The Sparks Lady

Public Service Announcement: Here's a reminder, especially as we get closer to tax season, to be careful about Canada Revenue Agency (or any) scams. I had a call today from someone claiming to be from the CRA. He gave me the name of the CRA rep he was calling from, and his badge number and an incident number. The reception was in and out so it took me a little longer to interpret and wrap my head around what he was saying. According to this man, my last 5 years of tax returns had been assessed, and there was a warrant out for my arrest for tax fraud and evasion . In order to prevent the issue from progressing, (according to them by getting arrested and having to go to court), I had to pay what they claimed I owed, and the warrant would be cancelled. I was told this was a time sensitive issue and I would have to pay the money today, and was asked if I had the funds available (I didn't give them an answer). They also threatened me that if I hung u...

The conversation on mental health in recent years has taken broad steps to remove the stigma associated with the topic. This openness towards discussion has hopefully led more people to seek help and receive the treatment they need, based on their symptoms. It has even expanded in the ways of policy changes for first responders who experience and are exposed to scenarios as a result of their work that some of us wouldn't dare imagine. However, I believe we are selling ourselves short here. Many of the discussions I have had surrounding mental health have been related to people experiencing PTSD, or other diagnosable mental health issues. What the current discussion fails to include is anybody's day to day mental health. There are many influences to our mental state, stressors that if left unattended can have a significant impact. It's important to keep ourselves in check. How are we really doing? How are we taking care of ourselves today? How can we take care of ...