Canadian Tulip Festival kicks off season
Ottawa Watch
The Canadian Tulip Festival is seen by many as the unofficial launch of the festival season in Ottawa, and with warm weather over the weekend, people are soaking it all in. CTV's Natalie Van Rooy has more.
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CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Get ready to soar at Thunder Bay's Kite Festival this weekend
The annual Kite Festival in Thunder Bay, Ont., is back this weekend at Chippewa Park. The event features special kite flying areas, amusement rides, artisans, food vendors and more. The CBC's Matt Fratpietro met up with Karen Kadolph, the city's special events developer, to find out more — and to give one of the kites a test flight.
Globe and Mail
an hour ago
- Globe and Mail
The party's over on CaféTO even if it isn't the main cause of congestion
Here's a riddle: What looks like the long lines of dirt and timber, protected by felled trees with sharpened branches, that General Ulysses S. Grant's Union troops charged at Cold Harbor in June 1864? What is so ugly that if you stuck it in an art gallery and placed a sign in front entitled 'Poor Choices' you'd win the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale? What would make a nice addition to the Do Lung Bridge, the remote American outpost portrayed in Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece Apocalypse Now, that is destroyed every night and rebuilt every day? What may not be the main cause of traffic congestion but significantly exacerbates it none the less? If you answered a 'CaféTO curb lane patio' to every question, you'd be correct. Yes, the Great Canadian curb lane patio – more evidence that there is no pleasurable activity that Canada (the country that put the 'un' in 'fun') cannot spoil. In theory, Canada's myriad levels of government want its citizens to experience pleasure. In practice, it hates seeing them do it. The result? Canada takes activities that other countries enjoy effortlessly and dilutes them through a finely tuned system of bureaucracy and puritanism. Alcohol? Check. Cannabis? Check. Casinos where you can't get comped alcoholic drinks? Check. The message is simple, 'You can enjoy yourself, just don't have fun doing it.' Curb lane patios are another shimmering example. Introduced in 2020 as a response to the economic damage wrought by COVID-19, cities inaugurated programs such as Toronto's CaféTO and Vancouver's 'Pop-up Patios.' These opened streets to impromptu patios in a desperate attempt to entice customers back to restaurants. They were embraced by a public reeling from COVID cabin fever. Traffic was light because no one was driving to the office and the creation of thousands of little bottlenecks did not have a significant impact. They made the program an annual event. It runs each year from May 1 to October 15. Now the party's over. Congestion is horrific. No one can argue that CaféTO curb lane patios are the main cause of traffic congestion. Nor can anyone deny that the patios make it worse. Curb lane patios occupying live traffic lanes increase congestion, particularly if they are placed on major arterial roads. In February, the Toronto Board of Trade released a report on congestion called 'Breaking Gridlock.' The paper argued that 'CaféTO curb lane patios should be reviewed based upon the impact they have on circulating traffic, especially on major arterial roadways serving dedicated connectors.' The report was derided as being 'car centric.' Curb lane café proponents believe the congestion is worth the upside. Last year, 1,500 establishments participated in CaféTO: 304 of these were curb lane cafés. Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas says they generated $130-million in economic benefits, down from $204-million in 2022. Curb lane café enthusiasts like to hail them as being 'European.' To these folks, I reply, 'We already have problems with the Americans, there is no point getting the Europeans angry at us too.' Canadian curb lane cafes are many things but 'European' is not among them. Aside from their breathtaking ugliness, CaféTO curb lane patios are far from Rome's cobbled streets or the grand boulevards of Paris. Entrees are served with exhaust fumes. Traffic is noisy and angry. Forget soft music; curb lane café meals are accompanied by a symphony of car alarms. Last summer there was a CaféTO curb lane on Yonge Street south of Richmond Street. It caused terrible bottlenecks and for what? So that customers could suck carbon dioxide, inches from traffic, while watching suffering people sprawled out on the sidewalk in front of Goodlife Fitness? C'est magnifique! Do not, however, imagine that Europeans universally embraced curb lane patios when they were introduced. In 2021, for example, Bloomberg reported that Rome 'inadvertently ignited a fierce battle for the city's streets' when it allowed cafés and restaurants to set up outdoor seating in public areas. Drivers in a city with the 'highest motorization rate in Europe' were infuriated. So, Canadians who are fed up with curb lane cafés are not alone. Is there a solution? Absolutely. Well-funded public transit paid for by congestion pricing and toll roads would solve congestion problems. Unfortunately, that will never happen in Canada. Our frustration over traffic congestion is only surpassed by our steadfast refusal to do anything about it. We are proud CARNADIANS! Here's a thought: If car congestion is the problem, maybe the best way to alleviate it is to get rid of the cars. Don't they cause the congestion? When my bathroom drain is clogged, I don't clear it by pouring in more gloop. Instead of eliminating curb lane patios, let's get rid of the cars. Let's build pedestrian zones filled with bustling cafés and restaurants, where children can play without fear of being struck by an automobile. Skeptics may ask, 'Won't that cause more congestion?' No, because everyone who used to be in cars will be enjoying themselves having a gelato or aperitivo instead of driving. That's European. On second thought, forget it. Let's do nothing and blame the government. That's the Canadian way!
