On 29 June 2015, Monday, by afternoon, we checked into Fairfield Inn Hotel of the Marriot group of hotels at Sault Ste Marie. Everyone was in a hurry to take a shower, something they missed for the four days they were out camping. After the shower, Nikhil stretched on his bed and he said that it is a great luxury to have running cold and hot water, a comfortable washroom and a refreshing bath. A soft bed at the end of a tiring day is what looks forward to and one must be thankful to the God and the parents for providing us kids with all these luxuries. I felt that the aim of the camping has been achieved to a great extent.

Nikhil found the Mermon Bible (The Book of Mormons) in the room and settled down on the couch to read it. The Mormons are one of the most successful and prosperous cults that owns large pieces of land in Utah, Hawaii and Canada, along with owning the Marriott Hotel chain, Beneficial Life Assurance Company and many television and radio stations. The cult was started in New York State by a farm worker in the 1820’s named Joseph Smith. Mr Smith was driven to action after he claimed to have been visited by a vision of God and by an angel called Moroni who revealed the whereabouts of buried golden plates to him. The Book of Mormons is based on these very same magical golden plates. Mitt Romney, who ran as Republican Party’s nominee for US President in 2012 election an and who served as the Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 belongs to the cult.

In the evening we drove to the Harmony Beach for a swim and dinner thereafter. By evening everyone retired to the bug free environs for a good night’s sleep. After the courtsey breakfast at the hotel, we checked out and drove to Sudbury, about 300 km along Trans National Highway 17. This city of about 160,000 has the most happy people in the country according to Statistics Canada report of 2015. It is also the largest city in Ontario by area and the seventh largest municipality by area in Canada. The city was founded following the discovery of nickel ore by Tom Flanagan, a Canadian Pacific Railway blacksmith in 1883.

We drove to the Science North, an educational resource for children and adults across the province. The centre provides hands-on experience for kids and the exhibits can be handled by kids and they can perform various science experiments. This place is a must visit place for all middle and high school students. Some of the impressive exhibits were:-

• Northern Forests – In this area, you learn and see animals who live in northern forests. Some of the animals include the Northern Screech Owls, the porcupine and the skunk. Other notable animals include the Northern Flying Squirrels, the Grey Rat Snake and the Big Brown bats. The nocturnal room allows people to see active nocturnal animals during the day. The intricate bee hive, behind a plate glass window, allows visitors to see into the hive.
• Rivers and Lakes – In this area, animals that live in rivers and lakes are featured. The Beaver, Common Snapping Turtle, Northern Water Snakes and local fish found in Northern Ontario Lakes feature in this section. This sections allow people to get a better understanding of the aquatics systems that surround Northern Ontario and the difficulties and challenges these systems are currently facing and how erosion effects the landscape around us.
• Tropical Invertebrates – This is where the visitors can learn why our bugs are so small and find out what a snail feels like in your hand or how millipedes protect themselves by touching and handling the real thing.
• Discovery Theatre – The discovery theatre is where visitors watch live science shows on topics ranging from fire to sound.
• BodyZone – The exhibits are about DNA and how it makes you unique, and how our body works. There are stations that allow the visitor to measure various body performance.
• FedNor CyberZone – The focus of CyberZone is on computer and communications technology. You can mix your own music at the DJ station, play with green screen technology, and create stop-motion animation movies.
• Space Place – This lab focuses on astronomy and space exploration. Exhibits include a 6-foot gravity well, a microgravity drop tower, and information on Canadian space exploration.
• TechLab – Technology and engineering area where you can create your own circuits, take apart old electronics, and play with pulleys and gears.

At the end of the visit was the film Wildfires! A Firefighting Adventure in 4D. It is a remarkable experience in that it uses 3D film techniques combined with motion seating and special wind, water, scent and smoke effects to explore the science of fire behaviour and firefighting. The film takes you into the heart of a major forest fire to give you a close-up and unforgettable look at how fires are created and ultimately controlled, and how scientific research and practical experience have combined to develop effective forest fire fighting techniques used today. The film captures the valiant efforts of the firefighters and pilots from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources’ Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services section – and the equipment and knowledge they use to battle this incredible force of nature.

The entire film was shot during the biggest forest fire in Ontario in nearly a decade. The film also provides visitors with the rare opportunity to ride in a Bombardier 415 Superscooper waterbomber aircraft and experience the intensity of a raging inferno that destroys everything in its path. This aircraft is a Canadian amphibious aircraft specifically built as a water bomber, specifically built for aerial firefighting. These planes move to a pre-reconnoitered lake near the forest fire, then descend from 15 metres altitude, scoop 6,137 litres of water during a 12-second 410 metres long run on the water at 70 knots (130 km/h), then climb back to 15 metres altitude. With the water in their belly, they fly to the place of the fire and discharge this load to quench the fire. That kind of flying takes special skills, training and bravery.

We departed from Science North, had lunch and drove home to reminisce our camping experiences. During the drive the children were more anxious about our next camping and hence I booked for a two day camping at Alogonquin National Park to witness the changing colours of the Fall Season in October.  From the last week of September though October, the leaves in this park are alive with various shades of red, yellow, purple, black, orange, pink, magenta, blue and brown. In the Fall, as daylight hours shorten and temperatures cool, the veins that carry fluids into and out of the leaves are gradually closed off, reducing the chlorophyll contents in the leaves. At this time, the other pigments in the leaves take over and results in a riotous display of colour and then the leaves fall off.

