Sunday, March 31, 2013

The former American pavilion at Expo '67 will close.

                                   
Photo of me, during a visit to Expo '67.
   Buckminster Fuller and Shoji Sadao designed the iconic American pavilion at Expo '67, a geodesic dome. In August of 1990, Environment Canada bought the pavilion for $17.5 million dollars, and the site became "The Montreal Biosphere".

The Montreal Biosphere was the American pavilion at the 1967 World's Fair in Montreal, Quebec.
  1. Expo 67 photographs of my stepmother.
               
                         

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Kingston, the Limestone City

     Kingston, Ontario is called The Limestone City because many of the city's landmarks were built with limestone: Fort Henry; the Martello Towers; Royal Military College; Kingston General Hospital; Rockwood; Kingston City Hall; Queen's University;Collins Bay Penitentiary and the Kingston Penitentiary.
Limestone is one of the most durable building materials in the world.
Pictures of Fort Henry in Kingston, Ontario - Summer of 1992.

Most of the buildings at Kingston Pen are in good condition, according to a recent report:                                                    



Page 1
Page 2
Page 4
Page 3
Page 5
Page 6
                                           

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans

Fisheries and Oceans Canada is selling five acres of land at the Centre for Aquaculture and Environmental Research, according to an article "Exclusive: Kits Coast Guard base not being sold by feds-but West Van property is" by Bob Mackin, Business Vancouver News--February 26, 2013.
The land is worth $11 million dollars.
The Centre for Aquaculture and Environmental Research at 4160 Marine Drive in Vancouver, BC.
DFO is hollowing out or closing major Canadian research and development institutions:
The Experimental Lakes Area in Northern Ontario
The Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The government is phasing out research on the biological effects of oil and gas and the effects of oil spills. Several employees at the Bedford Institute will lose their jobs.
Maurice Lamontagne Institute in Mont-Joli, Quebec. Thirty people have been told their jobs may be eliminated, and the world-class library is being shut down.
St. Andrews Biological Station in St. Andrews, New Brunswick - The Contaminants and Toxicology Department has been eliminated, the library has been dismantled, and several people are losing their jobs.
Pacific Biological Station in Nanaimo, British Columbia - Staff are worried about possible job cuts.

Monday, March 18, 2013

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

     The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation was created in 1946, to house returning World War 11 veterans and their families. In subsequent years, the federal Crown corporation built affordable housing; funded urban renewal projects; preserved historic neighbourhoods; gave Residential Rehabilitation grants to homeowners, to repair and upgrade their houses; gave Research and Development grants to scientists; redeveloped Granville Island in Vancouver and built Habitat in Montreal; launched a Green Building Program...The CMHC was given the United Nations Peace Medal in 1982 for "promoting a better understanding among people of the ECE (Economic Commission for Europe) countries, as host of a study tour on housing, building and planning." 
 "The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation Act" was created:
Section 28 (1):
     "The Corporation has the power to manage, acquire, hold, lend, lease and dispose of real and personal property."

The Kingstonian Apartments at 780 Division Street in Kingston, Ontario were denationalized:
A 2007 classified ad from the Globe and Mail newspaper. The Kingstonian Apartments were renamed "Frontenac Place".

The Fraser Institute lobbied for the devolution of all Canada Mortgage and Housing holdings in British Columbia, to the province of BC.

A Fraser Institute document, calling for the devolution of CMHC real estate to the province of BC.

The Blair Rifle Range in North Vancouver was owned by DND from 1927 until 1967, when it was sold to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. (Image is from the Directory of Federal Real Property.)
As far back as 1995 the Government of Canada wanted to redevelop the Blair Rifle Range:
                                                         ORDER-IN-COUNCIL
National Housing Act - 1995-1825 - Authority to enter into a SUPPLEMENTARY AGREEMENT between the Crown, the Province of BRITISH COLUMBIA and the CANADA MORTGAGE AND HOUSING CORPORATION which provides for future changes in the active party responsible for the development of the land comprised of the former BLAIR RIFLE RANGE, located in the District of North Vancouver.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh at Expo '67.


