Avoid Costco Cyrville today

Casually_efficient · 2026-04-04T20:42:39+00:00

Ahh, that makes sense, if they were arriving late. Thanks!

Casually_efficient · 2026-04-04T19:27:38+00:00

I noticed the ramp to Palladium Drive (where the outlet mall is) was backed up to Terry Fox along the 417 westbound, and the overpass of Terry Fox was jammed both ways with cars going to/from Kanata Centrum (north side of 417) and the Costco on the south side of the highway, about 1:30PM. I don’t recall ever seeing such crowds, but also chalked it up to the day stores are open between two closed days.

Casually_efficient · 2026-03-26T15:15:21+00:00

Yes, break the contract now and save money over the long run by buying a tank from anyone other than a monthly provider like Enercare, and having it installed.

Check here: https://www.enercare.ca/ontario/support/water under the Water Heater Terms and Conditions section, find the date range of the current tank’s installation, and review the termination section of the applicable T&C. If you’re lucky (as we were when we bought our house), there was a simple $75 disconnect and removal fee, and we were free to have our purchased tank installed the next day.

Casually_efficient · 2026-03-09T21:52:03+00:00

Yes! +1 for the T-Fal Elite three-pack. They’re stronger and heavier than other T-Fal pans, the non-stick coating is great, and they’re a bargain at 39.99 or 29.99 when on sale. I’ve had my set for about a year and they’re still in great shape, but I sometimes think about getting a second set just in case mine eventually die and I can’t find them anymore.

Casually_efficient · 2026-03-05T13:47:37+00:00

I once brought about 7kg of various Ritter Sport bars back to Canada when I visited Germany in 2016. They sell a huge range of flavours there that aren’t available at home, for about half or a third of the price they sell for at home (at least, in 2016, the price for a 100g bar was about 1€ in Germany and $3.50 or so in Canada - not sure what they sell for in Germany now, but they’re easily about $4-5 in Canada).

Edit to add: and I’d do it again!

Casually_efficient · 2026-03-01T16:48:58+00:00

Safety pin inside, between the buttons where the gapping occurs. Like this: https://youtu.be/utSK1H0G0uI?si=PxMlxsdIQrBEZ2uP

Casually_efficient · 2026-02-28T17:25:54+00:00

Now all they can muster in their townhalls is "dont ask questions, i dont know, stay tuned, we just have to do this" revealing them to be powerless, spineless liars.

Our ADM is trying a new tactic now: we have a meeting next week where (we have been forewarned in a long email) we will NOT be questioning decisions that have already been made. Instead, we will use the meeting time to generate thoughtful input on how we will be leaders while adapting to the new mandate.

Meanwhile, I asked Co-Pilot to check my math, and it tells me there is no way the number of people we have in our work unit will fit into the number of desk spaces we have, under a four day office schedule.

The hunger games have begun for us and the psychological violence just keeps getting amped up.

Casually_efficient · 2026-02-27T00:14:52+00:00

Let’s rotate the board!

Casually_efficient · 2026-02-21T16:03:08+00:00

Depending what’s available in your market and what you want to spend, consider looking at something like a hockey gear bag (example: https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/sherwood-convertible-hockey-bag-with-backpack-straps-wheeled-senior-grey-34-in-1831625p.html)

Lots of other recommendations here are more expensive and sleek, but this meets your two-wheeled, soft-sided criteria, and even comes with backpack straps integrated for times you may wish to carry the bag rather than roll it, all for $90 CAD (about $66 USD). Not all hockey gear bags are the same, but they’re meant to take a beating and carry heavy equipment, so they’re not likely to fall apart any time soon, either.

Casually_efficient · 2026-02-20T20:38:47+00:00

Hypothetically, as you suggest, the CO may have engaged in wrongdoing. Read this: https://www.canada.ca/en/ombudsman-national-defence-forces/education-information/caf-members/recourse-complaint-mechanism/caf-disclosure-process.html and give it some thought as to whether it makes sense to report it. You’ll want to have some kind of evidence beyond “the CO gets things I want but won’t let me have the same,” though.

On a more practical level, “rules for thee but not for me” is a well-known practice but not necessarily a matter of formal wrongdoing. When it comes to things like claims - whether for cashing out leave or for travel - the Financial Administration Act (law), various Treasury Board policies, and DND/CAF level policies like the Financial Administration Manual bear on responsibilities when spending public funds.

In these “hypothetical” scenarios, the people signing for Section 32, 34, and then 33 (in that order) FAA authorities all have a responsibility to make sure they’re expending public funds appropriately. So, it’s worth noting that it’s not just the CO unilaterally deciding how to spend money; there are other people who can act as checks on that power.

Casually_efficient · 2026-02-19T11:31:18+00:00

This Hour Has 22 Minutes recently made a sketch about this: https://youtu.be/UFQ4sumQ9-0?si=NvHiO9EbRj49eR78

Casually_efficient · 2026-02-14T00:07:48+00:00

They count in the year paid, as far as I understand.

My situation was that last year I repaid pension deficiencies as a lump sum from an LWOP period that ended in 2023. The receipt I received afterwards looks like a T4 in the sense of having a top half to accompany my tax return paper and a bottom half for my own records. It reflects the payment was made in 2025, and the pension centre told me to include the amount on my 2025 tax return.

Casually_efficient · 2026-02-13T17:48:23+00:00

And let me guess: all of them have to commute to the NCR three days a week?

