Winter Parking Ban Notifications

 Winter Parking Ban Notifications

     So it is that time of year yet again that we the people will most likely end up with unwanted presents on our windows when we come out of work or the house during the day or night. The winter parking ban in HRM will be enforced between the hours of 1 a.m. & 6 a.m. during any and all declared snow/ice events as of December 15, 2014 up to and including March 31, 2015.

     We can all stay well informed & plan ahead by & or subscribing to HRM's CityWatch notification system or listening to the radio or reading the newspapers or by following @hfxgov on twitter. All you have to do is register at this link HRM Winterized site they will do their best to send out timely updates by phone, email, and/or text message to you about the possible status of the overnight winter parking ban('s) within HRM. You can provide up to 2 phone numbers and up to 2 email addresses, or a combination of both when registering online.

*NOTE: The registration pages are currently not compatible with CHROME web browsers (Also not currently optimized for use with Smartphones.) please use Internet Explorer or FireFox 

     Now it is best that if you even have a doubt about the weather during the night your best bet is to secure off-street parking during the winter months as a precaution (Better safe than sorry).

     If you have questions about the municipal overnight winter parking ban and or have an issue with submitting your information online, you can call 311 or email contact@halifax.ca to get further information and or clarification on this all.

     It is recommended that you do not rely solely on the CityWatch notifications for parking ban information due to delivery issues via the internet and or phone notification's. You can also check out their website and or their Twitter feed at @hfxgov or by calling 311.

     If you had signed up for this service last year this service has not stopped it simply hibernated during the non-winter season and is now back up and running for you already. If any of the information you entered last year has changed it is recommended to go back online again and update the information.

Note: the use and collection of the information that you provide online is listed below.

In accordance with Section 485 of the Municipal Government Act (MGA), the personal information collected on this form will only be used by CityWatch for the identified mass notification purpose, for the purpose of clarifying the information submitted, for providing updates or seeking further information on this same subject. If you have any questions about the collection and use of this information, please contact HRM’s Access and Privacy Office at 1-902-490-4390 or accessandprivacy@halifax.ca.

The CityWatch notification system is effective and efficient, but you should not rely on it exclusively for updates. This system supplements, rather than replaces, other communication methods used to broadcast winter parking ban information, including HRM Public Service Announcements, websites and social media channels. CityWatch notifications are dependent upon external providers such as your wireless carrier or email delivery service. Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) cannot guarantee that notifications will be received by the intended recipient. Service costs from your carrier are your responsibility.

     I honestly hope and pray that this helps everyone in avoiding a parking ticket this year, but will be pleased if it only helps a handful of people instead. For every dollar we do not give to the government is a dollar that we get to keep in our pockets for something more important.

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• Snow Information
• FAQ's
• Ice Thickness Reports
• Parking Ban Notifications (PDF 91.23KB)
• Parking Ban Regulations 
• Planning for Snow Events
• Winter Storm Fire Safety
• Generator Safety
• Province of NS
• Safety Operations
• Salt Management
• Winter Parking Ban
• HRM Calendar
• Register for Notifications

You can find me on any of these sites here

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/wilcrejr

SnapChat: wilcre1

Twitter: https://www.youtube.com/user/wilcrejr

Instagram: http://instagram.com/wilcre1/

Keek: https://www.keek.com/wilcre

Twitch: http://www.twitch.tv/wilcre

Sound Cloud: https://soundcloud.com/wilcre

Beford trails to Halifax

 Beford trails to Halifax

      So I intended to walk about 5km today (3.1m), but I ended up walking over double that today, I walked a total of 12.7km (7.89m). I took the number 16 bus from close to home, then transferred to the number 80 to get to the Tim Hortons in Bedford (1530 Nova Scotia Trunk 2, Bedford, NS B4A) next to the Chicken Burger, the first place I stopped was at the Esso located at 1505 Bedford Hwy, Bedford, NS B4A 1E3 to get some water for the walk. The attendants there were friendly to say the least, but very surprised/startled when they asked what I was up to and I replied back that I was walking to Halifax from Bedford.

     Something that I noticed that along the walk from Bedford until I got to MSVU (Mount Saint Vincent University) everyone that I passed said hello to me as we passed each other, once I passed MSVU not one person acknowledged the greeting that I gave them.

