The community of Wilno, Ontario is situated on the border of Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards and Madawaska Valley townships in Renfrew County, Ontario.

Wilno is nestled in the rolling, picturesque terrain of the Madawaska valley which was largely shaped during the demise of the Laurentide ice sheet at the end of the last North American Ice Age.

History

Wilno is the first and oldest Polish settlement in Canada. The original settlers in this area circa 1858 were mainly of Kashubian origin from the then German-occupied area of Poland. One of the reasons they chose this area to settle was because of the landscape which reminded them of their original homes.

At one time, John Rudolphus Booth's Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway ran through the town mainly serving the lumber industry. The former train route has now been redeveloped into a recreational path. The former train station has likewise been converted into an early settler building and museum that presents the early history of the town. The museum contains the history of the first Kaszebe people as well as their immigration to Canada, freedom and eventually, after many hardships, journey to the Wilno area.

Wilno's namesake was the city of Wilno, then in a Russian-occupied area of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, (now Vilnius, capital of Lithuania), the birthplace of Reverend Ludwik Dembski, who was a prominent community spiritual leader and town founder, who would not have wanted the town named after himself. Therefore, the townsfolk, grateful for his contributions to their town, may have suggested the name of Wilno. (Source: Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilno,_Ontario)

In 1831, James Worts immigrated to Canada from England at which time he established a grist mill. One year later, his brother-in-law, William Gooderham, a successful merchant and miller in England, immigrated to Canada with 2 families, their servants and 11 orphans - in all 54 people. Shortly after his arrival, he decided to invest $3.000 into Worts milling business and thus the Gooderham and Worts partnership was born. Two years later Worts' wife died during childbirth. So distraught was James Worts, that on that day, he took his own life by throwing himself into the company well. Despite this, Gooderham continued building the business later partnering with James Worts' eldest son. In 1837, spurred on by the increase in the harvest of grain from Upper Canada's farms, he decided to add a distillery and that same year produced his first whiskey. By the 1850s, the Gooderham and Worts distillery was thriving and it's numerous facilities included flour mills, a wharf, the distillery, storehouses, an ice house, a cooper shop and a dairy. In 1859 the construction of the new Gooderham and Worts Distillery on Mill Street east of Parliament was heralded as the most important contribution to Toronto's manufacturing interests. The imposing main building which accommodated the steam mills and distillery stood 5 stories high-topped with a 100 ft. chimney. The costs for the building and it's contents was believed to be nearly $200,000, according to newspaper reports of the day. In 1869, a huge fire destroyed the wooded interior of the main building but left the grey limestone exterior intact, costing the company $100,000. Happily the setback did not hamper the distillery's financial growth. In 1871, the Gooderham and Worts Distillery's annual whiskey and spirits production totaled a whopping 2.1 million gallons - close to half of the total spirits production in all of Ontario. What's more, production rose in ten short years and its booming million gallon export business was shipping to major clients in Montreal, Quebec, Saint John, New Brunswick and Halifax, New York as well as Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Montevideo and other ports in South America. 1881 was a turning point for the distillery. Following the deaths of William Gooderham and James Worts Jr. within a year of each other, George Gooderham inherited the distillery and became it's sole proprietor. But during the next two decades the distillery's fortunes would be severely affected by World War One, and Canada's short lived prohibition era that brought production of alcohol beverages to a standstill. In order to support the war effort during World War One, the distillery converted its operations to manufacturing acetone. In 1923, Harry C. Hatch purchased the declining business. Three years later he purchased Hiram Walker & Sons Ltd. and in 1927, the companies merged under the parent company of Hiram Walker - Gooderham & Worts Ltd. All efforts were focused on developing the successful Canadian Club brand. The bulk of operations shifted to the Walkerville plant in Windsor, Ontario. In 1957 Gooderham & Worts stopped producing rye whiskey. It concentrated instead on the distilling of rum products. In 1986, the conglomerate Allied-Lyons, bought Hiram Walker - Gooderham & Worts Ltd. In 1990, after 153 years of continuous production, the Gooderham & Worts Distillery - once the largest distillery in the British empire - ceased operations. During the 90s, The Distillery became the number one film location in Canada, and the second largest film location outside of Hollywood. In December 2001 Cityscape Holdings Inc. purchased The Distillery, later partners with Dundee Realty Corporation. In May 2003, The Distillery was officially opened, thereby implementing an ambitious plan by the owners to create a pedestrian - only village entirely dedicated to arts, culture and entertainment. In 1831, James Worts immigrated to Canada from England at which time he established a grist mill. One year later, his brother-in-law, William Gooderham, a successful merchant and miller in England, immigrated to Canada with 2 families, their servants and 11 orphans - in all 54 people. Shortly after his arrival, he decided to invest $3.000 into Worts milling business and thus the Gooderham and Worts partnership was born. Two years later Worts' wife died during childbirth. So distraught was James Worts, that on that day, he took his own life by throwing himself into the company well. Despite this, Gooderham continued building the business later partnering with James Worts' eldest son. In 1837, spurred on by the increase in the harvest of grain from Upper Canada's farms, he decided to add a distillery and that same year produced his first whiskey. By the 1850s, the Gooderham and Worts distillery was thriving and it's numerous facilities included flour mills, a wharf, the distillery, storehouses, an ice house, a cooper shop and a dairy. In 1859 the construction of the new Gooderham and Worts Distillery on Mill Street east of Parliament was heralded as the most important contribution to Toronto's manufacturing interests. The imposing main building which accommodated the steam mills and distillery stood 5 stories high-topped with a 100 ft. chimney. The costs for the building and it's contents was believed to be nearly $200,000, according to newspaper reports of the day. In 1869, a huge fire destroyed the wooded interior of the main building but left the grey limestone exterior intact, costing the company $100,000. Happily the setback did not hamper the distillery's financial growth. In 1871, the Gooderham and Worts Distillery's annual whiskey and spirits production totaled a whopping 2.1 million gallons - close to half of the total spirits production in all of Ontario. What's more, production rose in ten short years and its booming million gallon export business was shipping to major clients in Montreal, Quebec, Saint John, New Brunswick and Halifax, New York as well as Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Montevideo and other ports in South America. 1881 was a turning point for the distillery. Following the deaths of William Gooderham and James Worts Jr. within a year of each other, George Gooderham inherited the distillery and became it's sole proprietor. But during the next two decades the distillery's fortunes would be severely affected by World War One, and Canada's short lived prohibition era that brought production of alcohol beverages to a standstill. In order to support the war effort during World War One, the distillery converted its operations to manufacturing acetone. In 1923, Harry C. Hatch purchased the declining business. Three years later he purchased Hiram Walker & Sons Ltd. and in 1927, the companies merged under the parent company of Hiram Walker - Gooderham & Worts Ltd. All efforts were focused on developing the successful Canadian Club brand. The bulk of operations shifted to the Walkerville plant in Windsor, Ontario. In 1957 Gooderham & Worts stopped producing rye whiskey. It concentrated instead on the distilling of rum products. In 1986, the conglomerate Allied-Lyons, bought Hiram Walker - Gooderham & Worts Ltd. In 1990, after 153 years of continuous production, the Gooderham & Worts Distillery - once the largest distillery in the British empire - ceased operations.

The community of Wilno, Ontario is situated on the border of Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards and Madawaska Valley townships in Renfrew County, Ontario.

Wilno is nestled in the rolling, picturesque terrain of the Madawaska valley which was largely shaped during the demise of the Laurentide ice sheet at the end of the last North American Ice Age.

History

Wilno is the first and oldest Polish settlement in Canada. The original settlers in this area circa 1858 were mainly of Kashubian origin from the then German-occupied area of Poland. One of the reasons they chose this area to settle was because of the landscape which reminded them of their original homes.

At one time, John Rudolphus Booth's Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway ran through the town mainly serving the lumber industry. The former train route has now been redeveloped into a recreational path. The former train station has likewise been converted into an early settler building and museum that presents the early history of the town. The museum contains the history of the first Kaszebe people as well as their immigration to Canada, freedom and eventually, after many hardships, journey to the Wilno area.

Wilno's namesake was the city of Wilno, then in a Russian-occupied area of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, (now Vilnius, capital of Lithuania), the birthplace of Reverend Ludwik Dembski, who was a prominent community spiritual leader and town founder, who would not have wanted the town named after himself. Therefore, the townsfolk, grateful for his contributions to their town, may have suggested the name of Wilno. (Source: Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilno,_Ontario)

I appreciate that not everyone shares my interest in walking through graveyards. Some cultures find that to be a big taboo.

However, a graveyard can tell a lot about a city or districts history. In the case of Central Union Cemetery in Calgary you can visit the headstones of some pioneer figures. Indeed, the City sells maps of the graveyard so you can have a guided tour (so to speak) and learn about these icons.

In the above photograph is the headstone of a prominent historical figure. James Macleod was a Scot who immigrated to Canada, and rose quickly through the Officer Corps after joining the Militia, and eventually took over the command of the Northwest Mounted Police (the predecessor to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Royal Canadian Mounted Police or R.C.M.P). Through his command Macleod brought some order to the land by eliminating most of whiskey-trading that was going in Southern Alberta. You can read more about him here. The Southern Alberta City of Fort Macleod is named after him, as well as a major Calgary avenue. Macleod Trail.

The community of Wilno, Ontario is situated on the border of Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards and Madawaska Valley townships in Renfrew County, Ontario.

Wilno is nestled in the rolling, picturesque terrain of the Madawaska valley which was largely shaped during the demise of the Laurentide ice sheet at the end of the last North American Ice Age.

History

Wilno is the first and oldest Polish settlement in Canada. The original settlers in this area circa 1858 were mainly of Kashubian origin from the then German-occupied area of Poland. One of the reasons they chose this area to settle was because of the landscape which reminded them of their original homes.

At one time, John Rudolphus Booth's Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway ran through the town mainly serving the lumber industry. The former train route has now been redeveloped into a recreational path. The former train station has likewise been converted into an early settler building and museum that presents the early history of the town. The museum contains the history of the first Kaszebe people as well as their immigration to Canada, freedom and eventually, after many hardships, journey to the Wilno area.

Wilno's namesake was the city of Wilno, then in a Russian-occupied area of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, (now Vilnius, capital of Lithuania), the birthplace of Reverend Ludwik Dembski, who was a prominent community spiritual leader and town founder, who would not have wanted the town named after himself. Therefore, the townsfolk, grateful for his contributions to their town, may have suggested the name of Wilno. (Source: Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilno,_Ontario)

Montreal’s Portuguese community is celebrating two big milestones this year: a decade of the “Festival Portugal International de Montreal” and the 70th anniversary of Portuguese immigration to Canada.

Leica M3 Ds

Voigtlander 21mm f4

Kodak Ektachrome 100 ( 11/2006 ) long expired.

convert to black and white.

191 Alexander Street, Vancouver, BC.

Description of Historic Place:

The historic place at 191 Alexander Street is a five-storey, plus basement, brick and heavy wood frame warehouse built for the former Grand Trunk Pacific Coast Steamship Company backing on to railway sidings in Vancouver's historic Gastown.

Heritage Value:

The heritage value of the warehouse at 191 Alexander Street resides in its architecture, and in its association with the Grand Trunk Pacific Coast Steamship Company.

The warehouse is of interest as a product of the prominent architectural firm of Samuel Maclure and Cecil Croker Fox, and is most likely the work of Fox, who ran the Vancouver branch of the practice. The architectural style used is an example of Edwardian Free Rationalism, a style that sought to express structure and function, common in England at that time, but unusual in Vancouver. The use of this style almost certainly reflects Fox's architectural training in England with seminal Edwardian architect Charles Francis Annesley Voysey, that had ended with his immigration to Canada in 1898. Significantly, the plain but well-proportioned principal elevation is reminiscent of more recent commercial development in the area, although in its day it must have appeared Spartan and modernist.

The building's heritage value is amplified by its completeness and its continuing splendid isolation, resulting from the awkwardly shaped and undeveloped space to the east and the empty lot to the west, which gives access to the rail sidings.

Built in 1910 for the Grand Trunk Pacific Coast Steamship Company, by prolific Vancouver contractors Baynes and Horie, as a transfer warehouse related to the shipping line's activities, the building is a manifestation of the desire of the parent company, the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, to expand their passenger service after the purchase of steamships to provide a service from Prince Rupert to various ports along the coast of British Columbia and Alaska. This strategy, designed to pay for the construction of the railway built between 1905 and 1914, failed due to inflation during the First World War, causing the company to go into receivership in 1923. Advertising for the Grand Trunk Pacific Coast Steamship Company made particular play of the 'Big Game Hunting' opportunities, including grizzly and black bear, moose, caribou, and mountain sheep and goat in the Rockies and elsewhere, made accessible by their ship and rail transport network. The elegant steamers SS Prince George and SS Prince Rupert were a familiar site at Vancouver's Grand Trunk Pacific Dock at the foot of Main Street.

The siting of the warehouse reflects the adjacency of the railway tracks and the connection with their rail network, and the proximity of the company steamship wharf to the north.

The conversion of the warehouse to offices for various law firms and offices of the Toronto Dominion Bank in the mid-1970s, and by 1980, the Legal Services Society of British Columbia, is of value for reflecting the transition of land use in the area from industrial to professional as real estate speculation (and the centre of commercial activity) shifted west toward Granville Street.

Source: City of Vancouver Heritage Conservation Program

Character-Defining Elements:

The character-defining elements of 191 Alexander Street include:

- Location in Vancouver's historic Gastown district

- Location between rail sidings and Alexander Street

- Form and massing, including occupation of the entire lot

- Isolation of the building achieved by empty lots on either side and rail sidings to the rear

- Division of the Alexander Street facade into three bays

- Functional architectural treatment, as illustrated by flat brick transoms defined by projecting string courses and square-headed windows punched into the brick wall plane

- The arrangement of the transoms and mullions of the windows

- The larger openings at street level

- The stepped parapet with square pediment over the central bay of the building

- The lack of any cornice

Canada's Historic Places

Pacific Mall is an Asian shopping mall in Markham, Ontario, Canada. Opened in the mid-1990s amid a period of significant Chinese immigration to Canada, Pacific Mall is the largest indoor Asian shopping mall in North America.

Coming 2021: B&W Night Photography.

Coming 2022: 80s&90s Television.

Montreal’s Portuguese community is celebrating two big milestones this year: a decade of the “Festival Portugal International de Montreal” and the 70th anniversary of Portuguese immigration to Canada.

Leica M3 Ds

Voigtlander 21mm f4

Kodak Ektachrome 100 ( 11/2006 ) long expired.

While visiting Quebec City I met Patrick and we had a great conversation. He is a consultant in Business and Environment and he and his wife live near Montreal, Canada. They Immigrated to Canada from Ireland about 40 years ago and their son was born 3 months after arriving. Their son is with the Canadian Military and he had received one of the highest awards for his service, so they were in town for the award. Patrick travels worldwide giving talks and advice on business and environmental affairs. He had recently spoken to a group in Iran and China. He is presently studying Mandarin to make himself more conversant with the Chinese. After our conversation we left in separate directions and after a few minutes I thought about the 100 Strangers project so I went back to ask if I could include him in the project. By this time, his very beautiful and gracious wife was with him. I explained the project to them and asked if they would pose for me. After being assured that first names only would be used, they agreed. They are a beautiful couple in looks and personality. More information on the 100 Strangers Project can be found at www.100strangers.com

View on Instagram ift.tt/2q2O0ov

Georgina Reid immigrated to Canada with her parents, settling in Port Hope. In 1860 she entered the Toronto Normal School, from which she graduated with a second-class certificate. She then taught privately at her home in Port Hope, evidently with one other teacher. In 1865 she married 40-year-old R. H. Riches of Simcoe County, who had a number of children from a previous marriage. By 1871 they had located in Toronto, where they operated a boarding-house on Adelaide Street West. Sometime after the birth of Georgina’s second son in July 1872, Richard left her, but she continued to run the boarding-house.

