PLWBlogSpot2

The Fraser Institute has issued it’s 20th edition of it’s in depth report, “Wait Times for Health Care in Canada.” Also know as “Waiting Your Turn.” In the report, highlights include the following: *Specialist physicians surveyed across 12 specialties and 10 Canadian provinces report a total waiting time of 18.2 weeks between referral from a general practitioner and elective treatment in 2010. *Patients in Ontario experience the shortest wait (14.0 weeks) followed by Manitoba (17.5 weeks), and British Columbia and Quebec (18.8 weeks) *Patients wait longest to undergo orthopedic surgery (35.6 weeks) and wait least for medical oncology treatment (4.9 weeks) *Canadians wait nearly 3 weeks longer than what physicians believe is “reasonable” for elective treatment after an appointment with a specialist *Throughout the provinces, in 2010 people are waiting for an estimated 825,827-procedures. Assuming that each person waits for only one procedure, 2.45 percent of Canadians are waiting for tr

The most likely risk from the airport scanners is a common type of skin cancer called basal cell carcinoma, according to the academic. The cancer is usually curable and often occurs in the head and neck of  people aged between 50 and 70. He points out it would be difficult to hide a weapon on the head or neck so proposes missing out that part of the body from the scanning process. If there are increases in cancers as a result of irradiation of children,  they would most likely appear some decades in the future. It would be prudent  not to scan the head and neck,' he added.It is important to balance any health issues against  passengers' safety when flying. The Civil Aviation Authority said the radiation received from the scanning process is the equivalent to two minutes radiation received on a Transatlantic flight. The Civil Aviation Authority, Department for Transport and Health Protection Agency insist that the technology is safe and say their tests show it  would take 5,000

Nearly 59 million lack health insurance in U.S. Is this the famous or infamous Obama Universal Health Care? REUTERS Nearly 59 million Americans went with­out health insurance coverage for at least part of 2010 , many of them with conditions or diseases that needed treatment, federal health officials said Tuesday. They said 4 million more Americans went without insurance in the first part of 2010 than during the same time in 2008. "Both adults and kids lost private coverage over the past decade," said Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preven­tion. The findings have implications for U.S. health care reform efforts. A Bill passed in March promises to get health insurance coverage to 32 million Americans who currently lack coverage. But Republicans who just took control of the House of Representatives last week have vowed to derail the new law by cutting off the funds for it, and some want to repeal it. Experts from both sides predict

The Canadian health plan remains our most popular government program. However, if we could start over, we could transform a very good system into a great one. Our main obstacle to reform is the very success of the system to date. Politicians admit privately that reforms are needed but they hesitate to speak out. This does not make for thoughtful debate. Most problems stem from one cause. From the beginning, we ignored advice and made taxes the single source of funding.. But there never are sufficient revenues for an open-ended system. This is why we struggle with scarcity of staff and equipment. While the U.S. probably spends too much on health care, Canada needs to spend more. We have to pay the price if we want a first-class system. Our system, while very good, is due for an upgrade. But it is not realistic to expect Canadian governments to increase their share. Health-care costs have been climbing to the point where they are crowding out other essentials such as education and welfar

Panoramic shot of the North Bay City escarpment; and North Hwy#11-- most colour provided by Sugar Maples. Above PhotoStich made from this collage

Several studies have suggested that the health benefits associatedwith the consumption of omega-3 fat are linked to their anti-inflammatory abilities. Recent information also shows that thisimpact is caused by the fat's direct interaction with immune system cells that are responsible for causing inflammation. Omega-3 is an essential fats that we as humans cannot create ourselves and must therefore come from our diets. Flaxseed and certain nuts (walnuts in particular) are good sources of * omega-3 (short chain); while fatty fish is a primary source of animal-source omega-3 (long chain). The regular consumption of these foods is important because a lack of omega-3 is directly associated with the development of several cardiovascular and neurological diseases, as well as cancer. The positive impact that omega-3 fats have is due to various effects it has on the person. For example, the presence of long-chain omega-3 in ceU membranes allows them to be more malleable, therefore facflitat

How dirty electricity affects your life -Part 2 Scientists in Russia have been at the forefront of EMR research. During the Second World War, they noticed that radar operators often suffered from symptoms that we now attribute to EMR. And during the height of the Cold War, they secretly bombarded the U.S. embassy in Moscow with microwave radiation, causing radiation sickness. Later, in 2007, a collaboration of scientists from the U.S., Sweden, Denmark, Austria and China released a 650-page report citing 2,000 studies that detailed the toxic effects of EMR. It concluded that even low-level radiation could impair immunity and contribute to Alzheimer's disease, dementia and heart disease. Other studies have linked EMR to miscarriage, birth defects, suicide, Lou Gehrig's disease and Parkinson's disease. In addition to these disorders, there's evidence that EMR triggers cancer. In Australia in 1956, when television was introduced, researchers documented a rapid increase in m

