Catching the Spirit

On Thursday morning at a little after 7am the Olympic Torch entered my city, a few blocks from my house. I decided to get the kids out of bed super-early (we usually wake up at 8am or so) to commemorate the once-in-a-lifetime occasion. What’s a little sleep deprivation in exchange for photos that will last forever? Nothing, I say! Plus, this early wake-up call is extremely minor compared to the countless times they’ve woken me up at I-just-want-to-cry o’clock, so I say that they have nothing to complain about.

In the end, Jacob didn’t wake up with me so I left him at home with Jon. Of course, he woke up right after Hannah and I left. Kids love to sleep only when you don’t really want them to.

In spite of the early hour, and the fact that it was rainy and still dark out, people were out in full force in our neighbourhood. Some had driven there, as evidenced by the total lack of parking on the side streets. We all found spots lining the road and waited, chatting with people we’d never met. It made me well up to think that so many people were willing to haul themselves out of the comfort of their warm beds to stand on the cold, dark and wet roadside for a glimpse of the Olympic Torch. It must mean something, if so many of us did that.

Hannah and I waiting for the torch

The back end of the Coca Cola party truck, which seemed just a little too boisterous for 7:12am

The police clear the way – if you squint you can see all the people lining the street

The one extremely poor shot I got of the Torch bearer from the back

In the afternoon the Torch had moved on but our community threw a celebration. We had to check it out and see our favourite children’s performers ever, Bobs and LoLo. Here are some photos from the festivities.

Hannah made her own torch

The kids and I with a runner and an unlit Torch

Bobs and Lolo moving their hands

Hannah trying to drink from the downspout

Tonight the Olympic Winter Games kick off at BC Place. I remember the excitement when Vancouver won the bid, and I can’t believe it’s actually here. I hope that all of the locals get a chance to do some celebrating, and that the rest of you enjoy the show. I might be keeping it real in a suburban enclave, but Vancouver will always be my city, and I am proud that the world will be watching us. Happy Olympics!

I’m Sorry I Don’t Have a Better Title

The other day I was at a mom and baby group that I volunteer with and some people started smoking outside one of the windows. Technically this is illegal here, as they were also right beside the entrance and no smoking is permitted within 10 feet of any door or air intake. It was rainy and wet, though, so I can understand why they stood there, huddled under the awning. All the same, smoke was getting into the room filled with pregnant ladies and newborns and that wasn’t so great. In spite of my resolute staring at the floor I was elected to go and ask the smokers to move.

I do not enjoy confrontation, so I was somewhat nervous. I opened with my standard line when I don’t want someone to be angry at me, “I’m sorry to be a bother, but …” Once I explained that the smoke was traveling inside the smokers apologized right back at me. And then I apologized again. And they apologized again and moved. Thank heavens they moved, or we might have been stuck in some endless vortex of reciprocal apologizing, never to be seen again. Because we are Canadians, and this is what we do – we apologize.

It’s hard for me to objectively evaluate if Canadians really do apologize more than other folks, since I am accustomed to the apologies everywhere. For example, if someone bumps into me on the street we both say ’sorry’. It’s just the done thing. Is that weird? I don’t know. Would I see the same behaviour in, say, Scotland? Again, I have no idea.

You don’t really notice the quirkier aspects of your own regional dialect until you travel. In the US, for instance, when I buy an ice cream cone and thank the clerk they respond with, “Uh huh,” or sometimes, “You’re welcome.” Both of those sound odd to me, because here the clerk would must usually say, “Thanks!” right back. It seems to be the norm to thank each other here, but I couldn’t have told you that until I experienced a place where it wasn’t the norm. That’s the same way I learned that some (clearly misguided) people use ’soda’ when I would say ‘pop’. Tomato, tomahto and all that jazz.

What if Canadians really do apologize with unusual frequency? Does it mean that we’re more polite, or just that we’ve been trained to say ’sorry’ all the time? I kind of waffle back and forth on this one. On the one hand people are entirely too complex to be categorized simply by country of origin, and there are certainly some rude Canadians. On the other hand, I recognize that culture does play a role and words carry weight. That’s the idea behind affirmations, or prayers, or the national anthem. By repeating the same words over and over you send yourself a message, although how well it takes root is anyone’s guess.

I will continue to pre-emptively apologize to random strangers, as a way to smooth over any possible confrontation. It works for me, for the most part. But still, I wonder. Is this a particularly Canadian trait? What do you think? I’m sorry to put you on the spot, but I’d love to hear your opinion.

Canadian Health Care

I have a guest post running over on Raising My Boychick today! It’s part of the Womanist/Feminist Parenting Primer, conceived by the fabulous Arwyn. After you read my completely non-authoritative primer on Canadian health care, hop on over and read my post, called Talking to Strangers.

I’m not a doctor or a nurse or a phrenologist and I don’t even play one on TV. I’ve never worked in health care other than a brief stint as a candy striper in the early 90s. But I have lived in Canada my whole and entire life, and I drew my first breaths in a Canadian hospital. So I decided to share my own perspective on our health care system, which we call ‘Medicare’. I am at least as qualified as any other random Canadian, after all.

This is not comprehensive, because I am not well versed in the complicated and bureaucratic intricacies. I’m limiting my discussion to what I would call the majority of cases and my personal experience. If you have anything to add based on your own experience please do share it in the comments.

