from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Tue, Sep 2, 2014 at 11:34 PM
subject OTAN: Ottawa profiterait d’un compromis sur les dépenses militaires; Del Mastro’s lawyer calls key Crown witness a liar
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived another Monday (though now it is Tuesday). My knee is healing nicely, but slowly. I am a bit slack with my exercises but I am quite mobile, at least around the house. Did I tell you about the concert? It was good, though I think the massive free show they gave 3 years ago at Place des Arts was perhaps more epic. They did have a great band on stage though, and the mirrored video was a nice touch. There were fewer people than I had thought, only 30 or 40 thousand. Like a couple Habs games.
Did I mention going to the pool with the kids and meeting up with Femke yesterday? And then finding all the grocery stores closed, lucking out with Mondiana still open, but then making a bland, lame veggie-burgers and eggplant on the bbq dish. Today I mostly worked on the model of the apartment. My dad made a hole in the ceiling in my studio and we realize that the wall we wish to remove is indeed bearing load. A couple apartments and a roof of load. So I made a new plan. An engineer is coming on Thursday to take a look and make suggestions.
In other news, it started to rain on us as we were eating outside tonight (Dad had picked up salmon, I had cooked a better supper with asparagus and the fish as well as some cauliflower on the bbq, rice and corn on the stove), and the kids enjoyed the rain so much they played out front and got soaking wet and loved it. Sol also loved bending over and drinking rainwater from small puddles. Later tonight during storytime my Mom showed up unexpectedly. She had finished the quilts she had needed to do and wanted to come up and surprise us. They will both still be here for their birthdays so I need to think of gifts or something. We’ll perhaps do a little party for them when Clo and Rose are back from Cape Cod. They leave on Thursday for a little camping trip with Etienne, Sarah and Femke.
Oh, and Stacy is here again overnight. He and Caroline fly out tomorrow. He’s been stressed for the past number of weeks about this big move. Also he finished retouching and printing photos for his show at New Gallery in October. You should try to see it! I’ll send you the dates when I have them.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Sep 3, 2014 at 11:20 PM
subject Élections fédérales: Brian Mulroney prédit une chaude lutte; Baird vows Canadian support on secret visit to Iraq
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived The Captain’s departure this morning. He and Caroline spent the morning packing and organizing their stuff, the bulk of their worldly possessions. After they left I survived a trip out to Hells Creation, otherwise known as IKEA. We kept Rose with us, and she spent an hour in Smälland before we had lunch and continued shopping. I am costing out the kitchen cabinets. Looking to be between $2100 – $2500, depending on how one calculates (linear footage or per unit). Not quite sure how that works. Countertops are going to run us around $3000. After navigating traffic (my dad is starting to drive with a slight Montreal edge), my mom took Rose to Jarry pool (still open!) and I ordered supper from Rajastan. The kids were total goofballs and my mom loved taking videos of their adorable antics.
I realize now that it is already September, the Chapman takedown must be in full swing (I feel only mildly guilty for not being there), and I have not made any paintings, applied for any shows, or filled out my CPC nomination papers, nor called SIMS to get an updated list of current Papineau CPC party members, or anything I had hoped to do while healing. I have not yet heard back from the MACM and Toitures Experts have postponed again until Friday. Problems with parking permits, the weather, the holidays, etc. They are as good at procrastinating as I am!
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Fri, Sep 5, 2014 at 12:26 AM
subject Brian Mulroney critique Harper et vante Trudeau; Case against Del Mastro ‘overwhelming,’ Crown argues
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. Sorry, I’m in bed, Sol has climbed in with me, it’s late, I’m stuck in Facebook, I want to sleep. I will say we met with an engineer today and all seems good to go for a single exposed post with new beam to replace the load-bearing wall we wish to remove. We need to add a post in the basement too but that shouldn’t be too much extra. I still have no idea how much the professional recommendations from the engineer will cost. I’ll find out next week.