How dirty electricity affects your life -Part 1 Are you feeling tired, suffer from sleepiness, depression, increased irritability, unexplained aches and pains, headaches, skin rashes, ringing in the ears, numbness, an irregular heart beat, increased blood pressure or a foggy brain? If so, you may be suffering from "electrosensitivity." Dr. Magda Havas, a renowned international expert on elctro-magnetic radiation (EMR), says "dirty electricity" is a growing worldwide health concern. Today, few of us would want to discard our electronic devices. But I never realized how modern electrical gizmos generated so much dirty electricity. Dr. Havas says clean electricity originally powered our homes and workplaces, using a safe frequency of 60 Hertz (Hz). Today, transformers convert 60 Hz to low-voltage power for electronic devices. This creates micro surges of dirty electricity that contain up to 2,500 times the energy of a conventional 60 Hz electrical system. In effect, we

An official from the Laval clinic said no one was available to answer questions. The patient in question, Jean Pa-quite, was furious. We are already paying for this with our taxes, ‘That’s what’s frustrating." Ifs not the only controversial practice going on. Private clinics are pushing the boundaries in other ways. Physimed, are telling patients they have public-system family doctors accepting new patients — a rarity .They are trying to find ways to make a profit wherever they can here. The catch? Patients must first pay for a physical that involved a multiplicity of tests — blood, bone density, x-ray and the like. The cost at Physimed, according to a fiscal who answered the phone, was $460. You force the patient to pay to have access to services that are insured. "Strictly speaking, having to pay for insured services is prohibited by the province's health insurance act According to a professor of epidemiologist at McGill University, these types of practices are more t

MONTREAL -If, despite what they say, laws were not meant to be broken, in the case of private medical care in Quebec they were meant to be pushed to the brink or so it would appear, experts say, as private and semi-private clinics in and around Montreal find new ways to interpret the province’s health laws in order to bring in the cash. Quebec is at the forefoot of private health in Canada, and health and legal scholars say this '^bending" of laws is to be expected when a highly visible and vocal for-profit network sits at the margins of a vast and problem-plagued public system Quebec’s medical insurance agency says it has launched investigations into some newly discovered practices that it says might not conform with provincial laws or the Canada Health Act In one case, a private surgery clinic in Laval seems to have found a way to entice patients to be treated in its environs. The Critique chirurgical de Laval offered a man who needed bursitis surgery on his shoulder to

"PSWs are the most intimate point of contact for 75,000 elderly Ontarians living in go vernment-supported nursing homes, helping with everything from feeding to toileting." While these Long-Term Care (LTC - not 'nursing homes' - there are fewer nurses) are homes run on government support, most (about 500 out of the 600 in Ontario) are for-profit institutions. Thereby lies the rub. And regulation of retirement homes isn't going to help. We need consistently trained, responsive, responsible PSWs who are accountable, registered and regulated. I am not sure that the training is entirely the issue, either. It is making the for-profit institutions accountable to taxpayers and residents for effectively-managed staff. The work formerly done by nurses is now being done by PSWs: changing bedding, changing incontinence products, toileting of incontinent residents, which requires a great deal of intimate interaction. Rumours of for-profit institutions demanding t

Repeated provincial claims that the federal share of health care spending is 16 cents, down from 50 cents in the 1960s, are false. Provincial claim: The federal share of health care spending is 16 cents on the dollar. To arrive at this figure, provinces divide the combined cash portions of the Canada Health Transfer (CHT) and the Canada Social Transfer (CST), as well as the Health Reform Transfer (HRT), by all of their social spending, not just their health care spending - they also include social services and primary, secondary and post-secondary education in their calculation. **************************** 1. Together, the Canada Health Transfer, Health Reform Transfer and Diagnostic/Medical Equipment Fund, as well as funding for public health and immunization, make up a federal contribution of about $27.2 billion, or an average of 33% of provincial health spending. 2. When an amount of equalization payments corresponding to the amount of total program spending that provinces allocate

