Have you noticed value stocks are hot lately? WFH ones are not. There’s a reason for this. The pandemic is ending.
The reopening trade has pushed equity markets into record territory for months now. About 160 million Americans have been jabbed and this week Canada passed the 50% mark. Once vaccinations hit 70% or above, politicians will have a hard time convincing people current states of emergency, lockdowns, quarantines, restrictions, travel bans and border closures can stay in place. We’re close. A month or two? Maybe just weeks.
Investors always knew the pandemic would end, which is why financial markets have been in recovery mode since last summer (despite recent inflation-wary slides). The course of the next year is clear: reopening, bringing more employment, the unleashing of a torrent of household savings ($200 billion in Canada, $1.6 trillion in the US), expanding GDP, rising commodity prices, more inflation, increasing interest rates, surging corporate profits (a 50% jump) and market gains. Oh, and an end to WFH. Or close.
It’s coming. Quebec laid out is reopening timetable yesterday, with that cursed curfew being the first thing to go. Three-quarters of that province will be dosed by June 15th, they say. Ontario will open outdoor facilities in a few days. Already downtown Toronto condo sales have lit up in anticipation. NYC will be fully open in a few weeks and the subways just resumed full service. In several US cities there are massive crowds at sporting events and concerts. Mask mandates are being dropped. Despite Wave Three keeping hospitals in Toronto full and the threat of a lurking Indian variant, there’s no mistake where this is all headed.
For five million of us little beavs (about a quarter of the workforce) this means a grand experiment in working-from-home will be reassessed by employers. Some will want to dump commercial real estate overhead and keep a remote workforce. Others will desire the creativity and culture of workplaces be restored. Some will go hybrid. Others will struggle with the issue of safety and mandatory vaccination. We haven’t had a public health emergency like this for a century, and never in an environment where everybody is online and connected. There are no rules.
For employees, this is a vexing time. Some are totally happy being home, flexible, unsupervised and self-disciplined. Plus you can live in sweats and indulge your dog. Others miss friends, colleagues and the social web of the workplace. Many are deathly sick of Zoom meetings and crave the collaboration and culture of an office full of peers. Stress, loneliness and a sense of isolation after a year of this have taken a toll. There’s concern that career advancement may be stymied by being distant from management or the formal workplace. But there’s also a universal hatred of commuting, plus the costs involved in trekking by car, train, tram or subway. And how about all those germy people along the way? Is it even safe to go out?
Here’s a new survey (from KPMG) shedding some light on these issues. Most workers, it found, have had enough of WFH and want WFW instead – or, at least, a hybrid model. It’s also interesting that while 60% claimed to be more productive working from home a year ago, that number’s now dropped to half. “People miss their colleagues and just want to come back in and say hello and be a part of the buzz. So I think there is going to be a bit of a rush back into the offices,” says the company, because “many feel overworked and burnt out.”
So, 63% want to go back. Half the respondents say they fear being out of sight means less chance for a promotion or salary increase. Almost 60% think their overlords should force everyone to be vaccinated. It’s a matter of safety, says KPMG, “and that’s going to be the biggest driver of whether people will see themselves as permanently back in the office or not.”
Well, it’s time to slither down to the steerage section of this pathetic blog and see what the rabble thinks about this. Are you ready to put on fresh pants, eyeliner and actual shoes, and venture out again? Will this be a like high school reunion, to see who got fat or still has hair?
Time to fess up…
Survey has ended; see results in the next blog post.
About the picture: “Thanks very much for the blog’s invaluable advice and your continued mission to prevent Canadians from financially self-destructing,” says Charles. “Here is a photo of Cinco, our 14 month Small Munsterlander, during a recent mountain bike ride near Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. He loves to get out and we luckily have hundreds of kilometers of fantastic trails. Here we are overlooking the Nanaimo River estuary and several Gulf Islands, with Vancouver barely visible in the distance. Thanks again for your work!”
118 comments ↓
#102 millenlial on 05.18.21 at 10:12 pm
Ok, so what if we want to pay 100,000 more – on a 1.25 million home that’s less than 9% over. You make it seem like its tons of money. It barely changes our payment.
That’s the same % as paying 435k for a 400k house. But you don’t say the percentages to make it sound much worse – almost fear mongering.
Everyone older than us just seems jealous. You guys need to get over it. We can afford it, don’t worry about us as much as you can’t understand it.
***********************
What you’re missing is that people used to under bid
I think my parent’s house was up for 160K and they got it for 145K
Is it just me, or does anyone else get the impression that Vancouver Island people, and in particular Nanaimo people dominate this blog?
Full disclosure, I am born and raised in Nanaimo.
Harewood rules.
I always put up a wall between my working life and home life.
Never bring work home is my motto.
Only very few people from work have my home #.
I see a lot of positive now, but I can also see a fourth wave in the fall.
Probably a good time to invest in Boeing and Air Canada.
The elites pulling the strings on your corrupt puppet government have mandated upwards of 500,000 migrants per year. Given an average capacity of 250 people, that’s 2,000 flights per year just for migrants. Not sure what they will fill the planes with of the return flights.
You think housing is a crisis now, just wait till there are thousands upon thousands arriving and looking for a place to live .
We haven’t had a public health emergency like this for a century, and never in an environment where everybody is online and connected.
_____________________________________________
Actually we have. Asian flu of 1957 and lasted almost 2 years; The Hong Kong flu of 1968 also lasted almost 2 years and people still went to Woodstock for an awesome party.
The difference between those pandemics and this one is our attitude and how governments dealt with it. Society continued to work and go to school. This time, people were thrown money and told to stay home. We haven’t yet started to pay for the pathetic response of our leaders. Man has never eradicated a coronavirus. We learn to live with it.
The “Prius” *Hybrid* of WFH/WFW:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzfOlwBUCmU
Turner Nation slowly running out of conspiracies to write about.
I don’t want to return to the office. 40 hours a week in an open concept, dull office is depressing. A hybrid model would be just fine, and I’d happily take a 50/50 split, but management here wants everyone back asap and everything to be exactly as it was before. Morale is low though and I don’t think people will easily forget the lack of empathy and flexibility many employees experienced during this trying time. Especially those with young kids.
#102 millenlial on 05.18.21 at 10:12 pm
Ok, so what if we want to pay 100,000 more – on a 1.25 million home that’s less than 9% over. You make it seem like its tons of money. It barely changes our payment.
That’s the same % as paying 435k for a 400k house. But you don’t say the percentages to make it sound much worse – almost fear mongering.
Everyone older than us just seems jealous. You guys need to get over it. We can afford it, don’t worry about us as much as you can’t understand it.
#########################
Dude, You’re A Schmuk. If you understood margins, you would realize that you have overpaid by much more than $100,000. But then again, You Are the ME Generation. It’s all about Me and My opinion.