     Now along the way I stopped and either took in the scenery (I have never actually walked this part of the area, I had always just driven through it) or took a couple pictures of the area; mainly of the Bedford Basin ("Photos listed below").

     I started the walk around 09:00am and ended it at about 13:00, the walk was about 4 hours long (That is with taking breaks just to sit and watch everything going on with the people around and what was happening in the Basin), so total walk time would of been about 3 hours which is what I figured it would take.

     The day started off a little dark and over cast, but there was a slight breeze and near the end of the walk the breeze was still there but it had cleared up and the sun had also come out as well. In my opinion it was a excellent day for this walk to happen.

     For the walk I was by myself (But when I do it again I do plan to take some one with me to enjoy it more), how ever I did have a boat load of Pod casts from @Lefty643 that I had put on to my MP3 player, so even though I only had a 1 way communication it was still nice to have some sort of a presence with me on this walk.

     My walk was from start to end with these addresses 1530 Nova Scotia Trunk 2, Bedford, NS B4A (Tim Hortons) - 7001 Mumford Road, Halifax, NS B3L 4N9 (Halifax Shopping Centre) 12.7km. An image from Google is below to detail out the walking route I took as well as all the other pictures and 2 short videos I took as well.

Bells online customer support

     So I had a question in regards to my contract end date with Bell Mobility. So I tried to call them, of course they were closed early on a Saturday night, so luckily I was near a computer and went to their online support instead.

     So after a 1 hour session with the rep, he was able to avoid all technical questions in regards to the IMEI and ICCID associated to the account, he was also not able to verify what in store rep made changes to the account and or what store location was the one that changed/renewed the contract that they have on file.

     He also did not show any indication that a warranty claim had been filed for the phone associated to the account. All he was able to do is provide the same date for the entire conversation.

     Now I can not say whether this is due to lack of system access or lack of training or not fully understanding what I was asking (And if so then he should of asked for clarification) or just unwillingness to provide full support. So for the time being I am going with the assumption that it is due to lack of system's unless I can prove otherwise.

     Now I did keep track of the entire conversation as it went along (it is posted below, names and dates and such have been edited for security reason's) for quality purposes.

     I also love the fact when asked for a call back by either customer care or a supervisor I was told that they can not do that........ Even AT&T Mobility does that....

     I definitely left feedback in the popup window you get when you go to close the chat window, that is also posted below.

     Lets just say at this point my faith in Bell Mobility is dwindling and I hope they can fix that. I have had this service/number since I moved to Nova Scotia and that has been over 15 years now.

Thank you for your patience an online representative will be with you shortly. Your wait time is approximately 1 minute(s).

You are chatting with John A.
Your name: Wilcre
Your number: ***-***-****
Your question: I have a question about my current Commitment period end date. 21:26

