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Several weeks ago, my brother sent me an article from the Financial Post -- and my life changed in an instant. My brother and I were born in the United States, but we left as teens. I have lived and worked in Canada for close to the last four decades, as a proud Canadian citizen. The article talked about the fact that the U.S. is the only country in the world that taxes its citizens who are neither living in the U.S. nor working there. Even if American ex-pats are not earning an income there, … [Read more...] about Get Out of My Pocket, Uncle Sam: US Tax Law Hits Canadians with a Sledgehammer

I’ve seen Amy Winehouse perform on TV several times over the past few years – and I was always amazed at how much her voice reminded me of Janis Joplin’s.  I was a big Janis fan back in the day, and although Amy’s music wasn’t as resonant for me personally, I do know that for many, she was a ‘voice’ of her generation – and a musical inspiration to many other young soulful artists. I’m greatly saddened by her death. Very few among us could have any idea what it must have been like for a young, … [Read more...] about Amy Winehouse: “No no no” to Rehab

…and if Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play my tune today – it would be a victory march. But it could have been a funeral march. As I write this, it is the eve of my anniversary of sobriety – on July 18th, I will have been clean and sober for 24 years. Looking back on it, the time has flown by, even though in the early years it was sometimes difficult to not give up and give in to my addictions. If anyone had told me then that I’d be celebrating 24 years of sobriety from mind-altering … [Read more...] about It Was 24 Years Ago Today…

Today I received an extraordinary email from Ward Grant. In case you missed seeing him interviewed on TV, Ward is the man who started Vancouver’s “Wall of Hope” – after feeling so angry and disheartened to see what was happening to our amazing city after the final Stanley Cup game, he was one of the first to take positive action. The morning after ‘the night before’, Ward came downtown with a handmade poster he had created – a sign that told both the team he supported and the people of his … [Read more...] about Creating Vancouver’s “Wall of Hope”

Friday morning I felt witness to an amazing event. In the wake of the sick-making, heart-breaking riots here in our city of Vancouver after the final Stanley Cup hockey game, grateful citizens gathered in an impromptu fashion to give their thanks to the police officers – the men and women who, in a tremendously difficult and dangerous situation, had done their best that night to protect and serve. While running an errand this morning, I happened to be around the corner from the Vancouver Police … [Read more...] about Stickies of Gratitude