Yes ... you too could be on TV! Posted by João on 6:11 pm

We recently received an e-mail from the folks at Leopard Films, the people behind the worldly renown TV show House Hunters International www.hgtv.com/house-hunters-international/show/index.html (shown in over 40 country - but apparently not in Portugal), asking if we knew of any Canadian, American, British, etc. expats who had recently bought a home in Portugal and are living here on a full-time basis that they could profile on their show. Our answer was no ... we don't anyone who fits the bill, however we thought it would be nice to help out the folks at Leopard films and spread the word on their search.

So if the above description is you or someone you know, you can reach Soraya Spiers at Leopard Films (soraya.spiers@leopardfilms.com) and she'll provide you with all the information you need.

The show does provide a handsome payment for those who participate.

Who knows, maybe the bright lights of television await you.

Canadian beer - I could sure go for one or two or three ... Posted by João on 10:31 pm

I think we can all agree that it's been a good Summer weather-wise here in Portugal. Sunny afternoons, warm evenings - you couldn't ask for it to be better really. We all know Portugal is wine country, but lets face the facts, when it comes to the lazy days of summer, nothing goes down better then beer.

In Portugal beer is also known by two other names: Sagres or Superbock, the two beers that pretty much monopolise the Portuguese beer market. Now I admit to being a big fan of Sagres Bohemia, a great amber gourmet beer it is. But with Portugal not being a beer country, if you want greater selection you have to head towards the imported beer section at you local supermarket. Once there, you'll be lucky to find more than your Carlsbergs, Heinekens or Bubweisers.

Now where I grew up in Canada (Prince George, B.C.), the local brewery is the Pacific Western Brewing Co. Although it has expanded, as far as beers and beer varieties are concerned, back in the 80's Pacific Western Brewing was known as the brewery that produced Beer beer. That's right, a beer simply know as Beer (check the stubby bottle to the right). It's safe to say that Canada's better beer days were still to come.

In Canada we also have our versions of Sagres and Superbock, better known as Molsons and Labatts. But what's great about beer, or should I say beer culture, in Canada are the microbreweries and all their varieties. During the 1980's and, above all, the 90's, when the microbrewery boom happened in Canada, my favourites became the B.C. brews produced by such microbreweries as the Okanagan Spring Brewery, Granville Island Brewing, Shaftesbury Brewing, Whistler Brewing Co., Vancouver Island Brewing Co., among others. Everything from the pale ales, to porters, to stouts, to hefeweizens, to the more exotic flavours of fruit beers and even a flavour that could only be Canadian, my favourite, the maple cream ale.

Ofcourse, outside B.C. other breweries across Canada are equally worthy of mention for there great brews, ranging from Alley Kat Brewing (Edmonton), Wild Rose Brewery(Calgary), Great Lakes Brewery (Etobicoke, Ont.), Kawartha Lakes Brewing (Peterborough, Ont.), La Barberie (Quebec City), Propeller Brewing Co. (Halifax), Yukon Brewing Co. (Whitehorse) just to name a few.

Last year I spent five weeks in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal where I got to sample new beers (at least for me). Among them was the Steam Whistle Pilsner from the Steam Whistle Brewing Co. The Steam Whistle Brewery, located at the historic John St. Roundhouse, a former Canadian Pacific Rail steam locomotive repair facility, has become a major part of the Toronto skyline, sitting adjacent to the CN Tower and Rogers Centre. The brewery is today a top tourist attraction in Toronto.

On the day I visited the Steam Whistle, besides sampling a new brew, I also got around to sampling an old favourite. In a pub on College St., right in the heart of Toronto, I found a pub serving up Okanagan Pale Ale - as good as always.

And now, as I sit here in Lisbon writing this, I'm thinking maybe one of my favourite (new or old) breweries back in Canada will read this and send me a six- pack or two, just like that Tim Hortons commercial where those Canadian university students in Scotland get a gift pack of Tim Hortons coffee after writing them a letter. Wouldn't that be great.

Man it's hot right now. Even Beer beer would go down nicely at this moment.

Would you like an ice rink in Lisbon? Posted by João on 11:39 am

If so, you're not alone and now there's something you can do about it.

In Portugal, Montreal-born Mauricio Xavier is Mr. Hockey. He was on the Portuguese National Ice Hockey team that played two games against the First Portuguese club in Viseu in June of 2000, the only Portuguese national ice hockey team ever assembled, he does colour commentating for NHL games on Sportv, and he is also an active member of the Portuguese Ice Sports Federation (www.fp-dg.com/).






