Yeah, I checked out the list of Order of Canada recipients and I recognized her name. I haven’t met her, but I’ve heard her playing.
Time for my annual viewing of the ultimate Canadian medley: the national anthem according to Bob & Doug.
Better chance of people remembering the words!
In my entire life I do not remember people in Ontario being so viscerally ANGRY about a political matter in Ontario the way they’re angry about the Ontario Science Centre closing.
I’m not Ontarian, but I’ve been to the science centre and it’s a pretty cool place.
The whole story is just highlights the government’s neglect of the place to the point of catastrophic safety issues, the shady “business deals” around Ontario Place and the assumption of “condo development” at the OSC site which shows how much Ford supports developers and probably makes money on the back end somehow.
It’s just such blatant political corruption of “we can do whatever we want and fuck you”, I can understand the anger.
At least that’s why I’m angry about it, and it isn’t even my tax money.
No mention of Canada Day in this thread?
Me, I had a great Canada Day. Time with friends, the Blue Jays on TV, cold beer, horse racing, the Rib Fest happening next to the track—I couldn’t ask for a nicer Canada Day. Especially since I made enough on my wagers to cover my bar tab at the track.
Hope all the Cana-Dopers had a great one too!
The problems with the roof were very fixable and there is no significant risk until winter anyway. Every engineer who has looked at the report agrees; there was no good reason to close the OSC.
I missed that update; sounds like the Big Owe, which can’t be trusted to handle snow loading but it otherwise usable.
It just feels completely wrong and massively increases distrust in government (not that I trust politicians further than I could throw them …I have a firm belief that anyone that wants to be a career politician shouldn’t be allowed to be…!)
I didn’t grow up in Ontario, but for those who did, there’s a huge nostalgia for a place where it seems everybody went on school field trips. I remember going when I arrived here in '84 - I thought the exhibits were pretty cool, but I mostly remember it as a concert/film venue from those days.
Then, when I had kids - we got family memberships to the ROM, the Zoo, the COM (the Children’s Own Museum, which was housed in the McLaughlin Planetarium. It shut down sometime in 2001 or 2002, IIRC), and of course, the Ontario Science Centre. We were there at least twice a month, sometimes more often in the summer. I have friends who work there.
Add on top of that the Ford government’s way of dealing with public lands with minimal public consultation - the 413, the Greenbelt, Ontario Place, and now the OSC - and you have a formula for ticking off a lot of people.
And now, there are several philanthropic gestures to save the Science Centre, but Mr. Ford is up at the cottage and has not responded to any of those offers, to the best of my knowledge.
And some of it is just the optics - the fact that the land on the north side of Eglinton is owned by a developer friend of Mr. Ford, who stood to benefit from the land in the Greenbelt, the fact that the Ontario Place version of the OSC is planned to be about a tenth of the size of the current OSC, the closing of the Science Centre within minutes of receiving the report and just as all the summer day camps were starting to get ready to roll, the fact that the fencing around the site says ‘Private Property - No Trespassing’ when it’s public property - all indicate that the affair was not handled with a view to public feeling.
And after the 407 (different Conservative government, I know, but it stands out as a massive blunder with a public resource that has not been in the public’s best interest), the Ontario Place giveaway, the near miss on the Greenbelt - not many people in Toronto have much trust in Doug Ford right now…
And yeah, count me in with the people who are furious about it!!
Don’t get me started on this one. I used to go all the time for traditional planetarium shows as well as the laser music shoes like The Beatles and Pink Floyd. Shuttering the building was a shame.
Me, too! If I remember it all correctly, U of T was going to sell the site to a condo developer, but the McLaughlin family intervened, and the building has been closed ever since. No idea if they’re taking proper care of the building in the meantime…
Ford has one tactic, starve money out of the facility/system, when it starts to crumble, make whatever changes your profiteering cronies prefer.
Education, healthcare, Ontario Place, Science Centre…
What’s next?
