Travels to a Different Time: Onboard to Athens!

June 12, 1970, New York City, Frankfurt and Athens: Onboard to Athens

Mom and I were the last passengers aboard our New York to Athens on our Overseas National Airways flight. We found the last two seats together but the stewardess said later that the seats were occupied so we split up with Mom sitting in the back and me in the middle. Unfortunately, I had the bad luck to be sitting next to (initially) a sleeping baby. My sister Barbara had said these Athens flights were full of happy Greeks many with wailing babies returning home for a long vacation. Yes they were so happy to be returning to the land of their birth!

The stewardesses explained the safety equipment and the location emergency exits and life rafts. New York City looked beautiful as we passed over it on our way to the Atlantic Ocean. Drinks were served about an hour after takeoff. I had a Coke. I looked out the window a few times but all I could see was the black Atlantic Ocean. Three hours after takeoff the baby next to me started crying in an out-of-control way. The cry increased to a hysterical scream! Breakfast was served and the contorted baby spilt 7 Up all over my pants. Finally after 7 hours we stopped to refuel in Frankfurt but unfortunately we could not leave the airplane. The baby was getting out of control and grabbed my glasses and almost broke them! The Greeks all seemed to know each other and were jamming the aisles talking to each other. We finally arrived in Athens and took a taxi to our Hotel Omiros. So tired but very happy.

Photo of plane is by Alex Bidini

Travels to A Different Time: Getting to Athens From Toronto: June 10th 1971

June 10, 1971, Montreal and New York City: All this adventure started on June 10th, 1971. I finished writing my last examination which was in science and rushed home on my bicycle. I arrived home at 11:30 and my mom and I finished our last bit of packing which at this point was looking as if our destination would be Athens. But we aren’t sure as my sister Barbara is a stewardess for Overseas National Airways and although family travels for free we are considered as “non-revenue” passengers and can only board the airplane if there are empty seats. A neighbour took us to Dorval Airport for our 1:30 flight to New York City where we would be staying with my sister Barbara. We took off some 15 minutes late and starved as an announcement on the PA system said they forgot to load the food. No lunch!

It was 70 degrees when we arrived at LaGuardia Airport. We took a cab to Barbara’s apartment and had trouble with the lock so her weird neighbour, a doctor, helped us get into her apartment. My mom always concerned that her children need more food to avoid starvation had us go out shopping where we loaded up on chicken. My Mom always said that meat prices in the United States were far cheaper than they were in Montreal.

We had a massive chicken dinner that night with my sister and her fellow stewardess friend Marx. We slept soundly that night very tired and very happy.

June 11 and 12, 1971 New York, Frankfurt and Athens: We were up bright and early but well rested. We went to a nearby store to buy the bathing suit I forgot to pack! Mom went to get her hair cut and Barb and I went to Blimpy’s to have a sandwich and root beer. Mom went to buy yet more chicken which were chicken wings. We had yet another chicken feast. Barb and I cleaned the dishes.

Our flight to Athens was scheduled to leave at midnight from Kennedy Airport on a DC-8. We went out to Kennedy with two of Barb’s friends who were “stewing” on the flight. We went to the Overseas National Airway’s office at Kennedy to wait for the other stewardesses working on our flight. They arrived and we headed to the terminal. There are 250 passengers booked so that is a full plane which means there is no room for us. However as of 10:30 three passengers from Baltimore had not shown. It was nail biting time and I hoped these three passengers would not show up. The agonizing minutes dragged on made all the worse as the airline decided to wait for the no shows. Great they never showed up so off we go to Athens at 3:30 in the morning. I have never been out of North America so this is going to be a real adventure. I feel like an ignorant 12 year old suburban kid about to discover the world!

Photo of plane is by Aldo Bidini.

RKS Films: “The Jump”: A Man’s Quest For Freedom Reminds Some Americans About How Lucky They Are!

