Today, August 18th 2018, the Canadian National Exhibition (C.N.E.) celebrated the 97th Warriors’ Day Parade.
The Parade started at 10:30 a.m. at the Princes’ Gate, at the east end of the CNE grounds, and continued past the Direct Energy Centre, before turning south just south BMO Field.
The parade also gave us a chance to thank our veterans and current members of the Canadian Forces. Thank you for your dedication and service! Continue reading
John G. Diefenbaker, M.P., speaking in the House of Commons, Ottawa (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Today is the 39th anniversary of the death of former Canadian Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.
John George Diefenbaker was born September 18th, 1895 in Neustadt, Ontario to William Thomas Diefenbaker and his wife Mary Florence. His father was of German descent, while his mother was of Scottish descent. In 1903, his family moved to the Northwest Territories (NWT), to a portion of the territory that would become the province of Saskatchewan two years later.
He would earn a B.A. in 1915 and M.A. in 1916, both from the University of Saskatchewan.
Election handout for John Diefenbaker, 1926 (Photo credit: Wikipedia
John Diefenbaker served in the Canadian army during the First World War, ending up as a Lieutenant as a member of the 196th Battalion (Western Universities), CEF in the Canadian Expeditionary Force.
After the war, Mr. Diefenbaker would serve as a lawyer in Saskatchewan.
Between 1925 and 1940, he would be unsuccessful in several attempts to be elected, either to the House of Commons or the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly. However, he would finally win a seat in the House of Commons in the 1940 General Election.
On December 14th, 1956, after 16 years as a Member of Parliament, was made Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada – and the new Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition. In June 0f 1957, a general election was held. During that campaign, he would summarize the party’s platform like this:
It is a program … for a united Canada, for one Canada, for Canada first, in every aspect of our political and public life, for the welfare of the average man and woman. That is my approach to public affairs and has been throughout my life … A Canada, united from Coast to Coast, wherein there will be freedom for the individual, freedom of enterprise and where there will be a Government which, in all its actions, will remain the servant and not the master of the people.
He would lead his party to victory on June 10th, winning the most seats of any party, albeit not a majority. The Liberals chose not to face Parliament, which they were entitled to do as the governing party, as the other parties in the House chose to support Diefenbaker. This meant that he became the first Progressive Conservative leader to form a Government since R.B. Bennett in 1930, and broke 22 uninterrupted years of Liberal rule.
English: The signature of John Diefenbaker 13th Prime Minister of Canada. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Mr. Diefenbaker would serve as Prime Minister for six years, winning a Majority Government on March 31st, 1958 and another Minority Government on June 18th, 1962. He would be defeated by Lester B. Pearson and the Liberals on April 8th, 1963 – after defeating Pearson’s Liberals in 1958 and 1962.
During this term as the 13th Prime Minister of Canada, Mr. Diefenbaker oversaw many events, including:
Mr. Diefenbaker would continue to serve as a Member of Parliament right up to his death in 1979. He was married twice – first to Edna (1929-1951) and then to Olive (1953-1976.) He would have no children.
In 1976, Mr. Diefenbaker was created a Companion of Honour by the Queen, which is a personal gift of the Sovereign.
Mr. Diefenbaker died one month prior to his 84th birthday on August 16th 1979, and just months after seeing Joe Clark end 13 years of Liberal rule, returning the Conservatives to power.
Sir John Graves Simcoe. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
As today is Sir John Graves Simcoe Day in Ontario, I would like to discuss the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada from 1791 to 1796. Of course Upper Canada would later become the Province of Ontario.
Born in Cotterstock England in 1752, Simcoe would be educated at Eton and spent one year at Oxford. He joined the 35th Regiment of Foot, as an ensign, in 1770. He purchased a captaincy in the 40th Regiment of Foot and was injured in battle during the American Revolution. He was responsible for a successful battle in the battle of Crooked Billet.
He became Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada in 1791 when the British Government created the Province of Upper Canada out of land around the Great Lakes that stayed part of the British Empire after the American Revolution. Simcoe would see to the building of two major roads: Yonge Street (named after Sir George Yonge then the Minister of War), and Dundas Street (named after Henry Dundas, later the 1st Viscount Melville.) Originally built for defensive purposes, later both streets served to help settlement Upper Canada, and as trading routes. Continue reading
Gerry Hyman has another article for the Toronto Star. Let’s discuss the questions raised:
Two questions raised were about renting a unit in a condominium. As such, I am going to post both of them first and then comment on them together:
QUESTION: The property manager is asking me to provide a copy of my lease agreement with my tenant. I think this is a private matter. Is there any legal reason that I have to comply?
ANSWER: Section 83 of the Condominium Act provides that within 30 days of leasing the owner’s unit, the owner must notify the corporation that it is leased. The owner must also provide the corporation with the lessee’s name, the owner’s address and a copy of the lease or the prescribed summary form of lease. The lessee must, in turn, be provided with copies of the declaration, bylaws and rules of the corporation.
Continue reading
City Hall
It has been reported that the Provincial Government wishes to cut the number of councillors in Toronto from 47 to 25, and be made effective for the 2018 municipal election. Not only is this a last minute decision right before the nomination period is set to close, but also creates input for the residents of Toronto. Continue reading
Gerry Hyman has another article for the Toronto Star. Let’s discuss the two questions raised:
Major League Baseball (MLB) has announced the teams for the 2018 All-Star Game.
This year’s midsummer classic takes place at Nationals Park and is hosted by the Washington Nationals. This is the first time that the Nationals have held the event since they moved from Montreal.
The teams break down as follows:
We are now down to the Final Four in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The Quarterfinals saw Brazil, Russia, Sweden, and Uruguay all eliminated. Brazil is a five time winner of the tournament, while Uruguay is a two time winner. Russia is the host country.
For the first time since the 2006 World Cup, all four teams remaining are European teams, and include two former champions (England and France.) Continue reading
On July 5th 2018 Metrolinx, the provincial organization that operates GO Transit, held an open house at Mimico Presbyterian Church to discuss their intentions to renovate their two stations in south Etobicoke, Long Branch and Mimico, and the possibility of a new station at Park Lawn Road on the site of the Old Mr. Christie’s factory.
Long Branch and Mimico stations are two of the last stations that GO Transit has that are not accessible stations. The proposal for Park Lawn is still early in its design process.
There were several slides discussing each station: Continue reading
