The Great Canadian Towns and Villages Thread

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by megadude

Yeah, Almonte is one or two pages back. I was pleasantly surprised by how nice it was. I stopped on the river to cast a few times and talked to two anglers practicing fly flshing. They came up from Ottawa for the day.

Virtually all the towns I stopped in that had a main street was at the very least pretty decent. Pretty low vacancy. Good to see. You can tell there's a great deal of pride to keep things looking pretty or at least maintained. Those smaller "settlements" that had a handful of businesses at most, that were spread out, those were the ones that had abandoned places. Actually, some were probably still operational but kind of looked abandoned. It makes for an interesting aesthetic when observing, but you'd rather they be fixed up and functioning if you lived there. I always wonder about the back story. And who owns it at the moment, paying property tax on it to sit empty. Are there any plans at all?

Property taxes in a lot of those sparsely populated areas are very low as municipal governments barely exist. They're often skeleton operations with a handful of staff and very limited services offered. I went to a seminar on local planning issues once and it was casually mentioned that Frontenac County believes that in its northern areas, less than half of built structures have proper permits due to a lack of planning staff and enforcement resources. Bylaws exist but are almost never enforced. Most of the municipal electorate in these areas are non resident cottage owners (who don't really care about anything other than their tax bill as they don't have to live there), or are right wing "back off government" types, so as far as voters are concerned, everything is fine.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

reminds me of the Screaming Tunnel (featured in "The Dead Zone" movie), in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

That's actually the one I was trying to reference, and I couldn't remember the "name" of it. Thanks!

[ScreamingViking]

I wonder about the histories behind these buildings. What is their story? I imagine they were busy places at one time long ago.

Originally Posted by megadude

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by megadude

And the multiple diagonal streets made it interesting. And confusing at the lights.

That reminds me of a few places in southwestern Ontario where the provincial highways meet the streets at odd angles. Tavistock came to mind because I drove through there a couple of times in the spring, though I recall its centre being less impressive than Stirling's.

It's also interesting to me the way many of these towns were bisected by railways that have been long since ripped-up. Many still have an original train station preserved or being used for a different purpose, with rail bridges converted for pedestrian use.

My ex mother-in-law moved to Stirling more than 20 years ago. She originally had a nice old house in Brighton on a quiet street. But the one she moved to was very nice as well, large and old but had been renovated with additions at various points in its history... it fit the "business" she was trying to run, her property taxes were much lower (to 1overcosc's point) and at the time she was able to own the Stirling house outright without a mortgage. It was a nice drive there. Anyway, the photo of the Gay Lea plant brought back those memories.

Thank you for sharing all these!

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

I wonder about the histories behind these buildings. What is their story? I imagine they were busy places at one time long ago.

This region of Ontario once had a lot more tourist traffic. Back in the day, airfare was very expensive so working class people would have their vacations in Muskoka, Haliburton, Frontenac County, etc. People who couldn't afford cottages would take trips to fishing lodges, motels, etc in these areas.

Airfare has become cheaper, activities like hunting & fishing have become culturally less popular, back country camping has fallen out of style in favor of car camping, and the GTA has a lot more immigrant families who prioritize trips back home for summer vacations over domestic tourism. All of these things means the tourist economy of the Ontario wilderness is a hallow remnant of what it once was, leaving behind many abandoned buildings.

Another factor is that regulations have gotten a lot stricter in these areas which has made a lot of these wilderness hobbies less accessible. Until the 1970s families could rent an acre of crown land to build a hunt camp; this is now illegal and only those grandfathered in have those hunt camps. The old, rustic lakefront cottages that people would build in a weekend with their buddies are now illegal as such structures now require the same permits as houses in the city do. These changes have made it a lot harder for newer demographics (like the millions of New Canadians in the GTA) to get involved in this sort of tourism even if they're interested.

COVID and the rise of hybrid working has led to a slight revival of this region. Much of it is close enough to Ottawa, Kingston, Peterborough, etc. for hybrid commuting to be possible and some younger folks have moved in. Some of the townships out there showed population growth in the 2021 census after a half century or more of nonstop decline. But I don't think it's much than a blip.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

This region of Ontario once had a lot more tourist traffic. Back in the day, airfare was very expensive so working class people would have their vacations in Muskoka, Haliburton, Frontenac County, etc. People who couldn't afford cottages would take trips to fishing lodges, motels, etc in these areas.

Airfare has become cheaper, activities like hunting & fishing have become culturally less popular, back country camping has fallen out of style in favor of car camping, and the GTA has a lot more immigrant families who prioritize trips back home for summer vacations over domestic tourism. All of these things means the tourist economy of the Ontario wilderness is a hallow remnant of what it once was, leaving behind many abandoned buildings.

Another factor is that regulations have gotten a lot stricter in these areas which has made a lot of these wilderness hobbies less accessible. Until the 1970s families could rent an acre of crown land to build a hunt camp; this is now illegal and only those grandfathered in have those hunt camps. The old, rustic lakefront cottages that people would build in a weekend with their buddies are now illegal as such structures now require the same permits as houses in the city do. These changes have made it a lot harder for newer demographics (like the millions of New Canadians in the GTA) to get involved in this sort of tourism even if they're interested.

COVID and the rise of hybrid working has led to a slight revival of this region. Much of it is close enough to Ottawa, Kingston, Peterborough, etc. for hybrid commuting to be possible and some younger folks have moved in. Some of the townships out there showed population growth in the 2021 census after a half century or more of nonstop decline. But I don't think it's much than a blip.

Our highway network and vehicle technologies must have played a role too, at least in terms of trips through many of those towns. So those buildings that look like they were at one time automobile repair/service/fuel stops had no more reason to exist.