The jersey worn by Pedro Regado, the first Portuguese player to score a goal wearing the Portuguese colours, now hangs in the NHL Hall-of-Fame in Toronto

Now here in Portugal, during a 10 year stint (1996-2006), the only place one could hold an official ice hockey game or a figure skating event was at Palácio do Gelo in Viseu. With the closing of this facility in 06, however, any Winter sport requiring an ice surface has pretty much been left out in the cold.

Presently, Mauricio is trying to change that. Along with the folks at the Portuguese Ice Sport Federation, he is heading up a campaign to get an official ice surface built in Lisbon. They are not asking for Maple Leaf Gardens to be built in the heart of Lisbon. What is being asked for is the construction of an official ice rink where ice hockey, figure skating even curling can be played by people of all ages at different levels.


So if you'd like to get behind this cause or just simply show your support, you can start here:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/QUEREMOS-UMA-PISTA-DE-GELO-EM-LISBOA/125711694110461?v

Once we get this rink up, if you're the holder of a zamboni drivers license, they'll be hiring ...

Another voice ... Posted by João on 1:58 pm

That would be mine.

Hello all, I'm João. Gabriel kindly invited me a couple weeks back to be a contributor to our Canadians in Portugal blog. How could I say no.

So yeah, now all those interested will get to read my rants and insights as well.

I grew up in the town of Prince George (PG), British Columbia, aka the Spruce Capital of the World (see picture), located 778 kms north of Vancouver, 737kms west of Edmonton and 400 kms from Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway to the north (in Dawson Creek, BC). If you're thinking 'wow, that's out in the middle of nowhere!', ... I'm not going to argue with you.

I can't say I miss PG all that much (I've been away for 13 years now), although there is one thing I miss: driving the highways of Western Canada for hours on end just to get somewhere, often doing so without seeing any sort of civilization along the way.

Easyjet wasn't providing cheap flights up to Prince George when I used to live there (and they still aren't). Driving to Vancouver was always cheaper then any Westjet or Air Canada flight. So the best option - drive.

Of course nothing compares to this here in Portugal. I mean, being in Lisbon, as is my situation, in 2-3 hours you can get anywhere - the Algarve, Porto, Serra da Estrela, and so on and so forth... Sure it's convenient, even handy, but where's the adventure?

Prince George is a city of 80,000 strong give or take. To get to another city of the same size, which would be Kamloops to the south, it's 530 kms. That's a good 6 hour drive for most. I say this to anybody here in Portugal and the majority can't fathom such distances - they can't comprehend such geographies.

But to me, driving those highways under those big skies that never seem to end ... that's one thing I miss.

Thinking of starting your own business in Portugal? Posted by Gabriel on 10:55 pm

 You might want to think again, or at least plan very well.

I was reading a thread on partner responsibility on www.expatforum.com the other day, and it occurred to me that ex-pats living in Portugal might have plans to start their own business here, or to move here from abroad for that effect. I know that many already have.

According to recent statistics, in Portugal, 16,258 companies were created in the first six months of 2010. However, 5,200 companies were dissolved during that same time period.

And the number of insolvencies in the first six months of 2010 reached 1,840, an increase of 2.5% compared to the same time last year. I'm sure you've seen the tell-tale signs, abandoned shop windows with declarations of insolvency taped to them, or decisions by the board of directors stating that they are planning to request insolvency, as below.

 

Insolvencies are, to say the least, a hassle. They invariably involve the Portuguese Revenue, Social Security, and all other creditors; banks and other financial institutions, former employees, suppliers, etc. And, of course, lawyers. They are a very timely process (though efforts are under way to speed up the process), and would really put a damper having moved to Portugal, what with consuming all of your investments.

I don't mean to be a nay-sayer, nor dissuade anyone from coming to Portugal to start up a business. I myself know of several ex-pats that managed to find success here. But like any big decision in life, remember to plan well, and inform yourself very well before stepping into the financial landmine that is the life of a start-up business owner in Portugal.

For more on the insolvency process in Portugal, I recommend visiting the "European Judicial Network in civil and commercial matters" website at http://ec.europa.eu/civiljustice/bankruptcy/bankruptcy_por_en.htm

I hope that this is the first and last time you see anything this in-depth on insolvency in Portugal...

So this is Christmas... Posted by Gabriel on 10:15 pm

Oops, meant to write "Canada Day".

Well, tomorrow is Canada Day. This got me thinking of what I miss from Canada, and something that I miss is the lack of consideration given to pets here in Portugal. At least the impression that I get is that pets here are rarely considered part of the family. You see examples of this every year, families abandoning pets during the summer in order to go on vacation without any worries, hunters abandoning packs of dogs after the hunting season, etc.*

Since I’m still traveling a lot between Coimbra and Lisbon, I’ve been unable to adopt a pet. So in order to do my part I recently joined BIANCA, which is an association that helps abandoned animals. You can visit the site here (or the English version). A word of warning though, you’ll most likely cry after seeing the pictures (especially the “In memory of…” part).

