# The CanaDoper Café, 2013 edition. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 1, 2013, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2013-edition/645736 "2013-01-01T03:29:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 34
**Author:** ![jools](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b3f665/32.png) [@jools](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jools)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2013-edition/645736/661 "2013-03-18T21:53:42Z")
OK I so can relate **Le Ministre de l’au-delà** This weekend I went out wearing shoes and starting tonight they’re announcing 30 freakin’ cm of freakin’ snow… seriously, after a sunny dry weekend of wearing shoes and being comfortable, not cold, I’ll have to put the boots back on :mad: ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2013-edition/645736/662 "2013-03-18T22:13:47Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > One of the coolest moments of my teens - a chamber ensemble from Winnipeg played Messiaen’s “Quartet for the End of Time” at the Centennial Auditorium in Brandon on a Sunday afternoon, sometime in January of 1975 (? or so). First time I’ve ever heard anything like that, and I’m totally blown away. The end of the fifth movement, ‘Praise to the eternity of Jesus’, and the cello has that last, long note that just hangs forever, getting quieter and quieter until you can’t tell if he’s still playing or it’s just the natural reverb in the hall. That note has barely faded off altogether when we can all hear, faintly, the sound of a train horn along the valley, perfectly tuned to the note we just heard. It was as though the train was calling back to the cellist. The quartet just waited, until the horn sounded a second time, further off, and then continued. > > I’ve heard the piece a dozen times since, but none of them were quite so magical as that unexpected moment. Wow! I’ve heard that piece maybe 4 or 5 times live in Montreal. I love living in a city with a great music scene. 😃 Heard the OSM do Turangalila-Symphonie too. Amazing! ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2013-edition/645736/663 "2013-03-19T02:04:29Z")
> [@swampspruce](#): > > \ > If I don’t see the Spring, > Insane is what I’ll be, > I may even start to cheer for Calgary-yy, > \ That’s crazy talk! > [@Muffin](#): > > Cat, sit down with an accountant for an hour or so, and go over the following to sort out what applies to you, what does not apply to you, and what (if any) options you have: > [ul] > [li]Income tax (use the net income from your business return to calculate the gross income for your personal return)[/li][li]EI (sounds like you are in a category similar to cab drivers and hairstylists, who despite being contractors for tax purposes are treated as employees for EI and CPP purposes – note that if this is not the case, then if you wish you can make a one-time election to be permanently under the EI/CPP regime)[/li][li]CPP (see EI)[/li][li]HST/GST (whether or not you have to register depends on how much you make)[/li][li]Worker Safety Insurance (depends on the type of work you do – yes, these days in some provinces it sometimes is applied to self-employed people)[/li][li]E&O Insurance (cover your ass in case you get sued for making a mistake on the job)[/li][li]Incorporation (pretty much tax neutral and probably not worth it given the admin costs – but look into whether it might offer liability protection relative to the type of work you do)[/li][/ul] But…but…I don’t want to do any of that! I want someone else to do everything else, and I just show up for work and money shows up in my bank account! Wah! ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2013-edition/645736/664 "2013-03-19T14:40:38Z")
\*\* sigh \*\* [It’s official — Regina sets new snowfall record.](http://www.leaderpost.com/technology/official+Regina+sets+snowfall+record/8115110/story.html) Full whiny post here: [I do find one foot of snow in less than 24 hours a tad excessive](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=678656&page=2). **Spoons** , if you’re driving through this year again, forget snow tires; you might want to invest in a canoe on top of your car. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2013-edition/645736/665 "2013-03-19T19:32:18Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > **Spoons** , if you’re driving through this year again, forget snow tires; you might want to invest in a canoe on top of your car. Well, that may be a more sound approach than my first thought when I read the L-P’s story linked in the other thread. I was thinking some kind of Rube-Goldberg-type thing with a propellor connected to the driveshaft, and some sort of rudder on the front wheels. 😃 More seriously, I’d be concerned about flooding; not just in Regina, but in all of southern Saskatchewan. The new arrangement at Maple Creek looks like it could handle anything now–but there are plenty of other creeks and watercourses passing under Highway 1 that haven’t had those improvements. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2013-edition/645736/666 "2013-03-19T19:59:34Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > But…but…I don’t want to do any of that! I want someone else to do everything else, and I just show up for work and money shows up in my bank account! Wah! That’s probably how it will continue to happen, only now you might have to fill out a few more pages on your tax return, and might have to register for GST. Once you do it the first time, it will be easy as pie in further years. ---
**Author:** ![Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mona_Lisa_Simpson)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2013-edition/645736/667 "2013-03-19T21:19:07Z")
Sitting here at 9 degrees does not make me miss Eastern Canada at all. And it has been beautifully sunny here the last few days. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2013-edition/645736/668 "2013-03-20T00:13:51Z")
I’m taking a powder day tomorrow. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2013-edition/645736/669 "2013-03-20T13:01:07Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > Saskatoon Police, you are not fooling anyone with that unmarked Crown Vic in the school zone. Maybe consider a Camry or a Grand Cherokee? Just this morning I saw a woman pulled over in the school zone. At 8:30, so when the kids are walking to school. Seriously, folks, please, please, please slow down near schools. Kids still get hit by cars. There’s just no excuse for speeding at that time and place. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2013-edition/645736/670 "2013-03-20T13:19:23Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Just this morning I saw a woman pulled over in the school zone. At 8:30, so when the kids are walking to school. > > Seriously, folks, please, please, please slow down near schools. Kids still get hit by cars. There’s just no excuse for speeding at that time and place. In fairness to our cops, they’ve been on an enforcement kick in school zones recently and are handing out a lot of tickets, obvious Crown Vic or no. Way too many idiots not slowing down. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2013-edition/645736/671 "2013-03-20T15:53:44Z")