In September 1875 Georgina joined the Toronto Public School Board and was appointed to teach the fifth division at Niagara Street School. A teacher of some merit, she was promoted to the junior second-book class at Niagara (1876), the senior second-book class at George Street School (1877), and the Orphans’ Home school (1878). Some indication of her ability is found in the petition submitted in 1878 by 37 persons that she be reappointed to Niagara Street School. Four years later she brought 24 children from the Orphans’ Home before the convention of the Ontario Educational Association for a musical demonstration.

On 6 Sept. 1882 Riches was appointed principal of Palace Street School, at the corner of Front and Cherry streets. The appointment immediately generated controversy. A number of female teachers with higher certificates protested “ill-judged favoritism.” In addition, two petitions were presented, one froth the ratepayers of St Lawrence Ward and the other from the parents of children attending the school, against a female head. At the same time, 97 other residents and ratepayers expressed thanks for Riches’s appointment. Her selection was ruled unconstitutional, however, when it was discovered that she would be head of a school with a senior third-book class, contrary to board policy that “no teacher shall be promoted to a higher position than that of teacher of the Junior Third Book Class unless they hold a First Class Certificate.” One of the most vocal board members, Toronto merchant William Lamb, is said to have stated that it was an “outrage” for her to receive $750 a year; his wife, when she had taught, got only $250. Riches reportedly replied, tartly, that “perhaps it was all she was worth.” The issue was resolved on 18 October when, on the authority of inspector James Laughlin Hughes*, Palace Street School was reclassified as a junior third-book school and Riches, whose salary in 1881 had been $475, was reinstated as principal at a salary of $650.

Tradition has it that Riches was the first female principal in Toronto’s public schools and the first female principal there to be paid a man’s salary. Neither claim is warranted. The school board had 186 teachers and principals on staff in 1882. Most of the 27 men were earning between $850 and $1,100; the majority of the 159 women were receiving between $350 and $500. The highest paid of them, and a principal since 1876, Miss Charlotte Madeline Churchill, was paid $700 in 1882, $50 more than Riches. By the time of Riches’s retirement, a female teacher was making, on average, only 48 per cent of a male teacher’s salary.

The issue of salaries and sex had arisen in January 1882, when an increase of $25 a year was voted to the female teachers. A number of them petitioned for more, but in March the board invited those who did not agree with the pay schedule to resign. In Toronto, as in other Ontario centres, school trustees recognized that savings could be achieved by hiring a predominantly female teaching force. Typically, men governed as superintendents, trustees, and headmasters, and women were assistant teachers. Riches rose above this situation, but she does not seem to have been involved in the women teachers’ association formed in 1885, a circumstance that may have resulted from her obligations as a single parent or from professional differences reflected by her grateful acceptance of the pay raise in 1882. Whatever the reason, she was not alone, since only about half of the eligible women were members of the association.

In 1887 Georgina Riches became principal of Sackville Street School, which replaced Palace Street. She remained there until her retirement in 1912; she had served the public school board for 37 1/2 years. After suffering from rheumatism for three years, she died at her home at 453 Dovercourt Road on 24 Feb. 1915.

Funsho Dimeji immigrated to Canada from Nigeria in 2000 when he was nine years old. The now 24-year-old Loyalist College student-athlete says that his father wanted him to have a better education and life, so they came to Canada. Since arriving in Canada, Dimeji hasn't been back to visit Nigeria, but he says he is interested in going after graduation. Canadians new and old will celebrate the flag's 51st birthday on Feb. 15 this year.

The best table in Lord Bennett's Restaurant on Beach Loop Road in Bandon, Coos County on Oregon's southern coast. Jack on the left is 93 years old and was a paratrooper in and is a survivor of World War II. He was on the German side of the war and a part of Hitler's occupation forces in France. He got separated from his unit in the chaos after the D-Day invasion and shot by an American G.I. with a grease gun as he was crossing a French farm field. His wounds were minor and he spent the rest of the war as a POW in California. After the war he worked as an interpreter for allied occupation forces in Germany before immigrating to Canada. From there he was able to immigrate to the U.S.A. and become a naturalized citizen. He had an interesting work career with an American construction company mostly in the Middle East in Saudi Arabia and Turkey. He is very street wise, worldly and still has a quick and sharp mind.

TITLE: Joy of Flight

PHOTOGRAPHER: Shi Xu Gu

Best Landscape (tie)

Photographer Shi Xu Gu says that the light was remarkable the moment he took this photo of cherry blossom trees in the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Public Park. He had already noticed the scenery when a bird flew into the frame of his camera’s lens. “When the bird came there was a joy that came with it,” says Shi Xu. “I wanted to capture that joy. I just felt like this moment of flight and this bird represents so much happiness, and there is so much joy in it. When the bird flies I know he or she must be experiencing joy, and I’m experiencing the same.”

Shi Xu Gu had two photographs chosen as top 40 images this year. “I very much appreciate this opportunity [to enter the contest]. I’m really grateful for it,” says Shi Xu. Photography is his favourite form of artistic expression and he is currently learning to draw. “I’ve liked art ever since I was young.” He also enjoys music and singing and attends concerts in the Downtown Eastside and around the city. Originally from Liaoning province in northeast China, Shi Xu studied engineering and worked as an assistant researcher before immigrating to Canada ten years ago. He has made the Downtown Eastside his home for five years.

From the Hope in Shadows collection

COPYRIGHT: Pivot Legal Society, 2011

Address: 59 Tyler Street

59 Tyler Street is the former home of Edwin Machell, son of Richard Machell. Richard Machell is the founder of Machells Corners, the hamlet that, in 1854, would be renamed Aurora. Richard Machell immigrated to Canada before 1817 and purchased a building on a one-acre lot at the southeast corner of Yonge and Wellington Streets, where he created a store and established himself as a general merchant. Edwin Machell lived in this house with his wife and their four children, the youngest of whom was Walter. Walter Machell created Machell Brickworks in 1874 and ran it for almost 40 years before it became Collis Leather.

Photo courtesy of the Town of Aurora.

Sources

Town of Aurora, Planning Department.

Werden, Susan. Street Stories. The Auroran, February 5, 2013.

Address: 59 Tyler Street

59 Tyler Street is the former home of Edwin Machell, son of Richard Machell. Richard Machell is the founder of Machells Corners, the hamlet that, in 1854, would be renamed Aurora. Richard Machell immigrated to Canada before 1817 and purchased a building on a one-acre lot at the southeast corner of Yonge and Wellington Streets, where he created a store and established himself as a general merchant. Edwin Machell lived in this house with his wife and their four children, the youngest of whom was Walter. Walter Machell created Machell Brickworks in 1874 and ran it for almost 40 years before it became Collis Leather.

Photo courtesy of Aurora Museum & Archives.

Sources

Town of Aurora, Planning Department.

Werden, Susan. Street Stories. The Auroran, February 5, 2013.

I met Garfield at the Southport Wooden Boat Show. His wooden boat had one of the best looking outboard motors I've ever seen, circa 1950's. Garfield left the Ukraine to immigrate to Canada. He then took a job in Bermuda where he met his wife, who was from New Jersey. So, of course, they ended up in North Carolina!

This picture is #003 in my 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page

Address: 17 Wellington Street East

17 Wellington Street is the former home of Henry Machell, son of Richard Machell. Richard Machell is the founder of Machells Corners, the hamlet that, in 1854, would become Aurora. Richard Machell was born in Yorkshire England and immigrated to Canada before 1817. He purchased a building on a one-acre lot at the southeast corner of Yonge and Wellington Streets where he created a store and established himself as a general merchant. This two-storey Georgian stuccoed house remains as one of the few surviving pre-confederation houses in Aurora.

Photo courtesy of Aurora Museum & Archives.

Sources

Town of Aurora, Planning Department.

Werden, Susan. Street Stories. The Auroran, February 5, 2013.

Hon Judy Darcy and Myles Mattila Discuss Mental Health and Addictions and how it relates to the MindRight APP.

Judy Darcy was first elected MLA for New Westminster in 2013, and was re-elected in 2017.

She was appointed British Columbia’s first and Canada’s only Minister of Mental Health and Addictions in July 2017. Judy has committed her career to building strong and vibrant communities, and has earned a reputation as an effective and compassionate leader.

As a tireless advocate, she has spent much of her life working to improve health care, seniors’ care, education and child care for British Columbians. She is committed to bringing people together to find innovative solutions to the issues that affect families to improve their lives.

As Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, she has taken urgent action to combat the devastating overdose crisis that is affecting families and communities across the province, including increasing the number of overdose prevention and supervised consumption sites and access to naloxone, and expanding treatment and recovery options. She is also forging ahead with her work to create a seamless and coordinated mental health and addictions system in British Columbia, so people can get the help they need, when they need it.

Judy has served in the B.C. Legislature since she was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for New Westminster in May 2013. She served as the official opposition spokesperson for Health until her re-election in May 2017. During that time she championed many issues, including the initiative to establish a clinic for adult survivors of childhood cancer.

Judy also served as national president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Canada’s largest union. She was the only woman to lead a national union for many years. Later, as secretary business manager for the Hospital Employees Union in B.C., Judy led negotiations that led to a historic settlement that established collective bargaining as charter protected rights for the first time for B.C. healthcare workers in 2008.

Born in Denmark, Judy’s family immigrated to Canada and shared many of the challenges that new Canadians face. She is married to human rights and labour lawyer Gary Caroline and has an adult son. She enjoys the Royal City Farmers’ Market, devouring good novels, hiking, kayaking, and watching the ever-changing activity and light on the Fraser River from her windows.

The Mindright.info Initiative

Mindright was founded by Myles Mattila 3 years ago. Myles is a Student, a mental health advocate, Jr Hockey player and he has recently added the Peer to Peer Support Program (P2P) to his extensive list of mental health initiatives.

The primary goal of P2P is to create a resource platform to help provide support and do even more for youth mental health. This initiative focuses on raising initial awareness, sourcing and coordinating an additional resource team, and helping youth access existing support associations within the community. Currently, we use hockey as one example and a common place where we have access to a large number of ‘players’ (i.e. like-minded youth) as we continually try to demonstrate that it is ‘ok’ to ask for help. We believe that, when dealing with mental health challenges, early intervention is crucial and this can be accomplished with P2P.

Vision

Help youth hockey players end the mental health stigma within their peer group, and assist players with seeking the necessary help they need from the P2P Resource Team and existing community resources.

Mission

Mindright.info focuses on helping promote wellness and positive living for young people through increasing community awareness and making use of existing mental health resources. We want to encourage young people to be open and engage in Peer to Peer conversation. We want to support, connect, and build ties with young people using hockey as a medium while creating a movement with a brand that makes mental health relatable and accessible

How we will achieve our Mission

While playing for the Kelowna Chiefs of the KIJHL, Myles will support this initiative and the Kelowna Chiefs will host four mental health awareness games this season that will feature P2P.

As a certified Jack.org speaker, Myles will use his skills to reach out to local schools and hockey teams to tell his story and extend his invitation to the P2P Program. He will encourage dialogue regarding mental health, provide details on existing mental health resources and promote Peer to Peer support.

We will continue to reach out and add support to a system that needs to enhance, promote, and provide mental health care for all.

We will encourage others to join us to support those in need as mental health does not discriminate.

William DeGarthe was an artist who immigrated to Canada from Finland. His carving of the people of Peggy's Cove on a granite out-crop next to his home is a tribute to his village, and to his own talents as an artist.

On July 3, 2012, this became my 190th photo to be viewed by 500 Flickr members.

Pacific Mall is an Asian shopping mall in Markham, Ontario, Canada. Opened in the mid-1990s amid a period of significant Chinese immigration to Canada, Pacific Mall is the largest indoor Asian shopping mall in North America.

Coming 2021: B&W Night Photography.

Coming 2022: 80s&90s Television.

Martin Tolley, a good friend of my fathers and frequent visitor to our home gives me a fly-casting lesson. Martin was from England originally but chose British Columbia as his home for the many streams and rivers that offered terrific fly fishing. Photo by my father : Keith C. Smith

Martin Tolley came to Vancouver in the late 1950’s after a brief stint back east when he immigrated to Canada from England. He is considered to be one of the original Steelhead bum’s in the Pacific Northwest. He loved fishing the Squamish river when the steelhead runs used to be numerous. Tolley was a founding member and the first president of the Totem Fly Fishing club which was the first fly fishing club in BC. He developed this pattern in the 1960’s and was one of the few that promoted the use of fly’s for winter run steelhead in the early days of steelheading in BC. This is a killer pattern and has been proven to fool winter and summer run steelhead across the Pacific Northwest.

Address: 37 Arnold Crescent

The structure at 37 Arnold Crescent is known as the William Cooper House. William Cooper immigrated to Canada from England sometime before 1851 and worked in the Richmond Hill area as a professional house painter until his death in 1872. Cooper was also involved in purchasing building lots and constructing houses for investment and rental income. 37 Arnold Crescent was one of these houses. Constructed in 1860 following Cooper purchasing this lot from John R. Arnold, there is little evidence to suggest that William Cooper or his wife Mary Ann Cooper ever lived in this house. It is likely this clapboard frame, one-and-a-half storey house was used as a rental property by the Coopers. This house was willed to a friend of the family, Andrew Loomis Skeele, who operated a jewelry store and clock repair shop. The property had several owners after Mary Ann Coopers death in 1878. Alex and Helena Patterson remodeled the house around 1860 with a hip roofed porch and an Edwardian Classical style porch. The William Cooper House became a designated heritage property in 2000.

Sources

Town of Richmond Hill Bylaw # 15-00 heritage designation

Town of Richmond Hill, Inventory of Buildings of Architectural and Historical Importance, 2008

CHAPTER I

Son of a Broom Maker

Frederic C. Dumaine was born into a working class Canadian family that had immigrated to the United States prior to his birth. His father died before F.C. reached his teen years.

The younger Dumaine went to work to help support his widowed mother. Beginning as an office boy he eventually became the chief executive officer of the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company, the worlds largest textile firm. It was in his original apprenticeship and his gradual assumption of increasing responsibility that Dumaine learned the creed of the "Boston Associates," who were various old New England families given credit for the orign and development of the industrialization of the American economy. This industrialization was accomplished through the construction of textile mills on the rivers throughout New England.

The "Boston Associates" creed exemplified the best of the profit system. They were investor managers who were not interested in the "quick buck." Rather, they invested for the long term. When they adapted the manufacturing system they had seen in Great Britain, they too measures to lessen the negative aspects of the factory life as it existed in England. When they built factories, they also built quality housing for their workers. They invested heavily in parks and other recreation enhancements for the towns and cities in which they located their factories.

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Some sixty years after being introduced to this method of investing F.C. would give his grandchildren the following lecture:

You take care of your assets and they will take care of you. Always remember that the most precious assets you have are the people who work for you.

