Changes!

I originally wanted this blog to be about travelling across Ontario and discovering small little towns and cities along the way. I wanted it to cover every corner of Ontario to show the world how much our province has to offer. My goal was to visit every town and city.

Unfortunately, the past year and a half has been very difficult for me, and pursuing that goal was not an option. However, I don't want to abandon what I've done and I've decided to make some changes to what Rediscover Ontario is about.

I'll be posting an Ontario-related fact every day on Twitter. I'll post news and information about Ontario on this blog and occasionally will post photos on Tumblr.

Rediscover Ontario's readership from its beginning to the present moment has largely been friends and family, with the occasional stumbler here and there. I'd like Rediscover Ontario to be a website that people visit when they want to find a new place to hang out or to find a town/city they can visit during a mini-vacation. I'd like it to be a website where people can share their views on current events and how these events are relevant to living in Ontario. I'd like it to be a place where people can share photos and experiences.

It'll take a long time to build, but I think it's something that I can handle at this point in my life.

Thanks for reading!

Service Centre

On Route Service Centre on the 401 outside of West Lorne, ON.

Sunsets

You may have noticed that I have posted a lot of pictures of sunsets. Here are some more! I took these photos outside of Blenheim, Ontario.

Getting Close to Wind Turbines

Chatham-Kent has many wind turbines that are often far from roads and highways but easily visible from almost anywhere in the area. Driving around the other day, I was able to photograph some wind turbines up close!

Driving into the Sun

Taken on the 403 Highway just outside of Brantford, ON.

Dance Crew at North Buxton's Homecoming

This is a video of the Bucc N Flvr Dance Co at the 87th North Buxton Homecoming in North Buxton, ON.

87th Annual North Buxton Homecoming

Yesterday, I attended the last day of the 87th North Buxton Homecoming in North Buxton, ON. My day there began with the "longest shortest" parade in Chatham-Kent as it is lovingly known as. This is because it is quite a huge parade, but it just runs through the town and ends at the local park.

There was a classic car show, tons of great food, a dance crew, basketball and baseball games and bouncy castles for kids.

Here are a few photos of the event (and for more photos, click here):

More Caffeine: Tim Horton's Introduces New Larger Drink Size

I certainly don't need anymore caffeine. Last night, I went to my local Tim Horton's and asked for my usual "medium double double with sweetener" and when I received my order, my drink was large sized.

Yesterday, I read about Tim Horton's shifting their drink sizes to accommodate a new, larger size, but I thought this was only happening in Kingston and Sudbury.

Perhaps this was a convenient mistake that coincided perfectly with Tim Hortons' transition, but as a result, I didn't sleep until 5AM this morning.

Apparently the cost of the drinks themselves will stay the same, but the names of the sizes have changed. For example, the cost of the old medium is the same price as the new small size (which is the same size as the old medium, but is now called a small).

What do you think? Should Tim Horton's have just kept their old sizes? Or is this an effective way of competing with Starbucks' new Trenta size?

Photo from The National Post

What is this?

Check out London's Page to find out!

Longwoods Road Conservation Area

Last weekend, I went to the Longwoods Road Conservation Area outside of Delaware, ON.

My dad and I drove around looking for Ska-Nah-Doht Iroquoian Village which we couldn't find, but instead we found a few imported log cabins, and some identified plants that can be found in Ontario!

Here are a few more pictures:

Read more about the Longwoods Road Conservative Area here.

Tecumseh Monument

I visited the Tecumseh Monument, located just outside Thamesville, ON. You can read more about Tecumseh here.

Jack Layton at the University of Toronto in 2007

This is a video I took of Jack Layton when he visited the University of Toronto in 2007.

