Tag Archives: Canada

The Supreme Court of Canada

January 4, 2016 pierrev Leave a comment

(Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)

One of the fun experiences during our December getaway to Ottawa was a guided tour of the Supreme Court of Canada. As a lawyer, of course, this was the ultimate career-related tour for me. Other than a visit to the Federal Court of Appeal (housed in the same building) twenty years ago as a law student with one of my professors, I had never been to the Supreme Court.

You cannot just show up for guided Supreme Court tours but it is possible to book them online. Perhaps because of the raging and long-awaited blizzard on December 29, our tour consisted of just the two of us and our guide. I think he enjoyed providing a bit more detail than he would normally provide to non-lawyers.

A closer look at the Supreme Court of Canada – this is a colour photograph!

The building looks very severe from the outside (see snowy photo at the top of this blog – it’s also a colour photograph!), reflecting the rationality that is necessarily part of the Supreme Court’s role. Despite a huge foyer and impressive staircases, the Supreme Court courtroom is actually not that large. I have been in larger local courtrooms, although not quite as plush. Of course, the Supreme Court does not require space for jurors or witnesses: proceedings here are appeals from lower courts and do not require new testimony. The appeals are relatively technical and free from the unpredictability of live witnesses.

Main foyer of the Supreme Court of Canada - the stairs lead to the main courtroom; you can also see the formal judge's robe at the bottom left — Main foyer of the Supreme Court of Canada – the stairs lead to the main courtroom; you can also see the formal judge’s robe at the bottom left

Even in front of one judge, presenting legal arguments can be somewhat intimidating. Imagine presenting to a panel of 9 judges! I stood at the lectern and was surprised by how close the judges would be in “real life”. While some hearings are handled by “only” 5 or 7 judges, a lawyer at the Supreme Court is still trying to make very precise and subtle arguments to a lot of very brilliant minds. Their time is very valuable and you cannot waste it with irrelevancies. Not only that, but they are also able to communicate with each other during the course of the hearing. Yes, they have “chat” capability on their computers! This allows them to focus even more on the most important issues.

Inside the Supreme Court! The judges sit in the 9 chairs facing the camera; the lawyer arguing stands at the lectern near the bottom left

We also spent some time in the Federal Court of Appeal, where a panel is typically composed of three judges. This portion of the tour is a little more informal and tour participants can even be photographed on the judges’ bench wearing supplied “judge robes” (which were, in this case, identical to my own legal robes). We decided to take advantage of the opportunity!

Renegade panel of judges at the Federal Court of Appeal

You do not need to be on a guided tour to observe proceedings in the Federal Court of Appeal or the Supreme Court of Canada. It is possible to just show up and watch: even these highest levels of our court system are open to the public, subject to spectator capacity, security checks and respectful behaviour. Hearings are also streamed over the Internet. However, unlike trials with live witnesses, the Supreme Court drama lies in the intellectual challenge and the broader impacts of the decisions on society.

My next blog entry will have more on our wintry trip to Ottawa!

Posts from the road

Small Town Ontario, Part 2

November 3, 2015 pierrev Leave a comment

(Marlbank, Ontario, Canada)

On our trip to Cobourg, we took the scenic route to get home. What normally takes about 95 minutes of driving ended up taking the better part of the day. However, it was first time for us on most of the roads…and we even visited some communities that we had never seen before.

I’ve called this article “Part 2” because I wrote another post about small towns back in the spring of this year. While nearly 6 months have passed since then, I’m pleased to report that our travel philosophy appears to be more or less the same: the best parts were when we found something truly unique to the area. We ate local food, went to local stores, and didn’t set foot in a single mall.

Former municipal building (now an art gallery) in Warkworth

The drive on Highway 45 northeast from Cobourg was very scenic. It seemed like the combination of rolling hills and autumn colours got better with each turn, so we drove by a couple of conservation areas without stopping. We figured there would soon be an even better place to get out and explore in the crisp fall air. Alas, we waited too long. The terrain suddenly became more agricultural and lacked the scenic “oomph” we saw between Baltimore and Fenella. I have no pictures of this segment…only memories.

