Here are some facts about my current circumstance. I am the president of our co-op condo association. I have also volunteered to hold the position of secretary treasurer on a temporary basis since the past Treasurer resigned in 2003. We the Board of Directors as of this date have not been able to fill this position from the owners of this 29 unit complex.

It was a past practice that the treasurer was paid $50 monthly for this service, which we have continued to pay. No other member of the board receives any kind of remuneration in our not for profit corporation.

I was just recently informed by one of the owners that this was improper conduct and illegal. The reason given is, that I am not a US citizen or a permanent resident, and am therefore breaking current US laws.

I always understood that this position was not considered employment and under article XV paragraph 2(a) of the Canada US tax treaty is legal, as long as the amount does not exceed $3,100.

Are you able to help and inform me of what my legal position is? I will appreciate it very much to receive a reply.

Sincerely, Heinz Herbertz Utterson, ON.

ED. The tax treaty provisions re the taxation of funds received from employment presupposes that the employment is legal. This is where a problem arises.

Mr. Herbertz is in the United States as a visitor, and has presumably entered under a verbal visa. One of the conditions of being granted this "visitor visa" is that a person is not allowed to work. In order to perform any work he would have to have a visa which permitted work, or he would require an "employment authorization" from immigration. He is not in a position to obtain such an authorization.

What he is proposing to do, as treasurer, is considered "work" if he receives any remuneration. The owner who informed him that his proposal was improper conduct and illegal was unfortunately correct.

Dear Bird Talk,

Thank you for bringing the Lifestyle Presentation to Halifax. We enjoyed it so much. You have a lot of talent. So nice to see Gordie Tapp again and everyone did a super job. We look forward to seeing you in Florida but this was something else. Hope you all enjoyed Halifax and the Maritimes. Come again.

Irene & Bob Keyes.

ED. We had a wonderful time in Halifax and the Maritimes and the people we met were just superb. The events we held throughout the eastern provinces were very well received and it was our pleasure to produce them for you. If we had our way (and more money, of course) we would visit every major center in Canada each fall, and all of the major snowbird destinations in the south each winter. With your continuing support we just might be able to accomplish that goal. Wish us luck!

Dear Bird Talk,

We are CSA members and attended Peterborough's first CSA presentation on September 22nd. This was absolutely the best CSA extravaganza we have ever attended. Better than the one we went to in Toronto! The speakers were excellent and the entertainment was first class. To President Gerry Brissenden, his staff , and the entertainers, our heartiest congratulations! Well done! We trust Peterborough will be a regular stop on future presentation tours.

Sincerely, Audrene & David Norrie

PS - Now, how about South Carolina?? That's our winter home, "away" from home.

ED. Thanks for the kind words. We love to bring entertainment and information to our members. If you have any suggestions about where we can have an event in South Carolina we would be glad to hear from you. If snowbirds are there, we will come.

Dear Bird Talk,

This is in response to the member who wrote a letter in the summer edition regarding an Insurance Company that had a clause in its policy stating that the patient should know of all medical conditions he or she might have, and therefore he was not covered by insurance. The editors are doing the CSA members a disservice by not revealing the company. They should be exposed, so that I and fellow members can stay clear of them. Only then will they get the message. Please print the name of this company in your next edition. Thank you!

Lorenze Wiens, Life Member

ED. We would like nothing more than to share the name of the "offending" insurance provider with the entire membership. Unfortunately, you CAN be sued for telling the truth; you will win the case, but the legal fees will run into the tens of thousands of dollars and you can only recover a small portion of them. We have already been sued for telling the truth - and we won - but it was an expensive "win". In the meantime, we will remind you, and all of our readers, that we believe your safest and fairest option for travel medical insurance is Medipac, and you must always read any policy, and the application, very carefully.

Dear Bird Talk,

The mail is in so I am now reading everything, cover to cover, with great interest in the CSANews Fall Issue 56. Donna Wilson's tip and story on the top of page 9 really did catch my eye regarding the blank cheque being cashed with no signature on it.

Believe it or not I had the very same thing happen to me several months ago when I was paying a bill and forgot to sign the cheque. It went through with no problem and the only reason I ever found out that I had not signed it was that I get all of my cancelled cheques back. I am from the old school and like to see my old cheques returned to me to check them off against my cheque book records and then to destroy them, my way, at home.

My point is that the editor stated that the electronic age is upon us and the personal care that we used to get from our banks is now one of the many casualties we face in today's world. But, not in every case, as I stated I am old school, but I now do business with TD-Canada Trust and they treat me with caring respect as I still go to my bank and visit the teller's window. You get to see real people that speak to you and carry out your business as other banks used to; they even phoned and polled me to see if I was satisfied with the service and attention given me during my once a month visits and, yes, I am. The only set back is I must drive 15 miles one way to get this kind of friendly caring service but it is worth every cent, plus my time.

Keep the great news coming - we all need it.

Sincerely, Louis Trepanier Retired, and a CSA member for a very long time.

ED. Well, Mr. Trepanier, it is reassuring to read that, despite all the changes we face in the modern world, there are still some "good guys" left. We might have to look for them a little harder, or drive a little farther to get to them, but, they are still out there. I have personally dealt with most of the major banks over the years, and guess where I am now? – the TD, and very happy, as well. This is not a commercial, but a personal experience; I am sure that every bank has its "special" branches with those special people to help you.

Medipac Hits the Target!

At the beginning of the Medipac Early Bird Insurance campaign, it was pledged that $5.00 would be contributed to the Heart & Stroke Foundation for every policy holder that enrolled until we reached the target of $50,000. On November 22, 2005 at the corporate headquarters of Medipac, a cheque for $50,000 was presented to the Heart & Stroke Foundation to further their research and education eff orts.

Pictured from left to right is: Christopher Bradbury (Vice President, Medipac), Chris Pon (Heart & Stroke Foundation), Ken Vorvis (Vice President, Medipac) and Ross Quigley (President & CEO, Medipac).