Lightning in Chatham-Kent

Last night, much of southwestern Ontario was anticipating a tornado. It was calm right up until the sun went down when lightning started lighting up the sky. There were flashes of lightning every few seconds! Almost no thunder could be heard, and it rained very little. I believe this is called 'heat lightning' (correct me if I'm wrong). I tried to take some pictures of it, but it wasn't working out. Instead, I decided to film a video while we were driving and the one below is the best one I got. I was able to capture a few actual strikes of lightning, but the majority seem to be lightning occurring far away.

Jack Layton, 2007

A video I took of Jack Layton in 2007 while I was at the University of Toronto

Jack Layton 1950-2011

A great Canadian passed away yesterday. I was fortunate to have seen him in person in 2007 when I was in University. He came to speak to students and our important role in the future of Canada.

He was my favourite politician and the reason why I took an interest in politics in general.

Here are some of the pictures I took in 2007 just outside Sidney Smith Hall at the University of Toronto:

Not only was he a great Canadian, he was also a great Ontarian, residing in Toronto during his last years. We'll never forget the progress he made with the NDP and the impact he left on so many Canadians.

RDHS Welcomes Grades 7 & 8

This September, Ridgetown's only high school, RDHS (Ridgetown District High School) will welcome students going into grades 7 and 8 (previously, the high school had grades 9 through 12). This results from the closing down of one of the elementary schools in the town, Ridgetown Public School.

RDHS has seen a decline in the number of students attending the high school (around 210 at its lowest), and the school was built to hold around 600 (rumoured). The incorporation of grades 7 and 8 will allow the school to be closer to its capacity.

Pictured below, you can see what looks to be like an outdoor area for the grades 7 and 8, as well as the front of the high school.

WAMBO (Wallaceburg Antique Motor and Boat Outing)

Last weekend was WAMBO! I was there on Friday for the parade (which I was lucky enough to take part in), and also for some of the nighttime festivities. I got to hang out with the great people from Wallaceburg's radio station, CKXS 99.1FM and take pictures of some of the classic cars that were part of the parade. Here are some photos, but be sure to check out Wallaceburg's page for more!

It's a NASCAR!

Traffic is stopped (left) as the classic cars in the parade turn around to head back into town.

WAMBO! (and update)

Next weekend is WAMBO! (Wallaceburg Antique Motor and Boat Outing). It is one of the largest transportation shows in Canada and is taking place next Friday, August 12 and runs all weekend. Admission is free and there will be live entertainment and a licensed tent. Check out WAMBO's website for more information.

UPDATE: I've just moved back to Southwestern Ontario and have yet to install internet, but I will be back to regular posting on this website in the coming weeks. I hope you're enjoying the last few weeks of summer!

Ontario Votes: 40th General Election Coming this Fall

Ontario will elect members into the 40th Legislative Assembly on October 6, 2011. Currently, our Premier is Dalton McGuinty of the Ontario Liberal Party, elected in 2007.

I encourage all residents over the age of 18 to vote in this coming election. If you do not feel that you have a strong knowledge of each Party's platform, or of the issues in general, don't let that be an excuse.

I'll be updating this website with campaign news from now until Election Day, but for now, here are some links to websites with information on the Ontario Election:

Elections Ontario
Election Almanac (my favourite website to track the polls)
Ontario Liberal Party
Ontario PC (Progressive Conservative) (requires signing up)
Ontario NDP (New Democratic Party)
Green Party of Ontario
2007 Ontario General Election


Slightly unrelated, I'm still surprised by the Federal Election we had on May 2, 2011. I hope the Ontario Election is as equally exciting. The student Vote Mobs were so inspiring to see, and I expect to see more this fall.

I do intend to volunteer with the party to which I belong, and I will post photos from all the different campaigns.

Ontario's Flag

New: Ontario Photo Card

If you're one of the 1.5 million people in Ontario without a Driver's License or other type of photo identification, Ontario has introduced the Ontario Photo Card.

The card looks similar in design to the old Ontario Driver's Licenses and appears to be blue/purple in colour.

Click here to go to the Ministry of Transportation's website for more information on the new Ontario Photo Card.