Life in Canada

OTTAWA - Insurance executives say homeowners will never have access to comprehensive flood insurance in Canada unless there are new maps of flood-prone areas that take climate change into account. Cry babies I say.

That's the finding of a study that surveyed senior executives at 13 Canadian insurance firms on extreme flooding, which devastated parts of southern Alberta and Toronto this year and is becoming more frequent across the country.

Affected homeowners are often surprised to learn their policies, while covering sewage backups, do not pay for damage from water entering basement windows from swollen rivers and streams.

Canada is the only G8 country where this so-called overland flood insurance is simply not available in the private sector.

"Most insurers agreed that existing flood maps are inaccurate, outdated and inadequate for insurance purposes," says the study by two experts at the University of Waterloo, Ont.

"This data gap poses a clear threat to the viability of flood insurance."

In an advance copy of the report by academics Blair Feltmate and Jason Thistlewaite, to be released Monday. Their research was paid for by the Co-operators Group Ltd., a large insurance firm.

The insurance industry is sharply focused on flooding, which in the last 15 years has become their biggest payout area. That's because of extreme weather events that the executives agree are linked to climate change.

"The big cost now ... is flooding basements, by a country mile," said Feltmate. "So it's really high on their radar screen."

Canada has seen 289 flood disasters since 1900, the largest such category, more than the number of hail, wildfire and winter storm disasters combined in the same period.

Floods are expensive. The southern Alberta floods last summer are estimated to have cost private insurers $2.25 billion, even though damage to residences was generally not covered. In 2011, floods in Manitoba and Quebec also racked up millions in payouts. How did they get these figures and from where?

The federal and provincial governments are also exposed to huge costs under the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements, which pay a disproportionate amount for overland flooding compared with storm, hail and wildfire disasters, which are often already covered under private policies.

Existing sewage-backup coverage is also hurting private insurers' bottom lines because climate change results in more torrential downpours that overwhelm aging municipal infrastructure and can't be absorbed by an ever-more-paved urban landscape.

Feltmate cites the example of a Toronto neighbourhood, south of the Downsview airport, where a large percentage of basements were flooded three times since May this year.

Executives would consider offering overland-flood insurance, says the survey, but can't begin to draft policies or set premium levels until proper maps accurately identify the new risks arising from a warming planet. That is their new risk for premium increases to cover of course.

"We need new flood-plain maps that take into account not the historical weather but the weather that can be expected going forward," said Feltmate.

The study says existing maps are badly out of date, and focus on historical hazards for land-use planning rather than potential risks in the decades to come.

The federal Public Safety Department acknowledged the cartographic gap recently by ordering a new study that will survey flood-mapping in six countries, including the United States.

The report, due next March, will also assess the state of flood mapping in Canada and estimate the costs to meet any new national standard.

The department notes that a previous federal program to generate floodplain maps was killed in the mid-1990s, and little has been done since.

Feltmate says the next phase of his research is a year-long survey of mayors, town councillors, premiers and others who will have to become part of Canada's flood solutions.

The study, also supported by Co-operators, will consult as well with bank executives, who Feltmate says are only dimly aware of the threat that increased flooding poses to their mortgage business.

That's because mortgages are contingent on a homeowner obtaining insurance, and many insurance companies may begin to steer clear of properties prone to frequent basement flooding, such as in the Downsview neighbourhood.

"The banks have a much greater stake in this game than they currently realize," said Feltmate. The banks of course offer house/home insurances?.

They call it a game I personally call it a 'rip off' but shareholders will be well pleased.. another Canadian monopoly in action.

The Friday before a long weekend is probably not the best time to hold a rally, but a rally to build support for the big three telecom carriers in their war against Verizon’s possible entry into Canada? That was truly a bad call.

And yet, as I write these words, members of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union and the Canadian Auto Workers (now called Unifor) are getting ready to set up in the middle of downtown Toronto. “No to Verizon!” the poster reads, with an ‘X’ crossed out over the U.S. telecom giant’s name as though it were a ballot. This comes just a few days after Verizon reportedly began trying to buy out its longtime partner Vodofone’s stake in its wireless operation.

