17 July 2009

 

push and pull














One fine summer's day, Rambling Rose gave in to the urge to wander and set out to find and follow the Old Stage Road (successor to the Detroit path.


Mile 0 was at the intersection of the mythical Indian Road with the old Waterloo Township boundary. From thence an easy drive south to the intersection with the Governor's Road/Highway 2 west past fields ripe with strawberries to be had for a mere pittance. Our first Lieutenant- Governor who dreamed the military road to connect Burlington Bay with the city of London had ordered Augustus Jones to survey the route in 1793 and named it the Dundas Road. However, Simcoe never lived to see that dream or to even hear the first settler's disparage those lofty ambitions with the phrase, "ah, the governor's road" set with a certain tone of voice. Ah yes, RR well knows how frontier societies use a biting humour to bring about levelling of unrealisitic aspirations. A profoundly Canadian characteristic indeed. (RR has juxtaposed the photos: the Governor's (government) road that failed to materialize & the Old Stage Road built by settler hands and toil.)

 Nonetheless, two centuries later Simcoe's influence can still be felt. First, there was the matter of those military roads to defend this fledgling wilderness against invasion: we still follow the Yonge Street route into the northern hinterland (Highway 11) -- this province's longest road right up the US border; likewise, Highway 2 (Kingston-Toronto-Niagara & west to Windsor). The garrison towns of Kingston, Toronto, and Niagara have grown considerably since Simcoe first had them mapped out and settled. York (now Toronto) demonstrates Simcoe, the original urban planner cf. previous blog "gothic verticality" for link to video of Fort York.


Near Woodstock, RR zigzagged left and right and at last found the gravel road leading west that a provincial plaque confirmed to be the Old Stage Road aka the "Detroit Path." Today the road takes the traveller through primarily agricultural lands and some forested areas; closer to Woodstock the road winds through the hamlet of Oxford Centre-- thriving as a bedroom community to Woodstock and Ingersoll. In spite of the plaque's claim, the Old Stage Road deadends before arriving in Ingersoll -- cut off by the 401.

While driving the still-forested portions of the Detroit path (left photo), RR reviewed for herself Simcoe's settlement scheme (we now call these development applications):

Settlement of Norwich Township began with the Otterville Mill (left photo) on the banks of Big Otter Creek (right photo)--
a most pleasant village to live in: quiet streets, beautiful buildings and town park, but unfortunately the museum and mill were closed. A bit more sleuthing was required to locate another strand of the Simcoe legacy to us cf. next photo left.

How many know that Simcoe was the first to propose the outright abolition of slavery? He had to compromise that ideal as many Loyalists had brought slaves with them to Canada -- and yes, Abraham Erb, the esteemed founder of Waterloo, came with a black slave to settle here; and yes, for a while the log structure that was Waterloo's first schoolhouse served as the residence of a black settler in nearby Kitchener. Simcoe's Anti-Slavery Act of 1793 spelled out these terms: slaves already brought into Canada would remain enslaved until death; no new slaves could be brought into Upper Canada; children born to female slaves would be freed at age 25. RR recalls reading somewhere that by 1810 there were no slaves in Upper Canada.

Next stop on this trip was the town of Norwich--and first on the list? the Norwich & District Museum housed in a former Quaker church where RR wanted to examine a rare saltbox house built by that town's first settler Peter Lossing, a Quaker.


In 1810, Peter Lossing and his brother-in-law DeLong, both Quakers in Dutchess County, New York purchased 10,000 acres of land in Norwich Township @ 50 cents per acre to be paid off as settlers took up land. They and their families plus a contingent of other settlers arrived in 1811 to begin clearing the land and farm.
The Lossing story brought to mind the push and pull theory used to explain patterns of immigration to Canada. Basically newcomers arrive as they are pushed out of their countires of origin and pulled to Canada by various factors.

In the Lossing story, the pull of vast tracts of land to be acquired on generous terms was the "pull" factor: apparently he wanted to found an agricultural settlement to advance his fortunes. (cf. the surveyor Augustus Jones' motives-- he asked for payment in land rather than cash to increase his land holdings). The push factor? According to Dictionary of Canadian Biography: "In 1806, the [Oswego Monthly Meeting of the Society of Friends] disowned [Lossing] "claiming that Lossing had been neglectful in the attendance of Meetings & married a woman out of the unity of friends after being guilty of fornication with her."-- We are also told that "on the eve of his departure for Upper Canada, Lossing acknowledged his errors and applied, successfully, for readmission to the society. -- Shrewd operator-- he had future customers for all the land he proposed to sell, meetings were initially conducted in his house, acted as surveyor of the township, and became its first postmaster. Photos: 1) the Peter Lossing 1811 clapboard saltbox house-- restored by South Norwich Historical Society: 2) the migration story & Conestoga wagon display inside the museum.

Even as RR paused to enjoy the graceful simplicity of the Lossing home in the wilderness, Governor Simcoe was never far from her mind. In rereading this province's early history, RR has been trying to determine who constituted the "Family Compact" historians frequently referred to. Simcoe, the idealist, dreamed of creating here in this land a better England and hoped to found an enlightened aristocracy here in the persons of the founders of each of the townships as they were surveyed and settled here. However, many of the original landholders accepted their free land holdings and then retired to the home country to watch their colonial real estate portfolio grow-- never bothering to even fulfill the basic settlement duty of clearing the roadway in front of their property ( a lot like not clearing snow and ice off the public sidewalk in winter now).

During the war of 1812-14, Quakers and other pacifists found themselves harrassed for not having served in the war. Resentments started growing among the populace and were targeted against the wealthy, powerful, and well-connected members of the "Family Compact." Thus, RR learned that Norwich had become a "hotbed of treason" and many here had taken an active role in the 1837 Rebellion under the leadership of a local physician, Dr. Charles Duncombe (photo on right).

The museum's closing indicated time to head home but RR chose to detour to Scotland, the site of Duncombe's unsuccessful uprising (cf. plaque photo left).

All in all, an interesting day as RR gathered together the vestiges of various minds and personalities at work in dreaming a new country/land into being. RR continues to marvel at the complexities of Simcoe's mind who devised our transportation system by reading maps sketched in for him on birch bark, who needed to attract settlers to feed the troops at his garrison towns, and then opened up settlement to those whose pacifist ideas were diametrically opposed to his--the career soldier and aristocrat & so put in place a fundamental Canadian trait of tolerance and freedom.

To close, an observation RR found in an early history of this province: “The Canadian immigrant, be he, English, Irish, or Scotch, or even German, or French, will, as time give lines to his face, and gray hair to his head, insensibly lose many of the peculiarities of his race, and in the end sensibly approximate to the character and appearance of the people among whom he has settled. The children of the emigrant, no matter what pains the parents may take to preserve in their children what belongs to their own native country, will grow up quite unlike the parents...The fact at which it is desired to get is that emigrants to Canada, no matter how heterogenous, are gradually moulded into a whole more or less homogenous.That this is observable somewhat in the emigrant himself, but decidedly so in the children.”--William Canniff, History of Upper Canada


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09 July 2009

 

the classic Ontario House





According to ERA Heritage architect Scott Weir, "The Gothic cottage is a small, perfect gem...an architectural type that could be called “great Upper Canadian”....the very archetype of what a house should look like." (1) He goes on to list the basic characteristics of this architectural style: 
a. Symmetrical storey and a half facade;
b. Small gable centred above the main entrance;
c. Size? From very small (single storey with three rooms) to large (two storeys, grandly scaled interiors and high ceilings): usually two bedroom houses + living room & kitchen @ 700 sq ft;
d. A simple end-gabled box: pitched roof, centre door balanced by single window either side, and one chimney + centre gable whose peak directed snow away from the entrance stoop & had either a vent or a window.



Photos L to R: updated brick with bargeboarding and finials; vinyl siding covers original finish; original fieldstone with new roof and porch; Port Rowan lacey gingerbread; original limestone.

Architectural historians Kim Ondaatje & Lois Mackenzie prefer to call this style The Ontario House, a classic feature of Ontario landscape from 1824 to 1850's. This was the successor to the one-and-a-half storey log cabin that “hid its upper storey from the taxman* behind its heightened walls.” By the end of the nineteenth century, the walls became higher and the roof pitch became steeper to provide more
head room in the bedroom storey. (2) There are a variety of reasons given for the popularity of this style: 1) tax laws; 2) ease of construction; and 3) availability of plans in pattern books.

Thomas F. McIlwraith provides the best overview of 19C tax laws: Upper Canada law 1807 to 1853 taxed houses according to height: i. One storey (round log, square timber, brick or stone) @ $30**; ii. Two storeys (square timber and brick, stone or framed) i.e. full storeys; square timber @ $30 but brick, stone or framed eg UEL Georgian house @ $60; iii. One (framed) is less than two storeys & refers to the storey-and-a-half which appears to be one storey high viewed from front but has two usable storeys when viewed from end wall–the half storey has sloping ceilings; taxed @ $35. Such houses could be made more economical by rasing the roof & addition of gables and dormers. (3)

19C North America had high levels of immigration requiring shelter to be built quickly by an uneducated construction trade. (1) Pine & cedar were readily available and after lumber stocks diminished, the houses were built of fieldstone or brick. This basic structure could be constructed easily without carpentry and masonry skills. As time went on, the basic structure was added to with summer kitchens, verandahs/porches. (3) ***

Plans were readily available at the local Mechanic's Institute i.e. American architect Downing’s manuals on house construction; this particular design by architect Downing had won an award at 1851 Great Exhibition in London; architect James Smith modified the design which was published in The Canadian Farmer magazine in 1865 with two versions: Gothic cottage**** and Gothic farmhouse; constructed of local materials readily available (wood, stone. Brick or roughcast (i.e.unpainted stucco). (1) The style applied to the cottage was influenced by its location. In Ontario, with many immigrants from Britain, the style leaned to gothic, with details such as finials, bargeboarding (gingerbread) and window trim carrying the gothic elements. ..These houses were intended to be simple, efficient, economical and
beautiful.(4) *****
Photos L to R and counterclockwise: updated with stylistic changes; City of Kitchener's oldest house dates to 1816 ---with original timber framing restored--note that this structure could have started as simple log cabin and then had roof raised at a later date; abandoned farmhouse left to decay; one of Downing's illustrations; immaculate fieldstone at Speedsville, Wellington County.

Downing explained his approach to residential construction thus:

This classic Ontario House has evolved and endured over time. In the 1850's the basic model was followed by the picturesque Gothic Revival cottage that featured a liberal use of decorative bargeboard (verge board) according to rules of British architect A. W. Pugin in 1841 and the upstairs window became more decorative; the verandah attaches house visually and functionally to its setting. Further variations included pinnacles or small spires rising from peaks; an asymmetric floor plan; and vertical board and batten replaced horizontal clapboard of earlier styles. (2)

















Photos: architect Scott Weir's drawing to illustrate terms; architect Adamson's illustrations showing the basic layout; red brick with later addition in Gorrie-- this village has wonderful brick buildings; Cedar Hill original Ontario house with later additions that provide a fabulous study of changing architectural styles-- this house just kept on growing.


As co-author Marion Macrae noted that she gave architectural, heritage activist guru Anthony Adamson the first and last word, RR shall do likewise:

“A true vernacular, shaped by the people and the climate from the land itself... the functional form of dwelling for the North American woodlands, where conservation of heat is the major consideration for nine months of the year, and the greatest nuisance for the other three...The Upper Canadian began life in the colony as the last Georgian. The lineal ancestor of the Upper Canadian vernacular style is the smaller Georgian house, a storey and a half in height, in plan a long rectangle bisected by a centre hall. This little
house kept growing with the addition of working tail: summer kitchen, a laundry, a smoke-house, a wood-shed, privies and carriage-shed...The little vernacular house, still stubbornly Georgian in form, and wearing its little gable with brave gaiety, became the abiding image of the province. It was to be the Ontario Classic style.” (5)

Notes: *Excellent photos and discussion board here: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?p=4330098
** RR is using $ symbol as can't locate the symbol for British pound as that was currency in effect at that time; *** there are some structures with a "suicide door"--an upstairs door leading to a non-existent upper porch; **** aka "the working man's cottage"; ***** The American architect Downing was a student of the British architect John C. Loudon, who had published in 1830 his influential An Encyclopaedia of cottage, Farm, and Village Architecture: containing numerous designs for dwellings...(full title can not be twittered) in which he demonstrated farm improvements and building construction. (5)

Sources: (1) Scott Weir,The tiny, perfect home, The National Post 24 February 2007; (2) Kim Ondaatje & Lois Mackenzie, Old Ontario Houses, Toronto 1977; (3) Thomas McIlwraith, Looking for Old Ontario,Toronto 1997; (5) Marion Macrae in constant consultation with, and sometimes in spite of Anthony Adamson, who
wrote the first word and the last word and made the drawings, The Ancestral Roof: Domestic Architecture in Upper Canada, Toronto 1963 rev 1967 (4) http://www.cabbagetownpa.ca/Pages/11Workers.html

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26 June 2009

 

the detroit path


Gentle reader, and one in particular whom we shall address as snowbird, what follows is a work in progress-- an exploration of a variety of maps, photos, and texts in an attempt to uncover vestiges of our past.