After a quick stop in Hastings, we ended up in Warkworth. To Kingstonians, this small village is known primarily as the home of another penitentiary. However, much to our surprise, it has also attracted a significant number of artists and specialty shops.

We stumbled upon a true cottage industry: a shortbread cookie bakery where we found an enthusiastic staff stuffing cookies into bags and parcels. We picked up a couple of bags for later consumption and headed towards our intended lunch destination of Campbellford. First, however, we passed a ramshackle barn in the hamlet of Meyersburg that hosted a bustling flea market. Who would have expected an Eastern European deli to be set up in there and selling their own extremely spicy pepperoni sticks?

View across the Trent-Severn Waterway in Campbellford, Ontario

Campbellford, like Hastings, is a busy village located on the Trent-Severn Waterway. We seriously underestimated the size of our meals at the Riverview Restaurant: after such a massive pulled pork sandwich for lunch, I didn’t really need to eat dinner. They offered typical diner food, with a daily special of liver and onions and old-fashioned desserts such as rice pudding and jello.

From Campbellford, we drove across sparsely settled countryside to the village of Tweed. Linked over the years to some post-1977 sightings of Elvis Presley, it seemed to shut down on this Sunday afternoon. After a brief stop, during which we neither saw nor heard anyone remotely resembling Elvis, we drove down a worryingly isolated and increasingly rough road that finally brought us to the village of Marlbank.

Marlbank was at one point a bustling place, but it was bypassed by the provincial highway system and now it appears to have been frozen in the early 20th century. Non-threatening dogs wandered the narrow streets and vehicles were few and far between. There were some riveting houses (see photo at the top of this post- it’s for sale!), however, and we did eventually come to a street lined with cars. The local tavern was holding square dancing lessons and it looked like the place was full. Maybe this was why Tweed shut down on Sunday afternoon!

As I mentioned in my previous post, we expect to return to the Cobourg area next fall. In addition to the vintage film festival and perhaps a concert, we will also have some autumn walking to do!

Posts from the road

A special evening in Cobourg

October 27, 2015 pierrev Leave a comment

(Cobourg, Ontario, Canada)

We went for a road trip this weekend and decided to stay overnight in Cobourg, Ontario…a town located almost 100 miles west of Kingston. This is just a bit too far to properly visit on a day-trip, but perhaps not far enough for a weekend trip. Beyond “it seemed like a nice place to explore, the last time we passed through”, not a lot of thought went into our choice.

We arrived to mid-afternoon rain and quickly visited the shops and indoor sights we wanted to see. We took a look at the historic Victoria Hall concert venue, located in a beautiful old stone building on Cobourg’s main street, and decided that it would be nice to attend a concert there some day.

Cobourg's Victoria Hall at night — Cobourg’s Victoria Hall at night

As the drizzly weather continued, we decided to drive on to the nearby town of Port Hope to do some more shopping and indoor sightseeing. Port Hope has a compact but attractive downtown core and we made a point of visiting its restored “golden age of cinema” Capitol Theatre.

Inside the Capitol, we discovered that Port Hope (and Cobourg) were hosting the Vintage Film Festival that very weekend. They were showing some seriously old movies, including one silent movie on Sunday morning from 1917 that would feature a live piano accompanist! We resolved to return in the morning for that unique experience, if at all possible.

Port Hope's historic Capitol Theatre — Port Hope’s historic Capitol Theatre

As we trudged on through the rain, I saw a poster for an upcoming concert: “Tribute to The Last Waltz”. I thought this would be interesting, as it featured a large band of well-known professional Canadian musicians recreating The Band’s legendary 1976 farewell concert. That concert was made into a movie by Martin Scorsese and also received a triple-album release on vinyl. In addition to music by The Band, that particular concert also featured performances by The Band with Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Dr. John, Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr and many others.