In other news, all my procrastinations continue.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Fri, Sep 5, 2014 at 11:00 PM
subject Barrières commerciales inter-provinciales: une «stupidité», selon Moore; Coyne: Illusions shed as war has come
Dear Stephen, I am still alive. I survived another session of physio, in fact I am healing quite well. Walked there and back. Picked up steaks and wine as Gilles was coming over for supper, he was treating. First time I have eaten meat since August 1 (the Spam sandwich the staff at Hôpital Notre Dame gave me after my first aborted knee surgery), and before that I guess was hamburgers at my folks in early July. Anyway, the steaks were delicious and came from ferme St, Vincent so no hormones or crazy shit fed to the cows. A quick thundershower rolled in while we were eating outside but we made it in in time. Clo and Rose are enjoying Cape Cod and Sol is enjoying being the centre of attention. Speaking of attention, I still haven’t heard back from the MACM. I called the head of HR and left a message. Oh, and Toitures Expert cancelled due to the heat today, and now it is I who will place traffic cones on Sunday evening so they can start Monday morning, If, and only if, they drop off the traffic cones this weekend. Anyway, now my folks are watching something on Netflix which I think will impact how well a film would stream for me, so I may just play Two Dots on my phone and go to bed. My procrastination of almost all things important continues unabated.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sat, Sep 6, 2014 at 10:45 PM
subject Séjour en Irak sans partisanerie pour Baird et ses adversaires; Nine-year-old boy steals Saskatoon city bus, smashes second bus and parked car
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived Jesse and Andrea’s housewarming brunch. The wheelchair ramp is holding up nicely! I still need to add side rails and a railing at some point, but given that I built it in 2 hours and am nowhere near a professional I am pleased it is holding up as well as it is. Later in the day my mom and I walked with Sol to Kim Waldron’s launch of Public Office, she is planning to run as an independent candidate in the federal election next year, which would mean she would be my adversary, if I am in fact successful with the CPC nomination. And why wouldn’t I be? Do you know of any plans to parachute a star candidate into the riding? If so, how would you get around the party bylaws? I don’t know of anyone else at this point interested in the candidature. And now? I’m trying to find something to watch on Netflix. Started the series Cosmos (the remake, with Neil DeGrasse Tyson), but now for something infantile yet classic: Wayne’s World. You’ve seen it before, right?
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Tue, Sep 9, 2014 at 10:28 PM
subject Le NPD se réunit au coeur du fief de Harper; Franklin ship discovery solves ‘one of Canada’s great mysteries’
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. My parents caught an early plane home this morning, leaving the house at 6am. Claudine drove them. The kids and I were up from then on. Once they were in daycare I puttered about the house, cleaning, washing laundry, etc. And then for lunch I watched the HRM council proceedings regarding the state of the Khyber building. Then I wrote this rather long-winded letter. Now I’m going to watch some more Cosmos.
copy of a looooong letter sent to HRM Council after the 16-0 vote in favour of removing the Khyber from the “surplus” list and charging city staff to come up with where the $4-million renovation figure came from and also to get back to negotiating in good faith. Read on, if you dare:
I’d like to sincerely thank HRM council for adopting Waye Mason’s motion to remove The Khyber – the “Peggy’s Cove of Barrington Street” – from the surplus properties list at the meeting today September 9, 2014. It warms my heart to see that council does seem to understand the cultural and historic importance of this building; it is not simply a question of bricks and mortar.
I was director of the Khyber Arts Society from 2000-2003, so I know firsthand just how important a place the Khyber was; for students, artists, musicians, children, actors, poets, historians, tinkerers, and the general public. The Khyber was a true “cultural hub” long before HRM staff began using the term. I also know just how difficult it was to manage that musty old building, and I appreciate that there could be significant cost involved in renovating it. However, as Mr. Mason indicated in his amendment, it is imperative that city staff elaborate how they came up with a $4-million renovation figure. I believe the 2008 and 2010 reports should be used as a basis for a new starting point to begin these discussions. Surely a more modest proposal can emerge, something that repairs years of neglect, makes the building safe, but doesn’t necessarily break the bank.
The Khyber Arts Society is an artist-run centre that, despite being incredibly under-funded comparative to its cousins across the country, is considered “world class” by the many, many emerging and established visual artists that have graced its gallery walls, ceilings, stages, windows and other spaces since 1995. I cut my teeth in a fairly high-pressure administrative position learning on the job all about landlord-tenant responsibilities, negotiations, facility management, human resources, fundraising, volunteer board management, not to mention the things the KAS director is actually employed to do: write programming grants, schedule exhibitions, run a gallery, and write about art. My experience at the Khyber, surrounded by peers, was incredibly rewarding. I have no doubt that my The Khyber changed my life for the better, both professionally and personally (Like Joel Plaskett, I also met my future wife at the Khyber). The Khyber is not just a facility: it’s a facilitator.