I travelled extensively in the 1970’s to countries behind the “Iron Curtain” namely the USSR and the countries in its captive communist orbit. I have experienced the lack of political freedom, lack of food and consumer goods and of the repression. I also had some political background as the Iron Curtain was the focus of my political science studies at university. So when I had the opportunity to review “The Jump” I was drawn to it as a bee is dawn to a flower or as the hammer is attracted to the sickle!

There are many take aways possible from the Lithuanian documentary but what they are may depend upon your interpretation which is one the strong points of the documentary. You are free of course to enjoy the story and take away nothing more than an inspiring story of a man’s drive to escape the political bullying of the communist regime. One can’t ignore the stupidity of a United States Rear Admiral’s order that took a segment of the American population years to clean up.

Simas Kurdika was a Lithuanian citizen working as a radio operator on a Lithuanian ship of course under the control of both the Communist Party commissar on board and the captain of the ship. The American government had arranged for a meeting with Soviet government officials about Soviet overfishing off the coast of Massachusetts. A meeting took take place on a United States Coastguard ship off Martha’s Vineyard on November 23, 1970. The Coast Guard vessel, “The Vigilant” anchored next to Kurdika’s vessel so Soviet officials could board it for the meeting. Kurdika saw his chance and jumped onto The Vigilant. The captain of The Vigilant reported to his superiors about Kurdika’s jump and his request for asylum and was ordered by United States Rear Admiral Ellis to return Kurdika to the Soviets thinking no harm would come to him and that the failure to return him would jeopardize the fishery negotiations between the Soviets and the United States. Ellis clearly made an inept decision which blew up in the United States government’s face as Kurdika was chased around the Vigilant and was badly beaten on the decks of The Vigilant by the Soviets before being dragged back onto the Soviet ship. Kurdika was tried and convicted of treason and sentenced to 10 years in a prison camp.

On the political side of the incident President Nixon was furious about the order to return Kurdika to the Soviet ship claiming he received no briefing on the issue.  President Ford then took the matter up with USSR’s leader Brezhnev to release Kurdika to the United States. This was after 4 years of American protests about the handing over of Kurdika. Kurdika and his mother, wife and two children were released by the Soviets and arrived in the United States in November of 1974.Wanting to die in his Lithuania he retuned there in 2007 with his wife. His children decided to remain in the United States.

The story is told through rare archival footage and a dramatic first-person re-enactment by would be defector 86-year-old Kurdika.

So what are some of the takeaways?

  • Americans fail to recognize how fortunate they are to live in a democratic society
  • Poor military decisions by the United States were corrected by widespread protests and political lobbying to rectify an inept military decision
  • The Eastern European and Baltic refugees in the United Sates were a crucial part of securing the release of Kurdika
  • How much of this story is applicable to thousands of Mexican, Central Americans, Libyans, Syrians, Afghanis and other “refugees” and migrants attempting to enter the United States as a perceived land of milk and honey? Is the story of these people based on political repression or simply a cover to enter America to better improve their economic conditions?

You are free to take away as much as you want but hopefully there is more to this documentary than a story with a happy ending but kudos to the writers and director for not spoon-feeding you with take aways. I will say there is more than a complicated story to this documentary.

The documentary has been submitted as Lithuania’s entry to the 94th Academy Awards. It is a Lithuanian, Latvian and French production.

The documentary will start its virtual run in Canada on January 14th in Montreal, Sudbury, London and Victoria with more dates to be added soon.

The film is directed by Giedré Žickyt¡e.

You can see the trailer here https://vimeo.com/647052692

RKS film rating 92/100.

Reggie The Egyptian Rescue Dog is Back: Thank You For Sharing My Journey With You

My original intention was to prepare a children’s book about my time in Cairo as a street dog and my traumatic journey to Canada as a “rescue dog”.