Shall we begin with the first map first introduced in the post, "blow sands 21 June 2008, wherein Rambling Rose opined that this province's first lieutenant governor John Graves Simcoe either canoed or portaged 600 miles round trip between Niagara and Detroit? Not so, as he either walked overland or on ice and sometimes in moccasins most of this winter journey; however, he managed to hitch a ride in a cariole (a sleigh pulled by horses) for a partion of the trip either way. The diarist Littlehales who recorded this trip and drew the map tells us that the distance from Niagara to Detroit was 270 miles going, but would have been a bit longer going back as Simcoe detoured to the forks of the La Tranche (now Thames River) to dream Upper Canada's new capital-- variously called Georgina, New London, and now London. Here's Littlehale's map with the Detroit path highlighted in pink.

Maps and backroads excite RR's imagination and itchy feet as there are always new landscapes to be explored and stories to uncover as one by one the narrative questions are answered: who? did what? where? when? why? how?


First portrait is of Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe (in whose honour, we take our annual Civic holiday). Historians tell us: " Simcoe decided to make a journey overland to Detroit. He left Navy Hall on the 4th February, 1793, and returned on the 10th March. His travelling companions were Capt. Fitzgerald, Lieutenant Smith...Lieutenants Talbot, Gray, Givens and Major Littlehales."--oops, there's something missing here....names of their native guides as 1) there were no roads overland at that time and 2) this was Simcoe's first trip cross country---without roads or signposts? someone had to guide him. Photo on the right was taken at Battlefield House National Historic Site during this year's Battle of Stoney Creek re-enactment. RR is wondering if the Governor and his soldiers wore full battle dress--those wonderfully brilliant scarlet uniforms for a hike in the backwoods? She's not certain as having read more of Simcoe's accomplishments she learned that as a commander of British forces during the American Revolution Simcoe was the first to have soldiers wear green camouflage.

But on with the story: the where? question awaits us: "The journey was made partly in sleighs, but chiefly on foot. Littlehales kept a diary of the occurrences on the way. The route was by Ten-mile Creek, Nelles' house at the Grand River, the Mohawk Indian village (a little below Brantford), the portage route to the Forks of the Thames (London), and then down or along the River to Detroit." Two maps then to accompany this trip diary: The first map from Newark (now Niagara) to 40 mile Creek (now Grimsby) & for a closer look just click with your mouse and the map opens up in greater detail as every creek they crossed & friends they stayed with & date are noted on the map. This particular map is noteworthy for two reasons. First, it has been drawn by none other than the power behind the big man--Mrs. Elizabeth Simcoe who accompanied her husband frequently on such trips & who served as his secretary and with her skills as an artist left us visual images of this province at that time. The second? the route this band of men followed is sometimes called the Iroquois trail and connects across the Niagara River with the Mohawk (Iroquois) trail from Albany to Niagara and was used by many settlers to immigrate to Upper Canada. Today that aboriginal trail has been covered over by old Highway 8 (now regional road 81) between Hamilton and Niagara & is named King or Queenston Street within municipalities.

Next map (courtesy Mrs. Simcoe) shows the route between Burlington overland to Detroit. RR highlighted for herself settlements as of 1793.
As far as RR has been able to ascertain the historic Iroquois trail would have traversed Cootes Paradise, the Dundas Valley, and climbed the Escarpment to arrive at Ancaster (not Highway 8 as that highway heads towards Galt) & Simcoe's party was headed towards Brant's Ford (now Brantford) in order to cross the Grand River.


In her diary, Mrs. Simcoe provides us with a sketch of Her Majesty's Royal Chapel of the Mohawks as it appeared in 1793--noteworthy as this was the very first Protestant church built in Upper Canada. At the Village of the Mohawks, Simcoe's party grew larger:
"Joseph Brant (photo of Thayendaga/Joseph Brant memorial in City of Brantford) with about a dozen of his Indians accompanied the party from the Mohawk Village to Delaware, doubtless to furnish them with game and guide them over the long portage." ===> Possible route? Brantford to Paris via the Governor's Road that skirts along the high banks of the Nith River? from thence following Highway 2 via the Old Stage Road south of Woodstock? cf. map-- a very pleasant drive that RR highly recommends and escape from the elephant trail (the 401)-- and thence to the Longwoods Road from London to Delaware and points west? --formerly Highway 2 but thanks to
to the Harris government has been downloaded and downgraded from provincial highway status. That's ok too as RR frequently uses Old Highway 2 for a stress-free jaunt to Windsor & smiles when she observes all those trucks on the 401 passing her by.

After saying goodbye to Brant and his Mohawks at Delaware, the party soldiers on:  "In proceeding down the river the Indians discovered a spring of an oily nature, which upon examination proved to be a kind of petroleum. On the 17th, after a journey of four or five miles, they passed the Moravian Village which had been begun in May,1792. The Delaware Indians were....making progress towards civilization [sic--that phrase would have to be excised now}, and already had corn fields and were being instructed in different branches of agriculture. "At this place every respect was paid to the Governor, and we procured a seasonable refreshment of eggs, milk and butter."....Before this, the Governor and his lads considered porcupine flesh a fine feast indeed.

Next photos: Fairfield Oil & Gas Museum and the powerhouse at Bothwell; Tecumseh memorial at roadside park just past Bothwell but before Thamesford. Great rest area--just remember to take picnic lunch. Take note that petroleum was discovered and produced right here in Ontario long before Alberta cashed in on black gold.
Littlehales' trip diary continues: "3rd.—We were glad to leave our wigwam early this morning, it having rained incessantly the whole night; besides, the hemlock branches on which we slept were wet before they were gathered for our use.—We first ascended the height at least 120 feet into a continuation of the pinery already mentioned; quitting that, we came to a beautiful plain with detached clumps of white oak, and open woods; then crossing a creek running into the south branch of the
Thames, we entered a thick swampy wood, where we were at a loss to discover any track; but in a few minutes we were released from this dilemma by the Indians, who making a cast, soon descried our old path to Detroit. Descending a hill and crossing a brook, we came at noon to the encampment we left on the 14th of February, and were agreeably surprised by meeting Captain Brant and a numerous retinue; among them were four of the Indians we had despatched to him when we first altered our course for the forks of the River Thames."

Per historian: "At this period the overland route from Detroit to Niagara was apparently well known. There was an annual "Winter-express" each way, which Simcoe met on his westward journey on the 12th February and on his homeward route on the 5th March. Littlehales mentions a Mr. Clarke as being with it on each occasion. On their first meeting, the express was accompanied by a Wyandot and a Chippawa Indian. The second time, Mr. Augustus Jones, the surveyor, (cf. left statue of Jones in Old Towne Square, Stoney Creek) was either with or following it."

In retelling the story, only one question remains: why this trip overland during a bitter Ontario winter? Simcoe, ever the soldier and military strategist, was anticipating an American invasion & strategically set up forts at key waterfront locations (Kingston, York(Toronto), Newark (Niagara), Chatham and Fort Malden. Like the Romans before him, he chose to connect them with roads that were to be immediately surveyed and built by his troops, the Queen's Rangers he had brought with him. The Dundas Road (highway 2) was surveyed the next year and work was begun but never completed as Simcoe, exhausted by frontier life and battles with his superior, took sick leave in 1796 and returned to his wife's estate in England to recuperate. That incompleted road was mocked by the settlers with the derisive term, "The Governor's Road."

Gentle snowbird, you asked recently, "How do you do these blogs?"-- mmm? like piecing together jigsaw puzzle-- Some years back, RR discovered the Old Stage Road and knew there was a story there but how to find it---took this long to learn about the Detroit path. Another time someone told her about the existence of an old map used by settlers to get to Wilmot Township-- apparently the map had a line marked the Indian Road-- a straight line that connected Lake Erie to the Wilmot Line in Region of Waterloo. RR studied current maps and test drove her theory but was not sure she had found the road as it could have begun either in Port Dover or Port Ryerse-- until she did the Norolk sand plain posts and was able to determine that Port Ryerse had the harbour and shipping capacities to bring immigrants via New York--Albany-- Buffalo/Fort Erie to Port Ryerse. RR has yet to find the map. A few winters back four region archivists and one WLU archaeologist checked and told her none available that matched that description. We shall see-- as these maps have been culled from diaries & there have to be more diaries archived somewhere.
In the end, it's all about the stories hidden behind covers somewhere, is it not?

Footnotes culled here and there:

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# posted by ramblingrose @ 6:42 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

22 June 2009

 

paradigm shift

The Long Point Region 2005 Report on Water Quality notes some progress towards healthy, sustainable watersheds draining Norfolk County lands into Lake Erie: from a low of 11% forest cover (note: 30% is considered healthy), currently there is 20% forest cover in Norfolk County comprised of: i. Deciduous forests (maple, beech, ash, and oak); and ii. Carolinian Life Zone tree species (tulip tree, black gum, sassafras, black oak, cucumber tree) that are rare in Canada and habitat for endangered species. However, it is important to note that the entire Carolinian Canada ecosystem remains at risk: 25% of Canada’s population lives in the Carolinian zone which covers only 0.25% of Canada’s area; this region has more endangered species than any region of the country. As well, St Williams Crown Lands @ 1,308 ha preserves and is working towards restoration of nationally rare ecosystems: oak savannah, prairie and sand barrens. The report also notes that Big Creek today has 20% forest cover; 40% riparian**, wetland and forest cover based on 15 m buffer at each edge.

The most significant statement in the Water Quality report states: "Riparian areas, wetland and forest cover are hydrological features to provide water quality and quantity benefits to all users; considered green infrastructure and provide an integral ecological contribution to ecosystem and community health, source water protection and long term farm sustainability.” ===> This concept of ecological contribution needs to incorporated into all land use planning decisions & landholders who choose to preserve and enhance such ecological contributions must be compensated financially.

Two maps have been chosen to illustrate the paradigm shift that has taken place over few decades. The first map shows the original surveys into townships and 200 acre farms that have been measured off on a gird with a military precision. All lots appear equal and lines are drawn without regard to the natural contours of the land. The second map reveals watershed-based planning that is now required by provincial source water legislation; within the long Point Region Watersheds, Big Creek is by far the largest watershed of the former Dust Bowl (orange circle) but all of the lesser creeks too are evaluated individually for their contribution to water quality and quantity in the Lake Erie Source Protection Region. ***

Rambling Rose provides the following summary of the most recent 2005 report on water quality:

  1. “The inherent geology and current land use practices appear to be driving some of the chronic surface water quality issues within the Long Point Region. For example, watershed draining the clay and till plains tend to have the highest non-filterable residue and nutrient concentrations...most of the land area is designated as agricultural of which a high percentage is now cropped & tile-drained. Land use of this type can result in waterways becoming enriched through runoff of fertilizer and erosion of soils.”
  2. "Highest number of surface and ground water takers of any area in southern Ontario: The numerous permits to take water, online impoundments and tile or municipal drains, could
    eventually have a negative effect on base-flow levels, which in turn could negatively impact water quality.... adequate protection of natural recharge areas (such as wetlands and moraines) should be developed.”
  3. "High agricultural use (row-cropped and tile-drained) ===>runoff of fertilizers and erosion of soils impacts surface water quality negatively: “Big Otter Creek has been identified as
    Canada’s largest source of sediment contamination to lake Erie; reacts to even flows extremely quickly & tends to be flashy resulting in increased erosion and sedimentation;
    compounded by soil type, lack of riparian vegetation, and deeply incised banks."
  4. “The warming trend in summer water temperature values across several watersheds (e.g. Bit Otter
    Creek, Big Creek and Lynn River) is of obvious concern to maintaining the current cool and cold
    water fisheries. Many of the tributaries within the Long Point region ...have been described as
    thermally stressed.”
  5. "Watersheds draining clay or till plains eg Nanticoke Creek have highest non-filterable residue & nutrient concentrations."****
  6. "Extensive irrigation required by specialty crops (tobacco, ginseng, vegetables, fruit and root
    crops)*****
  7. " significant groundwater recharge area "
  8. The report acknowledges the historical record thus:
    1. ”Alteration of plains and surrounding heavily forested lands has had a significant impact on the surface and groundwater quality and quantity" ====> the long term consequence of the uncontolled nineteenth century lumber trade within this watershed?
    2. "Reforestation and the tobacco industry, through the establishment of wind breaks and cover crops, resulted in the stabilization of the old Norfolk soils, transforming the area into one of the most productive and profitable agricultural regions in Ontario."

Notes: *forward-thinking scientists are actually calling for a 100 m. buffer to streams; **cf federal guidelines state 75% of streams should be naturally vegetated to achieve healthy ecosystem; *** Grand River watershed is also contained within the Lake Erie Source Protection Region; this source protection region contains most inland rivers and streams flowing directly into Lake Erie **** of considerable concern to Region of Waterloo readers of this blog should be the frequent references to difficulties with the Nanticoke water intake pipe in this report; the Region is currently studying the feasibility of a water pipeline from the Nanticoke intake to supplement this Region's water supplies within 20 years; ***** as indicated in the dust bowl map above.

Sources: notes have been combined and condensed from the following reports: Susan Evans, Water Quality in the Long Point Region: Summary of the 2002-2005 Conditions and
Trends, GRCA July 2007; Long Point Region 2005 Report on Water Quality; Long Point Region Watershed Characterization Report 2008.