However, it was not all roses. When I started worked at the KAS I was paid $10/hour. Does this not seem ridiculous, in hindsight? The new incoming director, taking over from Daniel Joyce, is probably getting a salary of $30-35K per year. Hello? And this one person is supposed to simply know how to negotiate with entrenched municipal bureaucrats? To grasp the nuances, to understand the flowcharts and hyper-specialized terminology? All this on top of running the society, which is mandated to run an artist-run centre, to provide exhibition space for artists, but NOT to create a “cultural hub” FOR the city. Talk about “value-added”!
I believe what seems to continually lead to misunderstandings between HRM and the KAS is linked to this economic disparity as well as to language. HRM City Staff have a department with highly-educated specialists dealing with the world of real estate; the KAS is run by a volunteer board of emerging and senior visual artists, and staffed by a professional in visual art exhibitions. It’s no small wonder that every few years a “Save the Khyber” campaign emerges (there were at least two during my term). What is apparent to users and visitors to the Khyber seems inexplicable to city staff; perhaps the lack of translation into economic terms of a “moving cultural experience” leads staff to think investing $4-million in renovations is a complete waste of taxpayer money. But what if we applied a few dollars to everyone who had a transformative experience at the Khyber? Since 1995 would we not have reached and surpassed $4-million in valued human experiences?
Now I know that doesn’t translate into tax revenue. I live in Montreal and pay taxes here now. I’m on the board of SKOL, an artist-run centre that pulls in double from Canada Council what the Khyber does. Why is that? Is it a reflection of programming? Not at all. It is a reflection of inadequate Provincial and Municipal support. There are many ARCs in Quebec that receive MORE from their province than they do from federal programs. If HRM wants to get Federal money to help renovate the Khyber, to make a “cultural hub”, to encourage cultural workers to stay or *gasp* return, then you have to put your money where your mouth is. You have to spend money to make money.
Sincerely,
Chris Lloyd
#everydaygoalie
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Sep 10, 2014 at 10:35 PM
subject Le maire de Toronto Rob Ford souffre d’une tumeur; Rob Ford hospitalized with tumour
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I heard back from the MAC finally, and I did not get the job. I came close: apparently it was a toss-up between myself and the person they hired, who was already in the union, so they were obligated to take them. In any case, it is a bit of a relief, as buying the apartment and dealing with mortgages, insurance, taxes, renovations, line of credit and all that is enough excitement and newness for me at the moment.
So I worked a bit on the Dear PM books, and got lost in Open Office formatting, and then tried to load a parallel system on my computer so I can run CIMS, to no avail. Then tonight I spoke with Jerry, who I know just got a computer and it is indeed a PC but he is having trouble with viruses and says he is already blocked out of his brand new email account. So I have resorted to asking friends on Facebook if I can use someone’s PC so I can access CIMS for my very vague and ill-defined party infiltration project. Oh, and I filled out almost all of the nomination papers for the candidacy, leaving only the hard parts for later (like describing why I would make a good candidate).
Sol played in his mini pool after daycare, Rose went to music lessons but they were cancelled again, this time because they didn’t have the correct instructor for her group. She is still obsessed with Frozen.
Clo is stressed from work, and is out now helping one of our Sarah’s cope with an emotional issue, while tomorrow she has to help another with a professional problem. She’s overworked, and I’m underworked yet overwhelmed at the same time. I can’t seem to find the motivation to stick with any one project, except maybe washing laundry. That I seem to do fairly consistently. And keep the house tidy. Not super clean mind you, but tidy. Except I have yet to begin classifying all my papers. I have new binders, and every intention of doing it….but procrastination seeps in, and I get lost on Facebook or something.