However that intent I had was formed at a younger point in my life. My life was much simpler then than it is today. As time passed matters moved quickly and I was converted from a mangy flea infested dog to a superstar because of two animated Disney films made about me. The fact I was a Muslim dog made me popular in many countries where Islam is the main religion. Both Christians and Muslims realized a degree of common ground through me. Political commentators suggested I brought healing between good hearted Christians and Muslims. I was revered by children in Iran as I was in Toronto. I acted as an intermediary between the United States and Iran and quite frankly isn’t this amazing as I am a dog and cannot speak the language of you humans. I prayed with the big Ayatollah guy there and sat on his lap as a Muslim brother although he knew I was living and loved in a Christian world. Do you have any idea how that photo of me on his lap did to advance world peace and stability!

You humans are not as complex as you think. Your hostilities and hatreds show how simplistic and crude you can be but rip the facade of politics and perverted religions aside you share more in common that you would care to admit. That is my hope for you and if I have had a small part in that so be it.

I have mingled with stars in the entertainment industry, politicians and religious leaders. I have won the Nobel Peace Prize and a Presidential Medal of Honour which I am delighted to have done so but my biggest joy is meeting with the children of The United States, Iran, North Korea and many other countries. These children all recognize the wonder of Reggie and Dylan the Westie and unite as one whilst the leaders of their nations stomp their feet, squabble and threaten so that the world is perpetually on the path to self destruction. Politicians listen to the children of your nation.

As you read I nearly died from a strange Douro Duck Virus and I did technically die and go to heaven. It was my late master Anwar and my deceased doggie pal Karim that shoved me back to the bed of an animal hospital saying it was not my time? As I recuperate from that nasty virus I am giving a great deal of thought of why Anwar said this to me. How can I bring the world closer together? Is it simply telling my story so that all humans can identify with my struggles, ambitions and dreams? Can I show the world that dogs and humans from all nations are remarkably similar when you strip out politics and extremist religions?

I am uncertain about what my next steps are but I need some time to get healthy. Bob had told me we would take a year off from travel and public appearances. We would go back to a simpler point in our lives where long walks, chicken kibble and clean water were so awesome for me.

I think I would like another Egyptian rescue dog in my life so Dylan the Westie and I can be THE RATPACK like Bosco/Karim/Dylan the Westie and I were! Yes I have the Reggie’s Dog Foundation to help rescue dogs but I think I have a personal duty to train a Cairo brother or sister to be a leader and example for rescue dogs throughout the world.

When I am back to 100% I look forward to long walks in Sherwood Park where I first met Bob and Fay. Dylan and I have many canine and human friends there and most people have no idea I am Reggie the Egyptian Rescue Dog. I enjoy hobnobbing with the elite but there is much to be said for a simple well-loved dog. Isn’t that what every dog wants to be?

If there is anything I can ask you dear human reader it is to love and care for your dog and if you do you will find that love has no limits. And I ask you to remember I was a lowly flea infested mutt and that it was Bob and Fay that made my story so well known. Perhaps you humans can give a street or abused dog a chance to thrive in a loving environment and perhaps give that dog a hance to hasten world peace. You know they say a cat has nine lives. Bob told me he was near death 5 times but survived. I have been near death twice so I figure I have a few more lives to live to make the world a better place to go to before I die. It will just take me some time to figure out my next steps.

Good-bye and thank you for sharing your time with me. After my rest I promise you REGGIE THE EYGPTIAN RESCUE DOG WILL BE BACK!

Reggie the Egyptian Rescue Dog is Really Back: The End of Reggie?

It was shortly after returning from our restaurant openings in Portugal that I began feeling a bit strange. Suddenly I lost my sense of taste and smell. My beloved chicken kibble stated to taste like sawdust. When out for a walk I had difficulty in smelling where to leave my pee mail. I started to feel exhausted. One night before bed I felt I was burning up. As I lay in my favourite Winnipeg Blue Bombers doggie bed one night I heard a gurgling. Where was that strange noise coming from? My chest! I told Dylan the Westie to keep an eye on me. From this point on things are a bit foggy and confused.