If only their walls could talk though.

[megadude]

Lots of good points being made.

I must say, there's something romantic about driving the regional roads where you pass through from town to town as opposed to the highway. When I drive back from cottage country, and I'm getting tired because the 400 is so monotonous, I have to take the next exit and start taking 27 down. That will keep me awake even though I've seen all those little towns and same scenery dozens of times. But the droning on of the highway is almost like a white noise.

Even when I briefly drove the 401 to go from Cornwall to Chesterville, I started to feel sleepy. But when I exited onto some boring country road, it actually invigorated me. Got to see lots of unique houses and those dilapidated businesses and barns that while ugly, actually give off a rustic charm.

[megadude]

Campbellford:

For the last pic, imagine if karate, Video 99 and a gas station all existed in the same place at the same time. You have a karate lesson, then go rent Karate Kid on the way out, but buy a pack of smokes from behind the counter and put $30 of gas on pump number 2.

Gotta say though, in these towns, the signage is so beautiful, charming or nostalgic. A coworker of mine said his after his parents split up, his mom moved from Oakville to Port Dover. She opened up a sign shop. Those small town and country folk really take their signs seriously. They want beautifual storefront signs and they want family name sign on their door or porch or mailbox. And they're willing to pay good money for quality custom work.

[megadude]

Norwood:

[megadude]

Hastings:

[megadude]

Warkworth:

[FrAnKs]

My pictures of Peggy's Cove from 2 weeks ago

[hipster duck]

Originally Posted by megadude

I must say, there's something romantic about driving the regional roads where you pass through from town to town as opposed to the highway. When I drive back from cottage country, and I'm getting tired because the 400 is so monotonous, I have to take the next exit and start taking 27 down. That will keep me awake even though I've seen all those little towns and same scenery dozens of times. But the droning on of the highway is almost like a white noise.

Of all the major highways that lead out of Toronto, the 400 is my least favourite. It's very straight (therefore boring), and has numerous chokepoints where you can count on it being congested - not just on the weekends but all the time. The first is around Hwy 9 and down into the Holland Marsh, and the second is getting into Barrie around Innisfill. It's also been a perpetual construction site for years and will continue to be so.

Getting to Collingwood is especially tedious if you follow the standard 400 -> Hwy 26 route. Why isn't there a 4-lane highway towards Collingwood/Wasaga even on the books?

For my sanity, I find that following Airport road, which connects up with the 26 in Stayner to be visually interesting and generally moves pretty well.

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by megadude

Hastings:

Every single time I go through some little town or village with an old shop front building with apartments above it, like this one, I can't help but wonder two things:

1. Who lives there?
2. What would it be like to buy a place like that and commandeer the entire floorspace for a dwelling of my own? (Edit: I meant the entire floorspace of one or more of the floors above the ground floor only).

[Innsertnamehere]

At least in the town I grew up in those were half dilapidated units full of the demographics you would expect in the cheapest apartments in town.

That, or just entirely vacant. My high school girlfriends parents owned one of those 3-storey storefronts and the upper two storeys were just a gutted shell.

[megadude]

Since I love looking at the messy backs of the buildings that front the main street, I sometimes see the residents of those kinds of apartments hanging out in the back. Pretty rare though, so yeah, it might be that most of those units in certain places are actually vacant. For the odd time I see someone come out of them, it's clear they are not from the upper echelon of society. You can also come up with the same conclusion from time to time based on the cars I see parked there under the staircase or fire escape.

[megadude]

Loving the colours of the east coast, which once again puts everyone else to shame making me wonder why the ROC can't have that colourful vibrancy.

[megadude]

Okay, so just discovered there's another trailer park in Mississauga. This one is on Derry across from YYZ. And like the other two, it's surrounded by commercial properties. In this case it's light industrial. At least it has trees in the back. Saw that one was listed for $200k two years ago but others have been listed in the past for $400k.

Originally Posted by megadude

There was at one point two trailer parks in Mississauga. One closed in 2011 and the other was slated as of 2017 to also be redeveloped. Been about three years since I drove past that second one so not sure if it's still there.

They are/were both right smack dab in the middle of residential/commercial/industrial developments so they seemed completely out of place. And neither was obvious when passing by due to being tucked back or even behind other buildings. And both were on Dundas, which is a high volume major commercial road. They could both be described as enclaves.

The older one was more like TPB's Sunnyvale. Dirt/gravel road with old, small trailers. The other one had a mix and some looked like modular homes. And the roads paved. I must admit, I drove through both out of curiosity.


JIM WILKES / TORONTO STAR


STEVE RUSSELL / TORONTO STAR


https://toronto.citynews.ca/2007/05/...cing-eviction/


Richard Lautens / TORONTO STAR file photo


Tina Mackenzie/CBC


https://vikpahwa.com/tag/trailer-park/

[FrAnKs]

Originally Posted by megadude

Loving the colours of the east coast, which once again puts everyone else to shame making me wonder why the ROC can't have that colourful vibrancy.

I agree! At least, Québec City seems to be a ''transition'' between the lack of clours towards the continent and the colourful homes of the Atlantic provinces.

[le calmar]

Originally Posted by megadude

Saw that one was listed for $200k two years ago but others have been listed in the past for $400k.

Imagine spending $400K on one of those at the peak and not even owning the land thinking real estate prices will only go up forever and you're at risk of being priced out if you don't buy anything now, only to see the value of your property drop by half a few years later.

There's a trailer park in Ottawa's West End that is soon going to be semi-surrounded by new condo development. Probably a matter of time before the development absorbs the trailer park. And it looks like 90% of those trailers have been Frankensteined with various additions and modules that would make it exceedingly hard to move them out of there.