Dumaine went on to become one of Boston's most noted businessmen of the late 19th century and first half of the 2Oth century. In due course, F.C. Dumaine's name would become associated with the Fore River Shipyard, the Waltham Watch Company, and the New Haven Railroad.

Dumaine, however, was more than merely a major player in the Boston business community. He served on corporate boards with J. Pierpont Morgan, dealt with Henry Ford and Charles Schwab on a first-name basis, was openly welcomed in the financial houses of New York, and was offered J.P. Morgan, Jr.'s interest in the House of Morgan when the younger Morgan died.

F.C. became the friend and confidant of several United States presidents and statesmen. In the gray years leading to World War II, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter referred to Dumaine as one of three individuals with the best understanding of world conditions. The other two were President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (popularly called FDR) and Great Britain's Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Of particular interest was Dumaine 's relationship with FDR during both the Great Depression and World War II. Once, when visiting Roosevelt, in an effort to give comfort to the president who was concerned with public opinion on his recent decisions, Dumaine quoted Abraham Lincoln:

If I were trying to read, much less answer all the attacks made on me, this shop might well be closed for any other business. I do the best I know how, the very best I can and mean to keep on doing it to the end. If the end brings me out all right, what is said against me will not amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference.

The president liked the quotation and, upon returning to Boston, Dumaine had a copy framed and sent to FDR.

While the quotation was part of Dumaine's creed, it illustrates why any individuals in the past and present never gave Dumaine the credit deserved. Dumaine surely read and was told of the many criticisms of him, but he generally paid no heed. Instead, he simply did the best he could and let the record speak for itself.

During the 1922 strike at Amoskeag and the 1924 strike at Waltham Watch, both of which were in response to wage cuts, it was easy to label Dumaine the enemy of labor. Both cuts, however, were attempts to equalize the local labor costs with those found in other sections of the country. To provide employment in the long run, a firm's wage rate must be competitive. While Dumaine would have preferred to see wages in other mills and factories rise to the levels at Amoskeag and Waltham he had no control over those rates. The introduction of competitive rates / even if this meant a drop in the hourly wage / would ensure employment.

When the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company was forced to close in 1936, most people put the blame on Dumaine. A careful examination of the record vividly illustrates that Dumaine's devotion to his most precious assets, the workers, caused him to expand production and employment in New Hampshire in the early quarter of the century, at time when other firms were closing their mills and opening new factories in the South.

If Dumaine is to be criticized, it should not be for his lack of concern for his work force but for "dreaming the impossible dream," for trying to maintain employment for his workers when the more prudent course, as history has proved, would have been to move or close the enterprise.

The life of Frederic C. Dumaine should be mandatory reading for all current and future business people. Dumaine's life serves as a case study for today's executive in balancing a firm's fiduciary responsibility to the shareholders with its social responsibility to the labor force.

Until recently, there was little known about the ancestry of Frederic Christopher Dumaine. This is not as odd as it may seem. Frequently, the preference of many families emigrating from Canada to the United States in the middle of the 19th century was to alter their names. Even the correct spelling of Dumaine's father's name is uncertain. What Frederic Dumaine did know was that his father, Christopher Dumaine, was born on July 13, 1835, of French-Canadian parents in the Province of Quebec. He was one of three brothers. Apparently, Christopher was baptized a Catholic. F.C.'s mother, Cordelia Roberts, was also born in Canada in 1831. Her parents were Charles and Lucille Roberts. Cordelia attended the Congregational Church. At the age of sixteen, Cordelia Roberts married Barrett Stone. This marriage produced three daughters: Elizabeth, Relenia, and Georgia. Barrett Stone, Cordelia's first husband, died, leaving her with the three young children.

On May 14, 1858, in Chelsea, Massachusetts, Christopher Dumaine married the widow Cordelia, who had also emigrated from Canada. They were residing in Hadley, Massachusetts, when their only son, Frederic, was born. The uncertainty of the spelling of the name Dumaine comes from Frederic's birth certificate, which states in part: "I here certify that the birth of Charles Frederic Domain son of Christopher Domain and ___ Domain born at Hadley, on the 6th day of March, the year 1866," appears in the record for that year. The misspelling likely resulted from the difficulty the clerk had in spelling an unfamiliar French-Canadian name. Frederic Dumaine never bothered to correct the error in his name as recorded on the document.

Only recently, through the efforts of Richard L. Fortin, a genealogist in Manchester, New Hampshire, has Dumaine's ancestry been traced to the original immigration to Canada from France. Louis-Michael Maingot, F.C.'s great-great-grandfather, arrived in Quebec in the spring of 1755. He was a soldier assigned to the French Regiment from Guyenne. In 1760, after the fall of Montreal to the British, Louis-Michael was discharged from the service. It was during his military service that he acquired the "dit," or "also known as" "Dumaine." It was common practice for French soldiers to adopt a second surname, often to specify their geographic origin. Louis-Michael was thus identifying himself from the French Province of Maine.

Following his release from the army, Louis-Michael settled in Rouville County in the Province of Quebec, where he married Marie-Anne Fontaine. One of their grandchildren was Francis-Xavier Maingot-dit- Dumaine, F.C.'s grandfather. Francis-Xavier married Adeline Lescaolt. This marriage would produce two daughters (Philomena and Stephanie) and three sons (Joseph, Pierre, and Christopher, F.C.'s father).

Francis-Xavier did not live to old age. The grandfather of F.C. Dumaine became a casualty of the 1837-38 Rebellion. He was a member of the "Patriots," who rose up, under the leadership of Louis Joseph Papineau, against the perceived injustices of the British Government. Many French-Canadians associated with the rebellion fell away from the Catholic Church when the local bishops did not support their movement. On November 25, 1837, Francis-Xavier lost his life when the government forces attacked and destroyed the village of St. Charles. It appears unlikely that F.C. was ever aware of the role that his grandfather played in the rebellion.

Christopher Dumaine, F.C.'s father, was a broom maker by trade. In 1868, the family moved to Dedham, Massachusetts, where Christopher was employed as a foreman in David Baker's broom factory. They lived in a pleasant, middle-class neighborhood. The only plumbing in the house was a cast-iron water pump in the kitchen sink.

One day when Fred was four years old and sunshine followed a shower the tot was allowed to go outside. It was warm. He was sent out in a new outfit. Horses were drawing loaded wagons on the dirt road in front of his house.

As children are wont to do, Dumaine moved close to the road just as a wagon wheel splashed through black mud. He was covered. Whether out of fear from the punishment that he anticipated from his mother for getting his new ouffit soiled or angry from the insult of being covered with the mud, he let out a series of curses. It was never explained exactly how the young Dumaine had come to learn such expressions. The commotion caused the driver to stop and return to assist young Fred, motivated first to be sure that the child was not hurt, then to see if he could assist in the cleanup. When the driver and other bystanders saw that Fred was not hurt, they chuckled in amusement over the sight. As might have been expected, their amusement made the lad angrier. In this early incident, Dumaine illustrated the gritty attitude that he would demonstrate throughout his life.

The broom factory must have paid good wages for the times, as Christopher Dumaine supported his wife, three stepdaughters, and son. By 1874, when Elizabeth and Relenia had married, Dumaine was able to send the third stepdaughter, Georgia, to secondary school at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

In addition to his job at the broom factory, Christopher Dumaine was also active in the community. He was a member of the local volunteer fire department. While his father's membership in Engine Company Hero Number One of the Upper Village brought Fred and his family great pride, it would also bring a great family tragedy that would force Fred to leave school to help support the family.

On the evening of January 7, 1878, when Fred was eleven years old, the local volunteers responded to a fire near Dedham Square. The temperature was below zero, making the fire difficult to fight. When Christopher returned home the following morning, he was soaking wet and direly chilled. Pneumonia quickly set in.

There was no real method of treatment for the illness. The only remedy of any type was to feed the patient alcohol. Doctors merely would monitor pneumonia cases to see what would come on the ninth day. If the patient lived that long and if the fever "broke," there was a chance for recovery.

Cordelia, sensing that her husband was near death, asked if Christopher wanted her to fetch the local priest. Christopher, who had not been an active member of the church for many years, responded: "No, I came this far alone. I guess I can go the rest of the way by myself." Whether Christopher's disassociation with the Catholic Church was a result of the French bishop's lack of moral support for his father's role in the Rebellion, his marriage to Cordelia, a Protestant, or simply a lack of interest, cannot be determined.

Young Fred assisted his mother in the nursing of his father. The elder Dumaine would sit in his armchair because he had difficulty breathing when lying flat in bed. On the eighth day, Christopher succumbed. Fred would always remember the way his father died. When Fred Dumaine was nearing his death some 73 years later, he asked to be helped to Christopher's chair, which he had kept. It was his desire to die in his father's chair.

Cordelia Dumaine went to work as a midwife and also took in washing. The family was forced to move into a smaller house. A few months later, young Fred, by then twelve years old, quit school to help support the household by working at a local dry goods store.

One of his children's and grandchildren's favorite stories of Fred prior to his landing the job at Amoskeag was when he was the proud owner of a mongrel Boston bull terrier, which he loved dearly. The dog went everywhere with him, following him to and from work.

To get to the general store where he worked, Fred and his dog had to pass the town bully's house, which was set back from the road. The bully was Fred's senior by 14 or 15 years and he owned a ferocious half-hound, half-collie, which was a noted fighter. The bully boasted his dog could lick any dog in town. Fred's Tiger had the reputation of being able to hold his own. One day the town bully and his dog met Fred and Tiger. The bully encouraged a fight. When it started, young Fred said, "I told you that you one day would see that my dog could and would lick your dog."

Tiger shook the 'bejabbers' out of his opponent. Fred gathered up his scattered belongings, and with triumphant Tiger at his heels, ran home while the bully unmercifully beat his dog with a stick.

A few days later the town bully, whose dog had recovered, waited for a chance to spot Tiger without his young master. A fight between the dogs ensued and, as an excuse to stop the fight, the town bully shot Tiger.

Fred reported the bully to the police and inquired as to how he could have him sued for killing his dog. He sued the bully, who contested, claiming that Dumaine should be fined for having had such a dog that was a fighting nuisance that attacked all the other dogs in town.

Fred was served notice to appear in the Dedham Court House. He had no money and did not want to ask anyone for help. Determined to vindicate his faithiul Tiger's good name, he hit upon a plan and boldly went to work doing extra errands to fund his idea. With his earnings, he took Tiger to a taxidermist and had him stuffed.

The day young Fred was called to court he went to the attic where he had hidden Tiger carefully in an old trunk. He wrapped the dog in newspaper tied together with string and carried his bundle to the Dedharn Court. He was ushered in by a policeman, who took him to the front of the courtroom. His case was just being called. Frightened but determined, Fred weathered the preliminaries and, wide-eyed, stood his ground.

After the complainant's version of Fred's ferocious, savage, attacking dog was heard by the court, the judge asked the defendant where his lawyer was. Fred said he couldn't afford one and preferred to argue his own cause. The judge asked, "How can you prove anything? Your dog is dead." Fred squared his shoulders, looked the judge in the eye, then asked if he could call two witnesses. With the judge's permission, Fred called for the town bully to bring his dog on a leash into the court. While the complainant was fetching his dog (he lived a block or so away), Fred lay his package on a wooden bench in the front of the courtroom and began to untie the strings and loosen the newspaper. Just as the bully returned with his ferocious dog, Fred opened the paper. The bully's dog took one look and savagely flew across the room, grabbing the stuffed Tiger, and shook the daylights out of it, causing a great commotion in ourt room. Fred dissolved into tears and rage at seeing his Tiger being savaged again. He pounded the bench and poured out his claim to the judge that his dog was not the aggressor. The judge found in Fred's favor and went on to encourage Fred to defend himself and stand up to injustices, but with some wisdom in gathering his facts for his testimony.

Young Fred profited by the advice. In later years, he studied law with his uncle-by-marriage, the prominent Boston lawyer Richard Olney, gaining a deep grasp of legal principles and procedures.

As an adult, Dumaine would become an avid diary keeper. At that time, he recorded in his diaries his activities following his father's death:

My father died the fourteenth of January and one or two months after I went to work for Henry Pettingall in a little dry goods store which he kept. After a year I left him because he would not give me more pay and, for the balance of the school term, went to school. During the summer, I got a job with a screen man named Pedrick, and in the fall went into McLaughlin's haberdashery where I stayed until the following spring when Mrs. Rodman got Steve Weld to find me a place in the city.

Stephen Weld, a former general in the Civil War, lived in Dedham and operated a cotton brokerage office in Boston. Weld knew of Dumaine from his sister-in-law, Harriet Rodman. Dumaine would supplement the family income by picking and selling blueberries. One of his best customers was Mrs. Rodman. Dumaine always remembered the kindness shown by her. In later years, he would name one of his daughters Harriet in her honor. He also handled Mrs. Rodman's estate following the death of her husband in 1910.

Apparently the meeting with the general occurred on an evening when Weld, returning home from Boston, came across Fred Dumaine, who was in the process of leaving home to find employment in the city.

Weld stopped, inquired where Dumaine was heading and offered assistance. He contacted T. Jefferson Coolidge, treasurer of the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company, Weld's best customer. Apparently Coolidge was looking for an office boy and, as a result of that chance meeting Dumaine was hired. Thus, in a boyhood that reads like a story from Horatio Alger, Jr. book, Frederic C. Dumaine began his career with Amoskeag Manufacturing Company.

In 1951 Frederic C. Dumaine Sr. died and his oldest son Frederic C. Dumaine Jr., who was called 'Buck', became president of the railroad. The 1950s decade was a time of change and transition for the New Haven. Three different management teams purchased a variety of passenger and freight equipment from a number of different suppliers, causing supply and maintenance headaches and draining cash reserves. Some New Haven Railroad innovations of this era, such as the new parking lot passenger station established at Route 128 near Boston and the Rail Charge Card, were great successes. Other New Haven innovations such as the Mack FCD rail busses and Clejan piggyback flatcars, were great failures. The short-lived and controversial administration of president Patrick McGinnis, which commenced during April 1954 and was over in January 1956, put the New Haven through a comprehensive corporate image design project which gave the railroad a new 'NH' logo and red, white, and black corporate color scheme. The New Haven's president during the latter half of the 1950s, George Alpert, was an early champion of government subsidies for money-losing railroad passenger operations and purchased the unique dual-powered EMD FL-9 diesel-electric-electric locomotives.

Expensive hurricane and flood damage during 1954 and 1955, competition from government subsidized highways and airlines, high rates of taxation, enormous commuter service losses, and the out-migration of heavy industry from New England to the south and west caused the New Haven Railroad to go bankrupt again in 1961. After a decade of struggling along under trustees Richard Smith, William Kirk, and Harry Dorrigan, the New Haven Railroad was absorbed by the ill-fated Penn Central Transportation Company on January 1st, 1969.

Dumaine Farms Trust: A gift delayed, a promise deferred

STONEVILLE — When industrialist F.C. “Buck” Dumaine died 13 years ago, he left behind an estate worth millions, a record of high-wire capitalism chronicled in Time magazine, and one altruistic wish for the people of Rockingham County.

He wanted his land to become a model farm for all county residents to enjoy as a showcase for sustainable agriculture, environmental stewardship and wildlife conservation.

“I’m sure he just wanted to do something for the community and maintain the land in the most pristine way,” said Ruth Brooking of Wilmington, Del., daughter of the man who once ran Fieldcrest Mills.

