Healthcare in Ontario

 Quarterly PSA test

Thursday, August 4th, JB had to have his quarterly PSA test. He has to go to our local LifeLabs, a for-profit. That said, it is all free under our provincial healthcare system.

Lifelabs LP is located in Toronto, ON, Canada and is part of the Medical & Diagnostic Laboratories Industry. Lifelabs LP has 3,000 total employees across all of its locations and generates $977.91 million in sales (USD). There are 340 companies in the Lifelabs LP corporate family.

Joseph Brian had prostate cancer surgery in 2014, but they didn't get it all. If the test is good, he'll get his antigen Lupron injection next week to prevent it from growing. So far, so good.

He goes in for 8:10, and there is a new nurse. She gets the butterfly needle, which he always needs with his small veins. She fetches it. "Which arm?" she asks. 

"Any one," he replies. Left first, then right, but it doesn't work. He says if it was drilling for oil it'd be a dry hole. There was another nurse who was always called upon awhile back, and JB called him the closer. He was great! He has moved on. 

"OK, how about my hands," he asks? (It's not his first rodeo!)

First nurse gets 2nd nurse, who has more confidence, but didn't pass the Miss Manners test. Very abrupt. She checks his arms, checks his hands. "When was the last time you were here?" (What does that matter?!) 

Sometimes they try a hand warmer, he suggests helpfully. Nurse #2 filled a glove with hot water, gives it to JB, to put between the back of his hands. It was too hot, so they put a paper towel between his them. Nurse #2 tries, again in a half hour.  Success. The poor man. He came home for a rest.

💉💉💉💉💉💉💉💉💉💉💉💉💉💉💉💉💉💉💉💉💉💉💉

Friday, August 5th

This is his PSA result since his surgery in 2014. JB can go online and check it – usually within 24 hours. During the beginning of this process, they would require another face-to-face appointment, and the doctor to interpret the results. Thankfully, those days waiting with baited breath are gone. The results are good. We have a deep breath for another 3 months.

😷 😷 😷 😷 😷 😷 😷 😷 😷 😷 😷 😷 😷 😷 😷 😷 😷 😷 😷

Nursing in Ontario

We are so short nurses in Ontario (30,000 - they say). I fear our provincial government has nary a clue. Nurses have suffered so much on the front lines during COVID. Our personal support workers (PSWs) who assist them, are in short supply, as well. It's the nurses who supervise the PSWs. Emergency rooms are closing. Places like LifeLabs is competing for nurses. 

The nursing association did a survey and says that 1 in 2 nurses are considering quitting. Then, 60% say their mental health has deteriorated. This sounds accurate, as many of us NOT on frontlines, have many issues due to the pandemic. I found, when my principal was bullying me in 2005, that I am still having the same reactions to stress these many years later.

Our premier decided to create Bill 124 [Bill 124 Royal Assent (PDF)] to limit pay increases to public sector workers to 1%. It is disrespectful. This doesn't reward them in for hanging in, and it means that staff are moving to find better paying jobs. Nurses work long, difficult hours. They are called in to work when other nurses fall ill. One ICU nurse, interviewed on CTV news, said that she did 28 shifts in a row doing overtime. It is affecting critical care response teams. 

"According to the Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA), about 25 hospitals in Ontario were forced to scale back sections of their facilities on the previous long weekend due to staff shortages.This marks the first time in weeks that Ford has taken questions amid an  ongoing staffing crisis in the health-care sector and contract negotiations with education workers.

Burnout and illness among health workers, compounded by an influx of people seeking treatment that was put off earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic, has forced some hospitals to limit services and temporarily close their emergency departments."

Many nurses have left the front line jobs. When a facility cannot get a registered nurse (RN) who supervises nurses, they call in temps from for-profit agencies. There were 25 emergency rooms that closed last week, due to a nursing shortage. The average wait, according to nurses, is 10 hours in an ER waiting for a bed.  

The Nursing staffing system in Ontario is broken. 
ONA pay scale vs. the $110/h private agencies charge hospitals to fill RN vacancies
Hospitals are paying 2-3x more for a transient workforce
To save money and create a sustainable system, appropriately compensate full time work pic.twitter.com/QpsWeBvSso

— Michael Warner (@drmwarner) August 3, 2022

Where is our provincial health minister? Assuring us that all is well and stating that 9/10 patients are getting appropriate care. 

@fordnation the government claims they cannot afford to give equity to a female dominated profession but yet they are UNDER SPENT in health care by over 1.8 billion dollars. @ontarionurses @NurseWithSign @NursesWant

— Cathryn ONA, RN (@CathrynOna) August 6, 2022

Where is our premier?  At a $1300 entry fee golf tournament. He's having a great summer. Finally emerged from his summer vacation to assure us that emergency wait times are fine.