Over my bed I saw a pale light filtering in as daylight greeted the kitchen but Dylan the Westie was barking furiously. What is the matter with him? I remember seeing Bob run into the kitchen to see what the commotion was. I was having trouble breathing and my chest hurt. All I could see was a blur. I remember Bob saying, “Holy Moses. Reggie is having difficulty breathing! We have to get him to the Vet!” Although my taste and smell may have dissipated, I could detect fear in his voice. A blood chilling fear. I was bundled up and sat with Dylan the Westie and Fay in the car on the way on the animal hospital but I really only remember having difficulty breathing.

Bob drove like a bat out of hell going through red lights and we arrived in 15 minutes at the animal hospital. My doctor Dr. Murray took one look at me and shouted, “Oxygen NOW!!!!” I heard Bob and Fay crying and Dylan the Westie whining. I was taken to a room in the back and many wires were attached to me. Dr. Murray was saying, “We are losing Reggie. Quick get some adrenalin.”

Bob told me later I “flatlined” which means I was dying. I was so frightened. Then a bright white tunnel and my pain and suffering disappeared and I saw Anwar my late master! I must be in the land beyond. Kamil my deceased doggie friend was there with Anwar. I was so happy to be reunited! Anwar spoke to me sternly and said that it was not my time to go and stay with him in the land beyond as I had many things left to accomplish. I heard him praying to Allah begging him to make me return to the animal hospital and that is where I remember waking up for a moment to hear Dr. Murray say. “Reggie is back!”. Bob and Fay were jumping up and down with great joy.

Eventually I woke up in the animal hospital a few days later. Dr. Murray said that it was not COVID but a weird parasite that I might have picked up in Portugal. He sent blood samples to a special veterinarian institute in Lisbon and they confirmed it was the Regua parasite found in some Douro duck. That darn Douro duck casserole!

10 days later pumped with anti-biotics I returned home. There were many cards and many flowers and dog treats. I had gifts and well wishes from Kim Jong-Un, the King and Queen of Sweden, the big guy Iranian Ayatollah, Nicole Kidman, Snookie’s Rescue Society, President Joe Biden and the First Lady Jill Biden, the President of the Canadian Football League, Mr. Gordon Lightfoot, Mr. Keith Urban, Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada, Drake, Russell Crowe, The Pope, Rick Mercer and many others. CBC National News did a 10-minute story about me and David Suzuki from the CBC show “Nature of Things” wanted to produce an hour special about me.

In the meantime, Dr. Murray ordered two weeks of bed rest. Why did I not stay with Anwar? What more do I have to accomplish on Earth? I am not sure but like in Cairo after being bitten by that Rottenweiler I feel like I have more than one life. Why didn’t I die? What does Allah have planned for me? We can answer those questions later but for now REGGIE IS HAPPY TO BE BACK!

RKS Wine: Beaujolais Gamay: Light on its Feet

The intensity and force of a wine you are searching for may be based on strong preferences as to your style of wine. However being fair to the wine where you are drinking it, who you are drinking it with, what mood you are in and most importantly what food you may be having it with may determine the wine you open.

Gamays are usually a bit light on their feet so if you are a Barossa fanatic don’t bother with Gamay as you may call it too light and flitty.

In this case we try a Beaujolais Cru from Régnié.

Medium ruby in colour and transparent. On the nose brimming with red cherry, blackberry with somewhat of a light mocha almost chocolatey frame. On the palate the tannins are soft and the acid is very well under control. Having made jam with some small sour cherries from my daughter’s tree the taste of the wine reminds me of that sour cherry jam not all that sour due to the amount of sugar in the jam. It is lightweight indeed but can we say this is elegant or sensual like a good Pinot Noir? The wine does have the body of a French or Okanagan Pinot Noir. I would say it is not quite elegant but it is no clodhopper. It has a certain purity to it not treated with oak but has spent 8 months in cement vats so you are getting the “naked grape”. Short finish. Drink by the end of 2022.

