Monthly Archives: June 2011

Jack Courtney-Super Agent


My how times have changed. I had to renew my car insurance, and decided to check around for quotes. What a shock i was in for. On-line quotes have replaced the personal one on one, and when i did talk to someone they had no interest in anything but securing my business. Made me long for the old way of doing things, when you walked into an office and talked to somebody who knew you and loved to chat. Like when Jack Courtney was in business.
He was my very first insurance agent, and walking into his little cramped office on Queen Street was always a pleasure. He knew his customers well and knew the history of your family also. He always had a story to tell and wanted to know the latest jokes that you could tell him. And as always his spittoon was sitting close by for his chewing tobacco to be spit in, and on one occasion he asked if i wanted to try to hit the spittoon, needless to say i declined. His interest in his clients went as far as looking at the vehicle and finding out what he was insuring and not just taking the money and running. I never had to file a claim with him, so i don’t know how he was at that but i feel it was as comfortable as getting the insurance in the first place.
I miss customer service like that.

The Eagle and the Beaver


Ahh, Canada and the United States, the longest unprotected border in the world, we share a common ancestry but we have a few differences that makes both of us unique in our own ways.

I was out last night and while having a couple of wobbly pops i ran into an American Couple who were in Canada for the very first time and were, to say the least, a little uninformed about the Country, and that led to some humourous takes on what is Canada, and of course we had to clarify a few things that they were not aware of.

Mounties are not our only police force, in Ontario they are not even present, which disappointed them as they were looking to see some.

Yes Hockey is our national winter sport, but lacrosse is our national Summer Sport. And none of us at the bar were coming from a Hockey game, as a matter of fact there was a Basketball game on the Tv’s, that confused them for a minute or two.

Canadians do own guns, as a matter of fact,per capita we own more guns than Americans do, we just don’t use them as much.

No, I don’t speak French and no one in the bar did either, which dissapointed them as they spent three weeks learning french before coming up here, and had not found one person who did speak French.

They were also upset to find out that Polar Bears are not native to this part of the Country and that in fact where they were going they would not see any Polar Bears at all. And no, I don’t have an Igloo in my back yard either.

They also found out that our political system is a lot like the one in the States, Canadian Politicians are just as corrupt and worthless as in the own country.

They found out that Canada has the longest Street in the world, Yonge street, which starts at Lake Ontario in Toronto and at one time ran all the way to the Ontario Minnesota border, a total of 1178 miles. And we also have the shortest Railway in the world at 3.32 miles.

We discussed Wars and they were shocked to find out that the United States Invaded Canada twice and both times were forced to retreat.

They did discover that Canada has more electric blankets than the Americans,and that we both have problems with addictions. Americans with a Crack problem and Canadian with a Poutine problem, both addictive and both bad for your health.

But for the most part, it was found that we have a lot in common and are as close as two country’s can be and as we parted way’s I made sure to tell the couple that when they get to Winnipeg, make sure you look up Gordon..he owes me $20( Sorry, but that is an Inside Canada joke).