• Sir John A: Hi there William!
• Sir John A: No worries, I'm here for you I can definitely assist you with the contract.
• Sir John A: May I know what is it?
• Wilcre: Commitment period end date January 03, 20**
• Sir John A: Yes, would you like to double check it?
• Wilcre: I would like to know what renewed the contract, the last time it should of been renewed is when I got the Sony Xperia™ T
• Sir John A: I see, let me check it. I see that your account is protected by a pin. Can I have that, too? For me to be able to validate and secure your account.
• Wilcre: Sure not a problem it is ****
• Sir John A: Perfect! Thank you very much for the information, William.
• Wilcre: not a problem
• Sir John A: I'll review the log on your account. By the way how's our day today?
• Wilcre: thank you, and it was pretty good. thank you for asking.
• Sir John A: Great that is good to know. Let me see if I can make it perfect.
• Sir John A: I see here that you make a upgrade last January 4, 20** right?
• Wilcre: there was a upgrade but that should of been done sooner than that. does the account reflect when i claimed a warranty replacement for my sony, they had given me a Motorola as a temp phone to use.
• Sir John A: Yes, what I see here is that the contract starts on that date and on a three years contract.
• Wilcre: So with a warranty claim the contract is renewed again?.
• Sir John A: Let review it further.
• Sir John A: I see here that the upgrade started on January 4, 2013 and the contract didn't extend at all.
• Wilcre: can you confirm when it was I filed the warranty claim for the Sony Xperia™ T
• Wilcre: *Please
• Sir John A: Sure, let me check on it.
• Sir John A: I'm afraid but the warranty replacement was not recorded here on the account.
• Wilcre: can you confirm in the system when I was using a different IMEI than I am now, the first date that shows up would indicate the day I sent the phone in for repair and then when it changes again is the date when I got the Sony Xperia™ T back again.
• Sir John A: I see here that it is register last January 4, 2013 and the phone was not change. Did they repair the phone?
• Wilcre: Yes it was a internal battery issue with the phone. I know they didnt change the IMEI on the account; however the IMEI would of changed for the authentication in the system for when I got the temp phone and then again when I got the Sony back again.
• Sir John A: Yes, the thing is that I didn't see any record here that the commitment was change.
• Wilcre: ok just a second please.
• Sir John A: Sure, no worries.
• Wilcre: ok I am back, 21:58
• Sir John A: Great!
• Sir John A: What do you mean by the 21:58?
• Sir John A: Is that for the time?
• Wilcre: do you or your tech department have access to a system that records/lists the IMEI's and ICCID's that are associated and ro used on my account?. if so thenwe can confirm when the Sony Xperia™ T was originally purchased and placed on my account, from the papaer work I ahve been able to find I got the phone in the middle to start
• Wilcre: *start of 20** not 20**.
• Wilcre: sorry the 21:58 was copied over from a personal chat I have going with another person.
• Sir John A: Oh I see, no worries, let me verify the 20** logs again..
• Sir John A: I carefully check the logs for 2012 and I'm afraid but there's no records on it that it started on that date. I see here that it stared on the first month of 2013. That is what I see here base on the information on the account.
• Wilcre: Does your system show when I got the calling plan I have now?.
• Sir John A: Yes, I see here that the plan started on January 04, 20** that is the time when the upgrade is made.
• Wilcre: Does the system show you or can you find out on that date what store location renewed the contract?.
• Sir John A: I see here that when the contract started it was never renewed or extended.
• Sir John A: If the phone is repaired it would not extend the contract.
• Wilcre: Does the system show you or can you find out what store location started the contract?.
• Sir John A: Are you referring on the store where you activated the upgrade?
• Wilcre: I am trying to clarify what store started the contract currently on the account, I need to know if it was the store that did the warranty claim or the store I got the phone from, they are different stores in different cities.
• Sir John A: Let me see if I can find it.
• Wilcre: They are commissioned based their sales ID should be on the account.
• Sir John A: I'm afraid that is not recorded on this system .
• Wilcre: So the notes do not reflect what a in store agent does to the account by their ID or name or such!.
• Sir John A: I'm afraid yes, the system are not showing on what store does the upgrade happen.
• Wilcre: does ti show for the calling plan!.
• Sir John A: Your rate plan change to Fab 10 Promo 65 - 36M last January 4, 20**.
• Wilcre: ok by what store location, only 2 agents had access to my account, i need to know what one.
• Sir John A: I'm afraid that the store location is not shown here.
• Wilcre: does it state a store number possibly?.
• Sir John A: No store Id is reflected. It gives Application number which is ********.
• Wilcre: Unfortunately that doesn't help me without full access to your internal systems.
• Sir John A: I understand you. If you want you may call our client care department for they are using different system from us and they have more access than us here on chat. Would you like to get the number?
• Wilcre: unfortunately unless I speak to tech support customer care is closed as per the IVR which is why I have come to the online department.
• Sir John A: I see, I'm afraid that please contact the said department again tomorrow. For this is the only information I have in our system.
• Sir John A: I'll do everything that I can the thing is that is the only information here on the account. I hope you understand.
• Sir John A: For now would that be all to serve you?
• Wilcre: Are you able to have either have a supervisor or customer care call me tomorrow after 15
• Wilcre: Are you able to have either have a supervisor or customer care call me tomorrow after 15:00 AST.
• Sir John A: I'm afraid but we can't set up a call back.
• Wilcre: Sorry first line got cut short.
• Sir John A: For now would that be all to serve you?
• Wilcre: Are you able to leave detailed notes on the account for me so that all they have to do is read the notes instead of me having to re-explain everything to them when I call back in again.
• Sir John A: Absolutely! I'll explain the situation on the account and leave a notes here. To serve as their reference once you call.
• Wilcre: ok thank you then. that is all. have a good night sir. 22:36.
• Sir John A: You too have a good night! It's been a pleasure assisting you regarding the contract! Thank you for choosing Bell mobility. Have a great day, William! Smile always!
• Sir John A: Bye for now! Cheers!

