When a PC is actually a VS

The letter started “Dear Robert:” The formal name...good news could not be following.  It sounded like someone addressing you in school when you’re about to be…well, you get the picture.

A sprinkling of snow on the back deck

The day had started out like most winter weather in our area here in Niagara this time of year…some clouds, some temperatures hovering around freezing and a sprinkle of snow, which had melted earlier, just to let you know it was December. Santa was not far off.

The Canada Post “door to door” had arrived. Vince, our post person, had neatly placed our stack in the metal receptacle.  Some Christmas cards….the usual flyers (one telling me that I could reduce my payday loan costs) and a crisp white envelope that immediately got my attention. I tore it open.

Niagara Regional Police Service had said the envelope. Chief Jeffrey McGuire read the letterhead. The body explained more. It was a confirmation and clarification of information that I had received that morning by an email directly from Chief McGuire. And, like his email had said, I had also received a phone call from the Police Service just about a half hour after I had read his email.

I guess to really explain the situation of my involvement with the local “gendarmes”, I had better go back in time to frame this properly. You see, I had been contacted 10 days earlier by officials of the Kivalliq Health Centre in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut (Canada’s most recent Territory). They requested that I consider helping their situation since seven years prior I had completed a relief position as their Xray Technologist during January when their tech had gone on annual leave.

It seems that they were “techless” and they needed some help. My name had been raised since I had “experienced” the north previously. Seven years is a long time between postings. There were many things to consider…my age, health, family, and other obligations. The list dwindled as all the factors seemed to align. With my registration validated, the last obstacle was my police background check (PC).

So I had gone to the Niagara Regional Police Service website, to obtain the necessary forms and complete the process. This was the day after I had discussed my employment in Rankin Inlet. The last piece of the puzzle was a police clearance (PC), as required by most employers these days. Mine only took about a half hour seven years ago. Health care workers, like teachers and other professionals, require a more in depth background check called a Vulnerable Sector (VS) search since these professionals are dealing with children, the aged, and the infirmed.

Information on Vulnerable Sector Police Background Checks

A quick search of the website revealed a four week waiting period for my VS checkup. I was prepared and, since it was the week before Christmas, I had loads of time. Arriving Wednesday morning at 68 Church Street in downtown St. Catharines, I bebopped up the stairs to RECORDS. At 0830, the area was clear....only a records clerk behind the window…and an empty waiting area. A quick explanation for my visit was followed by a Hindenberg moment. The clerk politely informed me that the Vulnerable Sector (VS) background check backlog was NINE WEEKS.

Their website had lied! What to do…in nine weeks I was scheduled to be in the Arctic…well, maybe not now. In a calm, and somewhat collected, manner I completed my application, paid my money and departed. How could this be? What were the ramifications, not only for me, but for others awaiting their employment? The result was a quiet drive home as I thought through any options.

The next day of problem-solving, this roadblock, was depressing as no solution could be found. What to do? Consult !!!! So I called Matt the next morning (friday) at the health centre and explained my own overnight solution. He was encouraging, not overly optimistic, but he said that he would assist, however possible, and he did so in an email later in the day.

His email, my letter of explanation and a copy of my previous police check from December 2007 were delivered on Saturday morning to police headquarters in an envelope addressed to Chief McGuire. My solution was simple and straight forward…explain to him the situation in the community up north and ask for the process to be expedited, if possible. It was the only thing I thought might help. By Monday, I had three responses from the Niagara Regional Police Service and their help and guidance.

The quick response showed me that sometimes you just have to ask. The letter that afternoon explained the situation more thoroughly. It started out:

“On July 19, 2010, the RCMP instituted enhancements to the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) system for querying flagged pardoned sex offender records, commonly referred to as a Vulnerable Sector (VS) query that all Canadian police agencies must comply with.”

Further explanation included the fact that I needed to be finger printed and that this was done by appointment only. I called and made my appointment as these are done, but twice, a week. As we write, my digital digits are traveling electronically over the internet having paid my fees.  The usual

Sgt. Preston & Yukon King from CBS in 1956

10 day turnaround means I should know by mid- January….my fate is now in the hands of those scarlet tunics in Ottawa.

ONWARD…SGT. PRESTON !!!! 
Mush.... you huskies! 