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“Although the tremendous increase in tobacco production initially resulted in further forest clearing, it has also brought substantial benefits to the regional landscape. Tobacco plants are susceptible to direct wind damage as well as the sand blasting effect of wind erosion. Consequently, tobacco production necessitated
the planting of extensive windbreaks and cover crops, which provided a microclimate that favours tobacco
growth. The need to minimize wind erosion and the small number of acres required to produce tobacco
compared to that of cereal grains, resulted in farmers retaining substantial woodlots on their properties. Due to the high nutrient requirements of tobacco, it is generally planted every second year on a crop rotation with rye or winter wheat. The cover crop, which is planted in the fall, is subsequently plowed into the soil in the spring prior to planting tobacco. This serves to increase the humus content of the soil which provides more favourable conditions for tobacco production. A major benefit of this farming system is that it provides soil cover during the winter, thereby substantially reducing wind and water erosion." (1)


Ontario Ginseng (genus Panox) was first discovered in 1716 by the Jesuits and exported to China. However, there was only a brief trading period as “the trouble consisted in the actual destruction of the plant, from gathering it too early in the season, whereby the plant was killed.” (2) In 1896, one of the Hellyer brothers near Waterford saw a newspaper advertisement with a picture of a ginseng plant which stated if anybody [had] this growing on their property to mail it to a New York address and they would be sent money for payment. They did, and the money came, which eventually resulted in a new farm crop for Norfolk County. (3) Two brothers, Clarence and Albert, began to grow North American ginseng in Ontario, with seed cultivated from wild roots. Their descendants are still producing ginseng in southwestern Ontario, and the strain that the Hellyer brothers developed is still used in today’s ginseng gardens. (3) Waterford now bills itself as the "ginseng capital of Canada" and is surrounded on all sides by fields of ginseng grown under wooden and fabric shade curtains; almost the entire Norfolk County harvest is sold for consumption in the Orient.

Photos chosen to show Norfolk County's changing agricultural landscape L to R: mechanized tobacco production & lettuce fields near Burford, Ontario.

Sources: (1)Dr. Scott Petrie, The settlement and early agricultural development of "Old Norfolk County"; (2) Wm. Canniff, Settlement of Upper Canada, Toronto 1869.

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# posted by ramblingrose @ 9:08 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

21 June 2009

 

blow sands*


Historian Careless speaks of the great myth underlying this country's relentless expansion: "The great myth, dating virtually from European settlement, that Canada's natural resources truly were unending, and there was always more good country somewhere out there -- a factor in the historic westward frontier movement across North America. Yet European minds, dazzled by sheer space and a galaxy of resource discoveries, took very long to accept that even a wilderness continent might eventually run short of new bonanzas. Perhaps only in the last few decades have the Canadian public come increasingly to recognize that there is no limitless bailing-out, no more "countless" forests or "inexhaustible" wealth always waiting in the ground. (2)

What follows, gentle reader, is a cautionary tale drawn from our historical record that speaks of apparently inexhaustible resources that have been squandered over the past seven generations and left those of us who follow to inherit and harvest the wind (literally).


The first map records four journeys made by Upper Canada's (now Ontario) first governor Simcoe (1792-96) undertaken to survey the lands he was to govern in British North America. He travelled through unbroken forests of pine and oak by birch bark canoe or foot across native trails and portages. Ever the soldier and military strategist concerned with defending this infant colony against American invasions, Simcoe roughed in future roads to naval military outposts (Yonge Street north from York (now Toronto) to defend Penetanguishene; Dundas Street west to Sandwich (now Windsor) on the Detroit River, east to Cataraqui (now Kingston) and southeast around Lake Ontario to Newark (now Niagara), In 1795, he visited Long Point and noted the strategic military importance of the protected harbour in the Bay & commanding bluffs over the Point. Simcoe encouraged favoured officers & other United Empire Loyalists to settle there by offering them free grants of land. After 1796 settlement was opened to anyone who took the oath of allegiance and encouraged with offers of free grants of 200 acres of land. (3)

Post-Loyalist Americans soon occupied the shores of Lake Ontario between the Bay of Quinte and the
capital of York, spread from the head of the lake through the western peninsula to the Detroit
border, and thrust inland up Yonge Street from York itself. (2) Early settlement factors were 1. flat plains, more easily cleared; 2. transportation on Lake Erie; 3. Moderate climate; 4. Abundant fish**, wildlife, and fur.(3)

The next map narrates the quick progress of settlement and the process of clearing the land for agriculture:
a. By axe;
b. Firing the woods to kill the trees & next year they would be burned in order to save labour;
c. Girdling =cutting bark all around tree in order to kill them to be burned the next year.
Some generations later, the historian Wm. Canniff observes: “It is no ordinary undertaking for one to enter the primeval forest, to cut down the tough grained trees***, whose boughs have long met the first beams of the rising sun, and swayed in the tempest wind; to clear away the thick underbrush, which impedes the step at every turn; to clear out a tangled cedar swamp, no matter how hardy may be the axe-man; .... it requires a determined will, an iron frame and supple muscle, to undertake and carry out the successful clearing of a farm...When the land was everywhere covered with wood, the only thought was how to get rid of it.” (4)

"The cheerless toil of the backwoodsman affords little to attract our attention, or to divert the mind
from the full and dreary realities of life. But after some years of privation and patient endurance, we
emerge from the solitude of the woods, a brighter prospect breaks upon the view, and we behold
the once trackless forest, cut through in every direction by good roads, exhibiting long lines of
beautiful farms, teeming with life, and diversified by scenery of the most charming description."(5)

Initially settlers used water transportation**** across Lake Erie to secure their land grants; however, in 1804, Thomas Talbot and others, all from Long Point or Port Talbot, were given £250 to spend on a road starting from near the native village on the Grand River (now Brantford), passing through Sayles Mills (now Waterford) and linking up with an old aboriginal trail through the townships along Lake Erie. Although surveyed by John Bostwick in 1804, this road was never completed because the funds ran out in
1806. In 1811 Talbot Road (now Highway 3) was surveyed by Mahlon Burwell to open Elgin County (The Talbot Tract)*****; as well, each settler was required to clear the roadway adjacent to his land and soon a system of corduroy roads began to take shape: "The roads newly made, were full of stumps and fallen timber, and to wind round and through these, with a yoke of oxen and a rude cart, frequently through morasses, over rudely constructed causeways, commonly called corduroys, with very broad stipes could only be accomplished with much labour and patience.....Frequently they preferred going by water, a distance of 60 or 0 miles, in a boat, along the shores of Lake Erie to Long Point, o get a few bushels of wheat ground." (5)

In 1816,  Long Point Furnace Co was established at Normandale ******; this was the only iron furnace in western Ontario to manufacture stoves, kettles, pots, ploughs to 1852 when local iron ore supply exhausted. By this time, there were saw and grist mills established wherever there was a creek and the foundation was in place for future growth through export of two staples: wheat and lumber. "The most important staple export, by value, was wood: pine and oak. The market was mainly Britain, though exports of lumber to the United States began in the 1840s, at the latest. Exceptionally tall pine trees were `broad arrowed' by the Admiralty, that is, reserved to become masts on naval vessels.******* The oak was used in ship construction. Most of the Red and White Pine exported was used for whatever wood was used for during the industrialization and urbanization of Britain in the first half of the nineteenth century." (7) The logging industry peaked 1860-1880.

Thus, lands that in the1790's had been heavily forested with pine and oak were in less than one century stripped clean. The removal of forests resulted in miles of lost shoreline; extensive logging and intensive agriculture depleted forests & vegetative cover; soil erosion by wind and water resulted in “soil depletion with desert-like conditions;  large blowouts resulted when ridges were cleared. "(3) Big Creek was major transportation route to carry logs to mills @ Port Dover, Port Rowan, and Port Royal at the mouth of Big Creek was important shipping centre; by 1900 Big Creek forest cover decreased to 11%. (8) Because of light sandy soil & prevailing winds, Norfolk County had become the “Dust Bowl” of Ontario characterized by blow sands and abandoned farms.

Since then,
  • 1908 Reforestation @ St. Williams****** forestry station to provide tree nursery stock i.e. pines and other conifers planted in blown sand to stabilize the sand; tall cedar hedges as windbreaks to prevent further soil erosion
  • 1920 first tobacco farm Chrysler Farm at Lynedoch===> corporations purchase land to begin
    tobacco production: crops are rotated with rye, wheat, potatoes, other grains to allow soil to regain
    its natural nutrients (9)
  • 1921 Long Point Provincial Park
  • 1986 Long Point UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve
  • 2005-06 Erie Shores Wind Farm in Houghton Township
"He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind." --Book of Proverbs

Notes: *Blow sands develop where the stabilizing cover of vegetation on sandy soils has been destroyed. In places, they form sand dunes which may be over 30 m deep, and they may advance over a region at a rate of nearly 30 m. a year. **one historian tells of first settlers using baskets to scoop fish out of the waters; *** The pine trees grow to the height of 120 feet and more, and from 9 to 10 feet in circumference. The trees of a resinous quality supply pitch tar and turpentine. The maple furnishes sugar, and with the beech, ash, elm, &c. will also serve for the potash manufactory. Cedar is converted into glue for the roofs of houses, oak into ship timber; firs into deal planks and boards. (6) ****"It is necessary that the settler should first look out for a market for his produce, and for some navigable river, or good road to convey the same, otherwise it is of little consequence that he obtains four or five hundred acres of land for four or five pounds."(6) *****note Norfolk County Regional Road 42 (Lakeshore Road, Front Road, Radical Road) was a pioneer trail from Niagara west to Long Point (3); ******acquired by UEL Joseph VanNorman & renamed the Normandale Foundry; ****** the nineteenth century lumber industry was as wasteful as during the early settlement years cf. this practice: "the square-hewing by broad-axe of giant "sticks" of timber (2); ******closed in 1998 by province=privatized to ForestCare Coporation;


(1) Sources: (1) Karl F. Wenger, Forestry Handbook; (2) J.M.S. Careless, CANADA: A Celebration of Our Heritage
Heritage Publishing House, 1994-7; (3)Unterman McPhail Associates 2007 Norfolk County Lakeshore Special Policy Area Secondary Plan CHL and Built Heritage Study; (4) Wm. Canniff, Settlement of Upper Canada, Toronto 1869; (5) Èrmatinger, Life of Colonel Talbot --note Ermatinger was a contemporary of Colonel Thomas Talbot who brought in many of the first settlers to Lake Erie; (6) 1820 Emigrant Handbook
(7)Upper Canada in the Canal Era; (8)History of Long Point
(9)Norfolk tobacco heritage driving tour in Delhi Tourism Study link

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# posted by ramblingrose @ 4:02 PM 2 Comments Links to this post

09 June 2009

 

the giant (empty?*) land


Historian J.M.S. Careless tells us that "the Canada we know today is crucially a historic product of the far later arrival of Europeans around 1500 A.D., to start their own advance westward across the continent." (1) Two maps then to show the historical events that created the foundation for the geographical-historical entity we now call Canada.

  1. The Seven Years' War 1756–1763** and involved all of the major European powers of the period. The fighting in America is sometimes considered a separate war, the French and Indian War (1754–1763). This war was the North American chapter of the Seven Years' War, known in Canada (particularly in Quebec) as the War of the Conquest (French: Guerre de la Conquête). The name refers to the two main enemies of the British: the royal French forces and the
    various American Indian forces allied with them. The conflict, the fourth such colonial war between the nations of France     and Great Britain, resulted in the British conquest of Canada. The outcome was one of the most significant developments in a century of Anglo-French conflict. To compensate its ally, Spain, for its loss of Florida, France ceded its control of French Louisiana west of the Mississippi. France's colonial
    presence north of the Caribbean was reduced to the tiny islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon.
  2. American Revolution 1776-1783 following the 1776 Declaration of Independence; the 1783 Treaty of Paris*** effectively ended the Britain vs France struggle to control North America & established new political boundaries. When this war was over, 40,000 Loyalists left the United States and migrated into the British colony of Quebec.****
Thus, the stage was set for the continued westward expansion of European settlement of this continent. In his history, Careless highlights: a) "the distinctive political, social and cultural traditions themselves emerged within the rising Canadian national domain in North America;" b)"distinctive economic activities and interests developed in each of the great regions*****"as newcomers sought to avail themselves of the "stored-up wealth of soil, mineral and energy resources" & " abundant plant, forest, and animal life." (1)

According to Careless, "rooted in Canadian experience" is the ever-present need "to adapt and respond to the demanding problems of environment" as newcomers to this giant land encountered "massive geographical barriers across the land,..[the] stiff restraints of climate, and over all, [the] stern limits set on human dealings with a difficult physical world." ******

This country described by Jacques Cartier as the "land God gave to Cain" and by Samuel de Champlain as a place where one must expect "six months of winter" has proven challenging. Careless draws attention to the following:


Notes: *Historian Careless speaks of the "the giant land " in his introduction: RR has used the word "empty?" to challenge the historical assumption that this land was empty & ripe for the taking. In fact, the entire continent was peopled by aboriginals who aided the European newcomers in their explorations of discovery. Example: Sir Alexander MacKenzie's first sighting of the Pacific Ocean would never have happened without the assistance of the Carrier Sekani who guided him along the 10,000 year-old grease trail across the mountains to the Pacific.

