Inside Caledon, Ontario

The Claude Presbyterian Church in Caledon, Ontario on Hwy 10 just south of Olde Base Line Rd.

Ever since moving up to Caledon I’ve wanted to photograph this church, I’ve always thought it looked unique and interesting but just never got around to it, I finally managed to do it last weekend and was even able to capture it with some blue sky in the winter, a feat in itself. Photo taken with my standard lens and processed in Photomatix software.

The church dates back to 1870 with the congregation going back even further to 1843, extensive renovations & restorations were also made in 1992. For a full history on the building click here to see their website that has a detailed history about the church. For more info on Church’s current activities their website is here: www.claudechurch.com

Here is a photo I took this past weekend of the Toronto Skyline from Caledon, I forget the exact location but I think it was somewhere along Old School Rd/Healey Rd. I think it shows a good contrast of the urban epicentre looking over the farm lands of the rual Caledon area. Still hard to believe this was taken in what should be the dead of winter yet it looks like and feels like fall still with all this unusual weather.

This is an abandoned house on King Road just slightly west of The Gore Road in Caledon, Ontario just outside of Bolton. This isn’t your typical abandoned house, the condition of the place is very good (from the outside at least), the brick work is nice the roof stillin good condition, windows still there although the bottoms of them are boarded to try to prevent intruders. I can’t find out much info about this house, so if anyone knows please drop me a line, the address is 7403 and it has been abandoned at least 2 years if not longer. Photos were taken earlier in the year with my zoom lens, click on the pictures for larger photos.

It’s not often that I see deer in the morning in the back field behind me, most of the time I see them at dusk and they seem to follow a routine pattern along these Caledon hills and fields. However this one early October morning I saw two deer outside and managed to snap a few photos of them as they munched some breakfast in the field. Snapped with my super zoom lens and adjusted only the contrast of the photos in Photoshop, click on the images to view larger photos.

The 2011 Ontario Provincial Elections takes place next Thursday October 6, 2011, below is a list of candidates for provincial riding of Dufferin-Caledon. I have included a link to each candidates official website where you can find out more information about them and what they stand for in this riding. For more info on the election including voting locations, click here for the Elections Ontario website.

There are approximately 77,000 people eligible to vote in the Dufferin-Caledon riding this year, the 2007 election turnout was 53%. The provincial riding of Dufferin-Caledon was created for the 2007 election to bring it in sync with the same Federal riding, previously it was known as Dufferin—Peel.

On Thursday October 6 be sure to get out there and vote.

2011 Candidates:

• Sylvia Jones – Progressive Conservative (Incumbent)
  Website: http://www.sylviajonesmpp.ca
• Lori Holloway – Liberal
  Website: http://www.voteholloway.ca
• Karen Gventer – New Democrat
  Website: http://ontariondp.com/en/candidates/karen-gventer
• Rob Strang – Green
  Website: http://www.robstrang.ca
• Daniel Kowalewski – Libertarian
  Website: http://www.libertarian.on.ca/profiles/daniel-kowalewski

You may or may not have noticed but franchise restaurants have been struggling greatly in Bolton, Ontario leaving a long line of failure to the already struggling retail space in the town. Joe Warmington from the Toronto Sun wrote an article about the issue exactly a year ago and not much has changed in a year, in fact its has got worse.

In the past two years many franchise restaurants have failed such as; Boston Pizza, Coras, William’s Coffee Pub, Little Caesars, KFC / Pizza Hut and there are others that continue to struggle.

In the case of Boston Pizza, they have managed to re-open under new ownership and appear to be making a better go of it the second time around. Coras hasn’t been so lucky, it has been left vacant and abandoned for over a year now, their lease was terminated with them owing $62,460.63. The owner had put his life savings into the restraunt and has lost everything, Coras failing is a bit odd and cause for concern considering how popular they are throughout the GTA, usually you will find Coras with a lineup out the door they are that popular. Startup franchises like Little Caesars came and went so fast you may not have not even noticed them. For KFC / Pizza Hut it appears they simply gave up after many years in Bolton and are just closing down.

So what is the problem? Why is Bolton, Ontario Restaurant Franchise Death?

According to the Toronto Sun article the most likely cause is that Bolton simply does not have a large enough population to support businesses in the town. With 27,000 residents Bolton has enough commercial development to service double that and with no new residental developments on the horizon things are unlikely to improve any time soon.

Mayor Marolyn Morrison seems mostly unconcerned and dismissive of the concerns of local businesses struggling and failing saying only that “There are plenty of businesses doing very well here too.” and “Businesses don’t always go under because they have a lack of clientele,” she said. “They go under for other reasons, I will leave it at that.”

