American-Canadian actress Martha Henry has passed away at 83, just week after appearing at the Statford Festival.
Ms. Henry was born Martha Buhs on February 17th, 1938 in Detroit, Michigan to Kathleen and Lloyd Howard Buhs.
Ms. Henry graduated from the Carnegie Institute of Technology before moving to Canada in 1959.
Continue readingBernard Haitink, the internationally known Dutch conductor, has passed away at age 92.
Mr. Haitink was born in Amsterdam on March 4th, 1929 to Willem Haitink and Anna Clara Verschaffelt.
Mr Haitink was a long time conductor, and would serve as Principal Conductor or Music Director of many orchestras and opera companies around the world, including:
Continue readingOn September 15th and 16th, 2021, I made a quick trip to Windsor, Ontario and back. I went down and back by train, departing and returning from Oakville on VIA Rail.
The trip to Windsor was aboard VIA Rail train #73. The train consisted of F40PH-2 #6405, four LRC coaches, and one VIA1 club car, with F40PH-2 #6426 bringing up the rear. The train would return to Toronto from Windsor in the evening and would not need to be turned around.
Continue readingToday, September 1st, 2021 the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) turns 100 years old.
The TTC was formed on September 1st, 2021 taking over a number of private lines that existed in the past.
Today, August 21st, 2021 would have been the 100th Warriors’ Day Parade at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE). As the CNE was cancelled for a second straight year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be no Warriors’ Day Parade.
However, in honour of the service of our military personnel, I would like to offer this virtual Warriors’ Day Parade through pictures and videos of previous Warriors’ Day Parades:
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William ‘Bill’ Davis, the 18th Premier of Ontario and former MPP from Peel Region has passed away at the age of 92.
Mr. Davis served as Premier of Ontario from 1971 to 1985.
Bill Davis was born William Grenville Davis on July 30th, 1929 in Toronto to Albert and Vera Davis. He was interested in politics from an early age, with former MP Gordon Graydon being a frequent guest growing up.
Mr. Davis graduated from the University of Toronto before earning a law degree from the Osgoode Hall Law School.
Continue readingThe 2020 Summer Olympics have concluded in Tokyo with Team Canada winning 24 total medals – Seven Gold, Six Silver, and 11 Bronze Medals, good for 11th place overall – both in the number of total medals and the numbers of Gold Medals.
The Games had to be delayed one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Team Canada won medals in the following sports:
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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 readingI made a quick trip over to the Toronto Islands on July 22nd, 2021.
While on the trip I was able to catch some video and photographs.
The Toronto Ferry Services, which operates the ferries and is owned by the City of Toronto, owns five ferries: The Trillium, The Thomas Rennie, the Sam McBride, the William M. Inglis (W.M. Inglis), and The Ongiara. The Ongiara is the only ferry that can carry vehicles, used by the city to maintain the islands. The Trillium is now 111 years old and a paddlewheeler – it only occasionally used, and normally for charters.
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