**The outcome of this war was the creation of British North America & a key Canadian constitutional document: Royal Proclamation of 1763 which defined and continues to define the treaties whereby land for settlement was to be acquired.

***The 1783 peace treaty with Britain, known as the Treaty of Paris, gave the U.S. all land east of the Mississippi River and south of the Great Lakes, though not including Florida (On September 3, 1783, Britain entered into a separate agreement with Spain under which Britain ceded Florida back to Spain.)

****Quebec comprised the lands that eventually became Upper (Ontario) and Lower (Quebec) Canada per Constitutional Act of 1791. cf second map

*****Per Careless, "the six main historic regions in Canadian past experience and present life, all of them deeply shaped by the physical forms and conditions of the land itself: the largely tundra world of the Arctic and Subarctic North, the Atlantic East, Quebec and Ontario dividing Central Canada between them, the Plains West, and the Cordilleran Far West."===> Driven by economic necessity and sustained by Grace, RR has been privileged to call four of these regions home; insight into the geography and history of each region does reveal essential cultural differences among all these regions that continue to this day and inform Canadian politics even as we struggle with the Great Recession. It is the land itself that has bred in us all a most distinctive Canadian character that binds us together and permeates this land from sea to sea to sea.

****** Margaret Atwood explores this theme in Canadian Literature in her literary landmark publication: Survival.

Sources: (1) CANADA: A Celebration of Our Heritage -- Under Construction Author: J.M.S. Careless Published by: Canadian Heritage Gallery Copyright © 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997 by Heritage Publishing House; note: only the first half of this online book has been published; nonetheless, it's worth visiting this cyber cemetery for the pre-Confederation history and the various graphics that have been archived there;

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# posted by ramblingrose @ 6:19 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

05 June 2009

 

architectural salvage













Photos L to R: 1) Ruins of the developer-owned Schoerg barn following 2) 2004 demolition/disassembly and 3) city-owned Betzner barn located on Kitchener's Historic Ridge, the site of the first inland settlement in southern Ontario ca 1800; these ruins and materials salvaged from the Schoerg barn are slated for reuse . 

"The Clarica Lookout is to be developed on the site of the historic foundation of the former Betzner farmstead located on Joseph Schoerg Crescent, on what is now City land adjacent the former Schoerg farmstead and Pioneer Memorial Tower. Though the barn superstructure was demolished, the original c.1830 barn foundation remains, and is to be conserved and used in developing a scenic lookout overlooking the Grand River valley. Early design concepts envisioned introducing a vertical feature on top of the stone foundation, which would provide a visual suggestion of a barn structure, while maintaining open views from the historic ridge to the Grand River valley below....With the conclusion that the Schoerg Barn timbers are not suitable for use in the construction of the Clarica Scenic Lookout, City staff are focussing on the request from the Region to use some of the historic Schoerg barn timbers in the design and construction of the new Regional History Museum. Moriyama and Teshima Architects originally expressed an interest in acquiring eight 20 foot Schoerg barn timbers to be used as structural columns in the entry corridor of the Regional History Museum.  the Region’s consulting architects have advised that the Schoerg barn timbers cannot be used structurally. As a result, they have proposed using the barn timbers as interior cladding on two feature walls of the main entry corridor and lobby space of the museum. The wood cladding in these spaces is meant to be evocative of some of the Region’s early barns and rural roots. To use the wood in this way would involve re-sawing the beams to make them into thinner cladding boards." (5)

===> Gentle reader, the above developments provide a sad footnote to a tale of lost opportunity and this community's indifference to the significant historical resources that have been squandered. Five years ago, two intact homesteads dating back to this province's earliest settlement days still overlooked the Grand River immediately adjacent to the Pioneer Memorial Tower National Historic Site administered by Parks Canada. As Rambling Rose unravelled the self-interested politics that culminated in the loss of such valuable cultural heritage resources, she found a recurring refrain: the land was more valuable than the cultural heritage buildings on them. Where the larger community could have had the real thing, we are left with ruins and a suggestion of what once was and what could have been. We are now working with scraps of our heritage after priceless built heritage fabric has been sold in the marketplace to the architectural salvage industry.

"An architectural salvager’s raison d’etre is the acquisition and sale of architectural artifacts. Additionally, the salvager must provide a safe harbour for these artifacts, be they building materials, building parts or entire buildings. He is not just a broker. His inventory must be resilient enough to withstand the rigors of deconstruction, the ravages of time, and the biggest enemy of all…society’s indifference." (1)









Photos L to R: settler's log cabin in Westfield Heritage Museum, Hamilton-Wentworth ON; log house still in use in the Ottawa Valley; Stauffer log house, Kitchener ON has been lovingly preserved and restored by its current owner.

Anchorbeam Timberworks dismantles and carts away the
unwanted structures [i.e. barns in eastern Ontario] for free.
After that the firm restores and arranges the basic skeletons into "kits" for contractor
clients who re-erect them as charmed, rustic barns or convert them into one-of-a-kind homes. 
The barn kits, as well as individual beams, posts and barnboard, are shipped from Anchorbeam
headquarters in Hallville all over the United States and Europe.
So far, he says, they've shipped 30 or 40 complete barns to the United States and three or four to Europe.
Kevin Costner, Barbara Streisand, and the widow of Oscar Hammerstein are among the celebrities
who own spectacular homes featuring wood salvaged by Pajot.
Twelve barns have gone to the state of Connecticut alone, which has proven a particularly strong market." (2)

"The average Canadian’s indifference to our architectural heritage is understandable in the context of a culture and economy based on the concept of Progress. Our society believes that material possessions and spatial environments, if rebuilt more efficiently and inexpensively, can provide universal comfort and abundance resulting in increased happiness...Progress has brought us particle board, drywall, MDF, OSB, Glu-lams, laminates, vinyl, plastics, steel studs, appliqués, alloys, and composites of all types forming labour saving components of mass produced products serving the underlying theme of planned obsolescence." (1)

"Our antique beams typically hail from mid 19th century structures,
themselves built from 100 year old "first growth" trees. As a result, the beams comprise wood that is at least 250 years old!
Shaped by craftsmen using adzes and broadaxes,
structural timbers were usually squared." (6)

"Many of these materials can be recycled, creating another fledgling industry, but is it any wonder that construction and demolition detritus now comprise eighty percent of landfill debris. New and improved products constantly trade economy for durability and quantity for longevity. Replacement is easier than repair." (1)

Left photo: industrial artifact installed corner of Victoria and Joseph Streets, Kitchener ON to commemorate this city's industrial heritage.


"Sticks and Stones Design [ local Cambridge firm] is a full service design firm specializing in custom residential and
commercial projects with a strong focus upon environmental design.
The firm’s design experience includes conventional, log, timber frame, post & beam and panelized construction,
with future endeavors into alternative construction methods, such as, straw bale and green roofs." (3)

"Landfills are a costly & wasteful alternative for re-useable building materials & house wares. Environment Canada has stated, 'Every time a house is built, renovated or demolished, a great deal of waste is deposited in local landfills. A demolished house can add up to 42 tonnes (92 thousand lbs.) of waste to landfill sites, and these materials can account for 15 to 20 percent of total landfill waste. Discarded, reusable materials includes wood products (mouldings, beams, plywood, exterior sheathing), metal products (radiators, piping, fixtures, wiring) and dry products (bricks, stone, marble, glass). Compounding this grave landfill situation is the unnecessary erosion of the world's forest reserves, ostensibly to meet the demand for lumber, ultimately affecting animal habitats & green space." (1)

" The Braden House in Puslinch Ontario, aka the "no furnace, off-the-grid house," is made of log
resalvaged from other buildings. The roof is made of wooden shingles...which will
last 100 years if maintained in comparison to asphalt which has a life of 25 years, then is designated to the landfill...a house that is so airtight and insulated it needs next to no heating...
This is a "net-zero energy home" that makes as much power as it consumes. Using only
photovoltaic panels or backyard wind turbines; a major environmental impact, given that about a sixth of Canada's greenhouse gases come from residences and a drafty older home can have carbon dioxide emissions of 10 tonnes a year, double what spews from the average car." (4)



Photos of marine artifacts that are an integral part of the Havre Aibert's ambience, Les Iles de la Madeleine, Province de Quebec.



"Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten." (1)


Sources: (1)Sven Kraumanis - owner/operator Legacy Vintage Building Materials & Antiques, “Comments on
the state of the Architectural Salvage Industry in Canada; (2)http://www.agrinewsinteractive.com/archives/article-5967.htm ;
(3) Sticks and Stones website has photos of new buildings incorporating antique wood products; (4) MARTIN MITTELSTAEDT, Just don't call him an envirofreak, Globe and Mail Mar. 31, 2009; (5) City of Kitchener staff report:
(6) Cf pricing:http://www.legacyvintage.com/AntiqueHandHewnBeams.html

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# posted by ramblingrose @ 9:26 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

02 June 2009

 

the common good


"All mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated...As therefore the bell that rings to a sermon, calls not upon the preacher only, but upon the congregation to come: so this bell calls us all: but how much more me, who am brought so near the door by this sickness....No man is an island, entire of itself...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."--John Donne


"Some citizens seem to feel that their rights take precedence over the principles of the common good of the community, and that they do not have related responsibilities as members of a community. Some appear to feel threatened by broad regulations developed for the good of the community as a whole. This issue is at the heart of many debates about democratic government and their powers as opposed to the "rights" of individuals...Does one person have the right to tear down a building that represents the stories of the life and growth of a community just because he wants a parking space or a newer house? I can produce research that shows the economic benefits of heritage preservation to individual properties by increasing their real estate value; I can produce research that shows the economic benefits of heritage to a city by increasing its tourism potential. I can tell you stories of the history of our city and show you its
magnificent landmarks. But Guelph's cultural heritage is more than just facts and figures. Heritage is the stories of the places where we settle, where we grow, where we get what we need, where we live, where we work, where we do business, where we learn and where we worship -- the stories that make us a special community. Since we do share a common space, we need to develop our common values."--Susan Ratcliffe, Placing the common good over our own rights and wishes, Guelph Mercury December 08, 2008

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# posted by ramblingrose @ 8:25 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

24 May 2009

 

Gothic verticality

The Star's architecture critic waxes poetic about City of Toronto's Gothic architecture thus: "Toronto is a Gothic city. Since the 19th century, Gothic is the most popular style that Torontonians have responded to emotionally.In the hands of Victorian Toronto, Victorian Gothic became a style that was all about verticality--all about the yearning to get higher, to reach up to the clouds, and to reach up to the heavens...." Hear the rest of Christopher Hume's architectural rhapsody as he takes you on a virtual tour of the Gothic St. James-the-Less funeral chapel at this link: Christopher Hume video

RR experienced a different post-modern verticality back in the late 60's as the dowager Toronto the Good shed some of her sanctimonious piety and became a thoroughly modern skyscraper city on Lake Ontario

Torontonians have had this weekend to visit a wide variety of architectural marvels as part of the annual Doors Open Event. These range from that city's military outpost beginning as Fort York* to last year's opening of the Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu temple 2008 -- made from 24,000 pieces of marble hand-carved in India & shipped to Canada for assembly.

Doors Open Toronto is a city-wide open house, showcasing up to 175 venues of architectural, historic, cultural or social significance. Complete listing go to City of Toronto complete list & menu options include 1) by day and 2) by region.

Background? The first Doors Open Day (La Journée Portes Ouvertes) took place in France in 1984. The idea
soon spread to neighbouring countries, including the Netherlands, Sweden, the Republic of Ireland, Belgium and Scotland. In 1991, these events were united as European Heritage Days at the initiative of the Council of Europe. In 2003, all 48 signatory states of the European Cultural Convention participated in European Heritage Days. In 2000, the City of Toronto launched the first Doors Open event in North America.**In 2002, the Ontario Heritage Trust launched Doors Open Ontario, the first province-wide event of its kind in Canada. The Doors Open concept continues to spread across North America with events now being held in Newfoundland, Alberta, Massachusetts, Western New York State, New York City and Denver.


Notes: *Toronto’s settlement began in 1793 when a temporary log garrison was built on the present site
of Fort York by John Graves Simcoe – the first Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of Upper Canada. The fort’s establishment was linked directly to Simcoe’s desire to build a naval base at Toronto in order to control Lake Ontario in the event of war with the United States.In June 1812 the United States declared war on Great Britain. Less than a year later, The Town of York (Toronto) and the fort were attacked on 27 April 1813. The Town of York and the fort were taken successfully by the Americans and a 6-day occupation of York followed. After the Battle of York, the fort was rebuilt on the original site of the 1793 garrison. It is this fort that is in evidence today. There are seven original buildings and one reconstruction.-- City of Toronto website

** Ontarians owe a debt of gratitude to Catherine Naismith, architect and current president of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario for taking the initiative to transplant such a wonderful concept from her Scottish uncle's home across the big pond to Toronto. Congratulations, City of Toronto, on 10th annual Doors Open & City of Toronto 175th anniversary celebrations.

Photos of statues adorning the equally Gothic St. James Cathedral, Toronto Ontario.

