Archives for March 27, 2020

I don’t know if these are ‘Johnny Jump-ups’ or violets in my lawn, but the smell is wonderful. Too bad I can’t capture that in a photo.

Marianne Parsons

Obituary for the late

Katherine (Kitty) Walsh

1925 – 2020

The family of Katherine (Kitty) Walsh is both grieved and happy to announce her passing on March 23, 2020 at Sunnybank Centre in Oliver, British Columbia. We are saddened to lose our wonderful Mother, who was the rock of our large family, at the age of 94. But we are so happy to have had her with us for so long and to have been showered by her love, compassion and acceptance.

Kitty was born on October 25, 1925 in Razvela, Croatia. She came to Canada in 1929 with her mother and brother to join her father in the Smithers, BC area where she grew up. She met the love of her life Michael Joseph Walsh (Joe) in 1947 and they moved to Williams Lake, where Joe was the district agriculturalist. In 1957 they moved to Alberta, living in Bassano, Countess and Calgary, then moved to Golden British Columbia in 1961 where they owned and ran the downtown Walsh Mercantile general store. In 1974, they moved to their farm in Oliver, where they had a market garden for many years.

Our dear Mom meant something special to each of us. She loved her family dearly and supported us all. Mom was very service-oriented and capable. The Walsh home was always open; Mom was a wonderful cook and could whip up a pie in minutes. She gave generously of her time and material resources, both to family and friends. Many people have expressed how she had an effect on them with her sweetness and acceptance. She was a long-time volunteer canvasser for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. She gave generously to the Food Bank and often said that she did so because she herself had never had to put a child to bed hungry. At a later date, a celebration of her life will be held and we will all share our special memories.

Kitty was predeceased by her parents, Mike and Yvonne Mesich, her brothers Tony, Emil and Steve, her dear husband of 54 years Joe, and her oldest grandson, Michael Farley Walsh. She is survived by her brother Tom Mesich; her cousin Fanika Horvatincic; her sister-in-law Ruth Mesich; her sister-in-law Mary-Lou Mesich; her children Pat (Harry), Tom (Hilary), Coleen (Neil), Tanya, Mark (Shirley), Karen and Carmen; her grandchildren Isaac (Lisa) and Zara (Andy); Isaac, Ian and Dean (Kelsey); David (Kelli); Nate and Jayna (Mark); Andrew (Bethany) and Paul (Ahriane); Michael, Jessica (Sandy), and Erin (Brent); her great-grandchildren Sean, Keira, Cedar and Oakley; Hanna; Julian; Laila; Eva, Hazel, Ryder and Ruth; her longtime friend Betty Powell.

The family wishes to thank staff at South Okanagan General Hospital, Heritage House, McKinney Place and Sunnybank Centre for all their kindnesses and loving care of Mom. The siblings who live away want to thank the family in Oliver for their care of Mom over many years, especially our sister Tanya. For those who wish, contributions in her name could be made to the Oliver Food Bank.

Condolences may be directed to the family by visiting www.nunes-pottinger.com

The world has changed significantly over the past couple of weeks as we continue to deal with the health and financial implications of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Businesses of all sizes are struggling to cope and many employees and business owners alike are understandably concerned about their ability to make it through these challenging times. While you may not be able to control your income earning potential right now, there are many things that are still under your control.

In this column, I wanted to provide eight tips to help get through this crisis as best you can:
Stop consumer spending! As much as possible, you should cut down on any discretionary spending at this time. While bored at home in isolation, it may be tempting to cruise the web for online shopping deals, but this is the absolute last thing you should be doing right now. Any discretionary income should be directed toward debt reduction and building up an emergency fund.
Review your debt from all sources. Now is a great time to consolidate higher interest debts to a lower rate and make sure you’re paying as little interest as possible.

Much like debt, do a thorough review of all recurring monthly payments that you make. Are there any that can be suspended or cancelled? Are you still paying for that monthly gym membership? Do you really need to pay for Netflix, Amazon and Disney+ at the same time? Anything you can do to cut down your monthly carrying costs should be done right away.
If you are or are expecting to have trouble making ends meet, reach out to all your creditors and request temporary relief. Most, if not all mortgage providers in Canada are offering payment deferral and other such relief measures to those that need them. Make this call now instead of waiting until things are bad.
Consider setting up a line of credit type product if you don’t have enough set aside in your emergency funds. This would likely be far better than leaving a balance on your credit card or withdrawing (taxable) money from your RRSP account. Having said that, each person’s situation is different and a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) professional should be consulted to determine what source of funds makes the most sense for you.
Be extra vigilant for fraud or phishing schemes. It’s sad to say but there are many scammers out there working to take advantage of this situation. Watch your credit card and bank statements extra close over these next few months and report anything unusual right away.
If additional funds are available, consider investing more into the markets while they are down. While not an option for everyone, catching the inevitable rebound of the market is important. For those that are already invested and thinking of cashing out, remember that your losses are only realized if you decide to sell while the markets are down.
When possible, help out your fellow neighbours. Check in to see if they need help picking up groceries or with any other daily living activities. We are all in this together and it is times like this when the goodness of humanity can shine.
Finally, try not to panic. Blaming doesn’t help and dwelling on poor past decisions won’t either. Focus on what you can control and try to stay positive. Do what you can to help flatten the curve and keep your family safe and healthy.

