Today was the last day of the CNE, the Canadian National Exhibition. It was beautiful weather too, and had been for the whole weekend.
We caught Mississauga transit to Islington Station, then the Subway to Dufferin. We then wanted to bus the rest of the way but the bus stopped at King Street to allow for the parade route which we ended up catching the tail end of and following into the Exhibition grounds.
We had a great time, but mostly missed out on the main reason I wanted to go which was the air show. I caught sight of an F-18 showboating, and a couple of passes by the Snowbirds on our way out, but I missed the rumoured Spitfire Mk. IX, if indeed it flew. Regardless, it was my first time at the CNE and we were all just so busy making our way through the fair grounds to see as much as we could.
Sensational video greeted me on the local news this morning after a propane storage facility in North York, at Keele and Wilson, caught fire and exploded. Residents were forced to evacuate and a stretch of the 401 was shot down and amateur videographers got some of the most amazing footage ever. Fortunately, it looks like no lives were lost. Although the TV is reporting 12,000 people have been affected mostly due to the evacuation.
The investigation into the matter will no doubt be on every newcast for a long while to come. It's too early to lay blame, of course, but one oddity was this story about a suspcious package in the same area, days earlier, that a poster to Fark linked to in the comments section there. On the morning of the 7th, police were called to the Ministry of Transportation office and evacuated 200 people in the incident. (To note, the original photo that I cropped to display here also originated there, but is unattributed so I apologize that I don't have the source.)
The above video was posted to YouTube early this morning. The videographer was just under 4km away, which give you an idea of the size of the blast.
As a sort of Part II for my post on getting my new plates and license ordered, we decided to seek out some of the newer Korean shops along Yonge Street in North York, as well as getting a few groceries at Galleria and touring around.
Yonge at Olive Ave, near Finch Station.
Condo construction near Yonge at Tolman Street.
Korean shops along Yonge Street in North York.
Most of the Korean area starts at the Finch subway station on the Yonge line and stretches south for a few blocks. Galleria is slightly north. We ate first, at a Korean-run sushi restaurant and then went grocery shopping. By the time we finished, however, it was starting to rain. The rain would turn into quite a downpour in spurts.
A rainy evening in the city. (Not sure which intersection this is.)
Yonge at Adelaide.
We followed Yonge Street all the way south until we hit Front Street. We took Front west to Spadina and then had the idea to drive up to Dundas where we'd make our way straight back to Mississauga. No luck, however, since the police had cordoned off the area west of Dundas and Bathurst, up to Nassau Street. Somebody had been firing shots into the door of an apartment on Denison Ave and police were hunting down the suspects.
On the upside we got to have a second look at Kensington Market and Chinatown before heading home by travelling further south and taking the Gardiner. We'll definitely try to return, earlier in the day next time, to peruse some of the art supply stores in the area and maybe do some market shopping.
Feeling less like a tourist and more like a speedbump.
Another weekend, another brief road trip through the city. This was the first time exhibiting our new Ontario plates. I'll detail the trip later, with pictures, but first let me tell you about my plates...
They weren't easy to get, you know. With the driver and vehicle licensing partially privatized here it made the process far more complicated than it should have been. It's taken me three weeks.
The first week was to get in and have my car safety inspection done and a vehicle emissions test completed. I'd never had the latter before in the Maritimes. The safety inspection, however, is done every year and Nova Scotia has even increased theirs to involve dismantling your brakes before issuing a pass. Here in Ontario, it's largely a one-shot thing. The mechanic at Canadian Tire, where I got mine done, said it should be a problem since compared to Nova Scotia cars, he explained to me, "The ones up here are all falling apart on the road." I passed but needed work. A marker light was out, and that was an electrical problem. I also had to secure my battery better. The emissions test, despite having a ten-year-old car, was no problem.
Lots of fun for everyone... This little circus was set up in the parking lot of the Canadian Tire on Dundas East (Mississauga) where I went for my inspection.
The second weekend (last weekend) I gathered together all my inspection forms, my new insurance, and various pieces of ID and sallied forth to the local Drivers and Vehicle Licensing Office, which is run by the Mississauga Board of Trade. I waited in line for two hours, only to get up to the door where it said they didn't process out of province license transfers. Lovely. I stayed in line and hoped I could at least get my new plates. I almost did, too. The forms got filled out but when the young lad went to connect to the Nova Scotia computer network, it was down. Don't worry, he said, I could get it done next week when I went to Brampton for my licence. It would seem, you can't actually exchange an out of province license if you live in Canada's sixth largest city. You have to go to Brampton.
Now, despite what everybody that I have ever met says, I still think Brampton is a nice, quaint little town. I got up early yesterday, for the third time, in the hopes that I would be one of the first in line. I already suspected rightly that they wouldn't exchange my plates. I believe the internet site for Drivetest, the private company that administers drivers' licensing, had something to that effect.
