Canadian Crossing

Ontario brothels made legal, but don't pack your bags right away

"Did you hear that there will be brothels in Ontario?"

While the United States Supreme Court is trying to settle what Canada has already figured out (and better) a long time ago, the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled on something the United States Supreme Court won't get around to for well over 100 years.

Yes, Ontario's highest court ruled unanimously that prostitutes had the right to protect themselves by hiring bodyguards and organizing in brothels. Prostitution is legal in Canada, solicitation remains illegal, the latter being upheld by the Ontario court.

Essentially, the ruling allowed prostitutes to do what they do in private with better protection while keeping the community safe from visible signs of what was going on (i.e., solicitation).

The brothels won't kick in right away, but bodyguards can be a part of what they do 30 days after the ruling. The appeals process will kick in, likely going to the Canadian Supreme Court.

The words "Ontario" and "brothels" spark up images of "ranches" outside Las Vegas, but assuming the decision survives on appeal, and the Canadian Supreme Court will definitely hear this case, the landscape won't change significantly.

Again, prostitution has been legal in Canada. Outside of "massage places," you don't see any sign that anything such as this is going on. Even the "massage places" don't advertise those services.

Will this increase travel and tourism to Canada's largest province? As the Detroit Free Press put it, "Perhaps Detroit will need that second bridge to Windsor."

The beauty of prostitution being legal in Canada is that you don't have the hype, the egregious flaunting that you have in Nevada outside Vegas. Subtle is the key word. Yes, it exists, but it's not a big deal. If/when brothels come along, you'll still see it mostly hidden.

Why? Well that is just the Canadian way. Rarely is anything in your face in Canada.

For those who can't get to Ontario easily, if the Canadian Supreme Court rules that this ruling can apply nationwide, you won't have to travel as far. But again, if you really want to travel to Canada for mostly that purpose, two things to keep in mind. You should have a better excuse when customs asks why you are coming to Canada. And remember that solicitation for prostitution is illegal in Canada, and that won't change anytime soon.

Canadian couple tripped up by travel health insurance questionnaire over Florida trip

"In the last two (2) years, have you been prescribed or received treatment for and/or been hospitalized (as an in-patient or seen in the emergency department) and/or been prescribed or taken medication for any of the following conditions: diverticular disorder or gastrointestinal bleeding?"

Bill Jennings' insurance company claims he gave an incorrect answer to this question. That cost Jennings and his wife Tracy $346,000.

Another case of medical insurance malpractice in the United States? Yes, but the catch is that the Jennings couple are Canadian.

One incorrect perception is that Canadians don't have to worry about paperwork or misleading insurance questionnaires or huge health care bills. Well, they don't … unless they visit the United States.

Canadians are normally in rather good shape if something bad happens health-wise when traveling within Canada. True, a hiccup or two between provinces can happen, but these are fender-benders compared to the driving 90 mph while texting accidents of getting sick in the United States.

The Jennings couple live in Gold River, British Columbia, and bought travel health insurance while visiting Florida. Sure enough, Bill suffers a heart attack. Now Manulife, the insurance company, wants the Jennings to pay.

In typical American style, when the hospital found out the Jennings didn't have insurance, the hospital reduced the bill to $160,000. The Jennings do have insurance for when they are in British Columbia, and thought they had insurance outside the province.

Increased travel between Canada and the United States is a strong goal of CanadianCrossing.com. If/when Obamacare comes to the masses, the two countries should work out a better system of dealing with Canadians who travel to the United States.

Sarah Burke, 1982-2012, pioneer in freestyle skiing

Watching the outpouring of spirit after the passing of Sarah Burke was beautiful. The response in the United States was stronger than what I expected, even with her track record on the ESPN X Games.

Many tragedies abound from this shortened life, but the idea of Burke being a major reason why superpipe was added to the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, and her not being able to be a part of that is rather cruel.

Burke was a pioneer for women in freestyle skiing. Her legacy will live on in others, both men and women, in the sport.

Her injuries from the accident were too much to overcome. Burke was 29.

