child benefits in Canada (our government is crazy)
Applying for the child benefit program (a subsidy of $100/child under 6) in Canada is ridiculously difficult.In the end, I had to provide copies of:1. The Boy's passport2. The Boy's citizenship card3. Mari's passport4. Mari's PR visa5. our lease6. A signed document from the clinic where The Boy was born stating that he'd been born7. The application form8. A form for Mari's permanent residency (why??)9. A notarized translation of Mari's family registration document (from Japan) listing all of us as family members.Still absent from the mix: any letter from an authorized party indicating that they know Mari to be The Boy's primary care-giver. To whom could I go for such a thing??Why is this such a freak show?That said, here are three good things that happened today:1. Farking excellent weather this afternoon!2. Tax return is sent. It was easy(ish) and cheap.3. Was in a really interesting meeting with a potential business partner of my employer, today; talking about the broad strokes of the financial industry's slim future in this country.