Worrying about “Backyard” Birds

Following is a little piece that I wrote last year before COVID hit and we had other things to worry about then birds in our backyards.   Here is hoping this year we will return to something approaching normalcy.

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Last year I had planned to sign up for the Great Backyard Bird Count. I just forgot to do it.  Next year I’ll sign up for sure although it presents some issues for me.

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) (https://www.birdscanada.org/bird-science/great-backyard-bird-count/) is billed as a free, fun, and easy event that engages bird watchers to count birds.  You can do this for as little as 15 minutes in your backyard or anywhere you want for that matter.  The Count is open to experts, beginners or non-experts like me. 

I wish my excuse for forgetting the GBBC last year was that I was busy. However, for the days in question mostly what I was doing was sitting at my keyboard, concocting excuses for not doing housework and looking out my windows at my bird feeders.  

(I’ve got eight feeders up right now. One family member says eight is too many.  A Port Rowan neighbour has fourteen, I point out, so you can’t really object to eight, right?)

But, back to my point here which is that I’ve been thinking and thinking and thinking some more about backyard birds; the context being that we run a small bed and breakfast and many of our guests are birders.  The contemplation of this conundrum is causing me considerable anxiety.

Do you know any birders? 

I’m generalizing here but birders are much like any other people who adopt an intense interest in a hobby. They are enthused, obsessed;  some even fanatical. 

The French novelist Honore de Balzac has said that,  “a hobby is a happy medium between a passion and a monomania.” 

Humour columnist Dave Barry wrote that hobbies of any kind are boring except to people who have the same hobby.

These insights are not lost on yours truly.  

And then there is the whole problem of what to call the hobby/obsession.

I realized that I wasn’t sensitive to this issue when watching the movie - The Big Year.  In that flick Steve Martin’s character (Stu) is insult put down by a professional for leaving work to go bird watching.  Stu took great umbrage.

“It’s called birding,” huffed Stu!! 

 Our home is located in great birding territory.  Indeed, it is a not so well known fact that more bird species have been seen in the Port Rowan/Long Point area than the much ballyhooed Point Peele vicinity. 

Issues

Carolina Wren seen IN our Backyard

Some have suggested that we ought to keep a list of all birds seen in our backyard. There are, however, a number of vexing issues that the development of such a list would present.

For example, to be counted does a bird actually have to touch down in our yard? That would be a fairly clear-cut definition to use.

But what if, say, one observes a “good” bird flying over one’s yard? We had an immature bald eagle fly past sometime back.   Now, to be frank, it is probably more accurate to say it was over the neighbour’s yard. But let’s face it, our list would be a superior one if I could add that bald eagle. So, I’m leaning to the backyard list inclusion criteria being “seen from my backyard.” That should make for a better quality list.

But here’s another worry. From my front yard I have a distant view of the Inner Harbour of Long Point Bay on Lake Erie and this will surely produce many shorebirds and an enhanced list. In fact, a few years ago on Easter Sunday we recorded a couple of white pelicans flapping and gliding over the Bay. Clearly, it will be more gratifying for my guests, then, if that backyard list captures anything that can be seen from the front yard as well.

White Pelicans seen FROM
our Backyard

 I’m certain the guests will be keen to contribute to the   list. In fact, repeat visitors (some do actually return)   could be encouraged to have their own personalized list.   Perhaps this will be an incentive to return.

 Do I anticipate problems? Well, I’m told that some   birders can be competitive and argumentative.  (Did I   mention that we took photos to document those white   pelicans?)  

 So, if there are disagreements on sightings will it fall to  the reluctant but affable host to resolve disputes?

 And will guests be trampling all over my much-in-need   of  landscaping front yard in an effort to maximize their  viewing range

And what about the neighbours?

Lots to think about....

Raising Social Assistance Rates

I just read an interesting policy paper from Open Policy Ontario.

Authored by John Stapleton and Yvonne Yuan the paper looks at the question of whether  higher social assistance rates lead to higher caseloads during recessions.

Well, they don’t.  

The authors conclude that when you take a look at unemployment data and minimum wage levels over time you’ll see that that higher social assistance benefit levels will not result in more people on social assistance. 

