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And that’s a reduced fine after the success of her appeal –  she was initially fined for $60,000.

Aside from the hassle of going to court and the financial stress, unfortunately the feeding of dangerous wildlife does not do them any good. In this instance the three bears, which had been habituated into visiting the woman’s property regularly, had to be euthanized because they posed a risk to public safety.

It’s obvious that in this case the woman is an animal-lover and has the best of intentions in helping the bears. But feeding them is not a good idea: If you love wildlife, keep your distance from them so that they don’t come too close to human habitats.

A month onwards from November’s midterm elections in the US, taking this Senate seat in Georgia matters quite a bit to the Democrats: Joe Biden’s party now has a marginal lead in the upper chamber of Congress by 51-49.

But it’s the Republicans that holds the lower chamber, or the House of Representatives, by a slight majority.

These results translate to a balance of power between the two parties, ie, without Republican support, Joe Biden has little chance of passing any of his party’s policy (including healthcare, education, gun control and economically-related programs) unilaterally in Congress. In other words, to pass a policy in legislature, both sides’ approval are needed.

What does it mean for the near future in the US? Probably less uncertainty but at the same time, don’t expect major changes in federal programs such as healthcare or gun control bills.

Two Scarborough residents each signed individual contracts with a plumbing company for repair services amounting to $33,335 and ~$15,000 respectively.  

Fortunately both residents sought a 2^nd opinion. 

It turned out that the first resident got her flooding problem fixed by another plumber for $1,700. 

In the second case, the toilet that needed repairs was done by the resident’s father in 1.5 hours, and the necessary part for the repairs was purchased from Home Depot for $50. 

CTV News stepped in, and eventually both residents obtained a refund. The media’s advice include always seeking a second opinion for contract work, and exercising vigilance when signing the contract agreement ie, to ensure full refund is available to the customer who wants out.

Globally around 1 in 800 are born with disabling clubfoot. 

Treatment is surprising low-cost and non-invasive – Use a new plaster once a week to gradually position the feet back into place, and after an average of 5 to 8 plasters the feet are corrected to their proper position.

It’s a pity that not enough Africans seek treatment for their newborn with clubfoot. They may not be aware of a cure, or there’s stigma that deterred them from taking their infant for early screening.

Earlier in the year he’s won $91,000, and this time it’s $150,000!

What are the chances of winning a big prize in the lottery? One in ten million? 

So how is it even possible to hit the jackpot twice in a year?

There’s really no strategy or manipulation involved. (If someone tries to tell you there’s a trick to it, do not believe him or her.)

Anyways congratulations to the very, very lucky fella.

A heart of romaine lettuce is selling for $6.99, and a head of lettuce – $5.99. 

The reason?  In BC, our lettuces mainly come from California. And this year, extreme arid conditions in that region have led to low yields in crops and resulting in supply shortages. 

Climate change is affecting our daily life in the form of eye-popping increases in food prices ie, for the time being, many of us have taken green salads off our menus.

As BC residents, we remember very well that around this time last year, our Sumas Prairie, home to numerous farmlands, have experienced drastic floods which overwhelmed dykes and buried much of our farmers’ crops and livestocks underwater. 

One year onwards, many farmers have yet to be compensated, while others are out by tens of thousands in cash because only 70% of their losses were compensated. Ultimately though, we as consumers will end up feeling the crunch when we see further price hikes in our grocery bills.

The price of groceries soared by 11.4% in September, reaching a 41-year high. 

Such record-high inflation have left Canadians struggling financially: A national survey showed that one in five Canadians can no longer afford to eat as healthily as they did before the pandemic, and about 1 in 3 Canadians are skipping meals to save money. 

Now let’s switch to a farmer’s perspective: 

Richard Melvin owns 36 hectares of cauliflower in Nova Scotia, and he says up to 40% of the crop are plowed back into the ground because of tight standards imposed by the retailer; these perfectly edible cauliflowers are rejected for being too creamy-coloured, too big or too small. 

Melvin says the wastage of cauliflower at his farm would be enough to feed the entire province.

Many farmers are in the same boat – their crops are plowed back or discarded as they cannot afford to harvest, package and transport fruits and vegetables that are unpaid for.

Indeed, a 2019 government report estimated a 13% wastage of Canadian-grown crops.

It’s quite apparent that we need to connect the dots here – these healthy foods need to find their way into the kitchen of those suffering from food insecurity. 

Today is a day to commemorate the sacrifices made by our nation’s heroes in protecting our country. 

We are only able to enjoy our peaceful and democratic way of life because our veterans have bravely served our country in times of need.

Yet merely wearing a poppy and providing veterans with free bus rides for one day in a year is not enough. Over 100 veterans in the province of BC are currently homeless. Tens of thousands of veterans are still waiting for their financial-aid applications and disability claims to be approved.

We also need to do more to help veterans integrate back into civilian society. Some have spent over a decade in the military, constantly in a fight-or-flight state of mind so that they can dodge a flying bullet anytime, anywhere. A psychologist have said, ‘It’s difficult to fall asleep with a tiger in the room.’ Thus, upon returning to society, many develop PTSD and become frightful when they hear bullet-like sounds such as firecrackers. 

Many veterans, with years of experience in the war zone and with little credentials, have found it difficult to impress employers in their search for work.

It’s time to show that we care about our heroes and their wellbeing.

As we enjoy more freedom from decriminalization, we also need to step up and exercise self-discipline. Yes, we can smoke pot at our leisure, but we need to do so responsibly. 

As with almost everything else in life, it makes sense to use any substance in moderation. There’s no harm in feeling a little high, but don’t let the use of any substance impair our judgement. We want to be in our right mind when we work, drive, play sports or spend quality time with our family and friends.

And when we’re done with a joint, don’t just discard it on the ground in a park or on the sidewalk. Children and pets have gotten really sick from playing with discarded butts. A lady in tears was just describing to the media how her crazily barking pup suffered from anxiety, incontinence and extreme discomfort after sniffing a pot butt. 

Many KOLs see giant grocers reporting record profits and hastily conclude that these retailers are profiteering at a time when the average Joe or Jane is struggling to make ends meet. 

But that may not be the case.

Take Loblaw (one of the biggest grocers in Canada) for example, which has reported record-high profits for the first half of 2022: The grocer made an extra $180 million than its previous high, which translates to an increased profit of $1 million per day for six months.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean Loblaw jacked up prices to increase profits –  the key evidence to consider is the company’s PROFIT MARGIN. If profit margin stays the same despite price increases in their merchandise, that is evidence that expenses/costs for goods went up and that the company didn’t pocket any extra money. 

Increased expenses may be caused by many factors ie, higher wages, higher transportation costs for goods, and/or higher prices demanded by suppliers such as wholesalers, processors and manufacturers.

And indeed, Loblaws’ Vice President confirmed that this is the case when she told the media that their profit margin has remained static during the period of high inflation.

I am pretty sure that one contributing factor for the grocers’ record profit is that people are cooking at home more and eating out less.