Blustering Peaks

 

... or some such thing...



The Canada Pension Plan will start bloating out in 2019:

Both Canadian workers and their employers will soon be on the hook for higher contributions to the Canada Pension Plan after the federal government reached an agreement with most of the provinces Monday to revamp the program for the first time in nearly two decades.

Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau said the change means future generations of Canadians will be able to retire in dignity, no matter the state of their finances.

"We have come to a conclusion that we are going to improve the retirement security of Canadians," Morneau said. "We're going to improve the Canada Pension Plan that will make a real difference in future Canadians' situations."

By 2023, an extra $34 a month in pension premiums will mean up to $4,300 more in annual payouts come retirement time for the average Canadian wage earner.

The agreement-in-principle, which only Quebec and Manitoba neglected to endorse, will see an increase in monthly premiums phased in starting at $7 a month in 2019 for a typical worker earning about $55,000.

Once the plan is fully implemented, the maximum annual benefits will increase by about one-third to $17,478.

Mandatory matching contributions will also mean a jump in payroll expenses for employers.

A change to the CPP needs the consent of Ottawa and a minimum of seven provinces representing at least two-thirds of the country's population.

Morneau said Quebec — which has its own pension plan — and Manitoba continue to be part of the process, despite not signing on to the agreement.

 You voted for it, Canada.




PM Trulander promises to embarrass himself and Canada in Ukraine.

#PrayforCanada




Should there be a National Aboriginal Day?

No.

Not only is such a day divisive in this day of identity politics, which should please Big Aboriginal no end, it also serves to underscore the current trend of mediocrity and victimhood as opposed to celebrating all Canadians, whatever their ethnicity, for their contributions to the country.

Heaven forbid that should happen.


Also:

One of three women convicted in a savage killing in April 2006 has been granted a temporary escorted absence from prison to attend an aboriginal healing ceremony, even though she isn’t aboriginal.

Yet another reason why National Aboriginal day should never, ever happen.




Russia insists that Canada not put troops in eastern Europe:

Russia is pushing back against NATO calls for Canada to help lead a new military force in Eastern Europe, describing the measure as “a complete waste of money and resources.”

Because Trudeau is a pu$$y, he won't put troops in eastern Europe (I would be surprised if he did and for a good length of time). Anyone else - like, a real leader, for example - would put in troops just to spite Russia.




Walter Koenig, the original actor to portray Pavel Chekov, comments on the recent death of Anton Yelchin who died in a freak accident this past Sunday:

Walter Koenig, the actor who brought the character of Pavel Chekov to life in the original Star Trek TV series and subsequent films, only met Anton Yelchin once, but it was memorable.

“We spoke on a sound stage for about two hours,” Koenig said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “His reputation as an artist preceded him, however. I knew I was in the presence of a gifted performer.”

Yelchin, 27, was killed early Sunday morning when his Jeep rolled down his driveway, pinning him between the vehicle, a security fence and brick pillar. ...

“What I learned that day was how bright and sensitive he was. I walked away thinking — this is a good person,” Koenig said. “My heart goes out to his mother and father. I know what you’re going through.” (Koenig lost his son, actor Andrew Koenig, to suicide in 2010.)

Oh dear....

And now, as Germans have a vocabulary to express human suffering, they also have a vocabulary to express endearment:

6. Mausbär

The animal terms can combine with each other too. If a mouse is cuddly and cute and a bear is cuddly and cute, just how stinkin’ cuddly and cute is a mousebear?

Danke.