It seems like the whole world is swinging rightwing, to some degree. Unfortunately it seems to coincide with a rightwing that’s poised and ready to gut every check against evil that’s been put in place, from environmental regulations, to women’s rights, minority rights, employee rights, etc.
It’s painful to watch.
Some of our gaming group got together and played all day. We managed to play six games (seven if you count the one we played twice) and enjoyed the day. Stopped for a bit after lunch to watch the air show over the Parliament Buildings.
I’ve ranted a bit in the July rants thread about the LCBO retail workers’ strike, which I suppose nobody cares about except those of us in Ontario, and we care about it very much! Though as noted on CBC News, those living in Ottawa and similar places close to the Quebec border couldn’t care less!
But it’s been fascinating watching the availability and non-availability of specific products on the online site, which is the only way Ontario residents can currently get LCBO products, though wine and beer is available elsewhere. There seems to be a process of transferring product from the central warehouse to one or more distribution centers, and product availability comes and goes, sometimes quite fast. One has an image of managers, logistics specialists, and IT personnel working to maintain online ordering and home distribution while the union tries to disrupt the whole system. Ordering liquor is now like a game of tennis – timing and quick reflexes is everything!
Not taking sides here but I do want my Caesars, wine, and occasional rum! 
I think I’m easily capable of surviving weeks or months without buying any spiritous beverages, thanks.
But on principle, I think a lot of the regulations around alcoholic beverages are stupid. E.g., you can sell beer in grocery stores, but only if it comes in a six-pack and you need a special license (although apparently those restrictions are being phased out). And I think the legislated minimum price for beer is just ridiculous.
It will be an interesting strike. The Ford government would love to bust a union, and the longer the strike goes on, the more people will get used to buying their beer and wine at Loblaw’s. (People who enjoy stronger spirits are just SOL, or stuck with mail order booze. The porch pirates might have a very enjoyable couple of weeks ahead of them…). The LCBO and the union have a very good point, though - Ontario benefits greatly from the revenue from the LCBO.
Meanwhile, there is much controversy about the cost of having beer and wine in corner stores - I heard it will cost $250 million to break that deal a year early, I’ve heard $750 million, and I’ve heard $1 billion. Not a good use of money, IMHO, especially as I’ve never had any problem getting booze of any type in Ontario.
And one of the things I absolutely love about the LCBO is the Vintages section - I say to myself “I’m aiming for an average of $16 a bottle; let’s see what they have.”, and I’ve never been disappointed in what I’ve been able to find.
Here in Quebec, we have beer and wine in corner stores and grocery stores. Though harder alcohol is only at the government stores.
On the other hand, we also only have government weed stores, no independent ones.
I don’t know much about buying weed or booze in Quebec. They aren’t things I generally indulge in much these days. Not that I judge those who do.
Though, with life sucking, sometimes I think to myself that I wish I drank more.
I often watch CBC-TV’s Montreal local news in the evening. There are always two commercials for online gaming, and the disclaimers for both read (in fairly large letters) ONTARIO ONLY. Why are these ads showing outside Ontario for such a local show? (the Ontario viewers would be vastly outnumbered by Quebec ones). I can understand if it’s a national show, which would hit a lot of Ontario viewers - but Quebec only?
Maybe because viewers in eastern Ontario also watch CBC Montreal, and if there a market there (or a market is perceived as being there by the advertiser), then they’ll spend money on advertising to it.
Heck try being a Blue Jays fan here in western Canada, and being subjected to endless appeals to buy tickets for the Blue Jays’ 50/50 draw during lulls in the action; or all the ads for betting apps during commercial breaks between innings. All for Ontario residents only, of course.
Meh. If the betting app people want to spend their money advertising to people who cannot use their product, fine by me. Time for a bathroom break or to get another beer.
Or the CBC selling advertisement relevant to the observer’s location offsetting their tax burden. A novel concept for sure.