Montana wants to adopt Saskatchewan-type health care reform

The Republican presidential debates focus on "Obamacare," which the candidates generally agree is bad, even Mitt Romney, who instituted a similar plan while serving as Massachusetts governor. Wonder what they might think of Montana's proposed plan to model its health care system on Saskatchewan. Saskatchacare??

Actually Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer calls the proposal SaskCare after the neighboring province of Saskatchewan. Gov. Schweitzer also bashes Obamacare, but only because it doesn't go far enough to remedy Montana's health care woes.

Montana's northern border extends from southeastern British Columbia through all of Alberta and the western 3/4 of Saskatchewan, everything west of Regina and Saskatoon.

Gov. Schweitzer wants waivers from several steps within the federal government, including Health and Human Services, Medicaid, Medicare, the Veterans Administration, and Indian Health Service. Then the state government would take that money to create a pool to insure its residents.

For the Americans, As Saskatchewan's premier, Tommy Douglas was the instigator in developing Canada's current health care system. So Saskatchewan was symbolically chosen for a reason.

While the governor is a Democratic politician, Montana is self-identified as one of those Western states where they "don't like government," where people can drive really fast on the highway. Montana is no Massachusetts, even if ironically a Republican governor implemented Massachusetts' health care system.

While Montana has that rep, the state realizes that costs are too high, and not enough people are covered. By comparison, Saskatchewan's program looks a lot better.

Gov. Schweitzer actually goes beyond Saskatchewan's system, yet allow citizens to opt out in favor of private insurance.

If — and it's a gigantic if — Gov. Schweitzer can pull this off, the program can show Americans that a Canadian style health care system can work in even rugged Western states such as Montana. Not only would this help the citizens of Montana with their health care needs, but also Saskatchewan and Canada can receive positive publicity, a win-win.

Canadians have more opportunities for 'pursuit of happiness'

Do Canadians have more freedom than Americans, who live in the land of the free?

Americans would sharply disagree with that statement, but mostly out of ignorance.

I "pursue" this line of questioning in my latest column for my political analysis Web site, Democracy Soup.

Whichever country you call home, hope you are enjoying what freedoms you have this long weekend.

Canadian Justin Bieber dogs U.S. health care system as 'evil'

"You guys are evil," he jokes. "Canada's the best country in the world." He adds, "We go to the doctor and we don't need to worry about paying him, but here, your whole life, you're broke because of medical bills. My bodyguard's baby was premature, and now he has to pay for it. In Canada, if your baby's premature, he stays in the hospital as long as he needs to, and then you go home."

— Justin Bieber to Rolling Stone magazine in a cover interview that comes out today.

Justin Bieber isn't old enough to vote but he is clear on how he sees health care in his home country (Canada) and the place where he earns a lot of money (United States).

Unfortunately for universal health care advocates, lots of Bieber fans aren't old enough to vote either. But their parents and grandparents could make a difference.

I have previously theorized that conservatives like Jack Bauer and would do anything Jack Bauer says. Now you say that Jack Bauer is a fictional character, but Kiefer Sutherland is the grandson of the gentleman (Tommy Douglas) that brought universal health care to Canada.

So having celebrity power — and the Americans love celebrities — work for good instead of whatever Kardashians do with $65 million, this would make a positive difference.

Canadians have more peace of mind when it comes to health care, something that Bieber understands.

Codeine tablets recall from Canada, but returning them may not be necessary

Usually, when a product is recalled, returning that product at the point of purchase is a snap. In this recall, you can return the product where you purchased it — but you might need to bring your passport.

Health Canada is issuing a voluntary drug recall for over-the-counter pain medication, including acetaminophen, caffeine and 8 mg codeine phosphate tablets. While Americans don't usually buy medication in Canada, those tablets are an exception.

The good news is that this recall is for products that likely have reached the end of its shelf life. But if the timing were closer, this would make for interesting questions at the border. Explaining that your purpose for entering Canada is to get a refund for this over-the-counter medication will get nods on the Canadian side and perhaps a raised eyebrow on the U.S. side.

