IF YOU’RE INTO ART, WITHIN TORONTO’S ‘REGENT PARK’ THERE WILL BE A NEW, NEAT PLACE TO GO.

I’ve been waiting for some time, hopefully getting A TASTE OF TORONTO’S REGENT PARK, and finally my way (or some of it anyway) is almost nearly here. I spent yesterday afternoon walking around FINE ART wherever it happened to be. I understand we were pointed toward a skillful place to enjoy – An “Art Festival” in Regent Park. And that’s what it’s becoming to be. From The Presentation Sponsor came these words – “Love Where You Live”. –  And below are several examples of what you might find – Best of Luck with that!

 

I HAVE DONE MORE TRAVELING FOR MY BLOG – “torontosavvy” – AND THERE’S NOTHING I LIKE BETTER.

Last night we stopped at a Bank and then next door went to the movies to take in “Downton Abbey – A New Era”. This showing took place in the lovely, Kingsway Movie Theatre, which shows black & white, classic reels, foreign films, docs and occasional blockbusters. This feature was a great winner. However without not too much of an audience, but we were there. Toronto’s transit system does well, and our Presto Card allowed us to take a train from Sumach St., then cross town to St. George’s. subway station, and from there an ascent to the cinema itself. No extra charge for either of us; then we had a walk back to the subway for the next train (lots of big noise); got on board; crossed town; and eventually got back home. Line #2 is quite an exciting train. It reminds me of a noisy New York City train roaring through tunnels. Toronto is building even more subway lines right now. On our list for Downtown Halifax itself there are condos and apartment rentals and one spectacular building. There’s The famous Town Clock. There’s The  Halifax Public Garden, and . . . .  . . . . .  “Friday Night Lights.” This afternoon the two of us were waiting for Seafoods from Clearwater in Halifax, to be delivered from Clearwater Seafoods and transported to us from Halifax International Airport itself. What’s available to order? – There’s Lobster, Scallops, Shrimp, Crab and . . . more quality Seafood from Salmon to Tuna, Black Cod, Halibut and all the rest.  <Below – a high-rise of Halifax Harbour>

ACTION HAS BROKEN OUT AT CTV TELEVISION NEWS – AND LISA LAFLAMME IS NOW GOING FOR HER ORDERLY “NEWS ANCHOR” STAKE.

There’s more . . .  to the story for sure. CTV News Executive, Michael Melling is going on leave. He wants to spend more time with his family. Decided on this after Lisa’s controversy made an appearance. Last week The Globe and Mail revealed that shortly after Mr. Melling took the role of CTV News Head, and asked questions about who approved “to let Lisa’s hair grow grey?”, according to a senior CTV official, present at a meeting. In a statement sent to The Globe on Friday, Mr. Melling said this was “categorically untrue.” The Globe also reported on tensions between Mr. Melling and Ms. LaFlamme over newsroom priorities, story coverage, and resources. News broke that Ms. LaFlamme was leaving the show she had helmed for more than a decade nearly two weeks ago. In the days that followed, the story spiralled into a national outrage.
Brands such as Dove and Wendy’s introduced ad campaigns in support of women going ‘grey’. In this case, Ms. LaFlamme had earned praise from women across Canada when she decided to stop dyeing her hair early in the pandemic. Mr. Melling and Ms. Moses, held a joint town hall meeting. A day later the company planned an independent third-party review. Staff raised concerns about the review. Journalists within the CTV Newsroom sent a letter to Bell Canada chief executive MirKo Bibic, Bell’s board of directors, and Wade Oosterman, president of Bell Media, expressing a lack of confidence in Mr. Melling’s leadership. He concluded “We have no confidence in Mr. Melling’s ability to lead the news division.”  In May, 2019, as general manager of CP24 and CTV News Toronto, Mr. Melling announced “Project Innovation.” Partly through this initiative, he developed a reputation internally as “The Cutter.”  Will Ms. LaFlamme return? She would be welcome

SOON WE’LL BE VISITING NOVA SCOTIA AND HEADING FOR THE CAPITOL – ALSO KNOWN AS HALIFAX, A CITY GROWING RAPIDLY AS A MULTI-CULTURAL HUB.

National flag of Nova Scotia. Vector illustration, Vector of Nova Scotia flag.