Oh yeah and wash your hands!

This column is brought to you by Michelle Weisheit CFP, IG Wealth Management and presents general information only and is not a solicitation to buy or sell any investments. Please contact your own advisor for specific advice about your situation.

A few notable changes today

Ontario has more deaths from Covid-19 than BC

Quebec has more cases to analyze than both Ontario and BC

The U.S. has overtaken China as the country with the most confirmed cases in the world —of Covid-19 marking a new milestone in the fight against the global pandemic.

 

Deaths reported

Ontario 15
BC 14
Quebec 8
Alberta 2

In Canada 161,603 people tested – 145,067 proved to be negative

Cases reported in Canada – 4018

Quebec 1629
Ontario 858
BC 725
Alberta 486

Sask 95
Manitoba 11

Newfoundland/Labrador 82
Nova Scotia 73
New Brunswick 33
Other areas 13
Repatriated travellers 13

HOW CAN THIS BE? HE ONLY ACTS 63!

HE GREW UP POOR, BUT HE HAD FUN…CURLING, BALL, HE LOVED TO RUN!

THE FOURTH BOY IN A FAMILY OF TEN, LEFT SASK AT 17 AND THE ADVENTURE BEGAN…

STARTED IN A DAIRY, THEN ONTO CALGARY….WHERE MARGIE TURNED HIS WORLD AROUND!

HE ATTENDED S.A.I.T. AND STUDIED ELECTRICAL…WITH TWO LITTLE KIDS, OFF TO OLIVER THEY GO!

IN ’77, SOLAR ELECTRIC BEGAN… CAMPING, FISHING, GUITAR MAN!

WHICH GEORGE DO YOU KNOW? THE KID’S BALL COACH? THE LOCAL ELECTRICIAN? THE GOLFER?

THE CURLER? THE BALLPLAYER? THE CHURCH CHOIR TENOR? THE CLUB PRESIDENT? THE CRIME WATCHER?

THE GARDENER? THE FRIEND? THE NEIGHBOUR HAVING WATER FIGHTS?

DON’T STOP BY…..JUST GIVE GEORGE A “HONK” THIS WEEKEND WHEN YOU DRIVE PAST!!!

LOVE YOU DAD!!

 

TAMMY, MIKE AND FAMILIES!!!

COVID-19 Virtual Town Hall with MLA Linda Larson  and the Interior Health Authority

Date: Friday, March 27, 2020
Time: 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Location: (Online) Team Okanagan Website — https://teamokanagan.com/

MLA Linda Larson In consultation with Minister of Health Adrian Dix, is inviting constituents and community members to join a virtual town hall with the Interior Health Authority (IHA) on Friday, March 27th at 6:00 PM

This will be moderated by Kelowna-Lake Country MLA and Official Opposition Critic for Health Norm Letnick who has issued the following statement:

“After much discussion with my fellow MLAs and taking direction from our community, I am pleased to invite you to join us in a virtual town hall with CEO and President of the IHA, Susan Brown and Chief Medical Health Officer for the IHA, Dr. Sue Pollock, on Friday evening from 6:00-7:30pm.

“All citizens are invited to join in, ask questions of our panelists, and get answers that we hope will help you and your families through these troubled times.

“Anyone wishing to participate can register online at https://teamokanagan.com/. Participants can ask questions live during the town hall or in advance by email to askIHAtownhall@gmail.com.

“Please join us on Friday and until then – Stay Safe. Thank you.”

 

What if I feel ill?

If you are sick, please stay home, rest, and avoid contaminating others. You should seek medical care as you see fit, just as you would with any contagious illness, but you may be directed to stay away from Emergency Rooms. 

 

If you have reason to believe you have been, or may have, been exposed to COVID-19, you should remain at home, call 8-1-1 for advice and be prepared to self-isolate and monitor your health. Anyone returning from outside Canada is expected (this may become must) to self-isolate for 14 days.