When we decided to go camping with the Josephs, many of my army friends had only one question – “Aren’t you fed up of camping? Haven’t you had enough of it?”

Every parent today is busy with their lives, profession, social activities, etc and the children are equally busy with their studies, sports and extra-curricular activities. Living in a campsite and sleeping in a tent is a sure way to get everyone together in close proximity. It facilitates the family to explore new activities which would not be possible at home. Every event and chore becomes a family affair and everyone chips in with their bit. Camping ensures that the family works together to setup the tents, cook and serve the meals, clean up after every event, fetching water, collecting firewood, starting up a campfire, etc.

The activities like hiking, fishing, roasting marshmallows, star gazing, exploring, storytelling and singing around the campfire, and that too with the children away from their computers and without a cell phone in their hands is indeed a great achievement.

Research all over the world has proved that children who experience nature are happier, healthier and also helps with cognitive development. It is amazing to note that only 20% of the children of today can climb trees. They surely know more about their cartoon characters, movie superstars and their favourite sport hero than they know about wildlife, plants and nature.

We reached the camp site at Fort William Historical Park, Thunder Bay at 2 PM on 27 June 2015. Located on Lake Superior, Fort William became the key midway transshipment point and a trading post for the French located at Montreal. The aboriginals paddling from the West carrying precious furs bartered with the French coming from the East bearing valuable trade goods and supplies. The treaties that followed the American Revolution (1776 – 1783) banned the Montreal traders from entering the area South of the Great Lakes. From 1804 then until its own absorption by the Hudson’s Bay Company (British) in 1821, the North West Company (French) exercised a virtual monopoly of all trade into the North-West directed from Montreal. As the company’s inland headquarters, Fort William became the pivotal point in a vast fur trading empire. In 1821, the Hudson Bay Company closed down the Fort William trading post as they were focused on the fur trade from the North-West of the Great Lakes, to the Arctic.

Being the first camp, we booked a site with amenities like electric power, water and washrooms. The camp ground caters for about 250 sites and there were many spots already occupied by tents, RVs, camper vans and caravans. Each site had a picnic table, a fire ring for campfire, a water tap, an electric outlet and adequate space to pitch about three tents. The first task was to unload the van and pitch the fly-proof tent around the picnic table. The fly-proof tent is of 10’x10′ size with a canopy and a zipped up net cover all around, thus making it fly proof. This tent effectively covers a picnic table. These tables are placed in all the camping grounds and parks of Canada and are of standard size of 8’x6′. The outdoors in Canada in the wilderness is famous for the bugs and mosquitoes. They will any day beat the ones of Meerut and Kochi.

With some assistance, the children managed to set up the tent in about 20 minutes. By then Marina had started cooking Mutton Biryani. She had marinated the meat and had frozen it the day before and carried it in the ice-box. The children then proceeded to set up the living tents. The tents are made of water-resistant fabric and has a cabin-like design that includes a hinged door and angled windows that keep rain out even when they are open. The tents are much lighter, easy to carry, more comfortable, water and wind proof and easy to pitch when compared to the ones we had in the Indian Army. The first tent was pitched in 25 minutes and the second in 20 minutes. Everyone felt that they achieved something and were tired and hungry. That was when Marina served her Biryani and not a morsel was left. It is sure that the children will eat more while outdoors and working hard.

After a hard days labour, sumptuous lunch and tired from travelling for about 15 hours, everyone retired into their tents for a well deserved siesta. By 6 PM the girls had prepared the evening tea and after tea everyone had a refreshing bath. At that time there was a big group which arrived to camp. It was a marriage party. The bride, the groom, the best man, the maids, guests – all had arrived with their tents and were busy pitching it. After an hour, they all got dressed and moved to the banquet hall of the centre for the wedding. It seems the bride and the groom met first at a camp and wanted to celebrate their wedding at a camp.

The evening begun with setting up of campfire. There was the usual barbecue of chicken and pork by me and the ladies laid out the salads. The camp area came alive with the music from the banquet hall and accompanied by the swarming bugs and mosquitoes. Everyone sat around the campfire and the children got busy with the roasting of marshmallows, storytelling and singing.

In the evening Joseph and I decided that we must move to a tougher camp site as the children have got adjusted to the camp life. In hindsight, it was a wise decision to select the first site with basic amenities to put the children through the drill of setting up a camp. After passing instructions to all that after breakfast, we will up stick from the present location and move into a new campsite, deep in the woods in the Lake Superior Conservation area near Wawa, the parents retired to bed and the teenagers as usual continued into the early hours of morning with their usual activities.

The lessons learnt at the camp at Fort William:-

• Do not over-pack, especially food items.       Carry the least and in case you need more, you can always buy them fresh from the local stores.
• Be prepared to cope with inconvenience, especially washrooms, The parents must lead by example with a positive can-do attitude.
• Organize the camp well. Fix locations for important items like forks, spoons, knives, tissue rolls, etc.
• Brief every member – adults and children about the layout of the camp site. There is every possibility of someone losing their way at night, especially after a visit to the washroom.
• Ensure that all children are involved in meaningful camp chores, such as gathering firewood, collecting water from the tap, etc.
• Teach the campers about the knots, hitches and lashings as it would save a lot of time in tent pitching.
• Pitch the tent in your backyard the previous weekend. This will teach the campers about tent pitching, managing space inside the tent, entry and exit without letting insects in.