#1 SoggyShorts on 05.19.21 at 2:46 pm
#102 millenlial on 05.18.21 at 10:12 pm
Ok, so what if we want to pay 100,000 more – on a 1.25 million home that’s less than 9% over. You make it seem like its tons of money. It barely changes our payment.
That’s the same % as paying 435k for a 400k house. But you don’t say the percentages to make it sound much worse – almost fear mongering.
Everyone older than us just seems jealous. You guys need to get over it. We can afford it, don’t worry about us as much as you can’t understand it.
***********************
What you’re missing is that people used to under bid
I think my parent’s house was up for 160K and they got it for 145K
_________________________
Or to take your analogy one step further … 9% on the houses I am looking at would cost be another million. No thanks… i didn’t get to where i am by throwing good money after bad.
Just wait until interest rates aren’t working in your favor any longer. Your equity could quickly disappear into thin air! And watch out for a double whammy. Asset prices typically go down when interest rates go up! At some point, you will need to renew at what could be unfavorable rates.
Sail Aways pooch! He is gorgeous
You make powerful arguments as to why the Pandemic will very soon come to an end.
And your observations are all true; although, I’d say with a healthy Pearson correlation coefficient number.
No one yet knows what the magical herd immunity number is, yet all are trumpeting success. To be honest, I think Mother Nature has other ideas but we will see soon enough*. She has tested the best of our Science and so far I would say she has a leg up on us Homo Sapiens.
Still, take the VICTORIES and CELEBRATE them as you do today Garth.
Bonum est vivere.
PS:
The “time to slither down to the steerage section” prose, THAT was good. And I so wanted to be a part of your poll but alas, [email protected]
—————————-
*India’s very good NDTV interviewed a UK Prof today and she said the Indian variant has been reliably doubling in cases every week for the past month or so.
Of course, as if reading from Chairman Mao’s Little Red Book on Pandemics, she says she believes the vaccines will function anyway.
Science. Emperor with no clothes (real time vaccine efficacy trials on the UK populace, a.k.a., unwitting guinea pigs, lab rats).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lb-nWF4DO54
Welcome to Planet Earth. Have a nice day.
#1 SoggyShorts on 05.19.21 at 2:46 pm
#102 millenlial on 05.18.21 at 10:12 pm
Ok, so what if we want to pay 100,000 more – on a 1.25 million home that’s less than 9% over. You make it seem like its tons of money. It barely changes our payment.
That’s the same % as paying 435k for a 400k house. But you don’t say the percentages to make it sound much worse – almost fear mongering.
Everyone older than us just seems jealous. You guys need to get over it. We can afford it, don’t worry about us as much as you can’t understand it.
***********************
What you’re missing is that people used to under bid
I think my parent’s house was up for 160K and they got it for 145K
___
House shopping was fun back then – take a few weeks to shop around, and then decide which one you want to buy (they’ll all still be sitting there on the MLS).
First you decide how much under asking you will offer to pay, and then you attach every condition you can possibly think of to the offer. That way, there was always a back door available if you changed your mind.
I’m so damn glad to have got out of the gate before politicians like Trudeau came along.
I told you guys, the Blockchain is for us.
http://canadabeyond150.ca/reports/capital-and-debt.html
Social Credit may become a more powerful determinant of socio-economic inclusion: Rating a user’s credibility/trust (social credit), as is currently done by Uber, eBay and many others, is becoming more common. At the same time, new technologies such as blockchain bring new ways of capturing and assessing more information.
Linkages between ownership and social status are becoming unstable.
Ownership could be displaced or augmented by access to service.
Social credit may become a more powerful determinent of socio-economic inclusion.
—
— Joy the thieves are suddenly handing back what they’ve stolen. At least they admit it’s an ECONOMIC shutdown.
“A target date to begin lifting restrictions hasn’t been decided… sources tell CTV News Toronto that the government is working on a rough timeline of June and early July to fully unlock the economy.”
—
— As I always say. ‘They’ll stone you just like they said they would; everybody must get stoned’. Will the ‘top doc’ be clutching over this. Doubt it.
https://www.cp24.com/mobile/news/opioid-overdose-deaths-up-75-per-cent-in-ontario-during-covid-19-pandemic-new-report-1.5434080
Opioid overdose deaths up 75 per cent in Ontario during COVID-19 pandemic: new report
Garth, you should have added the option:
*Own Boss, Always Work From Home
Not all of us (alleluia) work for someone else (the horror)
Been working remote since 2016. Currently I work with an American group.
Don’t miss office antics or the environment. Sure, there were some good times in the past with colleagues.
Certainly don’t miss that downtown Vancouver commute either by Skytrain or West Coast Express. Driving during even non-rush hours makes me bonkers.
If the media & government is honest & does a good job, people will listen & get vaccinated. The vaccine hesitancy is just a reflection of mistrust due to failures from the media & government. You can’t the average person for being worried.
WFH is here to stay for people who have leverage (skilled labour) & actually want it. Like it had been before the cornapocalypse
Like these surveys. A snapshot of the readership on this highly entertaining and educational dog themed blog. Would love to see a demographic question. As late stage baby boomers, we are both planning to be out of the workforce shortly and the WFH option has given us a taste of the freedom from workplace politics, commuting, dress codes, etc. No longer concerned with moving up the ladder to an even more stressful and time consuming position. Would likely answer the questions very differently a decade ago. Now, proud members of the ‘going no-where, glad to be there’ club. Thanks Garth.
#11 the jaguar on 05.19.21 at 3:08 pm
Sail Aways pooch! He is gorgeous
——–
Aw, thanks, I’ll let him know. He came from Four Point Kennels in Cochrane, Alberta.
RL lumber July contracts
$1,327.00 Change +63.00 (+4.98%)
Price is like a yoyo. This tells me there is speculation there.
Dunno.
In hitting vax targets, unlike the US we easily have adults 75%+ that are scheduled/will be – eventually that will be second doses. Even then office deconfinement plans paint late autumn as full normal.
Winter 2021-2022 northern hemisphere will be the real test of the vax and various levels of immunity. Perhaps hitting 75%+ was the ‘right’ move and partial US/UK are in for trouble, perhaps was a waste and non-issue, or worst case blows up again. Who knows??
My employer has been super secret on the matter of WFW. On the one hand rumours of dumping most of the space and a hot-desking crap. On the other hand if they really want all back in, the WFH crowd (a big majority given a recent survey) will be pissed.
” Canada passed the 50% mark [in vaccinations]”
Not even close, Garth. Less than 5% of the Canadian population is fully vaccinated. Your 50% figure counts those who’ve had at least one jab. Presumably there are 2 jabs required because that’s what’s needed for it to hopefully work as intended.
It is what it is. Fifty per cent of Canadians have now been inoculated, and after two weeks this provides excellent immunity. Second doses are insurance and we will get there over time. Long after reopening. – Garth
Talked to 2 friends in their 50’s who work for the Federal government. They were just told at first they will be required to come in the office 2 days a week soon, then after that probably more, just 1 day week WFH.. Also they were told they must live in Ottawa area, cannot live remote, ie. might be called in any time for a meeting, bbq, dressing down. One of them recently went bonkers on somebody on a work Zoom meeting and was required to seek professional help which he is now doing.