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# posted by ramblingrose @ 5:02 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

21 April 2009

 

untold stories

“History is ... the story that tells us who we are, where we came from, what we did, and why we did what we did, and sometimes too, it tires to tell us where we are going. History defines us and makes us human. In fact, some might say that the ability to think historically, to link the past with present, and to speculate on possible futures is a fundamental characteristic of humanity." (1)

First photo: Region of Waterloo official history of the first European inland settlement in Upper Canada ca 1802 as expressed in the Doon Pioneer Memorial Tower, a National Heritage Site.

“ History is also a continuing story that changes our understanding of ourselves. Our increased knowledge means that we can ask different questions about the past. Stories can change with time and with perspective.” (1)

In her PH D thesis The Local History Museum in Ontario 1851-1985: An Intellectual History, Mary Tivy details how W.H. Breithaupt, founder and president of the Waterloo Historical Society*, worked to identify Waterloo County's German identity exclusively with that of the pacifist Pennsylvania-German-Mennonite tradition in order to minimize associations with Germany following World War I. It was during that time period that Berlin was renamed Kitchener. It was W. H. Breithaupt who during the 1920's successfully lobbied the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada for official recognition of the Doon Pioneer Memorial Tower as a national historic site. (2)

"Yet we must not forget that not all stories are given equal time. Not all stories are heard and acknowledged. We cannot separate history from power. There was a time in history when only those with the ability to write could document events. It is still a fact that those who have power are able to write their version of the story and to have it accepted as truth." (1)

Next photo is of the Betzner-Schoerg cemetery immediately adjacent to the tower and overlooking the Grand River. L to R: Samuel D. Betzner headstone adjacent to tree, newer Joseph Schoerg headstone has been inscribed Sherk, an Anglicization of the German spelling that became prevalent following World War I (cf. also descendants of the pioneer Biehn family are now known as Bean). Local history has undergone a 21st century revision in that a street in a new subdivision on the Historic Ridge lands is now named Joseph Schoerg Crescent.
" However, the Aboriginal story is only beginning to be told. Telling it from our perspective is difficult because we do not have power to make others listen . But why should it be so difficult to extend the rafters, to us an Iroquoian term, to include these Aboriginal stories? Whose story is challenged by the inclusion of Aboriginal ones?” (1)

Next photo provides a closeup of seven limestone headstones in the same cemetery that are of unnamed aboriginals who have been buried there. Descendants of the Betzner & Schoerg families recall the close relationship between the pioneer settlers in the early years of this settlement & have affirmed to Rambling Rose that these are aboriginal graves. As RR read WHS volumes, she noted the shift in perceptions regarding local First Nations from positive to the drunken savage stereotype. Only recently did she learn that "In 1840, Indians were banned from Waterloo Township by Upper Canada government order-in-council." (3) Still to be confirmed by further research is the assertion that the first Mennonite settlers coveted "Indian" ** sites as these had already been cleared for aboriginal cultivation of corn.
“History consists of the stories that we tell ourselves about past events. But what happens when a story is incorrectly told, or when a story is missing altogether? When significant parts are missing, then the story is incomplete and understanding is skewed. If the story is incorrectly told, then our understanding of ourselves is erroneous. However, if there is no story at all, then humanity is denied. We do have opportunities and, we believe, responsibilities to fill in omitted story segments, to correct the stories that are inaccurate, and to include missing stories. In doing
so, we acknowledge the humanity of Aboriginal peoples." (1)

For now the boulders in the next photo remain unmarked although acknowledged by City of Waterloo. RR blogged about them previously thus: "These boulders* were presented to Waterloo Park by Jacob Stroh. These great stones have hollows on a flattened side, serving the purpose of holding corn** being pounded to a coarse meal held in the hands...[and] were no doubt kept at regular seasonal abodes, and there used from year to year." Source: WHS 1930, p. 221. Cf. Blog 07 August 2007 the sararas* springs mystery

"The British and French response to the presence of aboriginal peoples is what currently defines Canada. Aboriginal participation in the formation of Canada is ignored. Without the treaty process, which transferred most of the Canadian land mass from Aboriginal control to Canadian control, Canada would not exist in its present form. In addition, the state would not possess the wealth and benefits from the natural resources found in the land mass. A significant portion of the history of Canada is defined by its relationship to the Aboriginal peoples within its borders. To ignore that ongoing relationship is to render Aboriginal peoples out of existence. Canada simply would not be Canada without us." (1)

One Mississauga story has been told by the plaque adjacent to Schneider Creek in Kitchener's Victoria Park: "Sarah Henry/Tuhbenahneequay (1780-1873) who was the daughter of Wahbanosay, a Mississauga chief, is remembered on this plaque* and in history as wife of the surveyor Augustus Jones, mother of the Methodist minister Peter Jones/Kahkewaquonaby "sacred feathers", and sister of the Mississauga Chief Joseph Sawyer/Nawajegezhegwabe "the sloping sky." Since RR posted the blog “the
country wife” 11 September 2007, Wikipedia has provided links to the stories of the two Sarahs who married Augustus Jones and bore his children. It's encouraging to see a revision of history that acknowledges the mutually beneficial relationships between Canada's aboriginal peoples and the first European settlers on this continent.

"David McNab’s article*** on his fur-trade family illustrates the complex, interwoven social nature of Canada and the constant interaction between Aboriginal peoples and newcomers. In fact, it is a story of how individuals from these two groups met, met, married, had children, and tried to make the best of their lives." (1)

McNab traces his ancestry to William Kennedy, Hudson Bay Co fur trader (1814-90) who in the 1830's purchased for his aboriginal wife and children a 50 acre farm where Kaufmann Flats is located; his wife and children went into hiding by marrying German immigrants and becoming Christian; the farmstead was sold in 1912. (4)



historiography = the narrative presentation of history based on a critical examination, evaluation, and selection of material from primary and secondary sources and subject to scholarly criteria

Notes: * Tivy's source is the work of local historian acknowledged thus: "Geoffrey Hayes considers the role of W.H. Breithaupt, as one of several individuals seeking to legitimate and commemorate Pennsylvania-German Mennonites as primary symbols of the community’s past. Geoffrey Hayes, "From Berlin to the Trek of the Conestoga: A Revisionist Approach to Waterloo County's German Identity,” Ontario History Vol.XCI:2, (Autumn 1999), 130-149." Cf Chapter 4 of the Tivy thesis for a summary of Hayes article & Breithaupt's role.

** RR is using "Indian" pending verification that these sites were frequented by the Mississaugas as she supposed that by this time the "Neutral" tribes had been extirpated from the Ontario landscape;

***David T. McNab is a Métis historian who has worked for three decades on Aboriginal land and treaty rights issues in Canada. McNab teaches in the School of Arts and Letters in the Atkinson Faculty of Liberal and Professional Studies at York University in Toronto where he is Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies.

Sources: (1)Hidden in plain sight editors Daniel J. K. Beavon, Cora Jane Voyageur, David Newhouse, Wilfrid Laurier University Press 2005; (2)Mary Tivy, The Local History Museum in Ontario 1851-1985: An Intellectual History, 2006 (3) pp 145-80 in Good, E. Reginald. 1998. ‘Colonizing a People: Mennonite Settlement in Waterloo Township.’ In David T. McNab editor, Earth, Water, Air and Fire, Studies in Canadian Ethnohistory (Waterloo ON: Wilfrid Laurier UP): (4) David T. McNab, 'Hiding in Plane View: Aboriginal identities & a Fur Trade Co Family through 7 Generations' in Hidden in Plain Sight cf source (1) above.

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# posted by ramblingrose @ 10:41 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

01 April 2009

 

the compassionate consumer

According to Daniel Goleman, today's compassionate consumer can vote with dollars when making purchases that benefit the environment. Per Goleman, “companies today are more than willing to make improvements that benefit the environment."

Goleman has just published a book  Ecological Intelligence (2009)to encourage such consumer choices. In this book, he states: “What we haven’t understood yet is the full consequences of everything we buy and
use." For example,  to make a glass jar requires burning gas furnace 24 hours @ 2,000 degrees =energy cost; the manufacture of organic cotton requires 660 gallons of water required to grow the cotton for one T shirt and the clothing dye rinses off into factory wastewater ultimately to pollute our rivers. These are examples of  greenwashing i.e.the selective display of one or two virtuous attributes of a product in
order to impart ecological friendliness.

To be truly green, consumers must rely on a life-cycle assessment which looks at the entire range of a product’s impact from the time its ingredients are extracted from the earth. The chemicals used in manufacturing, transportation, and disposal. Free software to calculate a product’s ecological impact during its life cycle is already available to iPhone users from www.goodguide.com. All that one needs is to type in product’s bar code into one's cell phone & send a text message & within seconds the product's rating appears.

Source: Aimee Lee Ball, Green IQ, book review in the Oprah magazine April 2009.

# posted by ramblingrose @ 2:29 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

10 March 2009

 

the Kanata B & B


Today's photo is of the Parliament Buildings and library, Ottawa 2008.

President Obama's visit to Ottawa last month attracted considerable media attention & briefly put "the great white north" in the spotlight. Even Jon Stewart devoted a two minute clip on his Daily Show on 24 February 2009: Stewart categorized the presidential visit as a "pre-season game @ 7 hours total in the “exotic mysterious land of Kanata”.... To caption a clip of President Obama signing the official guest book, Stewart asks, “are you a country or a B & B?” (1) ===> Do we even qualify as a B & B as the president jetted back home for supper and a good night's sleep? The big man's visit to chilly Ottawa even warranted an article in the British media: "“In Canada, the visit was a hoopla of devotion....thousands of people...waited to catch a fleeting glimpse of the US president....The media fawned too." (2) Canadian comedian Rick Mercer spoofed it all in a delightfully funny clip: 24 hour coverage of a six hour event; and Obama touched it.

So, underneath the hoopla what was that visit all about? The answers are to be found in the US press briefing given by Obama's chief of staff as our American guests headed home. (3) This was billed as a business meeting and President Obama arrived fully briefed on Canada and Canadian affairs. Not mentioned by the Canadian media was that he brought with him his key Cabinet appointees to discuss energy, the environment, and security (Afghanistan/ border issues). Approximately three hours of the seven hour visit were allocated to high level talks. These talks were followed by a news conference to announce the results of the talks i.e. a bilateral clean energy dialogue and a commitment to share knowledge re carbon capture and storage technology. Total investment in the technology? US$ 3.5 billion to match Cdn $3.5 bn with federal $1.5 billion in stimulus package and Alberta $2 billion investment. The US amount is paltry considering that the total US stimulus package of ca $781 billion dollars had been approved the day before Obama arrived in Canada.

Another 1.5 hours were allocated by Obama to getting to know this country's key political players in the form of tete a tetes (face to face meetings that are totally private without either media or notetakers present). Per Harper scheduling, Obama was to be allowed a ten minute meeting with Canada's Governor General, a 15 minute meeting with the Official Leader of the Opposition, and 30 minutes with Canada's Prime Minister.

Unfortunately for our "master strategist" things didn't quite work out that way. Mme Jean, herself a seasoned journalist, chose to invite the media to be present at the airport and so charmed Obama with her insight and knowledge that Obama lingered with her for approximately 30 minutes and invited Canada's Head of State to Washington for further discussions. Michael Ignatieff took his demands to the national media that he be given 30 minutes face time with the American president as Harper as former Opposition leader had been during a previous presidential visit. Obama appeared fully briefed as of his volition, he granted almost equal time to our feuding federal representatives. Why would he do that? in a visit so tightly choreographed? Ah yes, even as the president-elect was busily working on his stimulus package prior to His inauguration, our very own Prime Minister had shut down Parliament during an unfolding global economic crisis. It certainly make sense to scope out the three key players who could bring about the next federal election or change of government, would it not? Compare the following notes of the US briefing document:

