A COVID-19 passport by any other name . . .

It is not being called a passport. It is a personal identification letter, actually two sheets, showing proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19. In Ontario, as of today, these must be shown when entering a restaurant for indoor dining as well as other venues, such as bars, theatre, cinemas and gaming establishments.

The Ontario government has a site from which one can download the letters but unfortunately today, the first day of the new program, the site crashed. Oops! I beat the rush and downloaded mine yesterday. I then took the two pages into Photoshop and created legible but smaller versions for carrying in one of the credit card slots in my wallet.

A quiet spot for a chat

 

The Thames River, with its stone border built with large cut rocks to contain surging water, offers a quiet, private spot to sit and chat. Distant from the drone of traffic, the loudest noise is often the squawking of Canada geese.

Election day in Canada

Today was the federal election in Canada. I saw no line-ups. Never do. The polling station was in a large, neighbourhood church and many voters simply walked over to the church-polling station to cast their vote. (One reader, whom I trust, wrote: "I did see line ups outside a couple poll stations yesterday." And this was not the only person who corrected me. I have never been in a polling station line but clearly it happens.)

The ballot was simple and paper. No voting machines. None. To indicate the candidate for whom one is voting, a small pencil is supplied to mark a large "X" in the circle beside the candidate's name. Along with the names of the candidates, the ballot also carries the candidate's party affiliation.

A few weeks before an election, each registered voter gets a voter information card. It tells the voter where to go to vote. There were three voting booths in my polling station. On arriving at the station, I showed my the card I had been sent and I was told at which booth to cast my ballot.

Elections Canada is not a stickler when it comes to these cards. If you don't get a voter information card, or if the information on it is incorrect, you may not be registered or your registration may not be up to date. You can register or update your information, including your name, at your assigned polling station on election day.

Before being given a ballot, voters must show a piece of accepted i.d. A driver's licence or a health card with one's picture will suffice but there are other ways to prove you are who you say you are. If you have absolutely no i.d., you can still vote. Declare your identity and address in writing and have someone who knows you and who is assigned to your polling station vouch for you.

There is no electronic or online voting in Canadian federal elections. Elections Canada likes to brag that it uses paper ballots only and these are all counted by hand in front of scrutineers. Voting machines or electronic tabulators have never been used to count votes. Why? Paper ballots teamed with lots of polling stations seems to be work better, when all things are considered, than the voting machine approach used in some other countries.

When will we know the results? As long as the results are not too close, Canadians could have a good handle on which party will form the next government shortly after midnight. But, thanks to COVID-19, there were more than the usual number of mail-in votes this year and so it is possible, warns Elections Canada, that the final tally may not be known for up to four days after the polls close. Patience is a virtue, I guess.

Black Lives Matter . . .

 

Saw this sign in front of a North London home. Apparently it has been posted here for sometime and has not suffered any damaging vandalism. I assume this means the local community approves.

Planning the day's walk

 

These two ladies, one carrying walking poles, appear to be mapping out the day's walk along the Upper Thames River trail.

Finding beauty in unlikely places

 

My grandchildren know I try and take a picture a day. They haven't been able to come for a visit for almost a week. Heading off on a search for the beautiful urban image was not on their to-do list for the day. They found me a leaf and gave me instructions to find the beauty, to find the art. The leaf had texture, a warm colour and the soft light accented the flow of the shape. There might be something here.

It is not a picture that captures an urban moment. But when my youngest granddaughter asks, "Are you glad we found the leaf?" I have to answer, "Yes." 

Tomorrow it is back to urban images.

North Branch path

The Thames River is not much of a river but looks can be deceiving. Londoners have died when the rather small, shallow river has overflowed its banks inundating homes built on flood plain land. 

Londoners love their little river. This should come as no surprise as many urban areas worldwide are built on rivers both big and small. The one constant is that the folk living in the area are drawn to their river. Londoners are no exception.

The paved path along the east side of the North Branch of the Thames River has the kilometres posted for runners,walkers and cyclists. For some reason, the blue and white posts make the path seem friendlier, more inviting to the hundreds of people who use it every day.