But his gift of 1,370 acres — worth $2.1 million — is controlled by a private group that has made little headway realizing the late financier’s dreams on land that’s now tax-exempt.

The nonprofit Dumaine Farms Trust comprises mainly of current or former residents of the area with no family ties to Buck Dumaine, although two of his sons once were trustees. It’s not clear how they were jettisoned.

Meanwhile, operating largely out of public view, the trust has rebuffed several proposals from such reputable groups as the Dan River Basin Association seeking to put flesh on Dumaine’s vision.

And the trustees, who number about a dozen, enforce a no-trespassing rule that results in charges against people straying onto lands among the Piedmont’s most beautiful.

“Buck used to tell us, 'Anytime you want to go down there, that’s fine, just keep an eye out for anything that isn’t as it should be,’ ” said Dot Shively, who has lived next to Dumaine’s most scenic vista — Bent Farm — for 46 years.

“Now, if you’re caught there without a pass, you end up in court down in Wentworth.”

Trustees say too many people abused the privilege of unsupervised access. People who request permission are allowed to hunt or fish, but usually with a trustee tagging along, said trust chairman Scott Shoulars.

“People have done damage to the roads and left trash and debris,” said Shoulars, Rockingham’s former cooperative extension director. “Our biggest problem is trespassing. We have to take someone to court at least once a year.”

The textile magnate did not appreciate how much his dream would cost and left insufficient funds, Shoulars said. The trustees are all volunteers, doing what they can to tackle a tall order with little cash, he and other trustees say.

Love at first sight

The path toward today’s impasse began in the mid-1950s when Dumaine — scion of a wealthy family steeped in the New England textile industry — made a bold move.

The Bostonian engineered the purchase of Fieldcrest Mills from Chicago retailer Marshall Field & Co., including large-scale operations in Rockingham County and southern Virginia.

Managers in Eden wanted to impress the new Yankee owner. They knew how, after learning he loved to hunt quail with his prized side-by-side, 16-gauge Lefever shotgun.

“They set up some hunts while he was down here looking over the mills,” said Jay Adams, grandson of the late Jim Robertson, who was tapped to organize the excursions.

Robertson was an expert outdoorsman who pursued his passion in his free time from the mill, Adams said. One day, the two were hunting in a heavy snowstorm and they stumbled upon an abandoned cabin not far from Price Grange Road.

“They just waited it out in there, in this run-down, old cabin,” Adams said. “And Buck fell in love with the place.”

Dumaine soon owned the land and renovated the cabin, adding a kitchen and another room. And as Fieldcrest prospered, he became a regular visitor, arriving with his bird dogs and influential guests from all across the country, such as U.S. congressmen and senior executives of such industrial giants as Westinghouse Corp.

Dumaine bought more land near his cabin and in the Shiloh area to the south, farming in ways that created the best game-bird habitat. His local domain eventually spanned hundreds of acres along Belton and River roads, as well as Bent Farm, perched on a picturesque peninsula formed by a hairpin turn in the Dan River near Eagle Falls.

A character, nature lover

People remember Dumaine as a wealthy eccentric whose bird dogs sometimes were chauffeured from Boston to North Carolina in a limo, because flying didn’t agree with them.

But folks also recognized Buck Dumaine as someone with a common touch and a deep love for the land. “If you dropped a piece of paper, he’d take note of where and make you go back and pick it up. You didn’t litter around him,” said Barbara Davis, who lives in a house owned by the trust in exchange for tending some of its acreage.

His no-frills personality made the biggest impression, said former neighbor Shively: “He’d as soon sit and eat a can of wienies with us as anything.”

He hosted a big barbecue each year for the entire Shiloh community. There was a dove hunt each fall. When the Eden YMCA needed money for a new wing, he was the big donor.

So it seemed perfectly fitting in the late 1970s when he announced the model farm as a gift to county residents.

“The trust will benefit the people of Rockingham County by contributing to the development of modern and successful family farms while, at the same time, preserving and improving the environment so that it may be enjoyed both for recreation and for its natural beauty,” the late Fieldcrest executive Rufus Beaver said at the time.

Lost in translation

But a lot changed before it came time for Buck Dumaine’s trustees to take charge in 1997.

What remained of Fieldcrest limped toward its death bed as the textile industry collapsed around it. So the trust lost a logical source of corporate funding for the plans.

And Dumaine did not die a fast death, but lingered for two years after being made a ward of the court because he was no longer mentally competent.

By then, the 94-year-old financier’s estate was in disarray, said his son Dudley Dumaine, one of three original members of the farm trust who no longer serves on it.

“Those who had to straighten out his mess had no choice but to scrap Buck’s hopes for the N.C. properties and (their) liabilities, as Buck would never see them again,” Dudley Dumaine said in an e-mail from his home in Kentucky.

Over the years, the roster of Dumaine Farms Trust included a mixture of local neighbors, former Fieldcrest executives and agricultural officials.

The group boasted one heavyweight in its ranks, former U.S. Rep. Richardson Preyer of Greensboro. But Preyer died in 2001, before he could have much impact.

“He was a very wealthy person who would have helped if we had come up with something,” said current trustee Howard Richardson, a former FBI official and retired Fieldcrest security chief.

A tall order, lawyers say

Lawyers have warned the trustees that to fulfill Dumaine’s bequest, every aspect of what they create must benefit the farmers Buck mentioned in the 1977 document that originated the trust, Richardson said.

“It’s difficult to take that much land and say, 'We can do such and such,’ then make it fit where it helps small farmers who have five or 10 acres,” said Richardson, who chaired the trustees at one point.

No proposal so far has passed that stiff test, he said. Trustees meet once a year in June and have fielded a variety of proposals since Dumaine’s death, including one for a nature center and shooting preserve with Remington Arms Co.

Seven years ago, local developer Peter Osborne proposed buying Bent Farm from the trustees for his own residence, a deal aimed at giving them enough money to plan an agricultural center and county park elsewhere the Dumaine property. He also offered help organizing a coalition to guide the project so it benefited both farmers and the larger public.

About the same time, the Dan River Basin Association suggested opening a center to teach and promote organic, sustainable farming on part of Bent Farm, with nature trails and boating access elsewhere.

It’s hard to believe DRBA’s proposal couldn’t pass muster, said Lindley Butler, who helped craft the nonprofit river group’s May 2003 plan.

“I really think we had a proposal that would have fulfilled what Buck Dumaine wanted to do,” said Butler, professor emeritus of history at Rockingham Community College.

Richardson said his recollection of DRBA’s plan is hazy, but he believes lawyers advised against it. Shoulars said he did not recall the group’s plan at all.

The trust also has talked with N.C. State and N.C. A&T universities about developing research projects or facilities on the land, but nothing has come of that yet, trustees said.

Ashes to hunting grounds

Meantime, the trust normally earns less than $25,000 a year, with its main revenue coming from leasing land to a Chatham, Va., dairy. Last year, the group started a $1,000 scholarship for one student each year from Rockingham County to attend N.C. State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Richardson said none of Dumaine’s descendants are on the board because Dudley Dumaine and his brother resigned some time ago.

That’s a possibility, Dudley Dumaine said, but he doesn’t remember resigning or ever receiving notice of any board meetings before that.

One thing Dudley Dumaine knows for sure: His father truly loved the land he bequeathed for the benefit of Rockingham County residents. In fact, Dudley Dumaine and his brother traveled all the way from Massachusetts after Buck died to spread their dad’s ashes there, near a favorite hunting spot.

It was what Buck’s will said to do.

Documents on Dumaine Farms

Sunday, March 28, 2010

(Updated 3:00 am)

This December 1977 document created the Dumaine Farms Trust to “benefit the general public and particularly the farmers and other people of Rockingham County, North Carolina.” At the outset, the group consisted of three trustees, including one of F.C. “Buck” Dumaine’s sons. The elder Dumaine died in March 1997 at the age of 94.

This document conveyed a large amount of land to the Dumaine Farms Trust in August 1996, about seven months before Buck Dumaine died. Dumaine had been declared a ward of the court a year earlier because he was no longer mentally competent. In this Guardian’s Deed, Buck Dumaine’s legal representative gave the acreage to the tax-exempt trust because the cost of maintaining the land was too costly for Dumaine’s estate. The first paragraph lists the trust’s membership at that time, including two of Dumaine’s sons.

In early 2003, the nonprofit Dan River Basin Association was asked by the Dumaine Farms Trust to submit a plan that would meet Buck Dumaine’s goals for the land he left under the trust’s supervision. The river-conservation group envisioned a center that would teach and promote sustainable, organic farming on part of the scenic Bent Farm, along with hiking trails and boat access on other parts of the tract. The farm trust did not pursue the proposal, but never said why, several DRBA members said.

Also in 2003, Eden developer and contractor Peter Osborne hired professional consultants to prepare this map and plan for part of Buck Dumaine’s acreage, including an agricultural center, nature reserve and a county park with an equestrian center and other recreational facilities. The trust decided against his proposal, which included his purchase of the Bent Farm for personal use. “In my conversations with you over several years, we have discussed several ways the trust could accomplish its mission,” Osborne said in a cover letter to the Dumaine Farms Trust. “I believe that I sensed frustration that over the years basically there was little activity and no success toward the mission and goals of the trust.”

Staff writer Myla Barnhardt contributed to this story.

Contact Taft Wireback at 373-7100 or taft.wireback@news-record.com

COMMENTS

Pack grad

March 28, 2010 - 11:12 pm EDT

Thanks to Taft Wireback for a very interesting and informative article about Buck Dumaine. As a long-time resident of Rockingham County and a former Fieldcrest employee, I appreciated this insight into someone who was held in such high esteem around the company, in the City of Eden and throughout the county.

This article answers questions more residents than just I have had, I am sure. Many of us have heard about some land Buck left for the benefit of Rockingham County but we never knew for sure if this was true. Now we know it is. We also understand the extent of Buck's generosity toward us as shown by the size of this gift and the charge given to those who agreed to administer Buck's wishes.

What this article also does is to raise a number of legitimate questions that need to be answered by the current Trustees of the Dumaine Farms Trust and by certain administrators in the Rockingham County government.

To the Trustees, I would first let you know that I have talked with county residents who have requested permission to hunt or fish on Buck's land and were denied this opportunity by you. Mr. Schoulars' statement regarding the granting of permission to hunt or fish is not close to what I have been told by those who were denied this privilege. I can't be the only person in Rockingham County to hold this belief. I fail to understand how leasing land to a dairy in Virginia fulfills the purpose of the Trust as stated in the Trust document, being to manage the property transferred to the trust "for the benefit of the general public and particularly the farmers and other people of Rockingham County, North Carolina." Surely there are Rockingham County farmers that would welcome an opportunity to lease this land. And since the purpose of the trust is to provide a benefit to Rockingham County farmers and other citizens, it would be nice if the Trust could present some sort of annual report to those it is supposed to benefit, citing what the Trust has done to further this purpose. For a tax-exempt organization established in 1977, providing one scholarship with a value of $1,000 doesn't seem like much of an effort. This lack of understanding about the Trust's accomplishments, if any, could be very easily corrected. By the way, it might be interesting to get a current legal opinion of what is permissible under the terms of the Trust, as the Trust document clearly contemplates that laws and regulations might change. If there are no funds available within the Trust to develop the property, does the word "abandon" in section 2 of the Trust document allow all or some of the property to be sold, with the proceeds from the sale being used for the stated purposes of the Trust?

To the elected officials of the County, perhaps you have some of the same questions I do about this property and how it is being used (or not) for the benefit of our citizens. I do not understand that just stating that a trust is a 501(c)(3) organization and is, therefore, tax exempt is enough. You actually have to walk the walk. You have to act like a tax-exempt organization and do things that allow you to be exempt. Otherwise we would all declare ourselves to be 501(c)(3) organizations and pay no tax. So, what is it about the Trust that makes it tax-exempt? And does this provide for non-payment of property taxes at a time when the county could surely use the additional revenue? Is the $25,000 annual rent taxable? And, if this property is to be used to benefit the county, was it considered as a possible site for the equestrian center? How much could that have saved? If the Trust's Trustees have rejected proposals by Pete Osborne and DRBA (and, possible others not mentioned) for ways to develop the property within the mandates of the Trust, are the Trustees meeting their fiduciary responsibility as managers of the property they were left to manage, not own. As our elected representatives, perhaps our County Commissioners will ask these questions and others they must have on our behalf.

Sadly the only reasonable conclusion I can draw from this article is that the legally-established wishes of a Yankee who came South to buy a mill and fell in love with Rockingham County and its citizens, as stated in the Dumaine Farms Trust document, are at best not being met and at worse being blatantly ignored. I will be personally outraged if it is shown that this is the case.

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POSTSCRIPT

On May 3, 1997, I attended a memorial service for Frederic C. "Buck" Dumaine, Jr. At that time, I delivered copies of my manuscript to Buck's three children, and I had the good fortune to talk with Dudley Dumaine, one of Buck's sons, for some time. While I did expect a note of appreciation for the copies of my manuscript, I was humbled to receive a letter from Dudley offering, on behalf of the third generation of Dumaines, to provide me with personal material, family members' recollections, and to fund the publication of this book. Dudley's letter in part stated:

Amoskeag's emotional historical distortions have contributed to the current discreditization of respect the American people have for the honorable driving forces that made America what it is. We also understand that we, the descendants of F.C. Dumaine, Sr., are subject to the same errors of oral history within ourselves, as did the labor force of Amoskeag, and for the same reason; lack of full information.

The letter went on to state that this additional information was for my "...analysis, inclusion, modification and/or rejection."

Subsequently, Dudley Dumaine provided me with three basic categories of material; oral history, personal Dumaine files and galley proofs of a book-in-progress titled Dumaine of New Eng]and.1

In the 1950's, the Dumaine family had contracted with the late Dorothy G. Wayman, a retired Boston Globe reporter and biographer, to write a book based on Dumaine's diaries. Wayman was noted above as a potential author of the unpublished history of Amoskeag. After three years of work on the biography and for reasons unknown, the family decided against the publication.

I found little in the book relative to Amoskeag that I had not already discovered. There was, however, much written confirming my prior opinion on the measure of the man. Of particular interest to test my already decided conclusions about Dumaines' motivations is her review of F.C.'s actions in controlling Waltham Watch, a subject not covered in my book but in itself a fascinating study. At one point she writes:

Dumaine's human side appears in an incident in 1937, when a young man attempting to move a pan filled with gasohne was fatally burned. [Quoting his Diary she goes on to state]

Thursday, July 22, 1937: **** of the **** Insurance Company called to discuss the John Kempton case. I explained to him unless he was willing to pay the family $3,000, with $150 towards funeral expenses and the nurses bill, $256, in view of the great suffering and unusual circumstances, I could not recommend a settlement on no other basis and should insist the case be put up to the Industrial Accident Board.

He pointed out the question of willful negligence on the company's part might be raised if the question went before the Board and the watch company might he held for half the damages. I told him I cared nothing about that. If it could be shown willful negligence existed, the watch company should he penalized. I could see no other solution and did not care to horse-trade.2

In a second incident relating the time when Dumaine was retired from control of Waltham Watch she states:

On May 22, 1944, the Waltham News-Tribune printed a tribute to Dumaine and his record of achievement and also printed a long list of names of Waltham employees of twenty years' service or more, who had received unspecified bonuses. The public supposed that these have been paid by the company, as originally authorized hy vote of the directors and mentioned in Dumaine's diary. Actually because government consent could not he procured, in the end Dumaine footed the entire bill from his own pocket.3

Wayman concludes her chapter on Waitham Watch with the following comment.