The going gets tough – in the next blog

 

The schools closed for summer by end June 2015 and our son Nikhil graduated from Grade 12. We decided to celebrate it with a camping out in the wilderness of Canada. Our family friends the Stephens also agreed to join the party as their son Jeevan had also graduated from grade 12. Joseph Stephen and Annie Stephen were both my mother’s students while at school and their daughter Jeena and our daughter Nidhi, both are university students. Jeevan’s friend Alex also joined us. The party being complete, I booked the camping site at Thunder Bay, about 1,500 kilometers from our home.

Everyone was enthusiastic about the trip from the word go. The parents were really fired up and the children had to be. The preparations commenced with equipment procurement of two eight-person tents, one insect proof tent for serving of food, a portable charcoal barbecue etc. Administrative instructions regarding the clothing and bedding to be carried, meat to be marinated, veggies, bread etc.

As the party was large with a good amount of administrative loads, a 12-seater van was rented for the trip. The van was a real boon that it could carry all the persons and the administrative loads and it facilitated relief for the drivers on the long journey.

The aim of the exercise was to get the children out of their backyards, and into an environment that is going to allow them to see and experience nature unlike their home. Nature delivers a complete sensory experience; amazing scenery; glimpses of wildlife; vast starlit nights, and a great way to initiate the children to appreciate nature. Making the children live in harmony with the nature and without the luxuries they are used to at home, will surely make them better human beings and will kindle the survival instincts in them. The situations thrown up would make them come out with real time ingenious ideas to solve the problem at hand. The children will also get trained in setting up a camp, tent pitching, cooking, organising a camp fires, etc. The research shows that children who experience nature are happier, healthier and also helps with their cognitive development.

The children were tasked to research and plan the itinerary to include the activities they would like to do enroute. The first leg of the journey was the 1,500 kilometers drive to Thunder Bay and it commenced around 11 PM on 26 June after everyone returned home from work. Everyone took turns at the wheel and by the dawn of 27 June we reached Sault Ste Marie and stopped for morning tea.

Map Courtesy Google

The Soo, as the city is nicknamed, was established by the French Jesuits in the mid-1600s French traders crossed Lake Superior in their quest for furs. Later, English explorers arrived, followed by lumbermen and exploiters of the mineral deposits. Sault Ste. Marie is a low-rise metropolis spread over undulating hills and flanked by the vastly wooded Algoma wilderness, with the St. Mary’s River at its door. The town is one of the gateways to the US and is located in the narrow neck between Lake Superior and Lake Huron. Canals and Locks, operated jointly by the US and Canadian governments facilitates lifting of ships about 21 feet from Lake Huron and Lake Superior. It is fascinating to watch a big ocean liners, freighters, barges, tugboats being raised and launched on to the next water level the year around.

The drive from Soo to Thunder Bay was on Trans Canadian Highway (Highway 17). The highway passes along Lake Superior, the biggest fresh water lake in the world. The Trans-Canadian railway line also runs parallel to the Highway 17. The original Trans-Canada Route was Highway 11 (designated “The King’s Highway”) was started in 1923 and completed on a war footing to provide toad access to mining towns of Northern Ontario. In 1960, it was realigned and became the new and much shorter Trans-Canada Highway.

Map Courtesy Google

Driving Westwards to the town of Wawa about 230 kilometers on the highway, the beautiful Lake Superior falls on the South with the dense forests of the Lake Superior National Park on the right with vast and beautiful area of wilderness known simply as ‘North of Superior’. As we drove along the highway, we could spot bears, deer in the wooded hills, sand hill cranes, turkey vultures feeding on an old moose carcass, an accident victim who might have had an encounter with a truck at night.

All along the highway, there are signs to warn drivers about the dangers of wild animals crossing the roads. There has been many such accidents and many have lost their lives due to such accidents. The highway is a two lane road, one lane either way and mostly frequented by trucks, cars and a few buses. At many a places, there are small detours of about 50 meters, to park the vehicles. These detours have been mostly made at points providing a scenic view of the Lake Superior. There are garbage cans placed and these garbage cans are ‘bear proof’ and for the first-time user, a bit intriguing to open one. There are restrooms, picnic tables and a covered picnic area in some of them. These are the favourite spots for many bikers, cyclists and trekkers whom we crossed all along the highway.

As we drove along, the landscape changed from rock and forest to a narrow band of farm land, known as the Canadian Shield’s north shore clay belt. We reached the town of Wawa and at the entrance to the town is a large, free-standing, metal sculpture of a Canada Goose as ‘Wawa’ is an (Red)Indian word for Canada Goose. Wawa came into prominence in 1897 with the discovery of gold, followed closely by that of iron ore and more recently diamonds. The area is well known for its pulp industry as the forests around the town is abundant with soft wood trees.   Wawa has a municipal air field and a few eateries and we had our breakfast here.

The next stretch of 480 kilometers was to the final destination – Thunder Bay. The road passes through the mining towns of through the communities of White River, Mobart, Marathon, Terrace Bay, Schreiber, Rossport and Nipigon. Most of these towns have shrunk due to the mines closing down. Only the paper pulp industry and farming seems to be active in these towns.