I disliked working the last couple of years i worked but working from home made it more bearable.
All of my old colleagues were gone so i was keen on working from home at the end. Now they called all the sales guys back to the office to mentor the young ones.
I would of refused because i have FU money .
The other guys have to go back when restrictions are lifted as they have mortgages and little kids and they never heard of a ETF .
I cannot wait for Ontario to reopen. Well and truly fed up.
I am noticing a trend with my older colleagues. In the last 3 months many of them have retired, most are early retirement.
Really fantastic photo and lovely dog. Loved the doodle from yesterday too. Super cute!
I can’t wait for things to open again. I have found customer service from stores (apart from a few whose customer service was always awesome, Lee Valley) has taken a real beating during the pandemic. Fewer staff, shorter hours and the staff that have been kept seem to either not care or not know much. And the kicker, a great many of these places are making bank while accepting government assistance. The only benefit to this has been reduced traffic on the roads on my way to the office.
In other news, I got a letter from Steve Harper yesterday. He says Erin is the man!
Oh, I forgot to add this…
GO LEAFS GO!
Cue 50 years of… hope he is still alive and vaccinated.
,em>(1) Have you been a WFH employee during the pandemic?
once i have answered NO none of the questions regarding WFH applies, but if i leave the buttons blank i cannot submit the survey. just so you know
I’d love to answer your Qs in the Survey Garth, but half of them are not pertinent. I never stopped working in the office, so Qs 4, 5, 6 and 8 (in particular) I can’t even answer with a no-change.
Chainsaw Ridge! That trail probably has the highest ratio of blood spilled per kilometre of any trail on the Island. Nice dog too.
That was quick.
Couple days ago I said this.
(We are being herded and fleeced. Your hint might have been that the residential condo construction never was shut down. The Show must go On.)
—
#11 TurnerNation on 05.14.21 at 2:24 pm
What are wars fought over? Land. This WW3 is no exception.
What’s underneath the CNE grounds? More LAND. Ripe for condos imo.
.All major summer events, including CNE, Caribbean Carnival, cancelled again this year, city says [Toronto] (beta.cp24.com)
—
—
—
Today we get:
https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/the-cne-is-at-risk-of-permanently-closing-after-142-years-in-business-1.5431088
“The exhibition was set to take place from Aug. 20 to Sept. 6, 2021, but after being cancelled for the second year in a row, the CNE says it’s “facing huge financial pressure” and that it’s “at risk of being unable to host another fair.””
To all the WFH zealots who think they’re irreplaceable…you’re not!
To #102 Millenial — what’s another $100K? Just $333 per month for 25 years + interest.
My long term (1976-2021) charts of provincial employment and unemployment data are up: http://www.chpc.biz/employment.html
I have tabled the results as well in decadal increments and it is clear that two major visible trend change inflection points occurred in 1981 and 2008. No doubt 2020-2021 will mark another societal change.
Housing assets may have increased in value but employment and the derived earnings from it are a counterpoint.
The economic crashes in the last 40 years has produced rising unemployment or as Tiff Macklem (BoC Governor) says “labour-market scarring”.
Work from home could be an activity that gets some of the unemployed off the dole.
#4 mj on 05.19.21 at 2:55 pm
I see a lot of positive now, but I can also see a fourth wave in the fall.
——————
I agree and I also see everyone likely being forced to be vaccinated as a consequence of the “Indian” variant. I do not agree that employees should be forced to because of safety. What about all the other potential viruses and bacteria ? Should we force everyone to take a flu shot ? pneumococcal vaccine ? Having a vaccine does not prevent us from passing along covid. So if you’re vaccinated why so fearful of those that choose not to be ? It’s not a compelling argument in my opinion. It only serves to relieve the employer of any liability and not necessarily protect employees. I’m not an anti vaxxer either.
Garth.
I have been a long time follower of your blog and always found your economic analysis relevant and useful.
However, I am getting more and more disappointed with your constant mRNA vaccine propaganda.
It’s your personal choice to take it and I respect that.
Just don’t get into that “mandatory vaccination” nonsense please. You will loose the last piece of respect from many people who still believe that it’s their constitutional right to decide what to do with their own bodies.
Are you a coward or just selfish? Please leave the blog. – Garth
They are seeing a slow down in those getting a shot according to the media. I asked the nurse recently while she jabbed me. She said she has seen a noticeable decrease. It appeared busy to me at the time of my appointment.
If all goes well most offices will be back within 6 months, hybrid or not. Unless there is a fourth wave that can get around the benefits of a shot or two.
Another variable is…waiting for the poorer countries in the World get the jab to prevent another mutated round.
The normal before the pendemic wasn’t that great…now we packed on mucho debt. Not all of us…but enough to bring pain to all of us in some manner if things go sideways.
But some people more than others will bitch about the morning commute within a year. Hybrid systems may become the new competitive talent attraction where it makes sense and not open to new hires until after a year. Will have to wait and see.
@23 FF
One of them recently went bonkers on somebody on a work Zoom meeting and was required to seek professional help which he is now doing.
—————————————————————
Thanks for the insight on my 2020 tax $ extortion
Were they going bonkers because they had to go back to, gasp, “work” ?
in the real world they would be fired. Not the Feds, gotta kill someone in plain view. AKA Go postal
Thanks for the laugh.
(6) What do you miss the most about the physical workplace?
– Colleagues and friends
– Collaborating
– Nothing
– [Other: not having to listen to my wife talk on video calls for 7.5 hours / day]
You have a nice backyard Sail.
I think even the high exalted Grizzly 700 SE (in sweet Tactical Black) would be challenged.
I would be interested in seeing how your poll results Garth compares to KPMG’s.
I don’t believe KPMG’s study to be quite honest. When my corporation does internal corporate questionnaires, they tend to be dishonest responses in fear of going against the grain and the ramifications of that.
#2 GAV on 05.19.21 at 2:52 pm
Is it just me, or does anyone else get the impression that Vancouver Island people, and in particular Nanaimo people dominate this blog?
Full disclosure, I am born and raised in Nanaimo.
Harewood rules
*******************
Didn’t local realtors rename it ‘the University District’.
@sail Away cute dog. Nanaimo lakes area? Nice view.view
It is Garth’s freebie blog.
As a reader and commenter, I pronounce you not welcome here.
#35 LongTimeReader on 05.19.21 at 4:37 pm
Garth.
I have been a long time follower of your blog and always found your economic analysis relevant and useful.
However, I am getting more and more disappointed with your constant mRNA vaccine propaganda.
2 gav “harewood rules”.
That’s “scarewood” where the people from townsite would lock their car doors when driving through.
Very interested to see the results of the poll, Garth. I personally am only affected by those who can’t go to work or school…the impact is obvious:) – but for those accustomed to stomping the pavement or are the middleman with meetings and ‘coming togethers’ feedback is going to be a real test. Happy I don’t have too anymore!!