The Queen and Quebec Premier Daniel Johnson.

Ontario Premier John Robarts escorts Queen Elizabeth across Ile Notre-Dame towards the Ontario pavilion, after her visit to the pavilion of the Western Provinces.
 







Sunday, March 3, 2013

In March of 2010, one thousand Canadian lighthouses were declared surplus.

Classified and Recognized heritage lighthouses in British Columbia. (From: The Federal Heritage Building Review Office, Gatineau Quebec.)
The following lighthouses in B.C. were staffed and operated by the Canadian Coast Guard: (From: Lighthouses of British Columbia.)
Langara Point                                                               Chatham Point
Green Island                                                                 Cape Mudge
Triple Island                                                                 Chrome Island
Bonilla Island                                                                Merry Island
Boat Bluff                                                                     Entrance Island
McInnes Island                                                             Trial Island
Ivory Island                                                                  Cape Scott
Dryad Point                                                                  Quatsino
Addenbroke                                                                 Nootka
Egg Island                                                                     Estevan Point
Pine Island                                                                    Lennard Island
Scarlett Point                                                                Cape Beale
Pulteney Point                                                               Pachena Point
                                                                                    Carmanah Point

In 2004, the Musqueam Indian Band stopped the "disposal" of a Coast Guard Transmitter base at Richmond, B.C., by stating that "irreparable harm will occur if the Garden City property is transferred before the determination of the judicial review application." 
See:                            Musqueam Indian Band (Applicant)
                                                       v.
  Canada - Governor in Council of Canada, Treasury Board of Canada, The Honourable Robert Thibault, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada Lands Company Limited, Canada Lands Company CLC Limited, City of Richmond, Attorney General of British Columbia and Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs.(Respondents).
_________________________________________________________________________________
The closure of the Kitsilano and Dartmouth Coast Guard bases and ten Marine Communication and Traffic Services centres, may contravene a federal law, The Oceans Act.
                                         The Oceans Act (1996)
                                         Coast Guard Services
41. (1)  As the Minister responsible for coast guard services, the powers, duties and functions of the Minister extend to and include all matters over which Parliament has jurisdiction, not assigned by law to any other department, board or agency of the Government of Canada relating to
     (a.) services for the safe, economical and efficient movement of ships in Canadian waters through the provision of
     (1.) aids to navigation systems and services, (eEmphasis mine--A.S.-- the lighthouses that were divested were aids to navigation.)
     (11) marine communications and traffic management services, (Emphasis mine--A.S--The Oakville, Ontario and Richmond B.C. MCTS properties are gone. And the federal government is decommissioning MCTS centres in St. John's and St. Anthony, NL; Saint John N.B.; Riviere au Renauld and Montreal, Quebec; Thunder Bay, Ontario; Vancouver, Tofino and Comox, BC; and Inuvik, NWT.)
     (111) ice breaking and ice management services, and
     (1V)  channel maintenance.

(b.) The marine component of the federal search and rescue program; (Emphasis mine--A.S.)
(c.) {Repealed; 2005}
(d.) marine pollution response, and
(e.) the support of departments, boards and agencies of the Government of Canada through the provision of ships, aircraft and other marine services.



Friday, March 1, 2013

On an average day, the Canadian Coast Guard saves 8 lives...

The following information is from a Fisheries and Oceans Canada website, when the Hon.Gail Shea was DFO Minister.
Google: "ARCHIVED - Fisheries and Oceans Canada 1/3" --- November 13, 2009 - Canadian Coast Guard - DFO's Special Operating Agency:- Section 2.
                                                      DID YOU KNOW
                                       On an average day the Canadian Coast Guard:

  • Saves 8 lives;
  • Assists 55 people in 19 search and rescue cases;
  • Services 60 aids to navigation;
  • Handles 1,547 marine radio contacts;
  • Manages 2,325 commercial ship movements;
  • Escorts 4 commercial vessels through ice;
  • Carries out 12 fisheries patrols and supports 8 scientific surveys and 3 hydrographical missions;
  • Deals with 4 reported pollution events; and
  • Surveys 4.4 kilometres of navigation channel bottom.