We reached Thunder Bay by 3 PM. The city of Thunder Bay was formed by the amalgamation of the cities of Port Arthur and Fort William. Thunder Bay is located on the shores of a bay formed and protected by the Sleeping Giant rock formation. The myth is that the Ojibway tribal chief was cursed by the Gods as he let out the secret of the silver mine to the European explorers and was converted into a rock to guard the bay. Thunder Bay is a stopover for ships from around the world who have negotiated the St. Lawrence River and locks on the Great Lakes to reach the most westerly Canadian inland port.

The Eastern edge of Thunder Bay is the site of the Terry Fox Memorial. The cross-Canada Marathon of Hope undertaken by this courageous young man ended near Thunder Bay when his cancer flared again. In 1980, with one leg having been amputated due to cancer, he embarked on a cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for cancer research. Although the spread of his cancer eventually forced him to end his quest after 143 days and 5,373 kilometers and ultimately cost him his life. Terry Fox continues to be an inspiration for Canadians and Terry Fox Run is held in communities across Canada each year in September to raise funds for cancer.

After driving about 1,500 kilometers North-West from the City of Mississauga on the shores of Lake Ontario, and along the shores of Lake Huron and Lake Superior; crossing 10 degrees Longitude to the West and 5 degrees Latitude to the North – we were still in the province of Ontario.

Maps Courtesy Google Maps

Camping at Thunder Bay in the next blog

The first long weekend after the onset of Spring is during the second weekend of May with the third Monday of May celebrated as Victoria Day. Queen Victoria was Canada’s sovereign at the time of Confederation in 1867. When Queen Victoria died in 1901, Parliament made her birthday an annual holiday to be celebrated on May 24. In 1952, the Parliament ruled that the Monday before May 24 be celebrated as Victoria Day. The weekend is known in Canada as the unofficial start of summer and is the oldest state holiday.

Gardening enthusiasts like us make use of the long weekend to begin planting annual saplings in the gardens. It was a family affair as usual with Marina and children, all joining and helping to plan and layout a garden which would be treat to everyone’s eyes. We brought many plants from the local nursery, and some saplings we had grown indoors, to go with the new colour scheme we had decided. Two weeks prior we had visited the city’s recycling yard to collect compost to feed the garden as we have been practising organic farming.

We finished with planting our garden early by Saturday afternoon, and hence decided to drive to Tobermory, about 300 km North of Toronto to enjoy the rest of the long weekend.  Tobermory derives its name from Scottish dialect where in ‘Tobar Mhoire’ means the ‘well of Mary’. The name was given by Scottish fishermen after the port of Tobermory on the Island of Mull in Scotland. We reached Tobermory by 7 PM and checked into a motel there.

Tobermory is known as the Scuba Diving Capital of Canada and is located at the mouth of Big Tub Harbour on the Georgian Bay of Lake Huron. The area comes under Fathom Five Park, Canada’s first National Marine Park. The park is known for over 20 shipwrecks and 19 islands, notably Flowerpot Island, within its boundaries. Only two shipwrecks in the harbour are intact and visible from the water surface. The other wrecks are disintegrated and dispersed around on the lakebed in the Georgian Bay.   The deep clear water and the numerous shipwrecks attract over 8,000 divers from around the world each year. We booked for a boat cruise for Sunday morning to explore the Fathom Five Marine Park.

We set off on the boat with about 30 other tourists. The boat’s guide briefed everyone about the safety drills and then we took off to the Big Tub Harbour. The boat had a glass bottom, and we could see the lake’s bed clearly. The algae and lichens in the cold water and the lime stones in the lakebed ensures that the water remains crystal clear all through the year. Our first stop was atop the wreckage of The Sweepstakes, a Great Lakes Ship Built in 1867 in Burlington, Ontario. The wreckage is at a depth of about 20 feet. This double masted, 120 feet long ship was damaged while hauling coal late in the summer of 1885 and then towed to Big Tub Harbour to be repaired. In September of 1885 it was determined that the damage was too extensive to be repaired. She was stripped of anything of value before sinking where she lies today. Her hull is still intact and is considered one of the best-preserved nineteenth century great lakes ships to ever be discovered. In order to reinforce the hull and reduce further deterioration, metal bars throughout the inside of her hull have been installed by Parks Canada.

The next halt was 100 meters away at the wreckage site of a passenger ship – The City of Grand Rapids. She was an elegant a double-decked passenger steamer until it burned and sank in October 1907. Its charred remains now lie in shallow water about 15 ft deep. On the evening of October 29, 1907, fire broke out aboard the Grand Rapids while docked in the Little Tub Harbour. A tug towed the burning ship out of the harbour, and released it. The City of Grand Rapids then drifted into Big Tub Harbor. It continued to burn, and eventually came to rest at the head of the harbour, where it burned to the waterline, rolled to starboard and sank. Today, the iron-sheathed hull is intact and is filled with coal used for the boilers, as well as silt. The charred tips of the frames can be seen on both the starboard and port sides. Lying on the bottom and clearly visible mid-way along the starboard side is part of the smokestack and a metal frame from the piano that once entertained the guests on board.

