Heritage: Each One Remembered

Linda Granfield spoke to the Swansea Historical Society in Toronto, Ontario on 7-April-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - The announced topic of this month's meeting of the Swansea Historical Society this evening was war brides. Linda Granfield indeed provided a substantial amount of information on how young British women married, left for Canada in secret, entered through Pier 21 in Halifax, and became community leaders across the nation. It truly was another time--a guide book was provided with things that would be overwhelmingly offensive now, such as the statement "Canadian men love pie" followed by three pie recipes--apple, pumpkin, and lemon meringue. It's hard to imagine in modern times how after war rationing that seeing white bread and milk on a trans-Atlantic voyage would be overwhelming. Yet, Granfield has written extensively for school children, and thus history is very much living to her.

Friday is Vimy Ridge Day, the day when Canada celebrates its emergence as a military force on the world stage. Ninety-three years ago, Canadian forces led the capturing of a high ground in France, losing nearly 3600 men in the process. The day has been celebrated as a military coming of age in Canada ever since. This year, after the death in February of John Babcock, the last living of 640,000 Canadian (and Newfoundlander) veterans from World War I, the Government of Canada decided to hold special ceremonies on Vimy Ridge Day in Ottawa.

Yet, outside of the nation's capitol, it would be all too easy to ignore the event, and Linda Granfield felt that should not happen. She started the Each One Remembered campaign in an attempt to get poppies made in honor of each of the 640,000 soldiers. Linked off the web page is a PDF file of a poppy that could be coloured in with a simple crayon. She started to spread the word--in part through her network of war brides.

At last check, the count was only above 12,000, but it included the full geographic range of Canada from coast to coast to coast, and there's still time before Friday. All one has to do is download a poppy and print it out (or draw one!), then follow the link to report the effort. Then, watch the special ceremonies for this Vimy Ridge Day that will air on all broadcasting networks at mid-day on Friday. It's the least we can do to recognize the sacrifice that has led to the country we know today.

Transport: Changes on GO Georgetown Line

The final GO Transit mid-day Georgetown Line train for now, Bramalea-Toronto train #266, crossed Black Creek in Toronto, Ontario on 1-April-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - This week, GO Transit introduced a variety of spring schedule changes, but arguably the most interesting ones were on the commuter rail Georgetown Line. The second line to see mid-day service after the Lakeshore Line, the Georgetown Line is set for major service expansion, including an express line from Union Station to Pearson International Airport.

For now, that means the end of mid-day train service on the line, replaced by expanded bus service, in order to allow construction crews greater access to the tracks of the GO-owned Weston Subdivision that carries the line from the Bathurst Street interlocking near Toronto's Union Station to Halwest near the Bramalea, Ontario station. Previously, a single train set did three round trips at mid-day spaced about 90 minutes apart, meaning a regular and repeated need to clear the tracks to let that train through.

As long-time readers of this blog know, I can be over-interested in the operational logistics of railroads. It's interesting that this service change eliminated only the train set and crew associated with those three mid-day round trips. The "shoulder" trips on the edge of rush hour remain, as those used different train sets and crews. What's especially interesting is that two VIA Rail Canada intercity trains, one each direction, are still scheduled to use the line about 11:00. So, the longest break in the action will extend from about 11:00 to 15:30 in the afternoon--I guess four hours is useful.

The morning schedule was basically unchanged, with four through trains from Georgetown to Union Station (which overnight in Georgetown) supplemented by three shorter-distance trains from Bramalea (which deadhead empty to Bramalea to start their runs). Thus, I didn't pay much attention to the afternoon trains, which I presumed had retained the old pattern (#281 running to Brampton, then deadheading back to Union Station to become a Stouffville Line train, four through trains to Georgetown #205, #207, #209 and #211, and a final train #269 running only to Bramalea and then returning to the Willowbrook Yard service facility for the night).

The afternoon schedule has actually changed significantly. The first train, #281, now leaves at 15:30 instead of 14:45 and runs all the way through to Georgetown (why it wasn't renumbered to #203 to match the through series is hard to explain), not returning to Union Station. The four through trains to Georgetown were left the same. That meant that the last one, #211, has nowhere to remain in Georgetown and has to return to Willowbrook Yard. Train #269 has been extended to Brampton, and still deadheads back to Willowbrook Yard. Thus, each evening there are two trains that head back empty over the line to Toronto.


