A bridge too far for Canadians?

Imagine building a multi-billion-dollar bridge between two countries that are constantly at loggerheads. 

When the Gordie Howe International Bridge opens for traffic between Windsor, Ontario, in Canada and Detroit, Michigan, in the US on Monday it comes at a time when relations between the two countries are decidedly frosty. 

As is the case in many countries around the globe, US president Donald Trump is widely loathed in Canada.

When the new bridge at the busiest border crossing between the US and Canada was conceived in 2012, the relationship between the two nations was dramatically different, the New York Times reported.

In a spirit of co-operation, the bridge was named after the late Canadian ice hockey star Gordie Howe, who played 25 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings.

On Friday, the $US 4.5 billion bridge was opened ceremonially just after Trump announced 50% tariffs on a variety of Canadian products worth $US20 billion. 

In response, Canada removed invitations to American officials to jointly open the bridge. And it moved the ceremony from the international border line in the centre of the bridge to the inspection plaza of the Canada Border Services Agency.

“In light of trade action threatened by the United States earlier this week, it would not be inappropriate to proceed with a celebratory event between the two countries,” the office of Canada’s infrastructure minister said in a statement.

“The Gordie Howe International Bridge remains a vital infrastructure project that reflects years of hard work and will be a major economic driver.”

Trump responded with his usual tact and restraint. 

“Canada disinvited the United States of America to the opening of the Gordie Howe Bridge, which is fine, considering they are paying substantial TARIFFS to the United States,” he wrote on an obscure social media platform. 

Trump added that the 2012 agreement between Canada and Michigan governing the bridge “no longer stands”. 

Speaking with reporters after the ceremony, Gregor Robertson, Canada’s infrastructure minister said that is not the case, the NY Times reported.

The previous bridge between Windsor and Detroit was privately owned. This one will be funded by Canada and the state of Michigan. 

Massive upgrade for Toronto

 

Canada’s busiest airport is to get a much-need upgrade that will help it service increasing numbers of passengers, news hub Travel Pulse reports.

The upgrading project at Toronto's Pearson International Airport broke ground this week and is being billed as one of the biggest airport infrastructure projects in Canadian history. 

The first phase of the decade-long renovation will see airfield technology upgrades and expansion, as well as an overhaul of the baggage network.

“The future is very bright, and our 52,000 workers will expand to 68,000 jobs over that term, as well, at a time where good jobs, stable jobs, are very important to the country and locally,” says Pearson CEO Deborah Flint.

During phase one, which is earmarked at $3 billion dollars, a new, state-of-the-art airfield lighting control and management system will enhance visibility and guidance to support operations on runways and taxiways. 

In Terminal 1, new luggage carousels will be installed, and investments are being made across 30 kilometres of its baggage infrastructure, with new cameras and sensors for early-issue detection being added.

"We know that in today's time, Pearson must be ambitious, we must be dynamic, and we must be transformative,” says Flint.

Pearson welcomed 45 million passengers in 2025, and expects to grow to 60 million by the early 2030s.

Flint said the project includes a new high-speed taxiway to improve movement of airplanes between gates and runways.

"You hear it at many airports, but in this case, as it's completed, you'll hear less of the pilot saying: 'We're here early and we're waiting for a gate.' So this will help with that."

Ontario transportation minister Prabmeet Sarkaria told reporters at a news conference that Pearson is an important piece of infrastructure in the province and country.

"It's a huge step forward to modernize and expand a cornerstone of Ontario and Canada's transportation system," Sakaria said. "It means upgraded infrastructure, improved passenger experiences, expanded capacity and the ability to support Ontario's growth for decades to come."

Toronto has museums and galleries for all tastes

Toronto, where I spent several enjoyable days in August, is one of the best cities in North America for lovers of museums and art galleries.

The biggest city in Canada and the capital of the Canadian province of Ontario, it has a wide range of museums and galleries including the [Ice] Hockey Hall of Fame, the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), Bata Shoe Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art

The Art Gallery of Ontario has a large and distinguished art collection, while the Hockey Hall of Fame has the world's largest collection of hockey gear and historic artefacts including including NHL masks, hockey sticks, championship rings.

Located in the heart of downtown Toronto, AGO houses an expansive collection embracing classical masterpieces to contemporary works, while the Bata Shoe Museum showcases over 1,000 shoes and related artefacts from a collection of nearly 15,000 objects that span 4,500 years of history. 

It is housed in Raymond Moriyama’s award-winning building displaying everything from Chinese bound-foot shoes and ancient Egyptian sandals to chestnut-crushing clogs and glamorous platform shoes.

The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) hosts a rotation of exhibitions of artists of the 21st century. Central to the museum’s ethos is the impact of colonisation in modern Canadian life. 

Fort York Historical Park, meanwhile, is preserved as a 43-acre archaeological park on the site of the 1812 Battle of York battleground.

# The writer was a guest of Novotel Toronto Centre. See https://novoteltorontocentre.com/

He flew via Doha with Qatar Airways. www.qatarairways.com   

# Image: Winsor Dobbin  

Why is Australian wine not making an impact in Canada?

Someone at Wine Australia appears to be falling down on the job. 

And someone at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario in Canada is doing their customers a disservice. 

On a recent visit to Kingston and Toronto in Ontario I visited several different restaurants and there was hardly any Australian wine to be found on any of the wine lists. 

