Parliament proroguing: It's about the economy, not just politics!

I've always tried to stay away from politics, but I can't stop thinking that Harper's proroguing of Parliament is really an insult to democracy. Even if you only think of it from an Economy point of view, it means that important matters are not being debated and that money will be wasted with all those bills that will die.

In any case, if you're not a big political activist, why don't you at least join the now famous Facebook Group for Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament. It seems to be a simple way to protest that's getting a lot of coverage in the news.

Where to invest right now?

Since I've made some good buys in November 2008, I have barely invested as I've seen the market rise (and as I was out of fresh money to invest). Now that dividend and income payments have started to accumulate in my account, I am wondering what to do next...

It does not feel like a good time to buy bonds since they will lose value when interest rates start to rise again. The stock market does feel overpriced. Maybe I'll just sit on the cash for now to be ready when the next big opportunity presents itself!

Fence troubles ...

Have you ever tried to deal with your three neighbours to agree on changing the fences? Not a simple task as you can imagine. I've managed to agree with two neighboors already (one of them being a landlord living in the USA, the other one having just moved in). The back neighbours are selling their house so I have to wait for thew new owner!

The first side was done by Navan Fences but I don't like that they only put two feet of concrete in a three feet hole. The wood they got is also leaking the green treatment way too much. Let's just say that I've contracted Bytown Lumber for the second side since they come highly recommended. Their posts are 42 inches of concrete with a larger base to prevent them from popping up. They had a 4 weeks wait but it's problaby worth it. They are a little bit more expensive, but you get what you pay for.

Walk-in medical clinics: hard to find a great one

Here's a list of Ottawa walk-in clinics from CHEO:
http://www.cheo.on.ca/english/pdf/ottawa_walk-in_clinics.pdf

Do you know which ones are better? I was not completely happy with Appletree ...

Canadian Car Repairs: Any Garage Reviews Available?

As I am trying to find a better garage for car repairs, I went on Google to find reviews. Surprisingly enough, I didn't find any good site. Do you know any?

My experience in the past, and I'm sure yours as well, is that a lot of those places are more concerned about getting a lot of your money than getting your car working well ...

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On a related note, do you know any good garage in Ottawa ? :-)