I’ve decided that other companies can learn a thing or two about customer service from Porter Airlines. Porter is doing so many things right. They offer reasonably priced flights and a number of little classy touches (that used to be the norm, but are now the exception) such as: more leg room, real glasses to drink from, free wine and …
Friendship, sunsets, compassion, community add nothing to the GDP
A quote caught my eye the other day: “Gross National Product measures everything, except that which makes life worthwhile.” — Robert Kennedy. I agree with this on so many levels. Acknowledging that I am no economist, for me the market value of all products and services produced in one year by Canada has very little to do with my quality …
Time-of-use electricity rates: More greenwashing or real conservation?
When the first brochures came out about time-of-use (TOU) billing rates, I was under the impression that somehow the change was going to benefit me as a consumer. I read the headings of the brochures sent with my electricity bill: “simple changes can bring real benefits” and “putting you in control” and “Choose your time. Manage your costs.” To me, …
It was the best of wait times; It was the worst of wait times
Let me regale you with a tale, a not so age-old Dickens tale: a tale of two walk-in clinics. It was the best of wait times, it was the worst of wait times, “it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,” it was the epoch of near instant service, it was the epoch of waiting forever.
Thanksgiving is a holiday for connecting, not collecting
Thanksgiving still remains my favourite holiday. When else is nature strutting her stuff so vividly? When else do you get a day off to spend with family that isn’t focused on buying or spending or doing laundry? When else do you find most families not cooking processed food? And perhaps most importantly, when else do you get pumpkin pie?
Everyone loves a parade, except the media — they’d prefer a protest
Fall in! Attention! Present soap box! Ho! It was a stunning sight. On Sunday, more than 4,000 peace officers paraded onto Parliament Hill to honour their fallen colleagues. Motorcycle police blazed the trail with their red and blue lights flashing, and the pipe bands followed, leading companies marching in dress uniform, buttons polished, and ceremonial swords glinting in the sun. …
Stop trying to keep up with the Joneses — we aren’t entitled to any of it
The unfortunate sign of the times is ‘For sale by owner’. Driving through upper Michigan this past weekend I was awestruck at the number of “for sale” signs. In this case, I’m referring not to houses, but to the items for sale parked on the front lawns of houses. Boats, recreational vehicles, trailers, riding mowers, motorcycles, tractors, and more, were …
Know the rules before riding away on your bicycle
A 76-year-old man was recently charged with driving a bicycle on a sidewalk after he was struck by a motorist. Can we assume that he knew it was called a sidewalk and not a sideride? Is this a question of a lack of knowledge or breaking the law knowingly? Should the motorist also be considered in this equation? Following the …
Is it a deal? Saving money on spending or impulse purchases
You can’t open the paper lately without being told “Thou shalt Steal The Deal.” Full-page, colour ads with masked models smile back at us as they have supposedly saved money on restaurants, salons, golf, and more. Steal The Deal follows on the heels of other group buy sites, such as Groupon, Living Social, and WagJag. The premise is brilliant, even …
Relay for Life luminaries represent stories of those affected by cancer
My neighbour asked me last week if I’d be going to the Relay for Life. When I heard the music still going strong into the wee small hours on Friday night, I put on my walking shoes and went over to the John Rhodes Community Centre, awed by the number of people still there. For those who haven’t been to …