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Hot and bothered in Ottawa: controversial museum exhibition explores sex

May 20th, 2012 by Lucy Martin

The new exhibition at the Museum of Science and Technology in Ottawa

Museums. Some love them, others find them dull and stodgy. You could say something slightly similar about sex: some love it, others find the topic upsetting and private.

Well, a traveling show called "Sex: a Tell-all Exhibition" opened Thursday at the Canada Science and Technology Museum, drawing attention (and lots of press) from all sides of the spectrum. It was created by the Montréal Science Centre and is described as unique and award-winning. The website presents it this way: "…a rare opportunity for adolescents to get reliable answers to their questions about sexuality. The exhibition is also of interest to parents, high school teachers and health professionals who work with adolescents."

Perhaps this is the place to say read no further, if you find the subject inappropriate. And don't take your kids either. Those who feel differently may want to check it out.

The same display got positive responses in Montréal and Regina, but feelings hit the fan in Ottawa. Initial local press reports were careful to inform readers what was coming. As the Ottawa Citizen described it on May 11:

There’s certainly nudity in Sex: A Tell-All Exhibition, though no more than your teenager can find in 10 seconds on the Internet, anyway. The point here is to answer questions that teenagers have but might not ask aloud.

Pornographic, no. Graphic, definitely yes.

Kids under age 12 are not admitted without a responsible adult, and even then, it’s strongly discouraged

Negative reactions followed. Even before it opened in Ottawa, Canada's Heritage Minister James Moore was (and remains) critical of the content. The local news-talk station CFRA, had a field day. Some complained the exhibit was just too graphic. Others said the show presented sex with insufficient social/emotional context. The museum largely held its ground, but did pull an animation depicting masturbation and raise the suggested minimum age for unaccompanied viewing from 12 to 16.

In an op-ed of May 17th Andrea Mrozek opined that all that was missing was the concept of sex as part of a wholesome, permanent relationship. (Mrozek is with the Institute of Marriage and Family Canada). As she put it:

There’s a war on sugar and trans fats in Ontario schools. The province is enforcing food regulations with religious zeal in the name of healthier children. There is no holding back when it comes to provincial pronouncements on what’s risky for your child to eat.

Not so with sex, however. There, it’s anything goes. If you feel like it, do it. This is the ethos behind the new SEX: A Tell-all Exhibition, opening Thursday at Ottawa’s museum of science and technology.

Designed by a collection of doctors, psychologists and sexologists in Montreal, this is a world of sex without stigma, to be sure. It’s also a world of sex without privacy, intimacy or connection. Nothing is sacred; everything is physical, and sex is more or less expected.

I have not seen the exhibit yet myself. But just to be provocative, I'll ask, does Mrozek have a point?

Science purports to examine subjects in a value-neutral way (though it does not always succeed). There's a real need for "just the facts" information. Sex certainly can and does happen in a context that ignores convention or emotional commitment. Also, it's pretty clear that societal norms change over time. But don't teens deserve some discussion about the non-mechanical aspects of the activity too? Or is that aspect too contentious, too subjective and hence "unscientific"? (Discuss away!)

Another element of the publicity centers on the subject of Ottawa. If cities have a personality, is Ottawa's that of a prude? Several articles and editorials in the Ottawa Citizen protested that the fuss was overblown and the attitude of most in Ottawa was being misrepresented. (Or, political posturing is one thing, local attitudes are another.)

The exhibit runs through January.

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Ice Hockey: old and new

May 20th, 2012 by Lucy Martin

The quest for the Stanley Cup continues, despite the unhappy fact that no Canadian teams remain in the hunt. A national travesty, to be sure, because in Canada, never mind football, baseball or basketball. Hockey rules. Period.

Other countries love the game too, like Sweden and Russia. But Canadians feel the game is somehow theirs. First, best and last.

Competitive hockey (as we understand it today) is generally dated to 1875, when an indoor game governed by a specific set of published rules was played in Montreal. Less formal ice hockey existed long before that. And field hockey is older still. But ice hockey is often claimed as a Canadian invention.

So, earliest-known depictions of anything resembling ice hockey generate news coverage here.

Earliest ice hockey image shows the game played first not (gulp) in Canada.