Also interesting to see how a perceived country of wusses comes out of this challenging period. Crying and begging for change, pronouns and more hug groups (I can help) or growing a set and realizing a value reset is in order – before you DIE!!!
Three L’s is the first step.
Og
#18 Basil Exposition on 05.19.21 at 3:25 pm
Like these surveys. A snapshot of the readership on this highly entertaining and educational dog themed blog. Would love to see a demographic question.
————
I think we did that one already. General theme is rich and old stock, in that order. From all walks of life. Righties and Lefties. From the pretty smart, to pretty insane – and everything in between.
Hey, it’s the Internet…
#35 LongTimeReader on 05.19.21 at 4:37 pm
Safety from communicable diseases is ultimately provided by herd immunity. This is because vaccines aren’t perfect – vaccinated people are still vulnerable, though less so than otherwise.
Persons who refuse to vaccinate (as opposed to cannot or should not vaccinate) are technically known as “free riders”. They get the benefits of herd immunity without taking the risk of vaccination.
We generally control free riders with shame, though the sort of person who openly extols the virtues of free riding is often beyond shame.
Frankly, the rest of us don’t need the respect of people like you. I see Garth’s questioning your courage and generosity and raise by a “Don’t come to me when you need help.”
You see, just as Margaret Thatcher noted that the problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money, the problem with Libertarianism is that you eventually run out of other people’s good will.
@#3 Ponzies Prehistoric Phone
“Only very few people from work have my home #.”
+++
You still have a landline?
Do you have to crank it to get the operator?
I’ve jumped the back to work gun by grabbing a slot at a coworking place. Love it. Great to be out among the Victoria entrpeneurials. And the coffee is delicious and “free”.
#39 IHCTD9 on 05.19.21 at 4:45 pm
You would love Mt. Benson and environs. Jordan River offroad down my way. I’m a big fan of unusual expeditions. Perhaps a transcontinental griz ride? Would prob be a first.
Studies from before the pandemic have concluded that people who work from home are less likely to be promoted and are the first to be laid off when those situations come along. Apparently not seeing the people makes it easier to do these things.
ALICE IN WONDERLAND!
Truly a strange economy, where the Central Banks are shielding a string of near bankrupt entities through a policy of in the ditch interest rates. Even Stevie Wonder can see big trouble if the Central Banks wind down their support. The only missing ingredient for a major correction is simply a catalyst to put ‘fear” into an overly complacent market place, anything from an economic disruption, a credit related crisis or a totally unexpected black swan could start the ‘panic for the exits”. Talk to your banker, Terrible deals are made in great times, and there hasn’t being a better time to make terrible deals. You can call me a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.
Aside from not being able to snorkel in Hawaii I will miss some of the aspects of the pandemic
@Sail Away
Is that picture from the Mt. Benson lookout?
My metal health is great WFH – I can rock out all day..
#35 LongTimeReader on 05.19.21 at 4:37 pm
Garth.
I have been a long time follower of your blog and always found your economic analysis relevant and useful.
However, I am getting more and more disappointed with your constant mRNA vaccine propaganda.
It’s your personal choice to take it and I respect that.
Just don’t get into that “mandatory vaccination” nonsense please. You will loose the last piece of respect from many people who still believe that it’s their constitutional right to decide what to do with their own bodies.
Are you a coward or just selfish? Please leave the blog. – Garth
*. *
I don’t see the need for the Vaccine shaming. The biggest issue from my point of view is the lack of Vaccine that lays at Justin’s door. Ford is getting hammered for the roll out and closing some injection sites when we ran out of vaccine. Get the people that want the shot have one the stragglers will most likely get one.Having lineups around the block at night does not help.
#39 IHCTD9 on 05.19.21 at 4:45 pm
You have a nice backyard Sail.
I think even the high exalted Grizzly 700 SE (in sweet Tactical Black) would be challenged.
———————–
Keep this piece of noisy shit out of the country.
I like the peace and quiet when I meditate among the majestic trees. (well, many of them have already been slaughtered, as you can see.)
And the animals would appreciate it, too.
#50
My son and granddaughter both have had Covid
If anyone is noticing traffic patterns, rush hour around GTA has increased substantially in the past week. Wait another month and those that bought 2hrs from work will have massive regrets. Fools.
Vacinations by Police officers in the States are way below the country’s average.
Are these uniformed “heroes” just cowards, or Repuplican conspiracy theory followers?
My guess is it’s the latter.
Certainly, not role models, for sure.
Last night I was talking to my suddenly vaccine hesitant 30 something yr old son in Montreal. He tells me he’s decided to pass on the vaccine because “did you hear about that guy who had half his intestines taken out after getting one?” He was already sceptical about the vaccine (he doesn’t read much past the iPhone scrolling clearly). As a recently vaxxed 60 something, I was thrilled that I might finally be able to see extended family again after almost 2 years, and in struts Mr. Vaccine Hesitant to burst my bubble. Insert sigh here. Among many things, COVID has revealed that much of the media now operates on click bait, what if’s and maybes, and I’ve come to finally accept that my son is one of those idiot vaccine conspiracy theorists. That’s disappointing. The other one thing that COVID has revealed is all the nut jobs out there in plain sight. That’s been eye opening if not depressing as hell. I do look forward to spending time with smart, ideally vaccinated humans again.
#49 Baffled on 05.19.21 at 5:22 pm
Studies from before the pandemic have concluded that people who work from home are less likely to be promoted and are the first to be laid off when those situations come along. Apparently not seeing the people makes it easier to do these things.
————
Of course,
Just human nature.
Out of sight, out of mind.
#41 DON on 05.19.21 at 4:56 pm
#2 GAV on 05.19.21 at 2:52 pm
Is it just me, or does anyone else get the impression that Vancouver Island people, and in particular Nanaimo people dominate this blog?
Full disclosure, I am born and raised in Nanaimo.
Harewood rules
———-
Didn’t local realtors rename it ‘the University District’.
@sail Away cute dog. Nanaimo lakes area? Nice view.
———-
Yes, this pic is off Nanaimo Lakes Road- 700m elev. on Mt. Benson runout.
Enough trails to ride forever… but not Chainsaw Ridge!
@#19 Sail Away on 05.19.21 at 3:30 pm
#11 the jaguar on 05.19.21 at 3:08 pm
Sail Away’s pooch! He is gorgeous
——–
Aw, thanks, I’ll let him know. He came from Four Point Kennels in Cochrane, Alberta.
_____
I guess he was born on May 5th, or that’s the day you picked him up (?) Cinco de Mayo?
I was NWFH (not working from home) before the pandemic. My wife was WFH for years before the pandemic. So the biggest impact has been on my children (one in grade school 2 in university). We elected to do at home learning because we were mostly around anyway and the school protocols did not sound fun, so my son was the most affected. He is looking forward to going back in class in the fall because at his age it has been a struggle to stay focused and he wants to see his friends in person rather than on Discord.