And visits to monopoly LCOB stores showed that while mass market brands like Yellow Tail and 19 Crimes are available in abundance there are hardly any upmarket, or boutique, Australian wines on display. 

This is at a time when all US wines and spirits have been removed from the shelves, creating what should be a huge opportunity for Australian producers with a lake of quality red wine to offload. 

New Zealand, is contrast, has its sauvignon blanc well represented on wine lists. Thee are also plenty of choices from Italy, Spain, France, Argentina and Portugal, among others. 

I purchased a decent Wakefield (Taylor's) Promised Land shiraz an LCBO store to share with family. but there were precious few other enticing options from Australia. 

The question has to be asked: Why is Wine Australia not leaping in to fill the gap caused by the absence of US wines? Particularly as Canadians are comfortable with wines sold under screw cap and have a positive relationship with Australians.

Friends living in Toronto tell me promotions of Australian wine in the fourth-biggest city in North America are non-existent. 

And why is the LCBO offering only mass market Australian options to local consumers? Would they not like to try something different? 

Something, somewhere is very wrong.  

Image: Filotero Venturo, Scopio          

Canadians love their canoes like Aussies love their 'roos

Canoes have played a key role in Canada's indigenous history.

In fact, Canadians love canoes so much that a new museum dedicated to the traditional water craft will open early next year.

The Canadian Canoe Museum, located on the Traditional Territory of the Williams Treaties First Nations, in Peterborough, Ontario, has stewarded, for past 20 years, the world’s largest collection of canoes, kayaks and paddled watercraft.

More than 600 in number, the watercraft and their stories will have a bigger, more expansive, new home on the water’s edge that is set to open in May 2024.

The new museum and lakefront campus will be located on the Trent-Severn Waterway and will not only care for the watercraft and share their stories, but also enable visitors to "experience the transformative nature of the canoe and enjoy the outdoors first hand".

Visitors will be able to walk through the front doors and paddle out the back.

"The new facility will ensure that a fundamental part of Canadian heritage is not lost," says the facility's mission statement.

"The museum has a national role to play but is limited by its lack of suitable space and its inland location. The new museum and all that it encompasses and enables, is foundational to the realization of a strong, sustainable national organisation."

The museum’s artefacts range from dugouts of the First Nations of the Pacific Northwest to bark canoes of the Beothuk of Newfoundland; from the skin-on-frame kayaks of northern peoples from Baffin Island in the east to the Mackenzie River Delta in the north-west to all-wood and canvas-covered watercraft.

Over the years paddled watercraft from as far away as Paraguay and the Amazon have helped the museum expand its reach and scope to include international examples.

For more information, visit canoemuseum.ca/new-museum

A perfect day trip destination for wine and food lovers

 

Visiting Toronto? How about a day trip to delightful Prince Edward County, home to some of Canada's best wineries and fresh country produce on the shores on Lake Ontario.

We enjoyed lunch at the lovely waterfront Drake Devonshire Hotel, overlooking the water and marked by some stylish service.

The Drake is a 13-room boutique hotel with a restaurant, bar and event spaces.

The menu features local foodstuffs and wines - the Closson Chase KJ Watson 2021 rosé was an excellent lunchtime choice.

The Drake Burger with local bacon. special dressing, aged cheddar, crispy red onion, iceberg and pickles served with fries was a winning choice, while the more health-minded members of our group opted for a salmon bowl with Blue Circle salmon, miso, sake and mirin marinade, black rice, quinoa, kale, broccoli, seaweed, togarashi, kimchi, poached egg, carrot and coconut dressing.

The vibe here is both refined and chilled. 

Prince Edward County is centred on the picturesque small towns of Picton, Bloomfield and Wellington and is surrounded by farms with distinctive barns. 

Star wineries in the region known to locals as "The County" include Closson Chase, Huff Estates, Casa-Dea and Norman Hardie Wines, where we popped in for a very professional al fresco tasting of their wines from PEC and the Niagara Escarpment.

A popular holiday destination with locals - and home to many festivals-  the area is awash with wineries, distilleries, and cider producers. It is two hours from Toronto and four hours from Montreal. 

Visit https://www.thecounty.ca   

Beer spa offers "relaxation and libation" in the one spot

If you love drinking beer and relaxing in hot tubs in the outdoors then Canada's biggest beer spa might be worth adding to your travel "to do" list.

The Muskoka Beer Spa, part of Clear Lake Brewing Co, is a two-hour drive north from Toronto. 

Opening officially on April 7, the beer spa proclaims itself as the "biggest in the world" and will feature an outdoor pool, two large hot tubs, a music stage, an ice rink during winter and four saunas.

The Muskoka Beer Spa is nestled in the woods surrounding the the Clear Lake Brewing Co. and offers "relaxation and libation" - as well as cabins with their own draught beer tap. 

Guests will be able to grab a beer from the outdoor cocktail hut or attached brewery and drink it in lounge areas or hammocks around the pools. 

The facilities will all be open to both overnight guests and day visitors. 

Accommodation includes complimentary snacks, a wet bar, beer on tap, as well as TV and wifi, along with old school VCR machines and tapes. Each cabin has queen-sized beds, a living room area and a kitchen; and fresh pastries will be delivered to your door each morning. 

There are plans to host beer and music festivals from small gatherings to big events on the eight-acre site. There will also be massage treatments available on site. 

Once open, the beer spa day rate will cost $40+ (£23+) for one day’s access, not including the price of any extra treatments.