The legal situation of pets in Portugal is actually quite interesting, in a sad sort of way. As you may or may not know, according to Portuguese law, pets are considered “res” - things, property, mere objects.

This leads to a very unfortunate lack of legal consequences for abuse and abandonment.
For example, if someone abandons his or her pet, there is no legal consequence. The property is theirs, they may do with it as they wish. It may constitute a violation of a municipal statute though, since it may be considered littering.

Killing or abusing your own pet also has no practical consequence, for the same reason. The same applies with killing or abusing abandoned animals. While they did have owners at one point, the act of abandonment constitutes the owners renunciation of the property right over the “res”, making it “res nullius”. Nobody’s property.

Killing another person’s pet is another matter, and is punishable both criminally and civilly. Criminally, the offender can be charged with “damages to a third party’s property”, which is punished by a fine or up to 3 years in jail.

Of course, the owner can sue for damages in civil court. With a lot of luck the indemnity awarded by the court just might cover legal costs. I haven’t had much luck finding case law on these situations, which isn’t very surprising considering they never go to appeals court. To be honest, I doubt they go to court at all.

Whoa.. quite the rant. Sorry.

Long story short, I suggest that you help out these associations, even if it’s just by offering a bag of dog food during their charity drives, usually held at the big shopping malls.

*Of course some Portuguese wise-guy will say “at least we don’t club baby seals to death!” 
To him I say, “touché”.

Encontro/Gathering Canadians, Luso-Canadians, former residents of Canada, etc Posted by Gabriel on 11:16 pm

Hello all, the following is from our beloved João Sardinha, he's currently in the process of contacting as many canucks as possible in order for us to organize some kind of shindig.

Dear Canadian and Luso-Canadian friends,

I'm João Sardinha and along with Gabriel Sampaio, we are trying to contact as many Canadians and Luso-Canadian people living in Portugal as we can. The reason for this is because we are interested in finding out to which extent people might be interested in doing a Canadian or Luso-Canadian get-together somewhere in this country.

We are also putting together a mailing list of as many Canadians,Luso-Canadians, former residents of Canada, etc., as we possibly can  so if you know others who fit the description, please pass this message on to them or send us their e-mail and we’ll do it for you.

So what we ask is would you be interested in joining us in a future get-together? If so, please let us know of your interest and we’ll keep you updated. Any recommendations, etc. are also welcome.

Lastly, Gabriel has set up a website "for Canucks in Tugaville" (his words) which you can find at http://www.canadiansinportugal.com/ It’s a great platform for all who may be interested in all things Canadian.

So with that, we thank you for your interest, remember to let other Canadians, Luso-Canadians, etc. know of this initiative, and hope to hear from you sometime soon.

Drop us an e-mail: João - jmssardinha@gmail.com / Gabriel - gbsampaio@gmail.com

Now in portuguese:

Caros amigos canadianos e luso-canadianos,

O meu nome é João Sardinha e junto com o Gabriel Sampaio estamos a tentar contactar o maior número de canadianos e luso-canadianos a viver em Portugal. A razão desta iniciativa deve-se ao nosso interesse em tentar discobrir quem teria interesse em realizar um encontro informal entre canadianos, luso-canadianos, simpatizantes do Canadá, etc. algures neste país.

Também estamos a tentar criar um lista de contactos de canadianos, luso-canadianos, antigos residentes no Canadá, etc. Por isso, se conhecerem outras pessoas que possam estar interessadas, pedimos o favor de lhes enviar este e-mail ou então envie-nos os e-mails deles e faremos nós o contacto.

Se tem interesse em juntar-se a nós para um encontro, de-nos a saber do seu interesse e no futuro teremos todo o gosto em mante-lo a par de futuras iniciativas. Quaisquer recomendações, sugestões, informações são também bem-vindas.

Por último, o Gabriel fundou um site 'para Canadianos em Tugaville'(palavras dele) que pode encontrar aqui: http://www.canadiansinportugal.com/ É uma exelente plataforma para todos interessados em tudo o que é canadiano.

Agradecemos o interesse. Não se esquçam de dar a conhecer esta iniciativa a outros canadianos, luso-canadianos, etc. Esperamos notícias vossas em breve.

Contacte-nos: João - jmssardinha@gmail.com / Gabriel - gbsampaio@gmail.com

Thanks a bunch João!

Food and disappointment Posted by Gabriel on 9:25 pm

Well, a few months after moving to the capital I have finally started to get things organized.

One important question that has been bothering me lately is where would a Canadian get-together be held? Any Canadian restaurants in Portugal? Some-place where we could drink Blue and eat wings? Or poutine? Of course, it does not have to be “traditional” Canadian cuisine.

