be called will be competing for her attention. We are all eager to hug, kiss and caress this new life. I know she will be loved and well cared for by her parents and spoiled by us the grandparents. Is this not our right?

I could not wait to share the news with everyone.

Until next time.

Train Safety

On January 14th, 2004 we had trains dropping from the sky in our wonderful town of Whitby, Ontario resulting in the death of two women driving under the overpass on Garden Street.

March 1st, 2007 we had a 105 car CN freight train derailed in Pickering. Thank goodness there were no injuries.

The train carried hydrochloric acid and phosphoric acid. We are lucky none of this spilled or leaked out in the atmosphere. Can you imagine what could have happened if a leak did occur?

This label is usually attached to containers carrying the product.

A little know fact is that recently in Whitby another train derailed just west of Thickson Road, south of the 401 in May of this year. Little was heard about this incident because none of the cars tipped over.

Freight train cars in your backyard are not an everyday occurrence but that is what did happen recently in Oshawa.

RICK MADONIK/TORONTO STAR

A Canadian Pacific freight train derailed in Oshawa near Park Rd. S. and Hwy 401, June 5, 2009, crashing into residents' back yards.

Unfortunately for us train derailments do occur regularly, not daily however but often enough for us to be concerned.

Recently I returned from another month away from home and for the most part my travel of choice was the train. Using both VIA and Amtrack to get around. Not one of my trips was uneventful. Am I jinxed or is there truly an issue with rail safety which needs to be addressed? Via at least did not hit anyone with the trains that I was on to the best of my knowledge but they were delayed for one reason or another. They allow so much leeway time now, that my train was not actually late getting to my final destination. For the trip from Toronto to Vancouver 8 hours is built into the schedule or so I was told by staff. If they are late substantially they are required to start refunding the passengers upon request a portion of their fare.

Amtrack, unfortunately was involved in an accident and the truck my train hit resulted in serious injuries to the driver of the truck it hit. The driver of the truck was airlifted to the nearest medical treatment facility. No one on the train was hurt. This was only one way of my trip. The other way the freight train in front of us apparently was delayed which delayed us. This train also apparently hit something or someone. The details shared were not clear adding to rumours spread by the passengers as to what they think happened. I think it is best to honest and forthcoming with details to avoid this.

The show Numbers had a fictitious train accident as their scenario this past weekend. Unfortunately for them by the time it was released on TV for the first time a train accident occurred in the USA mirroring a true accident which had just occurred. Before the show started an explanation and apology was issued regarding the similarities depicted in the scenario. The real train crash caused 25 deaths on September 12th, 2008 in Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California. Does Art mirror fiction or the other way round? Below is a picture of the scene at Chatsworth.

Rescue workers in front of the Metrolink locomotive lying on its side after penetrating the lead passenger car (left)

Just yesterday, it was reported in the news of a fatality when someone was hit by a train in Winnipeg. Investigators are still not sure how this happened. This section of the train travels through an industrial area with industry on both sides of the track. Workers ofter cross the tracks or use the tracks to walk on and are accustomed to the trains traveling through their yards, but still someone was hit. The crew was not aware of hitting the man. Hs body was discovered by one of the employees in the area working for an employer located adjacent to the tracks.

The 1979 Mississauga train derailment is probably the one most in the GTA remember resulting in over 200,000 people being evacuated. Up until the evacuation in New Orleans in 2005 it was the largest evacuation in peacetime in North America.

Safety records are improving in North America but until they are perfect there is something to strive for. With our aging infrastructure, it is expensive to keep up with repairs needed especially on isolated or hard to reach tracks. The tracks crossing the desert are in California where the accident took place on my vacation is an area not well populated. Is it "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" syndrome? What about the beautiful scenic tree top height trestles in British Columbia? I imagine they are not easy to maintain. Are we doomed to having to put up with a cost of life to our form of travel?

In the future I would like to speak about what we can do to prevent being hit by a train.

Until next time.

Toronto Community Housing

Has Derek Ballantyne been given a bad rap because we need a scapegoat for the state of Public Housing in Toronto? Most municipalities are in the same boat including Durham Region. When the province downloaded all of the housing stock they had onto the municipalities, they were already in a poor state of repairs, but better funded. Unfortunately they supplied the municipalities with insufficient funds and staff. Staff themselves were in a state of crisis with those who survived the transfer having to now report to a different employer. Not all were happy campers, because the new employers messed up their seniority status, pensions and holidays. New benefit packages and unions also to be contended with.