Curious, we looked a little closer at the poster. The concert was going to be in Cobourg’s Victoria Hall! Tonight! Should we go? Yes! We raced back to Cobourg in search of tickets. It was a wild goose chase, as stores were closing and the concert appeared to be sold out. We actually tracked down the promoter himself and found out that two ticketholders *might* not be able to attend. At one minute before showtime, it was confirmed that there would be exactly two unused tickets. We were in! Even better, there were two empty seats in the 3rd row, just a few feet from the stage!

Jerome Levon Avis' drum kit, including a picture of the drummer with Levon Helm — Jerome Levon Avis’ drum kit, including a picture of the drummer with Levon Helm

The concert featured a 9-piece house band (including a 4-piece horn section), plus various special guests…just like the original Last Waltz. The band’s drummer, Jerome Levon Avis, was the godson of Levon Helm – who was the drummer for The Band! Other musicians included members of famous bands such as Lighthouse and Blood, Sweat & Tears.

Writing about music is not an easy thing to do. How do you convey the chill down your spine when a Van Morrison sound-alike has a swinging band and horn section behind him? When that same band nails a soulful classic by The Band and the whole theatre is singing along like a gospel choir? It was like that for almost the entire 3-hour concert. Highlights for us included Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released” and “Like A Rolling Stone”, Van Morrison’s “Caravan”, Dr. John’s “Such A Night” and every one of our favourite songs by The Band: “The Weight”, “Up on Cripple Creek”, and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”, among others.

As we left the theatre, we had all of these classic songs (and more) replaying themselves over and over in our heads. It was plainly obvious that we weren’t the only ones. Thanks to the kindness of strangers in Cobourg, we had a completely unexpected and amazing experience (“Such A Night”, indeed!) on what was otherwise a dreary, rainy evening.

We didn’t make it to the piano-accompanied silent film screening in the morning…but the film festival is an annual event and we made a mental note to visit Port Hope and Cobourg again next fall.

Posts from the road

Fun with Food in Toronto’s St. Lawrence Market district

October 18, 2015 pierrev Leave a comment

(Toronto, Ontario, Canada)

Even though I lived in Toronto for three years in the early 1990s, I cannot claim to have seen all the city had to offer. In particular, for reasons that are unclear, I never made it to St. Lawrence Market while I was living there. Given its proximity to Union Station, I have managed to stop by on a couple of recent visits to Toronto. If you are at all interested in “specialty foods”, I think it is well worth a visit.

Jarvis Street, just north of St. Lawrence Market, in downtown Toronto — The corner of Jarvis and King Streets, just north of St. Lawrence Market, in downtown Toronto

While the Market clears out as its 7:00 p.m. closing time approaches (that’s when I took the photo at the top of this post), it is extremely busy during the day. Some of this is tourist traffic but there is still quite a local presence: tourists generally aren’t showing up at the 7:00 a.m. opening. Weekends are particularly busy and you may be tempted to give it a pass in the late morning or early afternoon.

I was in search of unusual cheese on this visit. One of the vendors had lengthy descriptions of its imported offerings and something called “Parrano” caught my eye. One of its slogans is “the Dutch cheese that thinks it is Italian”, so I asked for a sample. Indeed, as advertised, it combines the texture of Gouda with the taste of Reggiano Parmigiano…I quickly declared it my new favourite cheese and picked up a wedge to bring home.

"G For Gelato" on Jarvis Street in Toronto — “G For Gelato” on Jarvis Street in Toronto

I also picked up some red Cerignola olives from one of the other vendors. These are very large and mild-tasting olives but their radiant red colour makes them an interesting, albeit not essential, olive for snacking.

There has been a considerable amount of recent development in the Market neighbourhood. While not all of it appeals to me, there was one restaurant that I wanted to try: the innocuously-named “G for Gelato”, specializing in pizza and gelato. These are two very important foods and I wanted to find answers to two burning questions: did it live up to its billing as having Toronto’s best gelato? And did its pizza also attain the heights suggested by its many positive on-line reviews?