  1. A careful reading of the press briefing document reveals Obama's purpose was to coordinate their [i.e. Obama/Harper] strategy/get a common view/ common approach/working together
    with high-level engagement/ a common strategy to prepare for upcoming 2009 international meetings******:  i. G20 meeting in London: reregulation of the financial industry;
    ii. NATO summit: focus especially on the civilian side of the Afghanistan situation;
    iii. G8 meet: economic issues;
    iv. Summit of the Americas: the clean energy cooperation;
    v. Copenhagen: energy policy, climate. (3)
  2. Harper, who had invited Obama to visit, had a different purpose according to Obama's chief of staff: "the Canadians, their people said, you know, we want to focus on the oil shales[sic.**] (how to make the extraction and use of the oil shales more climate-friendly, investing in carbon sequestration) but, in fact, Canada was making a major investment in expanding hydro... but [Harper's concern] was expanding nuclear power and how you could get public acceptance : the fact that we have a common electric grid in the United States." (3)
  3. The US media also learned that " the real preoccupations for Prime Minister Harper now, what were the big issues on his mind, and he said, it’s the economy, the economy, the economy that’s really 90 percent of what was taking up his time." (3)
  4. Not mentioned in this briefing but per other sources: Marching orders? *** "Canadian officials told European diplomats that a total of five Harper cabinet ministers will travel to the United States in the coming weeks to meet their counterparts." (8)
  5. "President Obama told (Jean)**** that he'd like to talk further with her on this issue, that he wants to return to Canada with his family, and that he would love to see her in Washington as well...The
    Harper government spokesperson told reporters Thursday that Obama had not invited Harper to
    Washington at this time and their next meeting would be the international G20 and NATO meetings
    in April in Europe." (10)
  6. “Displaying such an astonishingly polished understanding of Canadian files” & “Obama displayed not
    only his customary elan but showed....a knowledge of bilateral ties and facts that made it appear he
    had been dealing with Canada for decades.” (11)
  7. Obama stopped at a French bakery for cookies, a souvenir shop where he picked up a key chain
    with a moose on it for his daughter and a scarf for his wife, and then the Beaver Tails Hut where
    17-year-old Jessica Milien works....BeaverTails Canada Inc. founder and co-owner Grant Hooker had
    invented a custom-made Beaver Tail, called the Obama Tail, which was served at the Canadian
    Embassy during the Obama inauguration back in January. So that's what was served to the man
    himself: an Obama Tail, a tail-shaped deep-fried pastry, coated with cinnamon and sugar and
    topped with maple-flavoured eyes and drizzled with a Nutella "O" for "Obama." Hooker says he had
    sent out an invitation to the president to come in and try it but he never dreamed Obama would do
    it. (13) (14) Was this an impulse visit or a very carefully orchestrated photo opp by a highly skilled politician?***** Shopping trip /OTR =off the record movements: as seen by staff of adjacent advertising firm: first to arrive were 6 Ottawa police cars, followed by black SUV’s with helicopters overhead & then three city buses drop off couple hundred OPP. (15)
  8. “Canadians are talking about the environment. Just not to each other. ...the clamour to win over
    Obama by both Conservatives and environmentalists shows Canadians are talking past each other.
    We did precisely that during the last election campaign when the Liberals’ Green Shift– an attempt
    to discourage carbon emissions by taxing them–fell into an electoral black hole, tarred by political
    rivals and trounced by voters. Back then, Conservatives lampooned proposals to put a price on
    carbon. Now, they are only too eager to negotiate a “cap-and-trade’ system for emission that
    would ultimately make polluters pay–because the Americans are moving in that direction.” (9)
  9. “The thousands who braved the cold for hours on Parliament Hill weren’t there to show their
    support for deeper Canada-U. S. integration–the agenda of our financial elite. They were there
    because Obama’s message is the first sign of a possible breakthrough in dealing with the world’s
    two foremost crises, the global economic meltdown and climate change, both products of the
    unregulated capitalism of recent years.....[Obama’s insistence on putting climate change on the
    agenda has the support of Canadians, even though it risks slowing down oil sands development and
    reducing revenues here in Canada.....NAFTA isn’t just about trade. It’s about enhancing corporate
    rights, often at the expense of workers and communities, which is why it’s always been more
    precious to corporate interests than the public. Obama has talked about strengthening labour and
    environmental protection in NAFTA and even ending the right of foreign companies to sue
    governments for taking regulatory actions that protect citizens but interfere with corporate profits in
    the process.” (6)
  10. “Potential strains in relations between US and Canada were exposed today when Barack Obama
    ...hinted at renegotiation of NAFTA...Obama told reporters...he wanted to begin talks on adding
    provisions...relating to workers and to the environment. My hope is...that there’s a way of doing this
    that is not disruptive to the extraordinary important trade relationship that exists between the two
    countries...But Canada continues to champion free trade and has warned that any attempt to
    renegotiate part of the deal could see the whole thing unravel....[but added]..,” Now is a time when
    we have to be very careful about any signals of protectionism” ...and [promised] that the US will
    meet its international trade obligations.” (7) cf also this report: "Can I ask you about NAFTA? The President said — reiterated that he believes that you would need to reincorporate — incorporate the labour and environmental side agreements into the main body to make it enforceable. Prime Minister Harper said that he did not want to do anything that would simply unravel what would be a delicate agreement." (12)

Notes: *"the big man" is becoming a favourite phrase to describe Obama and was first uttered by someone in a US congressional gallery who excitedly announced, "the big man is coming here."

**note: Harper's concern is with the Alberta oil /tar sands; that the US spokesperson spoke of oil shales is very revealing as oil found in shale deposits is located not in Alberta but in British Columbia. For confirmation, RR read speech by CEO of major oil company who makes this distinction: "A comprehensive energy policy should also encourage development of nontraditional fossil fuels, such as oil sands, oil shale and natural gas hydrates. These sources are abundant and are located within our borders or nearby. For example, Canada’s oil sands are one of the world’s largest hydrocarbon deposits. They hold more than eight times current U. S. reserves.....The U. S. is the logical market for this oil. It already flows to refineries
in the Midwest for processing. It creates domestic jobs, generates income and tax revenue, and increases regional fuel supplies.” (4) Also escaping Canadian media coverage of what transpired in this historic visit was Obama's pledge to discuss Alaska's proposed natural gas pipeline during this visit. Full article is available at the guardian.co.uk website (5)

***the phrase "marching orders" appeared in one news article and then quickly disappeared; in the first version of the report RR read, one federal cabinet minister bound for Washington was quoted as saying they had received their "marching orders" to go to Washington; who issued them? Harper or Obama? although RR reviewed all articles she read that day she could not relocate the reference & can conclude it must have been promptly excised from the news story lest other readers wonder the same thing. Happens frequently with online postings: now you see it, and now you don't;

****Note the timing of this OTR visit i.e. upon completion of the official agenda as it had been prepared by the Prime Minister; with the official visit over, Obama was free to go home and chose not to share the stage with Canada's Prime Minister. One reporter noted: “Image is everything for Harper. Who else has his own hairdresser, Michelle Muntean, paid out of public funds ,.....[to make] sure very hair on his head is in place for that special ‘helmet-head’ look he wants. Obama wears his hair so short he doesn’t need a comb, never mind a hairdresser.” (16)

*****Governor General Michaelle Jean: Journalists must be wary of the dangers inherent in treating
journalism as a commodity, where sales figures and deadline pressures erode the quality of
reporting: "As though the name of the game were to entertain at all costs--which is, after all, where
the money is -- and to think as little as possible. The unfortunate conclusion is that thinking is too
demanding while entertaining is far more profitable."

****** At the same time as President Obama was seeking Canadian co-operation in the upcoming international talks, second in command Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in China to charm the Chinese and to secure the trillions of dollars the United States of America will have to borrow from the Chinese to finance the massive stimulus package that will get the global economy moving again. Lost in the petty, provincial politics in the Kanata B& B is the awareness that North America must speak with a united voice to persuade India & China to sign on to a global climate change pact.

Sources: (1)Jon Stewart Daily Show 24 Feb 09 Link here: http://www.thedailyshow.com/ = link takes you to Comedy Central where previous shows can be watched in their entirety (2)Colin Horgan, Heads in the tar sands, Guardian co. uk 20 February 2009; (3) Paul Wells provided a transcript on his blog here: http://blog.macleans.ca/2009/02/20/what-happened-yesterday/#more-37584;

(4) James J. Mulva, CEO ConocoPhilips, Securing Our nation’s Energy Future, speech to National
Press Club Washington D. C. 13 January 2009; (5) "Obama will discuss proposed Alaskan gas pipeline with Canadian leaders, McClatchy newspapers guardian.co. uk, 12 February 2009; (6)Linda McQuaig, President needs to stiffen spine, Toronto Star 24 February 2009; (7)Ewen MacAskill, Obama raises Nafta renegotiation during first official visit to Canada, The Guardian 19 February 2009; (8)CAMPBELL CLARK ‘Starting fresh,' Harper, ministers off to U.S. after Obama visit, Globe and Mail February 20, 2009; (9)Saddling Obama with carbon talk, editorial The Star 15 February 2009 posted to
www.carbonoffsetsdaily.com/canada
(10)Tonda MacCharles, Obama invites Michaëlle Jean to Washington, Toronto Star Feb 21, 2009; (11) Jeffrey Simpson, Obama’s elan and trumped up ‘clean energy dialogue’ ‘, Globe and Mail 20
February 2008; (12) http://blog.macleans.ca/2009/02/20/what-happened-yesterday/#more-37584; (13)Ottawa shop workers stunned by Obama stop, CTV Feb. 20 2009; (14) Full press release here:
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2009/16/c8881.html
(15) Bruce Cheadle, Obama’s shopping trip anything but impromptu, Canadian Press 20 February
2009; (16) Richard Cleroux, Obama and Harper–Very different men, Seaway News 21 February 2009;

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# posted by ramblingrose @ 11:03 AM 2 Comments Links to this post
 

text and subtext

Today's photo: summertime chess, City Hall Kitchener ON
"You see these two guys here? If you asked them, they would probably tell you they are my friends.
But they are not. In politics, there is no room for friendship." –Jean Chretien


Gentle reader, in the tradition^ of http://www.bagnewsnotes.com/, Rambling Rose is deconstructing the joint Obama-Harper Ottawa 19 February press conference. CBC has archived the complete press conference; complete transcript of the news conference has also been made available by the Toronto Star.
Rambling Rose watched the press conference as it was being transmitted from Ottawa by CTV on 19 February 2009 & then rewatched it via the CBC news archive. 'Twas an interesting exercise as the video feeds supplement text (always only 7% of the communication process) with cues as to body language and behaviours that serve as subtext. The CTV version elicited a response that Obama appeared very much to be Mr. Cool and very much the professor watching to ensure his protege stuck to the message that had been agreed upon. The CBC version added another dimension in that Mr. Harper's body language (frequently with averted head while listening and frequent sips of water) suggested that what had transpired had been very much a top dog asserting his turf. RR has seen the same type of behaviours when her cats have completed a struggle for turf.

Herewith, a shortened version of the press conference which runs ca 60 minutes total time:


  1. 11:16 minutes Question by U S A reporter: Mr. Prime Minister...are you reconsidering the 2011 deadline for troop withdrawal, and are you also thinking about increasing economic aid to Afghanistan? Obama (as Harper listens with head down)......I should mention, just to preempt, or to anticipate Prime Minister Harper’s–the question directed at him....I certainly did not press the Prime Minister.... All I did was to compliment Canada.....and we just wanted to make sure that we were saying thank you." * Harper....”I am strongly of the view....that we are not....going to establish peace and security in Afghanistan....” (Harper drinks water)
  2. 15:00 minutes Question by Canadian Press reporter: “With regard to the environment....how can you reconcile your approaches when they seem so different, especially considering the fact that Canada refuses to have hard caps, in part because of the oil sands?” Harper replies with Obama keeping steady gaze on him: “What we have agreed to today is....the development of clean energy technology......our document on this clean energy dialogue talks about things we can do together to improve the electricity grid in North America......independent of any American regulatory approach, on climate change....You say we have intensity, they have absolute–but the truth is these are just two different ways of measuring the same thing..... (Harper drinks water again @ 20:32 min into interview) Obama: We are very grateful for the relationship that we have with Canada, Canada being our largest energy supplier. But I think increasingly we have to take into account that the issue of climate change and greenhouse gases is something that’s going to have an impact
    on all of us. (Harper drinks more water).... [Obama talks about oil sands in Canada, coal in
    US]...Right now the technologies are at least not cost-effective.... (Harper drinks more
    water @ 22:51 min into interview)....I think the more that we can coordinate in–with
    Canada, as well as Mexico, a country that has already shown interest in leadership on this
    issue– and when I spoke to President Calderon**, he indicated that this is an area of interest
    to him..the more that, within this hemisphere, we can show leadership, I think the more
    likely it is that we can draw in countries like China and India, whose participation is
    absolutely critical....
  3. Ca 26:01 minutes Question US reporter re reopening NAFTA: “....but your aides said that you would be trying to convince our friends in Canada and Mexico of the rightness of your position....”Obama: I think it is important, whether we’re talking about our relationships with Canada or our relationships with Mexico, that all countries concerned are thinking about how workers are being treated and all countries concerned are thinking about environmental issues....”Harper (as Obama looks down): “we’re perfectly willing to look at ways we can –we can
    address some of these concerns.....without....opening the whole NAFTA.... We know as a small economy we can’t recover without recovery in the United States and recovery around the world.... (Harper drinks water @ 32.45)
  4. Ca 32:45 minutes Question Canadian Press: “ Did you discuss the possibility of Canada stepping up its stimulus plans? Canada-US relationship? Border thicker or thinner? Carbon market? Obama: “You stuffed about six questions in there.... I”ll answer your last question first (note which question Obama considers last and which he avoids as he does not intend to preempt his address to joint session of US Senate & Congress): “The US-Canadian relationship will be even stronger....I love this country and think we could not have a better friend and ally.... “I think we have taken right approach to not only get the economy moving again and to fill domestic demand as well as global demand, but also I think Prime Minister Harper is taking the same approach” (Harper is listening with his head down) Harper: Canada’s economic stimulus package is very large. It’s certainly larger than the kind of numbers the IMF was talking about in the fall with the provincial action that we will bring in to our stimulus spending–still be close to 2% of GDP for this year....” & [Harper then launches into border security***......to conclude “and as we all know, one of President Obama’s big missions is to continue world leadership by the United States of America, but in a way that is more collaborative. And I’m convinced that by working with our country, he will have no greater opportunity than to demonstrate exactly how that model can operate over the next four years.”