It is obvious that the $125,000 of bread Dumaine cast upon the waters in 1923, at Waltham, twenty years later came back in the form of a loaf of about a million dollars in cash. A quarter of it he paid to the United States government in taxes, and one third he had donated in bonuses to the veteran watchmakers. Money, however, was not Dumaine's objective or the mainspring to his operations. . .

His satisfaction and his pride in the success of his endeavors at Waltham, as in Bay State Fishing Company or Fore River Ship and Engine Company or Agwilines, was to see the American economy and industry "workng right," clear of debt, giving employment to workers, prosperity to the community, a reasonable return on risk capital.4

One final point in the Wayman manuscript substantiated my assumptions of Dumaine's attitude in letting the record speak for itself relates to a conversation and subsequent correspondence between Dumain and F.D. Roosevelt. During the conversation with the president, Dumaine had quoted a saying of Abraham Lincoln's which Roosevelt had not heard. Upon returning to Boston, Dumaine had the quote printed, matted and framed and sent it to the president. The text and FDR's letter are on the following pages.

Lest the reader conclude that the book has been tainted by Dumaine's support in publication, let me emphatically state that all of the material that I have reviewed substantiated the conclusions reached in my research prior to the family's generous offer.

Because publication of the manuscript is funded by the Dumaine family, I have relinquished all rights to Saint Anselm College to permit all proceeds to establish a scholarship for descendants of Amoskeag employees who qualify to attend Saint Anselm College.

Arthur M. Kenison

October 1997

Frederic C. Dumaine: Office Boy to Tycoon by Arthur M. Kenison, Saint Anselm College (Manchester, N.H.) and N.H.) Saint Anselm College (Manchester (2000, Book, Illustrated)

Amoskeag: Life and Work in an American Factory-City (Library of New England) [Paperback]

Tamara K. Hareven (Author), Randolph Langenbach

Dumaine's Amoskeag: Let the record speak [Hardcover] Arthur M Kenison (AUTHOR

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September 09, 1991

The Dumaine Legacy

By Marjorie Rosen

In a Privileged Family, An Unwelcome Heiress Proves That Blood Is Not Thicker Than Money

MY ADOPTIVE PARENTS ALWAYS TOLD me I was a chosen baby," says Elizabeth Ann Charney. Growing up in a redbrick row house full of love in a middle-class Brooklyn neighborhood, Betty Charney, now 35 and a public school teacher in Miramar, Fla., never gave a second thought to her natural parents or who they might be. Then in 1977, during her first pregnancy, she found herself worrying every time a doctor asked about her family history. "I had these questions," she recalls. "And I began to wonder, 'Who am I?' "

What began as a simple journey to find her roots has become a dizzying ride on the wheel of fortune. As it turned out, Charney's biological father was Pierre Dumaine, one of the heirs to a $200 million trust from a railroad and textile empire that includes Fieldcrest Cannon Inc., the towel manufacturers. Betty—divorced from Robert Charney since 1981 and sharing a modest house on a canal with sons A.J., 12, and Bobby Jr., 14, and her ex—mother-in-law, Katherine Cusato—now finds herself a Cinderella-in-waiting. There's only one catch: Her new family has so far resisted Charney's claim to her fairytale birthright.

Relaxing amid the Chippendale splendor of his estate in Weston, Mass., Charney's birth uncle Frederic "Buck" Dumaine Jr., 88, is unbending. He and other recipients of the Dumaine trust don't deny that Charney is a blood relation. But he also insists that Frederic Dumaine Sr., the patriarch who died in 1951, expressly stated that only "legitimate" heirs were entitled to share his legacy. In the eyes of the family, Betty, born out of wedlock, is ineligible. So Buck grins and dismisses her lawyers, who have taken the case to the New Hampshire Supreme Court. "Let 'em be damned," he declares.

That's what the Dumaines said in 1955 when they discovered that Charney's parents, Pierre "Spike" Dumaine, then 43, and Evelyn Humphrey, also 43, a receptionist at the family's Boston-based headquarters, had fallen in love. After all, Spike was married, if unhappily, and was the father of two children. Evelyn was a twice-divorced mother of three. She soon left her job, and he was dropped from the trust. In 1956, Betty was born. She insists today that Pierre "stayed in his marriage because of his obligation as a father." Still, at about the same time that Evelyn surrendered her for adoption, Pierre's trust payments resumed.

By 1961, though, Pierre's marriage had collapsed; he and Evelyn married but had no more children. Betty was never forgotten. "My dad later told me that every year on my birthday, my mom became a recluse," Charney says. After her 21st, Betty asked her adoptive parents, John Scudder, a stockbroker turned schoolteacher, and his wife, Nelda, to contact the lawyer who'd originally arranged the adoption. He in turn notified the Dumaines, who then wrote to their long-lost daughter.

"Words can't explain how I felt," Charney says, recalling her first meeting with her birth parents. That was in 1978, in Birmingham, Ala., where she was living with her husband, a cafeteria manager. From the first, says Betty, she and the Dumaines found an easy closeness. And eight months later, Pierre and Evelyn threw a party for her at their home in Cumberland, Maine.

During that visit, Charney for the first time understood that her parents were wealthy. But not until after they died—Evelyn of heart failure in January 1987, Pierre of cancer seven months later—did she understand just how well-off they were. And just how much she believes she might inherit—$250,000 a year. "When you don't come from money, you can't comprehend it," she says.

Nor could she imagine that the other heirs, including half brother Peter, 53, and half sister Lael "Suzy," would want to exclude her from the inheritance. (Pierre specified in his will that he wanted Betty to be a beneficiary.) The battle began four months after her father's funeral when the trustees started legal proceedings to determine whether she was entitled to a share. All along, the family contention has been that Charney has no claim on the trust, though Pierre and Evelyn did eventually marry. Charney's attorney, Dort Bigg, insists that universal slate law legitimizes any child born out of wedlock when the parents legally wed and acknowledge the child. Charles DeGrandpre, attorney for Betty's half brother and half sister, disagrees. Adoptive children obtain all inheritance rights from their new parents, he says, and forfeit those of their natural parents. Which may be why Betty petitioned a New York circuit court in 1988 to annul her adoption. (The court has yet to act on her request.) Her adoptive parents made no objection. "Our relationship wasn't based on whether it was official, but on a lifetime of sharing," says John Scudder, 71, who, with his wife, Nelda, 70, took Charney in when she was 4 days old. "If this helps Betty, we'd do it."

The Dumaines insist that Frederic, a man obsessed with his strict moral code, didn't give a hoot about bloodlines, only about behavior. According to Charney's half brother, Peter, "My grandfather was so specific. He'd sit me on his knee and pound into my head that, if I ever got a woman pregnant and was not married, I'd be on my own. And my father told it to me too."

Taking the patriarch at his word, the New Hampshire Superior Court ruled in 1990 that the elder Dumaine's intent was to support only those heirs born "in wedlock." The decision, says Betty, "crushed me. I felt the judge was saying, 'You're not good enough to be one of them.' " She has appealed her case to the state supreme court, which could rule on it this fall. If she wins, Betty, who now makes $25,000 a year, hasn't the vaguest idea how she'd spend her new riches. But at least there would be plenty of money to send her sons to college.

And if fortune eludes her? "I'm proud of who I am," she says. "I always was, but now I know why. There's too much hate in this world, and you can concentrate on it, but I know my mother and father, and I know they loved me."

MARJORIE ROSEN

CINDY DAMPIER in Miramar, GAYLE VERNER in Boston, MARIA SPEIDEL in Brooklyn

Contributors:

Cindy Dampier,

Gayle Verner,

Maria Speidel

Address: 17 Wellington Street East

17 Wellington Street is the former home of Henry Machell, son of Richard Machell. Richard Machell is the founder of Machells Corners, the hamlet that, in 1854, would become Aurora. Richard Machell was born in Yorkshire England and immigrated to Canada before 1817. He purchased a building on a one-acre lot at the southeast corner of Yonge and Wellington Streets where he created a store and established himself as a general merchant. This two-storey Georgian stuccoed house remains as one of the few surviving pre-confederation houses in Aurora.

Photo courtesy of the Town of Aurora.

Sources

Town of Aurora, Planning Department.

Werden, Susan. Street Stories. The Auroran, February 5, 2013.

Sculptor Gert Olsen was born and educated in Denmark. He immigrated to Canada in 1956, then to the United States in 1962 where he gained citizenship. He has been a resident of Jupiter, Florida since 1984.

Image by Ron Cogswell on May 20, 2012, using a Nikon D80 and minor Photoshop effects.

DSC_0131

www.singhandassociates.org/, Singh & Associates-Lawyers are specialized as Visa Refusal Appeal Lawyers, dealing with the Canada Visa Refusal, Canada Visa refusal Appeals, Canada Visa Rejection: financial, language and credibility issues.

In Canada, visas are frequently rejected for lack of credibility, financial stability and English proficiency of an applicant. This article provides case laws and the Canada immigration operational manual guidelines to deal with these issues in a visa application. If these issues are dealt in a visa application, the chances of Canada visa refusals are reduced and the chances of winning a Canada visa refusal case in the court are increased.

Title: Fred. Barlow Cumberland Business Card, c1890s

Accession #: 2016-10-7b

Description: Business card for Frederick Barlow Cumberland when he was working in Toronto as a ticket agent for Thos. Cook & Son. The card was discovered inside a letter book created in the 1890s by Mr. Cumberland.

Frederick Barlow Cumberland (1846-1913) was born in England to Frederick William Cumberland and Mary Bramley Wilmot on 5 Aug 1846. He immigrated to Canada with his parents, where his father worked throughout Upper Canada as a very successful architect. On 19 Oct 1871 Frederick Barlow married Sarah Catherine Seraphina Fraser (grand-daughter of John Tucker Williams; and daughter of William and Augusta Fraser). The couple had only one daughter, Mildred (later Wotherspoon); and lived in Sarah's childhood home "Dunain," located at 345 Lakeshore Road in Port Hope. In several Canadian Census records, Frederick Barlow Cumberland is listed as a "Manager" and "Ticket Agent," working in both Toronto and Port Hope. He died of Chronic Nephritis (Kidney Disease) on 1 Sep 1913, and is buried in St. James Cemetery, Toronto.

CREDIT TO THE PORT HOPE ARCHIVES - FOR HIGH RESOLUTION PRINTS/SCANS PLEASE CONTACT US AT archives@porthope.ca

Vancouver Chapter No. 2 G.R.B.C. R.A.M. Penny.

www.grandchapter-bc-yukon.ca

Royal Arch Mason, BC and Yukon

2017 - 2018

Bio:

MEC Ron Smith was born on May 3rd 1968 in Manila, Philippines and immigrated to New Zealand in 1973. Educated in both New Zealand and England, he received degrees in Music Composition from the Royal Schools of Music and a MBA from Judge Business School, Cambridge University.

Immigrating to Canada in 1990, he started a successful group of companies specializing in web hosting services and online entertainment, selling out to WorldCom in 2000. He currently serves on the Board of Directors in various private companies, provides mentorship and angel financing for up and coming entrepreneurs.

Raised in Tuscan Lodge No.138 in 1993 and served as Master in 2000, 2004 and 2008; appointed DDGM of Dist. 28 in 2011-12; Charter member of Dimasalang Lodge No.196 and current District Education Officer Dist.13; Exalted as a RAM in Mission Chapter No. 28 in 1996; served as First Principal in 2001 and 2009-11 when the Chapter surrendered its Charter; appointed Grand Superintendent District No. 2 in 2007-08; affiliated member of Composite Chapter No.24, Semiahmoo No.34 and Bellingham Bay Chapter No.12 Grand Chapter of Washington.

MEC Ron Smith has also been involved in various other concordant bodies in York and Scottish Rites and Gizeh Shriners.

Married to Cindy for 26 years and they have two children, Jake 20 and Jena 16. His various passions include a good scotch and cigar, traveling, sailing and photography…. a combination of all these would be priceless.

Built c. 1845 at no. 197 Main Street.

"The Eckhardt-McKay House is located at 197 Main Street, on the east side of the street south of Carleton Road in Unionville in the Town of Markham. The two storey board and batten, and stone art centre was constructed circa 1845-1856.

The property was designated by the Town of Markham in 1978 for its heritage value under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (By-law 298-78).

The Eckhardt-McKay House is associated with Fred Varley, a member of the Group of Seven, and the Eckhardt family. Located at 197 Main Street, the house is situated a short walk away from the Varley Art Gallery which features the work of Fred Varley.

Philip Eckhardt was one of the first settlers in Markham. Both Andrew and Salem Eckhardt are credited with having built the house. Andrew, Unionville's first postmaster, is believed to have built a one-and-a-half-storey house along Main Street between 1845 and 1851. The first reference to a house at this location, however, is for a mortgage that is dated 1856. Salem Eckhardt was the village auctioneer, tax collector as well as a farmer and builder. The 1861 Census lists Salem and his wife Catherine as occupying a two storey frame house, most likely the current Eckhardt-McKay House. Eckhardt retained possession of the property until he died in 1902 when it passed to a succession of owners until Donald and Kathleen McKay purchased the house in 1957. Kathleen was a direct descendent of the Eckhardt family.

Fred Varley immigrated to Canada in 1912 from England and was taken in at the age of 72 in 1952 by Kathleen and Donald McKay after he had fallen seriously ill. Kathleen was also a talented artist and became Varley's prized pupil; she was also one of his favourite subjects and has been captured by him in numerous paintings. Fred Varley moved in with them and lived in the house until his death in 1969. Kathleen McKay began her collection of Varley's paintings in 1951 creating one of the finest private collections of his work and has donated more than 80 oil paintings to the Town of Markham. In 1988 the Town of Markham purchased the house and turned it into an art centre. In 1989 Kathleen McKay was presented with Markham's Achievement and Civic Recognition Award, which is the community's highest honour. The Town built the Varley Art Gallery a short walk away at the corner of Carlton Road and Main Street.

The Eckhardt-McKay House is a good representation of Vernacular Gothic style and utilises the bank house construction style as illustrated by the drop from two storeys to one storey at the rear. The house is three-quarters clad in vertical board and batten and one-quarter clad in coarse stone. Typical of the Gothic style, the house has a steeply pitched gable roof with droop bargeboard. The Gothic gable window in the upper storey of the facade is sharply pointed with its lower register divided into twelve panes of glass. The entrance is located in the centre of the facade with plain moulded trim, flush sidelights and a mullioned transom." - info from Historic Places.

"Unionville is a suburban district and former village in Markham, Ontario, Canada, 2 km (2.5 mi) northeast of Downtown Markham (the City of Markham's modern downtown), 2 km (2.5 mi) west of Markham Village (Markham's historic downtown), and 33 km (20.5 mi) northeast of Downtown Toronto. The boundaries of Unionville are not well-defined. Several nearby neighbourhoods are claimed to be part of it however, this has been disputed between the various wards.

Unionville was founded north of 16th Avenue in 1794, and many of the farms on and around Kennedy Road. The Unionville Ratepayers Association designated a newer street, Rodick Road, as its western boundary, in the 1980s. Main Street Unionville, which was Kennedy Road in the mid-to-late 20th century, runs through Unionville while the new Kennedy Road runs 300 metres (330 yd) to the east. Rouge River runs north of the central part of Unionville and to the southeast. Highway 404 is to the west, with the nearest interchange with Highway 407 is 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south on Kennedy Road. Unionville is predominantly residential except for the south central industrial area, which is slated for massive intensification.

