- Summer is in full swing.

Are your grill skills up to par?

If not, we've got you covered.

Also, if you're looking for ketchup for your grilled goods you may have to look harder in Canada.

We'll explain why.

And pet health insurance, is it worth the extra cash?

All of this and more coming up on WPBS weekly inside the stories - (upbeat music) - (upbeat music) - (upbeat music) - WPBS weekly inside the stories is brought to you by the Watertown Oswego, small business development center a public resource offering confidential business advice for starting board spending a small business.

- Good Tuesday evening, everyone.

I'm Stephfond Brunson and welcome to another edition of WPBS weekly.

Inside the stories, tonight we begin at the grill.

Summer's here.

Time to pull out the grill, prep those dogs and burgers and maybe try something different.

Here's Spencer Watts of Watts on the grill.

A favorite show that airs on Gusto TV who will take us through grilling Arctic char, take a look.

- (upbeat music) - Meet the Arctic char from the Arctic which means it's a cold, deep water fish.

It's got a lot of natural fat in it which means a ton of flavor.

I'm just so lucky to have this in my kitchen today.

It's wonderful, stuffing whole fish, with fresh herbs makes all the difference in the world.

And as the fish slowly starts to cook the herbs are going to release all their flavor into the mild flesh of the char.

And when I say stuff it, I like a lot of Dillon Terragon.

This is looking great.

Just a few more flavor friends from my fish, lemon and shallots.

- (upbeat music) - That is one stuffed fish, but I'm not done yet.

I've got to tie it up and give it some seasonings.

- (upbeat music) - And I really like to score the skin and helps a lot with the cooking process of it.

It makes it really easy to handle and it cooks up in a flash.

All you really need is some good olive oil and S and P. - (upbeat music) - Medium to high heat for the char.

It's not like the trout, the trucks had a little bit smaller of a fish, so you can kind of keep it open and work with it.

This is a big, beautiful fish and I kind of want the barbecue to act like an oven.

I'm going to close the lid when it cooks.

These buds are raw and they're cut pretty thick so they can go on the same time as the fish.

All right, make it oven.

Good Luck!

So the potatoes are usually the first thing to cook.

So anytime they get some char marks on them let's have a look.

I just like to put them on the top rack and they can slowly cook once you've got a good char.

It just seemed to kind of mellow out become nice and fudgy.

Ready for a flip look at that.

That is flavor.

That is sexy.

I'm just going to turn the heat down.

We're done with the char and I just want the rest of the fish to slowly cook and get flavored from the herbs and the lemon.

In my oven.

I have to peek into this fish.

- (upbeat music) That is gorgeous, man.

If you could get a chunk of fish to come off like that, it's perfectly cooked.

- (upbeat music) - Just flakes away, So easy.

Artic char is such a great fish.

I love Artic char it has Really good fat in it.

It's a mild tasting fish, but packed with herbs and lemon, And shallots, it changes the whole game.

- (upbeat music) - Fish on the barbecue takes no time at all, And it's delicious.

So what are you waiting for?

- (upbeat music) - Who knew?

Grilling could be so fun.

Now, if ketchup was one of your favorite toppings you may have to consider it something else.

Especially if you're in Canada where there's a Ketchup package shortage.

Yes.

You heard me, Ketchup something else you can blame on COVID # No, I can't forget this evening # Or your face as you were leaving - From toilet paper to hand sanitizer to flour.

COVID 19 has caused some major shortages in Canada.

And although many of these everyday items have returned to the shelves.

No one expected that ketchup would be a hot commodity a year into the pandemic.

A surge in takeout in North Americans is creating a supply crunch in some parts of the continent.

And in others, one surge is leading to another one.

The price of the tomato economy jumped by 13%.

It's a gastronomical emergency, and Canadians are worried but will that familiar red bottle will be missing from a dinner table near you.

What's a burger without a dollop of ketchup?

Not to worry if you're an everyday grocery shopper your French fries are safe.

The ketchup shortage doesn't include bottles.

It's just the packets, the spike and takeout drive-through and curbside pickup has apparently caught big catch-up off guard.

Heinz claims.