Coming up soon: Giving me The Gear(s)

After the Parade Passes You By

The past two weeks have been hectic, to say the least, for everyone celebrating Christmas followed by the close of 2014. In our house, like everywhere else, there is that constant balancing act of…time, events, family, work and everything that falls between. All these needs are woven into a fabric called “life”.

At Christmas time, and the week that follows, family gatherings usually focus, at some point, on Christmas’ and New Year’s past traditions and loved ones… things that seem somewhat less important overall to our today’s plugged-in society. But, to many, there is a whole host of traditions that are kept alive.

The Rose Parade people in Pasadena have put those floats to bed by now. For 48 hours after the big show, they are on display in a park-like setting of residential streets to allow the curious an opportunity to view them close at hand. Within a few feet you are able to see the handiwork of thousands...high school students, retirees, church groups; volunteers of all sorts. Traditions abound at the float barns. Some of these floats are massive and multi-sectional. You walk all around them, talk to the float handlers, sponsors and affiliates and just admire.

Families book their vacations, decorate the floats, view the parade and BRAG with pride how they decorated that one little section…and it took four days.

Painstakingly, these “workers” attached single petals of flowers to the appointed spot…Massive blooms of every type imaginable as well as handfuls of coconut, rice, straw flowers and other vegetation are used. The varied materials are not tinted to get the exact hue as imagined by the designer but must be natural.

Dried bark, seaweed and wide grasses (some that have been ironed flat) are woven together and pasted to form intricate designs for baskets and used to cover supporting frames and structures so they don’t stand out. The intricate use of various seeds in the floragraphs has taken hours by these decorators over the past month and the results…unbelievable. Even the name of the sponsors and the theme or name of each float is not painted but hand decorated…then attached just before delivery to the pre-parade setup areas.

The resulting visual effects are stunning on our HD television displays…but seeing these objects in the glowing sunshine on an early California morning…perhaps breathtaking is the right description. The use of seeds, the varieties of rice and other material when combined with the digital images of today, has produced a new wave in float decorating technique and design.

It’s called a floragraph. These picture floral images were widely seen this year front and centre. For me the most moving was the float recognizing worldwide Ebola First Responders and honouring two dedicated Ebola workers, stricken with the disease while helping others to cope and heal. The tragedy of those deaths was honoured, with their families in attendance on the float, having had their floragraph images revealed to them, just days before.

Again this year, like last, the largest collection of floragraphs appeared on the “Donate Life” float. The message is clear. Organ donations work. Riding on their float were people who have had their lives extended, their lifestyles changed and they had others to thank. Walking alongside the float, I noticed a large number of men and women wearing shirts that said “Live Donor”…recognition for an unselfish act.

Last year, our hotel was the base for the “Donate Life” float organizers. There was a constant stream of people supporting each other. Most wore photo badges of their loved ones who had donated. An equal number of recipients and their families were also there...some also sporting photos of their “givers”. They were all decorating their float together.  The floragraphs on the float are based upon photographs provided by families of the donors. It’s a way that this organization puts a face to recognize the human need and the sacrifice made by others. There website currently explains 123,000 men women and children are waiting for organs in the U.S. alone, and thousands more require tissue and cornea donations to restore sight and mobility.

Standing in the warm sun, last year, with the San Gabriel mountains shimmering in the backdrop while next to the Donate Life float, I realized something was missing…all the floragraphs….there had been many.  They were missing…gone…but why, where?.  I asked the float handler. As a final gesture of thanks, he said that they had all been turned over to those donor’s families.

HAKUNA MATATA---SIGN YOUR DONOR CARD!     

Ahead: Back on Track now that the Holidays are over

A New Day (Year) Dawns

While yesterday’s story was a summary of last year's New Years eve in Pasadena…today I’m going to relate some interesting notes about last year’s visit to the Tournament of Roses Parade and Rose Bowl game….and in subsequent postings, I hope to tie them all together.

A 4:30 a.m. wake up call is required if you are going to the parade and be in your seat for the start of the parade at its prompt 0800 hours start time. We are only 5 kilometers from our seats. It’s dark and quiet outside after breakfast as we head to the bus taking us to our reserved grandstand. Standing waiting to board, we can see our breath in the headlights. Some folks have gloves with them.