I entered a room with about a hundred people or more and took my ticket. I was B1. They called a whole bunch of As and Fs. Then they moved on to Ds, Es and Cs. I didn't see any Gs come up, those poor buggers. After another two-hour wait, the signboard flashed for B1. The guy at the desk confirmed I was the only B in the room. Yes, I had my own letter to make sure that I would have to stay until they arbitrarily decided it was my turn. No complaints here, though. They managed to process me and my new license will come in the mail in a few weeks (unlike Nova Scotia where it's done up while you wait, however this may be related to new security features on the card or something.)
I scooted back to Mississauga and found an even longer line this week at the Square One office. Luckily it moved a bit faster and in an hour or an hour and a half, I was served. The paperwork went through, I got new plates which I attached in the parking lot, and off I drove to get a quick haircut and then pick up the wife for our Saturday night drive.
The only downside is that I've lost the "almost-immunity" of out-of-province plates. People will expect me to drive like a local now.
This evening was our first foray into Toronto since the move. We enjoyed a lovely Saturday evening drive. The above shot was one that my wife took along the way. We started on Dundas Street East in Mississauga, to Dundas Street West in Etobicoke and Toronto, then eventually far enough to reach Dundas Street East again, in Toronto. It took us through China Town, past the new Art Gallery of Ontario and to the bright lights of Yonge and Dundas. On the way back we scooted north up Jarvis, then too Bloor back until it intersected with Dundas again and we retraced our path home. It took us about an hour and a half through moderate traffic, and being in no hurry for a change.
Honest, I'll be blogging again soon as things settle. It's been a busy month. I've already spilled the news on my Halifax section but it's fair to post something here too since this is now, for certain, my primary blog. We're carpet baggin' again, this time to Mississauga.
We'll be vacating our apartment this weekend, spending a few days in my hometown of Miramichi, New Brunswick, and then it's off to Upper Canada by midweek. My new job starts the following Monday.
Not long ago, the New Brunswick government launched a program to lure young herring chokers back to the Picture Province with the slogan: "Be Here Now", done up with periods separating the words to make it look like a hip and happening IP address, which apparently appeals to young people and blinds them to the fact this whole campaign is being done in lieu of actually creating jobs for them to return to, or helping young N.B. workers to attain a liveable wage.
Judging by a photo from the Torontoist's "Daily Photo", at least one displaced New Brunswicker must have gotten the message, though I'm not sure that person is planning to move back. (Click the link or the photo for the full caption.)
The Condo market has remained hot in Canada, despite the troubles south of the border. How long that holds is anyone's guess. Here in Halifax I get the impression that it's starting to cool, despite the statistics realtors email me regularly. My reasoning is that a number of the condominium projects here have quietly metamorphosed into "luxury apartments" as there are presumably fewer buyers now than when the first sods were turned. It's also been quiet wisdom that the resale potential doesn't approach the demand for new units.
Toronto, on the other hand, seems strongest. I get the impression that it's not as crippled by high prices as Vancouver is (for first-time buyers anyway) nor is there a shortage of housing to deal in, as there is in Albertan centres. The economy is stronger and on top of it all, the influx of baby boomers seeking more convenient urban homes in downtown towers is just beginning. For those desirous of starting a family in a traditional dwelling, that should result in a number of available houses being put up for sale in their wake.
Add to this the drop in lending rates now being floated to solve the world's economic woes and you may be able to sustain that growth a while longer. Banks now offer 40 year mortgages and the word on the street (prior to the sub prime terror) is that they'll reach 50 years before they're reigned in. That length of time seems ludicrous, but I think it's a veiled attempt to make your mortgage more like rent -- something you pay forever -- but not it will be to your bank, instead of a landlord.
However, the window is bound to close on low rates, too. You just can't keep lowering interest rates to stimulate the economy, since this is precisely what's caused the problems in the first place. It's like drinking alcohol to cure a hangover; it works for a while but eventually your liver fails and you sober up only to witness your own funeral. The money moguls had been trying to raise rates, but the economy doesn't want to take the strain.
Nonetheless, that pill will have to be swallowed someday. A time will come when they'll have to raise rates just so that the poor schmucks who actually pay their bills can overcompensate for all the stressed out borrowers who face financial ruin when their mortage rate jumps from 5.5% to 8%, or 21.46% as they did in 1980. (See a nice graph of historical mortgage rates at the Canadian Mortgage Trends blog.)
The picture still looks rosy for now, I am happy to say. I wouldn't be so sure about predicting the same situation a year from now. I'm hoping it lasts that long for personal reasons, but I need to be prepared if it doesn't. With ourselves, we've considered settling down here in the Maritimes, but are now leaning toward relocating to Toronto. Being cautious buyers, my wife and I will likely end up renting for a year while we scope out neighbourhoods and sink into new jobs. I've done as much research as I can online, checking house prices, maps, crime data, demographics... all in preparation for our first home.
We'd like a house, but aren't ruling condos out either, despite being at least a couple of decades away from being baby boomers. That's why I was happy to find a link to "Urban Toronto" while reading Spacing Toronto's post on urban construction, today. ("Spacing Toronto" is one of the newest additions to my RSS reader thanks to the Canadian Blog Awards.) Over at Urban Toronto, they have a "Development Index" which links to discussions, photos and urls for a vast number of ongoing Toronto construction projects. I will be busy furthering my pre-relocation research for a solid week, I'm sure.