Now, for a bit more of Cosmos. It really lulls me right to sleep. FWI I am writing you tonight from an iPad and don’t know where anything is, so no spellcheck tonight. I must be part luddite.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Thu, Sep 11, 2014 at 10:20 PM
subject Garderies: le réseau projeté par le NPD raillé par les conservateurs; Reevely: Ontario Liberals subsidize the burger-flipping jobs of the knowledge economy
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived a quick trip to IKEA to get frames for those old paintings of mine I borrowed from my grandmother LAST YEAR to get re-framed for her. I did one while my parents were here and they took it back with them but boy can I procrastinate with the best of them! I also spoke to an “associate” about ordering kitchen cabinets. Then I was looking at tiles at Le Tuillerie across the street before meeting Katie at the airport. In exchange she treated me to lunch at Brooklyn, then I dropped her off at her hotel (she is celebrating a friends’ 40th birthday this weekend), then back home to get a quote on personal home insurance with Desjardins, who are going to insure the building, and who offered us very competitive rates for the apartment as well as our car. Clo had to work late so I picked up the kids, made supper and we listened to Frozen as well as the Peter and the Wolf version I have with David Bowie narrating. I’m still trying to get a version of Windows 8 to run in parallel on Boot Camp but finding a free or trial version is proving difficult, and seeing as I lost out on 2 weeks pay (why does employment insurance rob users of 2 weeks pay even when it is sick leave? I find that stupid) I can’t really afford to drop $150 on a version of Windows. Maybe my EDA can afford it? Jerry wants me to sign some cheques he received in the mail the other day. As you know, he’s having his own computer problems. And speaking of problems, did you hear that the Couillard Liberals are planning to dismantle the $7/day daycare system here in Quebec? Looks like another uphill battle of mobilizing in the streets… AGAIN. When does it end?
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sun, Sep 14, 2014 at 10:57 PM
subject Les conservateurs imposent de plus en plus le «secret»; Commons Q and A: New MP John Barlow on trading editor’s hat for seat in Parliament
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived the weekend, which included a date night for Clo and I on Friday. Jesse and Andrea came over to babysit and we went to see Tu Dors Nicole, the most recent film from Stéphane LaFleur. I found it very meditative and believable, a kind of Quebecois “Ghost World”, but in black and white, and with a particular sensitivity to sounds, from everyday sounds to a rock band rehearsing in a house.
I also survived many repeated viewing so of Frozen. Rose watched it Friday night, Saturday night and twice today. She fell asleep in her tent listening to the soundtrack. Saturday it rained all day and was cold and miserable but we went out to Kim’s retrospective opening at Thomas Henry Ross Galerie and then to Oboro. The kids were great during both events. I really need to get my application for the candidacy done asap.
Today we only went out to walk up to Shie and Dac’s place for her studio sale. Got some great little drawings and paintings and shared stories of co-ownership pros and cons. Our signing was supposed to be tomorrow but it may be in a few more days, as something had not yet been approved by the bank. In any case, Clo is signing tomorrow in advance as she leaves for Berlin in the evening.
I have not yet booked my flight to Calgary, and am starting to worry about money. Thanks to the bone-headed rules at EI I lost a full 3 weeks salary with no support from EI, and still no word as to how much I’ll be getting or when. Good thing my 2.5% “raise” was deposited last week. Anyway, I’m thinking of trying to do a Lake Louise shot of #everydaygoalie, just need to work out the logistics. The Tar Sands are way too far away, unfortunately. Another time, perhaps.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Mon, Sep 15, 2014 at 11:03 PM
subject Des Canadiens membres de l’EI: John Baird se dit horrifié; Officials plan ceremony at unfinished Holocaust monument next August
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived another Monday, and Clo departing for Berlin. I drove her to the airport after she had gone to work in the morning to finish a grant application. Didn’t get much done during the day, strung too thin between CPC application, exhibition application texts, laundry, housecleaning, sorting small, summer and fall clothes for the kids, etc.
The kids were great after daycare, we went to the park so they could burn off some energy and also tried to catch a glimpse of Clo’s plane but only could see incoming, I guess outbound planes take off the other direction and then circle around. For some reason Sol was insane going to bed tonight, he would wail and scream and really, really wanted to either play or watch Frozen. It took an hour for him to settle. Quicker for Rose.
I checked the status of my EI claim for sick leave benefits, and this is the moronic message I still have in the My Service Canada account:
“We have received your application and are working on processing your request. We are making every effort to finalize your request within a reasonable time frame. Your claim information will be updated once a decision has been made. If you have not already done so, please submit all your Records of Employment (ROE), as soon as possible. If your employer issues ROEs electronically, no further action from you is required.”
Hmmm. I set up my account and applied on the 20th of August. I have already filled out 3 weeks of claims information. And when I check to see what payment information EI might have for me, I get this response:
“We have no payment information for you.”
Brilliant!
Does EI just presume that people taking sick leave can just go 3 or 4 weeks without pay, that we are independently wealthy or can live on credit? WTF? It’s no wonder I am hesitating to book my flight to Calgary, I have no idea when I will receive EI benefits nor for how much. Arg.
“We have received your report. Your report will be processed when a decision has been made on your claim.”