You cost the health system money? Watch out. You're in the government's crosshairs. Another tax hike? Another cut in services?The government knows it has to make some very unpopular decisions. We've seen the stats. We've heard the mantra: An aging population will suck the life blood out of the health system. Let's examine that a little more carefully. Government likes to blame baby boomers for this impending crisis. Once we retire, once we stop paying the kind of taxes we pay now, the system won't be able to afford to support us in the same way our tax dollars have supported everyone else. Should there be a means test, so "high-income seniors" don't get their drugs paid for through the government's Ontario Drug Benefit Program. This is the thin edge of the wedge. It will be high income today — and tomorrow middle-class seniors will get axed from the plan. Health, as a percentage of provincial program spending, will reach almost 80% by 2030 if i

To be elected to power in Canada; if you carry The Provinces of Quebec and Ontario that's about all the Party needs. The rest of Canada - little or no representation. Same for the Senate. ******************************** Note the NZ Representation in the above Posts for New Zealand. 17 by my count. ********************************  New Zealand’s Parliament consists of the Sovereign and the House of Representatives. The Sovereign’s role in Parliament includes opening and dissolving Parliament, and giving the Royal assent to bills passed in the House of Representatives. Almost all bills are referred to a select committee at which the public can make submissions. Most bills emerge from this process considerably better for the public input. New Zealand’s Parliament  has only one chamber (the House of Representatives) and there is no upper house such as a senate. They also have a Governor General similar to any Commonwealth Country. The House of Representatives consists of members of Pa

According to PowerStream.ca, the Ontario Energy Board's April 15 increases in the Regulated Price Plan (RPP) commodity prices for electricity customers in Ontario will add 6 per cent to bills. The Harmonized Sales Tax, effective July 1, will add another 8 per cent to all utility bills across the province. A small (regulatory?? Charge) has also been added as required by the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure to cover the cost of provincial conservation initiatives. It seems that even Power Stream has no idea how much since they only call it " small ," or are afraid to announce the actual charge. In addition to the never-ending Ontario Hydro debt charges on which we already pay the 5 percent GST, we can count on being taxed the full HST on that ridiculous charge as well. The bottom line is that many people, are on affixed retirement income and are already struggling. We are in for rough ride, especially next winter. The electricity providers will need to hire additional

Owner-pharmacist is steering a retired nurse toward the cheaper private label brand of baby aspi- rin while summoning a staff member to address a problem with her Glucometer, a device that measures blood sugar levels. A lot of people choose to deal with independents because of the level of personal service they offer. But he says that service may wane in future under the province's proposed drug re- forms. The Ontario government plans to slash $750 million in professional allowances pharmacists receive from generic drug makers, part of a plan to cut the price of those drugs in half. The cuts, which Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews says will bring Ontario's drug prices in line with other jurisdictions, will hit pharmacies across the province, wheth- er they're independently owned, part of a national chain, or housed in supermarkets or discount department stores. The industry says independents such as  who account for 51per cent of the Ontario market, will be hit hardest.

In 1997, a reputable consumer publication issued a list of hospitals delivering low-quality, even dangerous care. Even before this consumer awareness, there was a growing recognition that one aspect of quality problems, particularly with regard to chronic diseases and older persons, is the lack of coordination and case management services for patients. These problems are exacerbated by the anarchic character of the French health system—what might be called the darker side of health care. The $55 000 average net annual income of French physicians—salaried hospital-based doctors as well as GPs and specialists in private practice—is barely one third that of their US counterparts ($194 000).

When patients become very ill in France their health insurance coverage improves. For example, although coinsurance and direct payment is symbolically an important part of their system; patients are exempted from both when (1) expenditures exceed approximately $100, (2) hospital stays exceed 30 days, (3) patients suffer from serious, debilitating, or chronic illness, or (4) patient income is below a minimum ceiling, thereby qualifying them for free supplementary coverage.

Considered as one of the best Health Care Systems in Europe Physicians in private practice are paid directly by patients on the basis of a national fee schedule. Patients are then reimbursed by their local health insurance funds. Proprietary hospitals are reimbursed on a negotiated per diem basis and are paid on the basis of annual global budgets negotiated every year between hospitals, regional agencies, and the Ministry of Health. As for prescription drugs, unit prices allowable for reimbursement by a commission that includes representatives from the Ministries of Health, Finance, and Industry.

Coverage Outside Canada Many health services outside Canada cost much more than coverage by your Provincial Plan. You are responsible for any difference in cost. Some health services are not insured by the ministry. You will have to pay the full costs for these services. An accident can happen to anyone, even during a very short business or recreational trip. Extra insurance should be purchased before you leave your Province.