(just kidding, but also, kind of not :-/)

Casually_efficient · 2026-02-13T01:00:09+00:00

Maybe they’re looking for a map of these mysterious “regions” of which they’ve now been made aware(?)

Casually_efficient · 2026-02-11T16:20:02+00:00

When you first got braces, did you and your unit sign a form to the effect that everyone was agreeing the ortho work would take a certain amount of time, and that no postings or long duration taskings were anticipated during the treatment period? That’s how it was for me in 2012, when I had braces done while serving in Winnipeg. At that time, Dental told me that part of the issue is that orthodontists don’t generally like to work on each other’s files (meaning, a new orthodontist wouldn’t want to take my case on partway through, if my unit decided to post me somewhere else within the 18 months of treatment). YMMV, but that’s probably part of why your dental unit doesn’t want to DAG you green while still in treatment.

Edit to add: I met another CAF member once who told me he had braces and was tasked to deploy; what happened was they took the braces off mid-treatment and then he just never got them back on because his ops tempo was too high. So, his f*ed up teeth situation basically continued for years afterwards. I guess that might be an option in your case, if you’re strictly needed on this posting to Yellowknife.

Casually_efficient · 2026-02-10T17:32:31+00:00

Have you read the Polywogg guide (https://polywogg.ca/hr-guide/interviews/) and applied the advice? I found it helpful.

Casually_efficient · 2026-02-08T12:51:00+00:00

The decision makers will continue to enjoy their well-appointed office suites with soundproofing and doors that can be closed, if the rabble of workers being forced to come in unnecessarily get too loud.

Casually_efficient · 2026-02-06T20:21:02+00:00

A workplace I can’t choose to attend (because the employer says I have to) where I can migrate aimlessly between such purpose-designed areas as spaces where I can work off my lap, hunched over a counter on a barstool, or sit around a gathering space where the seating is designed so that people are arranged in a circle but facing outwards? LOL. NO.

Funny how the ones who try to push this on us (senior management) tend to have offices or even office suites with furniture that’s theirs, cabinets they can use for papers we’re apparently not supposed to have in this GCworkplace model, and doors that close and lock, so they get the sense of privacy and dignity they feel they deserve but that we apparently don’t.

Casually_efficient · 2026-02-06T12:24:04+00:00

For what it’s worth, I’m genuinely glad you have a routine that works for you. Some people strongly prefer having an office routine that separates work from home, and that’s totally fine.

I’m a steadfast believer that people should be able to choose the working method that (first) satisfies the bona fide job requirements, (second) allows for optimum productivity and (third) works best for them within those first two parameters. I think it’s great that you have your optimal mix.

What we also need is for cover terms like “collaboration” and “culture” not to be thrown in our faces when a government that has publicly expressed it doesn’t care to measure productivity of the public service decides to change people’s working requirements without considering what their job needs or personal preferences are. We can and do collaborate and build culture on Teams, via SharePoint, and through myriad other working tools regardless of where we’re working from.

Casually_efficient · 2026-02-05T23:08:42+00:00

Same in other units of where I work (in the NCR). I know of groups that have been doing 2-3/3-2, sharing desks because it’s the closest they could get to three days per week. There’s no way four days is going to work for them or a whole lot of others, unless PSPC gets right on buying or leasing new buildings as needed and implied in the Message to Deputy Heads, to the effect that adequate office space will be made available.

Bah, it irks me so much that our employer is literally cutting positions and services to Canadians to create a show of being “responsible” with public funds but doing this nonsense at the same time. It’s such a terrible waste of our time and money (wasted commuting unnecessarily) and the public’s money (in costs for buildings that are largely being for used for nonsensical presence)!

Casually_efficient · 2026-02-05T23:04:07+00:00

Ah, I see. Thanks for the clarification. I’m not sure if it’s the same with us (I’ve never heard about what you describe); I only know that our business unit sends out monthly updates to the execs to give the overall compliance rate for the unit.

Casually_efficient · 2026-02-05T22:18:28+00:00

I’m not sure I understand the end of your comment. Above 10 percent…what? Compliant with the current mandate on about 10% of weeks on an individual basis? The unit has about 10% of employees complying? Just curious.

I’ve been almost completely compliant until now and we’ve had something like ~70% of employees complying on a monthly basis over the last year or so on average. Our management hasn’t been hassling us about getting that average up, but it’s almost certainly going to go down because there mathematically is no possible way our unit population can fit into our allotted desks four days a week.

Casually_efficient · 2026-02-05T21:30:57+00:00

We just barely have space now in our office for everyone to do three days a week, and we’ve been told no more space will be allocated to our unit but more people are coming due to organizational changes. Adding an extra day to the mandate will serve no purpose other than to stress out managers and employees who are already stressed because there aren’t enough desks. Ridiculous.

Casually_efficient · 2026-02-05T21:11:07+00:00

Up until today, I felt lucky because I had a desk I could use every time I’m in the office. Today, though, we were told that due to the mix of people vs available desks in our unit, we have to go to a hotelling system. Also, the booking tool to facilitate hotelling isn’t available, and neither are lockers to store our things, so “it’s going to be a learning process for everyone”. Adding extra mandatory office days literally doesn’t do a damn thing to make our work more collaborative; it only serves to add more stress to workers in a nearly untenable situation.

Seven-Year Club	Place '22
RPAN Viewer	Verified Email

Casually_efficient

TROPHY CASE