OFFICIAL NEWS MAGAZINE OF THE CANADIAN SNOWBIRD ASSOCIATION | SUMMER 2017 | ISSUE 103 In This Issue Saskatchewan Imposes Tax on Travel Insurance TRAVEL Surprising Gibraltar FINANCE Where to stash your cash RV LIFESTYLE South Okanagan HEALTH Insomnia Protect your home and auto with an insurance plan designed for your lifestyle. Your world is unique… we insure it. Call us for a quote today 1-800-267-8000 Group Services Insurance Brokers Limited Editor’s Message SUMMER 2017 | ISSUE 103 Editor J. Ross Quigley CSA Editor Karen Huestis President Chris Bradbury Art Director Peter Prusa Director of Sales Neville B. Levin Director of Operations Paula McGovern s a child, I was enthralled with monkeys and, when I found Marketing & Events Fran Castricone Specialist out that there was an island which was overrun with mon- keys, I decided that I had to make plans to visit one day. I have flown over Gibraltar a few times, but have not made CSA BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ait there yet. Pat & I cruised by on a cruise ship a few years ago and I President Karen Huestis was determined to finally see it. It turned out to be 3:00 a.m. ‒ in the First Vice-President Ron Steeves middle of the night ‒ and I had fallen asleep. Our story “Surprising Second Vice-President John Foster Gibraltar” makes me even more determined to get there. Treasurer Garry McDonald Secretary Rod Seiling I also have dozens of friends in the Okanagan Valley and I have never Past President Bob Slack been there either. Rex Vogel’s write-up on the Valley, from the RV per- Director James Leroux spective, just reinforces my desire to visit. Neither of these destinations Director Robert Herman Director Ted Popel will affect our U.S. time limits and we will not need those pesky U.S. Director Wendy Caban dollars. So much to see – so much to do. Executive Director Michael MacKenzie Legal Counsel Wallace Weylie Just to mention a few thoughts on the rest of our magazine…I am a bridge player and I play a few hands on the computer every day to stay sharp. It is sad to see the younger generation drifting towards CONTRIBUTING EDITORS the incessant use of iPhones and iPads and their total immersion in Facebook and similar social media applications. They are missing a great Judith Adam Barb & Ron Kroll Gabrielle Bauer Dr. Robert MacMillan opportunity to meet new “real” friends and to challenge their brains. Donna Carter David McPherson Michael Coren Andrew Moore-Crispin I totally agree with our finance article’s advice that bonds are, poten- Jennifer Cox Robert Wiersema tially, a very poor investment over the next few years. Interest rates are Shari Darling Rex Vogel obviously rising and bonds will lose part of their capital value in this James Dolan environment. Stay away from them; the total diversification strategy can harm your financial health. Illustrator Merv Magus And now for your home remedy idea of the month. Our Health Pulse has a note on leg cramps in this issue and I would like to add that drinking some tonic water (with or without the good stuff) before bed has helped many people. Apparently, the quinine in tonic water acts as a muscle relaxant. Quinine is famous as a treatment for malaria and We acknowledge the support of the Government of Canada. is made from the bitter bark of remijia or cinchona plants. Try it and, perhaps, you can throw those drugs away. As a last note, I sleep like a baby every night. Well, except when I have a deadline for the magazine. Enjoy. CSANews© is published four times a year and is Copyright SUMMER 2017 by Medipac International Communications Inc., 180 Lesmill Road, Toronto, Ontario M3B 2T5. (416)441-7000. Sincerely, Subscription Price: $9.95 Canada; $20.00 U.S. and foreign. Single copy: $3.95. Prices include tax. Published by Medipac International Communications Inc. Opinions expressed are those of the writers and are not necessarily those of the CSA, Medipac International Communications Inc. or its affiliates, their Directors, Officers, or other employees or agents. Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement No: 40063603. J. Ross Quigley ISSN No: 1195-2393 Editor CSANews | SUMMER 2017 | 3 Table of Contents OFFICIAL NEWS MAGAZINE OF THE SUMMER 2017 | ISSUE 103 CANADIAN SNOWBIRD ASSOCIATION Features Travel 16 Surprising Gibraltar RV Lifestyle There is no place on earth like Gibraltar. 