He was in better spirits once Scouts and soccer picked up outdoors but of course that has been shut down again too, hopefully to resume after the long weekend.
My middle child was finishing her B.Ed. so she had to go in class because of practicum, and that was on again off again, so quite disruptive. She finished in April and was set to become a substitute teacher starting in May (ya money) but nope. The schools were really struggling with substitute teachers due to the covid but just when a whole new crop of them graduated and were available for work they closed the schools.
We are all booked for a shot but I couldn’t get an appointment until June. Once they opened it up to 12 & over it was nuts. Oh well it isn’t that far away at this point. Considering this is Alberta, home of the covid deniers, they don’t seem to be having any trouble finding people to take the shot.
I do not believe employers should mandate employees get the vax, but they could perhaps have employees sign off an indemnification. It wouldn’t bother me because by the time I return to a work setting I will have been vaxxed. Safety starts with you. Sometimes you just have to let Darwin do his thing.
#47 crowdedelevatorfartz on 05.19.21 at 5:10 pm
@#3 Ponzies Prehistoric Phone
“Only very few people from work have my home #.”
+++
You still have a landline?
Do you have to crank it to get the operator?
———–
Uncanny.
How did you know? Yeah, I had one. An antic.
On a trip to Vegas, I took it to the Pawnstars for appraisal.
They were not filming the show that day.
They gave me a fair price, and off to the strip I went.
3 days. Unfortunately, I’m not allowed to divulge details.
“Studies have shown getting two doses can cut the risk of transmitting to others by 50 to 70 per cent, Vinh noted. But the effectiveness of one dose in limiting transmissibility is not yet known.”
“The emergence of the variants has been a stark awakening that we are not out of the woods yet,” Vinh said. “I think the public has to be ready. This is not going to be ‘Okay, release the hounds’ and that’s it. It’s going to be ‘release the hounds and let’s see.’”
https://montrealgazette.com/news/quebec/has-quebec-reached-freedom-75-per-cent-not-so-fast
Nanaimo is a dreadful place. I live there.
Horrendous traffic and home prices. Way too much ocean, island, orca, river, trail and lake. And you can only get there if you essentially travel and eat ferry burgers.
Please don’t come (or go). Lol.
#142 IHCTD9 on 05.19.21 at 12:27 pm
#134 KLNR on 05.19.21 at 11:53 am
really depends on what the guy actually did back then.
____
From the sounds of it, he “exposed himself” to her. Young and stupid, in University and probably drunk – decades ago.
What-ev.
I have been downwind of such expositions and much “worse” at the hands of Women. For some reason I just can’t gather the motivation to launch a “Historical Sexual Misconduct” case against any of them.
What a waste of time…
——————————-
A chatty young lady that used to work for me told me of the time she reached up a man’s kilt to see if he was wearing anything underneath (yes, alcohol was involved). She received quite a scolding including the words “what would happen if I did that to you?” But no lawsuits.
(Answer: nothing but butt under the guy’s kilt.)
#41 DON on 05.19.21 at 4:56 pm
#2 GAV on 05.19.21 at 2:52 pm
Is it just me, or does anyone else get the impression that Vancouver Island people, and in particular Nanaimo people dominate this blog?
Full disclosure, I am born and raised in Nanaimo.
Harewood rules
————-
Another Nanaimomite here. I walk my dog down by that river estuary all the time. Lovely trail that starts next to the Living forest camp site, and looks over to Gabriola island.
Which trail is that in the photo, where does it start? Back route up Mt Benson?
Off to get my jab in a couple of hours….finally!
“Do you think WFH damages your career advancement?”
There’s an option you forgot for this “Don’t care” I work at a small company and there’s no where to advance too, which is just fine by me. I never had any interest in corporate ladders anyways
#109 Cici on 05.18.21 at 10:28 pm
#90 Oops
I don’t think Nonplused was trying to be derogatory, despite his awkward phrasing. I think he was trying to say that immigrants can no longer be pegged as only being good for fulfilling specific (and in the past, often “cheap”) labour needs because many of today’s newcomers are well-educated and/or business savvy and have diverse skill sets that are drivers for the economy and GDP. (Also, keep in mind that new entrants come from various nations and many of them probably do look just like him whatever he happens to look like). That’s what I got anyways, especially when I read this:
“It takes a lot of gumption to decide to up and leave your place of birth for brighter prospects, so a lot of these people are exactly the kind you would want to drive economic growth.”
———————————
Thank you.
#52 GAV on 05.19.21 at 5:48 pm
@Sail Away
Is that picture from the Mt. Benson lookout?
———
No, it’s on Gatekeeper trail near the top of Wolf Mountain just south of Benson. Coordinates 49.116323N, -124.027620W. Trailforks.com shows it well.
About 3.5km/500m vertical from the gate on Nan. Lakes Road, or 2km/325m v. from the NW Bay road gate.
Can’t really fit into the poll – job vanished temporarily due to Covid, and not exactly a WFH kind of profession. I can’t imagine sitting in one place for a living, it’s been bad enough the reduced mobility during the pandemic. Thank god for beer, bikes and motorcycles.
But I’ll be back in the air shortly. BillyBob Back to Big Boeings, Bitches! Things are definitely picking up worldwide, the contract jobs for experienced pilots to restart operations has started to noticeably increase and the rest of the industry will surely follow. (US aviation is on fire.)
The downtime was nice while it lasted but time to have some REAL fun!
#WFHSUX
@#72 BillyB
Two questions.
Do most pilots have to “refresh” their flight status with simulator training or are you all “ok to go”.
Have you seen the Youtube 74Gear blogcasts?
Interesting viewpoint from a 747 pilot.
@#666 Nanai-no
“Please don’t come (or go). Lol”
+++
God help us…. Ontario Cottage guy has moved to nanaimo…..
Many arguments on WFH can be made on both sides of the ledger. Time will tell. Eh
@#64 Ponzies Pawnshop Parables
“Yeah, I had one. An antic.”
++++
A funny phone?
Neat!
My uncle had a hand crank phone in his house that his parent had installed in the 1930’s.
It still hung on the hall wall where the telephone company placed it.
We opened it up and there was a paper card in it with the number. “Bedford #001”
My uncle explained it was the first phone in the hamlet.
After he died…. the phone went with the house in the Estate Sale.
Thats an antique!
#1 SoggyShorts
I suppose it’s never dawned on those overly exhuberant millennials that the only reason their payments are so “easy to afford” is because the money’s coming hot off the free printing press. I imagine they’ll start feeling the burn in the next few years as rates rise, and even more so in their mortgage-burdened never-retirements.
#109 Cici on 05.18.21 at 10:28 pm
PS, the US has a secret weapon in the trade wars. It’s called the H-1B visa. There is a path to citizenship. Between that and the foreign students program, the US is attempting to siphon off the best talent from around the world. And they are doing a not so bad job at it.