My "Prosciutto Contadina" pizza at G For Gelato (featuring lots of arugula) — My “Prosciutto Contadina” pizza at G For Gelato (featuring lots of arugula)

The gelato was excellent. It’s made on site so it wasn’t cheap…but neither was it extortionate. I tried two scoops (Dark Chocolate Whiskey and Amaretto DiSaronno) in a cup and I’d have to agree that this was the best gelato I’ve had in Toronto, if not Canada. There were about 30 flavours and they all were artfully presented.

Although we had intended to have gelato the night before when we had dinner at the same restaurant, our pizzas were quite substantial and we didn’t want to stuff ourselves before the concert. The pizzas were also very good – certainly in the first tier, with top-quality and well-matched toppings. Prices were comparable to other Toronto restaurants but “G is for Gelato” includes taxes in its price.

We will definitely return here for more gelato…and, if it is at the right time of day, we will sit down for a no-nonsense but high-quality Italian meal. Between “G For Gelato” and “Jumbo Empanadas” in the Kensington Market, I always look forward to eating in downtown Toronto!

We expect to go on another road trip next week – stay tuned!

Posts from the road

Stevie Wonder in Concert

October 11, 2015 pierrev Leave a comment

(Toronto, Ontario, Canada)

There was a lot of musical synchronicity over the past week. I wrote about seeing Paul McCartney in concert, received a vinyl copy of McCartney’s remixed “Tug of War” album (featuring two duets with Stevie Wonder), and then went on a blitz of a road trip to see Stevie Wonder perform live in Toronto.

This wasn’t just a “greatest hits” concert: Stevie was going to perform his entire 1976 magnum opus “Songs in the Key of Life”. Widely considered to be one of the best albums ever made, despite an extended running length of almost two hours, it spawned both hit singles and “deep cuts” that have had a profound influence on popular music. Almost everybody knows songs such as “Sir Duke“, “I Wish“, “Isn’t She Lovely” and “Pastime Paradise”…at least by tune, if not by name.

Stevie went onstage at 8:15 p.m. and it was clear that his voice had not suffered over the years. He also had a huge 36-person band, including a string section, a horn section, a choir, multiple drummers and percussionists and at least 6 backing vocalists. Songs such as “Village Ghetto Land” were improved from the album as they featured live (rather than synthesized) strings. Special guests included April Ellington, daughter of…Duke Ellington! This was a big, big show.

For me, the highlights came fast and furious with back-to-back performances of “Sir Duke” and “I Wish”. “Sir Duke”, in particular, benefited hugely from the large horn section. “I Wish”, with its prominent bass, fared slightly less well due to some low-end sound issues but was still memorable. The low-end issues became rather distracting right before and after the 20-minute intermission but thankfully resolved before too much damage had been done.

While the point of the concert was to play the entire “Songs in the Key of Life” album in order, Stevie did embark on a few tangents. In the first set, he challenged his backing vocalists to match his singing gymnastics solo and without any accompaniment. They all passed the test with flying colours.

In the second set, Stevie played “Ngiculela-Es Una Historia-I Am Singing” with an unusual zither-like instrument called a “harpejji”. After it was over, he started playing what sounded to me like the chords to John Lennon’s “Imagine” on the harpejji. He then said that it was his brother’s birthday, to which the audience responded with polite applause. But it also occurred to me, as someone who probably knows an unhealthy amount of Beatles trivia, that this precise day would have been John Lennon’s 75th birthday.

Outside the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, after the Stevie Wonder concert

Sure enough, Stevie then said that he wanted to play “Imagine” for his brother, John Lennon. This definitely wasn’t in the script. He began playing the song and asked for audience help partway through the song. It soon became clear why: he began crying and was unable to sing an extended portion of the lyric. He recovered somewhat, but wiped away a lot of tears (without apology) before he could continue with the next song. A lengthy standing ovation ensued and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

Concerts are obviously big business and Stevie is not a poor man. But he is still a sensitive man and, 35 years after Lennon’s death, Stevie is still affected by his murder. He urged the audience to do what they could to prevent senseless violence and intolerance.