Our next stop was at the Big Tub Lighthouse. In 1871 Captain John Charles Earl settled at The Big Tub Harbour. In those days, vessels were extensively used to transport coal, lumber, fur, blubber etc as part of the trade through the Great Lakes. The perfect safety with which vessels could lie in the basin at Tobermory had made this harbour much frequented harbour of refuge. For the convenience of navigators, Captain Earl started hanging a lantern at the top of a high pole to ensure safe navigation for vessels entering the harbor from the treacherous waters of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. The number of shipwrecks offshore testify to the dangerous waters of this area. He was remunerated for this service by various captains, they presenting him with useful house supplies, such as a bag of potatoes, flour, etc. In the course of a few years the Government acknowledged this service and paid him a salary of about $30 a year. The first lighthouse was constructed in 1885 for a cost of $675. The original structure was later replaced by the six-sided, 14-meter-high wooden lighthouse of today. The lighthouse, a fully automated one today, still guides boats through powerful currents, frequent fogs and numerous shoals to the safety of Big Tub Harbour.

From the lighthouse, the boat sped away, skimming the waters to reach the Flowerpot Island, one of Canada’s most fascinating natural attractions, about 6 km away. This is the only island in the park which has camping facilities, marked trails, caves and its namesake flowerpots.

The Flowerpots are a type of sea stack, formed over many years as wind, rain, waves and ice hammered away at the cliff that once stood alongside the water’s edge.  The softer rock eroded more quickly, leaving the harder rock remaining in the shape of Flowerpots. There are many flowerpots all along the waters on the Island.

This flowerpot’s top resembles the head of a native warrior carved in the stone, a reflection of unusual geology.

The caves on the island were formed after the ice age, approximately 12,000 years ago, when the glacial Lake Algonquin completely covered Flowerpot Island. As the lake levels fell in stages, the cliffs were exposed to the eroding effects of the lake for varying duration of time. This phenomenon caused numerous caves to form in the cliffs throughout the island.

After a well-deserved break, we returned home by evening on Sunday, to tend to the saplings we planted and for the summer months to arrive.

We took Guillaume Le Floch, the French exchange student to visit the Canadian Parliament building at Ottawa in August 2014. During the tour we entered the Memorial Chamber in the Peace Tower. The Memorial Chamber is a small, quiet room that houses seven Books of Remembrance which record the names of the men and women who have given their lives in military service to Canada. The Memorial Chamber is a beautifully crafted room with a vaulted ceiling, stained glass windows and intricate carvings depicting Canada’s record of war.

These books contain the names of more than 118,000 Canadians who fought in wars and died either during or after them. These men and women made the ultimate sacrifice while serving the country in uniform. The Government of Canada has always been in the forefront in honouring the men and women in uniform. The seven Books of Remembrance ensures that their names are etched in the history of the country and are always well preserved and cared for.

These Books of Remembrance represent the highest expressions of modern workmanship and artistry. The craftsmanship, heraldic illumination, calligraphy, water coloring, bookbinding and leather tooling give the books a special look and quality unequalled the world over.

The first book is the largest of the Books, containing 66,655 names, of those who died in is the First World War. The second book contains 44,893 names of those who did the extreme sacrifice in the Second World War. The third is the Korean War Book of Remembrance which commemorates the 516 men and women who died during the Korean War from 1950 to 1953.

The fourth book is the South African War/Nile Expedition Book of Remembrance, containing names of nearly 300 Canadian volunteers, who gave their lives in these early campaigns in the late 1800s This book was commissioned on May 31, 1962, the anniversary of the signing of the Peace of Vereeniging, which ended the war in South Africa.

The fifth is the Merchant Navy Book of Remembrance which commemorates the men and women of the Merchant Marine who died while serving Canada at sea during both World War I and II.

The sixth is the New Foundland Book of Remembrance which honours more than 2300 men and women who sacrificed their lives in both World War I and World War II, before Newfoundland became a Canadian province in 1949.

The seventh is the In Service of Canada Book of Remembrance This book records the names of those who died since October 1947 in military service to Canada (except in the Korean War), either in Canada or abroad.

On July 1, 1917 , then Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden dedicated a site in the Centre Block of the Houses of Parliament as a memorial to the debt of our forefathers and to the valour of those Canadians who fought in the First World War. Two years later the Prince of Wales laid the corner stone of “The Tower of Victory and Peace” as it was originally known. The intention was for all the names of the Canadian soldiers to be engraved on the walls of the chamber, but it was soon realized that there would not be enough space on the walls to contain more than 66,000 names.

Thus resulted the Book of Remembrance and the design of the Tower was altered to create a chamber to accommodate the Books. The Prince of Wales on August 3, 1927 unveiled the altar; a gift from the British Government, upon which the Book of The First World War rests this day.

James Purves was the artist chosen for the creation of the first book. James Purves died in 1940, at which time only the preliminary work had been done and only one page was fully illuminated and illustrated. Alan Beddoe, an assistant of Purves, took over and completed the book in 1942. By the time the first book was completed, Canada was already in the middle of the Second World War. Today this book lies open on the Altar in the centre of the Memorial Chamber, covered by a glass case and with kneeling statuettes of praying angels at its corners.

In 1948, Beddoe was selected to create the Book of Remembrance for the Second World War. He changed the script style and included approximately 75 names per page as compared to 125 names per page in the First World War Book. He also incorporated many pages commemorating particular actions, battles, and places that were significant to Canadians during the war. The Second World War Book of Remembrance was placed in the Memorial Chamber on Remembrance Day of 1957 (November 11).

The names of those lost are inscribed in the Korean War Book of Remembrance, which includes a page decorated with the United Nations symbol surrounded by the Arms of the 17 countries which participated in the United Nations Forces. The Book was dedicated in the Memorial Chamber on November 11, 1962.