When I worked in the US under a TN visa (a similar brain draining mechanism targeting Canada) I was on a floor that was very mathematical and computer programy. There were a lot of immigrants. I mean a lot. From every country, from Britain to India to China, and all points in-between. Former Soviet states too.
I learned a lot about Americans during my time there. They were fairly accepting of me being there as a Canadian for about 2 years. But after that there was more and more pressure to “commit”. Almost like a girlfriend. “Why haven’t you bought a house and moved here yet? We can get you a permanent green card. And our little league team could use your son. I can set up a meeting with the coach.”
They accept all comers, but get kind of offended if after a period of time you don’t become one of them. “What’s so great about Canada?” they figure. They consider it an insult you are still flying home for the weekend rather than bringing your family over for a weekend BBQ.
So Americans are a “funny bunch” too. And this behavior is not just “American borns”, the immigrants are also very much like “Hey I moved here from India, certainly you can get here from Alberta. There is a nice house for sale right down the street from me.”
I elected not to go, but I am not sure that was the right decision.
I learned several other things about Americans while working there:
They are unabashedly pushy. “Why don’t you come over for a BBQ this weekend?” is not a request it is a command. If you aren’t burying your mother you had better be there.
They don’t know that Canada has it’s own currency and many of them have never seen Canadian currency. To the point they will refuse Canadian quarters in their change.
They think Toronto is Canada.
Very few of them have heard of Justin Trudeau.
They haven’t heard of The Tragically Hip.
They do know who Justin Bieber is, but they think he is from California. (I wish he was.)
They think we have a “Canadian accent”. Even people in Minnesota think people from Ontario have an inexplicable accent.
They sometimes talk about moving to Canada if a certain election result occurs, but they never do. Probably because they can’t find it on a map. Yes, we are that unimportant to them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIH-J3uLN3E
#8 Classical Liberal Millennial on 05.19.21 at 3:01 pm
Turner Nation slowly running out of conspiracies to write about.
I don’t want to return to the office. 40 hours a week in an open concept, dull office is depressing. A hybrid model would be just fine, and I’d happily take a 50/50 split, but management here wants everyone back asap and everything to be exactly as it was before. Morale is low though and I don’t think people will easily forget the lack of empathy and flexibility many employees experienced during this trying time. Especially those with young kids.
=============
Let me give you a bit of career advice here ,the sooner you come to realize that the above action is the norm and show excitement and support for management actions like the above the sooner you can join their ranks, save a ton, invest and be financially independent.
All you needs is 10 years making 6 figures saving 50% of that money (invested obviously) and you are set for life.
First thing I learned as a newly minted manager was to ignore the complainers and encourage and support those that want to go up the ladder and show engagement. Next is to always be packed ,have a resume ready and be on the lookout for the next better paying job.
Cynical and pragmatic for sure ,but that is how life is ,nobody is looking out for you but yourself so stop caring and start chasing a hard financial target at work instead of the HR unicorns.
There is not a single manager out that that cares about your feelings ,what they care is your performance and the impact on their pay and bonuses.
Chase happiness at home with your family and your personal group of friends.
Work is what pays for the lifestyle, don’t let it become your life.
And on a separate note I find TN’s post valuable and occasionally entertaining. It is always good to acknowledge different point of views and see how others think.
I work in a food plant and most people are getting vaccinated. There are a few who don’t want or on the fence. I don’t think it should be mandatory. Once you have the vaccine then your are immune to unvacinated anyway
@ nonpulsed whatever you say…
Honest, honest question – Have you ever had a real flesh and blood friend? Blogs obviously don’t count ;). Sounds to me that you really want to be liked and accepted.
Please. Let’s say kindergarten to…grade 11. Enlighten us. Nitty-gritty though. Not just your usual ‘oh I just wanna be liked’ BS.
Up for the challenge?
@54 : Quote : “The biggest issue from my point of view is the lack of Vaccine that lays at Justin’s door.”
Canada is currently #3 in terms of vaccination per % of population in the G20. And we are accelerating…
So tell me, how is that a “lack of vaccine”?
Im all for questioning the government, etc when they’ve done something wrong. But seriously?
@Shawn : Quote “Once you have the vaccine then your are immune to unvacinated anyway”
It doesnt work that way. No vaccine is 100%. Surround yourself by vaccinated people, statistically – you’re safe. It doesnt work if you have unvaccinated people around you.
And the unvaccinated will keep spreading it amongst themselves. The more a virus spreads, the more it mutates, the more it mutates .. Then potentially it could become immune to vaccine and/or more deadly.
Personally I learned this stuff when I was 15, apparently a lot of the population was asleep during classes on viruses and vaccines?
#80 Shawn on 05.19.21 at 8:16 pm
I work in a food plant and most people are getting vaccinated. There are a few who don’t want or on the fence. I don’t think it should be mandatory. Once you have the vaccine then your are immune to unvacinated anyway
__________________________________________
Why do people think they are immune after getting a vaccination? So much misinformation thanks to the media and these comments prove that most people only know what they’re told.
I am sure lots of people have already seen this however it is worth a watch as it is so funny.
https://youtu.be/Gxm7Hu-IHJs
I think it definitely catches the going back to work feel and life we are all having.
Hopefully the person who made the ad got a promotion.
The poll isn’t set up for a previously semi-retired guy like me. I was doing substitute teaching, but found it a little too weird having to wear a mask in the classroom, so I stopped doing sub work and became fully retired for the past half year. Not having to answer early morning calls to go to work is pleasant, so I’m considering not paying my professional fee for next year and letting the teaching cert lapse. My wife says I should maintain certification because some cruise lines offer fare discounts for teachers.
Time to get back to the office.
Let’s get back to normal then work on the hybrid model if that works.
But dang….. I sure as heck miss being around people in general.
#76 crowdedelevatorfartz on 05.19.21 at 7:39 pm
@#64 Ponzies Pawnshop Parables
“Yeah, I had one. An antic.”
++++
A funny phone?
Neat!
My uncle had a hand crank phone in his house that his parent had installed in the 1930’s.
———–
Sorry, can’t resist.
So you’re family invented the “crank phone call”.
Can’t say it surprises me.
This is a bit of a weird poll. The first question asks whether we worked from home, and then all the following ones assume that we did, and are mandatory.
I didn’t work from home. Went from being laid off (aviation) to working retail in a booming industry: bicycles. Booming, but the pay is still awful and the work currently stressful due to the record demand in sales and service. 40% cut in pay, lost all benefits, and working hours and commuting costs have increased considerably.
My wife wants to move to Nanaimo. I don’t.
Found on the internet…
– SteveO
“WHY DOGS LIVE LESS THAN HUMAN
Here’s the surprising answer of a 6 year old child.
Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.
I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.
As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker‘s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.
The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that dogs’ lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ”I know why.”
Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try and live.
He said, ”People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life — like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?” The six-year-old continued,
”Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay for as long as we do.””