Stay with me now as we globe-hop. Postmedia news reporter Randy Boswell writes that two Swedish researchers (sport historians Carl Giden and Patrick Houda) have found an image in Maine which they believe shows hockey being played in England on the frozen Thames, probably in the winter of 1796. Quoting the article:

The engraving of the Thames River skater came to the researchers' attention after a U.S. collector purchased it from an antique shop in Maine. Though the image was printed in 1797, Giden and Houda believe the scene depicted took place in December 1796, when a spell of unusually cold weather swept across Britain and froze rivers and ponds throughout Greater London.

The picture's background even contained a clue — a distinctive obelisk situated on the riverbank behind the skater — that allowed the Swedes to pinpoint the location of the scene as a bend of the Thames near the Kew Observatory west of downtown London.

A second boy seen lacing up his skates is believed to be sitting on the edge of Islesworth Ait, a large, teardrop-shaped island in the middle of the river.

"In 1797, the word 'hockey' had been used in London and its surroundings for about 50 years, replacing the medieval term 'bandy ball,' " the researchers write in an article recently added to their ever-expanding online compendium of hockey history. "The artist's intention must have been to picture a pair of skating hockey-players. Later similar paintings are not known until the 1850s."

Giden told Postmedia News that the image is a "very important discovery," not only because it's "the first engraving of hockey on skates" but because it shows a puck — "or as it was called at this time, a 'bung,' probably made of cork or wood."

Bungs are stoppers or plugs used to cover the circular openings in barrels of rum or other liquids. These objects were known to have been used by shinny players in the 19th century until rubber hockey pucks were introduced in Canada in the late 1800s.

It's an interesting and detailed article, if you've time to read the whole thing.

And the game marches onward! RT (previously known as Russia Today) reports that the International Ice Hockey Federation has just grown to 72 member nations with the addition of Jamaica and Qatar.

The Jamaican Olympic Ice Hockey Federation was founded last winter. The Caribbean country can boast one ice rink and currently has just 20 players.

Meanwhile, the history of the Qatar Ice Hockey Federation is a lot longer, having existed since 2010.

The Gulf country became the third nation from the region after United Arab Emirates and Kuwait to join IIHF.

Does hockey in sunny, hot places seem, well, unnatural to you? What's up with teams from Los Angeles and Phoenix doing as well as they are – is that just weird? Or is it a good thing when a great game grows and spreads across the globe?

Comments -  and predictions for the cup – are welcome.

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Re-purposing in the real world

May 16th, 2012 by Lucy Martin

My book club is currently reading "The Best Laid Plans" by Terry Fallis. Self-published in 2007, the book went on to commercial publication, and won several awards, including CBC Radio One's "Canada Reads" contest in 2011. There's a well-received sequel, a TV mini-series is planned, etc. (Author success story, hooray!)

The plot pairs a burned-out political operative with a crusty, straight-shooting professor of engineering. The engineer ends up, virtually by accident, as a new member of Parliament. Comic satire, set in Ottawa.

Without adding any spoilers (besides the fact they win the election) I'm enjoying it more than I thought I would. The novel takes the idea of doing what's right, minus the political games, and plays around with that – a fairy tale we still cling to and want. A number of plot details, however, strain credulity, to put it mildly.

For example, after taking office, our heroic citizen-MP finds a way to re-purpose a dying shoe factory in his riding (district). It turns out the facility is perfect for manufacturing a brilliant new wireless router – invented by a Canadian, naturally. Or it will be, after a few minor tweaks. Federal funds are also easily arranged to retrain the shoe factory workers for the new endeavor.

Wow. Where do I start? Never mind, you can find your own reasons why that would not generally happen (or work) in real life.

The now-closed Hershey plant in Smiths Falls is still looking for a new purpose. Photo: Adam Gerhard, some rights reserved.

Which leads me to a recent item in the Ottawa Citizen about the old Hershey's chocolate factory in Smiths Falls, Ontario. As a dedicated consumer of chocolate, I miss it dearly. But not nearly as much as the 400 people who lost their jobs there when the plant closed in 2008.

Although the town has other ways to brand itself, such as the Rideau Canal, the closure tore the community's identity. Finding a buyer for the plant that might provide more employment has not been easy either. As the article says:

Hershey has had nothing but trouble trying to unload the 472,430-square-foot facility, located on more than 40 acres of land in Smiths Falls.