It was not prepared for the pandemic because you know what they say, HEINZ sight is 2020 HEINZ which makes more Ketchup than anyone else, says this month, It will launch a 25% increase in production, totaling 12 billion ketchup packets a year still with summer cookouts, camping trips and whatever this is coming around.

Condiment connoisseurs could be squeezed for a little while.

# So dress them up with HEINZ Ketchup, # Ketchup loves Potatoes!

# Ketchup loves Potatoes!

- For inside the story.

I'm Danny Kasmin - Off.

We go again to another breathtaking destination.

This week, we take you to Murphy's point provincial park in Perth, Ontario with over 1200 hiking areas.

This park has nothing to shake a hiking stick out (car honking) - From birders to anglers, athletes to historians Murphy's point provincial park near Ottawa, Ontario has something for everyone.

- My name is Toby Kiesewalter I am an interpretive naturalist at Murphy's point provincial park, a part of the Ontario park system in Eastern Ontario.

Murphy's point is on as part of the Rideau system, the Rideau waterway.

So we're on big Rideau lake, part of the Rideau lakes in the central part of the of the Rideau waterway and within the park there are three other lakes as well, Hogg bay which flows into big Rideau, loon lake and round lake as well.

And then lots of wetlands a Creek that runs through the park as well.

The park is open from the second Friday in May until the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend in October for camping and days.

And then it closes for a short period of time.

And then it reopens again for the cross country ski season and for snowshoeing and hiking in the winter, that's usually mid December until about mid-March depending on snow conditions.

So we do have facilities for all seasons that the skiing and snowshoeing in the winter time.

And of course the camping and hiking and boating canoeing in the summer, spring and fall - There are about 15 kilometers of hiking trails across the 3,500 acre park showcasing its natural habitat of wetlands, forests, fields, and lakes.

A segment of the Rideau trail of 300 kilometer long trail.

That goes all the way from Kingston to Ottawa crosses through the park.

Whether you're looking for a relaxing stroll by the waterfront or a challenging hike through the forest there is a variety of hiking trails at Murphy's point - In the late 18 hundreds and early 19 hundreds Eastern Ontario and into Western Quebec was one of the mining capitals of the world.

There was a small-scale mining boom here for a few different minerals.

And the silver queen mine is one of those dozens of mines that operated at the time.

The silver queen mine operated from 1903 to 1920 for Mica for, apatite and for feldspar those are the three principal minerals that were mined in the silver queen.

And Mica was really the main one it was used and still is used today as an insulator in the electrical industry.

So companies like general electric came up and invested in the mines in this area in the early 19 hundreds.

And so we, we operate tours of the silver queen mine.

It's one of the only mines that I know of in Eastern Ontario that is open to the public on guided tours.

So in the summer months in July and August we operate about three tours a week.

That includes our Sunday morning open houses in July and August and, and other guided tours.

And you get a hard hat.

You go down into the mine, it includes a trip into the restored miners' bunkhouse as well.

And we really try to give a snapshot of what life was like during the mining boom, the miners that live there.

And of course the, the really spectacular minerals colorful minerals that were part of that mining boom.

So people can sign up for a mining for a mine hike and you just have to call the park directly.

Or if you're camping here, just sign up for a mine to where we can accommodate groups of up to about 90 people at a time down in the mine.

And it's a great way to to explore the heritage of Eastern Ontario.

- If you see a park naturalist wandering around the park with a cloth bag that appears to have something inside don't be alarmed.

Murphy's point participates in an adoptive snake program where visitors of the park can adopt one of the parks, grey rat snakes.

Canada's longest species of snake.

- And I recognize not everybody likes snakes but we do here at Murphy's point.

And this is pretty much the Northern most range for the gray rat snake which is Canada's longest species of snake.

They, they get up to in, in the park we see them up to six and a half feet long and we have an active monitoring program for rat snakes here because of their abundance here.

And we see them from time to time in the campground and at some facilities in the park.

And we put little computer chips under their skin to their population over the longterm.

And we'd be doing that for, for 20-30 years.

And some people are really interested in this and and are part of the adoptive snake program.