Oh, and I just signed your page in support of Israel. I signed my first name “Free Palestine” and my last name “stop colonizing”. And don’t accuse me of being anti-Israel, I’m not. I recognize everyone needs a place to call home. They need to recognize and respect the borders, and stop building settlements. It’s so blatantly obvious that they are not working for peace in the region, but that they are working to obliterate Palestine.
Think I should leave these views out of my application for the candidacy in Papineau?
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Tue, Sep 16, 2014 at 10:14 PM
subject Des entreprises remettent des données personnelles au gouvernement; Senate to spend $150K learning to communicate better
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived another day. The kids went to Quinn Farm today for a field trip, picking apples. I picked them up early and we drove way, way down to Verdun so I could retrieve an old painting I made back in 1995. It was sold that year and the woman contacted me recently and said that even though she has moved extensively since then, and always had the painting with her, she feels it is time to let it go. I think it’s fun to have something around from that era of my life. It’s a really, really bad painting!
Today I met with Jerry to sign some cheques, and he signed my nomination form, and also told me again how I should be out knocking on doors already. I prefer to wait. I did an email interview with Marie-Ève Charron, who is writing an article about Kim’s recent retrospective and Public Office project, and as I am in the same riding, with an even weirder political project, she was interested. Want to see my unedited replies to her questions? Here you go. I’m off to watch more Cosmos. The album Frozen is frozen in my mind.
Quel est ton rôle comme président de l’ACE?
Mon rôle est de former le comité pour trouver le candidat et planifier le stratégie pour le prochain élection, gérer l’association, parler pour la parti conservateur dans Papineau, faire les levées des fonds, puis augmenter le nombre des adhésions dans le compte.
Quelles sont les étapes pour devenir le candidat du parti conservateur dans le comté de Papineau?
Il y a un questionnaire à remplir, il faut avoir au moins l’appui du 24 membres du parti conservateur qui habitent dans Papineau, il faut avoir un agent officielle puis un agent financière, puis toutes ça doivent passer par l’exécutif nationale.
Comment entrevois-tu la lutte contre Justin Trudeau?
Je l’en veux vraiment faire les débats avec M. Trudeau, car je trouve que malgré son popularité dans le ROC, ses idées sont un peut vide. Comme la parti conservateur à dit en anglais, “He’s in over his head”.
Sur quels aspects comptes-tu faire campagne?
Je pense que on droit répéter les choses que les conservateurs ont fait les derniers année, comme la gestion de l’économie, la création des emplois, les réductions en impôts, l’exploitation des sables bitumineux pour la bien être des toutes les canadiens et canadiennes, les accords de libre-échange (avec le UE et la Chine, par exemple), puis le fait que les conservateurs sont les plus dur sur les criminalité et les plus forte promoteurs des droits du victimes.
Pourquoi t’engager dans un parti politique?
Je pense que c’est un chose important que plus des citoyens et citoyennes soit plus actif en vie de politique, car c’est cet implication est la bas de notre système politique. C’est pas suffisent à mon avis de simplement aller voter chaque quatre ans. Pour le bien ou la mal, c’est avec une partie seulement que les chose passent au Parliament.
Est-ce une façon de répondre au silence que le PM te renvoie depuis 15 ans?
Pourquoi t’impliquer dans le parti conservateur?
En fait, oui. Dans un coté artistique, je trouve que si j’ai la chance à poursuivre le Dear PM projet dans cet façon, j’ai du le faire. Dans le coté politique, le fait que je habite dans Papineau me permet de m’impliquer dans l’ACE facilement parce que malgré le puissance de la Parti Conservateur dans le ROC, ils sont presque invisible ici. Donc, je pense au phrase en anglais: “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em”.
C’est bien? Ne hésites-pas de m’envoyer plus des questions si tu as besoin des précisions. Et merci en avance pour ton discrétion dans le façon que tu parlera de mon projet. Entre toi et moi, si ma candidature ne sera pas retenu par les conservateurs, je serai en mesure à parler plus librement. Je vais savoir dans quelque semaines.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Sep 17, 2014 at 10:21 PM
subject À Ottawa, le président Porochenko salue l’appui du Canada; Blatchford: Time to separate politics from health as Toronto Mayor Rob Ford fights cancer
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I went to the main SPVM office this morning and order a “certificate of conduct”, which cost me $105 and will take 4-6 weeks to arrive. Funny, in French it is called a “certificat de bonne conduite”. The clerk taking my info said they get lots of Liberal candidate hopefuls, but rarely any CPC. I’m curious as to what will turn up, or what this certificate will even look like.