Stapleton and Yuan recommend immediate implementation of either: 

1. Raising the single Ontario Works assistance rate by 14.3% to $838 per month to equal 40% of full-time minimum wages along with parallel increases for other family sizes or 

2. Raising Ontario refundable tax credits by $1,365 per year so that all low-income single people can benefit from an increase in income. 

They also recommend that minimum wages be immediately increased to $15.00 per hour.

Read the report at https://openpolicyontario.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2021/03/culprits-20210219r-sacs.pdf

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Fast Facts

• There has been no increase in rates since 2018 a continuation of a gradual downward slide in the value of social assistance that began with a drastic cut in 1995.  
• According to the Ontario government, evidence shows that racially diverse, newcomer and low-income communities have been impacted more significantly by COVID-19 than others.
• The federal government’s response to the pandemic has identified $2,000 per month as a “basic income” for people who have lost their jobs. The current rates for single individuals on Ontario Works (OW) is $733 and for Ontario Disability Support program (ODSP) is $1,169.00 fall far below this “basic income.”. 
• The annual cost of poverty in Ontario is between $27.1 and $33 billion taking into account loss of tax revenue and increased expenses in the health and justice systems (Feed Ontario. The Cost of Poverty in Ontario 2019, p.4).  

Here is a link to a chart that illustrates how the buying power of social assistance rates has continued to sink over the years, because of minimal or no annual increases to match inflation. 

https://1drv.ms/w/s!AvRzOEPfSVfDvQTzDtVAYONTQ22W?e=LJGTc5

Ford Government Turning Its Back on People Living with Disabilities

 

Tuesday's Toronto Star has a story by Brendan Kennedy on delays at the Social Benefits Tribunal. (SBT) https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2021/02/12/delays-at-the-social-benefits-tribunal-have-tripled-leaving-odsp-claimants-in-extended-limbo.html

The SBT is an administrative tribunal that deals specifically with appeals regarding social assistance.  

The SBT hears appeals from people who have been turned down for the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP).  The law related to this program is called the Ontario Disability Support Program Act (1997). This program is designed to help people with disabilities who are in financial need pay for living expenses, like food and housing.

Why are the delays happening?

One reason is that the Doug Ford government has not been appointing new members to the SBT.  According to the story, there were 38 adjudicators when Ford won election in 2018.  There are only 26 now.

The real issue though is that the provincial government is trying to undermine the social assistance system.  They have no interest in supporting people living with disabilities.

For further evidence take a look at a recent piece in the Toronto Star written by Amira Elghawaby. https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2020/12/29/has-the-ford-government-cancelled-2021-for-ontarios-most-vulnerable.html

The story makes it clear that:

1. First-level decision by ministry staff to deny benefits is all about  protecting the public purse. 

2 But Ontario gives applicants right to evidence-based, independent review. 

3 The majority of appeals filed in 2020 have yet to get a scheduled date for a hearing.

4 The 80% success rate in appeals of ministry decisions is a critique of the original decision making not problems with the SBT.

The delays are bad enough but there is speculation that the SBT might be eliminated.

Read a recent letter from Laura Hunter and Michael Ollier, Co-Chairs of the Steering Committee on Social Assistance for Ontario Community Legal Clinic.  The letter is to the Attorney General of Ontario and the Minister of Children, Community & Social Services.  

“The right to an appeal process at the Tribunal is enshrined in legislation, and it is a vital one that needs to be preserved. Even in the best of application systems, it is only fair and reasonable to apply a check on the decision-making of Ministry staff.”  https://hamiltonjustice.ca/en/2020/12/10/alarmed-for-the-future-of-the-social-benefits-tribunal-and-appeals-process/

The Ontario government must preserve the important independent role of the Social Benefits Tribunal.  No one should be wrongly denied the benefits they need for their survival.

Getting Worse?

There is ongoing dialogue on social media focussing on Hamilton Ontario City Council and the performance of its members.  Today, long time City Hall observer Ryan McGreal notes "they're actually getting worse. More indifferent to suffering, more reactionary, more cynical, more shameless.”

I've  retired and moved away so it is hard for me to judge however, for what it is worth,  I offer this piece from my blog written nearly ten years ago, - May  2011.