For food it would suit a farm raised salmon but doesn’t have the power to match fresh wild caught sockeye. It does have enough oomph to pair nicely with beer can spiced chicken. You might want to marinate the chicken in beer as opposed to stuffing it with a beer can though.

(Domaine Tano Péchard, Les Bruyeres 2019, AOP Régnié, $16.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 11355, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 91/100).

Wine drinker profile: One who appreciates a lighter red wine to sip on its own or pair with farm raised salmon lightly basted with sesame seed oil and oyster sauce.

We move to the lowest tier of French wine known as Vin de France. The grapes in this tier can be anywhere from France. This does not mean the wine is of low quality but not made according to the rules applicable to the two upper tiers of French wine This is a Gamay Noir from Henry Fessy.

It has a transparent black cherry colour. Blackberry predominates on the nose but there is some sweet black cherry, smoke and a twist of milk chocolate. On the palate it is a bit grippy with smoke, blackberry, black cherry and pomegranate. It has a short and somewhat of a dilute finish. This would go with a lamb stew, black bean veggie burgers or a simple herbed fresh tomato-based pasta sauce.

Drink in 2022.

(Henry Fessy 2019 Gamay Noir, Vin De France, $16.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 556571, 750 mL 13.5%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 87/100).

Wine drinker profile: You are not swayed by this wine being the lowest tier of French wine. You are happy to sip as is or pair with food. You are happy with a simple wine of decent quality. You are not out to wow anyone.

Golf and Your Mental Game: Moving Beyond Acceptance to Radical Acceptance

I have said that acceptance of the bad shot may soothe the golfer’s mind. Fight that acceptance and you may be in for a mental struggle based on negative reactions you can’t let go of.

Some psychotherapists embrace the theory of “radical acceptance”. Acceptance is acknowledging or recognizing facts that are true and not beating up yourself over unpleasant facts. Radical acceptance is a bit more cosmic because it involves accepting all the way with mind, body and soul and involves opening up yourself to fully accepting reality as it occurs.

For example with patients experiencing depression they must accept that depression and view that depression as ok. The patient can accept that depression and still decide that life is OK with depression. Just because you have depression doesn’t mean there aren’t pleasurable things in your life. Traditional psychotherapy may be looking for a “cure” to your depression instead of trying to accept it and manage it.

Psychotherapist Marsha M. Linehan in her book “Building a Life Worth Living” identifies 6 key pointers about radical acceptance:

  • Freedom from suffering requires acceptance from deep within of what it is. Let go of fighting reality
  • Acceptance is the only way out of hell
  • Pain creates suffering only when you refuse to accept the pain
  • Deciding to tolerate the moment is acceptance
  • Acceptance is knowledge of what it is
  • To accept something is not the same as judging it as being good

Linehan gives an example of being in a card game. You have to play the game with the cards dealt so In order to be in the game you have to accept the cards that you have been dealt.

Although experiencing a rough golf moment is not as serious as being in a depressive state hopefully you can realize that accepting the bad part of your game is a way of ending your suffering. Most golfers have difficulty accepting the bad which means they stew and fuss and often berate themselves. This does not create a happy golfer. Like a card player being dealt a rotten hand the golfer should move on realizing that “bad golf moments” are simply part of the game of golf.

RKS Film: “I’m Not in Love”: Most Likely an Appropriate Title!

Rob Lloyd (Al Weaver) is a thirty something Brit living in London with his girl friend Marta (Cristina Catalina). Marta is pining for marriage and children as at 38 her biological clock is ticking. Rob is so busy in his own world and problems he can’t effectively read Marta’s vibes. Or perhaps being uncomfortable with marriage ignores those vibes.