There appear to be gaps among Air-Canada travelers who want, or need to fly. Each of us have our own needs. The latest census data shows. The visible minority population in Halifax is growing at a rapid rate. Between 2011 and 2016, The Black population of Halifax grew by 10%, and the population of other visible minorities grew by a massive 42% over the same period.  My Nova Scotia family of 17 is on the way to our province’s Capitol, fairly close to Canada’s Ocean Playground.<ABOVE – Lonely Planet — The Town Clock> The City also has between 1,000 and 7,000 people with Italian, Polish, Lebanese, Chinese, African, East Indian, American, Norwegian, Spanish, Jewish, and Greek ethnicities, among others.  <ABOVE – Halifax Public Transit, Copyright, Stock Photos<><ABOVE – Halifax International Airport – – – – STANFIELD>

THERE’S THE PILOT TAVERN IN DOWNTOWN TORONTO – AND WE STILL HAVE IT!

The Pilot was born “The Pilot Grill” in 1944 at its original location 800 Yonge Street, just north of Bloor. The name of the bar was a tip of the cap to the heroic RCAF flyers of World War II. During the Yonge Street era, The Pilot was a clubhouse, meeting place and sacred temple for artists, musicians and writers. This iconic restaurant made its mark in Bloor-Yorkville for nearly 75 years with its Flight Deck rooftop, eclectic menu, and live jazz nights. Back in the day artists, writers & musicians hung out at the spot. During the Yonge Street era, The Pilot was a clubhouse, and meeting place for artists, musicians and writers.
The restaurant has been around the city streets of Toronto since it opened in 1944 at its original location on Yonge Street. It’s a catchy clever name The Pilot, and was a tribute to those who fought in World War II. After the war, it became a favourite hang-out for local artists, and the bar remained popular through Yorkville’s transition to a hippie community. It was in 1972 that the Pilot moved to its present location – 22 Cumberland Street, in the heart of Yorkville. According to legend, some of the Pilot’s regular customers carried the original bar to the new location. 
<<BELOW – a new version of The Pilot>.     In 1987, the current owners took possession of the popular spot, and have kept it true to its original charm. They introduced to the “Flight Deck”, one of the largest rooftop patios Toronto has to offer. They have also introduced the “Stealth Lounge”, a more sophisticated party space, that can be rented out for parties ranging in size from 30 to 130 people. The Stealth Lounge offers its’ own bar, complete with comfy lounge seating. The food selection is average, but the food itself is quite good. I have never personally had any problems with food or service. And for being in one of the trendiest neighbourhoods in TORONTO, it is very unpretentious.

WELCOME TO ONTARIO’S FAVOURITE SMALL TOWN – THE STORY OF PORT HOPE – IT’S A BEAUTY.

This can be a way of learning more about the town’s development, and some of its citizens, along with a number of historical buildings. The CAPITOL THEATRE – At a time when money was scarce during the Great Depression, The Capitol Theatre was one of the first buildings to use steel girders. It was one of Canada’s first movie houses for. “talking pictures”. Opening night in 1930 featured “Queen High” starring Ginger Rogers in her first musical. Today, the Capitol is a National Heritage Site, the last fully restored “atmospheric” theatre in Canada, the only one of its kind in Ontario. It resembles a medieval castle courtyard with a twilight sky and forest mural. It closed in 1987 and local citizens became responsible for restoring the theater in the 1990’s to its former glory. It’s now renowned for live productions and technical innovation, drawing tourists to town. The Capitol Theatre, 14 Queen Street, Port Hope, Ontario, Canada. THE DOWNTOWN CORE – Port Hope experienced tremendous economic growth in the 1850’s by exporting lumber, whisky and grain to the United States and Europe. Its’ wealth drove development of large blocks of downtown land. Although the storefronts are different, the upper rooms are in uniform blocks. Many have been subdivided. Fires, although tragic, have led to the restoration of original store fronts not long ago. This worked in co-operation with the ACO (Architectural Conservancy of Ontario). Thus Port Hope’s downtown continues as an example of heritage restoration of original store fronts not long ago. This worked in co-operation with the ACO (Architectural Conservancy of Ontario). Thus Port Hope’s downtown continues as an example of heritage.