Tourism is a major part of Unionville's economy. The village itself still resembles the small town that developed over a century or so starting in the early 1840s (when Ira White erected his Union Mills) through the middle to late 20th century. Now a 'heritage conservation district', it attracts thousands of visitors each year — as of 2006 it boasted nine restaurants, including three pubs. Main Street (originally the laneway from the village's first grist mill) also has a number of "century homes" dating back to the 19th century. Each year, thousands of people visit Unionville during the Unionville Festival.

The main street has been a stand-in for fictional Connecticut town Stars Hollow during the first season of Gilmore Girls television show, and for other television and movie backdrops.

Most of the historic buildings in Unionville are included in List of historic buildings in Markham, Ontario." - info from Wikipedia.

Late June to early July, 2024 I did my 4th major cycling tour. I cycled from Ottawa to London, Ontario on a convoluted route that passed by Niagara Falls. during this journey I cycled 1,876.26 km and took 21,413 photos. As with my other tours a major focus was old architecture.

Find me on Instagram.

Montreal’s Portuguese community is celebrating two big milestones this year: a decade of the “Festival Portugal International de Montreal” and the 70th anniversary of Portuguese immigration to Canada.

Leica M3 Ds

Voigtlander 21mm f4

Kodak Ektachrome 100 ( 11/2006 ) long expired.

convert to black and white.

Vancouver Chapter No. 2 G.R.B.C. R.A.M. Penny.

www.grandchapter-bc-yukon.ca

Royal Arch Mason, BC and Yukon

2017 - 2018

Bio:

MEC Ron Smith was born on May 3rd 1968 in Manila, Philippines and immigrated to New Zealand in 1973. Educated in both New Zealand and England, he received degrees in Music Composition from the Royal Schools of Music and a MBA from Judge Business School, Cambridge University.

Immigrating to Canada in 1990, he started a successful group of companies specializing in web hosting services and online entertainment, selling out to WorldCom in 2000. He currently serves on the Board of Directors in various private companies, provides mentorship and angel financing for up and coming entrepreneurs.

Raised in Tuscan Lodge No.138 in 1993 and served as Master in 2000, 2004 and 2008; appointed DDGM of Dist. 28 in 2011-12; Charter member of Dimasalang Lodge No.196 and current District Education Officer Dist.13; Exalted as a RAM in Mission Chapter No. 28 in 1996; served as First Principal in 2001 and 2009-11 when the Chapter surrendered its Charter; appointed Grand Superintendent District No. 2 in 2007-08; affiliated member of Composite Chapter No.24, Semiahmoo No.34 and Bellingham Bay Chapter No.12 Grand Chapter of Washington.

MEC Ron Smith has also been involved in various other concordant bodies in York and Scottish Rites and Gizeh Shriners.

Married to Cindy for 26 years and they have two children, Jake 20 and Jena 16. His various passions include a good scotch and cigar, traveling, sailing and photography…. a combination of all these would be priceless.

My great grandfather. He immigrated to Canada in 1911.

Marianne Suda. Born in Vienna Austria in 1928. Immigrated to Canada in 1954. She used to sell her work at 1001 pots in Val-David Quebec and may have been a nun. She was inspired by 1960's danish pottery so even her recent works are often mistaken for vintage pottery. Precise craftsmanship. (Special thanks to Flickr member pascalegirardin for this information)

Ian David Nsenga, aka Creative, was born in the city of Nairobi, Kenya as one of many diasporas of a war torn Rwanda. His journey began on the continent of Africa but he eventually immigrated to Canada in 1993. His love for music and literature shaped his style - fusing poetry and hip-hop during his university days in British Columbia. His journey brought him to major venues in the community and diverse settings from International Festivals to Non-Profit Organizations during the 2010 Olympic Games.

www.myspace.com/iammadecreative

Monia Mazigh was born and raised in Tunisia and immigrated to Canada in 1991. She speaks Arabic, French, and English fluently and holds a Ph.D. in finance from McGill University. Dr. Mazigh has worked at the University of Ottawa and taught at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, British Columbia. In 2004, she ran in the federal election as a candidate for the NDP, gaining the most votes for her riding in the history of the NDP.

Dr. Mazigh was catapulted onto the public stage in 2002 when her husband Maher Arar, was deported to Syria where he was tortured and held without charge for over a year. During that time, Dr. Mazigh campaigned vigorously for her husband’s release and later fought to re-establish his reputation and sought reparations. In January 2007, after a lengthy inquiry, her husband finally received an apology from the Canadian government and was offered compensation for the “terrible ordeal” his family had suffered. Dr. Mazigh has since authored a memoir called Hope and Despair which documents her ordeal after her husband was arrested and how she campaigned to clear his name. Dr. Mazigh presently lives in Ottawa with her husband and two children. She has recently had her first novel, “Miroirs et mirages” published in French.

Ian David Nsenga, aka Creative, was born in the city of Nairobi, Kenya as one of many diasporas of a war torn Rwanda. His journey began on the continent of Africa but he eventually immigrated to Canada in 1993. His love for music and literature shaped his style - fusing poetry and hip-hop during his university days in British Columbia. His journey brought him to major venues in the community and diverse settings from International Festivals to Non-Profit Organizations during the 2010 Olympic Games.

www.myspace.com/iammadecreative

Ian David Nsenga, aka Creative, was born in the city of Nairobi, Kenya as one of many diasporas of a war torn Rwanda. His journey began on the continent of Africa but he eventually immigrated to Canada in 1993. His love for music and literature shaped his style - fusing poetry and hip-hop during his university days in British Columbia. His journey brought him to major venues in the community and diverse settings from International Festivals to Non-Profit Organizations during the 2010 Olympic Games.

www.myspace.com/iammadecreative

Henri Masson was born 10 January 1907 in Spy, a small village near Namur in Belgium. He started his studies at the Athénée Royale of Brussels when he was 13 and from then on all his spare time was devoted to drawing and painting. After his father died in 1921, he and his mother immigrated to Canada, settling in Ottawa. He started working in an engraving studio in Ottawa in 1923. He also took courses at the Ottawa Art Association and the Ottawa Art Club.

He earned his living, as an engraver until 1945, ensuring the security of his family, which he explained, was vital considering that he had three children and was not by nature a bohemian. This was also a period when few artists were able to make a living by their art alone. Masson therefore worked at the engraving studio during the day and painted in the evenings and on weekends.

Masson first exhibited in 1933, a group exhibition to which he submitted a selection of watercolors, pastels and drawings. His first showing of oil paintings was in 1936 in an exhibition at the Ontario Society of Artists in Toronto.

The Masson household was a beehive of activity and an interesting mix of friends met once a week to discuss music, painting, politics and the state of society. Eclectic, cultivated, open-minded, Masson could be the heart and soul of any gathering. He talked about music as a connoisseur, he was well informed about politics and he could hold forth easily on travel and other interests. He discussed painting in simple terms, very much in the manner of the paintings he produced. For Masson, everything was clear, simple and orderly. It is not surprising that he followed his own inclinations, independent of various trends developing in the arts in Canada. His quick and outspoken manner on occasion caused some controversy, but there was never any contradiction in his paintings or in the consistency of his work.

In 1937, on the birth of his first son, Carl, Masson exhibited at the Caveau. His first solo exhibition was held at the Picture Loan Society in Toronto in 1938, followed by another solo exhibition in 1939 at the Caveau. He also exhibited with the Canadian Group of Painters as well as exhibiting in New York and Montreal.

Masson started exhibiting at the Galerie L’Art Français in 1941. That same year, he became a member of the Canadian Group of Painters and joined the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolor and the Société des Arts Graphiques.

In 1944, with H.O. McCurry, A.Y. Jackson and Arthur Lismer, Masson adjudicated an exhibition of war art held at the National Gallery of Canada. He also exhibited his paintings at the Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven and the Fine Arts Museum of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Still in 1944, The National Film Board discussed Henri Masson and his art in a documentary film. He was elected president of the Ottawa branch of the Federation of Canadian Artists in 1945. Masson taught at Queen’s University Summer School in Kingston from 1948 to 1952. He returned to Europe in 1952 for the first time, visiting his hometown in Belgium.

In the summer of 1954, he taught at the Banff School of Fine Arts and in 1955 he was granted an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from Assomption College in Windsor, Ontario. That same year he taught at the Kingsmere Summer Festival along with A.Y. Jackson. His painting, “Logs on the Gatineau River,” was reproduced for the cover of the Canadian Geographical Journal.

Masson returned to Europe in 1957, this time travelling in Italy, France and Belgium. From 1960 to 1963 he taught summer courses at the Doon School of Fine Arts. He illustrated an article on the quiet revolution in Quebec, “Quebec in Revolt,” that was published in Fortune Magazine.

In 1973 Masson travelled to the Soviet Union. In 1975 he participated in an hour-long radio interview at Radio-Canada. He travelled to the Orient in 1976: Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong. In 1979 the municipality of Sainte-Catherine d'Alexandrie honored Masson, naming a street after him. In 1980 Masson took part in Radio-Canada’s television program “Rencontres,” and as part of the L’Atelier series, he was also interviewed by Naim Kattan of Radio-Canada FM.

Masson was a member of:

the Canadian Group of Painters

the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolor

the Canadian Society of Graphic Arts

the Federation of Canadian Artists

My aunt took this photo from the airport the day she immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong in 1960.

Those of you who collect family postcards will realise that sometimes the message on the back of a card might turn up some useful information as you try and piece together the lives of your family's ancestors.

This postcard was posted from Gibralter in 1911 to Master Ben Brassington (1903 - 1971) who lived at Woodland View, East Bank.

Ben's son, Eric , writes in October 2008:

"This is a real gem and had been ignored as just another postcard. But the message gives me the answer to a question that Frank Barnsley (Eric's cousin) and I had never found. We had details of the Barnsley immigrants to Canada on the SS Peruvian and of William Barnsley who immigrated to Canada later only to return, then set off again with his son William for Australia. We never knew when he had gone. On the back of the card is the answer, early in 1911, posted from Gibralter as they were on their way."

After further research Eric writes on 1 April 2009:

"They sailed on 3 February 1911 from London bound for Freemantle, Austrailia, on the SS Otway."

William Barnsley Senior was born in Winster in 1872 and died in Australia in about 1930. William Junior was born in Manchester in 1889.

This image is reproduced by kind permission of Eric Brassington.

YOUNG, GEORGE PAXTON, clergyman, professor, school inspector, and author; b. 9 Nov. 1818 at Berwick upon Tweed, England; d. unmarried 26 Feb. 1889 in Toronto, Ont.

George Paxton Young was born into the family of a Church of Scotland clergyman and received his early education in Berwick upon Tweed. He then attended the celebrated Royal High School in Edinburgh and the University of Edinburgh, where he graduated with an ma. In 1843, after a brief period teaching mathematics at the Dollar Academy, he entered the newly founded Theological Hall of the Free Church in Edinburgh. On completion of his divinity course he was admitted as a licentiate of the Free Church and took up his first charge at Martyrs’ Church, Paisley. In 1847 or 1848 he immigrated to Canada and on 22 Nov. 1850 was inducted as minister of Knox Church, Hamilton, Canada West. He served as moderator of the Hamilton presbytery for the year 1851–52. In 1853 he resigned his pastoral charge and was appointed to the faculty of Knox College, Toronto.

Young taught in both the divinity and the preparatory departments at the college for the next decade. Then in 1864 he resigned his professorship and accepted Egerton Ryerson’s invitation to become the first full-time grammar school inspector for Canada West. In 1865 he was also appointed inspector of Roman Catholic separate schools by Ryerson. In 1868 Young returned to Knox College to conduct the preparatory department and in 1870 was appointed professor of mental and moral philosophy. The next year, after declining an invitation to become professor of mathematics at Victoria College in Cobourg, he succeeded James Beaven* in the chair of metaphysics and ethics at University College, Toronto, a post he held for the rest of his life.

Young was sometimes described by contemporaries as a shy, retiring man who lived a quiet bachelor’s life and preferred above all the seclusion of his study. This judgement was perhaps based more on his demeanour than on the actual record of his life, for Young was always involved in public affairs and in the currents of contemporary scholarship. Throughout his life he was active in the Canadian (later Royal Canadian) Institute, presenting many papers before that body and holding several offices between 1856 and 1871. He was an active supporter of church union among Presbyterians, urging it upon his congregation as early as 1853, contributing favourable articles to the Globe, and sponsoring motions to this effect at synod. As grammar school inspector between 1864 and 1867, Young repeatedly toured Canada West, visiting each school and examining the ability of the teachers and the progress of the pupils. On the basis of his accumulating knowledge, he wrote a series of perceptive and highly critical reports on the inadequacies of the grammar schools and delineated changes he considered necessary. His analysis of the problems provided Ryerson with both ammunition and ideas for reform, and many of Young’s suggestions were incorporated into the school act of 1871 that replaced grammar schools with high schools which would provide general education and with collegiate institutes which would prepare students for entrance to universitoung’s resignation as school inspector in 1867 did not break his ties with the provincial school system. He served as president of the Ontario Teachers’ Association in 1871, and was a member of the Council of Public Instruction in 1871–72. As a member of the Committee of Examiners after 1871 he continued to play an important role in educational policy-making in Ontario until the last few months before his death.

Young’s scholarly activities and interests were wide and varied. His earliest publication was a collection of sermons, Miscellaneous discourses and expositions of Scripture, a volume which reveals wide reading, a talent for exegesis, and a felicitous prose style. Throughout his life he pursued an early interest in mathematics, publishing in Canadian, American, and English journals a number of papers on the theory of equations which drew high praise from eminent mathematicians of the time. In philosophy, the subject he taught most of his life, he published relatively little; yet it was perhaps here that his impact on Canadian thought was greatest. Though initiated as a student at Edinburgh into Scottish “common sense” philosophy, he became critical of it early in his teaching career at Knox and by 1862 had largely rejected it. In its place he turned, like many others of his generation, to Kant and then to the British Idealism of Edward Caird and Thomas Hill Green. Through Young, a generation of students at the University of Toronto were introduced to the political and ethical theories of men attempting to preserve Christian beliefs and at the same time come to terms with modernity.

Young’s own theological views were also affected by his philosophical shift. He never became a sceptic, for British Idealism provided him with new philosophical underpinnings for his faith. But it did apparently lead him to dissent from some aspects of Presbyterian doctrine, or at least to question the traditional justifications for those doctrines. His resignation from Knox College in 1864 may have been prompted by his doubts. He was never to teach theology again, and in later life he refused even to act as elder or Sunday School teacher in the church to which he belonged, St Andrew’s, Toronto. On the other hand he remained, till the end of his life, not only in his own mind but in the view of both his students and his church, a convinced and practising Christian.

Young was above all a teacher. The memoirs left by his students, many of whom had no special interest in or aptitude for philosophy, conjure up a charismatic figure who could light fires of enthusiasm for difficult ideas, illuminate even the most complex philosophical passages, and bring a warmth and humanity to the classroom that few students could resist. Young left a considerable record of scholarship behind him, especially in mathematics. He left his mark on Ontario’s school system. But it was his ability as a teacher that made him a legend in his time and gave him his influence over the intellectual development of a generation of University of Toronto students.