CONS: If you need a surgery in Canada, your Doctor will put you on a waiting list, no exceptions. When it is your turn, you receive the surgery that you need. Triage can play an important role;this keeps the cost down. If the type of surgery that you need has been used up for this year, you will then be referred to a hospital in that Province that has an opening for your type of surgery.Travel costs are payed. In some cases overloads are sent to USA hospitals for surgery's. A referral by family doctor required to see specialists. It has been our experience that once you get in to see a specialist the wait is not too long. Family doctors are good about referrals so that you can get into the system as early as possible. Shortage of doctors caused by brain drain to the US and mistakes made by the College of Physicians and Surgeons who control the number of medical student admissions and residencies available to immigrant doctors. Travel costs to see specialists if you live away from u

THE PROS: No doctor bills, no hospital bills, no co-pays. No one is excluded. Excellent public health, preventative services, free mammograms, dietitians, diabetic nurses and nurses for home visits for new mothers, the chronically ill and the elderly. Emergency transport by air or ambulance is provided for a minimal charge in most Provinces of about $60 or so. Low health premiums Supplemental policies are allowed for dental and other misc. items but by law can not include any services provided by the basic provincial health plan. Doctors may not collect fees from patients and also bill the Province for the same service. Doctors may opt out of the system. Very few unnecessary surgeries

Canadian Health Plan Instead of having a single national plan, we have a national program that is composed of 13 interlocking provincial and territorial health insurance plans, all of which share certain common features and basic standards of coverage. Federal support ,the total federal contribution to national public health spending (what all governments spend) is about 40% . Provincial and territorial governments are responsible for the management, organization and delivery of health services for their residents. Their cost share the remainder or about 60% .

WHAT HAPPENS IN 2014 *State health insurance exchanges for small businesses and individuals open. *Most people will be required to obtain health insurance coverage or pay a fine if they don't. Healthcare tax credits become available to help people with incomes up to 400 percent of poverty purchase coverage on the exchange. *Health plans no longer can exclude people from coverage due to pre-existing conditions. *Employers with 50 or more workers who do not offer coverage face a fine of $2,000 for each employee if any worker receives subsidized insurance on the exchange. The first 30 employees aren't counted for the fine. *Health insurance companies begin paying a fee based on their market share. WHAT HAPPENS IN 2015 *Medicare creates a physician payment program aimed at rewarding quality of care rather than volume of services. WHAT HAPPENS IN 2018 *An excise tax on high cost employer-provided plans is imposed. The first $27,500 of a family plan and $10,200 for individual coverag

WHAT HAPPENS IN 2012 *Physician payment reforms are implemented in Medicare to enhance primary care services and encourage doctors to form "accountable care organizations" to improve quality and efficiency of care. *An incentive program is established in Medicare for acute care hospitals to improve quality outcomes. *The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees the government programs, begin tracking hospital readmission rates and puts in place financial incentives to reduce preventable readmissions.  WHAT HAPPENS IN 2013 *A national pilot program is established for Medicare on payment bundling to encourage doctors, hospitals and other care providers to better coordinate patient care. *The threshold for claiming medical expenses on itemized tax returns is raised to 10 percent from 7.5 percent of income. The threshold remains at 7.5 percent for the elderly through 2016. *The Medicare payroll tax is raised to 2.35 percent from 1.45 percent for individuals ea

Medicare provides 10 percent bonus payments to primary care physicians and general surgeons. Medicare beneficiaries will be able to get a free annual wellness visit and personalized prevention plan service. New health plans will be required to cover preventive services with little or no cost to patients. A new program under the Medicaid plan for the poor goes into effect in October that allows states to offer home and community based care for the disabled that might otherwise require institutional care. Payments to insurers offering Medicare Advantage services are frozen at 2010 levels. These payments are to be gradually reduced to bring them more in line with traditional Medicare. Employers are required to disclose the value of health benefits on employees' W-2 tax forms. An annual fee is imposed on pharmaceutical companies according to market share. The fee does not apply to companies with sales of $5 million or less.

