If you’ve spent time in rural Southern Ontario you know that there are many unique cultural identifiers. You may have noticed that things move a little slower…except for certain classic cars that continue to amaze with horsepower and style. I sure have, and it is a joy to cross paths with all of the “sweet rides” of Norfolk County nestled along the Lake Erie North Shore.
Jeff’s Gran Torino Sport is, like many classic cars, an icon.
This model of car starred in a funky 1970s show (and later a Stiller-Wilson movie) that needed a car with character. A car that would be believable chasing after a pimped out Lincoln or Caddy. And though formulaic in this simple premise of cops + cool car= fun, Starsky and Hutch just wouldn’t be the same were it not for the Gran Torino.
It is safe to say that the classic Gran Torino succeeded in showing that muscle, style and comfort catches the viewer’s eye, as well as the bad guys. Look for Jeff’s wheels in and around Port Rowan, Ontario. For the Silo, Jarrod Barker.
Supplemental- Port Dover’s Scott Misner talks about rescuing an El Camino and more-
One of the biggest influences that the internet and social media has on the automotive industry is the now ease of finding hard-to-find parts and procedures. Go on Google, type in your year, make, and model, followed by the part or procedure you are looking for, and in the results you are bound to find (at the very least) a forum, web group, or page dedicated to your vehicle specifically. What this means to you is that now you can discuss (with others who love the same vehicle as you) parts, repair procedures, styling, or just why you love your vehicle so much! What this also means is that you now can draw from a vast pool of knowledge from others who share your same interest.
So be it a complicated repair or common problem, you can usually chat with someone who has already been there and done that. (a majority of the time) and a lot of the forums usually have step by step procedures with pictures. This came in handy for me last month when a certain silver Smart car I know had starting issues. The first problem? Where is the starter? This may sound dumb but, Look under the bonnet (hood under the trunk) and you tell me where the starter is. I would bet 5 bucks that you could not, even from underneath. Unless, you have messed with one, prior. The next Issue, where the heck is this starter supposed to fit out? Lastly, How do you even get to the bolts that hold it in?
Luckily for me, there are many Smart car pages based out of the U.K. and one really good one I found, had many members who were very knowledgeable in this topic, this page also had step by step detailed instructions along with very clear pictures. This is substantial considering that one cannot even get a repair manual for these cars, almost nobody has parts listings OR interchanges for any of these cars with a model year prior to 2008 (this car being a 2006). Who knew that to change this starter there was insane procedure including dropping the engine and removing the intercooler system. A bunch of people on this page had already been through this and had come up with a very efficient shortcut. This saved me hours of time. All this from a free membership. Here are a few Facebook pages that I follow:
“Restoring Old Cars” – a lot of classic car posts, “Lifted Trucks USA”- lots of pics of lifted trucks lol, “Chevy Chevelle”- Lots of Chevelle pics, ”Chevy Militia”- jacked up Chevy truck pics, and my two favorite ones “Bow-tie Society”- for everything Chevrolet, also where Ford and Dodge Trollers come to get put back in their respective places. And “Black Crow Car Education System” –this guy posts all kinds of cool classic auto industry pics, vintage, and artistic mechanical pics. All of these pages are very cool. Check em out by searching them on Facebook. Till next time. For the Silo, Robb Price, WC Kustoms.
The bypasses and bridges of Haldimand County On February 28, 2006, Janie Jamieson and Dawn Smith led a blockade shutting down construction of Caledonia’s Douglas Creek Estates. The subdivision has been occupied by native activists ever since.
Protesters tend to a burning blockade at Douglas Creek Estates in 2006.
Over the ensuing nine years, protests and demands have had an impact on traffic, construction and plans for future transportation projects in the area.
For example, last year work to replace the 1924 Cayuga bridge ground to a halt twice because of aboriginal protesters occupying the site. Charges weren’t laid for stopping construction. Arguments can be made occupying the bridge impedes the public’s ability to use the bridge, and further I consider this mischief.
During debate in the Ontario Legislature, I maintained the shutdown was beyond the control of the Minister of Transportation and the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs. When the protestors show up, construction workers pack up and go home. Last week, as well as last December, I advocated the Minister of Community Safety take control of affairs.
And there’s another ongoing question: Nine years ago, I distributed every MPP in the Legislature a photograph showing a group of people throwing a van off an overpass at Haldimand County Sixth Line, on to the provincial highway below. In my estimation, that goes beyond mischief. Theft over $5,000 and public endangerment come to my mind. Still, despite photographic evidence of the perpetrators nine years ago, no charges have been laid.
If you break the law, you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and nobody is above it. The rule of law is based on a strict set of principles to which we all agree as a society. The rule of law is not subject to raw emotion, financial influence, or political correctness.