Notes: *“Obama’s intervention to the effect that he did not ‘press’ Harper to extend Canada’s troop
commitment. If he truly didn’t want something from us, he wouldn’t make such a show of saying
that he didn’t. Harper, for his part ducked the question when it was put to him.” (1)

**“There are signs that Obama’s kindred climate change spirit lies not in Canada, but south of the [U
S ] border....Sources say that Calderon plans to announce a climate change strategy in the nest few
weeks that calls for a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2025, targeting in particular
the country’s petroleum and electricity industries.... Obama [said that Mexico]...could serve as a
template for actions taken in Canada and the US: ‘Mexico actually has taken some of the boldest
steps around the issues of alternative energy and carbon reductions of any country out there.” (3) (4)
Note also: “Canada and Mexico are the United States’ top two suppliers of imported energy, giving them both an interest in Mr. Obama’s plans for energy and environmental measures.” (5)

**“Stephen Harper was handed a huge political advantage by the statements and actions of his celebrated guest. At every ...major issue, Harper was shielded and supported by the new president.” (2)

***“The most obvious omission....was the Arctic. No area is of more strategic interest to Canada, and
indeed the United States. As the ice melts it becomes an arena of potential dispute over trade,
resources, transportation, environmental protection, and the rights of indigenous people. Before
leaving office, former President Bush issued a directive challenging the efforts by Prime minister
Harper to stake our Canadian interests and eschewing collaborative efforts. This should have been
a topic of prime interest, with a request to President Obama to rescind the directive and an
agreement to work together to strengthen the Arctic Council as the only multilateral body that can
represent all the interests of circumpolar governments and people.....In the discussion on joint
border infrastructure, one of the most promising options would be to link the Arctic waters through
Churchill to a mid-continental corridor that would greatly enhance trade advantages for all three
North American countries.”–Lloyd Axworthy, former Liberal foreign affairs minister (6) ===> hence, the non-news story about Russian violation of Canadian airspace a week ago? apparently a non-issue and blown up out of proportion by the current government???

^ For insight into Barack and Michelle Obama's use of the media, RR suggests reading The Bag News Notes blog, Michelle at Arlington: "The Obama's are brilliant at blending messages and agendas to symbolically arm and disarm at the same time. With the President pursuing a multi-pronged agenda, the top photo -- of Michelle posing with two one-hundred-year-old war veterans -- seems to embrace a cross-section of issues, including: support for the troops, veterans affairs, health care and women's rights. Of course, with Bush having largely avoiding the reality of war fatalities, the fact Mrs. Obama ventured to Arlington, especially early on, is significant in itself....continued at this link
Sources: (1)Andrew Coyne, When Barry met Steve, 19 February 2009 blog
www.blog.macleans.ca/2009/02/19/when-barry-met-steve/
(2) Obama deflected the hard questions, editorial The Record 21 February 2009; (3)CBC interview with Peter Mansbridge at this link:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/02/18/f-obamainterview-video.html
(4)Allan Woods, Mexico could be template for Canada, Obama suggests, The Star 26 February
2009; (5) No mariachis, please: Some Canadians think they are more important than Mexicans, from The
Economist print edition 12 February 2009; (6)He was here–now what? Globe and Mail discussion 20 February 2009

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# posted by ramblingrose @ 11:03 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

28 February 2009

 

the price of skin*

Star reporter Allan Woods writes: “Harper says...the pace of change in Washington could leave him struggling to catch his breath....The Conservatives have pledged to keep pace with Washington both to do what is politically popular and stay competitive economically, but signs have emerged that Harper's team has not completely changed its stripes. Asked this week about threat in the US to ban oil imports from
Alberta [i.e. California], Harper insisted Canadian taps would continue to slake the US thirst, regardless of political rhetoric." (1)

Herewith, gentle reader, a brief summary of what our Prime Minister told American listeners this week in Washington. Lawrence Kudlow, a former Reagan economic advisor & now host of CNBC Kudlow Report introduces our Prime Minister with the following : “Mr. Harper is a trained economist and quite an impressive statesman. Our northern neighbours are lucky to have him at the helm.” Rather flattering, is it not? Here are the key questions and this nation's chief spinmeister's** responses:

  1. Kudlow: “Given the fact that Canadian banks have had quite a good performance–what advice would you give the United States from your perch?”
    1. Harper: “The truth of the matter is the president’s administration is going to look at a lot of policies, I know a lot of policies you don’t like, because a lot of them do have very serious long-run dangers..... When we lowered our tax burdens– and we did this in our first stimulus package over a year ago– we did that knowing we could lower our tax burdens while keeping our structural budget surplus in the long term. We could afford those tax cuts without going into deficit, immediately or in the long term. We’ve now done a second stimulus that is spending....we’ll come out of it and go into surplus.”
  2. Kudlow: “The Obama administration...are against the Canadian oil sands because of the carbon emissions issue....How is this going to be resolved?"
    1. Harper: “Regardless of what any legislature does, the United States will be importing this oil. Because there is absolutely no doubt if you look at the supply and demand pattern into the future, the US is going to need Canadian oil. It is the one secure, growing, market-base source of energy that the United States has. So there will be no choice but to import oil sands...."
    2. Kudlow pushes for greater clarification:  “Did you talk to President Obama about that?”
      1. Harper: “We’re prepared to reduce the carbon footprint of the oil sands....but President Obama also talked about coal-fired electricity in the United States..... emissions are 40X the oil sands.”
    3. Kudlow restates his initial question: "You don’t think that flow will be stopped because of the environmental, climate change considerations?”
      1. Harper: “I think that policy–any policy like that–is completely unrealistic....There should be no illusion that economic reality will hit those environmental policies pretty hard when one goes to implement them.”
  3. Kudlow compares income tax rates: "The top federal personal tax rate in Canada, if I have this right, is 29 percent. Ours is 35. Mr. Obama says he’s going to push it up to 40, back pre-Bush. Is that true, 29 percent?"
    1. Harper:  "Well in fairness it’s 29 percent, but there is a provincial tax put on top of that...I think our combined income tax rate is still higher than yours....At the highest, they’re about half, my recollection is about half of what the federal would be. On top of that they kick in at a much lower level of income. Ours kick in at about $130,000....We’re bringing the corporate rate down. Our corporate tax rates will be the lowest in the G7 in the few years....down to 18 and a half, or 18....It’ll be at 15 percent in 2012. So we’ll have the lowest in the G7."
    2. Moving to close this interview, Ludlow asks re General Motors rescue: “How much money will you and the taxpayers of Canada be prepared to give?”
      1. Harper:  “We’re going to watch what’s being done in the United States... We came to the conclusion that if we don’t put our 20 percent skin in the game*, we’re going to end up with an industry that’s restructured out of Canada entirely.”
        1. Kudlow: “You’re kind of stuck, you’re kind of stuck.”
        2. Harper: “I think if we’re not in the game the industry will be restructured out of Canada..... important industry to Canada...close to 10% of GDP depends on our industry. A huge percentage in the province of Ontario, our industrial heartland.” (2)
Per Linda McQuaig: " Just as Harper backed Bush's effort to block global progress on climate change, this time he helped Bush stymie European-led efforts at the G20 summit in Washington to restore regulations
to international financial markets. It was the rollback of these regulations that allowed Wall Street to transform itself into a giant casino where tycoons made billions playing fast and loose with the life savings of ordinary citizens.....[the Harper] government had started to push Canada down the dangerous road toward looser financial regulation. In its first budget in 2006, the Harper government changed the rules in ways that effectively opened up the Canadian mortgage market to U.S. insurers. Finance Minister Jim Flaherty noted that these "new players" would bring "greater choice and innovation" to the Canadian mortgage market. Unfortunately, they did just that. They introduced risky products – like mortgages amortized over 40 years with little or no down-payments.*** The new mortgages quickly caught on. With their lower monthly payments, they made houses seem more affordable. In reality, however, they dramatically increased the cost of a home, roughly tripling it. ....At the World Trade Organization negotiations in 2006, Canada played a leading role in pushing developing nations to accept rules that would allow their domestic banks and insurance companies to be taken over by foreign financial institutions – like the ones that have been collapsing on Wall Street recently." (3)

Thus, the price of skin is determined by the US--Canadians need only wait for Washington to announce the amount & then take 20% and add it on to the Canadian taxpayer's burden; do note that Harper fully intends cutting the corporate tax rate further & thus the Canadian taxpayer will be carrying the deficit burden and associated interest costs far into the future. In his address this week, Obama declared: "I work for the American taxpayer." For whom, does our Prime Minister work? Equally infuriating is that these details are being released via the American media and not per Canadian custom in the House of Commons. It must be nice for Harper to be able to escape that quaint Canadian ritual that requires the Prime Minister to answer questions from our elected representatives in the House.

Do note how skilfully this US reporter played the "trained economist and impressive statesman." By the end of the interview, Harper has been toppled from his "perch" into the quagmire that he finds himself in and he is very stuck indeed. Note Kudlow drives the point home by repetition: 1) “You’re kind of stuck, =the promised surplus has been transformed into huge deficits: 2) you’re kind of stuck.” = Harper will need to do something for Ontario after all as just before Christmas, Ontario acquired another 18 seats in the house & Premier McGuinty will drive a hard bargain.

The Economist, who tagged former Prime Minister Paul Martin as "Mr. Dithers," offers up the following opinions:

Notes: *to put skin in the game idiom. To take an active interest in a company or undertaking by making a significant investment or financial commitment; **spin journalism (SPIN jur.nuh.liz.um) n. News stories or facts presented in a biased or slanted way in an attempt to influence public opinion.==> “Now all too often the point of journalism seems to be more about wielding power to directly influence public opinion and therefore to indirectly influence public policy. That's spin journalism.”; *** one of our banks, CIBC is carrying losses from such mortages; RR just received notice of +!% rate increase on one of her loans.

Sources: (1)Allan Woods, Tories in sprint to match Obama on climate change, The Star 26 February 2009: (2) An Interview with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Kudlow’s Money Politics blog posted
24 February 2009; (3) Linda McQuaig, Bush's willing accomplice, Toronto Star November 18, 2008; (4)Joining the stimulating party, The Economist 29 January 2009

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# posted by ramblingrose @ 1:23 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

25 February 2009

 

the green economy


Ontario Green Energy Act 2009: (1) $5 billion investment to improve electricity transmission and distribution grid; modernize so homeowners can put solar panels on rooftops and sell excess power back into system; low interest loans to pay for solar, thermal, ground source heat pumps, micro-wind energy systems (2) note provisions in act to require Ontario-made content in green energy projects such as steel in wind turbines (3) massive investment in renewable energy production and conservation. Those measures include streamlining lengthy approval processes and offering a generous, fixed price (which has yet to be set) for all wind, solar, hydro, biomass, biogas and landfill gas projects. Mr. Smitherman said that provision, known as a feed-in-tariff, would put Ontario on the level of "global green power leaders like Denmark, Germany and Spain."
===> $5 bn from Ontario taxpayers cf. Obama's #15 bn by US taxpayers nationwide = a remarkable commitment by the Ontario government!

Sources combined: (1) Rob Ferguson, Home sellers face $300 green audit, Toronto Star 24 Feb 2009; (2)Lee Greenberg, Mandatory home energy audits planned, National Post February 24, 2009.

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# posted by ramblingrose @ 6:13 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

23 February 2009

 

obama monopoly? yes oui CANada***












For starters, gentle reader, two photos to represent two addresses in the 21st century version of Monopoly being introduced by U S president Barack Obama. On the left, is Rambling Rose's beloved aspen forest in the James Bay Lowlands; on the right, a photo of the former Uniroyal tire plant-- still sitting empty on Strange Street, Kitchener. The plant is located conveniently beside the train tracks connecting Kitchener west to Sarnia and/or Windsor & east to Toronto. Do remember Monopoly requires strategic acquisitions of either railroads or utilities? Where on the Obama monopoly board would you place these two properties?