I was prompted to write about Canadian health care when I saw this ad on a website:

As a Canadian this ad sort of shocks me. You see, we speak about the evils of ‘American-style health care’ all the time. During election campaigns politicians accuse each other of wanting to introduce a two-tier medical system that will kill us all. It doesn’t surprise me that they found a Canadian who’s unhappy, we are a country of 30 million people after all. But I think that most of us find this ad surprising given our general assumption that Canadian health care is better than American health care in the vast majority of cases.

So how does Medicare work? The health care system is regulated by the Canada Health Act and administered through the federal and provincial governments. There are slight variations from province to province, but the system remains largely the same across the country because it is required to. Here are the key components:

1. It’s universal – Everyone is required to participate in, and be covered by, Medicare. There is no such thing as being denied coverage because you’re out of network or have a pre-existing condition. There are no private insurers. There is a 3 month waiting period before Medicare coverage starts when you move from province to province, but you’re covered by your previous province during that time. Being uninsured is not something we understand, and it’s not even possible for most Canadians.

2. Publicly administered – Medicare is administered by a public authority in each province and territory. The plans are operated on a not-for-profit basis and the health authorities are accountable to the government.

3. Covers all medically necessary services – In Canada it is illegal to bill directly for a ‘medically necessary’ procedure, anything deemed necessary must be covered under Medicare. Pretty much any services offered by a doctor or hospital are considered medically necessary, such as regular office visits, emergency services, surgery and diagnostic tests. There are no co-pays, user fees, or deductibles. When I visit the doctor or hospital I present my health card and they bill the plan directly, I am completely uninvolved in the process.

4. Low or no premiums – In some provinces individuals do not pay any premiums for health insurance. Here in BC we do pay set medical premiums. The rates are $54 / month for singles, $96 / month for couples and $108 / month for families of 3 or more. If your family income is low you are subsidized in whole or part. If you are employed, your employer generally pays half your premium, so my family of 4 currently pays $54 / month.

Some services are deemed ‘uninsured’ and aren’t covered by Medicare, such as dental care, optometry, prescription medications, cosmetic surgery and naturopathy. Most employers offer an extended health plan to their employees, which covers some portion of selected services. For example, I am reimbursed for a portion of my dental and prescription costs, and I am covered for emergency care if I travel outside of Canada. The premiums for these plans are very low, or may be completely covered by your employer.

Most Canadians are generally satisfied with our system. According to our government in 2005 85% of Canadians were satisfied with the health care they received. And we’re getting good value for our money. In 2005 per capita medical costs in Canada were $3003 USD compared to $5635 USD in the United States. The per capita costs in the US from public sources were $2570 USD, compared to $2108 USD in Canada. Americans are already spending more for public health care without universal coverage.

There are downsides to Medicare. Some patients are dissatisfied with the care they receive, although I would venture to guess that’s true in every other country in the world as well. No matter how you fund medical care there will be doctors who make mistakes or nurses who are having a bad day. Because there is no option to go outside the system it leaves people who want to pay a premium for ‘better service’ without recourse. And it doesn’t allow doctors to set their own rates, since their rates are set by the public health authority.

But the truth is that we are not dying in droves. Our life expectancy is higher and our infant mortality rates are lower than in the US. We generally trust the system to care for our urgent needs. And we are thankful to know that in any circumstances we can count on our health care needs being met. We won’t become uninsured if we lose our jobs. A serious illness or injury won’t bankrupt us. Any of us. I think that’s a good thing.

Canada Day Cake

Today is Canada Day. It’s this great land’s 142nd birthday (although we like to say she doesn’t look a day over 129). We celebrate by waving paper flags, getting maple leaves temporarily tattooed on our cheeks, and eating cake.

But not just any cake. No sirree Bob. Not just any cake will do on Canada Day. On Canada Day, you must have Canada Day cake. It must be a vanilla sponge cake decorated with whipped cream and strawberries to look like a Canada flag.

Canada Day cake photo courtesy of Yogi on Flickr

There is some part of my soul that thrills to the idea of the Canada Day cake. I’m not sure why, exactly. I’m normally a chocolate fan myself. Perhaps it’s the fresh strawberries, perhaps it’s my patriotism shining through, but I adore the idea of this cake. Which makes it all the stranger that I’ve never actually had any.

I suppose if you don’t like cake you could go this route

Every year I scour the paper in search of Canada Day functions that feature cake. Many of them do. Some of them even up the ante and include lemonade. But somehow I’ve never actually managed to find a piece. Either the cake’s all gone by the time we get there, or we don’t make it to the event at all, or there’s just way too long of a line-up for my impatient self my kids to handle. So the cake remains ever elusive, just out of my reach.

I’m not even sure I would eat a piece now if it were offered, because it couldn’t possibly live up to my expectations. Actually, who am I kidding? I would never turn down cake, no matter how dry or bad-tasting I would soldier through. But I think my point is made – the cake is mythical in my mind, elevated beyond mere cake to something symbolic of Canada as a nation.

Canada has its upsides and downsides. I’m not afraid to admit that there are days I wish I enjoyed the same retail options as my American friends. But no matter what we have cake. Not just any old cake, either, Canada Day cake. And I’m almost positive that it’s delicious.

Happy Canada Day!