In June 2009 the sale of the plant was announced to water bottler Aquablue International of Quebec, and Aquablue founder Manuel da Silva told a lavish press conference that 130 jobs would be created to bottle a yearly 340 million litres of water, almost all of it drawn from Smiths Falls’s municipal water supply. The company also said it would operate a recycling facility and an amusement park at the site.

None of those plans materialized.

Instead, the facility has now been bartered to a holding company, which hopes to find a buyer.

We often read that the old manufacturing economy in the U.S. and Canada has largely been supplanted by service and information sector employment. All sorts of communities worry about the problem of jobs: how to attract them, keep them and make a decent living in the new global economy.

I'd like to think we need the whole ball of wax: raw materials, basic manufacturing, skilled manufacturing, services and informational/brain jobs. (Bottled water is not something I consider a pressing need, but that's just one opinion.)

It's not clear where the North American economy is headed, in that sense. But Smiths Falls, and similar communities, would like to be part of the picture.

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Spring weather swings hurt fruit farmers

May 12th, 2012 by Lucy Martin

These trees look OK - I'm hoping fruit will follow.

Reports in Ontario and Quebec indicate fruit crops have been heavily damaged by this spring's weather fluctuations. As summarized by the Globe and Mail:

Extreme weather over the past few months has had a devastating impact on fruit growers throughout Ontario, Quebec, and northeastern United States. Unusually warm temperatures in March coaxed fruit trees out of their winter dormancy early. Subsequent deep frosts, occurring as recently as late April, damaged the blossoms, crippling their ability to pollinate. In Ontario, the fruit industry is expecting to record tens of millions of dollars in losses, according to early estimates.

Apples, cherries and plums have been hardest hit. In the Georgian Bay area, from Owen Sound to Collingwood, one of the largest apple-growing areas in Ontario that produces about 25 per cent of the province’s apples, growers have lost 80 per cent of their crop, says Brian Gilroy, chairman of the Ontario Apple Growers, which represents growers throughout the province. Some individual growers have been completely wiped out.

Ontario produces around 40 per cent of Canadian apples, and the farm gate value of the province’s apples is about $60-million a year.

Ontario and Quebec are really big provinces, so regional results will vary. "The Packer" (covering the fresh produce industry since 1893) reports the full extent of damage in Ontario won't be clear until June.  The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture fruit production fact sheet says there are approximately 700 apple growers in the province. Half the apples are sold for fresh eating, half are processed.

As reported earlier on NCPR, New York fruit growers were also hurt by weather this spring.

This is my first full spring in North Gower since moving here from Kars last May. I was sad to leave behind fruit trees I'd planted there. Happily, the "new" house came with two mature apple trees in front. This week they're covered with flowers. Lovely! (Our small household was rolling in apples last fall.)

Seeing the blossoms I was assuming my trees had dodged the bullet. But perhaps the buds were damaged in ways I can't see yet? My fingers are crossed.

What's happening with the apple or other fruit trees in your area? Apples have a special appeal, but it's probably a smart idea to diversify in your home garden, if possible. Amy Ivy thinks berries may provide the home gardener's best return on time and effort. (You can hear that conversation with Martha Foley here.)

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"Comiccon" comes to Ottawa May 12-13

May 9th, 2012 by Lucy Martin

Logo of the Ottawa Comicon

For the initiated, the word "comiccon" needs no explaining. For others, think comic book + convention. Yes, geeks and geek-fans. It's almost time to shimmy into your favorite tights or attach those Vulcan ears, Ottawa gets its first such expo, May 12-13. The line-up includes many famous names and artists who've made significant contributions to the art form.

According to the Ottawa Citizen:

Support for Ottawa’s first “Con” has been overwhelming, humbling and phenomenal, says David Newman, vice-president of creative development for Ottawa Comiccon. The 500 VIP tickets giving fans front-of-the-line access to the stars and early entry to the convention sold out within a week.

Newman says the idea to host a Con in Ottawa came from all the Ottawa fans his team had spotted at other Cons in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, and even the world’s largest annual Comiccon in San Diego.

That, and the buzz surrounding Ottawa this year from the NHL All-Star game to the Juno Awards.

“We thought, let’s enter the fray. Let’s throw our hats in there,” says Newman. People from Montreal, Halifax, Newfoundland and New York will travel here for the event. Newman says with the success of this year’s plans, Ottawa can expect the Con to become an annual draw.