Tenants now had to pay their rent to someone else. Staff changes challenged tenants causing some who already address change with difficulty, obstacles to overcome. Close to this time or just before the Provincial Government also made changes to the benefits people were to receive from the Province of Ontario. No longer were women treated in a similar manner to those on a disability pension. They were now expected to return to the workforce at some time in the near future, managing to work and support their children at the same time. They now also had to report to a different level of government as the province downloaded the caseloads to the municipalities, again affecting staff and clients feelings of security.

As a working mother I did agree with this change in principle but not how the changes were introduced and managed. Working for the Mother's Allowance Program in the past, I found most mothers wanting to make changes in their lives did so and did not remain in the system. They had goals which could not be achieved by remaining on assistance. One supervisor I had at the time had been on Mother's Allowance herself in the past when abandoned by her husband and left with two boys to support with few skills to manage to obtain a decent job to support them. She used this time to go back to school and obtain a degree and eventually give back to society what they had provided her with and that was new tools and skills to manage her life in a reasonable manner. Her husband remained difficult and played a very small part in her and her sons lives. At the time whatever support she received from him was deducted from her allowance at 100% with her having to pay income tax on it at the end of the year. If she received only Mother's Allowance she would not have been expected to pay income tax on this. Meanwhile at the same time Revenue Canada provided the spouses who paid support a bonus by allowing them to deduct at 100% from their income the monies paid out to their families. This has all changed and the person receiving support no longer has to pay income tax on the money received. The spouse paying no longer is allowed a deduction. You should be rewarded for supporting your children. This is your job.

Other parents lacked the skills and training preventing them to enter the work force. Many had trouble getting though their days just being decent parents. It will take a few generations to change this type of situation. Government should not give up on them but be patient as everyone works at thier own pace and not by some schedule provided to us. In time attitudes and expectations of these "stay at home moms" will change but this should be dealt with delicately as we are also dealing with their children. You do not want the parents any more stressed than they already are having to survive on what little we provide.

Why am I telling you all of this? Well it takes a while for everything to level off before it gets better. When I was a caseworker for the City of Toronto, The Region of Durham and the Province of Ontario we were required to visit our clients on a regular basis. This put into place some checks and balances for our most vulnerable clients. Because we had to see them in their homes on a regular basis the most isolated knew they had regular visitors to expect and would clean up their homes for our visits. Those who could not manage this or who were oblivious to the state they were living in knew we would be making reports to Public Health, the Children's Aid Society or Public Works Department about whatever the state of their affairs were in requiring us to ask them for assistance. When this was done assistance was provided and if explained properly by the caseworker that it was assistance and not punishment most accepted the help. You always met with some resistance from your most difficult clients, but often they were the ones with the most need. Watch Robert Downey Junior's most recent movie The Soloist about a homeless man to understand what I am talking about.

Toronto recently reported a death in a public housing unit blaming Derek Ballantyne and his staff. I have met this man and worked on committees he headed over the Tent City issue in Toronto some years back. This man cares for the residents in the buildings he manages but his hands are tied. He needs more money and staff to accomplish this. Also what is needed is to allow Public Housing to run themselves like a Co-Op does with residents equaling the number of staff on committees on how to manage the projects. They are in the best position to determine the needs of the residents.

Bring back the home visits for clients. I know that most municipalities state these are not in place as they are worried about the safety of their staff  but more than likely the issue is money and costs the visits make to their budgets. Clients are expected to see their caseworkers in the offices at their own expense. No additional funds were allocated to them to cover this cost. The number of caseworkers needed to manage the caseloads decreased because travel time no longer had to be accounted for. Savings were also in place as now the employers no longer had to pay out mileage for the visits. Caseworkers could see more clients if they stayed put and the savings on the home visit mileage payouts was tremendous. Now the caseworkers are only required to see 5% of the clients in their home and this is more for audit and quality control purposes than client management. What is the true cost here? We have saved money treating our most vulnerable citizens.