Aboard our bus, we move out with our credentials draped neatly on lanyards around our necks (the parade seat tickets, the football game seat tickets and our luncheon VIP passes).

All lined up at our hotel awaiting departure

Soon, a convoy of buses forms along with our CHiP motorcycle escorts. With lights flashing and flags fluttering we travel the parade route in reverse…past those that have held their domain and viewing spots through the night. After listening to post-parade instructions, we de-bus

On our way to our parade seats before the start

and start the trek almost a kilometer to our seats at camera corner (Orange Grove at Colorado). We are only an hour away from the parade start when we get seated.

Helicopters hover overhead. Security is tight. The massive movement of people scampering to find their seat access points before the streets close down. The bluest of skies reveals the sun
rising behind our position…piercing the shadows…the resulting warm feeling amplifies the anticipation of the 125^th  Tournament Parade. The numbers on the street begin thinning as the grandstands fill. Over 700,000 will be watching this parade today
                                                                                    with  an estimated 70 million viewers around the
                                                                                    world watching on TV.

The crowd getting to their seats BEFORE it begins

With the odd “white suiter” now riding their red moped to clear the street…we are but moments away. A flurry of bugles from the Pasadena Community College honour guard and the televised event is under way….the Goodyear blimp floats past our position and the floral displays begin to rumble by.

Each float has been designed since the previous parade. Its concept is approved in February based upon the designated theme for that next parade. Designers budget their costs based on construction techniques/costs, floral coverings and use of paid or volunteer decorators. Corporate sponsors are mated with designers and the full circle begins anew.

Sierra Madre Float Association (annual City Float)

Each vehicle (float) must be able to travel at mandated speeds and be able to drop to a restricted height as it passes underneath highway I-120.  On parade day, this height is checked by laser beam twice before the float enters the underpass lest it block and/or delay the parade. This height test is checked several times by the float construction regulators during the build to

From Concept to Completion

ensure the raising and lowering is within time specs, is consistent and flawless. They are checked after initial build, after the installation of base material (usually wire and foam) has been applied and, again, once lined up for pre-parade judging.

Internal construction and Hydralics

The length and width mandates are constantly   float travel along the route. Fire extinguishers are aboard and float handlers escorting the vehicle are in radio contact with the driver to help ease the difficult turns.
being pushed to the limits by designers. Further
rules involve the driver having clear lines of sight supplemented by video cameras to ensure safe operation and handling as it follows the famous red line of

All floats are classified A, B, or C. Should the drive mechanism break down, they have less than a minute to get it going or the appropriate sized tow vehicle (A, B, or C) will be connected and continue…well out of TV camera range, of course. The tow vehicles are waiting in the wings, just out of sight but never out of mind all along the parade route. Along with ambulances, fire trucks, and police vehicles, the emergency responders are present but nicely hidden.

Decoration Team working on Public Storage's "Adventures in Space"

Anyone who has watched the parade knows most of the restrictions regarding the floats’ coverings. They must be vegetable, natural or floral.

Four foot high adornment

Everything from exotic plants, pampas grasses, coconut, cranberries and a multitude of others must be applied to the entire visible surfaces. Five different glues are used as necessary. Both volunteers and paid workers painstakingly apply the decorative touches in common “float barns”.

The results are unbelievable and like many things, seeing it in person gives you a whole new appreciation of the massive commitment required for this two hour parade. It’s quite a way to celebrate the start of a new beginning….to a very new year.

                HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Part of the Mayors Unit 1909 Seagrave Pumper 
owned by Pasadena Fire Deptartment

UP NEXT:   After the Parade passes you by.

One ends....the NEXT Begins!

Here it is New Year's Eve. A night of celebration (with the HOW depending upon your age)....capped off by the start of a whole new year ahead. A time for reflection, renewal, and focus….the anticipation of what lies ahead and appreciation of life experiences of the past.

Thinking back to this date, last year…back to California with its plus 18 degree days (compared to today’s -10 here in Niagara) and standing in shorts and sandals anticipating the 125^th Rose Parade the next day. Bright sun, blue skies….just like today,

There, sitting in the grandstands at Pasadena Community College, enjoying the honoured high school bands…

that were selected three years in advance after a rigorous juried process that includes audition tapes and the documentation of parades and awards.  It’s infectious, when you see a 300 plus member high school band and colour guard marching their routes and formations, and playing their music. And it’s even harder to imagine the work that these teens, their families and their small American town supporters had to achieve in order that they participate.

