By John Francis,
Bruce Peninsula Press
Toronto Star writer Emma Teitel captured Toronto’s real estate craze with an imaginary news story: “Condemned Leslieville semi with burning pile of trash in backyard sells for $500,000 over asking”.
I wondered what an equivalent would be for Northern Bruce Peninsula. I came up with an imaginary real estate listing:
“Two shipping containers on 40 by 60 foot lot in unregistered subdivision in former Lindsay Township; driveway and outhouse in place; earns weekly rental of $2,500 on AirBnB; best offer over $250,000.”
Feel free to come up with better ones. Send them to info@tobermorypress.com
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Excerpt from the Canada Shipping Act: “131 (1) Subject to this section, the master of a vessel in Canadian waters and every qualified person who is the master of a vessel in any waters, on receiving a signal from any source that a person, a vessel or an aircraft is in distress, shall proceed with all speed to render assistance and shall, if possible, inform the persons in distress or the sender of the signal.”
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A month or so ago, a dedicated fisherman was downrigging a mile or so off the east coast of the peninsula south of Dyers Bay. He encountered four revellers, two in a canoe and two in a kayak; they were just at the point where the wind dives down off the cliffs, stirs up waves and blows steadily towards Parry Sound. Recognizing that they were in trouble, he offered to pull in his lines and tow them back to shore. This suggestion was rather rudely rejected. He contented himself with persuading them to put on their life jackets and proceeded on his way.
An hour or so later, after both the canoe and the kayak had capsized, the revellers were rescued. Three were assessed and released at the scene; one of them was airlifted to hospital; he survived.
Should the fisherman have done more?
A couple of weeks later, someone spotted a Stand-Up Paddleboard (SUP) a mile or two offshore near Tobermory and called in a Mayday. A yachter heard the Mayday and responded but approached too closely, nearly swamping the expert paddleboarder who was in no distress whatsoever.
Should the yachter have done less?
Feel free to weigh in, gentle reader; I sure don’t have an answer.
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During the public meetings concerning the proposed new parking lots flanking Hay Bay Road, there was a lot of discussion about the intersection of Hay Bay Road/Head Street and Hwy 6.
It was noted that Ontario’s Ministry of Transport (MTO) has identified it as needing a stoplight, but has no intention of installing one.
This has been the case for a number of years. I have heard three different councils allude to this over a period of more than ten years. But I have never heard them pass a motion demanding that the situation be remedied.
Maybe it wouldn’t have made any difference. But shaking their heads in sorrow sure didn’t accomplish much.
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New Orleans has a lovely convention: deliveries happen early in the morning, then the roads are blocked off every day before lunch. Pedestrians take up the whole street; bands set up to busk; restaurants and pubs spill their seats onto the sidewalks and sell into the street.
Several times over the last few years, Tobermory’s main street has been blocked for a day to accommodate various festivities. Personally, I think this is a grand idea.
But some downtown businesses insist that vehicle traffic past their doors is critical to the success of their businesses.
I watch the traffic on Bay Street on busy summer days. It looks to me as if a lot of cars are turning on to Bay Street, following it around past the cenotaph, turning right onto Brock Street, then right again onto Head Street to the highway, then left on Hwy 6 and gone.
Is that what’s actually happening? Who knows? I have my guesstimate; other people have theirs — basically we’re all just flapping our gums.
We need data. We need three observers, one at the cenotaph, one at the intersection of Head and Brock Streets, one at Hwy 6. Record the traffic for a typical weekday in July, a typical Saturday, a typical Sunday, the Saturday of August long. Figure out what percentage of cars do the loop and leave; what percentage of cars find a parking space and stay.
Likewise, we should have traffic counters in multiple locations in MNBP — Moore Street, Bay Street, Harpur Drive, Dyers Bay Road, Hay Bay Road.
The data would be hugely helpful for planning purposes.
Otherwise we’re condemned to a lifetime of flapping our gums or shaking our heads in sorrow.