Our debate of Bill 31, the Making Ontario’s Roads Safer Act has now opened the proposed legislation for public hearings.
I also believe government is missing the mark and endangering lives on Haldimand County roads and bridges by not tackling other long-overdue construction issues on provincial highways #3 and #6. In my speech to Bill31, I highlighted other public safety and traffic congestion concerns related to Highway #6 that aren’t being addressed.
Unfortunately, yet another fatal accident last month north of Caledonia highlighted the need. Several residents contacted me with ideas on how to address the problem. I forwarded those to the minister along with a cover letter, and communication continues. There are four lanes, high traffic volumes and no barriers between Caledonia and Upper James in Hamilton. I advocate relieving traffic volume by completing the planned link from the Hamilton airport bypass to the Caledonia bypass bridge – a new stretch of road that would parallel the problematic #6.
The downtown Caledonia bridge, which was built in 1927, is long overdue for replacement. Hopefully, after 11 years of lobbying, we will see action this year.
There is also obvious need for a Hagersville truck bypass to finally deal with the noise congestion and serious accidents downtown.
I suspect DCE and the protests at the Cayuga bridge are fuelling reticence in a government that construction will re-ignite tensions and result in more protests. This is truly unfortunate as not addressing the problem can be downright dangerous.
Now that’s something the Making Ontario’s Roads Safer Act could address, but probably won’t. For the Silo, Toby Barrett MPP Haldimand-Norfolk
Haldimand do not need an auditor general’s report to tell them that ASD services are in disarray. Our government should be commended for spending $182 million dollars on Autism treatment, however I have yet to meet a single Canadian family satisfied with their services. In 2007 there was thankfully, no wait list for Intensive Behavioral Intervention (IBI). Braydon spent two years working 24 hours a week, one-on-one with IBI therapists from Haldimand-Norfolk R.E.A.C.H. Essentially my toddler had a part-time job and after two years our family was unable to keep up the pace of it. Over $100,000 was spent on Braydon’s Autism Services, but now we were left to fend for ourselves.
Last week National Service Dogs for Children with Autism (NSD) asked a very interesting question on their Facebook page. Has the government considered Service Dogs? In 2012 my son was granted a Certified Autism Service Dog. Before that time, our only options for treatments were pharmaceuticals or privately funded and enormously expensive traditional therapies that were not effective at tracking results. Today, Braydon attends J.L. Mitchener Public School in Cayuga where he is thriving socially and academically. His service dog ‘NSD Whoopi’ attends school with him each and every day. Last month at Braydon’s Parent-Teacher interview I was told that my son was easy to integrate with his peers and all the students seemed to behave better when he and Whoopi were in the classroom. I have a very different little boy than I did a year ago, and the change in my son brings a flood of welcome respite to our home.
$30,000 might seem like an excessive amount of money for a Certified Autism Service Dog, however consider a Service Dog has a working life of 8-10 years. This means for some families like us; desperate for an alternative to treating our son’s autism with medication would receive 24 hour a day, 7 days a week support for 10 years for only $30,000! How much of the $182 million dollars spent on Autism Treatment this year was allocated to this alternative? Zero dollars!!! Incredibly National Service Dogs for Children with Autism provided us this option at absolutely no costs to us either. It is the generosity of the staff and volunteers at NSD and the support of our families and friends right here in Haldimand that brought accessibility for our family to our community. As a result, all of us are able to embrace a much higher quality of life than most families affected by Autism are able to experience.
So…let’s talk about making Certified Autism Service Dogs an available treatment alternative to more families. For the Silo, Jenny Tansley.
Silo/HNARP- Can you tell our readers a bit about the history of the bridge, for example the year in which it was first built and its age?
The Grand River Cayuga Bridge is a 5-span through-truss bridge. Construction began in 1923 and was completed in 1924.
Silo/HNARP- So why is the bridge being redesigned and rebuilt?
To ensure our provincial bridges remain safe, Ontario is the only province in Canada to legislate that owners must inspect their bridges every two years by, or under the direction of a professional engineer. Taking it one-step further, MTO also conducts routine maintenance inspections of all 2,720 of our provincially owned bridges every year.
As part of our assessment, the Grand River Bridge, while currently still in safe condition, was identified as requiring future replacement, due to its age and declining condition. In 2005, the ministry initiated a Preliminary Design and Class Environmental Assessment (EA) Study to determine the long-term strategy for the bridge. Completed in 2008, the Study recommended the bridge be replaced with a 5-span, steel girder bridge. The Study received Environmental Clearance in November 2008.
Silo/HNARP- Can you explain to us the importance of archaeology to the MTO in Ontario and its support of the Heritage Act?
It is a requirement of the Ontario Heritage Act to address the impacts of any project on both archaeological resources and the built heritage environment, MTO achieves this as part of the Environmental Assessment we conduct for every MTO undertaking.