Yes there are violent clients but these are usually flagged and require two people or a police escort like Children's Aid Society does when they apprehend children. We are not talking about large numbers of clients. The majority of clients would welcome the visits as many are lonely having been abandoned by their friends and family. Again watch the movie the Soloist and you will understand why. Most family members are unforgiving and abandon them forever. Even the mentally ill have good days especially if their medications are managed properly.

If we provide for our most vulnerable citizens a safe and secure environment and treat them with respect just maybe we will have a safer community. If they do not feel threatened maybe they will not strike out when least expected. Do you recall the subway incident where a mentally disadvantaged person pushed a perfect stranger out in front of on oncoming subway train? Or do you recall the beheading of the young man on the Greyhound bus not so long ago? We should never assume the worst and treat all of these people the way we want to be treated. We must be model citizens if we expect them to behave as such. Everyone needs good role models.

So let us stop complaining about the state of our Public Housing Stock and look for ways to help and put them back on track to do the job they were meant to do when created. Bring back the supports and be willing to spend some money to fix things.

Just my two cents worth as usual.

Until next time.

Free Survival Kits For Those Who Really Need Them

Please note below a plan to give away a free survival kit to those who could use them but could afford to buy them. I know the plan was to encourage their use and need with their staff, but this same government also is supposed to look after the needs of those they support. The staff they were reaching out to make around $100,000.00 yearly and are more than likely in a financial position to purchase the items needed for their own kits. The kits should be personalized anyway to meet the needs of their family and pets. Probably what should have been offered and what has been offered in the past is education in this area and then a small test to determine their knowledge on the subject of emergency planning and the preparation of their own personal kit. The winning prize offered in the past has been a kit which could be used as a starter for anyone. Personal needs items such as contact information, copies of ID, cash, extra glasses and medication could then be added by the individual.

Who needs the kits most are the people on Ontario Works, Ontario Disability Support Plan, Canada Pension Disability Plan or any others on a fixed income without additional support from family and friends.

The rate for a single on Ontario Works is under $600.00 monthly. They do not have the financial resources to store enough items to last an additional 72 hours let alone the next day. Kits should be available for those in need when needed for free. Money should be made available to the support systems already in place to hand these out when disaster strikes. Red Cross, Salvation Army, St. John Ambulance and many other organizations assist when they are needed to supply support. Unfortunately they are always struggling for money to support those in need.

Past employment of mine has included looking after Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support clients. Their cupboards and fridges were often bare when visits were made. Monies they received often had to go to pay rent to keep them housed. There is no way any of them would have been able to hoard 72 hours worth of food and save it for a rainy day. It would be gone long before a crisis hits because their life is in a constant state of crisis.

Following the article please note the web site which gives you exact figures on fixed incomes have to survive on.

http://www.metronews.ca/toronto/local/article/226828--minister-nixes-plan-to-give-free-survival-kits-to-civil-servants

Minister nixes plan to give free survival kits to civil servants

TORSTAR NEWS SERVICE

A plan to give free 72-hour emergency survival kits to some of Ontario’s highest-paid civil servants at taxpayer expense has been quashed by Community Safety Minister Rick Bartolucci.

The move came after the Toronto Star obtained an internal government document on the plan, part of emergency preparedness week and “especially timely given the current H1N1 flu virus,” said the memo, which also cited recent emergencies such as last summer’s propane explosion in North York.

“We are not impressed,” said Laura Blondeau, a spokesperson for Bartolucci.

The kits from the government agency Emergency Management Ontario were to go to deputy ministers of each government department, more than two dozen in all, who sit on the deputy ministers’ council.

http://www.toronto.ca/housing/pdf/ontarioworks_ratetable_dec2008.pdf

We need to come up with plans for solutions for our most vulnerable residents.
 

Still on the Road

I am now back in Vancouver, British Columbia and could not get over the idea of marked Evacuation Routes in case of a Tsunami affecting the BC coastline. This is a known cause and effect scenario but could appropriate information be input into a GPS system allowing us to input a postal code, type of emergency situation and come up with a map with the correct evacuation route to take? This could also be applied to the boating industry as well since many of the boaters now rely on a GPS rather than charts to get around. The Nuclear Plan for Pickering and Darlington has boaters going to Bluffers should they need to evacuate Lake Ontario because of a Nuclear event. Since so many of us rely on a GPS to get us from A to B why not also apply information for an Emergency situation as well into this technology? Once everyone is conditioned to this is the way to go should something happen they may follow without question. Radio and TV announcers could advise the public this is the next step they need to take and the public will follow for the most part.