Insurance companies will be barred from dropping people from coverage when they get sick. Lifetime coverage limits will be eliminated and annual limits are to be restricted. Insurers will be barred from excluding children for coverage because of pre-existing conditions. Young adults will be able to stay on their parents' health plans until the age of 26. Many health plans currently drop dependents from coverage when they turn 19 or finish college. Uninsured adults with a pre-existing conditions will be able to obtain health coverage through a new program that will expire once new insurance exchanges begin operating in 2014. A temporary reinsurance program is created to help companies maintain health coverage for early retirees between the ages of 55 and 64. This also expires in 2014. Medicare drug beneficiaries who fall into the "doughnut hole" coverage gap will get a $250 rebate. The bill eventually closes that gap which currently begins after $2,700 is spent on

This summer (2010) the  Ontario  Government is set to put into force its new harmonized GST/PST sales tax which will apply a 13% sales tax to everything we purchase. Canadians have had two things that they have always been able to count on as being tax free - things that they could use to save money and accumulate wealth. They are your: (a) primary home; and (b) RRSP. That's it. If the Ontario Government gets away with implementing their new harmonized GST/PST sales tax of 13%, the top effective income tax rates in Ontario will be as follows. 38% on the first $20,000 53% on the next $40,000 59.5% on every dollar over $60,000 On top of that, you have to pay your Ontario Fair Share Health Tax, your city realty taxes, your city garbage fees, your city water fees, your city street parking permit fees, your annual Ontario and vehicle license plate fees, your Ontario land transfer tax, your land transfer tax, your gasoline taxes, your liquor taxes, your air departure taxes, your entertai

When enough daytime heating takes place, namely over central and southeast Florida, thunderstorms can begin to produce damaging wind gusts, hail and perhaps an isolated tornado during the midday, afternoon and early evening hours. It will be interesting to see if colder than average Gulf of Mexico water temperatures at present plays a role the magnitude and number of severe thunderstorms across the nation this spring. The slightly cooler less moist air, combined with a weakening El Niño could reduce the strength and number of storms.

If the last three months have made you think, “I can’t remember a winter ever being this cold in Central Florida,” you were right. The region’s record-breaking cold winter finally comes to an end this weekend similarly to the way it started: Chilly. Central Floridians are starting to think spring, and many said they are a little tired of what’s usually a rare occurrence dragging on for almost three months. After computing all the average temperatures from every day this winter, the National Weather Service said the average has been a little less than 56 degrees. That’s over a degree colder than the city’s previously coldest winter on record, set in 1954.The overall perspective from Central Floridians seems to be that if we have to live through a cold winter, we might as well set a record.

If you live in this retirement haven, you might never have considered who controls how high your grass can grow or what color you can paint your house. But now The Villages developer, who has been in charge of these rules, intends to pass the baton over to The Villages Center Community Development District. Residents, too, will have their say in at least one public hearing in early 2010. "This is the next logical step for the districts to take over their own future," development district manager Janet Tutt said. Lady Lake officials this month gave the community development district the OK to take charge of property rules in the town's section of The Villages. Lake County leaders will soon review the issue in an upcoming meeting.

Feb.3/2007 The racing super-cells,rotating thunderstorms that could be seen on weather radar. One of the super-cells, churning from Lady Lake to New Smyrna Beach in an hour, killed at least 19 people. Fortunately it missed most of Lady Lake but destroying a church bordering HWY 466 and HWY 441 less than a mile from Water Oak. We heard little of the storm except drowsily awakened by some strong winds about 3:00 AM. Pictures show some of the devastation that hit many trailer home sites in the tornado's path.

Two weeks of brutal cold - for Florida that is - had temperatures into the teens for twelve straight nights and freezing temperatures for 12 to 14 hours each day for two weeks. Only in the aftermath has the devastation to marine life become apparent. Arctic cold that gripped Florida and the southeastern US did a lot of damage to fish and marine populations. Several hundred sea turtles, stunned and floating because of the sudden temperature drops were rescued, revived and then released after the water warmed. Thousands of dead fish, including snook, tarpon and bonefish could be seen all along the Florida coast. P.S. Records show that this has been the coldest Winter since 1958. First week of January It has been snowing in Florida a little today and the central part of the state has seen some snow flurries and light sleet turning in to rain as the temperatures warmed a little. Parts of Volusia, Orange, Seminole and Lake counties have all seen a little . Mostly sleet. The average mean tem

THE CREATION OF LAKE COUNTY AND NORTH BAY PARALLELS THE COURTHOUSE STRUGGLE (click on picture to enlarge) A midnight boat ride on Lake Harris helped Tavares politicians steal the Courthouse from Leesburg after Lake County was carved from parts of Sumter and Orange. January 27, 1888, election to choose a county seat, the founder of Tavares, political boss Alexander St. Clair-Abrams, blatantly stole the Courthouse from Leesburg. The way Abrams did this was to bring in three hundred temporary Negro railroad workers from Sanford, give them a barbecue, ply them with liquor, and escort them to the polls to cast already marked votes for Tavares. In 1888, W. D. Mendenhall, merchant and postmaster, was determined to keep the county seat in his town of Bloomfield, the temporary seat of government. He made up his mind to go to court. While he was in Deland getting a writ, he was outsmarted by Abrams, who sent his crony H. H. Duncan to Bloomfield by rowboat to take possession of the records and