Unlike the rest of the medications on the list, the codeine tablets fall into their own distinct world. They are legal in Canada, though you have to ask the pharmacist as they keep them behind that counter. And you can import the tablets into the United States, provided they are for personal use, and you are limited to 50 tablets per person per 30 days. But you can't buy them in the United States without a prescription.

Of course, some Americans bring back larger containers than 50 tablets. And once you have crossed the border, you might be happy since you didn't get caught. But if there was a recall, you would have to bring back the original bottle. Getting into Canada isn't the problem; getting back into the States is different.

You might be able to persuade the customs officer that at the time, you had a carload of buddies. If you have 4 people in the car, you can bring back 200 tablets. But if you are coming back by yourself after a recall, the 200 tablets would be beyond what you could bring back into the United States.

Of course, you could get a refund, but what fun would that be?

Unless you can smell the poutine from across the border, you aren't going to cross the border just to return codeine tablets. but it would make for a great border crossing story to tell your friends.

Previous coverage on codeine and Canada

-- JaMarcus Russell arrest illustrates U.S.-Canada difference over codeine

-- Codeine from Canada

Canada tries reducing sodium consumption levels

Which country consumes more sodium — Canada or the United States?

We don't exactly know this, and the two countries measure the impact differently. Canada focuses more on how many milligrams of sodium their citizens consume; the United States focuses more on how much sodium its citizens should consume.

Canada is trying to get sodium levels to shrink from 3,400 mg to 2,300 mg (about a teaspoon of salt) per day. The United States' long-standing mark for ideal consumption was less than 2,300 mg, now it's done to 1,500 mg.

For a more detailed analysis on sodium between the two countries, check out this take from my sister blog, BalanceofFood.com.

JaMarcus Russell arrest illustrates U.S.-Canada difference over codeine

JaMarcus Russell struggled in his efforts as a NFL quarterback, having been released by the Oakland Raiders, a team that needs a good quarterback.

And Russell's world got worse this week after being arrested for having codeine syrup — possession of a controlled substance. And this is considered a felony.

But the codeine syrup — if Russell were in Canada — wouldn't be nearly as bad from a legal standpoint.

Now there are a few details that aren't clear. The amount of codeine syrup that Russell allegedly had hasn't been released. So it's not clear whether the amount was an issue.

And the codeine syrup, according to published reports, has promethazine, and I don't know how promethazine is viewed in Canada.

But this incident illustrates a difference between the United States and Canada. You can buy codeine cough syrup in Canada. You can buy acetaminophen with codeine in Canada. You do have to ask the pharmacist for these products as they keep them behind the counter.

In the United States, you would need a prescription, which Russell allegedly didn't have. But you can import a limited amount of codeine from Canada into the United States. The adage I was given years ago was 50 tablets per person per 30 days — for personal use only.

The Chris Berman video (above) — that I mentioned back in February 2008 — shows us the differences in perception with codeine even within the United States. The stories on Russell point out the hip-hop element of how the codeine syrup was mixed vs. a well-known personality who admits on tape to be on 4 tablets while on the air. I've never taken more than 2 at a time ever, and I know the impact of what 2 does for me.

Study shows Canadians live longer and better than Americans

A friend of mine who is Canadian but lives in the United States made sure I saw this recent study that shows Canadians live longer and better than Americans.

In the study published in BioMed Central's journal Population Health Metrics, Canadians' life expectancy is 79.7 years, 77.2 years for Americans. Weighing healthy 19-year-olds, in the Canadian scenario, that person can expect 52 more years of perfect health versus 49.3 more years for the healthy 19-year-old American.

The two major factors cited for differences between the two countries were the differences in access to health care and the prevalence of poverty.

One amusing factor was that the interviews were conducted in 2002 and 2003. Given the sharper decline of the American economy and increased health care woes, one can easily imagine that things are much worse for Americans (versus Canadians) in 2010 than 2002 or 2003.

The Canadian economy has snapped back much better than the U.S. economy. Deficit and debt are much milder words on the Canadian side. There was actually an uproar when the Canadian economy had to carry a short-term deficit. There is nothing short-term about the U.S. deficit or debt.