City 7: Toronto Conflict, is an action packed Half-Life 2 mod with a variety of unique levels and game play. Explore what has become of City 7 in areas like Dundas square, Eaton Center , Mel Lastman square, St. Michael's Hospital and TTC system under the Combine rule.
The mod is a thesis project from students at George Brown College but they are open to accepting new coders who can help realize the plan. They currently proclaim that they've already "managed to get halfway to the CN tower and have already created 2-3 hours of fun and action packed game play."
I found this and thought I'd put it up on the blog as a piece of Canadiana to indulge in. "Honest Ed" Mirvish, the famous Toronto salesman, theatre patron and restauranteur, passed away back in July but it was only in this past week that I have just finished Jack Batten's biography of him, "Honest Ed's Story: The Crazy Rags to Riches Story of Ed Mirvish" from 1972. For nostalgic purposes, I thought this commercial from 1988 was quite enjoyable.
Three contractors were visiting a tourist attraction on the same day. One was from Toronto, another from Calgary, and the third from Montreal. At the end of the tour, the guard asked them what they did for a living. When they all replied that they were contractors the guard said, "Hey, we need one of the rear fences redone. Why don't you guys take a look at it and give me a bid?" So to the back fence they all went.
First to step up was the Calgary contractor. He took out his tape measure and pencil, did some measuring and said, "Well I figure the job will run about $900. $400 for materials, $400 for my crew, and $100 profit for me."
Next was the Montreal contractor. He also took out his tape measure and pencil, did some quick figuring and said, "Looks like I can do this job for $700. $300 for materials, $300 for my crew, and $100 profit for me."
Without so much as moving, the Toronto contractor said, "$2,700."
The guard, incredulous, looked at him and said, "You didn't even measure like the other guys! How did you come up with such a high figure?"
"Easy," he said. "$1,000 for me, $1,000 for you, and we hire the guy from Montreal."
The major claim to distinction for the city of Toronto, the looming CN Tower, just lost its status as the tallest free-standing structure on earth.
Of course, most major comparison charts around the world already neglected our inspiring spire.
The new champion, and still rising, is Dubai's "Burj Dubai" skyscraper. (The official site doesn't appear to be loading right now, but here's the link so you can check yourselves.) The final projected height of the Burj Dubai is set at over 800 metres which will put it shoulders ahead of Taipei 101 and well ahead of the CN Tower at 553.33 metres.
I'm not about to ignore the symbolism that this has in relation to our national pride. Our country has been diminished in the last couple of decades. With the loss of the CN Tower's distinction, we lose one of the last of our "we're number one" rankings around which national pride tends to congeal, for better or for worse.
There's also the geopolitical implication here too. On the day after the anniversary of September 11 and the World Trade Centre attacks in the U.S., a skyscraper in a Middle Eastern country that takes over the top spot. We, in the West, may hope that this is not one more harbinger of things to come.
Toronto's not completely out of luck, however. Helping to cling desperately to any remaining shreds of pride, students at Ryerson just held the world's largest dance class a couple of weeks ago in Dundas Square. Way to go, kids. Your country thanks you.
From the CBC: Toronto worker finds grenade in pillowcase. Used clothing retailer evacuated after Toronto factory worker finds a World War II-era pineapple grenade in the donation bin. What's next? Surface to Air Missiles for the Salvation Army? Charity arms race feared.
My first blog initially began as the Kyungnam
Journal in April of 2001, six months after I first landed in South Korea
to teach English. Upon moving to Seoul in January of 2002, it became the
Kyungnam to Kyunggi Journal (K2K) and upon returning to Canada and the
establishment of Latenight.ca, it's been archived here for posterity.
I hope
you enjoy the photos and anecdotes of my time working in hagwons as
an EFL instructor in the South Korean cities of Changwon and
Seoul. I especially hope that prospective English teachers
heading overseas can benefit from this journal.
A few updates may still materialize however,
as Korea retains its connection to me through memory, habit and, now,
matrimony.
My first Latenight blog was begun in March of
2004, when I repatriated to my hometown of Miramichi, NB.
Some of the posts are a bit sparse of concrete
personal information, compared to my other blogs. At the time, I'd
begun a small publishing company and most of my life was consumed by that,
while the competitive nature of my business situation demanded I keep my
work-related posts a bit vague.
Nonetheless, even after moving away (again),
it is still my hometown and I hope to continue to contribute posts from
time to time. Miramichi is a town in transition and deserves a blog
of its own, so while I am not presently residing in the city, perhaps I
can still cast my gaze back home periodically.
Halifax was my home for a time when I was a
child. It's the city of my alma mater, Dalhousie. It's also where
I've spent the bulk of my working life in the publishing industry.
I returned to Halifax, the City of Trees,
in September of 2005. By then a seasoned blogger, I set up the Latenight Halifax section of this site then
and retrofitted the other blogs to match.
This blog covers my life in Halifax through
writeups and photos, and also the steps leading up to myr marriage in June
of 2007.
We eventually decided not to settle here
though, despite the years I've enjoyed in Halifax, and as of June 2008, we
followed the ol' Maritime tradition and left to hang our hats in Toronto.
