Hope and optimism

You will remember that when technology first made its appearance some 30 years ago, we were told that we would soon live in a paperless society. 

I have had a few conversations over the summer about this very issue. I have also had many suggestions about how our Government can reduce the cost of delivering services. 

One very good suggestion I have been asked to consider is the cost of and associated amount of paper used by the Federal (and the other levels of government) in producing cheques to Canadians. So I looked into it further. 

Did you know that the Government of Canada issues close to 275 million federal payments every year? While 79 per cent of these payments are currently deposited directly into bank accounts, 21 per cent are still printed as cheques that Canadian individuals and businesses must deposit at bank counters or ATMs. 

That translates into an astounding 58 million cheques that must be printed, mailed and processed each year. In addition, a physical cheque costs 82 cents to produce, while a direct deposit works out to about 13 cents to process. Once all costs are considered, taxpayers spend an incredible $17 million each year for this service. 

It is also why, beginning in 2014–2015, the federal government has decided to increase the use of direct deposit. 

As another plus, it’s environmentally friendly. While these are good reasons for us to adopt direct deposit, there are other compelling reasons as well.Direct deposit is fast and convenient. There is no need to make a special trip to deposit a cheque. Money is quickly deposited into an account and immediately available—no matter what you’re doing or where you are. In fact, if you receive more than one type of payment, for example both a Canada Pension Plan payment and an income tax refund, they can be deposited into different accounts of your choosing. Direct deposit is reliable and safe. 

Unlike cheques, there is virtually no risk of payments being lost, stolen or damaged. Your payment will never be delayed due to unforeseen circumstances. As soon as the payment is issued, it is deposited into the account of your choice and may immediately begin to earn interest. 

The federal government will be increasing the use of direct deposit and phasing out cheques by April 2016. But given the benefits, why wait? Visit www.directdeposit.gc.ca  for more information and to fill out your enrolment form, or drop by any federal government office.

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There are very few sports that I am even tolerably good at.

If you eliminate the television remote control five yard dash, or the get-to-the-buffet-table ahead of everyone else marathon, or even the 50-per-cent-off-sales wrestlemania, the list is actually very short. 

It follows, then, that there are sports I am not good at.

I’m banned from ski lodges in one province and two states because I endanger other skiers. I don’t do water skiing either, since that unfortunate episode at the family cottage when I attempted to take off from a wooden dock. (Getting the splinters out was not a task for the faint of heart.) Basketball demands that one actually jump…repeatedly. 

I once took some lessons at a local golf course. The pro tried. He really did. And the first time I ventured out on the course, beautifully located alongside the river, I was really excited.  I eagerly stepped up to take my shot. (Couldn’t see the flag or anything, but I didn’t let that stop me). I swung a mighty swing. Missed the ball completely. In the heat of the moment, I also let go of the golf club. That club sailed, in a fairly impressive arc, directly into a deep part of the cold river.

The clubs were borrowed. The owner, who had to dive into the water to retrieve his property, had some interesting and colourful things to say, which did discourage me a little.

However, there is one sport I understand, one sport that I enjoy, one sport I know how to play. Baseball.

I come from a baseball minded family. My dad played organized ball. My uncles all did. My brother played himself, then coached a young men’s hard ball team. My sister is a powerhouse player as is her daughter. 

Baseball gets to you. It doesn’t have to be professional or semi professional ball.  Just a pick-up game on a regulation diamond or even a grassy field with a couple of cows wandering third base.

I like the stomach tightening tension on the field, the determination of the player in the batter’s box, the steely look in the pitcher’s eyes, the obvious and powerful sense of camaraderie in the dug outs. And there really is a kind of magic the moment a person whacks one ‘out of the park’, and gets to make that exhilarating run around the bases, to the excited shouts of team mates. It’s a golden moment, long discussed, never forgotten.

I know what it is to stand in the batter’s box, trying to stare down the pitcher, trying to guess what she’s going to throw, praying that I don’t swing like “a rusty gate.” 

And if you do connect with the ball, and see it soaring away and away, well, it kind of makes up for the splinters. Really.

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The pandemic is already stressing out parents of school-aged children beyond what anyone imagined. If parents needed something more to be concerned about, we have something for you. How about bringing back the school closure […]