Erosion and safety concerns, combined with environmentally sensitive areas have led to the city actively enforcing the bylaw with a typical fine being up to $200, the higher fines were saved for repeat offenders or for those that caused rescues to be performed. In 2017 the south limits of the gorge at Albion Falls were fenced off, so the nearby Lover's Leap Vista lookout is your only option on that side.
Saturday, June 26, 2021
Hamilton's Albion Falls - access closed
Erosion and safety concerns, combined with environmentally sensitive areas have led to the city actively enforcing the bylaw with a typical fine being up to $200, the higher fines were saved for repeat offenders or for those that caused rescues to be performed. In 2017 the south limits of the gorge at Albion Falls were fenced off, so the nearby Lover's Leap Vista lookout is your only option on that side.
Friday, June 18, 2021
Deanna Bowen wins 2021 Scotiabank Photography Award
“The many letters that were generated to support the petition insisted white people were getting agitated, and if the Canadian government didn’t intervene, they would resort to lynch mobs,” Bowen said, pointing to a history of hostility Canadians know little about."
Sunday, June 13, 2021
ArtworxTO: Over Floe public art at Ontario Place
From the ArtworxTO website: Toronto's Year of Public Art 2021–2022 will celebrate Toronto’s exceptional public art collection and the artists behind it. This exciting new initiative will support artists and new artwork that reflects Toronto's diversity and creates more opportunities for the public to engage with art in their everyday lives, across the whole city. Explore FREE Public Art Across the City."
From the Ellis Don website: "As a result of human-caused global warming, ice sheets are melting and oceans are expanding. Cities around the world, Toronto included, have historically been located near large bodies of water, drawing from them a multitude of benefits. With carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions raising temperatures around the globe, polar ice is melting at an alarming rate causing dramatic changes in weather and increased risks of flooding. Our way of life, characterized in the institutional structures of the school, factory, home, bank and truck is threatened by our actions. It is our behavior now and in the future that will dictate whether or not these institutions float away."
Saturday, June 12, 2021
World Naked Bike Ride Toronto 2021
This is the second Toronto pandemic ride and one of three rides that typically take place in Canada which includes Montreal and Vancouver. Just show up and ride and remember participation is as bare as you dare. Returning on the traditional Saturday in June brought out a lot of newcomers and many returning riders.
Monday, June 07, 2021
World Naked Bike Ride Toronto 2021 this Saturday June 12
Bicyclists will gather in Coronation Park at the memorial near the edge of Lake Ontario, south of Exhibition Place, starting around 10amo. Riders will join co-organizer Gene Dare, apply some body paint and sunscreen, enjoy some social distance reunions in preparation for the 1pm start of WNBR. The weather forecast for the event is a mix of sun and cloud and a high of 25 degrees Celsius, which sounds just about perfect. The ride is as bare as you dare but masks would be a nice accessory.
The route of WNBR will take in some of Toronto's most famous landmarks, stopping for photo opportunities at Queen's Park and Toronto City Hall, before ending at the Toronto Ferry Docks or returning back to Coronation Park. Overall the time is about three hours. A wedding party at Queen's Park reacts to the riders passing by in the photo at top.
People come from all over but the participants from the United States of America will probably be unable to attend this year due to covid travel and border restrictions. Still the screams of "less gas, more ass" will be heard throughout the city as the ride meanders through the city streets and parks.
There is limited parking within Coronation Park but plenty available in the area - including within and around Exhibition Place. ActiveTO will probably be ongoing over the whole weekend which shuts down the east bound Lake Shore in several areas - so be aware of traffic slowdowns and closed roads and show up a bit earlier - on your bike! See you there.
Saturday, June 05, 2021
It's Pride Month and the flag is up in Toronto
Then the flag was lowered to half mast in memory of the 215 buried at a Residential School in Kamloops.
Wednesday, June 02, 2021
Goderich and Ontario's West Coast
The beautiful turquois waters of the Great Lake leads into the bays of Goderich, while the wide waters of the Maitland River spill into Huron just north of the massive Sifto salt mine owned by Compass Minerals' - the world's largest underground salt mine! It's funny because you think of mines as only being in northern Ontario or other places away from urban development. This mine sits right in the harbour, just across from the main beach, bringing up over 7 million tons of the white mineral every year with enough resources to last another 100 years. The mine is pictured at top.
Reaching down almost 533 metres under the surface of the lake, the mine is spread out over 5 square miles where giant caverns are supported by pillars of salt. Most of the salt is used for roads in the winter to provide de-icing to keep us safe. They found the ancient Michigan Salt Basin while drilling for oil in 1866. Sifto started their mine in the harbour in 1959 and so far they haven't breached the water and emptied the lake.
Goderich has a cool downtown with the main core laid out way before development occurred. Based on an octagon with the courthouse and park settings in the middle, or 'Square'. Wide streets feed into the even wider main octagon allowing for plenty of parking and easily walkable downtown collection of stores and restaurants.