You can adopt a gray rat snake at Murphy's point - Patrons are encouraged to engage park guides during programs and activities for a more rich and enjoyable experience.

Programs offered by the park include guided nature hikes, kids programs, prop talks, multimedia nature shows and demonstrations.

Murphy's point lies on the unceded lands of the Algonquin people.

And as part of the programs at the park, park naturalists interpret the cultural heritage and the natural heritage of the area.

- In 2018, we had an Algonquin birchbark canoe builder by the name of Chuck command.com.

And over the course of 14 days at our main beach build a Birch bark canoe using just materials that could be found in the park.

So Birch Cedar, Ironwood, spruce and Ash were all harvested from the park and all of those materials went into building this birchbark canoe.

Over the over 14 days, the public got to help out staff got to help out.

And in the end, we had this beautiful birchbark canoe which is now on display in our visitor center also gets used and gets paddled for that matter.

And people have, we'll have an opportunity from time to time to paddle in this, in this Birch bark canoe we had an Algonquin Carver carve the, a canoe paddles for us as well.

So that's all part of what we do in the interpretive program to highlight both the cultural heritage of the area and the natural heritage.

- The Park has over 180 campsites.

ranging from car camping tents RVs, trailers, soft sided DELAC shelters to campsites accessible only by boat.

Some campsites can accommodate up to 150 people.

- (mellow music) - We have a store that supplies basic groceries, bread, hotdogs, eggs, milk those sorts of things, snacks, lots of snacks, ice cream and the store also is your is your place to buy firewood and ice canoe rentals standup paddleboards, kayak rentals, life jackets.

If you need an extra life jacket for your own canoe it's a nice little picnic area right next to the store.

So it was a great spot to come up for, for an ice cream on a hot summer day, and just have a little picnic.

It's also located right along one of our portages.

So the canoeing route through the park includes loon lake, Hogg bay big Redeau lake.

It's about a two hour canoe loop.

And it includes two small portages, which are only about a a hundred to 150 meters in length And they go, one of them goes right by the park store.

So it's the easiest Portage in the Ontario Park system.

- (mellow music) - Next up pet health insurance.

Is it worth investing in?

One expert weighs in on different plans to consider and whether or not a furry friend pet policy is for you?

- My name is Matt Roach.

I'm the Trupanion territory partner for central New York.

Trupanion is a pet health insurance company and we help our clients budget for unforeseen accidents and illness.

What is pet health insurance?

Pet health insurance helps a pet owner budget for veterinary necessities that they may not be able to see coming.

So if your pet is sick or injured pet health insurance comes to the rescue then.

These days, A lot more people are considering their pets to be members of the family.

These are our furry family members.

So we provide for them accordingly, pet insurance behaves like a lot of insurances that people are used to already it's considered property and casualty insurance.

And so it behaves a lot like any other property casualty insurance you might have.

So you pay your deductible or you pay your premiums.

And then when a problem arises, you go and get the problem taken care of at the veterinarian's.

And then we can either reimburse you.

And in a lot of cases with true paying and in particular we paid the hospital director.

Most of that's are willing to accept pet health insurance.

They really want to provide the very best care that they possibly can for every pet that goes to the door.

And sometimes financial barriers are there and insurance really gets rid of those barriers for them.

And they can do all of their work the right way and provide them very top level care to their clients.

What pet health insurance shouldn't be is wellness.

People can budget for their wellness needs.

They know that you need shots.

You know, you need your vaccines.

You know, you need your spay and neuter your annual exams and exam fees and things like that.

These are known costs.

What pet health insurance should be covering are the unforeseeable things that come up.

You know, some people, you have no idea that your pet is going to be a diabetic or get cancer or Cushing's disease or many other things that pets can be afflicted with.

That can be very dangerous to them.

And those are the things that can become very very expensive and very difficult to budget for.

So pet health insurance really takes the edge off of all of those fears.

And you can just have a happy, healthy life with your pet.

When looking into pet insurance, you can ask your vet the vet is a they're the people who are used to dealing with it a lot.

I also recommend just calling the companies the companies are going to be to be able to give you the most complete information for sure.

