Dream Giveaway for Canadians

[DrShifty]

I have been at BCV and VWL this week. At check-in we were given a leaflet that describes some of the Disney Dream giveaways. My son noticed that in small print at the bottom it says "For residents of Canada, a mathematical skill-testing question must be correctly answered to win any prize". Does anyone know what this is and why they need to do it?

 

[cdn ears]

As a fellow Canadian that is something that our government has implemented years ago with the exception of the province of Quebec. Any winner of a prize of major value must complete a skill testing question (similar to 1+3x5/4=??). At least we are able to take part in those draws - some other Disney products are not as Canadian friendly - the Disney Card, and mobile phones although we are on the same continent.

 

[DutchsMommy]

I think it is to make sure us Northerners are as smart as you Americans!

 

[Boardwalker]

So, if I am understanding this correctly...
Our Canadian DVCers have to earn their free prizes while we American DVCers just have to win them.
At least you'll have your pride.

I'm just teasing, sorry.
You are definately ..."the True North, Strong and Skilled" .

But, that really seems unfair. What was the point of that law? To what purpose?

 

[Chuck S]

Maybe it's a requirement of "No Child Left Behind"..we have to make sure everyone gets tested before vacationing in the US

 

[jco_direwolf]

Wikipedia has an answer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skill_testing_question

it seems that it changes the contest from a game of "chance" to a game of "skill". The entry says the courts have determined that it takes 3 operations to count.

I thought it was some sort of Turning Test. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turning_Test

johno

 

[ksoehrlein]

I'm sure that if a Canadian wins one of the more "bulk" prizes (such as when everyone on TriceraTop spin gets Dream Ears or everyone in the first showing of Soarin' gets a Dream FastPass), the question will be waived. When we got our DFP while waiting for Soarin', it was a really speedy procedure. No one was asked what country they came from.

 

[Judique]

So, if I am understanding this correctly...
Our Canadian DVCers have to earn their free prizes while we American DVCers just have to win them.
At least you'll have your pride.

I'm just teasing, sorry.
You are definately ..."the True North, Strong and Skilled" .

But, that really seems unfair. What was the point of that law? To what purpose?

Not really unfair if I remember correctly from my first 25 years as a Canadian - Canadians don't (or at least didn't use to) have to pay taxes on the winnings. It's been a while - Canadian law may have changed.

 

[Boardwalker]

I defect!

 

[jco_direwolf]

From what I've read. It seems if the "value" of the prize is sufficiently low, no one is going to check that the rules where followed. Those Dream Fast Passes have "Retail value" of $5, as I remember.

I'm guessing if you win the castle stay, retail of just less than $600, they will play the "Skill Test Question" game.

johno

 

[Boardwalker]

Wait, cancel my defection! There may be a skill question to get in.
The last Prime Minister I remember was Pierre Trudeau, {and that is only because of his entertaining wife Maggie}.... it could get humiliating. I'm the one child that maybe should have been left behind.
The idea of not having to pay taxes on winnings would be great!
.....But then again, I can't ever remember winning anything., so it really wouldn't help.

 

[Judique]

Wait, cancel my defection! There may be a skill question to get in.
The last Prime Minister I remember was Pierre Trudeau, {and that is only because of his entertaining wife Maggie}.... it could get humiliating. :

Forgot about that Nobel Peace Prize nomination, eh?(That was 1984)
Trudeau was a PM during my high school and college years and also the last one I truly remember, so your remark sent me to the net and I found this:

Canada's most interesting prime minister; he served 20 April 1968 - 4 June 1979 and 3 March 1980 - 30 June 1984.

Ask a Canadian what he/she thinks of Trudeau and you will get an earful: his long tenure in power earned many enemies. But even among his enemies is a grudging respect. Despite his arrogance, he was a brilliant and stylish man who battled ignorance with relish. After a long string of dull and plodding backroom-dealer bumpkins, Canada had a new kind of prime minister in PET. He was cool.

Trudeau was famous for many liberalizations of government. He was also famous for irreverence. He had long hair and wore sandals in the house of commons. He did a pirouette behind the Queen, earning the ire of stodgy Monarchists. He wrote Canada's constitution. He supposedly smoked pot in the White House. He won a referendum in Quebec. He brought in Metrication. He went to China before Nixon. He was pals with Fidel Castro. (Nixon even refers to Trudeau as an ******* on tape.) He got married while in office, and he split up, too. He invoked Martial Law (the War Measures Act) over the Quebec crisis. He gave the finger to protestors. He liberalized divorce law, and legalized homosexuality. Et cetera.

There are many things to remember Trudeau for. Love him or hate him, he was an interesting fellow.

Some unforgettable Trudeau lines:
Fuddle Duddle - word he claimed he used when asked if he said the word "*&^%" in the house of commons.
The state has no place in the nation's bedrooms - on decriminalizing homosexuality.
Just watch me! - in response to how far he would go in dealing with the FLQ terrorist threat.
Why should I sell your wheat? - in response to angry western farmers.


Back to the topic......while living in Canada I once won a radio station contest - a trip for 2 weeks to the Canary Islands! Just imagine being 20 years old and hopping up and down screaming with happiness holding the phone while trying to answer that skill testing question!

 

[JimMIA]

I'm not sure what my response to this is...

It's either:

"WHY?" or "Why not Quebec?"

 

[Fellowship9798]

In Canada no matter how small the giveaway there is always officially that "skill testing question" to answer. Now whether the kid behind the counter at McDonalds really makes everyone answer it when claiming your free order of fries or something like that is another question. Many places if you win some minor giveaway prize the person awarding it will often tell you "The answer is XX" as you fill out the form.

But yes, we pay no taxes on winnings. If you win millions in the lottery here, it's all tax free. But we pay a lot more taxes than the US on most other things though so only a tiny fraction of people ever benefit from this.

 

[Boardwalker]

Forgot about that Nobel Peace Prize nomination, eh?(That was 1984)


Back to the topic......while living in Canada I once won a radio station contest - a trip for 2 weeks to the Canary Islands! Just imagine being 20 years old and hopping up and down screaming with happiness holding the phone while trying to answer that skill testing question!

Thanks for the info on Trudeau... I remember now that I thought he was pretty "cool" for a politician. I didn't rememer that he was so productive.
I too was in high school during his tenure.

As for the skill question for your Canary Island trip.... do you remember what it was? Did you indeed claim the prize?

 

[Judique]

Thanks for the info on Trudeau... I remember now that I thought he was pretty "cool" for a politician. I didn't rememer that he was so productive.
I too was in high school during his tenure.

As for the skill question for your Canary Island trip.... do you remember what it was? Did you indeed claim the prize?

The question....have NO idea what it was! The trip - yes I claimed it and it was an experience of a lifetime for me.

 

[RoyalCanadian]

Trudeau's son Justin will be standing as a Liberal candidate in the Montreal riding of Papineau in the next federal election -- whenever that is.

The skill-testing question is the only place after high school mathematics where one can show their knowledge of that lovely concept -- "order of operations."

 

[Judique]

I'm not sure what my response to this is...

It's either:

"WHY?" or "Why not Quebec?"

Quebec follows a different legal code from the rest of Canada . Quebec civil law is somewhat derived from the Napoleonic code if I remember my studies correctly. Common law applies to most of the rest of the country. Then there is aboriginal law.

 

[luvdisney2006]

Hi I won 2 sets of Mouseears and a Dream FastPass by entering via mail and I had to answer a mathematical skill testing question for each.

I thought I had won something big but they did not tell me until after I answered the questions what I had won.

 

[nuttylawprofessor]

This has to be one of the funniest threads I've read in a while.

Gotta love government!