The first "deadhead" of GO Georgetown Line train #211 back to Toronto passed a Canadian National work train at Dundas Street West on 5-April-2010

Last night, I happened to be walking in Parkdale and crossed the Georgetown Line as the first train #211 deadheaded back to Toronto. At the time, I thought maybe #269's schedule had changed more than I had thought, and it was only after I took a closer look at the new schedule that I realized it was #211, not #269. Such are the hazards of being a railfan after schedule changes!

Residents along the line, who are pushing for electrification, will see three fewer of "Dalton's Dirty Diesels" at mid-day, so they ought to be happy for now.

Margin Notes: Holidays, Pranks, Sidewalks, Cats

A history of Toronto Transit Commission streetcars in the form of Presidents' Conference Committee (PCC), Peter Witt, and Canadian Light Rail Vehicle (CRLV) cars were in the Beaches Easter Parade on 4-April-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - It has become an Easter tradition for me to head to the eastern part of Toronto that I so rarely visit for the Beaches Easter Parade down Queen Street East. While the record warm temperatures likely had a lot to do with the happy mood this year, the giveaways of chocolate and candy always seem to leave people feeling especially friendly, even for Toronto. Many more pictures from the parade will be forthcoming.

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Holiday traditions seem to be alive and well in Seattle, Washington. The amazing feat of raising $500,000 from mostly small businesses to ensure that Seattle will have an annual fireworks display on Independence Day, done by the Dave Ross talk show on KIRO-FM in almost exactly one day, has several points of interest. First, the process was started by Tom Douglas, who ironically had been fired by KIRO-FM as a weekend host of a cooking show recently, calling in to the Dave Ross show to suggest the effort and make the first pledge of $5000, showing that there's something to be said for maintaining relations with former co-workers. Then, while Starbucks and Microsoft stepped forward with matching funds for half the amount, just about everything else was raised from small businesses. This shows that providing more ways for small businesses to work together--whether for legal lobbying, purchasing of health care plans, or giving money to civic causes--can really enhance the public experience. Government ought to take note.

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The other major holiday last week was April Fool's Day, and I am usually on the lookout for the best jokes. However, this year was remarkably tame. In the broadcast media, probably the only truly notable prank was the BBC Today show reporting that Shakespeare was actually French. Another especially good joke was a post on a well-known railfanning site that Union Pacific, which has painted a number of locomotives in special paint schemes including a recent unit with Boy Scout logos, was going to do a rainbow-painted unit in honor of its gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered employees. It reflects poorly on the railfan community that the post was so poorly received that it had to be removed.

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A "Monolithic Sidewalk" sign was noted on Queen Street East at Victoria Park in Toronto, Ontario on 4-April-2010

This sign was no joke. While walking back from the parade, I found a number of "monolithic sidewalk" signs like the one above in Scarborough. While a monolithic sidewalk apparently means that the curb and sidewalk are poured as a single slab of concrete, what these signs mean is that there is no room to place snow between the road and the sidewalk without blocking the sidewalk, and thus crews cannot push snow to the side of the road. I guess the interpretation is that the snow removal crew is supposed to treat the sidewalk as monolithic with the road, but is that really the clearest way to mark such a situation?

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The monolithic sidewalk might be too small for more than just snow piles. A story on CBC television last week reported that nearly 60% of house cats in North America are obese, a rate higher than even that of their owners; dogs were not that far behind at 45%. Most veterinarians say it comes down to the same things as for humans--eat healthier food and get more exercise.

Photos: Winter in Toronto 2010

Etobicoke Creek in Toronto, Ontario was just barely thawing on 8-February-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - Winter is officially over, so it's time for a retrospective in this week's update to my photo site, though it wasn't a typical season. Mild weather in Toronto meant relatively few shots dominated by white, but there were murals in Islington Village, TTC construction scenes, and meetings of the Swansea Historical Society to capture in January, February, and March 2010.

Radio Pick: Saving July 4th

TORONTO, ONTARIO - This week's radio pick focuses on local radio. One of the lost axioms of radio is that it is at its best when it is truly local. Dave Ross demonstrated the power of local radio this week in Seattle. After doing a secondary monologue on the apparent lack of an Independence Day fireworks display in Seattle on his talk show, restaurateur Tom Douglas called in to suggest raising money from small businesses and made an opening pledge. After a call to the traditional organizers confirmed that the display could still occur, the fund-raising drive was on, and in about a day the needed $500,000 was raised. That was not only local action--it was good radio.