Just a thought.

Mother's Day

What better gift for a mother on Mother's Day than something she could add to her 72 hour Emergency Kit? Mother's Day commemorates the end of  Emergency Preparedness Week. In past posts I have listed items needed for your kit. Something as simple as a flashlight or a First Aid kit could be given as a gift.

The fathers out there could use Mother's Day as an opportunity to educate their children about Emergency Planning for the family and at the same time spending time with their children going through the family's emergency plan and explaining what the Emergency Kit is all about. Past posts have indicated web sites where you can obtain additional information about emergency planning for your family.

In future posts I would like to introduce you to sites which could be used to educate our children about emergency planning. More needs to be done in this area in the future for us to catch up with the rest of the world. Disasters and Emergencies happen to us as well as others and we need to be prepared for the worst.

Until next time.

On The Road Again

Today I am in Tofino, British Columbia enjoying the beautiful views. For lunch today, I plan on going to the Wickinish Inn to see what attracted my son and some of his peers to this local. Adam, my son wanted to work here when he and his peers were migrating further west after they were done experiencing all Lake Louise had to offer. Apparently like any profession, the hospitality industry is a small community of people who like my son travel from one local to another based on what others have said about the merits of each location they have worked at. It is quite a network they have.

Travel in this area is not without its own set of emergency situations one must prepare for. On the bus into Tofino, roadside signs indicate evacuation routes should a Tsunami hit the area. Coming from an area hosting two Nuclear Stations, it is surprising to see the evacuation routes posted here. I am aware that British Columbia appears to lead the rest of the provinces in Emergency Preparedness Plans, but was surprised to actually be here to see the effects of this type of planning present.

Even in the hostels which I am staying at for the most part have their Evacuation Plans and Emergency Exits clearly marked. Postings warning of the Swine Flu are in every washroom and kitchen. Clean sheets are on each bed and towels are issued discouraging travelers from bringing their own potentially disease or bug ridden sleeping bags with them. In fact in the hostels I have visited in Vancouver, Victoria and Tofino they are not allowed.

All of the hostels sported some older travelers and appeared ready to accommodate those with mobility issues. The nicest looking and the one with the best views and location which was in Tofino unfortunately did not hear my request properly and could not accommodate me. The room I was booked into was up a flight of stairs which I could not handle with my luggage. They were booked solid having to use the common areas at night to accommodate their overflow of visitors. The Manager did manage to find me other accommodations which met my mobility issues but at a cost of more than $100.00 for my two day stay then I had originally planned on spending. What if I could not afford this change? The man had no answer for this. I think he saw someone who had the means to look after the additional costs and decided it was in everyone's best interests to transfer my problem to someone else. I am not complaining as I do have my privacy, but I was enjoying the interaction with the other travelers. They come from all over the world. I have purchased a membership with the International Canada Hosteling organization and find the membership well worth the $35.00 purchase price. I saved 25% on my travel by Greyhound within Canada. For my travel in the USA my gift voucher from Greyhound from my last years misadventures more or less paid for it so I thank them again for making up for the lost luggage and the trips I had not included on my original itinerary because of the winter storms last December. Remember, I could not make it home and Gary, my Knight in Shining Armour had to save me by driving over to Flint Michigan to come and get me otherwise I might still be there. Just kidding.

Most of the hostels I have visited originated around the 60's when draft-dodgers and hippies filled them. Well I am a former hippie who has got older like the rest of them, and they are still here to accommodate our unusual needs for travel accommodation. European families are familiar with this type of stay but we are not. When you are on a fixed income it is nice to know travel is still available to us should we know had to manage our plans safely and cheaply.