Most of his friends are married and some with children so Rob has an” inside track” as to the ups and downs of marriage. He sees boredom, lack of meaningful sex and a life of imprisonment. One of his patients in his nutrition business is also bitterly complaining about his marriage and is sleeping with his wife’s sister. Then there is his single friend Chris who seems to have a new girlfriend at every turn and is the envy of his married male friends. As the film progresses we see that Chris is just as unhappy as his married friends.

Rob is caught in a decision crossroads as to marriage and children so he tries as an escape and last kick at the can connecting with a previous fling and new ones that magically seem to pop up. But despite ample opportunity declines to go all the way with his newly acquired lady friends. Is it guilt or love? Whatever it is his behaviour alienates Marta.

So Rob takes Marta to the country where his bumbled and insincere proposal has Marta flinging the ring on the floor and going to their room to sob. On a first date with a younger waitress that came on to Rob he gets tangled up with too much tequila, cocaine and a waitress who wants to get involved with a foursome. Marta is frantically trying to call Rob but he does not pick up and Marta tosses him out when he stumbles home. Rob then attempts to win back Marta although the viewer must determine is he sincere and convincing?

I notice of late I am encountering “Anti Rom Com” films which is a romance that doesn’t have a happy ending. I don’t see much comedy in this film but the comedy is low key when you do see it. This is more in the line of a serious film with a deep dive into the illusions of dating and marriage. But is the film anti-romantic? Dear viewer that’s up for you to decide. There is no clear-cut take on that in the last 30 seconds. Is Marta sticking around for the sandwich Rob is getting her?

Al Weaver as Rob does a solid job here as a bumbling, confused and insincere man. Cristina Catalina is equally forceful as a strong willed and unforgiving woman with good instincts!

The film will be available on digital formats on January 25th. You can see a trailer for this Brit film here https://vimeo.com/632635937

The Director is Col Spector and in conjunction with Radha Chakraborty is a co-writer of the screenplay.

RKS Film Rating 87/100.

Reggie the Egyptian Rescue Dog Is Back: Reggie’s Alliance with Kim Jong Un and We Open Trial Restaurants in Portugal

You may recall I delivered a message from President Biden to Kim Jong Un, The Supreme Leader of North Korea, that if the United States provided massive food aid to the starving masses of North Korea then North Korea would scrap its missile launching tests. Well the offer was accepted and it worked well for both countries.

Kim respects tough leaders. For some reason in delivering the message to him from President Biden he was under the impression I am one tough dog. He is right as you don’t survive the streets of Cairo without being both tough and clever.

So I am very puzzled when a North Korean diplomat in Canada approached Bob and set up a Zoom call with Kim, Bob and myself. Why me? I don’t even talk!

Kim knows how much I enjoyed North Korean noodles with chicken (no onions or kimchi) so made an astonishing pitch to us. He proposed the establishment of a Korean noodle restaurant chain using his mother’s secret recipe. It would be established by a Cayman corporation of which Bob and Kim would each have 50% ownership in. The test market would be Portugal and then select European countries. The décor would be simple North Korean peasant.

Lawyers from each side met in New York and finalized the deal. About the only point that was sensitive was Kim’s insistence there be a huge portrait of him in the main seating area of each restaurant. We modified that so it would be hanging over the bathrooms.

In six months our first restaurant opened in the Bolsa in Porto a beautiful historic building which was the old stock exchange building where Bob was knighted into the Order of The Port Brotherhood. Bob, Dylan the Westie and I were there to open our first restaurant. It was an instant smash hit. We called the chain Kim and Reggie’s Korean Noodle Joint. A few weeks later we opened another one in Lisbon up in the hills, then Estoril and Viseu. Each restaurant had a collection of locally sourced wines selected by Bob as he knows the wines of each area well.

Bob, Dylan the Westie and I were at the opening of each restaurant. So we turned it into a bit of a holiday meeting Bob’s contacts in the wine, restaurant and hospitality business. We all ate like kings and saw some incredible sights.