LADY LAKE'S HITCHHIKING COP In 1961, as a sleepy citrus-growing town of335, Lady Lake didn't have enough in its treasury to pay for a police car. But the town did have a marshal. Retiree Jim Dudley was paid $75 a month to patrol the streets on foot. Time and again, city fathers tried to find money to buy Jim a patrol car, but they always came up short. In spite of that handicap, he managed to catch a surprising number of drivers who ignored the towns forty-mile-an-hour speed law. Standing near the edge of U.S. Highway 441-27, Dudley would see a speeder and yell a command to stop. As a second warning he blew a whistle. If that didn't work, the marshal hitchhiked a ride with some local motorist who happened to be near,and together they pursued the offender. At the start of 1962, Dudley renewed his plea. "What can I do if there isn't a car around I can borrow?" he asked. Councilman W. T. "Bill" Adams told Dudley the town still didn't have enough mon

You must receive permission to do this type of landscaping -- Water Oak owns the land. However you a homeowner are expected to maintain it in accordance with the management. In fact if left neglected management after sending a number of reminders, will undertake a cleanup at your expense. Another big bonus, not having to water this landscaping. Click on picture to increase size. We are all on water meters and although we are restricted to watering once a week, it can amount to an expensive deal over the year. There is also the fear of the sprinkler system malfunctioning and water continues until someone shuts it off. We do have someone checking on our place when we are back in Canada but you can see this could be a major problem. I also installed a home invasion detector. There has been next to “0” crime in our Park. A heavy duty frost fence surrounds the Park, street lighting is provided and with the 24 hr. surveillance crooks move on to easier targets. Lady Lake Police are highly v

Water Oak has somewhere between 900/1000 homeowners. Many are permanent residents but there are the usual “snowbirds” from northern USA States and Canada. This is a picture of our street. Our house is just past the white vehicle on the left in the distance. Roads in Water Oak are all pretty well maintained. No overhead wiring is a plus. Being a gated community visiting people including service vehicles are monitored on a 24 hr. basis entering and leaving the premises. Home owners have programmed clickers to operate the 2 gates for entering and exiting. Most homeowners have their own golf carts – very handy indeed for moving about the park and playing golf. Mail is delivered to a number of lock box sites in the complex so there is no door to door delivery. FedEx delivery trucks are seen at all hours. Click on picture to enlarge. Some golf carts are street legal and it is surprising to see them crossing major intersections. They are not allowed however on the major highways as a means of

Something new - blue lights at intersections. The lights LED's are mounted about 3 feet above the traffic signals and can be seen 360 deg. to help law enforcement. Blue lights are there as a visual sign to police officers on side roads when the traffic signal on crossing roads is "red." From their side long vantage point, even at a long distance, they can see that somebody on a cross road has driven through a red traffic signal. They cannot see the red light because it is facing the two cross ways directions, but they can see the blue light. If they see you drive under a blue light, they know you have committed a traffic infraction. Running a red light in Florida can bring a fine of $188.50.Violators also face three or four points to their driving record, unless they complete a state-approved driver-safety course.

Water Oak Country Club Lady Lake Florida Water Oak Country Club offers an 18 hole championship golf course, driving range and restaurant open seven days a week. The community is meticulously maintained, and provides an incredible environment for 55+ lifestyle living. If you are interested in owning your own home with your own yard in a professionally-managed community providing you with an active Florida lifestyle at a reasonable price this is the place. I must say something about the “The Villages” as it has a huge financial bearing on what happens in Lake County and Lady Lake in general. The Villages Florida The largest age-restricted active adult community in the world. What started as a small neighborhood in 1978 has blossomed into a sprawling community that will eventually be home to an estimated 75,000 households of people aged 55 plus. The Villages Florida spans three counties, three zip codes and over 20,000 acres. The entire c