Now, you have to realize that the Rose people don’t just write a cheque once that band has been selected….no way. The band members have to raise the necessary funds for transportation, food and shelter while they are at the parade. I can't imagine the budget needed to achieve that...food costs for teenagers alone times 300!!!!  While it’s a sense of pride and accomplishment, once selected, the hard work begins…..fundraising on a grand scale, accomplished by a myriad of sales techniques and products.

L.A. SCHOOLS UNIFIED H.S. BAND

WESTFIELD H.S.BAND, Chantilly, Virginia

Internationally acclaimed High School Band, Japan

Stories from smaller one high school towns talked of cookie dough sales, raffles and bake sales and in one particular location, the school band members sold mattresses on their three year quest to do the nine kilometers up Orange Grove Boulevard and down Colorado to the delight of hundreds of thousands...many who have lined the parade route overnight to ensure their special viewing spot.

Traditions are everywhere at this time of the year and the Tournament of Roses Parades are no exception.  Huge crowds of all ages gather on this night on the sidewalks along the parade route. Old chairs, chesterfields, mattresses and Barbeques magically appear and as the night air chills…the party gets going…..it’s food and beverages and gatherings of friends and families prepping for the big event the next day…while protecting their turf.

Precisely, at midnight, they can move from the curbs and sidewalks onto the street to the blue line painted to designate the parade borders. These activities are closely monitored by the local police supplemented by LA County sheriff deputies and other local agencies…and they are prepared for the worst while the celebrating continues. I’ve never seen so many paddy wagons lined up in columns in the Pasadena City hall parking lot….had to be over 50.

Early morning awaiting daylight  & the Parade

Tomorrow’s parade starts annually at 8 a.m. local time…and the town rises early to get everything into position…the floats are lined up in the evening and must be in position for judging to commence at 10 p.m. on New Years Eve…but, with the three hour time shift, that’s an hour after the ball drops in Times Square.

So the tradition, happening tonight, in the Pasadena area is to celebrate with New York, toast the midnight Crystal Ball drop at nine p.m. locally, and then grab some shut eye before an early rising to pre-parade requirements.

As sure as night follows day….tomorrow will be next year.

NEXT UP: THE TOURNAMENT OF ROSES

Whether to...AND....Weather Too !!!

....remember the Christmas Carol goes...
"So the weather outside is frightful..."

Well here at home it's currently delightful!....was plus eight a couple of days ago....that's celsius and with an overnight low between freezing and plus 2 it's been quite pleasant. It's been a green Christmas & Boxing Day.

This holiday season has been a pleasant change from the seasonal norm.  It's a far cry from last year when Toronto was plagued by the ice and snow for many days around the Christmas..and had huge electrical issues...how soon we try to forget!

So tonight I wanted to compare our weather in Niagara and what is happening in Nunavut. I shouldn't have...makes the decision to go north...just a bit more difficult.
The following headline listed.

Active Advisory: Winter Weather Statement

Well, it actually looked like this:

So, to review...Current temp -26C feels like -43 with the Wind Chill ...

Winds from the North at 46 km/hr gusting to 59...and it also says it's going to be cooler tomorrow...and it went on to give the following warning:

Blizzard Warning for the Kivalliq area
updated by Environment Canada
at 2:19 p.M. CST Sunday 28 December 2014.
---------------------------------------------
Blizzard Warning for:
      Arviat
      Rankin Region Including Whale Cove
      Chesterfield Inlet
      Baker Lake
      Repulse Bay. 

These are all communities that feed patients into the Health Centre in Rankin Inlet....and tells me that the airport has been quiet and no one is moving....schools are already closed for the holidays...they won't be affected....but depending on how long this has been going on...and, more importantly, how has it affected the people!  

The weather statements also advises to remain in place with travel not attempted. This also means that any Medivac emergency transfers to Winnipeg will have been delayed with onsite staff needing to provide the care....for a whole myriad of possibilities...anyone requiring abdominal surgeries, high risk deliveries and head and spine injuries...just to name a few. It can be a scary time for those involved (on both sides:patients & families and also staff), but we've done it before...and in the ways of the North....we cope.