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When asking the rep for detailed info in reguards to my contract, he was only able to provide the month, day and year. When asked what agent put the current rate plan in to place he could not provide that information, nor could he provide the store location that put the plan in to place. The agent also stated that he could not confirm when the ICCID on the account changed and then changed back again, He was also unable to find any mention on the account about a warranty claim that was filed on my Sony Xperia™ T.  Either the online customer care reps need more access to the systems to locate this information or the information should be listed in the system, that is going with the assumption that the representitive was not misleading me and just kept me online for a hour. Full transcript of the conversation is available if you dont already have a copy of it for quality assurance purposes.

Total character limitation: 900. I had to reduce the word "Information" to "Info" to make everything fit. Heck, a MMS can handle a higher character count then their "additional info" section can.

And just in case I have the gallows ready and waiting for Bell Mobility.

The dreaded dialing of a phone.

Hello and good day to all.

     This is a message to warn you of dialing your phone (Landlines/Cellular devices or if still around those old archaic things called payphones') in the next 11 days (August 23, 2014) within the boundaries of Nova Scotia (A.K.A: NS) and Prince Edward Island (A.K.A: PEI) you will get a verbal reminder stating "dial 902 before the call is completed"..

CTV News article

     As of  November 16, 2014 which is in (95 days) 10-digit dialing will be mandatory and if not dialed landline users & /Cellular device users (And yes even those old archaic things called payphones) will hear the message of "The area code is now required and you need to redial to complete the call".

     As of November 30, 2014 (109 days) "The new area code, 782 will be introduced and used in the same region as area code 902. Anyone who already has a number with area code 902 will keep the same number. For all local calls, You will always dial 10 digits (area code + local number)".

     So this is a suck it up and make the changes now, or expect some very unfriendly customer service reps either in the stores; or over the phone; or online for the carrier that you are through. They will have a very snarky attitudes towards you when you call them to complain that it is too much of a hassle for you to program your phone book and or update your phone book on the phone you use to include the area code and expect them to do it for you.

     This is a FYI, these agents are not allowed to bring their magic wands with them to work so they can not just wave their wand over your phone to make this hassle go away for you.

Ensure you program your telecommunications devices in advance to handle 10-digit dialing. See the checklist on www.dial10.ca for more information.

2 If by the canteen

So a new little canteen has opened and a long standing cafe has moved and the 2 have come together. So now you can not only get lunch but also desert or a snack to go afterwords.

So I ended up going to the Canteen on Friday April 11 2014, which happened to be their Meatloaf Friday. So who am I to normally go against the grain I ordered the meatloaf.

So I placed the order for the sandwich and the gentleman taking my order asks for my name. I couldn't believe it; but I gave my name. A few minutes later another employee is coming out holding a container, it is something you would see when you order fries at a MooseHeads game.

This completely negates that they asked me for my name, not only was everyone friendly but they also brought the food to you no matter where you where sitting or even standing. That is what I call service with a smile, the smiles there were a plenty and not just the staff but also the happy customer's.

So now on to the food, specifically the meatloaf sandwich. Freshly baked white bread with a perfect crust to it. Excellent flavour and taste frontage meatloaf as well and the toppings on it, you combine that all together and you have the perfect lunch with simply adding a cup of their soup as well, sorry to say I didn't get the soup however I will say I now have a IOU for @TheCanteenNS for their soup and another sandwich overtly soon for their is no better place for lunch.

So the whole time I am enjoying the atmosphere and food upstairs I am looking downstairs at 2 if by sea cafe.

I take a walk downstairs and look at what they have, not only do they have earl grey tea and at least 8 more that I seen but they have these things that they call cookies. They look more like edible wheels they are soo big. Then I see their croissants and go for the sugar coated and chocolate filled one, I am gonna be walking it off any ways.

so the employee serving me hands me the bag with the "cookie" in it and the croissant on a plateand she says she will briby the tea over once it is ready, a little strange but ok. The tea is brought over to me about a minute later, to my surprise it is loose tea which is much better than the bagged tea is by a mile.

Now consider this your warning when eatting their croissantswith carefully take it apart with your hands or have a bib ready, remember you have been warned.

To wrap this up if I lived closer i would willing give up tim hortons in a heart beat, better food and better atmosphere and not to mention they also have better WiFi, no going to a website to register or such simply ask for the password and enter it and your online.