This is a $130 billion transaction which some analysts believe may diminish the chances of the company entering Canada and bidding in the forthcoming wireless spectrum auction after all. Though of course no one knows anything for sure, it’s worth thinking about what a Verizon-free Canada would mean, and what we’ve learned so far:

Incumbents are one of the most powerful political parties in Canada:
Forget the Conservatives and their Liberal attack ads. The “Fair for Canada” campaign brought together major carriers to exercise their influence at an unprecedented scale and seemingly relentless vigor. If they can work this hard to coordinate their public relations efforts, why couldn’t they do more to satisfy Canadians’ desires for better pricing and network coverage?

Industry Canada needs a backup plan:
As much as you could admire Minister James Moore’s tough-guy stance against the pressure from Bell, Telus and Rogers, it’s clear that the government’s hopes have been nearly as high as some consumers. Having failed to create a viable fourth national player following previous auctions, the possibility of Verizon coming in represented a chance to save face. Time to start thinking about how to empower the regional carriers and local competition if another foreign juggernaut fails to show interest in our spectrum auction.

Expectations have been irrevocably raised:
Had the Verizon issue never developed, most everyday Canadians would probably never have taken notice of the next spectrum auction, or wondered whether anyone would rise up to replace the financially struggled incumbent alternatives we briefly enjoyed with Public Mobile, Mobilicity and Wind Mobile. The Fair for Canada campaign, meanwhile, suggests that consumers would be far better off with market that continues to be dominated by the established oligarchs. Should Verizon fail to appear, they’ll need to prove it.

We’ll know in due time whether the notion of entering Canada was just a “bargaining” chip Verizon was using with Vodofone, as some have described it. What this summer proved, however, is that everyone from the incumbents to Industry Canada are gambling over the future of quality wireless service across Canada. With or without Verizon, those are still important stakes sitting on the table.

Canada's national "Child Day"
Canada's national "Child Day" is held November 20th each year as enacted in Bill C-371, otherwise known as the Child Day Act, by the Parliament of Canada in 1993.
It commemorates the United Nations adoption of two landmark documents concerned with the human rights of all children and youths.
On "Child Day", Canadians honour our children and The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of The Child on November 20th, 1959, and the The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child on November 20th, 1989.

The Convention spells out the basic human rights to which children (under the age of 18) everywhere are entitled.

The purpose of Child Day is to promote awareness about the Convention to Canadians .

It is also a day to support Canadian children's rights by voicing your concerns about Canadian children's rights violations to the politicians of Canada and to educate our children about their rights and responsibilities.
The Child Day Act - 1993 - The Parliament of Canada

1993, c. 18 [Assented to May 6, 1993]
An Act respecting a national child day
Preamble

WHEREAS on November 20, 1989, the Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted in the United Nations General Assembly;
AND WHEREAS the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child has been ratified by Canada;
AND WHEREAS it is desirable to promote in Canada an awareness of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child;
NOW, THEREFORE, Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows:

1. This Act may be cited as the Child Day Act.
2. Throughout Canada, in each and every year, the 20th day of November, being the day in the year 1989 when the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted in the United Nations General Assembly, shall be known as "Child Day".

The responsibilities of the federal, provincial and territorial governments to publicize the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child
Convention Article 42 states:
States Parties undertake to make the principles and provisions of the Convention widely known, by appropriate and active means, to adults and children alike.
The governments do next to nothing to fulfill their obligations.
In December 2004, the Senate of Canada Standing Committee on Human Rights finally commended hearings on how to implement the Convention in Canada 15 years after the U.N. ratification of the Convention.