Afterwards I visited Encadrex and FINALLY dropped off some Everyday Goalie photo prints for dry-mounting and a couple for framing in shadow boxes. Also finished re-tooling some IKEA frames into nice shadow boxes for those old paintings of mine to give back to my grandmother. Tomorrow I may post them to Facebook for Throwback Thursday.
Also, I ordered my own Windows 8 DVD from the Microsoft online store. $150. So already today that is $255 I’ve sunk into my candidature application. I’m committed!
The kids were great before and after daycare. Stopped for ice cream at Nordine’s and chatted with Tarik, who is planning to come on Friday with Nacer to install the clapets.
Received the text that Marie-Ève wrote about my candidature that will be published this coming Saturday in Le Devoir. It is a short bit that will follow the longer text about Kim’s project. Here it is:
Chris Lloyd pour le parti Conservateur
Il pourrait être plus d’un artiste candidat aux prochaines élections fédérales dans Papineau. Président d’association du parti Conservateur dans cette circonscription, Chris Lloyd aspire à ce titre. Rejoint par courriel, il confirme préparer sa candidature, fébrile déjà à l’idée de débattre avec Justin Trudeau. Pour lui, la politique doit forcément passer par un parti, un engagement plus fécond que le vote seul.
L’artiste, faut-il rappeler, poursuit depuis 2001 le projet Dear PM, qui consiste à envoyer inlassablement au premier ministre des lettres où il se confie. Rien en retour, sinon de rares messages automatisés. De quoi exposer la déshumanité du lien entre le chef du gouvernement et le citoyen ordinaire. L’implication chez les Conservateurs serait une façon de pallier ce silence qui dure depuis bientôt 15 ans !
Rose is asleep already in our bed, but I am going to go watch another Cosmos, with headphones so as not to wake her.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Fri, Sep 19, 2014 at 11:05 PM
subject Ottawa appelle le monde à se mobiliser contre l’EI; Coyne: Why so many were willing to vote Yes in Quebec, Scotland
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. Received my Windows 8 DVD in the mail today but haven’t had time to install it. Also received a photo book I ordered online a few days ago…from Shanghai. The quality is exceptional. I’m thinking of making a book of the Everyday Goalie images using this service.
Speaking of service, I checked again online and still no movement on my EI claim, so I kind of flipped out and left a few online messages and complaints, and lo! and behold received a call while I was at physio, and the woman was super-friendly and helpful and even tried to find a way to get my 2-week waiting period covered from my paternity leave last year, but in the end the coverage had expired August 3, but in any case she processed my claims and said I should have money by Tuesday or Wednesday. Hooray! Here is the online reply that was waiting for me when I got home:
Thank you for contacting the Office for Client Satisfaction (OCS). The OCS was established as part of Service Canada’s commitment to service excellence, and to improve Canadian’s confidence and trust in the Government. It is a neutral organization that receives, reviews and acts on feedback regarding the quality of service clients have received from Service Canada.
The OCS has been established to deal with situations that cannot be resolved at the local level and address instances where clients are not satisfied with the explanation received by Service Canada officials through normal procedures. In order to act as a neutral organizationthe OCS does not have access to client files or information and we are not subject matter experts. As such, we would not be in a position to assist you with your request. We can only suggest that you contact departmental officials, who have access to your file and program specific information to resolve you issue and obtain the answers to your queries.
For the information regarding Employment Insurance benefits, we invite you to visit the Service Canada Web siteathttp://www.servicecanada.gc.ca or call toll free 1-800-206-7218 TTY1-800-529-3742.
Should you wish, you may also choose to visit your local Service Canada office. To locate the Service Canada office nearest you, please view the following link:
http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/cgi-bin/sc-srch.cgi?app=hme&ln=eng
We do apologize for the difficulties you have been experiencing when attempting to obtain information through the toll free lines. Telephone calls the toll free line receives are distributed to the first available agent within the regional cluster from which the client resides. In times of high volume, calls will be automatically redistributed across Canada however there are times when volumes are so high that access cannot be granted. The telephone system limits the amount of callers placed into queue based on the number of calls agents are able to answer within a maximum expected delay wait time.
NOTE: At any point you are having trouble understanding the automated information you can press 0 to speak with an agent during business hours. Business hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. local time.
