If I had 999 trillion dollars...(and a magic wand)

If I had nine-hundred-ninety-nine-trillion dollars!

I would overhaul the health care system.

I would implement a system for foreign-trained health professionals, where they would take a test to maintain a standard level and then a month(plus) course to update them on practises in Canada. i.e. What is called a bovary here is called an electric cauterizer in England. Everyone gets a "rapid residency" of one year in their specialty.

I would entice those foreign-trained doctos to practise family medicine so that the people of Ontario will no longer have to resort to the ER for treatment, thus relieving some of the stresses on ER's and providing constant care rather than pockets of ER visits where no one knows your history.

I would make all health-care professions a continous learning process where people like doctors and CYW's and everything go to inservices to update their knowledge, say every 5-10 years.

I would get all the hospitals and clinics and stuff to budget smartly for the next 10 years. The government will use some of that surplus we used to have to cover deficits and provide a capital for a pseudo-reincarnation of the system. Cut costs and be exact with the number books, all the way down to small things like free-for-all plastic utensils in the caf- which should be recyclable by the way.

I would set up an electronic records system. Gone are the days of seeing one doctor, then trying to remember it all for another doctor who will have to confirm it with the previous doctor anyways. Since I'm obsessive-compulsive I'll take care of how to organize the information, the rest of y'all work on how to keep it confidential and crash proof. Of course, technology isn't perfect so hard copies, (printed on recycled paper) will still be mandatory.

I would make the TTC not suck.

I would expand the subway system for sure. Gone are the days of taking a subway, LRT, and bus just to get far enough East to get to the hospital. Gone are the days of faulty signal lights and fires on the tracks, gone are the days of taking a bus where there should be a subway line. Ever wonder why that little purple line has so few travelers? Because it doesn't go anywhere!

I would make a deal with an eco-friendly cleaning company to scrub down TTC vehicles every once in a while. Litter, lights, and dirt build-up are all important. Of course I would print a TTC ettiquette mini-book that is available in .pdf and .jpg, as well as when you get a Metropass or stack of tickets/tokens. It will be folded to eliminate the need for staples and be re-usable. I would expand the number of "put your used newspaper here" stacks.

I would try to work out a deal with the GTA transit systems so we can have an all-access pass system instead of this extra-ticket here with a VIVA there and a GO bus there crap. I'd also outlaw eating nuts on the TTC. I'm itchy enough, come on! I would try to make public transit preferred over cars.

I would make every school an alternative school.

I would change the way students are taught. The last time I was in a traditional school was in elementary school, but I know it's not working. The TA system works, I like that. You have a teacher with a small group of students whose overall wellbeing is looked after. I would hire only teachers who like to teach. 1-2 PA Day's a year I would create programming to incite passion in teachers who are dissatisfied. If they want to get out of teaching, there are several government programs already in place, (not in my imagination!) to get them started on a second career. An unhappy teacher is a whole pile of unhappy students.

I would swap out this pre-requisite thing. If I want to go to Medical School, this is the most straightforward path:
I would take my MCAT's after studying life sciences as my undergrad. To study life sciences, I need university-preparation sciences and maths as a senior in high school. To take university-prep sciences and maths I need to take academic streamed sciences and maths as a junior in high school. To take those academic streamed courses I need to thrive in elementary school so I have a good foundation.

I would change the hostile environment of schools. If a student who is having a hard time comes up to you and asks for help, don't be snarky. If a student walks into a guidance office to say, get help deciding if their current course load is too heavy or not, don't tell them what they can't do, tell them what they CAN. Don't make things harder for students on purpose, that's just stupid and discouraging to them, which is the opposite of what teachers are supposed to do! This means university too!

I would... get really tired and go to bed.

Stuff I don't have the energy for right now...
- affordable daycare
- a cool car for shortman
- a whole lot of real estate for me
- sustainable economy
- make all garbage boxes the small sized bins
- expand kitchen waste to apartment buildings and etc.
- create a "minimum benefits" package, where the least a company can do for even a minimum wage employee is offer a drug plan
- study geriatrics, adolescent medicine, AND psychiatry
- find someone who will fix Big Bunny
- buy a lot of Pilot G4 pens and so-en panties
- make elective surgeries partly covered by OHIP unless it's purely cosmetic, i.e. lip botox is not covered but wisdom teeth extraction is partially covered
- make the gay village everywhere
- block all members of the westborough baptist church from entering Canada
- clean up Lake Ontario and the Mary Ward pond
- screw the tobacco companies and CFC giants, no smoking and we're keeping the ozone layer!
- more public spaces with stuff, like places to knit and place instruments and punch stuff
- go to TED
- redesign my m&m phone so it's more comfortable to hold
- have my entire houses CLEANED
- buy shoes and handbags and clothes and candy
- make an actual Guyzeeland
- make Speedy a wonderworld with a giant tank and an exciting room to explore
- get a good haircut
- have pets
- get a post-shower dryer where you just stand there and *whew* you're dry and moisturized