TOWN HALL – 56 QUEEN STREET – Port Hope was incorporated as a town in 1834 by an act of Parliament which provided for the establishment of police and public markets. The Town Hall cornerstone was laid September 9th, 1851, and the building was completed two years later in 1853 at a cost of about $30,000 dollars. It housed council chambers, a courthouse on the upper floor, and a market square and civic centre on the ground floor. The building was completely gutted by fire in 1893 and Toronto architect Samuel George Curry, a native of Port Hope, was hired to oversee the rebuild. It was completed a year later with a higher clock tower and steeper roof. The covered market was removed. The Saturday morning farmer’s market now sets up behind Town Hall.

THE GANARASKA FOREST – WINTER AND SUMMER – The Story of Port Hope – “100,000 years ago, retreating glaciers formed the landscape of Port Hope. The first inhabitants called this vast area”the meeting place”, referring to the meeting of the River and the Lake. Later, the Hurons named the river Ganaraske, or spawning ground. Interactions between the first Europeans, mainly French fur traders in the 1680’s were sometimes cordial and sometimes hostile. The first treaties gave the First Nations exclusive rights to the North Shore of Lake Ontario, leaving most of the province untouched until after the American Revolution. Fearing the newly formed United States might try to expand northward, the British hurriedly passed the famous Gun Treaty which allowed for settlement on the north shore of Lake Ontario. The British colonization system of the time granted huge land tracks to businessmen, who in turn set up local governments loyal to the Crown. In 1792 they petitioned Governor Simcoe of the First Upper Canada Council for land grants to establish the 5th township of Hope. A year later, they brought 40 families to settle the area. Development here slowed as TORONTO became an industrial centre, the Prairie Bread Basket opened to the West. Our town continued to slowly mature, and the forests were depleted of their timber. Communities courted heavy industries. The Port Hope you see today – is a place where old buildings live contemporary lives. But so much has happened with this City.

THE MEMORIAL PARK BANDSHELL – This historic structure was built in memory of all our armed forces who fought since Confederation in 1867. It was constructed with plans purchased from the Canadian Band Masters’ Association that provided “the most up-to-date scientific principles of sound technology” which makes it a memorable stage for summer concerts, theatre, and and festivals. from the Canadian Band Masters’ Association.

“MONTREAL – MONTREAL!” – I CAN’T WAIT FOR YOUR RETURN – SOMEDAY SOON!

Our morning began in a Taxi, driving through Downtown Toronto after arriving at our home and then at 6:00 a.m inside Union Station, for departure at 6:45 a.m.And from there we were off to Montréal, Québec, on board a Canadian VIA Business Modern Train. It was a beauty, rapidly picking up speed, and free breakfasts were served to one and all.  Montréal, the city of “joie de vivre” was waiting for those on the way, along with Old Montréal; Parc Jean-Drapeau, Plateau-Mont-Royal; the famous Jacques-Cartier Bridge; Little Italy; The Gay Village; and Chinatown.

Later that day, after unloading luggage we came across a massive construction site close to Downtown. It was fascinating and we checked it out end-to-end. The non-stop noise was non-stopping. That very night we were inundated by a heavy rain storm. Being outside isn’t something to take lightly – but we took it.<ABOVE – THE MONTREAL STREET MIRROR by Ross Winter.  Others are by David Moore.>  That afternoon, in the atrium of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the cascade of water down the glass was like being under Niagara Falls.  Being outside isn’t something to take lightly. 

THE CITY OF HAMILTON, ONTARIO – SOMETHING NEW FOR ROSS AND DAVE IN JULY, 2022 – TO DO & SEE.

 

On June 17th, 2022, the City of Hamilton, Ontario surpassed $1 billion worth of construction since the beginning of the year. That marks the earliest the City has reached a billion-dollar mark in construction value. The milestone was achieving 3,761 building projects in the residential, institutional, commercial, and industrial sectors. With school out for the summer, residents can take advantage of the open municipal golf courses, or a golf tournament at King’s Forest Club and Chedoke Golf Club. Dundurn Castle along with the Hamilton Museum of Steam & Technology reopened for museum tours last week. The Cooks were excited to get back to demonstrate Victorian recipes in the Historic Kitchen. Hamilton’s Pumphouse was built in 1859 to get clean Lake water to the city. It’s received plenty of attention. Hamilton is home to The Royal Botanical Gardens, The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, The Bruce Trail, McMaster University, Mohawk College and Redeemer University. McMaster University is ranked 4th in Canada. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and it’s home to “The Hamilton Tiger Cats” The city is 58 kilometers (36 miles) southwest of Toronto in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area (GTHA).