The Impending HST

While it’s almost here, after dreading the onset of HST I cannot deny it anymore. In 9 days a whole lot of things are going to be changing in Ontario, and we are powerless to stop it. All the petitions, rallies, discussions, and questions periods over it have not accomplished anything. As sad as I am to say this, I did not expect it to.

Now don’t bite my head off over that statement. It’s true, you know it and I know it. The populace in general, has no idea how HST will really change the way that they spend their income. The government has “reassured” everyone that basic staples will not change. Milk will still be $6.99 for 4 liters and your childcare costs won’t escalate, but what about all the things that are going to change?

People have been excited to get the wonderful HST rebate the government is offering to the general public. Are you a single person making under $80000 a year? While congratulations you get three wonderful installments of $100. A couple making under $160000 combined? You get three payments of $333.33 over the next year. Frankly, it’s not going to help.

Great, you think. I can still feed my children healthy food and send them to preschool and not worry about it. What about the gas/diesel you use in your vehicle to get the groceries home and your darling to daycare? You got it! It’s going up 8%. So that $1.06/liter gas you’ve been buying, it’s just gone up to $1.14/ liter. That means to fill the average midsize car fuel tank (60 liters) it’s going to cost you $69.13. If you fill up every week, while now you’re looking at $276.52 a month. That’s an increase of about $22 a month. Not too bad…Yet.

Are you a home owner? Have you looked into how HST is going to change your monthly bills? Here’s a hint. Electricity, Natural Gas, and oil costs are all going up 8%. Now I’m assuming you like your lights and prefer to have a heated home in winter so this affects you. For example, I paid $252.84 in home electricity charges this month. This is with energy efficient appliances, unplugging things when we’re not using them, and never leaving the lights on. While next month after HST kicks in my bill will have gone up to $274.07. That’s an increase of $20.23 a month. Over a year that increases my costs by $242.76. How do you heat your home? We have an oil tank, but have since switched to a woodstove for a primary heat source. How much does a tank of oil cost? While when we filled it last year it was $1374.86 for a full tank including GST. Now add in that lovely HST cost and it’s up to $1484.85. That’s up $109.99!

So let’s see, how much has my “basic living” costs gone up so far in the next year? Oh just about $616.75. I haven’t spent nearly all of the “rebate” so far. But don’t worry dear friend there’s more to come.

Now, let’s discuss our luxury items. Home internet access. Yes, it’s going up to! I mean 8% on a $40 a month bill isn’t too horrible. It’s only an extra $3.20 a month, and only an increase of $38.40 a year. Like to get your hair cut, go to the spa on a weekend? Esthetician costs are increasing as well, maybe it’s time to learn to paint your own nails at home.

Are little Timmy and Jane in any extra curricular activities or sports? Well good news! Karate, ballet, hockey, soccer, jazz, baseball, and all those wonderful activities are going up to! Maybe this year you can afford it with the wonderful rebate the government is giving you to offset these new costs. But what about next year when the one time rebate runs out? What are you going to do then?

You know, I could continue on giving examples and situations. Real numbers and the facts of how this is going to change my life and yours. But why bother? I think everyone is just going to have to realize for themselves. The government has said “Many experts agree that a single, value-added sales tax - like the HST – is the most important thing we can do to strengthen Ontario’s economy. Together with new tax credits and tax cuts, the HST will attract investment and jobs, increasing Ontario’s competitiveness.” Oh the tax credits. I don’t even qualify for an HST rebate let alone the credits.

Yes if you get the tax credits I’m sure this isn’t such a bitter pill to swallow. Yes your child care grant will increase to $92 per child instead of $50. There will be a new Ontario Sales Tax Credit of $260 per year. If you’re in Northern Ontario there will even be a Northern Ontario Energy Credit of up to $130 for individuals and up to $200 for families. BUT THESE ARE TAX CREDITS! This means it’s not money in your pocket, it’s not a “rebate”. If you owe taxes this will help to zero out your income, but if you don’t? Suck it up buttercup because you get nothing.

I’ll leave you with the list of all the wonderful services that are increasing in 9 days.

Changes to an HST Tax
• Electricty
• Natural Gas
• Oil
• Dry Cleaning
• Internet Services
• Gas/Diesel
• Home service calls from plumbers, electricians, and carpenters
• Landscaping, snow removal, lawn cutting
• Hotel rooms
• Taxis
• Campsite Rentals
• Domestic air, rail, and bus travel originating in Ontario
• Magazine subscriptions
• Home renovations (there’s no credit this year either my dears)
• Private car resale (now includes GST, up 5%)
• New homes over $400000 (Good luck Toronto)
• Real estate commissions
• Massage therapy
• Vitamins
• Green fees for golfing (hmmm, maybe this means our politicians will actually spend time doing work for a change)
• Gym memberships
• Ballet, karate, baseball, hockey, soccer, jazz, etc lessons
• Live theatre in setting for seating under 3200
• Hockey rink and Hall rentals
• Fitness trainers
• Hair stylists/Barbers
• Esthetician services
• Funeral services
• Legal fees
• Cigarettes and tobacco products
• Nicotine replacement products
• Hunting and Fishing licenses

While now you know. How do you feel? How much is that rebate really going to help you now?