On February 7, 2005, Rita Karakas, CEO of Save the Children Canada, a child-rights organization stated:

"In honour of National Child Day this year, we commissioned an Ipsos-Reid survey of 1,000 adult Canadians on their knowledge of children's rights in Canada and how they rated the Canadian government and governments on their performance in children's rights duties. Regretfully, the respondents failed to demonstrate significant knowledge of children's rights, and those who failed the test also failed the people who were held accountable. They felt that the federal government was not doing its duty in children's rights. "

Rita Karakas, CEO of Save the Children Canada, a child-rights organization stated in the Toronto Star, Nov. 20, 2004

"....yet most Canadians do not know a great deal about the issues facing children. In fact, this was verified in the results of a new national survey of 1,000 Canadians, conducted Nov. 9 to 11, by Save the Children Canada and Ipsos-Reid. The poll quizzed Canadians on their knowledge of basic children's issues for National Child Day. Unfortunately, the average score was 33 per cent.

How many children live in poverty? Only half of Canadians surveyed knew that 14 per cent or one in six Canadian children live below the poverty line. In fact, Canada has the world's second highest rate of child poverty among industrialized countries, second only to the United States."

What the Government of Canada wants you to believe about Canada on Canada's national "Child Day"

From the Government of Canada website in 2004
This years theme, "A Canada Fit for Children", celebrates Canada's commitment to children. On May 10, 2004, the publication A Canada Fit for Children was released to show how Canada is moving forward with its commitments made on May 10, 2002 at the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Children. It highlights the Canadian governments agenda and National Plan of Action for children in Canada.

Celebrate Canada's national "Child Day" this year by showing how Canada is fit for children!
The truth
Since the report of The Special Joint Committee on Custody and Access was submitted to the Parliament of Canada, over 1 million children in Canada have been are being deprived of a relationship with 1 parent in violation of a family law court order or separation agreement and in contravention of the child's right to a relationship with both their biological parents as provided for in the U.N. Convention on the Rights of The Child. Parental alienation among Canadian children is rampant.

The Special Joint Committee on Custody and Access, a joint committee of members from both the House of Commons and the Senate held country wide hearings in 1998. Their report "For the sake of the Children" has been virtually ignored by the Liberal government. No meaningful change to family law ever been introduced to Parliament since the report of the Special Joint Committee was submitted to parliament.

Over 3.2 million Canadians are denied their birthright
Over 3.2 million Canadians are denied their birthright, their correct identification on their birth records. The Supreme Court of Canada decision regarding children's identity rights has not been properly implemented or in some provinces never been implemented. See our section on children's identity rights
ALL members of the House of Commons agreed in 1989 to eliminate child poverty by the year 2000. It still hasn't happened.

Child poverty in Canada has increased in many provinces / territories. Food banks use has increased significantly. In 2006, 400,000 more children are living in poverty than in 1989. see our section on child poverty. By 2008, Quebec reduced poverty to about 10% of the population and has made significant inroads into child poverty. At a level of 5%, child poverty is considered to be eradicated.

What are rights?

The rights of children and youth are outlined in United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. This document was adopted by the United Nations on November 20, 1989, which is why this date was later chosen to celebrate National Child Day.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child outlines responsibilities of governments, families, and caregivers, as well as the rights of the child. All children and youth have inherent rights, which can be defined as those basic things that are necessary to live and grow with dignity as human beings. For example, children have rights to a supportive family, to provision of adequate food, clothes, housing, and education, to protection from all forms of harm, and to participation.

WHY IS FAMILY INVOLVEMENT ADVOCATED IN LEARNING ABOUT RIGHTS?

Family involvement is advocated because children and youth can benefit when responsible adults, such as parents and legal guardians or teachers, both encourage and support the active participation of young people. The Convention on the Rights of the Child emphasizes the importance of adults in providing appropriate direction and guidance that assists children and youth in exercising their rights, in keeping with the child's developing capacities to do so.

WHAT DOES THE CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD SAY ABOUT PARENTAL RIGHTS?

The Convention on the Rights of the Child acknowledges the significance of parental authority and guidance of their children, and emphasizes respect for parents and their rights. The Convention on the Rights of the Child states that education should promote children's development of respect for parents as well as their values and cultures, while preparing them for responsible citizenship.

Also, the Convention on the Rights of the Child recognizes the importance of families, who are primarily responsible for the upbringing and appropriate socialization of their children. Accordingly, governments must respect the rights and responsibilities of parents and caregivers, when providing direction and guidance to their children and youth to exercise their rights.