I love the pics! Especially the one with the lake. Wow - so lovely. We finally had a beautiful day today but I've only been running and i find it too hard to run with my camera... lol...no fun...
About 20 minutes (by car) west of downtown, via the QEW, along Lake Ontario.
It used to be a factory town. We live across from where the corn starch factory was. Apparently it was not a desirable place to live because of the odor.
The factory closed around 10 years ago, et voila!, a suddenly attractive lakeside community.
Port Credit used to be an independent town, and was dragged kicking and screaming into suburban Mississauga, but it retains its village feel. It's called "Mississauga's Village on the Lake".
The thing that confuses me is, why is Winnipeg way up there?
That's the problem with a statistical sample that small. Twenty-two people in the course of a year in a population of over half a million is really not that surprising... a dozen jilted lovers, another dozen bad drug deals, and you've already topped Winnipeg's status... that's just one a month of each, and never mind random killings during other crimes. When you put it in those terms, it's not that hard to see how small numbers can amplify the range when they're contrast. With 22 as your pivot point, a few less or few more such incidents in a year can cause the rate to seem to fluctuate wildly.
On the other hand, I do see the puzzlement when it's contrast to places like Ottawa or Calgary, which are roughly the same size as Winnipeg, but apparently less prone to this kind of thing. It might be interesting to see what the rates have been year by year and see if the relatively low numbers, easily affected by random fluctuation, are consistent.
- It's flat - Lots of mosquitos in summer - Horribly cold in winter - Winnie the Pooh is named after it.
My father's from Winkler, just south of there.
That's the problem with a statistical sample that small. Twenty-two people in the course of a year in a population of over half a million is really not that surprising...
True. When you're dealing with sample sizes that small, a single family murder/suicide can be reported as a "25% jump in the murder rate".
Newcomers to Canada should be handed a DVD containing all those Heritage Minute spots. Then you'd know about Winnie the Pooh's origins, and why the smell of burnt toast sets off jokes about seizures, and how Canada got its name.
I've seen the one on how Canada got its name! I'll keep an eye out for Pooh.
But we can't emphasize the mosquitoes and the bitter winters strongly enough ...
Back in WWI, the Winnipeg-based Fort Garry Horse Canadian Regiment stopped at White River, in Ontario, and found a stray bear cub. They named it "Winnipeg Bear" and adopted the bear as their mascot, taking him to England with them.
Winnipeg Bear was supposed to go back to Winnipeg for the zoo there, but the Regiment ended up leaving hmi at the London Zoo, where A.A. Milne saw him. Milne's son Christopher named his toy bear after Winnipeg Bear, and, of course, the stories are about the toy bear.
On the other hand, I do see the puzzlement when it's contrast to places like Ottawa or Calgary, which are roughly the same size as Winnipeg, but apparently less prone to this kind of thing.
No, Winnipeg is just more crime ridden then other cities its size. It's poorer than Ottawa or Calgary, and suffers from a fair bit of urban blight, though not nearly as much as a lot of major American cities.
From Wikipedia: Winnipeggers consider crime, particularly violent crime and auto theft, to be a serious problem in their city. According to Statistics Canada, Winnipeg has one of the highest crime rates of any Canadian metropolitan area. In 2002, the City had the fourth highest overall crime rate in Canada with 10,879 Criminal Code of Canada offences per 100,000 population. Only Regina, Saskatoon, and Vancouver had higher crime rates. The crime rate was 50% higher than that of Calgary and more than double the rate for Toronto. In 2004, Statistics Canada reported that Winnipeg's crime rate had rose to over 12,000 offences per 100,000 population, and Winnipeg had the dubious distinction of having Canada's highest crime rate. The agency notes 2004 crime data from Winnipeg is based on estimates because of a switch-over by Winnipeg police in 2004 to a new records management system. As a result, it says the report may not be an accurate reflection of Winnipeg's crime rate for 2004. Crime rates were highest in the downtown area, the North End, the area immediately to the west of the downtown area, and the Elmwood area in the east end of Winnipeg. These areas are home to displaced populations including First Nations people, runaways, prostitutes, petty criminals and drug addicts and suffer from chronic poverty and urban blight. In fact the North End of Winnipeg is generally considered to be the second poorest area in all of Canada next to the Downtown Eastside in Vancouver. The crime rates in the outlying suburbs are much lower. (Source Statistics Canada, Neighbourhood Characteristics and Justice Research Paper Series 2004).