Again, thank you for contacting the OCS.
From: dearpm@gmail.com [mailto:dearpm@gmail.com]
Sent: 2014-09-19 11:32 AM
To: NC-OCS-BSC-GD
Subject: Office for Client Satisfaction
Name: chris Lloyd
Phone: 5142953048
Email: dearpm@gmail.com
Program: Employment Insurance
Type: Processing Time
Comments:
I received surgery on August 19, and submitted by claim for Employment Insurance on August 22. I am dismayed to learn that I will lose 2 weeks of benefits (why, exactly?) and as well am dissatisfied with the time it is taking to process my claim. It is now September 19. How are people supposed to live, pay their rent, buy food for their kids when suddenly an income disappears and benefits are not forthcoming? And why is it IMPOSSIBLE to speak with a representative?
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Mon, Sep 22, 2014 at 9:51 PM
subject Élections au Nouveau-Brunswick: mince avance des libéraux; Ottawa resident lead plaintiff in data breach lawsuit
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived the weekend without Frozen. Had emailed Apple about that stupid 90-day single-used iTunes account policy, and got a reply today. Here is my rebuttal, which I posted in 4 comments on an Apple feedback site:
Thanks to Thamara who made an exception to the Apple 90-day single-iTunes user lockout period so I was able to view Frozen on our home computer. The $20 download (we chose SD) was on my wife’s laptop which she took with her on a business trip, leaving me home alone with a 4 1/2 year-old who had just hit her peak of Frozen addiction. Of course, the email and exception came tonight, just as I was putting the kids to bed, and in fact we had just arrived home from the airport, having picked up my wife, so the whole thing is a bit moot at this point.
Somehow we survived the weekend without downloading Frozen anew, or even renting it, though that thought did indeed cross my mind. Instead, we watched the Netflix version called The Snow Queen, which features B-grade digital animation, lacklustre..
The form doesn’t allow longer comments! So I left ANOTHER comment:
So as I was saying, though clearly it is an inferior product, my daughter enjoyed parts of The Snow Queen, and even asked to watch it again last night! Of course, by then it was bedtime, and too late for videos of any kind. But I digress. I was curious as to why Thamara did not mention to me the option of Family Sharing, but then I started to read your policy on it and it is clear my software is not up to speed. Then the more I read the more uncomfortable I began to feel, as the terminology you are using sounds a bit cultish: “The Organizer may remove any Family member from the Family, which will terminate that Family member’s ability to initiate authorized purchases on the Organizer’s payment method, and that Family Member’s ability to view and share other Family members’ products and…”
And of course then I notice that the “send comment” button is COMPLETELY INVISIBLE! HA! I continue:
Sorry, we were cut-off there by the comments limitation. To continue with some of the cult-sounding information in your Terms and Conditions: “…information. When a Family member leaves or is removed from a Family, the remaining Family members may no longer be able to view or download the departing member’s products or information, or access products previously downloaded from the departing Family member, including purchases made on the Organizer’s payment method while the departing member was part of the Family.” Doesn’t that all sound a bit weird to you? It gets better! Read this: “If you have made In-App Purchases from an app originally purchased by a departed Family member or downloaded from a Family member and you no longer belong to the Family, you need to purchase the app yourself”
And the final volley:
“You can only belong to one Family at a time, and may join any Family no more than twice per year. You can change the store account you associate with a Family no more than once every 90 days.” So again, even with the Family, one runs into the 90-day wall. Why is that? What “consumer protection” words of wisdom does Thamara give me? “I know not being able to access multiple ID’s across multiple platforms is inconvenient but it is there to ensure you can locate any and all purchases without issue or complaint, when another ID gets mixed in it could be problematic.” So the 90-day rule is there basically to prevent complaints? I think dealing with child-rearing and employment means we can probably keep track of our individual purchases. BTW my name is Chris, not John.
Clo is home, asleep from jet-lag. The kids are in bed. I’m on my way there soon enough.
