DEADBEAT DAD IN THE DOGHOUSE

 Dusty's Digital Digest | Law

This is one of those stories you hear about all the time, a couple splits and it's the little ones that suffer. When the Father in this case stopped paying support and following their joint custody agreement the Mother had no other choice but to call her lawyer.

Here is a transcript of the interview I had with the Mother last Monday at her Oshawa apartment. *As there is currently an open court battle we have been asked to refrain from using names. Therefore, we have inserted Mother, Father, and Little Guy to comply with the court's privacy act.*

It was a pretty amicable break up. There was no fighting, no bitterness. Even when it came to making up an agreement on what we were going to do with the little guy, which we had adopted a couple of years earlier, there were no problems. We had agreed I would remain the full time caregiver and Father would take him every second weekend. We agreed that Father would pay for half the bills as well. And, this arrangement worked great. Father would show up Friday night and keep Little Guy busy for the next two days. They would go to the park, meet up with other Little Guys, and just enjoy time together. Sunday night Little Guy would come home, usually hyped up because of some treat Father had given him, but, it was ok because Little Guy was happy.
This arrangement also gave me a chance to have some much needed downtime to recharge. You cannot imagine how draining it is to be the only caregiver in a house. It was so nice for me to have a chance to clean up the yard and keep it clear for at least one day.
After about six months Father started missing weekends, claiming he had to work or was going to be out of town. The weekends he did take Little Guy were different. Little Guy would come home earlier on Sunday looking unenthused and bored. It turned out Father was not taking him to the park and instead spending hours lying around watching TV.
Then one Sunday it all blew up! Little Guy came home smelling like smoke. I picked him up, sniffed his fur, and demanded to know why our little doggie smelled like a cigarette! Father finally admitted that he was in a new relationship with a woman who smoked.
I won't repeat the expletives I said after that, but, I will say it was nasty. We had turned into that arguing divorced couple that we never thought we would.
But after I tell you what I learned you'll understand why I took the bastard to court.
Turns out Little Guy's lackluster behaviour was a direct result of this new girlfriend. Turns out She [new girlfriend] doesn't like the off leash parks, although that is apparently where Father and her met. So, what used to be Father and Little Guy's routine of spending Saturday mornings at the off leash park was now a thing of the past. Instead, Saturday is the day She likes to go shopping...without the dogs, of course. Oh, that is another thing. She adopted a new dog of her own recently, which she believes is far superior to our 'mutt' as she apparently calls him. Anyway, now She is putting pressure on Father to accept Her fur-babies as his, which means Father doesn't have the time or money for Little Guy anymore!
Our agreement was every second weekend and money to support basic things like food, water, clothes, lessons, and a hair and nail clip every three months. I didn't even force him to pay the vet fees! He should be happy about that.
Without this support I've had to move down to a lower grade food for Little Guy. It's just not right. Which is why I went to see my lawyer.

The case is working its way through the family courts, but, as with other similar cases it is taking longer than it should. The system is badly underfunded for the number of cases it deals with on a daily basis. It seems to me like this deadbeat doggy Daddy is getting off pretty easy. In the meantime, Little Guy is living on low grade food and wearing last years winter coat.

