I’m in Moncton and our fire in the Irishtown area is under control now. I have a friend in Halifax who lost their house in the 2023 fires and just finished the rebuild a few months ago. She sent a picture of the smoke from the current fires taken from her deck. Must be nerve wracking to have gone through it once and have the possibility of it happening again.
This is supposedly already the 2nd worst recent year for forest fires in Canada. Since this will predictably be a future problem, Canada should probably spend more to mitigate it. It’s great bomberos from Mexico are willing to volunteer, but there probably needs to be more designated equipment and personnel.
It could be a way to boost our military spending to satisfy NATO - work in a ‘civilian rescue’ component to our armed forces, and use them for disaster relief as part of their training.
That reminds me of a friend who joined the Canadian Forces (before they once again became the RCAF and RCN and Army). He would have been part of the RCAF, if there had been such a thing then.
Anyway, he was excited to be posted to CFB Comox, on Vancouver Island. CF-18 fighter planes! Bombs! Sorties! Protecting Canada! Excitement!
Well, not really. As he said to me later, “As it turns out, we do a helluva lot of search and rescue…”
I went to the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) in Toronto yesterday.
Highlights were watching Loverboy rock out at the bandshell and seeing Elvis Stojko trotted out for a perfunctory appearance at the ice show. But I remember when the entry price was closer to $8 than $25…
It’s become the Canadian National Flea Market. Gone are the days when you could satisfy your appetite all day with free samples in the Food Building. No more animals (except cat shows and Superdogs) - I don’t know what they use the “Horses” building for now. Cars for the new season used to be in the “Avtomotive Bvilding”. The CNE no longer uses it. No more hi-tech displays, such as colour TVs in the 1960s.
Daughter #1 and I are going to see Neil Young tomorrow night at the Budweiser Stage and our tickets get us into the CNE for free. We may go down a bit early for the nostalgia of the Food Building.
Many happy memories of the CNE. We kids always got a free pass. It came from our school, on the last day of school, with our report cards. Only good for one day, but the Ex was a highlight of our summer.
Later, when I was at high school, I worked in the parking lots south of Lakeshore (specifically, Coronation Park). Yep, I was one of those orange-vested guys who pointed you into a parking spot. I got hit by cars three times one summer. Nothing serious, but it gave me a chance to try out the vocabulary I’d learned from hanging out with the wrong crowd at high school.
The last time I was at the CNE was about 2006. I was living in Calgary by then, but I had time to visit the CNE during a visit to Toronto, so I did, for old times sake. It was fun. I took no rides, but it was great to visit again. I did try the midway (I’m pretty good at Skee-Ball), and walked away with a couple of giant stuffed animals. Somehow, I got them back to Calgary, and they were donated to the pediatric ward of a local hospital.
There are farm animal exhibits in the Farm building, of course (but they’re not handing out any blue ribbons).
We didn’t walk through yesterday, just the Schlock Central that the Enercare Centre has become. We did eat at the Food Building after an initial paralysis at the choices. Eventually we decided it was all both overpriced and mid, so it didn’t really matter. I ended up with dumplings and noodles, my daughter had pirogies.
For food, I had my annual corn dog ($13 for a jumbo!) and my wife and I bought some fudge in the craft building as well as some very good mixed nuts and mixed olives and pickled garlic from a booth in the Enercare Centre.
We also had a dozen Tiny Tom donuts, and my daughter and I agreed that they go from Burn the Mouth to Pure Deliciousness to Meh and Greasy in about 10 minutes.
The Neil Young concert was amazing but we got absolutely soaked leaving the Budweiser Stage after.
We lived outside TO when I was a kid, and I have very fond memories of the CNE air shows. Saw the Harrier showing off its ability to hover in mid air and fly backwards, and an RAF Vulcan doing low and slow flybys over the harbour with steep turns away from the crowd showing off its massive delta wings.
I used to work on the 68th floor of an office building in downtown TO and people spent a lot of time gawking out of the windows on the day or two before the airshow when you could see some of the jets practicing.
TSN CFL Sports Desk is at CNE. Just starting to chatter in the pre-game for Riders and Stamps.
I just saw the trailer for “I like me”, and now, I’ve got something in my eye.
John was a great actor and a great Canadian. Good to see him getting some recognition. One of my faves was when he was the drummer for The Recess Monkeys and he chokes halfway through his one singing line.
Was sorry to read about Ken Dryden today. A great goalie - and an even better person and Canadian.
CTV’s Beverly Thomson has passed away:
She was a CTV News anchor, and she also hosted Canada AM for a number of years.
She was also in my sister’s class at high school. I never met her (Sis and I moved in different circles at high school), but I probably passed her in the hallways many times.
The US ambassador is disappointed with anti-American sentiment in Canada. I have a two word suggestion for the ambassador…