The Nile Expedition in 1884 marked the first time Canada took part in a war overseas. Four hundred volunteers skilled in river navigation served in the expedition; sixteen gave their lives. The South African War broke out on October 11, 1899. This war marked the first occasion in which large contingents of Canadian troops served abroad. More than 7,000 Canadians volunteered to fight in the South African War. Almost 300 names are listed in the South African War / Nile Expedition Book of Remembrance. The Book was dedicated and placed in the Memorial Chamber on May 31, 1962, the sixtieth anniversary of the signing of the Peace of Vereeniging, which ended the war in South Africa.

Every morning, at eleven o’clock, the pages of the Books of Remembrance are turned by a member of the House of Commons Protective Service Staff. A calendar was devised so that each page of each book is turned once a year. Some pages are left exposed for several days at a time on or near a date of the anniversary of the actions they commemorate. During the ceremony a guard in marches in front of the First World War Book, bows and salutes and then marches over to the book on the right and turn the page. This process is repeated for all of the Books of Remembrance and is done in a counter-clockwise direction around the Chamber.

The seven Books of Remembrance are testaments to the valour, sacrifice and selflessness of those Canadians who have died in military service. Any country that honours its soldiers will always go a long way ahead as Canada has proved.

Canada’s first monument and park dedicated to wounded veterans and other uniformed personnel injured in the line of duty opened on 01 November 2014 at Whitby, a town about 50 kilometers from Toronto. The park has been aptly christened as ‘The Park of Reflection,’ which aims to be a living tribute to survivors and the families who care for them. The park was designed by Daimian Boyne, a Canadian Armed Forces veteran who served in Bosnia. Boyne believes that everyone remembers those who have fallen in the line of duty but have always forgotten those who became ill and injured.

Boyne, who suffered severe post-traumatic stress, said it can be especially difficult for those with less obvious injuries and it is often their families who are left to cope. He is also of the opinion that post-traumatic stress creates disharmony in a family unit and this monument depicts a family and a community dealing with such veterans.

After leaving the military in 2006, Mr. Boyne struggled with depression, suicidal thoughts and other effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He went on to study horticulture at Algonquin College in 2009 with the help of a veterans’ transition program and found nature to be a key part of the healing process. Currently national events co-ordinator with Wounded Warriors Canada, Boyne said he has run many events across the country and watched nature return smiles to the faces of men and women, showing them there’s life after service.

On release from the military after being injured in the line of service there was a thought in Boyne’s mind as to how people are going to remember the sacrifices of him and his family. He thought of a the firefighter who runs into a house to save lives and ends up getting hurt. He or her, and their families, made the sacrifice for the community and as a token of paying them back and remembering them forever, he came up with the idea of this park.

Canadians pay wonderful tribute to those who have fallen in the line of duty but we have always forgotten those who became ill and injured on the line of duty. Many are left with lifelong scars – physical, emotional, psychological, etc. Some live a difficult and dreadful life post retirement. This park aims to be a living tribute to survivors and their families who care for them. This is a new way of showing the ill and injured that their service and sacrifice will never be forgotten.

The park, an initiative of Wounded Warriors Canada, features an amphitheater overlooking a circular plaza with a labyrinth walking path and healing garden. A central sculpture depicts a first responder carrying a wounded comrade back to society, with shapes surrounding it that represent community members. Tribute stones have been created to be inlaid in the pathway with the names of the ill and injured. Members of the public have been advised to purchase tribute stones for $500 each, with the name of a loved one who has been injured in service, to be placed at the park. The centerpiece was envisioned by Daimian Boyne with an aim to provide a tranquil place that serves both as a tribute and as a place of calm and healing.

The Wounded Warriors Canada hopes that the park will inspire other such parks in communities across Canada and also across the world. While this park will serve as a reminder of the wounded living among us, it would also become a place of laughter and joy, of community events and theater, and so become a celebration of life. If we can make the wounded veteran realise that their service and sacrifice will never be forgotten, one can honestly believe that it is going to bring up their heart and soul and it is going to give them the courage to get back into the community again.

Dozens of uniformed personnel — military, police and firefighters — as well as veterans, spectators and dignitaries were on hand for the formal opening that featured the pomp and ceremony of a marching band, bagpipes and ‘The Last Post’.

Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair was in Whitby on Saturday, where he said that such spaces are appreciated by those in uniform. He added that it gave them strength and just reminds them that their sacrifice and their effort on behalf of their fellow citizens is recognized and appreciated.

Corporal David Macdonald, a member of the Royal Regiment of Canada who was injured during a combat tour in Afghanistan and later suffered a stress disorder, said the new facility was important to him. He added that when a soldier comes home battered and broken, it is a long journey to recover.  The society often fails to recognize the toll taken on those with invisible scars or injuries. When asked about the war in Afghanistan, everyone appears to know the tally of the soldiers that were killed, but no one knows the mere numbers of soldiers maimed or wounded, some for life.