DUSTY | Oshawa | 9:15am

TRAVELS TO THE PREMIUM OUTLET

CONTRASTING WORLDS

Clark's Travels | Dusty's Digest Travel Page | September 2013

The idea of buying hundreds of acres of cheap land in the middle of nowhere and building a giant vacation destination is not a new one, Disney did it back in the day when they built that place of theirs in Florida. I guess with the idea: 'if you build it, they will come'?
Well, they do come. By the thousands. Everyday. And, I ain't talking about Disney. No, I mean these 'Premium Outlet' malls that are popping up all over the country. I can't go a week, it seems, without someone I know asking me if I've been to one of these places. Being a well traveled man, I've been to Budapest I'll remind you, I felt I needed to visit one of these places just to say I'd been there. Need to keep my street cred. Imagine, a Travel Journalist like myself, never having been to Paris, or Rome, or Cleveland. Nope, not acceptable. With that I made my way to Boone's Corners, the nearest Premium Outlet, about fifteen miles north of a the tiny farming town of Norwich, Ohio.
I veered off the interstate, followed the enormous 'This Way for Shopping' sign, and found myself on a very rural, and ill maintained, country road. Other than the long line of cars in front of me there was very little sign of humanity. The odd farmhouse, trailer, or garage advertising 'ammo 4 sale', were few and far between leaving me staring out at huge tracts of land growing corn and radishes. After about twenty minutes of mind lulling country road driving I saw something. Something big and green broke over the oncoming hill. It was like Emerald City! A glowing, shining, high walled...and most unnatural looking thing...rose up out of the radish fields in stark contrast to the landscape around it.
I soon found myself at the entrance where a big red traffic light blocked my path. On my left was a field sparsely populated with those black and white cows and on my right was a manicured garden and a freshly paved parking lot. As I turned in, I was gobsmacked by the sheer number of people. Having driven miles and miles without seeing a single face, to now seeing masses of crowding shoppers was a bit of a shock to my psyche. My mind found it hard to accept and I was feeling a bit confused. In addition, when I did parked the car and opened the door, that first blast of 'fresh' air did not match what I was seeing around me. My view was 360 degrees of store front, freshly paved and painted parking lot, and the countless people. But, my smeller was painting a picture of cow manure in my mind. It took a second for it all to catch up and the math to work out. Place self in middle of nowhere surrounded by farm fields = smell of manure.
A few hours later I was back to feeling like my normal traveling self. The travel journalist in me had taken over and I was madly writing observations on the architecture, the people, the atmosphere. Even though the location was classic mid-farm USA, my notes told a different story. One of a busy marketplace with wares from all over the globe. Purses from Italy. Clothing from South Asia. Kitchenware from Central Europe. The lack of American made products had me feeling like I was in another part of the world. Even the dining took me away to another place. I tried a restaurant called Olive Garden. Once inside it was like I was transported to a tiny village in Tuscany. They even poured me a glass of wine, on the house. They must have recognized me as a semi-famous travel journalist and were hoping for a good review. Well, they will get it. The ravioli with spinach tasted just as authentic as the food I indulged in when I traveled through Italy.
After my meal I took in the cooling air, sat on a cement flower pot, and just watched the people. The hustle and bustle of the crowd made me feel invigorated, made me want to jump into the current and ride the wave to the next attraction. There was a carnival feel, an amusement park atmosphere, an energetic pulse. If it were not for the name brand shopping bags everyone was weighed down with you would swear to your God that this place was a busy marketplace in some European country. It felt like a world class vacation destination. I found myself expecting to see time share condos and high rise hotels just outside the Outlet's property, instead of the corn and cows.
These Premium Outlets are really something to experience. The contrasting worlds, side by side, are something to behold at least once in your life. The impression it left with me was memorable enough to recommend that everyone put one of these trips on their top ten vacation destination lists. The good part is you do not have to travel half the world over to experience this - it is right in your backyard.

Ciao, Clark!

UPSCALE CHEQUE CASHING CASH ADVANCE BOUTIQUE

PAYDAY LOAN - SWISS STYLE

Dusty's Digital Digest | Business Pages

The payday loan industry has come under a lot of criticism lately for taking advantage of a vulnerable section of society by charging extremely high, some argue illegally high, rate of interest. But, one new business owner Sigrid Schultz wants to change this. A new immigrant to Canada, Brampton to be exact, from Switzerland, Siggy (as he refers to himself) brings years of experience in the Swiss style of banking which he has transposed onto his new financial 'payday loan' business. He wants to transform the image of a sleazy run down neon lit shop serving poverty stricken individuals to more of a traditional discreet, elegant, rich looking establishment similar to the banks in his homeland of Switzerland. He makes a good point that the fees and interest rates charged justify such a look.
So, I took a trip down to the stately looking store front on Dundas Street to chat with Siggy about his new venture.

Why here and why now?
Canada is far behind in the financial world, especially in the payday loan market. There appears to be only one choice for those looking for a payday loan, the discount store. The market for high end payday loans is untouched, is unserved. Every other industry has multiple levels of quality, why not the payday loan market? It was time for someone, it just happened to be me, to come in and provide a high quality service and product.

What makes you think this will work?
I don't mean any disrespect by my Swiss bluntness here, but, have you looked into the profit margins in this industry? Some products are reaching 300% interest rates! That is unheard of in any developed country, especially in a legal business. You hear of the underground market full of loan sharks, I believe you call them here, and big men sent to break an arm charging this high of interest rates. So I think, why not take the legal route and do the payday loan business?

What will set you apart from these 'discount' payday loan firms?
That is an easy one Dusty - Service, style, and complimentary beverages. Service will be upmost. I want to replicate the style found in Switzerland. One where you know your banker, and trust your banker, more than their wife. That was a joke. One of upmost discretion as well. Our look will also be important. I know I would not sleep at night if the banker dealing with my money was not wearing at least a three piece Armani suit back when I lived in Europe. Even our overdue bill collectors will be required to wear a jacket, no synthetics either. Lastly we will bring the Swiss tradition of having a drink when dealing with money; espresso, cappuccino, champagne will all be offered.

I wished Siggy 'goodluck', finished my espresso, and made my way out the door. On my way out I did hear positive comments from the many patrons coming and going. One gentleman was coming in for his third meeting, and glass of champagne, of the day. It was only ten in the morning. If Siggy's shop attracts customers at this rate there is a 300% guarantee it will be successful for many years to come.

Dusty | GTA | 12:35 pm