The guest list is well, it seems a tad fluid, shall we say? Last week it included Sir Patrick Stewart (Captain Jean-Luc Picard). Apparently he can't come after all. But, wait! Now the top draw will be William Shatner (Captain James T. Kirk), on Saturday only. Others billed as being there include John de Lancie ("Q"), Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk), Brent Spiner (Lieutenant Commander Data), Cassandra Peterson (Elvira), the DeLorean Time Machine from "Back to the Future" and many, many more. It's probably best to check back to verify the latest developments.

I grew up on the original Star Trek series, but just couldn't keep up with the explosion of Star Trek everything that followed. After becoming a parent there was only enough spare time for a little bit of reading or TV – but not both. (Books won.)

I've never been this close to a comicon before, so it's semi-tempting to sample the experience, at least once. On the other hand, I thought Bill Shatner said it very well in a famous Saturday Night Live skit …"Get a life!". (Bonus: Here's Shatner talking about what it's like to work on SNL.)

Coincidentally, I recently finished watching the first (and only) season of Joss Whedon's "Firefly" after months of waiting for that DVD set via the Ottawa Public Library's reservation system. Adam Baldwin, who played Jayne Cobb in that series, is also scheduled for the Ottawa comicon. If you've never seen "Firefly" or the related movie "Serenity", I recommend both.

Would you ever go to a fan event like this? If so, what character or actor would you most like to see?

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Life and death Smurf stories

April 29th, 2012 by Lucy Martin

This is dairy country, on both sides of the border. So when a local cow makes good, it's news. As reported earlier this week, a 15-year-old Holstein named Smurf is being celebrated as the world's best milk producer.

Smurf the Holstein (artist's conception)

Smurf lives at La Ferme Gillette in Embrun, Ontario. Eric Patenaude, a 6th generation herdsman on the large family-run operation, recounted Smurf's story for media consumption.

The record, which she is still adding to, is 216,000 litres. That’s more than enough to provide an eight-ounce glass of milk for every man, woman and child in Ottawa. The average milking cow yields about 35,000 lifetime litres, says Louis Patenaude, Eric’s uncle.

Smurf produces about 50 litres per day. That itself, while very good, is no record. The secret of Smurf’s success, which allowed her to take the record from a cow in Michigan, is consistency. In early May, she will deliver a calf and begin a lactation cycle for the 11th time. Like professional athletes, most cows wear out at some point and break down. They develop lactation trouble, fertility trouble, foot trouble. Not Smurf.

“She’s a trouble-free cow,” says Eric Patenaude.

Smurf now holds the Guinness World Record for milk production. (And let's just admit that Guinness World Records are a social construct, a record of observations that isn't complete or universal, and may not amount to a hill of beans in the bigger scheme of things.) Even so, the designation can reflect noteworthy or unusual results.

In the context of dairy farming, Smurf is loved and pampered. Enter People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. PETA is no fan of dairy practices. Following Smurf's burst of international fame, the Ottawa Citizen reports that PETA sent a letter to Patenaude arguing Smurf should be retired to an approved farmed-animal sanctuary. As PETA spokeswoman Alicia Woempner put it:

“Like all mammals, cows produce milk to feed their babies,” Woempner added, “and other cows, like Smurf, are repeatedly forcefully impregnated and then their deeply loved babies are taken from them within hours of birth.

“We think that after a lifetime of exploiting her for profit, it would be the right thing for Mr. Patenaude to allow Smurf to enjoy a happy retirement with her youngster.”

Patenaude was gracious in his response, calling PETA an organization that does good for some animals.
He said his immediate plans for Smurf aren’t all that dissimilar to what PETA is recommending: the calf that Smurf is currently carrying will stay with her following its birth. “That calf is staying here. I can 110 per cent guarantee the calf will stay with her. He’ll stay with Smurf, on the farm, for as long as he wants — for as long as he lives.

“We want what’s best for Smurf,” he added. “I think she’s reached 16 years because she’s in the right place. We’re the people who know what’s best for Smurf. They want to put her in an animal sanctuary, but I think at this point she is in an animal sanctuary.”

Do you know of an unusually productive cow? I am sure many farmers have soft spots and keep some animals for life.

