Culture: Seeing the Queen('s Hat)

For most of her "walkabout," this was what could be seen of Queen Elizabeth--her pink hat--on 6-July-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - It seems like time to sing:

My country 'tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty
Of thee I sing...

Wait a minute, better start that one again:

God save our gracious Queen,
Long live our noble Queen,
God save the Queen.
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us;
God save the Queen.

For someone who grew up in the United States, the concept of having royalty as one's head of state is not an easy concept to grasp. For that matter, many Canadians don't seem to have a clear understanding of the Queen's actual role in their government. Some think the concept of royalty is outdated and that Canada needs to "grow up." Yet, there isn't much ambiguity about the nation's feelings about this Queen. Queen Elizabeth II is a beloved figure in this country, and after seeing how her final public appearance in Canada was handled earlier today, it's not hard to understand why.


The Queen's flag flew high above all the other flags at Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario on 6-July-2010

By the time I arrived at Queen's Park this morning, several hundred people were already awaiting the public appearance of the Queen, scheduled for 10:30. Several hundred more would arrive before we saw her. Fences were laid out in Queen's Park to allow quite a number of people to line a long path through the park. As I took a place on high ground away from the pathway, the discussion around me speculated that she wouldn't actually walk along all the designated paths. "After all, she is 84 years old," noted someone standing near me. This was a completely incorrect prediction; she would cover every inch of the designated pathway.


One of the clearer views of Queen Elizabeth was obtained as she started her walk out of Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario on 6-July-2010

After other dignitaries, including Governor General Michaëlle Jean and Mayor David Miller, arrived and took their places, Queen Elizabeth appeared out of the building, right on time. With other women wearing fancy hats in the party, some were confused about who was who, but once she came into sight, there was no question. She was the only one dressed in pink, with a wonderful pink hat. As she started to take her walkabout, the most frequent comment from those around me was an excited, "I see her hat! I see her hat!"


Follow the angles of the cameras and one could determine Queen Elizabeth's location in the crowd in Toronto, Ontario on 6-July-2010

Indeed for most of the walkabout, all we could see was her hat. "She's not a very tall woman, you know," said one of my fellow bystanders. Besides following where the cameras seemed to be pointed, we quickly learned to follow a tall Mountie who tended to walk a bit in front of her, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper who tended to be just behind.


Queen Elizabeth entered the vehicle that would take her to the airport and away from Canada on 6-July-2010

Most of us didn't get to speak to Queen Elizabeth. We didn't even really get to see her very clearly before she was whisked away to the airport. But, she kept to the schedule, acted in a dignified manner, and met all expectations by walking around the entire park. It was symbolic of the dignity, maturity, and connection with the people that she has shown throughout her reign. As someone near me put it, "That was so cool. I'm so glad I came."

Transport: The Parade of Sail

There was a traffic jam in the western gap, the entrance to Toronto Harbour, as pleasure craft maneuvered near the HMS Bounty replica and a Porter Airlines Q400 aircraft took off on 4-July-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - There was entirely too much to do in Toronto yesterday. The annual Pride parade was taking place in the eastern portion of downtown, the CHIN International Picnic was going on at Exhibition Place, the Queen's Plate horse race was going on just outside town at Woodbine (with the Queen actually in attendance!), and a wide variety of "normal" activities like Heritage Toronto walks and neighbourhood events (including the well-attended Corso Italia Festival) were going on as well.


Two schooners met in the western gap, as the outbound Wisconsin-based Denis Sullivan passed the locally-based Kajama returning to Toronto Harbour on 4-July-2010

Out of all the options available, I decided that the thing for me to do was to attend the Parade of Sail which served as the conclusion to the Toronto Waterfront Festival. Fourteen tall ships took a tour around Toronto Harbour and then those not based locally headed out the western gap for their next stop in Cleveland, Ohio. While Ontario Place sold tickets for their grandstand viewing area and the ticket of the day was probably on the ferry Trillium which headed out of the harbour as a viewing platform, there were plenty of free viewing locations, and I found one east of Ontario Place across from the Island Airport.


In a rare escape from Toronto Harbour into the open waters of Lake Ontario, Toronto's 1910 steam ferry Trillium was loaded with spectators for the Parade of Sail on 4-July-2010

Quite possibly the most significant ship in the fleet was the Brig Niagara. When it was built during the War of 1812 in Erie, Pennsylvania, it would not have been welcome in Toronto (er, York) or anywhere else in Canada; it was at one point the sole US warship on Lake Erie. Fully restored and still operating out of Erie, it spent most of US Independence Day participating in the Toronto festival.


