Bird Talk Dear Bird Talk, My husband purchased a Roger On assistive hearing device that is not available in Canada. This works with his hearing aids, which were purchased in Canada. The assistive device is very helpful for him to hear in situations where his hearing aids are very limited. Does this assistive device have to be declared? We were told by the salespeople that it does not. Melanie Morris Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON Ed.: Strictly speaking, you should declare the item when you return to Canada with it, and it would be deductible from your personal exemption value of $800.00 CAD for which you are eligible when you are outside of Canada for 48 hours or longer. The value of the goods imported must be converted into Canadian dollars at the foreign exchange rate recognized by the CBSA. If the value of the goods imported exceeds $800 CAD, you will only be charged duty and taxes on the amount that exceeds the $800 CAD exemption. The $800 CAD exemption is per person and cannot be combined. Dear Bird Talk, My wife and I plan on towing our boat to Florida this year to use for the five months that we are there. Do we need to let U.S. Customs know in advance of our crossing? Do we need a permit from the Florida government to use the boat in Florida? The boat will not be left in the water. It will be trailered in and out every time we use it. Jim Desson Goderich, ON Ed.: You do not need to notify U.S. Customs in advance. You must be prepared to provide proof of ownership for the boat and the trailer when you cross the border. Evidence of insurance coverage is advisable for good measure. You do not need a permit to operate your Canadian vessel in Florida, however you should make sure that you have the specific safety equipment on board that is required by the state of Florida. You can “google” Florida Boat Safety Equipment requirements, which will direct you to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission website for details. This is the link: myfwc.com/boating/ safety-education/equipment/ vessels-16-to-259-feet Dear Bird Talk, My sister insists that you must declare your vacation home in Arizona that is used by only you in the winter months as foreign property on your tax return under Revenue Canada Guidelines. Do you have the Revenue Canada guideline that states this, or conversely states that your vacation home is exempt from disclosing as foreign property? Tyrone Wayne Bohnet Calgary, AB Ed.: The appropriate CRA tax form regarding foreign property is T1135. Foreign Property includes bank accounts, stocks, bonds and real estate. However, you do not have to declare real estate that is owned primarily for your own personal use. A foreign-owned RENTAL INCOME property valued over $100,000. CAD must be declared. Specified foreign property is defined in subsection 233.3(1) of the Income Tax Act. The exemption for personal use property is specified in section 233.3 (1) (p). Dear Bird Talk, From what I am reading, provincial health insurance in Saskatchewan is not valid if you have been out of the province for longer than four months. We are about to transition to retirement and are building a condo in Roatan, Honduras. Our plan is to be the definition of a snowbird – to be out of Canada for the cold months and split our remaining time in Canada among other provinces to visit family. If we do not meet the criteria of any province for minimum time per year to have provincial health coverage, what are our health-care insurance options to be covered, no matter where we are? “Under 55 Saskatchewan” Saskatoon, SK Ed.: Since 2016, Saskatchewan residents are permitted to be outside of their home province for up to seven months within any 12-month period and still maintain their provincial health benefits. Please keep in mind that Saskatchewan will only provide minimal reimbursement for outof-country emergency services ($100 per day for emergency in-patient care) and private travel medical insurance is strongly recommended. Dear Bird Talk, I applaud Ross Quigley’s editorial extolling the virtues of the N95 mask to combat the smoke and residue spewing from forest fires. However, if space allowed, I’m sure that he would have alerted readers to the dangers of Valley Fever. This a disease that is endemic to the desert states such as Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and California. The desert sands in these states contain the fungus Coccidioides, commonly known as Valley Fever. People get the fever by breathing in the microscopic fungal spores that are stirred up by high winds in the desert or around construction sites. I know of what I speak because I have Valley Fever! Initially, it showed up on a chest X-ray as a dark spot on my left lung which my doctor in Toronto pronounced as cancer; he set in motion an appointment with a thoracic surgeon. Our primary residence is in southern Ontario, but we winter in Scottsdale, where we have another doctor. Wanting a second opinion, I sent the X-rays to him and his immediate response was not cancer but, rather, Valley Fever. He went on to explain that Valley Fever looks like cancer on an X-ray and that the medical communities in the Eastern provinces and states can easily misdiagnose, as most of their patients spend their winters in Florida and adjoining ‘non-desert’ states. The good news is that the vast majority of those who contract the disease get better on their own. I am one of those lucky ones and the spot on my lung has already reduced by half. However, the disease can get out of control with those who are immune deficient and they must be treated with very powerful antifungal drugs. My advice to those snowbirds who spend time in the southwestern states: keep a supply of N95 masks on hand and use them at the first signs of a windstorm. David A. Currie Claremont, Ontario Ed.: That is a fascinating story! We never would have guessed that Valley Fever looks like lung cancer on an X-ray. Thank you for sharing it with us. 8 | www.snowbirds.org
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