[In Thursday’s budget] "Mr. Obama will propose what he's always promised: emissions caps for
greenhouse-gas emissions that cause global warming. He will create a market for permits to be purchased from the government, then traded among emitters. These permits might bring the U.S. government $300-billion in a decade or so... [whereas the] Harper approach has been that companies will have to reduce the intensity of their energy use and emissions and, if not, pay into a technology fund that might some day come up with ways of lowering emissions. ===>A cap-and-trade system is coming in the U.S. with hard limits. Canada is going to try to join that system." (1)

President Obama indicated as much in last night's speech to Congress: “But to truly transform our economy, protect our security, and save our planet from the ravages of climate change, we need to ultimately make clean, renewable energy the profitable kind of energy. So I ask this Congress to send me legislation that places a market-based cap on carbon pollution and drives the production of more renewable energy in America. And to support that innovation, we will invest fifteen billion dollars a year to develop technologies like wind power and solar power; advanced biofuels, clean coal, and more fuel-efficient cars and trucks built right here in America. (2)

In the same speech, Obama emphasized how far the United States has fallen behind: “We know the country that harnesses the power of clean, renewable energy will lead the 21st century, And yet, it is China that has launched the largest effort in history to make their economy energy efficient. We invent solar technology, but we’ve fallen behind countries like Germany and Japan in producing it. New plug-in hybrids roll off our assembly lines, but they will run on batteries made in Korea." (2)

Others have already been preparing for the carbon sequestration market:

  1. July 15, 2008: the Chinese government published its own standards to regulate the selling of carbon credits from forests; already the Chinese are selling carbon credits from the seeding of new forests, for example, a 13-hectare grove stand of smoketrees, Chinese pine, maidenhair and Shantung maple to determine how much carbon can be sequestered by individual tree species. On average, every telephone pole-sized cubic metre of wood will wrest 1.83 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Thus, the planting of 12,000 hectares a year would generate $6.8-billion in carbon
    credits, at a price of US$20 per ton of sequestered carbon*. The PetroChina Company, Limited, the largest producer of oil on the Chinese mainland, invested $54-million in forestry projects in 2007, two-thirds of which is being used to pioneer a new green carbon fund administered by the State Forestry Administration and various provincial forest authorities. (3)
  2. In October 2008, the UK Office of Climate Change published the Eliasch Review, a landmark report
    that examined the role trees can play in diminishing greenhouse gas emissions. Deforestation
    produces 17% of the world’s carbon emissions, equal to the output of the entire United States.
    Saving and planting forests is much cheaper than, for example, sequestering emissions from a coal
    power plant - so much so that Eliasch concluded that “the cost of halving global carbon emissions
    from 1990 levels could be reduced by up to 50 per cent in 2030 and up to 40 per cent in 2050 if the
    forest sector is included in a global trading system.” (3)
  3. In October 2008, the UK Office of Climate Change published the Eliasch Review, a landmark report
    that examined the role trees can play in diminishing greenhouse gas emissions. Deforestation
    produces 17% of the world’s carbon emissions, equal to the output of the entire United States.
    Saving and planting forests is much cheaper than, for example, sequestering emissions from a coal
    power plant - so much so that Eliasch concluded that “the cost of halving global carbon emissions
    from 1990 levels could be reduced by up to 50 per cent in 2030 and up to 40 per cent in 2050 if the
    forest sector is included in a global trading system.” (3)
  4. Australia conducted its first forest-based carbon trade more than a decade ago; in the U.S.,
    cap-and-trade bills introduced in both halls of Congress make allowances for the use of forestry
    carbon credits. (3)
  5. The Western Climate Initiative ( Arizona, California, Oregon, Montana, New Mexico, Utah,
    Washington, B.C., Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec) have agreed to cut the region's carbon emissions
    by 15 per cent below 2005 levels by 2020. How?
    i. a cap-and-trade system that requires utilities and other companies to meet tough emission standards. Businesses that cannot cut their emissions because of costs or technical hurdles will be allowed to buy emission credits from companies that have spent the money to lower their emissions or are reducing greenhouse gases in other ways.
    ii. Most large industrial polluters, automakers and coal-based utilities are scrambling to find companies to sell them offset credits. (4)
  6. Marriott International, global hotel chain @ 3,000 properties, partnered with Conservation
    International to calculate its carbon footprint and launch an aggressive worldwide campaign to
    lessen its impact. ...Each year it uses 2.9 million tonnes of CO2, or 30 kilograms per available room. To offset this, Marriott is spending millions of dollars over a long term to protect 566,000 hectares of endangered rainforests in the Juma Sustainable Development Reserve in partnership with the
    state of Amazonas in Brazil. (4)
North of the border, the federal government is working through the current budget that allows only for a a paltry investment in carbon sequestration (Feds @ $1billion, Alberta @ $2 billion, and US @ $4 bn ** per this report: "On Thursday, Mr. Obama agreed only to a more limited "clean energy dialogue" on technology like carbon capture and storage." (5)

A dialogue???? and long term investments when the planet is burning?????

Cf. this comment: "Many countries, including the U.S., are making the same investments. Studies make it clear that large-scale sequestration projects are long-term, technically demanding bets. Even if some
commercial sequestration arrives within a decade, Alberta's tar sands emissions will keep growing,
as its recent document admitted. The government believes sequestration might capture five million
tonnes of carbon by 2015 (wishful thinking); from 1990 to 2006, Alberta's total emissions rose by 62
million tonnes....The Harper government has told the world that Canada will reduce emissions by 20
per cent by 2020 from 2006 levels. This cannot be done if Alberta's emissions rise by 20 per cent in
that time frame, as the province's policy allows." (6)

“We need a government that will institute a moratorium on the tar sands, pass tough regulations to
slash greenhouse-gas emissions and direct new public expenditures to wind farms, solar panels,
public transit, retrofitting homes, apartment buildings, office buildings, schools and hospitals. Green
public-stimulus expenditure generates the most jobs, as well as being among the most effective way
to help stopping global warming....We need to rearrange our cities and our economy to allow us tostop pouring carbon into the atmosphere, so that the climate ecosystem can be healed. Addressing
the environment as if it really matters means transforming everything we produce and how we
produce it. Rather than closing facilities that are part of this economy’s problem of excess capacity,
why can’t they be converted to produce the new or modified products an environmentally conscious
economy will need?” (7)

Back to the photos again: the factory that once produced rubber tires could switch over to manufacturing wind turbines and solar panels as currently all the turbines that you see locally have been manufactured in Germany; the carbon footprint thereby created could be managed by using the aspen forest in the Great Muskeg as an offset to be purchased in the sequestration market. For transporting the manufactured products, compare the carbon footprint left by trains versus other forms of transportation at the Bombardier website: "the climate is right for trains"
In this new world order, RR's aspen forest in the swampland (two carbon sinks) have moved from the frontier to the prestigious Park Avenue location on Obama's Monopoly board!

Just released: "WASHINGTON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama’s budget accounts for revenues from an emissions trading system in 2012 ( ====> how is this so different from the revenue-neutral carbon tax proposal by Stephane Dion's green shift? and why does the national media continue to castigate the "hapless" Dion? Was so hapless after all? ), White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said on Tuesday. “That’s true,” Gibbs said when asked whether a cap and trade system for carbon dioxide (CO2) would be in place in time for revenues to be generated by 2012.

Notes: *Most voluntary credits - those purchased outside of cap-and-trade systems, often for reasons of
social responsibility - currently trade for around US$5 per ton. The 2007 global trade in voluntary
carbon offsets totalled just US$330-million; ** cf. Obama at press conference: dirty coal and dirty oil as sources of energy?? ***slogans on placards to welcome President Obama to Canada prepared by a Canadian coalition who had gone south to campaign for Obama's election.


Sources: (1)Jeffrey Simpson, Wake up, Alberta - Obama's going for the hard cap on emissions Globe and
Mail, February 24, 2009; (2)Full text of Barack Obama’s speech to Congress delivered Tuesday 24 February 2008 available here:
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090224/obama_speech_090224/20090224/
(3) Nathan VanderKlippe, A Great Wall of carbon credits, Financial Post 08 January 2009 available
at this site: http://www.carbonoffsetsdaily.com/asia/a-great-wall-of-carbon-credits-3670.htm (4)Reese Halter, Climate initiative opens new source of long-term revenue for B.C. Special to Times Colonist, January 22, 2009; (5) CAMPBELL CLARK ‘Starting fresh,' Harper, ministers off to U.S. after Obama visit, Globe and Mail February 20, 2009: (6)Jeffrey Simpson, Wake up, Alberta - Obama's going for the hard cap on emissions Globe and Mail, February 24, 2009; (7)Tinkering While Canada Burns, Editorial Canadian Dimension magazine, January/February 2009

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# posted by ramblingrose @ 7:53 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

20 February 2009

 

crunching the numbers

Canadian officials are using the visit by the U.S. President to trot out some trivia and statistics about the Canada-U.S. relationships. among the facts and figures cited this morning: -- Canada operates 22 missions and trade offices across the United States, including the embassy in Washington, D.C.
-- The Canada-U.S. border stretches for 8,891km, the longest undefended border in the world. Each day, more than 300,000 people and 200,000 commercial trucks cross the U.S. - Canada border. The Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor is the busiest border crossing. -- With some $1.9 billion of good and services crossing the border each day, the two countries are one another's largest customers and biggest suppliers. Almost one-quarter of Canada-U.S. merchandise trade is in automobiles, trucks, and parts. Canadians buy more American goods that Mexico and Japan combined, more that the entire European Union, and four times as much as China.
-- on energy, Canada ranks sixth in the world in total energy production, seventh in global oil production, third in global gas production and second in hydro-electric generation. Alberta's oil sands are the largest single oil deposit in the world. Canada is the United States' largest supplier of energy - oil, natural gas, uranium and electricity.-- The Star blog

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# posted by ramblingrose @ 9:27 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

13 February 2009

 

the astrolabe

The above photo, gentle reader, is of an interpretative sign to be found in the village of Cobden in the Ottawa Valley. The event commemorated is of Samuel de Champlain's explorations of the Ottawa River in 1613. Champlain is shown reading his astrolabe, the tool he used to calculate location and distances throughout his explorations of the New World.

Champlain had set out on this exploration at the urging of young Nicolas de Vignau, "the most impudent liar that has been seen for a along time," who had told Champlain that the northern sea i.e. Hudson Bay could be reached via the river of the Algonquins (the Ottawa River) could be reached in seventeen days from Montreal’s Lachine Rapids. Previously Champlain had read of Henry Hudson's discovery of the Hudson Bay as part of that explorer's search for the Northwest Passage to China. Hence, this particular journey that involved two canoes, four Frenchmen, and one Indian guide. They canoed the Ottawa River until they encountered a series of treacherous rapids and their Indian guide refused to take them farther upstream. Champlain continues his story: "We made our way by land....through more difficult country than we had yet seen, on account of the wind having blown down pine trees one on top of the other, which is no small inconvenience; for one must go now over, and now under, the trees..."

En route overland, they encounter the Alqonquin Chief Nibachis who "was astonished that we had been able to pass the rapids and bad trails on the way to their country.....[said] that we must have fallen from the clouds, for he did not know how we had been able to get through, when those who live in the country had great difficulty in coming along such difficult trails..." Nibachis took Champlain to see Chief Tessouat who lived on Morrison Island on the shore of Allumette Lake/Ottawa River. Once there, Chief Tessouat with whom Vignau had stayed tells Champlain that Vignau has lied to him. when confronted by Champlain, Vignau admits to the lie....”declaring that all he [i.e. Vignau] had stated regarding this sea both in France and in this country was false, that he had never seen it, and had never been farther than Tessout’s village; and that he had related these things in order to return to Canada....later he says that he had hoped that Champlain would not undertake the journey and that upon his return to France, he would secure a reward for his discovery [i.e. of the northern sea/Hudson’s Bay].

"Having noted the poorness of the soil, I asked them [Tessout’s tribe, the Algonquins] how they could waste their time in cultivating such a poor region, seeing there was much better land which they left untilled and abandoned, as at the [Lachine Rapids]. Champlain promises military assistance against the Iroquois, takes Tessout’s son & other Indians for return trip to guide through Ottawa River rapids; they part at Chaudiere Falls (present day Ottawa). There Champlain tells us he "asked them to take with them two young men, in order to keep the Indians friendly, learn something of their country, and place them under the obligation of coming back to us.”


Source: Samuel de Champlain works vol. 2 1608-1613 translated by John Squair cf. Champlain Collection

Graphics & photos (top to bottom): interpretative plaque, Cobden ON; paper birch tree found here & used to make birchbark canoes that were swift, sturdy, light to carry and much admired by Champlain; Ottawa River with Morrison Island in the background; map showing Champlain's route: red indicates the overland route to Morrison Island, black the return trip with Indian guides to take him through the treacherous rapids; the astrolabe that Champlain lost in 1613, recovered in 1867, and now housed in the Museum of Civilization; and final graphic shows Champlain's drawing showing how to use the astrolabe to calculate latitude using the sun & so determine location and distance covered.


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# posted by ramblingrose @ 10:18 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

12 February 2009

 

prevoyance

This winter marks the 400th anniversary of the first European settlement to stay over winter in Quebec City {Kebec=the narrowing of the waters]. This initial foothold in the North American continent was founded by Sieur Samuel de Champlain 1570-1635. Champlain's life story has been retold by David Hackett Fischer, Champlain’s Dream ( Alfred Knopf Canada, 2008). According to Hackett, "Champlain was a dreamer. He was a man of vision, and like most visionaries he dreamed of many things...finding a passage to China...the colonization of New France. But all these visions were part of a larger dream that has not been studied. This war-weary soldier had a dream of humanity and peace in a world of cruelty and violence. he envisioned a new world as a place where people of different cultures could live together in amity and concord. This became his grand design for North America."

Who was this man? No formal portrait exists of him; the thumbnail sketch to the left appears on one of his maps and is assumed to have been drawn by Champlain himself. At best, he described himself as an "honest man" and left behind the record of his explorations and a short essay on leadership and the qualities required to command more than 27 explorations of discovery into uncharted lands. In this essay, Champlain stressed one prerequisite: prevoyance i.e. the ability to prepare for the unexpected in a world of danger and uncertainty; to make sound judgments on the basis of imperfect knowledge; taking a broad view & thinking for the long run.

Hackett, the historian, enumerates for us the many roles and accomplishments of this man, the founder of New France:

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# posted by ramblingrose @ 3:55 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

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