I love the Douro Valley with its spectacular hills and beautiful vineyards. Oh and the food there. I love chicken but I tried some duck casseroles there. I LOVE DOURO DUCK! We also visited a big Port producer Quinta Noval where the “kitchen ladies” cooked a very special dessert of pancakes in a special Port wine sauce. The alcohol has been “cooked out” of the wine and this is a huge treat. I LOVE DOURO PANCAKES IN PORT WINE SAUCE! Bob says these kitchen ladies have prepared meals for him in wineries throughout Portugal. Bob says as a guest he ate what the field workers ate and he has yet to be disappointed. Bob now has an idea to establish a chain of restaurants called “Portuguese Kitchen Ladies!”

Outside of Viseu the Dão wine region often looks like a different planet with huge glacier deposited rocks throughout. We had a wonderful lunch with a wine owner in the Dão named Julia Kemper. I saw some huge mushrooms in a wooded area off her vineyards. Cool! Bob really likes her wine saying it was clean and pure. I think he said it was organic. We also liked Viseu and we saw some sort of student celebration making us feel like we were in a Harry Potter film set. Bob says he really likes Viseu as unlike Lisbon and Porto it is not overrun by cruise line passengers.

I did not like Estoril that much as it is overrun by Brits and foreign money. The Brits jammed our restaurant with many of them rather rude and intolerant saying finally the town had some good Asian food so much more creative than Portuguese food! It wasn’t long ago these Brits were eating boiled mutton, cabbage and potatoes!

Then I also loved a place about 30 minutes from Estoril called Guincho Beach. It is a huge beach with big waves and high winds so it is sort of a European wind surfing capital. Bob has a friend called Petra at a fancy hotel called Fortaleza do Guincho which is an old Moorish fort. Orson Welles, a famous American actor had stayed in our room! Bob said their dining room overlooking the Atlantic is his favourite place to eat in the world because the chef always has a bit of the artist in his blood and his dishes are creatively presented. We loved the beach but of course Dylan the Westie wanted no part of the water so he stayed with Petra. We also walked in a sand dune park just across from our hotel.

On our last night we met with an old friend of Bob called Alexandre who owns a seafood focused restaurant by the river in Porto called Postigo do Carvao. We all loved the simple non pretentious décor and the live music was neat. And the appetizers were fit for a king and the main courses were unbelievable. Bob enjoyed his sea bass with cabbage and those beautifully prepared Portuguese roast potatoes. And there were special desserts prepared for us by Alexandre’s mom. We had a great time listening to the music as Bob and Alexandre caught up. As we were heading to our jet at the Porto Airport after dinner Alexandre prepared an inflight dinner for all of us. Simple filet of chicken with green beans and potatoes for us dogs Bob had octopus in a special Douro wine sauce.

I LOVE PORTUGAL! Bob said we’ll come back soon and start in the North and head down to the Algarve.

Ontario Accelerating Boosters for Education and Child Care Staff

Dedicated COVID-19 Booster Clinics for Education and Child Care Staff Will Help Improve Access

January 06, 2022

Education

Table of Contents

  1. Content

Today, Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, issued the following statement on additional measures and supports to protect children, staff, and families as Ontario responds to the Omicron variant:

“As part of our government’s response to the Omicron variant, we are providing greater access to COVID-19 booster shots for education and child care staff. Starting tomorrow, these staff in the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area will have planned access to vaccines at the International Centre in Mississauga as we work with all other public health units to urgently set up more clinics across Ontario. This is in addition to existing vaccine clinics with dedicated access for education and child care staff, including for example at CHEO in Ottawa, and select City of Toronto run clinics.

We are also further strengthening our protections for child care centres by introducing additional safety measures, including stricter screening protocols and deploying non-fit-tested N95 masks to support frontline workers.

Throughout this pandemic, critical staff on the frontlines have continued to carry out their work – from nurses, to personal support workers, to grocery workers and pharmacists – so that we can protect our communities. We owe it to them to ensure their children are cared for during this period, which is why our government is once again providing these frontline and critical workers with free emergency child care for their school-aged children. We thank education and child care staff, operators, and all Ontario families for their hard work, vigilance and kindness through this incredibly difficult time.”