Obvious works too. Think of it as a gentle reminder to folks who are not white knucklers, but nonetheless have strayed from the path of righteousness, and who will return to the fold once they are alerted to the error of their ways. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2013-edition/645736/672 "2013-03-20T16:45:06Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > Obvious works too. Think of it as a gentle reminder to folks who are not white knucklers, but nonetheless have strayed from the path of righteousness, and who will return to the fold once they are alerted to the error of their ways. Well sure, but then just use a regular cruiser. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2013-edition/645736/673 "2013-03-20T17:14:59Z")
The marked cruisers have to be available to chase me when I turn off the road from the ski hill. 😉 There are only two ways out from the ski hill – the direct paved road that connects to the highway, or the dirt road that turns off of the paved road and leads to my place. Every time there is a RIDE check trying to nab drunks driving home from the ski hill bar, I get chased, for they think that I am trying to evade the RIDE check by turning onto the dirt road. So with that, I’m off for an afternoon of skiing. Beats the hell out out shovelling. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2013-edition/645736/674 "2013-03-20T17:50:27Z")
[quote=“Spoons, post:665, topic:645736”] Well, that may be a more sound approach than my first thought when I read the L-P’s story linked in the other thread. I was thinking some kind of Rube-Goldberg-type thing with a propellor connected to the driveshaft, and some sort of rudder on the front wheels. :D/QUOTE] Something like [this](http://sportscarforums.com/f18/ice-ice-lotus-28125.htmlhttp://)? Made by Lotus, so it’ll handle magnificently and be totally uncomfortable… I see Calgary is the best place in Canada to live according to a recent [news story](http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canada-s-best-city-calgary-overtakes-ottawa-in-annual-ranking-1.1203108). At this rate, the denizens will be as nearly insufferable as Vancouverites…😛 Although to be fair that’s jealousy on my part, living in the Wild and all. I have to admit Calgary has a lot going for it. Despite being a large city the crime rate is low, and the proximity to Many Interesting Places is a big draw. Now I just have to figure out how to pay for a house in Cochrane without working in the oil patch and never being home to enjoy it. ---
**Author:** ![Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mona_Lisa_Simpson)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2013-edition/645736/675 "2013-03-20T22:06:07Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > The marked cruisers have to be available to chase me when I turn off the road from the ski hill. 😉 There are only two ways out from the ski hill – the direct paved road that connects to the highway, or the dirt road that turns off of the paved road and leads to my place. Every time there is a RIDE check trying to nab drunks driving home from the ski hill bar, I get chased, for they think that I am trying to evade the RIDE check by turning onto the dirt road. So with that, I’m off for an afternoon of skiing. Beats the hell out out shovelling. Awesome. Have fun. Loch is a nice little hill. I’m looking forward to Whistler some time after March 28th. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2013-edition/645736/676 "2013-03-21T00:19:01Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Just this morning I saw a woman pulled over in the school zone. At 8:30, so when the kids are walking to school. > > Seriously, folks, please, please, please slow down near schools. Kids still get hit by cars. There’s just no excuse for speeding at that time and place. I hate fucking school and playground zones. The playground zones go on until 11:00 at night here in summer, the school zones are on all day when there are never, ever any kids in them, you can’t drive _anywhere_ in Calgary without hitting at least one school or playground zone, they have school zones for junior high schools now, assholes in their Breedermobiles tailgate me through school and playground zones every day when I’m driving the speed limit, they blaze through well over the speed limit if I’m not in front of them to slow them down, they teach kids that the responsibility for their safety is on the drivers and not on them, and the zones will never, ever go away, because no politician is going to be the politician who voted for “unsafe kids.” Hate them. ETA: I forgot how useless they are, since kids are never allowed to set foot to ground. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2013-edition/645736/677 "2013-03-21T00:50:54Z")
> [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](#): > > I’m looking forward to Whistler some time after March 28th. 🙂 Have fun! ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2013-edition/645736/678 "2013-03-21T01:09:41Z")
Parliament [approved a bill](http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/transgender-rights-bill-approved-in-commons-with-help-from-16-tories-1.1204423) that will make it illegal to discriminate against transgender people. Very cool. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2013-edition/645736/679 "2013-03-21T01:29:42Z")
Very good. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2013-edition/645736/680 "2013-03-21T02:42:01Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I hate fucking school and playground zones. I’m so sorry that you’re asked to occasionally slow down in your rush to save a panda bear or whatever. Just a few weeks ago a little girl in Toronto, crossing a street legally, was hit and killed by a goddamned garbage truck. A man was struck and killed by a car right in front of my condo building just a few months ago; the car was, predictably, going well over the limit. HUNDREDS of Canadians (of all ages; in fact, the most disproportionately affected group are seniors) are killed by cars every year. Is it really that much to ask people to drive a little slower? To be a bit more careful? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2013-edition/645736.md?page=33) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2013-edition/645736.md?page=35)