This morning I see that Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario, is banning the Muslim religious court known as sharia . This ends months of debate about whether sharia would be legal and binding in Ontario. I'm quoting at length from the story in today's Toronto Star because many US readers are likely not up on this. In a surprise announcement that caught both supporters and opponents of sharia law off guard, Premier Dalton McGuinty says he will move quickly to ban all religious arbitration in the province. McGuinty made the announcement in a telephone interview with The Canadian Press yesterday after months of debate and controversy surrounding use of Islamic sharia law in family arbitration. "I've come to the conclusion that the debate has gone on long enough," the premier told the news agency. "There will be no sharia law in Ontario. There will be no religious arbitration in Ontario. There will be one law for all Ontarians." The announcement prompted t...
I'm opening a sticky subject here, my need to understand causing me to throw caution to the wind. It's about Alberta. Alberta vs. the rest of the Canada. The Globe And Mail runs something about Alberta's gripes every day, and I try to follow along. If it weren't for wmtc's resident Albertan , and the ensuing arguments in comments, I would've had no warning. It's not something Americans know about. As is, observing for more than a year, I have only the smallest of clues. Here's what I know. Please pardon my ignorance and oversimplification, but I have to start somewhere. The province of Alberta is rich, because it has oil. The province of Alberta is conservative, relative to the rest of Canada. Hmm. Funny how those two go together. Because of its great oil wealth, Alberta revenue helps fund services in the rest of Canada. (These are transfer payments?) Apparently many Albertans resent this. They want to keep Alberta's money in Alberta. They don't...
I'm excited about today's no-confidence vote . Only three months after moving here, we'll get to see a government fall, a campaign, and an election, in a system very different from what we're accustomed to. Even the expression "the government will fall" strikes us as oddly dramatic and revolutionary. My sense of current Canadian politics, for what it's worth, tells me that very little will change from the upcoming election. I'd be surprised if the Liberals didn't win. So it's kind of cool to see this happening without a lot at stake. On a semi-tangential note, have I mentioned I'm completely down with "Corner Gas"? Excellent show; I love the deadpan humour. (Great website, too; check it out .) So was that really Finance Minister Ralph Goodale ragging on Brent Butt's camera last Saturday night?
OMG! It's a lakeside neighborhood? I'm totally jealous.
ReplyDeleteYou should start watching Desperate Housewives to get a lowdown on what to expect in the neighborhood.
I love the pics! Especially the one with the lake. Wow - so lovely. We finally had a beautiful day today but I've only been running and i find it too hard to run with my camera... lol...no fun...
ReplyDeletei find it too hard to run with my camera
ReplyDeleteSame reason I go without the dogs. Can't do so many things to do at once!
You should start watching Desperate Housewives
ReplyDeleteIf I ever do this, you have my permission to shoot me.
I confess I don't know the GTA very well. Where is Port Credit relative to downtown TO?
ReplyDeleteWhere is Port Credit relative to downtown TO?
ReplyDeleteAbout 20 minutes (by car) west of downtown, via the QEW, along Lake Ontario.
It used to be a factory town. We live across from where the corn starch factory was. Apparently it was not a desirable place to live because of the odor.
The factory closed around 10 years ago, et voila!, a suddenly attractive lakeside community.
Port Credit used to be an independent town, and was dragged kicking and screaming into suburban Mississauga, but it retains its village feel. It's called "Mississauga's Village on the Lake".
Wow, that's pretty close. Houses must cost your firstborn around there.
ReplyDeleteHouses must cost your firstborn around there.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt. And there are very few rentals. (We rent.) Now you have some idea why I am amazed that we live here. We were unbelievably lucky.
Beautiful pics L. I'm glad you put them up.
ReplyDeleteLove the photos! The lake is amazing.
ReplyDeleteThe thing that confuses me is, why is Winnipeg way up there?
ReplyDeleteHmm, maybe if I knew something about Winnipeg...
The thing that confuses me is, why is Winnipeg way up there?
ReplyDeleteThat's the problem with a statistical sample that small. Twenty-two people in the course of a year in a population of over half a million is really not that surprising... a dozen jilted lovers, another dozen bad drug deals, and you've already topped Winnipeg's status... that's just one a month of each, and never mind random killings during other crimes. When you put it in those terms, it's not that hard to see how small numbers can amplify the range when they're contrast. With 22 as your pivot point, a few less or few more such incidents in a year can cause the rate to seem to fluctuate wildly.