Silo/HNARP- Is the archaeology holding back the bridge’s development or is the project on schedule?
The ministry’s preliminary design and Class EA identified prehistoric and historic archaeological sites along the west side of the existing bridge, so it was acknowledged that some special measures and precautions would be necessary. The archaeological salvage work has been scheduled into the timeline of the project, and is on track.
Silo/HNARP- Did the MTO know in advance that extensive archaeological work was necessary?
The archeological assessment completed during the EA Study identified that prehistoric and historic archaeological sites are located along the west side of the existing bridge. Based on the results of a Stage 3 archaeological assessment (test trenches) completed during Preliminary Design, it was determined that a Stage 4 Archaeological Salvage had to occur to ensure existing artifacts are recovered before any areas are disturbed as a result of construction. In 2009, the ministry started the detail design study and retained a consultant (McCormick Rankin Corporation) and their sub-consultant, New Directions Archaeology Ltd., who are responsible for completing Stage 4 Salvage under an archaeological license issued by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture (MTC).
Silo/HNARP- The general public has noticed the excavation taking place one layer at a time. Why has this been important?
This is a very significant archaeological site made up of a series of cultural layers representing different historic and pre-contact occupations at this location. Based on previous studies, the artifacts range in age from the Archaic period, circa 8000 – 1000 B.C. through to the historic period circa 1700+ A.D. The west bank of the Grand River around Cayuga is a flood plain. Because the periodic flooding of the Grand River deposited silt over this flood plain, this site is made up of numerous levels of cultural material, each dating to a specific time frame, sandwiched between sterile layers of flood deposits. The goal of the excavation is to map and record these cultural layers before they are impacted by construction. To do this, the excavation is being completed in one metre by one metre squares, recording the original location of each artifact within the one metre square, including the depth at which it was recovered. The artifacts from each one metre square will be kept together, with individual levels kept separate in clearly identified bags. This will ensure that each artefact will be related to a specific cultural level and time period, to interpret the history of the site.
The excavation of each one metre square will continue downward until no further artifacts are recovered. Based on previous test excavation on the site, this will be at a depth of about 160 cm. The excavation will continue below this depth to ensure that all artifacts have been recovered, generally to a depth of approximately 180 cm (1.8 m).
Silo/HNARP- What unique discoveries have resulted at the site such as historic, pre-contact, archaic items?
The site is yielding an array of artifacts, including ceramics (pottery), tools (scrapers, spear points, arrow heads), stone flakes from tool making and even a shell bead, thought to be an early trading item.
Silo/HNARP- Why has the Six Nations been involved with this project?
First Nation involvement is an important aspect of this project because of the significant archaeological resources at this site. MTO and our consultants have regular and ongoing consultation with interested First Nations regarding this project. People from Six Nations have been hired for the archaeological field investigations and monitoring of the salvage operations, as well as the follow-up lab work.
Silo/HNARP- What will the MTO do with the artifacts once the project is finished. Will there be any public education about what was found?
Once the excavation of each one metre square is complete, the artifacts will be removed from the site and taken to a lab where they will be washed and organized. The artifacts will be analyzed and discussed in a final report including conclusions about the prehistoric activities at this site. Given the scope of this excavation, the analysis and reporting of this site will take years to complete. Once the report is finished, the artifacts will be kept for posterity, available for other archaeologists who are interested in the site and the time periods represented. Discussions are currently underway with a few Ontario university repositories to house the artifacts.
Silo/HNARP- How and where can the community learn more about what was recovered and learned from the excavation when the project is finished? Is there for example, an online PDF document, field report or analysis report of artifacts?
A report will be prepared after the artifacts are analyzed. The report may take a few years to complete, due to the size of the excavation. It will be filed with MTC and also provided to the First Nations having an interest in the site. Due to local interest, we also expect to provide copies to local repositories, such as the Haldimand Museum.
Silo/HNARP- Will this be the last season of field work before the bridge reconstruction gets started or is another field season anticipated in 2012.
It is anticipated that the salvage work at the current site will be completed in the fall of 2011. Additional areas of archaeological salvage may occur in 2012, if it is determined that construction activities will cause disturbance to additional areas on the west side of the river not yet salvaged.
Silo/HNARP- Who can be contacted to learn more about this archaeological site and its history?
The salvage work and report preparation are being conducted by New Directions Archaeology Ltd., under the direction of Mr. Phil Woodley. Questions about the site should be directed to the Communications Coordinator for MTO West Region (519-873-4186), who will consult with Mr. Woodley for detailed information as required.
Silo/HNARP- When is work expected to begin on the bridge replacement?
Construction is anticipated to begin in 2012 and is expected to take two construction seasons to complete.