Environmental issues

 We watched a couple of episodes of Spooks. I went to bed to read, Beastly Things, book #21 by Donna Leon in the Inspector Commissario series. It does make me feel better about Canadian government! As I read, I could hear a cat murping. Not Cinnamon, he doesn't murp but meows. I heard JB laughing in the living room. Of course I had to get up. So much for sleep hygiene! 

Here was Nutmeg, proudly celebrating the mouse she killed. She'd dropped it right in front of him on the carpet. She was quite happy to share her treasure. I suspect it was in the basement. I find that the adult mice know that there are cats in the house, but the young ones don't quite get this. Or don't run fast enough. We seldom see signs of them.

Outside it is a different tale. The lilies are growing like mad. The hostas... not so much. Our one regular doe has trimmed them. Grrrr! Actually, she's a thin one, and I don't mind. It happens every year.

These two are nicely trimmed. Normally deer begin at the outside hosta, then a day later move to the other. Maybe I just didn't notice!

The fence works for some of the flowers.

We've been a bit dry. I watered the Canna. It was happier and stood up tall.

My orchid is finally showing signs of blooming. I've put some of my indoor plants on the back deck. The orchid gets morning sunshine, the other plants are hidden by the BBQ. A perfect spot! I accidentally broke off the previous bud branch. 

Provincial Politics

And in provincial news, our re-elected premier is trying to build a new highway, #413. It is, many believe, unnecessary. We should simply open up the toll highway, #407, to ease traffic. It makes me so angry. Highway 413 route threatens 11 at-risk species, provincial government documents reveal — Toronto Star (@TorontoStar) June 29, 2022.

We are hoping that the feds are going to get involved: 

"the highway could harm three species at risk that were protected federally but not provincially: the western chorus frog, the red-headed woodpecker, and a rare dragonfly called a rapids clubtail."

You'll recall that I have participated in Western Chorus Frog surveys, as they are at risk, and the ministry is seeking to establish an idea of their population numbers.

What else did Doug Ford do? Ontario's new minister of natural resources faces environmental charges

Smith is charged with harming or harassing Blanding's turtles, designated by Ontario as a threatened species, and with damaging or endangering the habitat of the turtles. The Town of Bracebridge itself and two senior municipal officials also face identical charges.

Premier Ford announced his new cabinet ministers. There are a couple of surprises. There is a new Minister of Red Tape. (I kid you not!) You know what this means: someone dedicated to reducing oversight, ignoring the environmental issues, and giving free reign to developers.

He chose Graydon Smith to be his environmental minister. This is the former mayor of Bracebridge, who is charged with paving over the endangered Blandings Turtle habitat in Muskoka, despite environmentalists making presentations to inform his council of the egregiousness of this act. They went ahead anyway. 

I leave you with this:

One must remember there are good people in the world. I watched the Canadian Indspire Awards the other day. They gave an award to a First Nations entrepreneur who has created this ethical company. Cheekbone Beauty is amazing. They give back so much and inspire! Rich white men build an empire. First Nations women take care of themselves, one another, their community, and the earth. They believe in sustainability. 

Spammers, Magas and Convoys

I take great enjoyment in finding out what my blog friends are up to. I live life vicariously through others, and enjoy their travels. Aside from that, I like to read their thoughts and opinions, especially if it makes me think. Some bloggers don't allow one to disagree, that is a shame. I appreciate the value in gathering thoughts, digesting what has happened, and organizing one's thinking. Too many people are influenced by confirmation bias, whereby they only accept that which confirms their opinion.

Then there are the crazies

I read some things about MAGAs that explains some of their behaviour. When you have no capital, no assets and no status, the only thing you have left is your status in society by being white. Trump spits on various minority groups, women, the disabled, and BIPOC groups. That makes his MAGAs feel better. Martha Acuna: social capital is all MAGAs have. Poor white people buy into this rhetoric. They believe the conspiracy theories, and the ignorance and lies.

There is a deep-seated, racist, misogynistic, attitude in the courts, as well. Blaming the victim, charging women with having an abortion, even after they miscarry. These aren't rich white people, they are victims of incest and abuse, in poverty, who receive judgements by the upper class judiciary who do not understand their lives. There are 400,000 children in foster care in the US.

Women don't even know they are pregnant until about 6 weeks. Even if the pregnancy isn't viable, and if the mother's life is at stake, many religions see this act as positive. 

Rep. Mary Miller actually stated, after Roe V. Wade was overturned, 'the historic victory for white life in the Supreme Court'. This is the truth those without funds, those who most need this healthcare, those with ectopic pregnancies, women carrying a dead fetus, or  raped by someone and do not have healthcare. I listened to a podcast at 3 a.m., and I was shocked. 

Canada Day is July 1st!

Talk about crazies! We are anticipating potential chaos on Canada Day in Ottawa. Traditionally it is a fun concert with bands, speeches, celebrations. 