A Woman in a Man's World

Well, as most of you know my family and I are vacationing in Windsor, Ontario for the Easter long weekend. Since it is a long drive, and takes a lot of planning for us to come here we usually only make it once a year and it is quite an event. Living in Northern Ontario, a lot of the items we need/want are unavailable in our area unless we order them online. Which to be quite frank with you is not always the best option for several reasons.

1. What if it doesn't fit? Hunting clothes, boots, shoes, etc. It is a big hassle to return items and than hope that the replacement they ship out to you again will fit.
2. You can't always tell if it's exactly what you need. The biggest issue we've been having with this lately is with gun slings. Not long enough for Tom's Remington 870 Express, but too long for my .410 Compact shotgun.
3. Availability, somethings you cannot order online.
4. They ship you something broken, scratched, dented, or of inferior quality.

So, in my excitment of coming to Wsee my family was also the bonus of being in close proximity to a Bass Pro Shop where we can get a lot of supplies we need for hunting and fishing all at one time. We researched what we needed online, made sure it was going to be available in the stores. Saved up our pennies and prepared for the large bill that would be coming with it.

I know women hunters are becoming more common, at least in my area of Northern Ontario but I'm starting to think only men are allowed to hunt in Southern Michigan. The treatment and derision I recieved from the male employees at Bass Pro Shop, has seriously made me question if I will ever shop there again. I was outright ignored, my questions not taken seriously, and my opinion on what I wanted and needed totally blown off and other recommendations made instead. I KNOW what I want, what I can handle, and what I need. I do not need a man telling me that this reel or that rod would be more appropriate for a woman. I wanted my Ugly Stick, I'm a serious angler and I do not want the piecec of crap pink rod.

I fish, I track, I hunt. I do this myself, I don't call in my husband to do it for me. If I am successful in a hunt, I am the one who tracks it down. I am the one who guts and skins it, I am the one who hangs it on the pole. I can drive a boat, I can bait a line, I can land a fish. I can gut, scale, clean, and cook that fish too.

So why are my opinions on what I want not as vaild as a man's? Why is it, that when my husband goes to a sales clerck and asks him for the exact item that I had just asked him for, is he given it with no questions or opinions offered. I thought that we were supposed to be viewed and treated as equals, not just people that are supposed to be kept barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen.

Sorry for the rant. But I thought that this enlightened day and age, that as a woman I would be taken seriously. I guess I was sadly mistaken.

The High School Cafeteria

Be warned this is my very first rant, and is something that really bothers me immensely.

Well here I sit. It’s 10:05PM on a Saturday night, and I’m planning out what I can send to school in lunches for the kids this week. I’m talking to a friend online, and she says “Well, can’t they just buy their lunches this week?” Oh, some days how I wish this was a real option.

Besides the obvious problem that my children only eat organic food and mostly wild game, the options for a nutritious lunch are just not available in the cafeteria.

The menu consists of French fries, poutine, breaded chicken burgers, hamburgers, hotdogs, and pizza. Yum, you have to love all the preservatives, nitrates, and chemicals that are just waiting to screw up your digestion. Now, the school does offer salads. But in a very limited amount, so he would have to run down and hope he gets there soon enough to actually get one. Is soup an option you ask? Yes, but it’s all cream based (broccoli, chicken, etc) and frankly I don’t know whether they make it or just open a can.

In a country where 35% of boys are overweight among those 17% of them are obese. The girls are not far behind at a rate of 29% being overweight and 15% of them being obese. Shouldn’t our schools be offering a larger selection of healthy choices?

I understand that most teens will still most likely pick the junk food and that healthier options are not necessarily cheap. However, if you do not give them the option to choose something better for them how do you know they will not eat it? I’m not saying the menu needs to be organic, but for crying out loud give the kids a carrot once in a while.

I know Ontario is putting a ban on candy, pop, and French fries in school cafeterias. This does not take affect until September 2011. Why is there such a delay? Is there no budget for healthy eating in our school system? Our country can spend billions of dollars on the Olympics, but cannot provide the opportunity for proper nutrition in its schools. There’s something wrong with that.

Pepsi CO is going to ban sales of all its soft drink products in schools worldwide by 2012. What about Gatorade? It’s not a soft drink, but it’s still loaded with sugar and empty calories. They say they’ll only sell portion control options, but why do they need to be there at all?

Go ahead, say it. Can’t you just tell your kids not to eat it? I do, and they don’t eat this crap because they know what it does to them. But not every parent is as concerned as I am, or as cognizant of the problem. Raising children takes a village, and we need to educate people on the best options.

When physical education is not mandatory past Grade 9 and you have a cafeteria full of unhealthy food choices. Can we really say we’re surprised at the rising rate of overweight and obese teens and preteens? That they’re being set up for a life of diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and significantly shorter life spans.

We’re creating a society of people who do not know where real food comes from. Who don’t want to get out of their cars to even walk into Tim Horton’s to get their coffee in the morning; they’d rather wait 20 minutes in the drive-thru. Where more children eat at McDonald’s during the week, than they do a salad or a piece of fruit. Some thing needs to be done. I just hope enough people stand up and say something.