22 The South Okanagan by Barb and Ron Kroll A beautiful desert in the centre of British Columbia. by Rex Vogel Finance 26 Where to “stash” your cash Understanding your options when it comes to investing your cash allocation. by James Dolan 4 | www.snowbirds.org Table of Contents Health 32 Insomnia: Causes and Cures Improve the quality of your sleep. by Dr. Robert MacMillan Leisure 38 The Rise and Fall of Bridge Once the most popular card game on the Health planet, today it’s fraught with a damaging image and debated relevance. Feature by Donna Carter 36 Zika Virus Should you be worried about this deadly disease? by Gabrielle Bauer Departments 3 Editor’s Message 42 Golf by David McPherson 6 Snowbird Alert 44 Book Review by Robert Wiersema 8 Bird Talk 45 Gardening by Judith Adam 10 President’s Message 46 Food & Drink by Shari Darling 11 Government Relations Report 48 CSA Online by Andrew Moore-Crispin 12 Insurance by Ross Quigley 50 CSA Application 14 Opinion by Michael Coren 51 Benefits 35 Health Pulse 52 Fun & Games 40 Fitness by Jennifer Cox 53 Grins & Giggles 41 Longevity by Jennifer Cox 54 Fast Facts CSANews | SUMMER 2017 | 5 Snowbird Alert Saskatchewan Imposes INSURANCE TAX The province of Saskatchewan is implementing a tax on all insur- Don’t Be a Victim to These ance premiums, including Travel Medical Insurance, effective Six Common Scams July 1, 2017. The P.S.T. rate of 6% applies to all policies with a coverage term starting on or after August 1, 2017. If Internet scams are not on your radar, they should be. It is not only businesses that can fall prey to these scams. Plenty of Canadians Please write to Premier Brad Wall and the members of the have had their personal information stolen through similar schemes. Saskatchewan legislature expressing your outrage with this action. Here’s what to look for in six common scams: For assistance with constructing your letter, we offer the fol- lowing resource to assist you, as well as a link to obtain contact 1. CEO spoofing. Victims receive an e-mail claiming to be from the information for the premier and MLAs. “CEO” asking them to make an urgent payment outside of normal www.snowbirds.org/writing-guidelines procedures. E-mails are written in a different style than usual and there is an uncommon payment request. The money is inevitably stolen. 2. E-mail scam. Phishing scams appear to be legitimate e-mails, but Lawn Mower Safety are fraudulent messages that may lead to downloading viruses or • Dress appropriately: long pants, may be attempts to collect and steal personal information. Beware long-sleeved shirts, eye and of unsolicited e-mails that require clicking through. Equip all hard ear protection, heavy gloves drives and network systems with anti-phishing software. and sturdy, closed-toed shoes with slip-resistant 3. Invoice scam. Fraudsters research a company so that they know rubber soles. Wear sun pro- which suppliers are used and when regular payments are due. They tection, a wide-brimmed hat and then pose as a supplier to create phony invoices. Watch for small drink plenty of water. discrepancies in invoices, such as a different address. Implement a standard accounts payable process so that all invoices are validated. • Never disengage the fail-safe mechanism (dead-man switch) 4. Text message. Text scams called “smishing” look like they are found on power mowers. It trig- from a bank or other trusted organization and alert the victim to an gers the important safety feature account fraud or personal issue. Most smishing messages play on fear. of stopping the blades quickly as Any correspondence that requires personal details is usually a scam. soon as the handle of a walk-be- hind mower is released, or the operator 5. Internet scams. A fake pop-up sends a “scam alert” message. of a ride-on mower falls off of the seat. Clicking on it links to a fake website, or allows malware to be down- loaded. Beware of any unsolicited message that requires you to link • Turn the mower off before attempting to examine to somewhere else. the blades, dislodge debris or adjust wheel height. 6. Phone scam. Fraud over the phone, called “vishing,” is still popular. • Avoid mowing the lawn when it is wet and slippery. It happens when a fraudster calls, claiming to be from the bank or some other trusted organization. It is a scam if personal or financial • Do not allow children under the age of 16 to use details such as PIN numbers or banking passwords are requested. ride-on mowers and children under the age of 12 to use walk-behind mowers. Protect your workplace by encouraging employees to be on the lookout for scams. Ongoing security training should teach them • When mowing a ditch, mow down a slope, not to question every request for payment or information change, and across. Better yet, ditch the mower and use a to never disclose sensitive personal information via phone, text or trimmer. e-mail. • Never allow passengers on ride-on mowers. All organizations should implement a culture of security from the top down. Partner with reliable third parties for security-related • Always look behind you before putting a ride-on services, such as Shred-it, to outsource document destruction and mower in reverse.