Listen to the Dave Ross Show "Saving July 4th"

Holiday: Good Friday Procession 2010

The Good Friday Procession prepared to get underway on Grace Street in Toronto, Ontario on 2-April-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - Traditionally, temperatures tend to be quite chilly for the Good Friday Procession in Toronto, Ontario. Last year, even though Good Friday fell eight days later than this year on the calendar, I found myself standing almost alone on the shady side of the College Street in Little Italy because most people preferred to stand in the sun to try keep warm. This year, there were actually people wearing shorts in the crowd, and I wasn't the only person wearing a short-sleeve shirt as temperatures reached a record 23 degrees.


Unleavened bread was carried in the Good Friday Procession on Grace Street in Toronto, Ontario on 2-April-2010

The Good Friday Procession is designed to put people in an appropriate mood for the Christian Easter holiday, telling the Easter story in all its details through Christ's crucifixion, everything from unleavened bread (seen above) to Barabbas being released and not Jesus. With a route mostly through Little Italy, the event is dominated by Italian-Canadian organizations.


The Malta Band performed in the 2010 Good Friday Procession in Toronto, Ontario on 2-April-2010

Much of the somber mood comes from the bands in the procession. This isn't an event in the streets with the Philippine Heritage Band playing loudly and receiving applause after each song. Much smaller community bands play more muted tunes followed by silence upon their completion.


The cross was carried to the Christ's crucifixion during the Good Friday Procession in Toronto, Ontario on 2-April-2010

Because of the many scenes from the Easter story presented, there are a lot of Christs presented. I didn't think to count portrayals of Christs over the course of the parade, but there must have been at least ten actors, most of them in some way molested by actors portraying Romans, plus a number of static representations.


Christ's body was carried to his burial during the Good Friday Procession in Toronto, Ontario on 2-April-2010

While the Good Friday Procession is certainly an impressive production, it doesn't exactly qualify as fun--that has to wait for Easter Sunday, as religious themes become overrun by secular bunnies and the parade instead has overt commercial content.


Even after just passing down Grace Street, there was already a sizable crowd following the Good Friday Procession on Dundas Street West in Toronto, Ontario on 2-April-2010

More pictures from the Good Friday procession will be in a future update to my photo site.

Culture: Should This Be a Holiday?

TORONTO, ONTARIO - I generally tend to believe that humor can add to productivity, but this date on the calendar often makes me wonder. Besides the antics that can distract from productivity that often occur on this date, it's difficult to take any gesture that is the least bit surprising seriously when it comes out on this day. It makes me wonder if the day should not just be declared a holiday.

April 1st is a day when one has to be alert when listening to the media. The best of the April Fool's jokes are those that are credible enough that a casual listener won't catch the details that make them incredible, and thus believes the story. I was listening with heightened alertness today when the story came up of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's apology to Zofia Cisowski. Cisowski's son Robert Dziekanski died after being tasered by the RCMP as he entered the country at Vancouver Airport in 2007. The public apology came as part of an out-of-court settlement between Cisowski and the RCMP.

I actually wasn't certain that this was a real story. Considering the date on the calendar and the despicable behaviour of the RCMP in apparently covering up what actually happened that day, a public apology seemed out-of-character, and thus exactly the kind of thing that could be an April Fool's joke. Of course, nobody would actually be so cruel as to compound this tragic case with an April Fool's joke; both the settlement and the apology were very real, and should finally bring some closure to a very tragic event.

Yet, the very fact that I could have even suspected an April Fool's joke demonstrates the difficulty in doing anything on this day. It's risky to engage in business negotiations on this day, as any change in position might just be a joke. (That's not far-fetched--I once did that with a partner company to see how they would react and let the joke sit for several minutes before backing out of it. It was quite informative.) Can a personal e-mail be taken seriously on this day? I suppose that depends on the people in your life.

Combine those handicaps with some of the jokes I've seen played in the corporate world on this day, and it's a wonder anyone tries to do anything on April 1st. I've seen IT people set people's monitors to display upside down, desks moved across the office, and phone lines set to always call time as well as things that were much easier to work around.

We can always use another holiday. I would suggest that the impact on productivity would be minimal if April Fool's Day were made a holiday.