The Brig Niagara had been constructed to serve as a United States vessel on Lake Erie during the War of 1812, but peacefully visited Toronto, Ontario on 4-July-2010

Other notable vessels included an East German logging vessel converted to a sailing ship, a clipper ship owned by the city of Baltimore, Maryland, and my personal favorite, the 99-year old bark Europa. Hailing from the Netherlands, the Europa was the tallest ship in attendance with an interesting history starting as a lightship and most recently, since 1994, as a world traveler.


The bark Europa from the Netherlands had been built in 1911 as a lightship, but was still sailing across oceans to be in the Parade of Sail in Toronto, Ontario on 4-July-2010

As the visiting ships headed off to the Welland Canal to take the lift to Lake Erie, the Toronto-based vessels passed back through the western gap into the harbour, ending an entertaining afternoon called the Parade of Sail.

Photos: Trip to the Pacific Northwest, Part I

A block of the town of Connell, Washington, which played an important role in family history, was observed on 15-June-2010.

TORONTO, ONTARIO - This week's update to my photo site begins coverage of a trip to the Pacific Northwest. Time spent in eastern Washington state from 12-June-2010 to 20-June-2010 included scenes traveling over the Cascade Mountains, the Harper family reunion, a tour of Connell, Washington, a visit to the railroad museum in Pasco, Washington, and a variety of scenes around the Tri-Cities.

Margin Notes: Flags, Inukshuks, Pride

A car displaying a Canadian flag, World Cup-style, was noted at Ontario Place in Toronto, Ontario on 4-July-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - The flags on vehicles in the Greater Toronto Area during the World Cup aren't all of nations playing in the World Cup. The same small flags have been mounted on vehicles in honour of Canada Day, as the above example at Ontario Place was just one of many plying the streets this long weekend.

* * * * * *


A German and a Spanish flag were flying from this vehicle noted passing near High Park in Toronto, Ontario on 4-July-2010

The most intriguing flags to me are on the vehicles sporting more than one. Do these represent mixed marriages between the nationalities? Simply fans of more than one team in a given family? Or just a Canadian conviction that everyone should win? Besides the German-Spanish combination seen above, there has been an Uruguay-Argentina combination minivan driving through my neighbourhood (always in the shadows) that I'm quite curious about.

* * * * * *


This inukshuk was located at the west end of Ontario Place in the public area along the bike path on 4-July-2010

Besides flags, the other symbol continuing to proliferate around Toronto is the inukshuk. There were a lot of them at Pearson Airport on a variety of signs in the customs area, but no photos are allowed in there. The latest inukshuk find? A fairly large one located east of Ontario Place, still on the grounds but in the public area between Lake Shore Boulevard and western gap into Toronto Harbour.

* * * * * *

It's not legal to be naked in that public space (though it's just across the water from a designated nude beach), but that wouldn't be true in Seattle. As noted before, there is no generic law against nudity in public parks in Seattle. Thus, with a proposed law banning guns in public parks in Seattle probably unconstitutional based on a recent Supreme Court ruling, it looks like it will remain legal to carry a firearm in Seattle parks while naked for the foreseeable future.

* * * * * *


A wolf painted up in rainbow colours was noted in Trinity Bellwoods Park in Toronto, Ontario on 1-July-2010

A public event likely involving nudity today in Toronto was the Pride Parade. Thanks to the controversy over the participation of the Queers Against Israeli Aparthied group there have been a few interesting signs around town this year, including "Take Back the Dyke 2010." Some signs of Pride Week were more subtle and unexpected, though, like the rainbow wolf seen in Trinity Bellwoods Park above.

Radio Pick: Indian Summer

TORONTO, ONTARIO - The summer has started, and this week that means that a CBC summer show made my radio pick of the week. Prepared for another Indian Summer? (That's their line, not mine.) For the third straight year, CBC has solicited new episodes of ReVision Quest, the comedic look at contemporary native issues. The season started with a heady topic, the use of aboriginal names for sports teams, and managed to make it amusing, including a fake conversation between a tribal leader and a team manager.

Listen to MP3 of ReVision Quest "Battles Over the Brand"

Holiday: This Year, Weston Fireworks

The fireworks at Weston Lions Park in Toronto, Ontario were short but enjoyable on 1-July-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - Since moving to Toronto in 2006, I've made a point of attending a different fireworks display on each Canada Day. There are so many to choose from here that it didn't seem appropriate to settle on one and make it a tradition until I had sampled at least most of them, if not all of them.