According to the town’s official plan Bolton won’t get bigger until 2021 which is a long time away. For the time being franchise restaurants and other businesses will likely continue to struggle and due to the glut of retail space available right now Bolton you likely won’t see any further commercial development which means areas like that large empty field next to Walmart & LCBO will likely sit vacant for a long time.

The Cedar Waxwing bird, a new arrival this year to my Caledon backyard or at the very least I never noticed them until now. These Cedar Waxwing birds started hanging out on this one dead tree and would eat some berries from a bush further below. I took these photos with my big 50-500mm zoom lens and enhanced the lighting on the Photomatix software. Cedar Waxwing birds breed in open wooded areas in North America, principally southern Canada and the northern United States areas. These birds’ most prominent feature is a small cluster of bright red feathers on the wings, the tail is typically yellow or orange depending on diet. The Cedar Waxwing eats berries and sugary fruit year-round, with insects becoming an important part of the diet in the breeding season. For more info on Cedar Waxing birds, click here. Also to see larger photos of each image click on the photos.

Previously I posted some photos of the Cheltenham Brick Works (see the article here), today I have some interior shots to show you what it currently looks like inside. As you can see the buildings are mostly empty and have fallen to disrepair, graffiti and vandalism is also a problem. It also becomes quite apparent from the empty beer bottles/cans that people use the buildings to party at night. There is also evidence of small fires in and around the buildings which worries me a great deal, as you can see in one of the pictures below the wood structure inside is still in very good shape but it wouldn’t take much for a bunch of reckless people starting a fire that could bring the whole thing down. From the outside the buildings still look great but its really a shame more isn’t being done to preserve and perhaps even restore the inside of these historic buildings.

From the Toronto Star:

In the months before she was kidnapped, Raquel Junio had devised a happy plan.

She bought and kept furniture at the Brampton thrift shop where she worked, took the bus to a nearby library after shifts to scour the Internet for apartments and searched for a second job to make extra money.

Coworkers say she was excited about the new home she planned to make for herself and her two children.

Those plans were interrupted last week when the 42-year-old disappeared into the night after witnesses told police she was dragged from her home and forced into a truck.

The people who knew and adored Junio gathered in front of Talize thrift shop on Sunday night for what was supposed to be a vigil of hope and prayer for her safe return. But with news that police found a body that may be hers in a pond 30 kilometres north of her home, the small crowd instead mourned the loss of a dear friend.

Peel Regional Police said an autopsy set for Monday morning could confirm the identity of the body pulled from the Palgrave, Ont., pond and determine the cause of death, though details may not be released immediately.

“She’s not a person you would think this would happen to,” colleague Samantha Salama said through tears.

Salama and other coworkers say Junio was always happy at work.

More than anything, Junio loved her children. As she sorted through new stock at the thrift shop, she would pick out the best toys — Dora dolls, backpacks, a mini shopping cart — to take home for her 3-year-old daughter. She beamed with pride when her son, 14, recently graduated from middle school.

The discovery of a body on Saturday night about 30 kilometres north of Brampton, near Bolton, came hours after police charged a second suspect in the abduction.

Gary Murray, 42, of Brampton, was charged Saturday with kidnapping, forcible confinement and assault. Junio’s estranged husband, Macdermid Ermacora, 43, appeared in court Friday on the same charges. Police said the two men are friends.

Junio’s friends told the Star that she and her husband had been having marital issues.

“She never said anything,” said Ernia Eduria, a cousin who would see Junio at family gatherings three or four times a year. He said his cousin and Ermacora were married four years ago after they met through friends.

Eduria’s wife, Marcy, said when she last saw her husband’s cousin two months ago, Junio asked her for help finding a part-time job.

“I didn’t know anything so I didn’t help her and now I feel so bad,” said Marcy Eduria.

The trouble began at about 1:30 a.m. on Thursday, when police received complaints about a man dragging a woman out of a Deerfield Cres. home.

Police found Ermacora’s truck about 7 a.m. Thursday in a parking lot adjacent to a hotel near Queen St. E. and Rutherford Rd. in Brampton.

Ermacora was taken into police custody shortly thereafter as police searched for Junio.

As investigators combed Brampton, Caledon and Nottawa, south of Collingwood, a Crown attorney urged Ermacora to tell investigators where his wife was. The accused exercised his right not to speak, police said.

Talize manager Pete Bellis said the store will donate a portion of proceeds from a sale event on Monday to Junio’s children.

“We’re really concerned about her children right now,” he said.

If you are looking for a cool snack on a hot summer day then the Happy Days Ice Cream Parlour in Bolton/Caledon, Ontario is the place to go. They have over 32 Flavours of hard ice cream as well as soft ice cream, frozen yogurt, old-fashioned milk shakes and homemade waffle cones. Always a nice place to stop for a quick snack, the prices are reasonable and the portion sizes are very generous. They are located at 33 Queen Street, just north of King Rd. Click here for their website.