Left to Right:

Age 52 – Josef Tuchscherer – Paul’s Father

Age 76 – Sr. Rita Duchscherer – Daughter of Franz & Anna

Age 22 – Paul Tuchscherer

Age 90 – Anna (Janer) Duchscherer – Sister of Agatha’s Father, Karl Ludwig Janer

Age 75 – Anton Tuchscherer – Father of Josef

Age 72 – Agatha (Janer) Tuchscherer – Mother of Josef, Grandparents of Paul

Age 90 – Franz Duchscherer – Uncle of Anton & Agatha, brother of Anton’s Father, Johannes

Except for Paul, all were born in Colelia, Romania.

“Tuchscherer” was changed to “Duchscherer” at immigration to Canada. Franz died at age 95. Anna at age 100 yrs. & 4 mons; in 1997.

Picture taken in 1987.

Our Family History Photographs - Tuchscherer Family

Photographs courtesy of Maria Tuchscherer, Regina, Saskatchewan

Ivaan Kotulsky was an artist and photographer, living and working in Toronto, Canada. According to an interview with his widow, Eya Donald Greenland Kotulsky, he was born in a Nazi slave labour camp, during World War II. Kotulsky had a distinguished career as a photographer, producing portraits of high-profile individuals, like Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau. Kotulsky also documented the lives of street people, and that collection of photos has been donated to the City of Toronto archives, which organized a gallery show, to celebrate their acquisition, and subsequently made them available for download.

Kotulsky was born to Maria and Mykyta Kotulsky while his family was interned in a Nazi slave labour camp near Koln, Germany, in the final months of World War II, during an Allied bombing raid. In 1949, after having lived for four years as refugees in a Displaced Persons' camp, his family immigrated to Canada, sponsored by a blacksmith in Smoky Lake, Alberta. By 1951, his family had relocated to Toronto's Cabbagetown, near the Don Valley ravine, which provided a slice of nature in downtown Toronto for Ivaan to explore. Kotulsky would later credit his exposure to the kindly blacksmith as having kindled his own interest in metalworking which found its outlet in jewellery making, at the age of 25.

Kotulsky was said to have been able to see beauty in things people ordinarily overlook, explaining the quality of the intimate images he took of street people. The engagement ring with which he proposed to his wife featured a very large green stone—which was originally a discarded piece of Seven Up bottle. Never in robust health, Ivaan suffered two heart attacks in the early 1990s. In 1995, Kotulsky opened a retail store on Queen Street West. That year, he and Eya Donald Greenland were married. They had first met in 1969; she was 16 and working after school at the Harbord Bakery, which he frequented. In 2000, Kotulsky experienced the first of a series of strokes that eventually led to his paralysis and affected his ability to create new works of art.

In 2005, after his third stroke, when he lacked the strength and dexterity to continue working independently, Eya started to assist him in his studio, often working with his original moulds, using the lost wax casting technique. She told Nicole Baute, writing in the Toronto Star, that she never intended to continue making pieces from those moulds after he died, beyond filling the outstanding orders, but customers continued to request pieces. The Art Gallery of Ontario, which had commissioned Kotulsky in 1979 to create a collection of jewellery and metal art inspired by King Tut, hosted a long-running exhibition of King Tut artefacts in 2009, and requested she produce additional reproductions of his work for display in the AGO Shop. Ivaan's wife, Eya, continues to operate his studio, Atelier Ivaan, to showcase and preserve his artistic legacy.

Baute reported that Kotulsky became the "first Canadian to undergo a pioneering neurosurgical procedure", to close off the damaged artery that had led to his four strokes. She reported that the surgery closed off the artery, but that Kotulsky suffered a fifth stroke during surgery, that left him in a coma from which he never regained consciousness. Ivaan Kotulsky died on December 6, 2008.

Angels Unawares is a bronze sculpture by Timothy Schmalz installed in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican since September 29, 2019, the 105th World Migrant and Refugee Day.

This statue was inaugurated by Pope Francis in 2019 for the 105th World Day of Migrants and Refugees. At its inauguration Pope Francis said he wanted the sculpture "to remind everyone of the evangelical challenge of hospitality".

The six-meter-long sculpture depicts a group of migrants and refugees on a boat wearing clothes that show they originate from diverse cultures and historical moments. For example, there are a Jew fleeing Nazi Germany, a Syrian departing the Syrian civil war, and a Pole escaping the communist regime. The sculptor of the work said that he "wanted to show the different moods and emotions involved in a migrant's journey". Previously, the artist had already made sculptures of a similar theme as Homeless Jesus. The work includes angel wings, through which the author suggests that a migrant is secretly an angel in our midst. The artist's inspiration was Hebrews 13:2: "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares".

It was the first time in 400 years, i.e. since Bernini, that a new sculpture was installed in St Peter's Square.

The idea for the sculpture originated with Cardinal Michael Czerny, a fellow Canadian and undersecretary of the Migrants and Refugees Section, who commissioned it in 2016. Among the people represented on the ship are the Cardinal's parents, who immigrated to Canada from Czechoslovakia. The sculpture was funded by a family of migrants from northern Italy, the Rudolph P. Bratty Family. On September 29, 2019, Pope Francis and four refugees from various parts of the world inaugurated the sculpture. A smaller reproduction, about a meter and a half high, will be permanently installed in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome.

A replica of the sculpture has been displayed in Boston College, United States since 15 November 2020. A life-size replica was shown in Miami in February 2021 until 8 April 2021. Archbishop of Miami Thomas Wenski stated about the statue: "This is a representation of the human family and the story of migration and certainly, that’s the story of Miami. Miami is the Ellis Island of the South, and this, I think, represents that very well." He then blessed the replica, commenting: "May all who gaze upon it be filled with compassion for the stranger among us and eager to extend a hand of friendship."

In April 2021, a replica was put in front of Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. After a national tour, this sculpture will be installed on the campus of the Catholic University in Washington, DC in fall of 2021.

On November 3, 2022, a replica was unveiled at Saint Joseph's Oratory—located in the multicultural borough of Cote-des-Neiges also known as the Neighbourhood of Nations, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada—in the presence of the artist Timothy Schmalz and Oratory rector Father Michael DeLaney, CSC. “Hosting the sculpture is a continuation of the mission of the founder of Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal, Saint Brother André, CSC. An international crossroads, the Oratory is a significant place of welcome for many people upon their arrival in this country.”

Saint Peter's Square is a large plaza located directly in front of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, the papal enclave in Rome, directly west of the neighborhood (rione) of Borgo. Both the square and the basilica are named after Saint Peter, an apostle of Jesus whom Catholics consider to be the first Pope.

At the centre of the square is the Vatican obelisk, an ancient Egyptian obelisk erected at the current site in 1586. Gian Lorenzo Bernini designed the square almost 100 years later, including the massive Doric colonnades, four columns deep, which embrace visitors in "the maternal arms of Mother Church". A granite fountain constructed by Bernini in 1675 matches another fountain designed by Carlo Maderno in 1613.

The open space which lies before the basilica was redesigned by Gian Lorenzo Bernini from 1656 to 1667, under the direction of Pope Alexander VII, as an appropriate forecourt, designed "so that the greatest number of people could see the Pope give his blessing, either from the middle of the façade of the church or from a window in the Vatican Palace" Bernini had been working on the interior of St. Peter's for decades; now he gave order to the space with his renowned colonnades, using a simplified Doric order, to avoid competing with the palace-like façade by Carlo Maderno, but he employed it on an unprecedented colossal scale to suit the space and evoke a sense of awe.

There were many constraints from existing structures (illustration, right). The massed accretions of the Vatican Palace crowded the space to the right of the basilica's façade; the structures needed to be masked without obscuring the papal apartments. The Vatican obelisk marked a centre, and a granite fountain by Maderno stood to one side: Bernini made the fountain appear to be one of the foci of the ovato tondo embraced by his colonnades and eventually matched it on the other side, in 1675, just five years before his death. The trapezoidal shape of the piazza, which creates a heightened perspective for a visitor leaving the basilica and has been praised as a masterstroke of Baroque theater (illustration, below right), is largely a product of site constraints.

According to the Lateran Treaty the area of St. Peter's Square is subject to the authority of Italian police for crowd control even though it is a part of the Vatican state.

The colossal Doric colonnades, four columns deep, frame the trapezoidal entrance to the basilica and the massive elliptical area which precedes it. The ovato tondo's long axis, parallel to the basilica's façade, creates a pause in the sequence of forward movements that is characteristic of a Baroque monumental approach. The colonnades define the piazza. The elliptical center of the piazza, which contrasts with the trapezoidal entrance, encloses the visitor with "the maternal arms of Mother Church" in Bernini's expression. On the south side, the colonnades define and formalize the space, with the Barberini Gardens still rising to a skyline of umbrella pines. On the north side, the colonnade masks an assortment of Vatican structures; the upper stories of the Vatican Palace rise above.

At the center of the ovato tondo stands the Vatican obelisk, an uninscribed Egyptian obelisk of red granite, 25.5 m (84 ft) tall, supported on bronze lions and surmounted by the Chigi arms in bronze, in all 41 m (135 ft) to the cross on its top. The obelisk was originally erected in Heliopolis, Egypt, by an unknown pharaoh.

The Emperor Augustus had the obelisk moved to the Julian Forum of Alexandria, where it stood until AD 37, when Caligula ordered the forum demolished and the obelisk transferred to Rome. He had it placed on the spina which ran along the center of the Circus of Nero. It was moved to its current site in 1586 by the engineer-architect Domenico Fontana under the direction of Pope Sixtus V; the engineering feat of re-erecting its vast weight was memorialized in a suite of engravings. The obelisk is the only obelisk in Rome that has not toppled since antiquity. During the Middle Ages, the gilt ball atop the obelisk was believed to contain the ashes of Julius Caesar. Fontana later removed the ancient metal ball, now in a Roman museum, and found only dust inside; Christopher Hibbert however writes that the ball was found to be solid. Though Bernini had no influence in the erection of the obelisk, he did use it as the centerpiece of his magnificent piazza, and added the Chigi arms to the top in honor of his patron, Alexander VII.

The paving is varied by radiating lines in travertine, to relieve what might otherwise be a sea of setts. In 1817 circular stones were set to mark the tip of the obelisk's shadow at noon as the sun entered each of the signs of the zodiac, making the obelisk a gigantic sundial's gnomon.

St. Peter's Square today can be reached from the Ponte Sant'Angelo along the grand approach of the Via della Conciliazione (in honor of the Lateran Treaty of 1929). The spina (median with buildings which divided the two roads of Borgo Vecchio and Borgo nuovo) which once occupied this grand avenue leading to the square was demolished ceremonially by Benito Mussolini himself on October 23, 1936, and was completely demolished by October 8, 1937. St. Peter's Basilica was now freely visible from the Castel Sant'Angelo. After the spina, almost all the buildings south of the passetto were demolished between 1937 and 1950, obliterating one of the most important medieval and renaissance quarters of the city. Moreover, the demolition of the spina canceled the characteristic Baroque surprise, nowadays maintained only for visitors coming from Borgo Santo Spirito. The Via della Conciliazione was completed in time for the Great Jubilee of 1950.

Vatican City is a landlocked independent country, city-state, microstate, and enclave within Rome, Italy. It became independent from Italy in 1929 with the Lateran Treaty, and it is a distinct territory under "full ownership, exclusive dominion, and sovereign authority and jurisdiction" of the Holy See, itself a sovereign entity under international law, which maintains the city-state's temporal power and governance, diplomatic, and spiritual independence. The Vatican is also a metonym for the Holy See, Pope, and Roman Curia.

With an area of 49 hectares (121 acres) and as of 2023 a population of about 764, it is the smallest state in the world both by area and by population. As governed by the Holy See, Vatican City State is an ecclesiastical or sacerdotal-monarchical state ruled by the Pope, who is the bishop of Rome and head of the Catholic Church. The highest state functionaries are all Catholic clergy of various origins. After the Avignon Papacy (1309–1377) the popes have mainly resided at the Apostolic Palace within what is now Vatican City, although at times residing instead in the Quirinal Palace in Rome or elsewhere.

The Holy See dates back to early Christianity and is the principal episcopal see of the Catholic Church, which has approximately 1.329 billion baptised Catholics in the world as of 2018 in the Latin Church and 23 Eastern Catholic Churches. The independent state of Vatican City, on the other hand, came into existence on 11 February 1929 by the Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and Italy, which spoke of it as a new creation, not as a vestige of the much larger Papal States (756–1870), which had previously encompassed much of Central Italy.

Vatican City contains religious and cultural sites such as St. Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican Apostolic Library, and the Vatican Museums. They feature some of the world's most famous paintings and sculptures. The unique economy of Vatican City is supported financially by donations from the faithful, by the sale of postage stamps and souvenirs, fees for admission to museums, and sales of publications. Vatican City has no taxes, and items are duty-free.

The Holy See also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the pope in his role as the Bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome, which has ecclesiastical jurisdiction over the worldwide Catholic Church and sovereignty over the city-state known as the Vatican City. As the supreme body of government of the Catholic Church, the Holy See enjoys the status of a sovereign juridical entity under international law.

According to Catholic tradition and historical records, it was founded in the first century by Saints Peter and Paul, and by virtue of the doctrines of Petrine and papal primacy, it is the focal point of full communion for Catholic Christians around the world. The Holy See is headquartered in, operates from, and exercises "exclusive dominion" over the independent Vatican City State enclave in Rome, of which the Pope is sovereign.

The Holy See is administered by the Roman Curia (Latin for "Roman Court"), which is the central government of the Catholic Church. The Roman Curia includes various dicasteries, comparable to ministries and executive departments, with the Cardinal Secretary of State as its chief administrator. Papal elections are carried out by part of the College of Cardinals.

Although the Holy See is often metonymically referred to as the "Vatican", the Vatican City State was distinctively established with the Lateran Treaty of 1929, between the Holy See and Italy, to ensure the temporal, diplomatic, and spiritual independence of the papacy. As such, papal nuncios, who are papal diplomats to states and international organizations, are recognized as representing the Holy See and not the Vatican City State, as prescribed in the Canon law of the Catholic Church. The Holy See is thus viewed as the central government of the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church, in turn, is the largest non-government provider of education and health care in the world.

The Holy See maintains bilateral diplomatic relations with 183 sovereign states, signs concordats and treaties, and performs multilateral diplomacy with multiple intergovernmental organizations, including the United Nations and its agencies, the Council of Europe, the European Communities, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and the Organization of American States.

According to Catholic tradition, the apostolic see of Diocese of Rome was established in the 1st century by Saint Peter and Saint Paul. The legal status of the Catholic Church and its property was recognised by the Edict of Milan in 313 by Roman emperor Constantine the Great, and it became the state church of the Roman Empire by the Edict of Thessalonica in 380 by Emperor Theodosius I.

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476, the temporal legal jurisdisction of the papal primacy was further recognised as promulgated in Canon law. The Holy See was granted territory in Duchy of Rome by the Donation of Sutri in 728 of King Liutprand of the Lombards, and sovereignty by the Donation of Pepin in 756 by King Pepin of the Franks.

The Papal States thus held extensive territory and armed forces in 756–1870. Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne as Roman Emperor by translatio imperii in 800. The Pope's temporal power peaked around the time of the papal coronations of the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire from 858, and the Dictatus papae in 1075, which conversely also described Papal deposing power. Several modern states still trace their own sovereignty to recognition in medieval papal bulls.