Stevie then resumed performing the rest of his famous album with renewed vigour and finished it about 3 hours after the concert began. He then assumed his alter-ego of “DJ Tick Tick Boom” for the encore and it is difficult to explain exactly what happened next. To preserve the surprise, I’ll just say that he played snippets of some disco classics, abbreviated versions of a few of his other hits, and finished with a scorching version of “Superstition” that made full use of the entire band (again with a memorable brass performance). It was almost midnight when the concert finally ended; Stevie looked like he had thoroughly enjoyed sharing his music with us.

While there were plenty of Stevie Wonder classics that weren’t played (“Signed, Sealed, Delivered…I’m Yours” is one that I would have liked to hear), there simply would not have been enough time. As with Paul McCartney’s 2009 concert in Halifax, we felt like we were witnessing a part of history. We’re looking forward to reliving the experience by playing “Songs in the Key of Life” when we get home!

Posts from Base Camp

Road Trip to see Paul McCartney in Nova Scotia (2009)

October 4, 2015 pierrev Leave a comment

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

In about one week’s time, we are going to check off another item on our musical bucket lists. Music is very subjective, of course, but I think the magnitude of this upcoming concert is similar to our evening with former Beatle Paul McCartney in Halifax, Nova Scotia back in July of 2009.

Paul McCartney live in Halifax, Nova Scotia (July 2009)

Driving to Nova Scotia from Ontario does not enjoy a great reputation. Yes, there were some long stretches of tedium. However, we were pleasantly surprised by our overnight stay in Riviere-du-Loup, Quebec, where we found an attractive downtown core with excellent food…and even bought a pair of Helly Hansen (see my previous post) shorts!

Next up was a long drive through New Brunswick. We had big plans for Fredericton but the legislature building was closed for renovations and the downtown generally seemed closed when we arrived late in the afternoon. We pressed on to the tiny town of Sackville, home of Mount Allison University, to spend our second night on the road. We stayed in a college residence: an excellent accommodation option in the summer months. We also felt compelled to visit Mel’s Tea Room: the jukebox, stools and menu were all in accordance with our expectations.

Mel's Tea Room in Sackville, New Brunswick — Mel’s Tea Room in Sackville, New Brunswick

Early the next day, we crossed the border into Nova Scotia. It was the day of the concert so we didn’t have much time to catch up with our friends before heading to the show.

So what is a Paul McCartney concert like? Unlike his 1970s concerts with Wings, Paul’s latter-day concerts fully embrace his Beatle past. It is truly remarkable to hear so many Beatles classics sung by the man who actually wrote them. You get a feeling that you are a part of history: many of these songs will be considered the “Classical Music of the 20th Century”.

Waterfalls at Grand Falls, New Brunswick

However, and this may seem like sacrilege to some, Paul has been emphasizing his Beatles hits (and his essentially solo “Band on the Run” album) in concert for so long now that I sometimes found myself wishing that he would skip some of the more overexposed or less-melodic songs. “Paperback Writer” and “Get Back”? Er, heard those the last time, thanks…don’t really need to hear them again. On the other hand, I certainly can’t find fault with songs like the enormously popular “Hey Jude” and it was great to hear energetic versions of only slightly-less familiar tracks like “All My Loving” and “I Saw Her Standing There”. These songs still sound fresh and brilliant after half a century, and they weren’t even singles in most of the world!

So, while I would have liked to have heard a few more surprise selections from his solo work (“No More Lonely Nights”, for example, was a huge hit and has a great tune to boot), it is a very minor quibble. To be fair, I also have seen Paul McCartney perform live before and have seen several of his concert videos. The bottom line is that his concerts are about three hours in length, immaculately performed, and feature 95% of the songs that casual fans will want to hear.

McCartney still clearly loves performing and his band looks equally thrilled to be there. I’ve never seen so many people be so happy at a concert from beginning to end. This “shared experience” makes it easy to understand why many reviewers employ quasi-religious language when describing McCartney shows. Tickets aren’t cheap but, if you’re a fan, I have no hesitation in recommending these concerts.