Reading about this little flurry reminds me of an article in the New York Times this week, about old-age homes for (I kid you not)…chickens. Yes, backyard chickens are "in" but that craze eventually runs into an uncomfortable problem: hens lay eggs for a few years, but can easily live for a decade.
Cruelty may be preventable, but death is guaranteed. Animal or human, the question is not "if"  but "when?" and "how?".  A subject that provokes much debate.

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World record for Canada's Josh Cassidy in Boston Marathon

April 21st, 2012 by Lucy Martin

The fabled Boston Marathon was held for the 116th time this past Monday, April 16. Unseasonably hot temperatures had officials asking runners to take it easy. I guess Ottawa-born Joshua Cassidy didn't get the message, as the 27-year-old artist-athlete not only won the men's wheelchair division but set a new world's record of 1:18:25. Here's a description of the accomplishment from the Ottawa Citizen:

Still capture from Josh Cassidy video embedded below. Videographer: Colin Cameron

“Without a shadow of a doubt,” Cassidy’s agent, David Burdus, said in a telephone interview. “He didn’t just win, but he demolished the field by himself. He powered his way to victory. He did it all by himself. It’s huge to do it without help.

“He has worked so hard. He spent New Year’s Eve in the gym, he’s so determined. Everyone says he’s good and he just proved it. Now, he’s a world beater.”

I saw a news item about the win that morning, but figured by waiting a bit there would be additional information to share in a blog post. So, belatedly, here's more on Cassidy and his big race from the Boston Globe:

On a day when the heat was the No. 1 topic, the 27-year-old Canadian essentially ignored it. He obliterated the field, respectfully dismissing nine-time champ Ernst Van Dyk between the 4- and 5-mile mark, then creating significant space between himself and his three staunchest competitors, Australian Kurt Fearnley and the Japanese duo of Kota Hokinoue and two-time winner Masazumi Soejima. He could have crossed the finish line and done a victory lap around the Public Garden before anyone else made it to the end.

You can see more about Cassidy's artistic and athletic endeavors at his website.

I'm acquainted with a dedicated bicyclist who is currently using a wheelchair while recovering from a serious crash. It's an eye-opener to see what sort of effort and adaptations are required. For example, wheelchairs are expensive. Good ones cost even more. Good ones that can take a pounding over hundreds of training and race miles…we're talking about serious equipment expenses.

And here's another thing to consider: when a runner gets shin splints, or hurts a knee, or whatever, he or she can still pretty much function in daily life. When a wheelchair user hurts a hand/arm/shoulder, it's really bad news. And yet more and more "disabled" men and women are tackling this difficult athleticism. Speaking as a high school runner (and one-time marathon finisher) who can only complain about middle-age spread, it's pretty humbling.

Here's a nice video about Josh Cassidy made by Oakville, Ontario Gr. 8 student Colin Cameron in 2011.

In the women's wheelchair race, American Shirley Reilly edged Japan's Wakako Tsuchida. Diane Roy, 41, from Lac-des-Aigles, Que., finished third.

And here's a whole slew of 2012 marathon coverage from the Boston Globe.

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Senators-Rangers bring it to Ottawa tonight

April 16th, 2012 by Lucy Martin

The New York Rangers and the Ottawa Senators split 2 games at Madsion Square Garden in the first-round Eastern Conference series this past week. It all comes Ottawa's Scotiabank Place for game 3 tonight. And media reports, like this article from the Globe and Mail, say it's getting pretty hot and heavy, especially after Sens captain Daniel Alfredsson was injured in game 2.

It was not clear Sunday whether Alfredsson would return to the lineup. The injury could conceivably have a galvanizing effect on the team, should captain-in-waiting Jason Spezza be able to elevate his game to compensate.

“It’s going to get more intense as the series goes on,” Spezza predicted. “The temperature is obviously rising.”

“It’s going to get elevated every night,” Boyle of the Rangers promised.

Regardless of whatever action Shanahan might take, it seemed the tone had been set for the rest of the series.

“This is old time hockey,” said Zenon Konopka, a serial fighter also inserted into Ottawa’s lineup Saturday. “There are going to be a lot of stitches and blood before this one is done. It’s going to be a fun series.”

Meanwhile, the Toronto Star reports that

Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson was back on the ice on Monday, taking in the morning skate prior to Monday night’s Game 3.