Canadian band "Cuff the Duke" performed at North York Civic Centre before the fireworks display on 1-July-2006

I started the tour in 2006 with the North York fireworks. In terms of an overall show, the event at Mel Lastman Square probably provides the best experience I've seen, as one can take a chair and find a place with a view of the stage which has live acts right up to fireworks time. The fireworks themselves are all set off above the building, making for a less than spectacular show compared with other offerings around town, but still not something that can be seen every day. The adjacent subway station made it relatively easy, if crowded, to exit after the event.


The fireworks display was second-to-none at Ashbridge's Bay in Toronto, Ontario on 1-July-2007

In 2007, I decided to attend the Ashbridge's Bay fireworks on Toronto's eastern beaches. This may be the most traditional of the displays, with people playing on the beach until it gets dark, followed by fireworks that would rival a display anywhere. However, being at the outer reach of the city, transportation leaving the event was a nightmare--the best route out is probably to walk all the way north to the Bloor-Danforth subway.


Fireworks lit up the sky above Downsview Park in Toronto, Ontario on 1-July-2008

Next on my tour was Downsview Park on 1-July-2008. Downsview may be the best place to take children, as the carnival rides and busker performances keep them occupied in the long wait as the skies darken. The fireworks rival Ashbridge's Bay, but public transport leaving is pathetic--the TTC doesn't even try to accommodate the crowds. It's probably best to walk around the north end of the airport to the subway station.


The fireworks came right off the building at Mississauga's Town Centre on 1-July-2009

With Toronto on strike in 2009, I headed west to check out the display at Mississauga Town Centre, as I described last year. This display did seem to have it all--a concert to watch before the fireworks start, and a great 25-minute display against a nice backdrop.


A relatively small crowd was gathered at Weston Lions Park in Toronto, Ontario as daylight faded away on 1-July-2010

I went for a very different experience this year. I took a (long) walk to the Weston neighbourhood where I observed the kind of Canada Day celebration that one might expect in a small town. A band played on a stage that fit inside a tent, various local food vendors sold food, and perhaps a few hundred people gathered on sports fields where children kicked soccer balls around until the lights went out and the fireworks began. It was only a ten minute display, but it was an exciting one. When it was all over, the crowds were not terrible to fight, and it was nice to just walk home.

Next year? I still haven't done the large Centennial Park display, or any of several other smaller events that likely resemble Weston. Who knows what I may feel like...

Holiday: Chinese Railway Worker's Memorial

Historian Dora Nipp of the Multicultural History Society of Ontario spoke at the re-dedication of the Chinese Railway Worker's Memorial in Toronto, Ontario on 1-July-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - Holidays are a time of tradition, and one of the many Canada Day traditions in Toronto is the annual re-dedication of the Chinese Railway Workers Memorial located next to the Union Station Rail Corridor just west of the Skydome (er, Rogers Centre).


Landy Anderson, a granddaughter of a Chinese railway worker and Executive Director of the Chinese Canadian National Council, served as the Master of Ceremonies for the re-dedication on 1-July-2010

The monument was constructed in 1989 to honour the more than 4000 Chinese workers who lost their lives building the Canadian Pacific in the Rocky Mountains in the 1880's, as well as those that survived but received little recognition for their efforts or welcome to Canadian society. Each year, leaders of a variety of historical and cultural groups gather to tell the stories that at best receive a brief mention in most history textbooks.


A pair of lions danced during the Chinese Railway Workers Memorial re-dedication in Toronto, Ontario on 1-July-2010

While the bulk of the ceremony was speeches from various perspectives, a lion dance broke up the progression, including a fight for lettuce. A wreath laying featured more wreaths than just about any other such ceremony I had ever seen, with wreaths contributed from every conceivable group from Heritage Toronto to the Chinese Consulate.


Only half the wreaths for the laying ceremony during the Chinese Railway Workers Memorial re-dedication were visible in this view on 1-July-2010

Most of the time, though, was taken up by speeches. It seemed everyone had an agenda to present of some kind, whether it be new texts available on Chinese history or the continued plight of Head Tax payers and their families. Perhaps the most politicized talks came from Member of Parliament Olivia Chow and John Cartwright of the Toronto and York Regional Labour Council, both of whom claimed that current temporary visa workers are in an analogous situation to the Chinese railway workers. Karen Sun, a city council candidate who actually avoided mentioning politics and her status while speaking on the behalf of the Chinese Canadian National Council's local chapter, seemed to inadvertently admit how tedious the process was becoming by addressing the crowd with a "good afternoon." It was still well before noon, even if it didn't feel like it.


John Cartwright, the President of the Toronto and York Region Labour Council, spoke at the Chinese Railway Workers Memorial re-dedication on 1-July-2010

After a long eighty minutes, by which time most of the audience had disbursed, the re-dedication was complete. It was time to move on to other Canada Day traditions.