Things get a little chaotic during "Live and Let Die" — Things get a little chaotic during “Live and Let Die”

After all that, you may be wondering who we’re seeing next week. It’s another living legend whose story is every bit as compelling as (and perhaps more so than) Paul McCartney’s. Feel free to guess…or stay tuned for my report in about a week’s time!

Posts from Base Camp

Looking Ahead

August 31, 2015 pierrev Leave a comment

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

Things have been quite busy since returning from our road trip to Southwestern Ontario. We managed to get out for a day trip to Perth but otherwise have been staying close to home.

The end of the summer travel season is a time to pause and consider what adventures lie ahead. Music certainly seems to be at the forefront, with 5 major concerts between now and April. This October, I’ll be traveling out of town to attend one of those “bucket list” concerts that I honestly thought I’d never get to see. Stay tuned for my report on that!

I have already set aside some time in early 2016 for skiing. The dates have been chosen but the destination is still very much a work in progress. One thing is certain: given the “candidates” that are in the running, it will be a spectacular setting.

As for the shorter term, the plans are for more local travel…and hopefully to burn through some more of the frequent flyer points and other rewards that I accumulated during my big year of travel. Some of those points will expire soon and I will need to do something with them. I’ve often entertained the notion of going on a low-cost last-minute trip and, if my schedule allows it, I might be able to do that this fall.

Unfortunately, it is becoming more and more difficult to take advantage of most frequent flyer programs. With blackout periods, “service” fees, and nasty itineraries involving 18-hour layovers between one-hour flights, some of these “rewards” seem illusory. I prefer to use my points on travel but may well be forced to cash them in for gift cards if I can’t make the logistics work for me.

Zebras are apparently black with white stripes...not white with black stripes — Zebras are apparently black with white stripes…not white with black stripes

Regardless of whether I can squeeze in some last-minute trips, I will still be posting on this blog. However, the posts will likely not be as frequent for the next few months.

The pictures from today’s blog are from the Kingston Sheep Dog Trials. This annual event was held earlier this month just east of the city at Grass Creek Park. I had never attended before and will admit to some skepticism about the event. However, it was actually fascinating to see the border collies herding the reluctant sheep. It is amazing what these dogs can do.

Kingston Police Canine Unit demonstration at the Sheep Dog Trials

As our family once had a majestic (and bilingual) German Shepherd, I was also very interested in seeing the police dog demonstration put on by the Kingston Police at the Sheep Dog Trials. The police dogs are actually German Shepherd/Belgian Malinois crosses but the characteristic intelligence and determination of the German Shepherd was very much in evidence.

Kingston police dog attacks the "bad guy" during a demonstration at the Sheep Dog Trials — Kingston police dog attacks the “bad guy” during a demonstration at the Sheep Dog Trials

Other dog events included an agility competition and “dock diving”. There were many dog lovers at this event and it was also fun just to look at the other dogs in attendance. We were briefly tempted to import a Shepherd from Belgium after seeing the puppy pictured above!

I’ll be back soon with more travel writing and photos!

Posts from the road

Surprising Facts about Goderich

August 20, 2015 pierrev Leave a comment

(Goderich, Ontario, Canada)

Many towns have a central square, but Goderich has an octagon! Each of the vertices has a street running out from it, so that it looks somewhat like a Union Jack when viewed from above…and this is apparently what the town planner had in mind. The edges of the octagon form a two lane (one-way, counterclockwise) street that contains most of the downtown’s shops and services. In the centre of the octagon is the county courthouse.

The octagon is surprisingly large, but I was more surprised by how disorienting it was. After walking more than one block, it becomes very difficult to figure out where you started and how far you have travelled.

The movie theatre on Goderich's "Octagon" — The movie theatre on Goderich’s “Octagon”

While the octagon was strange, I had a much harder time believing the story of the salt mines. Goderich claims to have the largest salt mine in the world. It is under Lake Huron; a huge salt bed was accidentally discovered there in 1866 when a flour mill owner was searching for oil. Of course, Lake Huron contains fresh water, which makes it difficult to visualize how a huge salt bed could be found here. And yet, there it is!