That's the reward of being there! Genuine appreciation for those extra efforts!

NEXT UP: The Decision Gets Closer

 

RETAILING IN THE NORTH

The end of 2014 fast approaches...2015 is only a couple of days away....and on the horizon is the organizing.  Yesterday's blizzard in the Kivillaq region of Nunavit gave me the reality check that I had better look into some warm clothes....just in case. With the Boxing week sales being on, it was  a good time to start.

I also had to drop off equipment at Nikon Canada for some recalibration and adjustments...so combined both tasks stopping afterwards at Sherway Gardens. It's definitely one of Canada's mega merchandising emporiums...soon with 75 more stores including a Noordstrum's and a Saks Fifth Avenue in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

Now I know why I hate large malls. Many of the chains use the cookie cutter approach to layout, lighting,  shelving and merchandising. The key redeeming thing is the people, those hardworking retail staffers. They make the whole experience palatable and even pleasant

A sign caught my interest in the Eddie Bauer store. It read Live your adventure...was this an omen???

 Looking at it, made me momentarily drift back to my adventure 7 years ago...standing in the Northern Store. In Rankin Inlet, the goods available are quite different. Very few stores in southern Ontario sell ammunition, Duck and Geese decoys along with fresh vegetables, canned and dry packaged food along with washers, dryers, stoves and fridges. For your transportation needs they stock quad cycles, snow mobiles and outboard motors. Not sure if online shopping has developed there....may find out soon.

If you look at the prices and the specials....you may never complain about your food prices again!!!!
CLICK HERE to see the NORTHERN Flyer Specials to December 31st

I could imagine the scene in the local Northern or the Co-op...not sure if they have a Boxing week sale  but this time of year they have calendars. Since my adventure 7 years ago, I usually get a calendar from one of  the staff at the Health Centre and look forward to it each year. I might even be able to bring my own home this year!

And while researching for material for this blog, I discovered that the Northern store was one of 122 (SOME in Alaska as well as Canada's provinces) and is owned by:

 

Yes, the same company that brought you "Pemmican" and those fur trading "Coureur des bois" in the sixteen and 1700's !

In fact, you will be quite surprised that they are not only retailing in northern Canada but also in the the Caribbean, South Pacific and Alaska. In Niagara, one store chain stands out!!!! Giant Tiger!!!

Coming Up: DECISIONS.....DECISIONS

The Electronic Callback

Well, it happened !!!!! The seven year stretch is over....I've had a new calling... not a voice in the receiver but an email this time.  The email had originated on a Friday...December 12 (less that two weeks before Christmas).

Seven years and three days after the last calling (there are some dates that are not forgotten).  It was from:
KIVALLIQ  HEALTH  CENTRE, 
RANKIN  INLET,  NUNAVUT.

                 Kivalliq Health Centre under construction 10 years ago in June 2004

So, I guess I'd better go back seven years and try to explain a bit for those not aware of my Arctic Adventure in 2008 ( briggsarcticadventure.blogspot.com )
Hoping not to bore, I'll give it the quick (for me) 1....2.

1.  I had retired from Niagara Health System in 2005 (after 37 years at SCGH) and had continued working part-time relief for a local radiology clinic group. 
2. In December 2007, I was asked to provide radiography coverage for the Rankin Inlet Health Centre for most of January 2008...and I did!!!!

So, that's the quick 1...2.  I traveled north and then returned to Niagara in late January...an experience that I documented thoroughly at the time.....And now, late on a friday evening, I was reading an email from Matt in Nunavut asking me to contact him ASAP regarding an urgent need in the north....could I help out?????  Wow.

Then some of the memories came flooding back.....the good, the bad and the cold. Seven years later, so much had changed, yet many things were still the same...BUT I was also 7 years older...could I do it????? Mentally...physically...and what did he need?  We needed time to talk this out, at home, to think about ALL the options, concerns and requirements...It was a long methodical analysis....It took all weekend.

 Monday afternoon, I pressed the one...and then 8...6...7...(the area code for Rankin Inlet), the health centre number and placed a call to Matt just 72 hours after his request had arrived. The conversation started and the questions were asked.

NEXT TIME:    ???Considerations???