Respect for Citizens Needed at Council Meeting 

May 25, 2011

Over the last ten years I’ve attended a couple of dozen meetings of Standing Committees of Hamilton City Council.

Usually I’ve been there to watch; occasionally I’ve been presenting. From time to time I‘ve gone home happy as the issue that had prompted my attendance had been resolved appropriately, from my perspective anyway.

But almost always I’ve headed out into the real world following these meetings out of sorts because of the lack of respect that Hamilton Council consistently shows for the public.

This lack of respect takes many forms.

First, meetings frequently start late, usually because of lack of quorum. Once I was there for a 9:30 meeting that was about to be postponed. Seconds short of 10:00 a Mountain Councillor raced into Chambers arriving just under the wire so the meeting could get started. (Not having a quorum within thirty minutes of the scheduled start means no meeting.) Let’s face it those who are there to present or listen have other responsibilities that need their time.

Second, Councillors, some more than others, feel the need to get up and leave the room a lot. To be fair it isn’t easy sitting for the hours that the job requires and some, OK most, of the dialogue is tedious but these pols knew what the job entailed when they put their names forward.

Third, and this is what really turns my crank, is the propensity some councillors have for talking with the media in the middle of meetings. Way back when we were toddlers we all learned that it was rude to talk when others are talking. And someone - staff, a member of the public or another Councillor - is always talking at a Committee meeting. In my experience most municipalities’ procedural by-laws cover such matters and committee chairs have the power to enforce.

 In this context I found Andrew Dreschel’s column in today’s Hamilton Spectator interesting.

Dreschel reports that Peggy Chapman from Mayor Bratina’s office wants to start “regulating interactions in the Council Chambers.” That would include, apparently, not allowing reporters to talk with councillors during proceedings and restricting councillors from talking privately with reporters during meetings. The columnist seems to think that the Mayor’s initiative may be more about “exercising control than good form.”

But if Dreschel and others took a look around they’d likely find that Hamilton is out of step with other cities who think that at the heart of good form is respect for citizens.

A Disability Inclusion Plan for Canada

Throne speeches are full of promises.

Amongst the many promises in the federal government’s September Throne speech was a commitment to come up with a Disability Inclusion Plan to address “long-standing challenges” facing Canadians with disabilities.

The Disability Inclusion Plan is a promise that should be kept.

The plan would be styled after the Guaranteed Income Supplement for Seniors. It would include a “robust” employment strategy for Canadians with disabilities.  A better process for determining eligibility would be developed.

The prime minister re-affirmed this promise in a media release on December 3rd, 2020.

It is an important initiative that seems to be flying below the radar.

The Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction put together a timely policy brief that

looks at the financial costs of disability.  It is a succinct 4 pager which you can read at https://hamiltonpoverty.ca/preview/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/HRPR-Policy-Brief-The-Financial-Cost-of-Disability.pdf

The data makes the case that we must acknowledge “the severity of structural poverty for persons with disabilities.”

Any new benefit must ensure that persons with disabilities can be lifted out of poverty “to a truly dignified standard of living.”

Some Insights from the Roundtable Report

• There are significant costs associated with life-long disability.

• All medical needs are not covered or accessible through existing programs.

• There should be full support for social inclusion.  Adequate resources to permit full involvement in the community must be provided.

• Everyone with disabilities isn’t able to work full time. That means incomes must be supplemented to account for lower life time learnings. 

Learn More: Plan Institute has put together on Building Momentum for the Canadian Disability Benefit which you can find at https://planinstitute.ca/learning-series-canadian-disability-benefit/

Just a Thought- How about a Caretaker for Ward 2?

On Tuesday,  Norfolk Council will consider a 41-page staff report on how to fill the Ward 2 Council vacancy.   https://www.norfolkcounty.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/CIC-Agenda-Feb-9.pdf

We live in a democracy so a by-election is clearly the way to go.

Some will take issue with the financial cost of such a by-election.  Not me.  The expenses are pegged at a reasonable $22,000-$33,000.

However,  as with everything else these days, the pandemic puts up significant barriers to a successful by-election. 