The salt bed is so huge that it stretches some 5 kilometers under the lake. Just north of the town beach, a series of blue industrial buildings houses the mining complex. While “working in the salt mines” has a rather negative connotation to most of us, it is actually a desirable job in Goderich. The mine currently employs 500 people and there is apparently another 100 years of salt left. If you use Sifto salt, chances are it comes from Goderich!

On our last evening in Goderich, we went to jail. Voluntarily, of course, and for the purposes of a special interactive Gaol Tour that is offered twice a week during the summer months. Volunteers from the community dress up in period costumes and set themselves up in various rooms of the (now decommissioned and also octagonal) Huron County Gaol.

The former railway station in Goderich; now a restaurant on the waterfront

Not only are they dressed appropriately, they also “exist” in the late 19th century and talk to you as if you are a visitor to the gaol at that time. References to electricity would, for example, result in complete confusion. All of the inmates were very interested in the fact that we were from Kingston, as even then they would end up in Kingston Penitentiary if they received a substantial sentence.

One of the exercise yards at the Gaol in Goderich

We learned that many of the “residents” of the gaol were there for the then-crimes of insanity or vagrancy. Entire families could end up behind bars because one or both parents were accused of vagrancy. A very large percentage of the residents were also illiterate. Another striking theme was how bored the residents were. While they had a relatively high degree of autonomy within their respective cell blocks, there were essentially no learning opportunities or programs to reduce the risk of future offences.

Two of the inmates working in the kitchen at the Gaol in Goderich

We didn’t know about any of these places before we started to research our trip to Lake Huron. In fact, we didn’t know about the salt mine until we got here! However, the combination of interesting sights and a proud community made Goderich an excellent choice as a Huronian home base. Stay tuned for more tales from the road!

Posts from the road

Sunsets and a Tornado

August 18, 2015 pierrev Leave a comment

(Goderich, Ontario, Canada)

For nearly two hundred years, Goderich has been famous for its spectacular sunsets. This town of about 8,000 people lies on the shore of Lake Huron (“Ontario’s West Coast”) and faces directly west. This means that the sun is clearly and vibrantly visible as it sets over Lake Huron at night. In fact, the sunsets can be viewed twice: once from the beach and again from the high bluff that overlooks the beach.

As you can see from today’s photos, I decided to take a lot of photographs of the sunset. This is one of those “essential local experiences” that I wanted to capture on film. Both locals and tourists were walking up and down the town’s long boardwalk to view the sunset; many others parked their cars facing west and prepared to watch the sunset from the comfort of their vehicle. This scene repeats itself every summer night.

Goderich is well aware of its beautiful sunsets. Once a week, a group of bagpipers “pipes down the sun”. Many local artists paint or photograph the sunsets. Goderich would be perfectly happy if sunsets were the only natural phenomena associated with this well-kept community. Alas, August 21, 2011 changed all that.

On August 21, 2011, a Class F3 tornado struck Goderich with almost no warning. Wind speeds reached an incredible 300 kilometers per hour. The tornado raced through Goderich’s unique downtown and caused an estimated $130,000,000 in damage in only 12 seconds.

We saw pictures of the wreckage: it was horrifying, with buildings ripped apart and massive trees uprooted and scattered all over the town. Miraculously, only one person died but 37 more were injured.

West Street Willy's - We ate at this Goderich Restaurant. It was rebuilt after the tornado — West Street Willy’s – We ate at this Goderich Restaurant. It was rebuilt after the tornado

The recovery from the tornado has been swift…but not surprising. Goderich has had a long history of winning titles such as “Canada’s Prettiest Town”. Meticulously prepared flower beds are everywhere and are signposted with the names of the local residents who are looking after them. Even though the tornado has obviously changed the face of the town, Goderich is still winning these competitions.

This civic pride is evident everywhere. The streets and parks are startlingly clean; if a visitor leaves rubbish behind, a local resident is likely to pick it up and dispose of it.