Acceleration of COVID-19 Boosters

To accelerate access to vaccines, starting January 7, the provincial mass vaccination clinic at the International Centre in Mississauga will support priority booking for education staff, including educators, custodial staff, administrative staff, and school bus drivers, and child care staff. The clinic will operate seven days a week, with specific appointments being made available for education and child care staff from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Eligible staff are encouraged to book their appointment through the Provincial Vaccine Booking Line at 1-833-943-3900.

For individuals living outside the GTHA, the Ontario government is working with all public health units (PHUs) to plan and provide access to third doses for education and child care staff. Local PHUs will provide further information on how vaccines can be accessed in their communities as it becomes available. School boards have an opportunity to use schools as a site for vaccination clinics together with PHU partners.

These measures being announced today build on the government’s previous efforts and investments to improve safety in schools during the pandemic. Measures currently in place include:

  • providing optional non-fit-tested N95 masks to all education staff, scheduled to arrive by the end of this week
  • updated and stricter screening requirements to help limit the spread of COVID-19
  • ventilation improvements measures at every school across Ontario, including more than 70,000 HEPA filter units and other ventilation devices already deployed to schools, with an additional 3,000 units being provided
  • access for school boards to $1.6 billion in resources to protect against COVID-19.

Child Care Safety Measures

All child care settings have continuously received quality PPE, additional funding for cleaning, and updated protocols and guidance for staff and families.

The below measures have also been put in place to ensure children, staff, and communities remain as safe as possible:

  • providing optional non-fit-tested N95 masks for staff in licensed child care settings starting January 10, 2022
  • updating and enhancing child care screening measures to help limit the spread of COVID-19.

The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health are working together with an aim of making more rapid-antigen tests available to support the ongoing operations of child-care centres, and schools when they return to in-person learning.

Emergency Child Care Eligibility

Starting January 10, 2022, the following workers are eligible for free emergency child care:

  • health care workers, including but not limited to doctors, nurses, health care providers and those who work in long-term care and retirement homes, as well as individuals who manufacture or distribute medical/pharmaceutical supplies
  • individuals performing work in relation to the administration, distribution or manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines
  • education staff who are required to attend schools to provide in-person instruction and support to students with special education needs who cannot be accommodated through remote learning
  • child care workers, including those staffing the emergency child care programs
  • truck drivers and transit workers
  • construction workers
  • grocery store and pharmacy workers
  • public safety (police, fire, paramedics, provincial inspection/enforcement), justice/court and correctional system workers
  • power workers
  • non-municipal water and wastewater workers
  • frontline staff in Children’s Aid Societies and residential services
  • individuals working in a homeless shelter or providing services to homeless persons
  • individuals working in developmental services, violence against women services, victims’ services, anti-human trafficking and those engaged in interpreting or intervenor services for persons who are deaf or deaf-blind
  • food safety inspectors and individuals working in the processing, manufacturing or distribution of food and beverages
  • workers involved in the collecting, transporting, storing, processing, disposing or recycling of any type of waste
  • certain federal employees, including RCMP, Canada Border Services, Canadian Armed Forces and Canada Post workers
  • OPS staff employed in Radiation Protection Services
  • OPS staff performing critical tasks related to environmental monitoring, reporting and laboratory services
  • employees of a hotel or motel that is acting as an isolation centre, health care centre, vaccine clinic or housing essential workers
  • funeral, burial and cremation services operators
  • any individual whose child was registered in an emergency child care program delivered by a Consolidated Municipal Service Manager or District Social Service Administration Board during the time period beginning on April 6, 2021 and ending on April 16, 2021.

To confirm whether or not your family is eligible for access to emergency child care, please contact your local service system manager. See a full list of eligible workers.