Most agree that the presence of Water Oak and The Villages has handsomely benefited the town financially since tax revenues have increased significantly, providing more resources for services to local residents. A look at the history of the town's annual tax revenues show an enormous increase in 1977—the year when the new developments began to take off. Currently, the annual tax revenues for Lady Lake exceed $3 million which is an incredible leap from earlier decades when the town's tax revenues rarely exceeded $300. Moreover, The Villages and Water Oak Estates have created jobs and economic growth, contributed to local charities, aided volunteer organizations and assisted youth groups. Leesburg, the largest city in Lake County, also the oldest city is located next to Lady Lake. As of 2005, the population (19,086) recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Lady Lake with a population of over 14,000 is on the northern edge of Lake County. Over 50,000 population is in an eight-mile radius and 30,000 growth anticipated. Boating abounds on Lake Griffin and Lake Harris. Golf courses and recreational facilities are available for all ages. Nearby are community college, medical facilities, museums, theaters. Lake County has a population over 200,000 and includes about 1200 square miles. Tavares is the county seat with county officials, courthouse and tax offices. St.Johns Water Management District manages water usage. Early Lady Lake residents thought they could manage to always keep any and all growth at abeyance. They didn't want to become a real town, much less a city with six traffic lights and long lines of noisy cars. They had a longing to stay small and unchanging. For years, they lived their dream, and the population hardly increased at all. In fact, from 1930 to 1970, the numbers inched upward by only 76 new residents, from 233 to 3

Credits: North Bay City Hall, History of North Bay, North Bay Police History, Ontario Hydro History. Some old postcards ----- paste this site in your browser http://northbayhistory.homestead.com/Water.html This is the end of North Bay History - Next will be Lady Lake, Florida and WaterOak our American Home for 6 months out of the year. If you are having trouble finding previous posts look to the right edge of the page. The posts are filed by the month.

The city has big plans for the waterfront. In the 1980’s a mile long waterfront park/promenade was developed along the Lake Nipissing shoreline adjacent to the downtown core. Eventually such attractions as a mini-train ride and (more recently) two antique carousels (largely crafted by local artisans) were installed and quickly became very popular with tourists and locals alike. Now, work is getting underway on a large new multifaceted community park that will be developed on the former Canadian Pacific Railway yards that separated the downtown core from the existing waterfront park. In August of 2009 a new pedestrian underpass opened connecting the downtown core to the waterfront for the first time since the CPR laid down tracks. Several more carousels, botanical gardens, a children's area and an extended mini-train ride will be among the park's attractions. The new community waterfront park is planned for completion by the year 2011 and is expected to transform the look and fe

North Bay grew through a strong lumbering sector, mining and the three railways in the early days. North Bay was incorporated as a city in August 1925. The Dionne Quintuplets were born in Corbeil, Ontario, on the southern outskirts of North Bay in 1934. This miraculous birth had a tremendous impact on tourism in the area. No in vetro fertilization at that time. In fact, the Dionnes may have saved the economy in the district during the Depression and beyond. North Bay and area lived off this legacy well into the 1960s. Many visitors to the area discovered lakes and summer retreats that were easily accessible and the businesses thrived on the tourist dollars .Due to its strategic location, North Bay eventually became a divisional terminus for three major railways unique in Canada, the CNR, CPR, and ONR.

When the Dionne quintuplets were born, a special power line to their home was built to provide the infants with electricity for their incubators. The Nipissing System generated that power. Times have changed. In 1950, the three power plants became part of the Ontario Hydro grid through the North Bay Transformer Station, which now supplies additional electrical en­ergy to the area. By mid-1970, greater capacity was provided through Trout Lake Trans­former Station at North Bay. Electrical operators at this location now super­vise the operation of the three original plants by remote control.(this is where I worked from 1970/1988 and retired). We also controlled the district power to transformer stations and rural supply. We remotely controlled 2 other generating stations Crystal Falls(8 megawatts) and Otto Holden(240 megawatts). Today's power consumption dwarfs the old system on the South River which once was so vital. Where at one time all customers in Hydro's Nipissing System we

ELLIOTT CHUTE Elliott Chute Generating Station, third and final Ontario Hydro power station on the South River, began to operate in 1929. It was remotely controlled by operators at Bingham Chute, located two miles downstream. This station contains just one generator, which is of a more advanced design than those in the older South River hydro stations, and has the respectable capacity of 1400 kilowatts. NIPISSING SYSTEM TODAY The old Nipissing System seems very small by today's standards. Other hydro-electric stations produce power measured in megawatts, not kilowatts. In fact, the water power, once known as "white coal", now produces less than half the electricity in Ontario. These small stations were the very life-blood of the Nipissing district power system. Operating staff manned the buildings night and day, as the generating stations supplied all the power required by Callander, Nipis­sing, North Bay, Powassan and surrounding area.

BINGHAM CHUTE Bingham Chute Generating Station was the next hydro-electric power plant built on the South River. Ontario Hydro began its construction in 1923, and by March of 1924, added 800 kilowatts of electricity to the system.Situated at the west end of Powassan, the entire development consists of a control dam, a water intake with headworks, 350 ft. of woodstave penstock - eight ft. in diameter, a powerhouse containing the two generators, 50 acres of land, and 150 acres of flooded area, all owned by Hydro. The generators housed at Bingham Chute came from the Nipis­sing plant, which had been outfitted with higher capacity generators in 1923.