You can get a decent opinion from a vet.

For sure though, when you're buying a pet insurance policy my best advice would be to really get a good look at the policy.

They're worth reading.

They're worth ordering a copy of and getting them in front of you so you can see them.

Are they simple or do they seem complicated?

The complicated ones will usually include things like breed-specific specific exclusions.

That's one thing I always warned to look out for a breed specific exclusions.

So will your pet be covered?

You need to know that.

I will also recommend that you really get to know the deductible scheme and inexpensive insurance policy can seem inexpensive at first.

So the deductible scheme will make a difference though because if they are asking you to pay your deductible one time that's not a big deal, but if they're asking you to pay your deductible every single year what that could increase the cost of the insurance and the long run to a, a level that isn't, as value-laden as it may have seemed to be at the outset, are there types of treatments that your insurance doesn't cover?

Our diagnostics covered.

Our medicines covered, our surgeries covered.

Are there certain times when they're not covered?

Is there reason that the insurance company could change its mind pay attention to whether your insurance company that you're selecting is renewing your policy every every year, if they're renewing the policy every year you really want to make sure that all of your conditions that they were once covering, they will still be covering into the, into the next year with pet health insurance.

There are not currently any companies to cover preexisting conditions.

The best way to not have a pre-existing condition is to make sure that you get a health insurance for your pet as early as possible.

When you get a new puppy it's a great opportunity to do avoid all future headaches with anything like a pre-existing condition.

The best part of my job I maybe it's better to tell a story to, to explain this.

I woke up on a Saturday morning to an email I had at one of my hospitals in Vermont, overnight, a dog one of our client's dogs had been hit by a car and it ended up in the ICU up in Burlington, Vermont and the bill went extremely high.

And I know that that that probably wouldn't have turned out as well as it did.

If it hadn't been for my, having spoken to that owner's vet months and months before and convincing them that it was a good idea for their pets to have pet insurance.

So I'm glad what I'm doing every day is having such an impact on not only the pet's lives but the family's lives too.

And you know, it just, it's a good feeling too.

When your when your work is actually having a deeper impact society - Finally, tonight, an acoustic tune from Canadian guitarist Paul Langlois,if you're a tragically hip fan, your familiar with them, pull up a chair and enjoy waiting on my train.

An original song.

Paul wrote about living in Kingston, Ontario, and these early years - (mellow music) # There's and empty sound around # As I put on my boots and go outside # There is an itch there but I can't scratch it # And walking through the park # A couple of guys staring me down # What they're looking for, they ain't gonna find it # I'm crossing the boulevard # Then sliding down a side street # I know it well but I don't like it # There goes a little kid # and there goes a little kid # I know that look he's got # He's going home not knowing why he did what he did # Me, I'm waiting on my train # To come around, and pick me up again # That train is gonna show me # The middles not the end # I'm taking the long way round # and passing by my old school # It's looking old and rained on # Just there cross the street # There's a girl I used to know # But now we're both looking the other way # And me, I'm waiting on my train # to come around, and pick me up again # That train's gonna show me # The middle's not the end # I spitting in the shadows # And weeding out the moon # While these street lights blow their light on me # I'm Kicking time # And I gotta go, I can help but see # I've been wasting time # waiting on my train # waiting on my train #I'm waiting on my train #I'm waiting on my train # waiting on my train # waiting on my train (mellow music playing) - That does it for us this Tuesday evening.

Join us next week for a fresh look inside the stories we're talking clinical trials and Ottawa where one hospital works to develop an innovative stem cell vaccine, meet one of the recipients.

And just for fun, we'll test your knowledge on little known facts when it comes to Canada day and independence day.

If you have a story, did you'd like to see us explore or you're a musician or poet that would like to be featured email us@wpbsweekly@wpbstv.org until then goodnight everyone - WPBS weekly inside the stories is brought to you by - The Watertown Oswego, small business development center offers confidential business advice for those interested in starting or expanding their small business a public resource serving Jefferson Lewis and Oswego counties since 1986.

- "Waiting on my Train by Paul Langois" - ( mellow music playing )