I am open to suggestions.

On another note, I am a bit disappointed with the Canadian Embassy here in Portugal.

Two months ago, after being encouraged by João Sardinha, I sent them various emails asking to keep me informed on cultural events promoted by the Embassy so that I could promote them to the Canadian population in Portugal.

Months past and no one replied. Not even a "get lost".

I’ve sent a few more, hopefully they’ll end up saying something.

Canuck care packages… Posted by Gabriel on 11:00 pm

 

Merriam-Webster defines a “care-package” as a package of useful or pleasurable items that is sent or given as a gift to another.

Ever since moving to Portugal I have yet to receive a care package, with goodies to satisfy my hankering for Canuck stuff.

However, if I could get a care package (or ask friends/family to bring me something if/when them visit me), I would ask for the following (in no particular order):
- Tim Horton's coffee (though it’s never the same brewed at home)
- good old donuts from Country Style or Tim Horton’s (Boston cream and apple & spice being my favourites)
- Dr. Pepper and root beer
- Nibs (and Super Nibs)
- Twizzlers

 

While I have been able to find some of these on Amazon.com , shipping is always a pretty big obstacle, and ends up surpassing the cost of the good.

So what would you have sent from Canada, if you could pick?

I'd kill for a double double and a boston cream right now...

CBC Radio: The only decent radio station in Portugal? Posted by Gabriel on 10:45 pm

Whenever I feel that I am beginning to forget what a Canadian accent sounds like, or whenever I want to listen to an impartial, complete news report, I point my browser to the CBC Radio site and listen online.

The site is, of course http://www.cbc.ca/radio/

As expected, the site is very well organized. You can listen to the local radio station that you used to listen to in Canada (London, in my case), and you can even listen to past episodes of the different programs.

I was, and still am, a bit of a nerd. As a result, when I was younger and whenever I was home, I would have the radio tuned to CBC Radio Windsor or London frequency. Most Sunday nights I would fall asleep listening to the stories on "Between the Covers"(which unfortunately is now only available as a podcast), or would listen to "As it Happens" and "Quirks and Quarks" during the week.

The voices really stuck with me, mainly because they are full of personality. Listening to them actually provokes a twang of melancholy, since they remind me of simpler times…

It is a shame that radio is such an underrated medium. There is nothing better than being all cuddled up in bed on a cold winter's night eyes and listening to a familiar voice and an interesting story.

So, what is your favourite CBC Radio program?

Digital TV set to start in Jan 2010 Posted by Gabriel on 9:02 pm

In accordance with European regulations, the Portuguese National Communications Authority (ANACOM) has announced that it will start the process of changing from analogue TV to digital in January of this year. The deadline established by the European Commission is 2012. However, according to the officil Portuguese Digital TV site, over 80% of the Portuguese population is already covered by digital TV.

Just a word of warning though, if you are planning to purchase a new TV, make sure that you verify that it is TDT compatible (usually says MP4, TDT, or Full HD on the box). Check the specifications, it should have an integrated "DVB-T" de-codifier that complies with the "MPEG-4/H.264" standard. While all new televisions should already come prepared for the new digital signal, better safe than sorry.

You can consult the full "switch-off plan" here (in Portuguese). And a good blog on the subject here (in Portuguese though).

All hail the Pope! Posted by Gabriel on 10:59 pm

Forgot to mention that the Pope (yeah, that evil looking fellow) will be visiting Portugal on the 11, 12, 13 and 14 of May, 2010. 

So if you are "Christian" and want to see the Pope (75% of Canadians are Christian, check out the 2001 Canadian Census results for yourself if you don't believe me), or even if you aren't Christian but still want a glimpse of the Popemobile, you can consult the Papal program here http://www.bentoxviportugal.pt/programa.asp

Yeah I know, the site is a bit frightening.

Interestingly enough, at a time in which Portuguese productivity is at an all time low, austerity measures are being put in place, and a global economic crisis looms ahead, the Portuguese government decided to allow public servants to take a day and a half off to see the Pope. Or go to the beach. 

This decision was criticized not only by employers, but also by union representatives

They insist that Portuguese holidays and government conceded leaves cost Portugal around 0,5 to 1% of its GDP per year.

The Portuguese leftist party, the "Left Block" (literal translation of Bloco de Esquerda, give me a little slack) said that this measure violates the Portuguese Constitution (the English version is available here if you're curious), mainly the principle of equality, the separation church and state, and freedom of religion and worship, as expressly stated in articles 13 and 41 of the Portuguese Constitution. 

Surprisingly enough, the Christian Association of Managers and Entrepreneurs (the ACEGE) supports the government's decision. Go figure.