Some of the many boats at the marina in Bayfield, Ontario

About 20 minutes south of Goderich is the village of Bayfield. The vast number of sailboats in the harbour attest to its popularity with boaters. It was not hit by the tornado and is recommended in many guide books for its shopping and historic inns. While the main street is undoubtedly quaint and the village is scrubbed just as clean as Goderich, it also didn’t seem to be quite as real. As the sweltering heat made shopping a low priority, we decided to return to Goderich for some local ice cream.

Stay tuned for some fascinating facts about Goderich and an unexpected jewel in the middle of southwestern Ontario!

Posts from the road

Moving on to Lake Huron

August 16, 2015 pierrev Leave a comment

(Goderich, Ontario, Canada)

After reluctantly saying goodbye to our turret in London, we took the scenic route to our next destination of Lake Huron…a lake that neither one of us has ever visited.

We started with a quick look at the University of Western Ontario (which now seems to prefer the name Western University of Canada): it was essentially unrecognizable to me, as it has been more than 20 years since I last visited.

St. Marys even had a massive opera house!

We pressed on to the small town of St. Marys; it is also known as “Stonetown” due to the limestone quarries and huge cement plant. Many of the older buildings reminded us of Kingston, as many of them were built from the locally quarried limestone. It’s a relatively busy place, even though it is not on any major highways, and is even the home of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame! For some reason, St. Marys seemed happier than most of the other places we have visited so far on this road trip.

The spectacular limestone Town Hall in St. Marys, Ontario

Next up was Stratford. Like London, Ontario (which is located on the Thames River), Stratford is naturally located on the Avon River. It also is the host of the Stratford Festival – an annual theatrical extravaganza that focuses mostly (but not exclusively) on the works of William Shakespeare. There is even a village named Shakespeare a few miles to the east.

Not surprisingly, Stratford caters to a relatively affluent crowd. I’m sure our ridiculously cheap lunch in St. Marys would have cost us substantially more if we had ordered it in Stratford. We looked into seeing a theatrical performance here, but nothing really appealed to us. After wandering around the downtown core, we headed west on Highway 8 to our next destination.

Another large town hall in a small town: this is in Seaforth, Ontario

Highway 8 was a pleasant drive through a series of small towns (Mitchell, Seaforth, Clinton) that I knew little about, other than suspecting that they were probably heavily into hockey and curling…and therefore worthy of my respect. Due to road work in the middle of Mitchell, we selected Seaforth as a place to get out of the car and walk around. It had some grand buildings (see photo at the top of this post) and an unhurried pace…so unhurried, in fact, that many shops and services were already closed up even though it was only 4:00 p.m. in the afternoon!

An outstanding Thai Beef Salad ar West Street Willy's in Goderich, Ontario — An outstanding Thai Beef Salad at West Street Willy’s in Goderich, Ontario

We arrived in Goderich, our home for the next two nights, just before dinner. I’ll be writing more about Goderich in future blogs; for now, I just want to say that our dinner at West Street Willy’s was excellent. It wasn’t a Thai restaurant, but somehow I found a “Thai Beef Salad” that has to be one of the best and most refreshing salads I have ever had. This Thai thing is clearly getting out of control but I am enjoying it while it lasts.

Our current home: the Colborne B&B in Goderich, Ontario

We’re staying at the Colborne B&B: it is an impressive Victorian home perfectly situated in the downtown core. We don’t have a turret but there are plenty of turrets elsewhere in this fascinating town on Lake Huron. Stay tuned for more details!

Pierre Vanderhout's Travel Blog

Tag Archives: Canada

The Supreme Court of Canada

Like this:

Small Town Ontario, Part 2

Like this:

A special evening in Cobourg

Like this:

Fun with Food in Toronto’s St. Lawrence Market district

Like this:

Stevie Wonder in Concert

Like this:

Road Trip to see Paul McCartney in Nova Scotia (2009)

Like this:

Looking Ahead

Like this:

Surprising Facts about Goderich

Like this:

Sunsets and a Tornado

Like this:

Moving on to Lake Huron

Like this:

The Odyssey Continues…

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

The Odyssey Continues…