………..
Have been WFH for let’s say at least half a decade and that’s not going to change. Will probably retire never married, so in my late 40s with enough investments to make a decent “salary” (and a very modest lifestyle) I’m not concerned about a career.
I hope all the late after-hours and weekend non-urgent emails come to a halt once the new to WFH go back to the office.
Garth et al:
The vaxxx question…big one. If your employer states, you must take vaccine or you won’t have a job. You take it. Then you get something nasty the next day and go off on sick leave. Or long term. Can you sue the employer for damages for being forced to take the Vaxxx under duress with threats of job loss? Just curious how the law works and how employers may be liable for the few isolated cases where someone actually gets sick after taking the Vaxxx. I lost my job due to restructing recently and the people doing the interviewing have been asking me about covid poking to see if I have taken the Vaxxx…
There are others that say, “my body, my choice”. If that statement applies to a segment of Canadians, it should apply to all Canadians for all medical conditons
Here’s a new survey (from KPMG) shedding some light on these issues. Most workers, it found, have had enough of WFH and want WFW instead – or, at least, a hybrid model.
—————
Hybrid seems very reasonable even years ago if you are doing 40 hours a week 13.5 hours a day for 3 days sure beats 8 for 5.
Save time and money on the commute 4 days at the cottage.
#10 Horace with no name on 05.19.21 at 3:06 pm
#1 SoggyShorts on 05.19.21 at 2:46 pm
#102 millenlial on 05.18.21 at 10:12 pm
Ok, so what if we want to pay 100,000 more – on a 1.25 million home that’s less than 9% over. You make it seem like its tons of money. It barely changes our payment.
Or to take your analogy one step further … 9% on the houses I am looking at would cost be another million. No thanks… i didn’t get to where i am by throwing good money after bad.
But bears have been saying this in Vancouver for 20 years. You could have paid 9% over asking at any time in the past 20 years and on any timeframe beyond 12 months you’d be making out like a bandit over the long term, up triple digits percentage wise.
All this for price of model 3…
https://www.autonews.com/cars-concepts/ford-f-150-lightning-padded-content-bold-pricing-around-40k
#81 oops on 05.19.21 at 8:27 pm
@ nonpulsed whatever you say…
Honest, honest question – Have you ever had a real flesh and blood friend? Blogs obviously don’t count ;). Sounds to me that you really want to be liked and accepted.
Please. Let’s say kindergarten to…grade 11. Enlighten us. Nitty-gritty though. Not just your usual ‘oh I just wanna be liked’ BS.
Up for the challenge?
——————————–
What challenge? I don’t have any Facebook friends because I deleted my account. Bunch of silly nonsense on there anyway. I used to have IRL friends until covid. Now it’s just you and me and Fartz and Faron.
#78 Nonplused
And thank you! That was a good read. I do love our pushy American cousins, and quite frankly I probably would have taken them up on the offer (if I had been the brainiac material they were after, LOL!). Regardless, even if that were the case, I couldn’t right now because I have shared custody, so a move is out of the question (wouldn’t be right or fair to my son or his father). But I would looove to spend a good chunk of my retirement in the States.
But for now, I’m hiding out in Québec, which to me is the Best Place In Canada ;-)
#55 Ponzius Pilatus on 05.19.21 at 6:04 pm
#39 IHCTD9 on 05.19.21 at 4:45 pm
You have a nice backyard Sail.
I think even the high exalted Grizzly 700 SE (in sweet Tactical Black) would be challenged.
———————–
Keep this piece of noisy shit out of the country.
I like the peace and quiet when I meditate among the majestic trees. (well, many of them have already been slaughtered, as you can see.)
And the animals would appreciate it, too.
————-
Ponzie, I don’t own Polaris or CanAm. The Griz purrs like a kitten, is 100% stock right down to the tires, a couple bluejays would drown out the exhaust note, and if I took you for a trail ride on a nice sunny afternoon, you’d be down at the YAMAHA dealership as fast as you could get there.
It’s the second slowest mainstream big bore ATV you can buy, just ahead of the HONDA. Perfect for meditation, although not quite as good as running an old all-mechanical track loader.
Speaking of heavy equipment, where the heck is WUL?
This business of defiantly defending some ‘enlightened age theory’ of ‘work from home’ reminds me of the same folks who seemingly do not understand that while alternative energy sources are a move in the right direction with some realistic applications, one cannot snap your fingers and overnight think you have walked through the energy ‘Looking Glass”. This isn’t ‘Alice in Wonderland in either scenario’.
Some business applications will lend themselves to a work from home environment and others will not. To live among the society of people is normal to the human condition, and the resulting collaboration is responsible for most of our current comfortable lifestyles..
I think about those poor Chilean miners who were trapped in that underground mine back in 2010 and the miracle of human ingenuity that brought them back to their life on earth. To their families, friends, and colleagues. People need one another. In professional and private life. ( Do I hear the strains of Streisand singing ‘ People’.. people who need people.?)
The psychologist Iturra said about those ( Chilean miners ) …. ““If handled correctly, this could become a very important event in their lives, one that leaves no damage and could even boost their self-esteem,” Iturra said. “With our miners, we unfortunately made mistakes, [including] not returning them quickly enough to their normal lives.”.
In time history may show us that the Pandemic had a greater impact on our lives than we think. Buyer Beware.
I don’t know about other people, but I have alway found routine to be a great friend. I like the discipline of an everyday schedule. Familiar faces, places and purpose. That feeling of accomplishment and connection to all of those…. Can there be a better time to be alive?
Oh dear, there goes the Clown Alarm Bell…time to grab the keys, slide down the Clown Pole, put the key in the ignition, and round up the usual suspects. Could be a long haul. Five alarm Clown Alarm this time… Mercy.
#76 crowdedelevatorfartz on 05.19.21 at 7:39 pm
@#64 Ponzies Pawnshop Parables
“Yeah, I had one. An antic.”
++++
A funny phone?
Neat!
My uncle had a hand crank phone in his house that his parent had installed in the 1930’s.
It still hung on the hall wall where the telephone company placed it.
We opened it up and there was a paper card in it with the number. “Bedford #001”
My uncle explained it was the first phone in the hamlet.
After he died…. the phone went with the house in the Estate Sale.
Thats an antique!
____________
Besides one missed apostrophe, you’re knocking it out of the park tonight.
Geez, Garth, change the software you use to create polls. It’s not user friendly for a touchscreen.
Spelling out WFH for newcomers when it is the central theme of the article will save unnecessary trips to google. Just once, in the first paragraph will do. Cheers.
The pandemic will never end because the powers that be love it. Everyone that gets vaxxed becomes a human pseudo-virus hybrid prone to blood clots and autoimmune disorders. Excellent business opportunities for health and funeral professionals. Plus the birth rate drops off and we go into the die phase of the human mouse utopia experiment. Crappy deal for the citizens though….