The sovereignty of the Holy See was retained despite multiple sacks of Rome during the Early Middle Ages. Yet, relations with the Kingdom of Italy and the Holy Roman Empire were at times strained, reaching from the Diploma Ottonianum and Libellus de imperatoria potestate in urbe Roma regarding the "Patrimony of Saint Peter" in the 10th century, to the Investiture Controversy in 1076–1122, and settled again by the Concordat of Worms in 1122. The exiled Avignon Papacy during 1309–1376 also put a strain on the papacy, which however finally returned to Rome. Pope Innocent X was critical of the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 as it weakened the authority of the Holy See throughout much of Europe. Following the French Revolution, the Papal States were briefly occupied as the "Roman Republic" from 1798 to 1799 as a sister republic of the First French Empire under Napoleon, before their territory was reestablished.

Notwithstanding, the Holy See was represented in and identified as a "permanent subject of general customary international law vis-à-vis all states" in the Congress of Vienna (1814–1815). The Papal States were recognised under the rule of the Papacy and largely restored to their former extent. Despite the Capture of Rome in 1870 by the Kingdom of Italy and the Roman Question during the Savoyard era (which made the Pope a "prisoner in the Vatican" from 1870 to 1929), its international legal subject was "constituted by the ongoing reciprocity of diplomatic relationships" that not only were maintained but multiplied.

The Lateran Treaty on 11 February 1929 between the Holy See and Italy recognised Vatican City as an independent city-state, along with extraterritorial properties around the region. Since then, Vatican City is distinct from yet under "full ownership, exclusive dominion, and sovereign authority and jurisdiction" of the Holy See (Latin: Sancta Sedes).

The Holy See is one of the last remaining seven absolute monarchies in the world, along with Saudi Arabia, Eswatini, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Brunei and Oman. The Pope governs the Catholic Church through the Roman Curia. The Curia consists of a complex of offices that administer church affairs at the highest level, including the Secretariat of State, nine Congregations, three Tribunals, eleven Pontifical Councils, and seven Pontifical Commissions. The Secretariat of State, under the Cardinal Secretary of State, directs and coordinates the Curia. The incumbent, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, is the See's equivalent of a prime minister. Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Secretary of the Section for Relations with States of the Secretariat of State, acts as the Holy See's minister of foreign affairs. Parolin was named in his role by Pope Francis on 31 August 2013.

The Secretariat of State is the only body of the Curia that is situated within Vatican City. The others are in buildings in different parts of Rome that have extraterritorial rights similar to those of embassies.

Among the most active of the major Curial institutions are the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which oversees the Catholic Church's doctrine; the Congregation for Bishops, which coordinates the appointment of bishops worldwide; the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, which oversees all missionary activities; and the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, which deals with international peace and social issues.

Three tribunals exercise judicial power. The Roman Rota handles normal judicial appeals, the most numerous being those that concern alleged nullity of marriage. The Apostolic Signatura is the supreme appellate and administrative court concerning decisions even of the Roman Rota and administrative decisions of ecclesiastical superiors (bishops and superiors of religious institutes), such as closing a parish or removing someone from office. It also oversees the work of other ecclesiastical tribunals at all levels. The Apostolic Penitentiary deals not with external judgments or decrees, but with matters of conscience, granting absolutions from censures, dispensations, commutations, validations, condonations, and other favors; it also grants indulgences.

The Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See coordinates the finances of the Holy See departments and supervises the administration of all offices, whatever be their degree of autonomy, that manage these finances. The most important of these is the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See.

The Prefecture of the Papal Household is responsible for the organization of the papal household, audiences, and ceremonies (apart from the strictly liturgical part).

One of Pope Francis's goals is to reorganize the Curia to prioritize its role in the church's mission to evangelize. This reform insists that the Curia is not meant to be a centralized bureaucracy, but rather a service for the Pope and diocesan bishops that is in communication with local bishops' conferences. Likewise more lay people are to be involved in the workings of the dicasteries and in giving them input.

The Holy See does not dissolve upon a pope's death or resignation. It instead operates under a different set of laws sede vacante. During this interregnum, the heads of the dicasteries of the Curia (such as the prefects of congregations) cease immediately to hold office, the only exceptions being the Major Penitentiary, who continues his important role regarding absolutions and dispensations, and the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, who administers the temporalities (i.e., properties and finances) of the See of St. Peter during this period. The government of the See, and therefore of the Catholic Church, then falls to the College of Cardinals. Canon law prohibits the College and the Camerlengo from introducing any innovations or novelties in the government of the church during this period.

In 2001, the Holy See had a revenue of 422.098 billion Italian lire (about US$202 million at the time), and a net income of 17.720 billion Italian lire (about US$8 million). According to an article by David Leigh in the Guardian newspaper, a 2012 report from the Council of Europe identified the value of a section of the Vatican's property assets as an amount in excess of €680m (£570m); as of January 2013, Paolo Mennini, a papal official in Rome, manages this portion of the Holy See's assets—consisting of British investments, other European holdings and a currency trading arm. The Guardian newspaper described Mennini and his role in the following manner: "... Paolo Mennini, who is in effect the Pope's merchant banker. Mennini heads a special unit inside the Vatican called the extraordinary division of APSA – Amministrazione del Patrimonio della Sede Apostolica – which handles the 'patrimony of the Holy See'."

The orders, decorations, and medals of the Holy See are conferred by the Pope as temporal sovereign and fons honorum of the Holy See, similar to the orders awarded by other heads of state.

The Holy See has been recognized, both in state practice and in the writing of modern legal scholars, as a subject of public international law, with rights and duties analogous to those of States. Although the Holy See, as distinct from the Vatican City State, does not fulfill the long-established criteria in international law of statehood—having a permanent population, a defined territory, a stable government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other states—its possession of full legal personality in international law is shown by the fact that it maintains diplomatic relations with 180 states, that it is a member-state in various intergovernmental international organizations, and that it is: "respected by the international community of sovereign States and treated as a subject of international law having the capacity to engage in diplomatic relations and to enter into binding agreements with one, several, or many states under international law that are largely geared to establish and preserving peace in the world."

Since medieval times the episcopal see of Rome has been recognized as a sovereign entity. The Holy See (not the State of Vatican City) maintains formal diplomatic relations with and for the most recent establishment of diplomatic relations with 183 sovereign states, and also with the European Union, and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, as well as having relations of a special character with the Palestine Liberation Organization; 69 of the diplomatic missions accredited to the Holy See are situated in Rome. The Holy See maintains 180 permanent diplomatic missions abroad, of which 74 are non-residential, so that many of its 106 concrete missions are accredited to two or more countries or international organizations. The diplomatic activities of the Holy See are directed by the Secretariat of State (headed by the Cardinal Secretary of State), through the Section for Relations with States. There are 12 internationally recognized states with which the Holy See does not have relations. The Holy See is the only European subject of international law that has diplomatic relations with the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) as representing China, rather than the government of the People's Republic of China (see Holy See–Taiwan relations).

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office speaks of Vatican City as the "capital" of the Holy See, although it compares the legal personality of the Holy See to that of the Crown in Christian monarchies and declares that the Holy See and the state of Vatican City are two international identities. It also distinguishes between the employees of the Holy See (2,750 working in the Roman Curia with another 333 working in the Holy See's diplomatic missions abroad) and the 1,909 employees of the Vatican City State. The British Ambassador to the Holy See uses more precise language, saying that the Holy See "is not the same as the Vatican City State. ... (It) is the universal government of the Catholic Church and operates from the Vatican City State." This agrees exactly with the expression used by the website of the United States Department of State, in giving information on both the Holy See and the Vatican City State: it too says that the Holy See "operates from the Vatican City State".

The Holy See is a member of various international organizations and groups including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), International Telecommunication Union, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The Holy See is also a permanent observer in various international organizations, including the United Nations General Assembly, the Council of Europe, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Relationship with Vatican City and other territories.

The Holy See participates as an observer to African Union, Arab League, Council of Europe, the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), Organization of American States, International Organization for Migration and in the United Nations and its agencies FAO, ILO, UNCTAD, UNEP, UNESCO, UN-HABITAT, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, WFP, WHO, WIPO. and as a full member in IAEA, OPCW, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Although the Holy See is closely associated with Vatican City, the independent territory over which the Holy See is sovereign, the two entities are separate and distinct. After the Italian seizure of the Papal States in 1870, the Holy See had no territorial sovereignty. In spite of some uncertainty among jurists as to whether it could continue to act as an independent personality in international matters, the Holy See continued in fact to exercise the right to send and receive diplomatic representatives, maintaining relations with states that included the major powers Russia, Prussia, and Austria-Hungary. Where, in accordance with the decision of the 1815 Congress of Vienna, the Nuncio was not only a member of the Diplomatic Corps but its dean, this arrangement continued to be accepted by the other ambassadors. In the course of the 59 years during which the Holy See held no territorial sovereignty, the number of states that had diplomatic relations with it, which had been reduced to 16, actually increased to 29.

The State of the Vatican City was created by the Lateran Treaty in 1929 to "ensure the absolute and visible independence of the Holy See" and "to guarantee to it indisputable sovereignty in international affairs." Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran, the Holy See's former Secretary for Relations with States, said that Vatican City is a "minuscule support-state that guarantees the spiritual freedom of the Pope with the minimum territory".

The Holy See, not Vatican City, maintains diplomatic relations with states. Foreign embassies are accredited to the Holy See, not to Vatican City, and it is the Holy See that establishes treaties and concordats with other sovereign entities. When necessary, the Holy See will enter a treaty on behalf of Vatican City.

Under the terms of the Lateran Treaty, the Holy See has extraterritorial authority over various sites in Rome and two Italian sites outside of Rome, including the Pontifical Palace at Castel Gandolfo. The same authority is extended under international law over the Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See in a foreign country.

Though, like various European powers, earlier popes recruited Swiss mercenaries as part of an army, the Pontifical Swiss Guard was founded by Pope Julius II on 22 January 1506 as the personal bodyguards of the Pope and continues to fulfill that function. It is listed in the Annuario Pontificio under "Holy See", not under "State of Vatican City". At the end of 2005, the Guard had 134 members. Recruitment is arranged by a special agreement between the Holy See and Switzerland. All recruits must be Catholic, unmarried males with Swiss citizenship who have completed basic training with the Swiss Armed Forces with certificates of good conduct, be between the ages of 19 and 30, and be at least 175 cm (5 ft 9 in) in height. Members are armed with small arms and the traditional halberd (also called the Swiss voulge), and trained in bodyguarding tactics.

The police force within Vatican City, known as the Corps of Gendarmerie of Vatican City, belongs to the city state, not to the Holy See.

The Holy See signed the UN treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, a binding agreement for negotiations for the total elimination of nuclear weapons.

The main difference between the two coats of arms is that the arms of the Holy See have the gold key in bend and the silver key in bend sinister (as in the sede vacante coat of arms and in the external ornaments of the papal coats of arms of individual popes), while the reversed arrangement of the keys was chosen for the arms of the newly founded Vatican City State in 1929.

The grave of the great Alexander Keith, the man who created Nova Scotia's favourite beer, three-time Mayor of Halifax, Member of Provincial Legislature, etc. People leave gifts at his grave every October 5 - his birthday and unofficial Nova Scotian holiday. Keith's Hall still stands on Hollis Street as does his brewery on Water Street.

Alexander Keith (October 5, 1795 – December 14, 1873) was a Canadian politician and brewmaster. He was mayor of the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, a Conservative member of the provincial legislature, and the founder of the Alexander Keith's brewing company.

Keith was born in Halkirk, Caithness, Highland, Scotland, where he became a brewmaster. He immigrated to Canada in 1817, founded the Alexander Keith's brewing company in 1820. He served as mayor of Halifax, Nova Scotia three times, and as a member of the Legislative Council for 30 years.

Throughout his career Keith was connected with several charitable and fraternal societies. He served as president of the North British Society from 1831 and as chief of the Highland Society from 1868 until his death. In 1838 he was connected with the Halifax Mechanics Library and in the early 1840s with the Nova Scotia Auxiliary Colonial Society. Keith was perhaps best known to the Halifax public as a leader of the Freemasons. He became provincial grand master for the Maritimes under the English authority in 1840 and under the Scottish lodge in 1845. Following a reorganization of the various divisions in 1869, he became grand master of Nova Scotia.

Alexander Keith died in Halifax in 1873 and was buried at Camp Hill Cemetery across from the Halifax Public Gardens. His birthday is often marked by people visiting the grave and placing beer bottles and caps on it (or, less frequently, cards or flowers).

He has often been confused with his nephew, Alexander Keith, Jr. (nicknamed "Sandy") who was a notorious Confederate agent during the American Civil War. (Wikipedia)

By Veneranda Vabalis.

"Veneranda Vabalis is a Canadian artist, born in Latvia where she began her art education. After immigrating to Canada she continued her studies at Niagara College in Niagara Falls N.Y. and then at the University of Buffalo. In 1975 she obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario.

Her work ranges from realism to moderate and extreme impressionism and composed abstractions. She specializes in palette knife technique and paints in several media. Her works have been exhibited in New York, New Jersey, Michigan, throughout western Canada, in Montreal and in various metropolitan centers in southern Ontario."

Source www.vabalis.com/biography.php

For the first time, I went with Todd to his company Xmas party. It was at the Barn Playhouse, just north of Martensville, a small city just north of Saskatoon. It's a farm that was converted into a community theatre/restaurant/craft store in the early 1990s. It's operated by the Dyck family, whose grandparents immigrated to Canada from Russia in the 1920s.

Canada's immigration policy is a multifaceted system designed to attract and integrate newcomers who can contribute to the nation's economic prosperity, reunite families, and offer protection to those in need. Historically, Canada has maintained ambitious immigration targets, recognizing the vital role immigrants play in offsetting an aging population and low birth rates, thereby bolstering the labor force and driving economic growth. The government sets annual immigration levels plans, which outline the number of permanent residents Canada aims to welcome across various categories. Recent policy discussions, however, indicate a shift towards "stabilizing" these levels and reducing the proportion of temporary residents to address concerns about strained public services and housing affordability.

A significant pillar of Canadian immigration is economic immigration, primarily managed through programs like Express Entry. This system invites skilled workers based on a points-based system that considers factors such as age, education, language proficiency (English and French), and work experience. Various streams exist under Express Entry, including the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Canadian Experience Class (for those with Canadian work experience), and Federal Skilled Trades Program. Additionally, the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) allows individual provinces and territories to nominate candidates who meet specific regional labor market needs, providing a tailored approach to economic immigration across the country.

Family reunification is another cornerstone of Canadian immigration policy, enabling Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor close family members to immigrate to Canada. This includes spouses, common-law partners, conjugal partners, and dependent children. While the Parents and Grandparents Program exists, it often has limited intake periods and stringent financial requirements due to high demand. The emphasis on family reunification underscores Canada's commitment to supporting the social well-being of its residents and fostering strong community ties.

Canada also maintains a robust refugee and asylum system, reflecting its international humanitarian obligations. This system has two main components: the Refugee and Humanitarian Resettlement Program, which resettles individuals identified as refugees from outside Canada, often in partnership with the UNHCR and private sponsors, and the In-Canada Asylum Program for those making refugee protection claims from within Canada. Recent proposed legislation aims to introduce stricter measures for asylum claims, including eligibility restrictions for those who have been in Canada for more than a year or who cross irregularly from the US, signaling a response to the increasing pressure on the asylum system.

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