Both VIA and Greyhound offer substantial discounts with their travel passes. I now qualify  for a Senior's ticket with VIA having reached the ripe age of 60. My pass allowed me to travel in the Off Season which ends the end of  May for $518.00 for 12 days of travel by train in a 30 day period. Greyhound offers a 60 day pass for $498.00. When you are retired you have time but not necessarily the money to Travel so these deals are great for us. The VIA seats are comfortable, just like a LAZY-BOY chairs allowing you to sleep on them. They offer you a pillow and blanket, eye guards and washcloths to manage your trip. The dining car is open to you in the off season and is reasonably priced allowing you the ability to purchase a four course meal at lunch for only $12.00. There is also a snack room where you can purchase other items. All safety features are announced whenever they board new passengers so you are well versed on how to disembark the train should there be a problem.

It is nice to know what is available to keep us safe and sound in Canada no matter what you are doing, whether it is staying at home and enjoying the comforts of your own municipality like Durham Region or on the road like myself checking out the Rockies and the west coast of Canada.

Until next time.

Review of Recent Months

March and April gave us weather which at times was less than desirable. We have had much rain causing floods in parts of Ontario. It snowed in April - ugh! Excessive winds have torn up some of our trees and downed power lines. This is just the Act of God part.

The man made disasters have been huge fires in the Toronto area making people leave the comforts of their own homes and having to be accommodated by the Toronto Shelter, Housing and Support Staff in Community Centres. We have not been exempt from fires, but thank goodness nothing major has occurred here.

Not long ago, I wrote about an elderly woman dying because her clothes caught fire and a writer from www.StopTheFire.org & www.uponor.ca & www.city.vaughan.on.ca  stated they were working together to educate the public on Fire Prevention. Recently on TV talk about how clothes can be made more fire retardant has surfaced. More work is needed in this area. Remember you are to STOP, DROP AND ROLE if your clothes catch fire, but how many seniors or wheelchair bound people do you know can do this?

What else did we have to deal with, well not much compared to Toronto? Toronto also had to deal with major power outages and the possibility of electrocuting people and animals with the outdated infrastructure at crosswalks. The correction of this kept the Hydro Staff busy for weeks. Hopefully all has been corrected. It was reported in the news of at least one dog succumbing to electric shock this past year under these circumstances.

I always worry when there is a rash of plane crashes as well. Is this because of the aging planes? Do we only act and correct the problem when it becomes problematic? Who decides how long planes can last? Travel is getting to be an issue. We used to think of piracy as something only Johnny Depp did, but now there are the current versions out there. Recently in the news it was reported pirates took on a passenger ship, no longer happy with cargo ships. Are we more lucrative if captured? Is it assumed we all come from well to do families who could pay handsome ransoms to reclaim us? What about the recent plane hostage situation in Jamaica? Is this becoming a trend? We have to worry about our travel agencies going belly up while we are away and held captive by the county we have visited until we pay up "again" or worry about the cruise we are on harboring unknowingly stowaways, only to find out later they did not arrive alive at their destination like you did.

Now we also have to worry about Swine Flu. I am leaving for a month's trip today traveling in confined quarters with others who could carry this virus unknowingly. This is something I have to worry about. Am I worried? Not really. I think I will be fine but will stay away from anyone displaying a fever, chills, or stating they have a headache or whatever. I will be washing my hands frequently and watching what I eat and drink carefully. We can not let all of these obstacles stand in our way of a good life.

I need to stay healthy. I am going to be a grandmother soon and will not be allowed to visit my new granddaughter in July if I am sick. This is something I will not miss for the world. Nadia and Matt are expecting their first child in July. You may have read Matt Bonner has deferred playing for the Canadian Team this year because of the pending birth of their first child. This is not his only reason, but I believe they will be ample opportunity for him to play with our team in the future.

When the baby is born, hopefully the parents will let me post a picture here so I can share their joy with you.

Live life to the fullest.

Until next time.

Emergency at the AMC in Whitby

Last night Gary and I went to see the Soloist at the Whitby AMC Theatre starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Fox which I found to be excellent by the way, when our show time was delayed because of the popcorn burning. The burning caused the Fire Alarm to go off with that horrible siren sound. The staff handled the situation in a very professional manner telling everyone the situation was under control giving us the option to leave the building or put up with the noise until the Fire Department arrived and completed the over-ride of the alarm system after they had checked out the facility and deemed it safe. Once the alarm was turned off the staff came by again and apologizeded for the delay, stating the systems to start the movie had to be re-booted and should start soon. At no time did I feel my safety threatened. Good Job.

Until next time.