@73 Crowdie
BillyBob likely busy… Airline pilots must do sim sessions every six months anyhow, plus must have five landings (real or sim) in the last six months to be current (but 3 in 3 for my European colleagues).
When only doing flight-test, we get sim checks every two years, but recurrent training annually. Before flying any pax however, we must meet the airlines and landings requirements.
Laid-off pilots likely do sim refreshers with competency check, plus requalify for firefighting, ditching, first-aid, etc, via CBT and/or group training. Smart pilot pairings also maximizes safety, but isn’t required.
# 90. S. Bby. Then don’t. There are plenty of people here, already. You would hate it !
Folks,
First: There is a bit of a paradox in the statements of those who thing the government will not let housing fail which therefore drives up prices. Typically if you believe that the government is providing such a risk hedge, the pricing reflecting the hedge should be cheaper (i.e., it is priced in).
Second: No one is bigger than the market, not even CBs. The current situation, what we are observing, is like a bottle of ketchup: you can shake and shake and nothing comes out, then all of a sudden ketchup is everywhere. We should be further concerned that this is taking place in Canadian dollars, which is not a reserve currency. It is a slightly different story in USA, however this currency will not be the world’s reserve forever.
I have been working from work with a bunch of construction guys who season their white bread sandwich with whatever grime is on their fingers. They stopped caring about the pandemic 13 months ago. No one ever got the thing either.
They unsurprisingly are not interested in a vaccine or vaccine passports and we have a skilled labour shortage. Economics will decide this one.
What are they gonna do, ban 25% of the population from buying groceries and earning a living? This can’t possibly go wrong.
Now that the pandemic is almost over, I’ve rethought my stance on not stooping to take the free cash that the guv was so eagerly throwing at people. It was the principle.
Now I’m thinking, was I wrong? So many people I know lined their pockets with free cash and laughed all the way to the bank. They love the pandemic and the lockdowns and all the excuses to not do anything and to justify the idleness of their deadbeat kids (who will continue to be deadbeats once the pandemic is a faint memory).
Is there still free money? CERB or any of that welfare?
I’m gonna come n’ git me some. Oh yeah!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBOuIGcIiu0
I can’t even count or remember. Played tennis, soccer, golf, went in the park with friends, went for beers. Most of The tennis courts in west end toronto are open, locks broken, fences cut by THE REAL PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT BUYING FORD’s scams any more..
And u know why, Garth Turner??
Because the Moro-nic public servants in canadian govt have lied to their SHEEP consistently for over a year..and scared the stu_pid sheep into submission.
BTW I GREW UP BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN AND CAN SPOT GOVT PROPAGANDA AND MANIPULATION FROM 10000 MILES AWAY…LOOOL
Not so for the gullible and low IQ canadian Public, most of them seem to be people with special needs..lool
#96 NoName on 05.19.21 at 10:48 pm
All this for price of model 3…
https://www.autonews.com/cars-concepts/ford-f-150-lightning-padded-content-bold-pricing-around-40k
___
I see the Limited is 90K USD, and the XLT is 54K. It’ll be interesting to see where these things are priced once actually sitting on a Canadian dealer’s lot.
I watched the total insanity enfold when the RAM TRX came out. 70K USD MSRP, 95K CAD MSRP – actual price at a Canuck dealership? Usually around 145K. Then there are the flippers (yes, truck flippers) who are asking ~167K on Kijiji.
My gut feel is that no F150 Lightnings will be had for anywhere near MSRP in anywhere Canada. Our dealerships will make sure of that. Maybe they’ll take offers for a week and then hold a blind auction.
They do look great though – awesome power, 300 mile range, not stupid looking like the TESLA truck. It was a great idea to call it the Lightning too, you’d almost think these things are aimed at Gen-X and Boomers…
#105 Keen Reader on 05.20.21 at 7:26 am
@73 Crowdie
BillyBob likely busy… Airline pilots must do sim sessions every six months anyhow, plus must have five landings (real or sim) in the last six months to be current (but 3 in 3 for my European colleagues).
When only doing flight-test, we get sim checks every two years, but recurrent training annually. Before flying any pax however, we must meet the airlines and landings requirements.
Laid-off pilots likely do sim refreshers with competency check, plus requalify for firefighting, ditching, first-aid, etc, via CBT and/or group training. Smart pilot pairings also maximizes safety, but isn’t required.
———————
Thanks for the useless information.
I, for one will sleep much better, knowing that.
And now to news from the Middle East.
@#110 Broken
“Not so for the gullible and low IQ canadian Public, most of them seem to be people with special needs..”
+++
I see you failed political correctness when they were teaching it in preschool.
“People miss their colleagues and just want to come back in and say hello and be a part of the buzz”.
I find that really hard to believe anyone actually said that.
>Others will desire the creativity and culture of workplaces be restored.
What workplace is this? Most workplaces are ruled with an Iron Fist and shrouded in bureaucracy, creativity doesn’t exist in most workplaces.
I live in Cambridge and many GTA divorcing couples are selling their large detached home there and buying TWO smaller detached homes here for about the same price as what they sold their 1 home for and fixing up the older houses in Cambridge.
It looks like we are going to have a Go Train coming right to our backyard very soon if you want to work near Union Station or somewhere in between.
Expect more opportunities for entrepreneurship with so many existing businesses going under due to the pandemic. Somebody else’s loss is your gain. Start a side business if you can manage it or go all in and do it full time if you have a spouse/partner and can live on 1 income while you build your business.
WFH has been a reality for many people for decades and it works fine for many types of jobs. It’s time the rest of you joined the land of the living. Move away from the GTA and the jobs will follow you instead of you following the jobs. Cheaper houses and cheaper rents for your employer are waiting for you in towns like Cambridge. Your employer will be MORE cost competitive and able to grow their business by following you to what some people refer to as the boonies.
Employers who do not adapt to the new reality will soon find themselves struggling to find qualified employees or even find that their employees have gone into competition with them and since they work from home they have a cost advantage and can outbid you when trying to steal your business from existing customers. That’s how I built my businesses.
In 1994, my last employer who owned very large buildings in the GTA and other metropolitan centers across Canada with many employees went bankrupt after 40 years in business under the weight of all the out of control expenses. That created a lot of opportunities for me with my new business and after only 2 years I ended up buying my first home at age 30 with a 30% down payment when homes were selling at the bottom of the market in 1996. I was a teenage mother and had a 12 year old child by the time I bought my first home.
The past is not the future.
IDCTD9
“I’m so damn glad to have got out of the gate before politicians like Trudeau came along”
Ditto, and hope to get rid him so he can get back to being the kindergarden teacher he was born to be!!
COVID has shown how vulnerable and unprepared we are to manage the existential challenges that face us.
Having failed to sufficiently learn from past pandemics have we, or at least our leaders, learned anything over the past year?
We ignore the lessons of history at our peril.
We must respect and better understand the nature and importance of viruses.
Many sobering truths in this incredible article:
https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2021/05/21/The-Pandemic-Speaks