NIPISSING Nipissing Generating Station is located two miles east of the village for which it is named, and about 16 miles south of North Bay. Originally owned by the Nipissing Power Co., this plant has a view-dominating surge tank for relieving water pressure on the single steel penstock (main water pipe) which feeds the turbines of two generating units. The intake, served by a canal, is quite a distance from the powerhouse, so water is directed through a wooden stave pipeline connecting with the steel penstock. The station can produce 2,100 kilowatts. Ontario Hydro, which was establish­ed in 1906, purchased both the Nipissing Power Co. and the North Bay Light, Heat and Power Co. The year was 1916 when the two local compan­ies once fierce rivals , sold their combined property and equip­ment to the publicly-owned utility.

EARLY ELECTRICITY First electrical power available to the public on the east shores of Lake Nipissing was established in 1885. A steam engine, which operated a North Bay lumber mill, was hooked to an electric generator at night. This provided power for evening lighting only. The North Bay Steam Plant was destroyed by fire in 1893 and replaced by a larger station which suffered the same fate as its predecessor in 1923. However, this did not leave the district without a supply of electricity as a hydro-powered generating stations had been built on the South River in 1909.They provided additional power for growing demands and established a 24-hour supply of electricity.

Populations in the late 1800’s are difficult to determine as Ontario and Quebec were named Upper and Lower Canada, respectively. North Bay continued to grow populations recorded are approximate: 1884 - The Village of North Bay 500 residents 1891 - North Bay a Town 1914 - Population 7,000 1917 - Population 10,000 1925 - North Bay a City 1945 - Population 16,000 1949 - Population 18,057 1957 – Population 35,000 1968 – Population 43,716 Population increased dramatically in 1968 when the Townships of Widdified and West Ferris were amalgamated and the population zoomed to 43,716. The 2006 census listed North Bay as 53,966.

The area was first explored by Samuel de Champlain.Explorations of the Ottawa and Hudson rivers, Lake Nipissing and Huronia in1615-1616. Apart from First Nations tribes, voyageurs and surveyors, there was little activity in the Lake Nipissing area until the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1882. The CPR started its westward expansion from Bonfield, Ontario (previously called Callander Station approx. 10 mi.) from North Bay where the first spike was driven into a sunken railway tie. Bonfield,Ontario was inducted into Canadian Railway Hall of Fame in 2002 as the CPR First Spike location. Throughout the shaping of the confederation plan Canadian representatives had played commanding roles, especially John A. Macdonald , lawyer, businessman, politician, first prime minister of Canada. Parliament endorsed a federal scheme with both English and French majorities in 1865, and in 1866 drafted constitutions for the successor provinces of Québec and Ontario.

The Nipissing Tribes were too far north to rely on agriculture so they became hunters and gatherers. The family hunting grounds formed the basis of their social economic organization and intruders into the family hunting area were liable to be put to death. Although some of the neighbouring tribes were said to have feared the Nipissings for their sorcery, they were active in trade for a long time before the arrival of the Europeans. They first became known to the French, in 1613.Nipissing Tribes had been attacked, by the Iroquois, and many of them slain , in 1650, they fled for safety to Lake la Langue Algonquine. They were a comparatively unwarlike people, firm friends of the French, readily accepting the Christian teachings of the missionaries. They had established home sites but were semi-nomadic, going south in autumn to the vicinity of the Hurons to fish and prepare food for the winter, which they passed among them. They cultivated the soil to a slight extent only, traded with the

North Bay and Area Sept.18/09 Nipissing District was formed in and around 1858. North Bay is the largest community in this area.The origin of the word Nipissing refers to a native American tribe who lived along the lake which bears their name, Lake Nipissing. Early Algonquin Tribes were a remote, northern nation far removed from the Central American seat of this civilization.They traded goods with the Iroquois and others and were dependant upon crops, such as corn, squash and tobacco that had been developed farther south. In exchange they gave dried meat and furs. The Nipissing Tribe "people of the little water," a reference to their main location on Lake Nipissing,a branch of the Ojibway Tribal Organization, part of the Algonquin linguistic group, that dominated in the eastern woodlands of North America. They occupied the important area between the Ottawa and French Rivers which linked couruer de bois(runners of the woods) to the St. Lawrence Seaway therefore very importa