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
'Long overdue' dikeland upgrades coming to rural N.S. community
A rural Nova Scotia community on the Bay of Fundy is preparing for the most significant upgrades in decades to the dikeland system that protects it from flooding. The work has been approved for Advocate Harbour, N.S., which has been identified as being at risk due to rising sea levels caused by climate change. People who live along the shore of the coastal community got to see plans for the project at a meeting in April. "It's been a long time coming," said Linda Black, whose home is within a couple of hundred metres of the shore. "It's scary when the tide is in full and that water is up to the top of the rocks." Her neighbour Mike Berry recalls the water being at his fence line during a storm in 2019. "The cattle were stranded on the high points. There was no damage, but it just put things in perspective," Berry said. The upgrades will see the height of the dike walls increased by two metres to an elevation of 7.6 metres in some parts. They will also be extended by an additional 500 metres to provide added protection to the community. The project is equally funded by the provincial and federal governments through a disaster mitigation and adaptation fund. Climate change is the big driver for the reinforcement work, with projections in Nova Scotia showing sea levels are anticipated to rise up to one metre by 2100. "The risk currently is that we're seeing flooding in certain regions of Nova Scotia and with the dike increase in height, we would protect the town and local infrastructure and agricultural farmlands from that flooding," said Jessica LeBlanc, a project engineer for the provincial Department of Public Works. While the dikes are continually maintained, LeBlanc said there has not been extensive work on them since the 1950s. The site is one of 16 the province earmarked for upgrades based on their vulnerability. Thousands of tons of armour rock will be needed to build up the seaward side of the dike, with grass on the land side, she said. The number of trucks that will be carrying rock through the community is a concern for the owners of the Wild Caraway restaurant. They are worried that the amount of construction might spoil the experience for their guests, who could also lose some of the impressive harbour view when the dike is raised. However, they're also pleased there will be added defence from any possible storm surges. "It's always in the back of our minds," said Marchel Strong, the councillor for the area, who is also a volunteer firefighter and has been part of the flood risk committee. "It's not if, it's when we have another breach. And it could be anytime," Strong said. "So it's definitely something that is long overdue." People in the area prefer the option that is now going ahead rather than raising up the road, which Strong said could have resulted in having to relocate the post office. And she's happy that on top of the dike there will be walking trails people can explore when the tide is out. "It'll make it much more viable for tourists," Strong said, estimating the project will cost about $7 million. The Advocate Country Store, located close to the shoreline, is pleased to know the embankments will be strengthened. The residential care facility just across the street, which already has a disaster plan in place, also thinks the work is important. "If a big storm happened and the dike breached, we would be quite vulnerable as our residents would have to be transported elsewhere and the community is quite isolated," said Bernadette Frank, the administrator of Chignecto Manor. There is still some permitting and regulatory work to be done, but the province expects work will start in the fall. The sheer size of the project means it will also take some time, with the province estimating construction will last up to two years.
