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My Canadian Experience
Report for January - February 2025


Our Prime Minister. Justine Trudeau, has resigned.  However it might be May until we have elections as first the Liberal party has to pick a new leader and then we need to organise new elections.

With President Elect Donald Trump threatening 25% tariff on Canadian goods and his claim we would be better off as the 51st State of the USA things are in a bit of a mess.

Canada needs the Conservative leader to be the new Prime Minister and that will happen but not for some months yet it appears.

Canada is in a bit of a mess right now.

The Problem with Canada’s Economy

Why living in Canada has become Impossible

Is Trump right about the U.S. 'subsidizing' Canada?

Then looking at the Trump Presidency...

Danielle Smith pushes Trudeau aside, takes the lead in negotiating with Trump
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith flew down to Florida over the weekend for two private meetings with President-elect Donald Trump at his personal residence, Mar-a-Lago. Smith made the case for Alberta oil and gas and said the meetings were friendly and constructive, but told Canadians to prepare for crippling across-the-board tariffs on January 20th. Smith made it clear that there will be no exemptions, and she firmly opposed calls for retaliatory tariffs or a possible oil embargo, while Trudeau minister Melanie Joly left the door open to a possible embargo.

Pierre Poilievre responds to Trump threats with HUGE strength

The World is Laughing at Canada

Then I watched a video about the Los Angeles fire in the US...

Beyond the Flames: The Devastation of Los Angeles Fires
Listen to the Friday news roundup with Victor Davis Hanson and cohost Sami Winc as they discuss the Palisades fire in LA and the issues of water, insurance, DEI, Newsom, Mayor Bass, fire Chief Kristin Crowley, and other news from the week

Most of January has seen us with snow on the ground.  A few inches but it is so cold that it's not melting.  Reporting -8 F. My car battery died so had to give it a boost from a battery pack.  Worked twice but then wouldn't charge up so needed to get a new battery. However as it warmed up a bit I found the car did start so now holding off on the new battery.

On Friday 24th I called in Postma to check a leak in my plumbing as I found the wall was wet going down to the basement. They charged me $110 for the visit.  They advised i should not use the upstairs bathroom until the situation has been resolved. On Tuesday 28th I was still waiting for them to get back to me with a quote to fix the issue.  I thus called Plumb Tech, to give me a quote and they came out within an hour and I'm now expecting them to provide a quote and hopefully later today.

As we moved into February I made progress with my plumbing issue in that I got my quote from Postma, around $1,600 but that would only cover fixing the issue and not bringing the house back to what it needs to be with new woodwork, panting and drywall. I am still to get a quote from Plumb Tech but he wanted to tear out a lot more of my wall up so if anything I think this is going to be more expensive. Note: they didn't get back to me. 

Then I had the bright idea of calling my Insurance company and low and behold it looks like I might get all this done for zero cost but of course that still needs to be confirmed.

I have since been told that they will cover the cost of the repair.  They have advised that I might consider doing a replacement of the cast iron piping while the wall is opened up.  I am getting a quote for that but it might well be another $2,000 or more so will have to see what they come up with.

Trump has imposed 25% increase in tariffs on all goods sold into the USA except for energy which is at 10%. It boggles the mind that he can be so daft.  This is likely to hit Americans harder than it will Canadians. Canada has responded with a likewise tariff.

In fact see the next video below to see how this could help Canada...

Canada needs a new trading market

Common sense Conservatives will bring home Canada's promise

The tariff was postponed for 1 month so we'll have to see what happens.

During February up to the 12th we've had cold weather with snow on the ground although not more than 2 inches of snow on any day.  The forecast for the 12th is for more snow but from what I hear it won't affect us here in Chatham but London and Toronto are looking at up to 10 inches of snow through to the weekend.

MASSIVE Trade Shake Up: Canada DITCHES U.S. for Europe
Canada just made a game-changing move, shifting its trade focus toward Europe and Asia while distancing itself from the US. With Trump’s 25% tariffs on Canadian imports, the once-strong trade relationship between these allies is unraveling fast. Meanwhile, Canada has signed new trade deals with the EU, Indonesia, and Ecuador—leaving America in the dust. As Canada strengthens economic ties with Europe, will Trump’s tariff strategy hold up, or is the US losing its grip on its closest trading partner? Let’s break it all down!

See also...

I recognise that Donald Trump was given a really bad time in the US and he deserves to be vindicated.  See some of the discussions going on in the US with this video below...

Congress Completely SILENT Trump Lawyer EXPOSE Adam Schiff and the Entire Dems with Hard Evidence

However, while I am more than happy to see him deal with the administration in the US I believe his tariff strategy is poor judgment on his part. He's turned a great friend in Canada into a country looking to distance themselves from the US. Canada is a friend to the US and has colossal reserves of energy and rare earth minerals that the US needs to expand their manufacturing base.  It risks this friendship to their own detriment.

In Canada we have a power vacuum with the Prime Minister resigning but not putting in place the proceedings needed to get a quick election done so we as a country can deal with the US in a timely manner.

Case Plumbing visited me on 14th February to provide a quote for the plumbing work.  They will get back to me by Monday. Also Belfore came by the other day to take samples of the ceiling to check for asbestos and am happy to report they found none.


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