JB went into town and spotted this. It was parked in town. The drag on your car is enormous, costing you precious gas money. 

flagged car from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

OK, thanks for reading and letting me rant and vent! I feel better. I know nothing changes, but we should be so grateful living on this continent. 

The distance between rich and poor widens. Be kind. Listen. 

How did your Sunday go?

I managed a photo of a doe with triplets. 

We just lost another fawn on the highway. It's taken me a few days to process the whole thing. Skim if you need to.

We could hear the traffic, and it was heavy all day. They pass one another, revving engines. It is discouraging. We lost one a fawn a month ago (The circle of life). This last time it was 11:14, Sunday morning. We could hear the screech of brakes, and the sound of the hit, from inside the house. They couldn't see a large doe and twin fawns and avoid them. 

"There is more to life than increasing its speed." 

-Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948)

What is it with these people who travel well past the posted speed limit? Crikey. I went down to see if I could remove the fawn carcass, but I could not lift it. I rolled it farther down into the ditch. I was worried about my safety, as vehicles travel way too fast. It was Nov. 2020 when a Quebec driver hit a deer and rolled his car: Signage. His passengers ended up in hospital. That's when they put up signage after I'd asked for it several times, beginning in 2011: Roadkill - slow down. 

I came back to the back deck, a little upset and shell-shocked. I can still hear the whack from a small car hitting a large doe. I was in the forest in March, 2017, when I heard that incident: a buck (Cats, deer friends). His car had to be towed. This curve is where they cross the highway to habitat. Then there was the time Hooper was killed. It was 6 p.m., in the dark.  That sound haunts me still.  

OK, back to my tale. After I gave up on the new carcass, wishing the little spirit well. I went to the back deck to breathe deeply. In the backyard, there was a fawn, with the doe eating. I would assume that this is the mother doe and sibling. They know our yard is safe. Just to the left is the highway, they ambled up the hill to safety.

It lay down for a rest! They were here for about a half hour. 

Here is the momma.

fawn doe from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

JB went into town for groceries, as this point. He counted 6 carcasses of various critters (one was a raccoon kit) in 5 km. He saw a whole lot of motorcycles. They drove past here, at great speed, passing one another, mufflers cranking it up. Turns out they were on a ride to raise money for prostate cancer.  Seeing as he has prostate cancer, he thought it fitting to take photos. He asked to take photos, and they were quite pleased.

From JB's walk...

 🐻SNUGGLE Bears met a new friend.

Hunting birds: respectfully

I have come to a decision. We had planned to visit a particular spot on Amherst Island (population 450) to spot some owls. It is a famous place to view owls. I'm not going into their woods. I have visited the island, but we did not go into them. I found out, later, that they permit visitors, for now.
I have written about it before: Amherst Island Birding Ethics. A perfect habitat for them in our wicked winters. There is food, shelter, and few predators, until now. The landowners have permitted people to visit and photograph owls on their property. The road leading to the woods is rough. I'm sure it is deliberately so.

There is a wide amateur photographer community, who sometimes use professionals to lead tours to the island. It is ubiquitous, and increasing. I understand the need for professionals to earn a living leading tours, and they can teach ethics, one hopes. You cannot teach respect, however. It's not limited to Ontario:

Phil Slade said...

It happens just the same over here Jen. We don't have Snowy Owls but most owls are now targetes for birders and toggers. "Toggers" are people who have no real interest in birds just photography. It's all become a huge problem.

Amateurs, and professionals alike have been owl baiting to lure the owls towards their cameras. This is bad for many reasons; I'm sure I need not explain it, others have.

Thinking of feeding or baiting owls for your photo? Here's why you shouldn't do it: https://t.co/asusIC7m66 pic.twitter.com/Wq4CpYe04S

— Audubon Society (@audubonsociety) January 5, 2019

By the way, there is a difference between short-term baiting birds with live food, and putting out backyard bird feeders [Audubon Society, Jul. 13, 2017]

‏Verified accounMor

We have many owls in care in rehabilitation centres in the province. Birds hit by cars are quite common. Not that taming them is an issue here, but road speed and distracted driving means there are quite a few animals hit on our highways. Hubby found this one on the road. I took the opportunity to photograph this fine creature, then set it in the forest to let nature take its course.


Baiting owls has been an issue for a few years, now. With Social Media, people share photos and locations. This should stop. It won't, however. Ethical birders have been mum about owl locations lately. I only share a location with trusted photographers.

These are the behaviours people have witnessed on Amherst Island:

• people climbing into fenced, out of bounds areas
• people climbing fences to shake them and make snowy owls to fly
• trespassing at night, with lights, to get photos
• another man picked up a saw-whet owl, a wild owl, and put it in his coat
• landowners are kicking people off of private property as they are trespassing
• a man with a cooler full of mice, to lure the owls.

And now: drones...

This is a collection of my owl photos. The joy of photographing them and the luck of finding one, is sheer joy.