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Tue, Sep 23, 2014 at 10:38 PM
subject Mulcair remet en question la neutralité du président de la Chambre des communes; Tom Mulcair challenges Speaker’s neutrality in question period
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived a rather hectic day: slept fitfully, we were all up early, as if Clo’s jet lag had spread, the kids were a bit unsettled at daycare, I threw a travel grant request from the CALQ together and printed pages, but forgot some, and then met with Arnold about the Sketchup file and we went over final changes together, then Denis was here about the door and fence painting, and now we’re signing for the house tomorrow morning, and Judith arrives in 2 days, and the house is a mess and smells a bit like sewer because Nacer has not returned with the working clapet pieces, I haven’t made any progress on the CPC Papineau nomination, I haven’t installed Windows 8 yet on my computer, I haven’t packed for Calgary or even looked at my goalie gear, and I’m starting to feel paralyzed by it all. On the positive side, it’s nice to have Claudine home, and generally I’m feeling pretty zen.
Damn, I just lost an hour of my life to Facebook. Again.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Sep 24, 2014 at 10:33 PM
subject Le déficit sera moins important que prévu, annonce Harper; Coyne: In fight against inequality, things don’t look bleak, or maybe they do
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived a day of mostly cleaning up the house, vacuuming, washing laundry, scrubbing down surfaces, the occasional email and I tried to limit FBook. Have you received an invitation to join this new social media site called Ello? I didn’t, am not really all that interested. The supposed lack of ads is interesting but really, I don’t have the time to develop a whole new network.
Oh yeah, we went to the notary and signed our mortgage part of the sale, we need to go back on Friday for final signatures. And Denis started grinding our fence. And I made some adjustments to our kitchen plan, and the budget, and will probably order the stove and fridge from Corbeil tomorrow. Picking Judith up from the airport first. The next couple days are about finalizing the designs, picking materials and drinking wine.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Thu, Sep 25, 2014 at 11:05 PM
subject Harper prononce un discours optimiste devant l’ONU, Stephen Harper focuses on child health, avoids world hotspots in UN speech
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived a mild altercation with an agent de la stationnement de la ville de montréal, et l’SPVM, this afternoon. All was going well: we had dropped the kids off, I had driven to the airport to pick up Judith, we had gone to some design stores, clothing stores, cafés, had met Claudine at Brooklyn and then hit Lambert et fils and then all heck broke loose. We were about to get a parking ticket because we had parked along Beaubien where parking was not allowed after 4pm. We were getting into the car at 4:07. The parking agent didn’t stop harassing us. We were waiting for Claudine and he came back to yell at us, and inside me something snapped. I mean, you know I have a problem with this whole concept, that we need need and rely as a society on these insipid traffic rules, but this guy was just too much. So as we pulled away I dinged his side mirror, and he followed and pulled us over and called the cops and the officer told me how I could be charged criminally for a hit-and-run, but in the end she didn’t, though Angry Parking Guy gave me a ticket for $86. I feel I should fight it, as we had moved and all, but Judith made me promise to pay it, and keep it quiet, as Claudine was of course furious with my behaviour. She went to pick up the kids and Judith and I got some groceries at the market and some wine and then we all met up at the park and the had a nice evening: the kids watched Frozen, and we discussed kitchen and salon designs. Overall a nice night. I feel glad to not be in jail!
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Fri, Sep 26, 2014 at 11:19 PM
subject Julie Snyder avait été courtisée par les conservateurs en 2009; Canadian government joins 11th-hour search for John A. Macdonald’s precise birthplace
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived signing for the purchase of our apartment. The whole process took almost seven months but now its done, we are homeowners! But shortly after signing we wandered up St. Laurent with Judith – after an amazing 2-bottle lunch at Leméac – in and out of design stores, which was fun but also exhausting. And then home, but supper, even with the kids watching video, Rose only just fell asleep finally, and I am not yet fully packed, and I fly out tomorrow, and it is all just a bit overwhelming, like for example the fact that Judith and I have been friends for 20 years! Longer than I have been writing the PM, our friendship predates NSCAD, and went through so much: The first Space gallery in Saint John, and so much more. Now I really must finish packing, I leave early tomorrow morning.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sun, Sep 28, 2014 at 3:14 PM
subject Enquête sur le renseignement: départ d’un vérificateur exigé; Rob Ford back in public eye for first time since being hospitalized
Dear Stephen, I am still alive. I survived the flight to Calgary, the drive to Lethbridge, documenting my performance with Levi as me, getting unmasked at the local mall, the Cedar Tavern Singers at CASA, Raphaélle de Groot’s opening at SAAG, a whole slew of other art openings and events that I will tell you about later. Off now for a roundtable discussion on performances, festivals, the public and the spectacle and the driving to Calgary and then Edmonto. Yes, I think I have to try to do the Tar Sands. Can you help me get in up there?
-chris
DEAR PM 