The final stages of my PhD work are finished! On April 30 I passed the defense of my dissertation and on May 11 I participated in commencement exercises at Kansas State University.
On May 19 Precious and I headed off to Kenora, Ontario in a 2007 Hyundai Elantra. The first night was spent in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the second night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. We arrived in Kenora on May 21. We loved the trip, which was uneventful (safe and sound). Precious and I have been looking forward to this for a long time. It is giving us an opportunity to connect and reflect on our lives and plan for the future.
We loved the quiet drive from Winnipeg to Kenora on Victoria Day. It was wildly thrilling to suddenly leave the Manitoba prairie and emerge into the forests of eastern Manitoba and northwest Ontario. It’s beautiful here in our retreat overlooking the Lake of the Woods. Though it is rainy, I really feel I am beginning to unwind. My hope is that my creativity–put on hold to finish the Big Project–will begin to return.
We have loved being in Kenora, though it has rained much this last week. I reported earlier how the food prices are high, but what really hurts are the taxes. We came to Canada during an historic high for the Canadian dollar against the US dollar. Nevertheless, I kept my spirits up because I remembered from living in Seattle that it was possible to recover any GST taxes paid in Canada. This can really be a significant lump of cash when a visitor books a hotel room.
But guess what? Just in time for the Atchison arrival in Kenora, the Canadian government repealed refunds for the GST. Here’s the story: “Trips to Canada have become more expensive for many visitors after the Canadian government recently abolished a tax refund for non-residents. Visitors had been able to claim a refund of the 6 percent GST, a federal tax on lodging and other goods and services. For tourists, the most significant benefit was being able to get a refund of the GST on hotel bills. The Canadian government abolished the GST refund (formally called the Visitor Rebate Program) for individual travelers earlier this month as part of 2007 budget cuts. The Canadian government estimated it would save about $70 million in refunds and administrative costs by abolishing the rebates (source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune, http://www.startribune.com/1513/story/1176084.html, 11 May 2007).”
So learn a little from the “Atchison Luck” and find another, less-expensive beautiful place to vacation this summer. I feel for the Canadian hospitality industry. The government saved $70 million. How much will Canadian innkeepers and restaurateurs lose when US citizens stay away?
In case you forgot, 2007 is the 100th anniversary of the 1907 Stanley Cup Champion, the Kenora (formerly Rat Portage, Ontario) Thistles. Kenora’s team beat the Montreal entry to take the title. Since Precious and I are currently on holiday here, we would be glad to get any autographs that are still available. Seriously, this is a beautiful place, and–wouldn’t you know it–we came to Canada just in time to see the Canadian dollar reach an all-time high against the US dollar. In short, things have become very expensive here. Nevertheless, we are pressing on and really enjoying our time. And since the Thistles have made us Cup Crazy, we can live on beans for a few days!
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