One of my Gurus during my Indian Army days, General Raj Mehta, was wounded while serving as a Brigadier in Kashmir, fighting the terrorists.   He wrote to say that a memorial for the wounded is something pretty unusual from the Indian context because we neglect our brave dead savagely, so cannot be expected to really bother about our wounded who are still alive…We have many many cases where the wounded are denied disability pension which both military as well as civil bureaucracy holds up on trivial grounds and contests in the courts for years.   When he got wounded, he was savagely criticised because it was felt that a Brigadier should not have got wounded as it gave the terrorists a moral ascendency.  Superficially, however, a veneer of concern was maintained by the hierarchy by sending “Get Well…We are proud  of you” messages, but in reality, most of this was disingenuous talk that was so easy to see through…

A friend invited me to participate in a charity walk of 5 km on 29 August 2014, through a picturesque trail in the city to raise awareness about the problem of safe drinking water faced by millions worldwide and also to raise money. The Walk for Water was in support of Water Missions International’s response to the global water crisis through sustainable safe water and sanitation solutions around the world. Safe water is the source of life. It is the foundation for health, education and viable economies. The global safe water crisis is much more than just a lack of safe water. Providing those people with access to safe water gives them an opportunity  to go to school, work and play free from the stress of dirty, disease-filled water.

There were posters put up all along the path depicting the problems faced by people all over the world. There were posters saying how lucky the Canadians are as they have the Great Lakes and thousands of smaller lakes with clean potable water. Canadians are blessed with clean municipal water supply all through the day year around.

This prompted me to study the municipal water supply system in our City of Mississauga, which comes under the Peel Region.

Lake Ontario is the source for the Peel Drinking Water System. As the lake water enters the intake, located about 2 km from the lake-shore, it is chlorinated. The chlorine kills bacteria and prevents mussels from growing in the intake pipe and obstructing the flow. As the water enters the treatment facility, it passes through travelling screens. The screens prevent items such as fish, sticks and aquatic plants from entering the treatment facility and damaging equipment. Water is then treated by means any one of the following treatments based on the age of the plant.

• Conventional treatment.-
  • Alum, a coagulant is added to the water. The rapid mixer thoroughly mixes the coagulant with the water to help form sticky particles from the suspended particles in the water.
  • Slow mixing that helps the sticky particles collide with each other, forming larger and heavier particles called floc.
  • Floc particles are removed from the water by inclined plate settlers or the water is slowed down in large tanks to allow particles to settle to the bottom.
  • Removes remaining particles and chlorine-resistant bacteria and reduces the levels of compounds that can cause tastes and odours.
  • The water travels down by gravity through layers of granular activated carbon, sand and gravel.
• Ozone Biologically Activated Carbon Contactor and Membrane Filtration (OBM) Treatment.
  • Ozone gas is bubbled through the water in the Ozone Contactors. Ozone kills bacteria and also helps to break down substances that cause tastes and odours so that they can be removed easily.
  • BACC Filters: These specially designed contactors remove the biodegradable organic matter produced by the activity of the ozone process. This removal process keeps the water stable after treatment by minimizing re-growth of bacteria in the distribution system.
  • Membrane Filters:   These are specially designed water filters with very small pores that the water is pulled through. The membrane filters remove microorganisms and producing water with very little turbidity.
• The modern state-of-the-art Membrane Filtration, Ultraviolet Light, and Granular Activated Carbon Contactor (MUG) treatment.
  • Membrane Filtration.   Raw water is pulled through state-of-the-art Ultra Filtration Membranes with pores small enough to filter out particles and many microorganisms.
  • UV Light.   Filtered water then passes through UV Light Units, which inactivate microorganisms. These units also reduce taste and odour in the water by Advanced Oxidation. The Advanced Oxidation process uses hydrogen peroxide and a higher intensity of UV light to oxidize (break apart) compounds that cause unpleasant taste and odour. The Advanced Oxidation system is used seasonally, when taste and odour problems are at their peak due to lake and temperature conditions.
  • Granular Activated Carbon Contactor (GACC).   The water then flows down through a matrix of carbon granules into GACC. They eliminate any residual hydrogen peroxide from the Advanced Oxidation process.

Water treated by any of the three above processes is further treated prior to supply into the water supply system as under:

• Chlorination for inactivation of bacteria/ disease causing organisms.
• Fluoride  addition for better dental health and to protect teeth from cavities

The water is then supplied through the pipes, buried 10 feet below to prevent freezing in winter. The old ductile iron pipes (DIP) forming the water mains, running mostly below the municipal roads, are now being replaced with polyethylene encased DIP, which has a lifespan of up to 100 years.

Majority of the water main replacement projects are undertaken from March to October every year, in partnership with road and sewer renewal projects for improved cost effectiveness and minimized public inconvenience. This prompted a friend to remark that in Canada we have four seasons – winter, severe winter, winter and then construction.

How do they ensure water at the optimum pressure throughout?

A typical municipal water supply runs at between 50 and 100 psi (major appliances require at least 20 to 30 psi). Pumps at the water treatment plant pump water at about 100 psi and is connected to the main pipe lines. There are three water towers in the city which are also connected to the same pipeline. During low water usage hours, the tanks on the water towers get filled and they discharge into the pipeline when the pressure falls due to high usage during peak hours, thus maintaining the optimum pressure. There are no overhead tanks in the homes as the city guarantees 24 hours water supply at optimum pressure.

As the water in the pipelines is maintained under high pressure all throughout, there is hardly any chance of muddy water from the ground getting into the pipes. Mixing of dirty water or sewage is possible only when there is intermittent water supply and there is a crack in the pipe. The water in the pipe leaks into the soil around when under pressure. When the water supply is shut down, the pressure in the water pipes drop below the pressure of water in the soil, forcing the muddy water into the pipeline through the crack. When the water supply is restored, this muddy water in the pipes reaches the consumer.