Staff identify these obstacles and list special procedures that could address legitimate  health and safety concerns.  Some examples: 

*The nomination process set out in provincial legislation can’t be amended.  That means that at least 25 people must sign a candidate’s nomination papers.  Since electronic signatures are not allowed a separate form for each signature is needed to reduce touch points of the mandatory forms. 

*Door to door canvassing is problematic.  Staff recommend that candidates undergo a daily health self assessment; door campaigning should take place “through the door” whenever possible and hand sanitizer should be used by all involved in campaigning.

These are all good ideas but impractical and not easily enforceable. 

Other Concerns with a By-Election

There are issues with voting methods as well ;  “complexity” concerns with internet voting, for example.  And internet access is problematic for many in Ward Two.   

Staff prefer a mail-in ballot, although the accuracy of the voter’s list is a big problem which can’t be resolved until 2024.  

One concern not mentioned is that the successful candidate won’t be sworn in and able to begin serving Ward 2 and Norfolk constituents until June 8th. As we know it takes quite a while to learn the ropes in any new job.   Municipal government presents a big learning curve for new members.  By the time the new councillor is up to speed the October 2022 municipal elections will be here.

Given all the above the appointment process might be a better approach. Here is a thought:

A Caretaker

In 2006, I was selected over 20 other applicants through a transparent community process as Ward 5 Councillor for Burlington/Halton.  That process involved a public meeting and an in-camera interview (allowed under the Municipal Act) with Council and senior staff.

What did I offer?  For six years I’d served most of that ward as Councillor before deciding to return to my old field of work.  Voters had not tossed me out and that, I’m sure, was a consideration.  

I had been off council for more than eight years but still had an understanding of how local government generally and local governments specifically worked.  What was most important though was,  in combination with my experience,  I made a commitment that I would not run in the upcoming municipal election.  As Norfolk staff correctly note in their report there is a huge advantage for incumbents in municipal elections.  It can be argued that those who have that advantage by being elected by voters deserve it.  But one who has not faced the electors certainly doesn’t.

I spent nine productive months as a caretaker councillor. I worked with constituents, brought forward some new initiatives that had been put to one side, plugged away on Official Plan updates that I had background on from my earlier term on council and other matters.  I was also quite involved in promoting civic participation through organizing and chairing an all candidates meeting and making myself available to discuss issues with those candidates.

Norfolk County

An appointment process with interviews in public and applicants’  intentions for the next election being factored in to the decision could be the way to go for Norfolk. 

As far as I’m aware, candidates in an appointment process can’t be required to commit to not contesting the next election.  In fact, I recall some who made such a promise then broke it.

My view is that Council can ask for the commitment and if it is broken then the voters can decide in 2022.  

That would be the democratic thing to do. 

One Minute Review

Finding  Murph

Rick Westhead

Harper Collins, 2020

First-rate story about an NHL star victimized by the league’s failure to recognize the long term impact of concussions.

Focusses on Joe Murphy who won an NCAA championship with Michigan State and a Stanley Cup with Edmonton. The 1986 first draft choice played 779 regular games over 15 NHL seasons (233 goals & 528 points) adding 77 points in 120 playoff games.

Sure Joe was a different kind of guy affectionately described by teammates as “odd,” and "an airhead” but when he took a hit to the head on Jan 9, 1991 and things changed.

Westhead strengthens his thesis through access to many documents and e-mails previously under seal with US courts in connection with a concussion lawsuit.

The e-mails reveal the league’s mindset.  Medical people who warned of long term damage were “dumbass doctors” just putting out “imbecilic rants” with “no idea what they are talking about” because, of course, they had never played.

They were “tree huggin…leftist doctors… that soon won’t let us climb stairs for fear of concussion,” wrote the NHL’s director of officiating.

We “view ourselves as a family” said NHL Commissioner Bettman, who called any evidence of concussion brain damage anecdotal.   What family would reject care of a loved one by denying the science?  “No conclusive link,” Bettman would say as recently as 2019.

Meanwhile, Joe Murphy is homeless in Kenora (when the book ends) and apparently still today in Saskatchewan.

Like Ken Dryden’s Game Change Westhead’s book is a clarion call for the sports world to take concussions more seriously.