And that’s sure to get the blood boiling of the New York Rangers, who’ll be without the services of winger Carl Hagelin.

Hagelin was suspended for three games for elbowing Alfredsson in Game 2. Alfredsson, who has a history of concussion problems, left the game and did not return.

NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan said in an interview on a New York radio station that he was told by Ottawa doctors that Alfredsson’s status was unknown, that he could be out a day or a year

Any comments on this match up, the officiating and suspension, or predictions on the outcome?

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Shawinigan Handshake – had one yet?

April 15th, 2012 by Lucy Martin

A bottle of old "Shawnigan Handshake."

Ah, the off-beat story! All the better with content that is also sensational or humorous. Good fodder for readers and water cooler conversations. That must explain why many papers in Canada carried a recent item about a new beer called "The Shawinigan Handshake".

The story makes light of an incident in 1996 when Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chrétien put…something, let's postulate it was a choke hold….on anti-poverty protester Bill Clennett. No one got a very good view of the incident (which took place in a crowd amid noisy demonstration) but you can see most of it for yourself in this news video.

The beer's maker is quite excited about the marketing potential, and indeed, the limited run quickly sold out. Jean Chrétien seems quite amused.  As one might expect, the man on the receiving end, Bill Clennett, is appalled.

I blogged earlier about a charity boxing match that generated interest across Canada. There were other fights on the card that same night. Journalist turned academic Declan Hill was a participant. He wrote an interesting essay about the experience, sub-headed by the Ottawa Citizen as a "debate about the nature of Canadian identity and our historic reputation as fighters".

Having brought the topic up, now I'm faced with a couple of choices: follow the high-minded tendency to take violence very seriously, condemn it as barbaric and hope for the day when evolutionary enlightenment leaves that primitive stage far behind.

Or I can lighten up and say life's messy, often crude, it takes all types to make a world…just roll with it.

I must be becoming more and more Canadian myself. Because (even though I don't personally like beer!) I find myself wanting to compromise and include both views.

Violence …bad! Beer…good! Humor…essential!

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Boating news: possible schedule changes for Rideau Canal

April 14th, 2012 by Lucy Martin

Visiting steamboat at Smiths Falls locks, 2007

All manner of federal agencies are adjusting to tighter budgets across Canada. Of regional interest, the Rideau Canal National Historic Site and eight other canals operated by Parks Canada may shift operating schedules in response.

The Rideau Canal's boating season is still set to open May 18. Carol Sheedy, Parks Canada's vice-president of operations for Eastern Canada, told the Ottawa Citizen :

"…the canal could close earlier than its scheduled date of Oct. 10, depending on the results of Parks Canada’s monitoring and analysis over the summer.

Next year, though, both the opening and closing dates could be affected, Sheedy said. “There has really been no final decision made at this time. There are quite a few different scenarios.”

Asked about rumours that the boating season could be reduced by between one and three months, she replied: “No, that’s absolutely not correct.”

Hunter McGill, chairman of Friends of the Rideau, regrets any reductions in service:

“A lot of tourism in Eastern Ontario is keyed around the Rideau Canal,” McGill said. “If the season is shortened and that element of the attractiveness of the canal is reduced, gee whiz, I would feel sorry for those folks. I think it’s really a pity. It’s kind of short-sighted.”

According to Sheedy, canal use has declined by about one third over the past 25 years, making some adjustments logical.

Sheedy denied that Parks Canada’s moves will result in reduced access to the canal. “We’re simply aligning the season to meet the patterns of use in order to provide services when they’re most highly required. It’s a realignment that’s similar to what private sector attractions or even public sector attractions do based on changing patterns of use.”

This year will see many commemorative events surrounding the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812. The canal was built as a sort of "never again" response to that conflict, a way to ensure vital waterways would be less vulnerable to conflict with Canada's neighbors to the south.

The canal was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007, which coincided with the canal's 175th anniversary. Between skating in Ottawa in winter, and boating all the way down to Kingston in summer and fall, the scenic canal continues to play a major role in recreational and tourist activities for the region.

Boaters, do you ply these waters? What, if anything, would make Canada's canals more attractive to you?

While we're at it, if you were faced with a mandate to reduce operational expenses on the Rideau Canal, how would you accomplish that? Are there good ideas, or efficiencies, that are being overlooked?

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