On the other hand, I do see the puzzlement when it's contrast to places like Ottawa or Calgary, which are roughly the same size as Winnipeg, but apparently less prone to this kind of thing. It might be interesting to see what the rates have been year by year and see if the relatively low numbers, easily affected by random fluctuation, are consistent.
Hmm, maybe if I knew something about Winnipeg...
ReplyDeleteEverything you need to know about Winnipeg:
- It's flat
- Lots of mosquitos in summer
- Horribly cold in winter
- Winnie the Pooh is named after it.
My father's from Winkler, just south of there.
That's the problem with a statistical sample that small. Twenty-two people in the course of a year in a population of over half a million is really not that surprising...
True. When you're dealing with sample sizes that small, a single family murder/suicide can be reported as a "25% jump in the murder rate".
Last night on the CBC I learned that Winnipeg is the geographic center of Canada. Michaelle Jean visited there, and she mentioned it in her speech.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, she seems great! Inviting the whole crowd inside to get warm and shake hands. Very nice.
Winnie the Pooh is named after it.
No shit?! Wow, that's amazing.
Will blog about all this murder and Winnipeg stuff later.
Newcomers to Canada should be handed a DVD containing all those Heritage Minute spots. Then you'd know about Winnie the Pooh's origins, and why the smell of burnt toast sets off jokes about seizures, and how Canada got its name.
ReplyDeleteI've seen the one on how Canada got its name! I'll keep an eye out for Pooh.
But we can't emphasize the mosquitoes and the bitter winters strongly enough ...
Ouch.
And btw, I like that DVD idea. Too bad CIC doesn't have a suggestions box. ;-)
ReplyDeleteWinnie the Pooh is named after it.
ReplyDeleteNo shit?! Wow, that's amazing.
The naming is a little indirect:
Back in WWI, the Winnipeg-based Fort Garry Horse Canadian Regiment stopped at White River, in Ontario, and found a stray bear cub. They named it "Winnipeg Bear" and adopted the bear as their mascot, taking him to England with them.
Winnipeg Bear was supposed to go back to Winnipeg for the zoo there, but the Regiment ended up leaving hmi at the London Zoo, where A.A. Milne saw him. Milne's son Christopher named his toy bear after Winnipeg Bear, and, of course, the stories are about the toy bear.
Milne's son Christopher named his toy bear after Winnipeg Bear, and, of course, the stories are about the toy bear.
ReplyDeleteAh-ha. I only knew Milne named them after his son's stuffed animal, but not the origin of said bear's name. Thanks!
On the other hand, I do see the puzzlement when it's contrast to places like Ottawa or Calgary, which are roughly the same size as Winnipeg, but apparently less prone to this kind of thing.
ReplyDeleteNo, Winnipeg is just more crime ridden then other cities its size. It's poorer than Ottawa or Calgary, and suffers from a fair bit of urban blight, though not nearly as much as a lot of major American cities.
From Wikipedia:
Winnipeggers consider crime, particularly violent crime and auto theft, to be a serious problem in their city. According to Statistics Canada, Winnipeg has one of the highest crime rates of any Canadian metropolitan area. In 2002, the City had the fourth highest overall crime rate in Canada with 10,879 Criminal Code of Canada offences per 100,000 population. Only Regina, Saskatoon, and Vancouver had higher crime rates. The crime rate was 50% higher than that of Calgary and more than double the rate for Toronto. In 2004, Statistics Canada reported that Winnipeg's crime rate had rose to over 12,000 offences per 100,000 population, and Winnipeg had the dubious distinction of having Canada's highest crime rate. The agency notes 2004 crime data from Winnipeg is based on estimates because of a switch-over by Winnipeg police in 2004 to a new records management system. As a result, it says the report may not be an accurate reflection of Winnipeg's crime rate for 2004. Crime rates were highest in the downtown area, the North End, the area immediately to the west of the downtown area, and the Elmwood area in the east end of Winnipeg. These areas are home to displaced populations including First Nations people, runaways, prostitutes, petty criminals and drug addicts and suffer from chronic poverty and urban blight. In fact the North End of Winnipeg is generally considered to be the second poorest area in all of Canada next to the Downtown Eastside in Vancouver. The crime rates in the outlying suburbs are much lower. (Source Statistics Canada, Neighbourhood Characteristics and Justice Research Paper Series 2004).