How come the water in the water towers do not freeze in the cold Canadian winters?

They do freeze. They just don’t normally freeze solid. The central pipe that runs from ground level up into the bottom of the tank is called a riser. Many tank risers are wrapped with heat tape, covered with insulation and capped by an aluminum jacket. Ice forms on the surface of the tank, in many cases several feet thick. Normally, this ice layer floats on the surface as the water level rises and falls. Many times this ice remains stuck to the roof the tank and remains there.

This is why the City of Mississauga proclaims that the best drinking water is the municipal water.

Exploring Canada is real time consuming and over the past two summers we decided to explore Ottawa, the Capital City and Quebec City, the capital of Quebec Province. At both these places, we undertook walking tours of extremely different nature.

On 31 December 1857, Queen Victoria chose Ottawa as the Capital of Canada being midway between Toronto and Quebec City and less prone to political mobs being a small city. Ottawa is the fourth largest city in Canada and is the most educated city with minimum unemployment. Ottawa with Gatineau, Quebec, on the West together form the National Capital Region (NCR). In effect half of it French speaking and the other half mostly English speaking.

Every city in the world offers an amazingly rich history filled with scandal, scariness and intrigue. There are many a haunted buildings, places of worships, cemetery etc that one can find in any city. While in Ottawa, the capital city of Canada, we ran into The Haunted Walk, a walking tour company that conducts “The Haunted Walk Tour”, a walking tour around the city which commenced at 9 PM and ended by 10:30 PM for the reasonable rate of $15 per head.

The hostess was Margo, a middle-aged lady, cloaked in black cape and carrying a lantern, gathered all the 15 participants near the Parliament building and briefed us about the tour and the safety aspects. She began with the haunting tale of the graveyard under our feet and continued across the street, under the canal, to Lisgar High School and all around the City spinning tales of long ago ghosts and even some personal tales. The fireworks from the Parliament building provided a perfect backdrop for all her ghost stories.

Margo conducted us on the tour visiting important landmarks of Ottawa and with each place she had some hunting story to narrate, which she did perfectly, with complete “effects”. She did not use any props or any hysteric sounds as one anticipated. The tales involved the Lisgar High School, the Fairmont Chateau Laurier hotel, the Confederation Park and the Rideau Canal. It was the good old fashioned story telling with the stories apparently researched and edited beforehand. Leaving alone the ghost stories, the tour quite informative and useful in discovering the streets of Ottawa.

Then we moved to the Quebec City. The crown jewel of French Canada, Québec City is one of North America’s oldest and most magnificent settlements. Its picturesque Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site. There is more than a glimmer of Old Europe in its classic bistros, sidewalk cafes and manicured squares.

Québec City is 400 years old. It boasts four centuries of history marked by encounters with the First Nations, battles between the French and English, terrible epidemics, four centuries during which Québec has grown into the city forging a character of its own built around a thriving culture, economic success, urban transformation, neighborhood life, and the French language.

Quebec City’s rich cultural heritage isn’t just in its architecture and historical leanings; it is in the food too. The Walking Tour was the Culinary Tour, which lasted over two hours, walking through the historic cobblestone laneways within and just outside of the old walled city, which dates back to 1535, when Frenchman Jacques Cartier established the original fort. During the tour we sipped many samples of wine, tasted various types of cheese, savoured the pastries, tasted various chocolates made from Maple syrup, etc.

Jacques Cartier was sent on an expedition by Francis I, King of France, and he arrived at Quebec in 1534, taking possession of lands. In 1608, Samuel de Champlain made landfall on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River at a spot that the Aboriginals called Kébec.   From here the New France in Canada expanded rapidly between 1660 and 1713. During the Seven Years’ War, the army of General Wolfe laid siege to Québec, and culminated in the defeat of the French General Montcalm in 1759. Four years later, with the signing of the Treaty of Paris, the King of France ceded to the British crown “Canada and all its dependencies.” From then on the Province of Quebec has maintained its French culture and language and thus Canada has two official languages – English and French.

Robert, our tour guide explained all the details about the stories behind the dishes and also the influences of Amerindian, British and French cuisines in the Quebec cooking. The foodie stops included three restaurants, two treat shops, a liquor store and an old grocery. On the way, we passed the oldest Anglican cathedral outside Britain – built in 1804 — and still using human bell ringers every Sunday.

In all these cities there were cycling tours too, but what impresses the most is the “Bixi” (Bike Taxi). Bixi is a network of 800 bicycles and 80 stations located throughout the city, to provide residents and visitors with an additional transportation option for getting around town, making active transportation simple, fast, and fun. The system includes a fleet of specially designed, heavy-duty, durable bicycles that are locked into a network of docking stations. Bixi is available for use 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, except during inclement weather conditions that might make the system unsafe. The station network provides twice as many docking points as bicycles, assuring that an available dock to return the bicycle is always nearby. To rent a cycle, you got to purchase the tickets online or from the kiosks, unlock the cycle from the dock using the code provided, ride the cycle and return it at any station by docking it.

After undertaking these tours, I was sure that in India we can offer many such tours and even many more, in any city at any time. It may not be feasible to arrange a walking tour, but a “rickshaw” or “auto-rickshaw” tour is always feasible.