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Tossing Pebbles in the Stream

This blog is my place to sit and toss pebbles into the stream. The stream of Life relentlessly passing before us. We can affect it little. For the most part I just watch it passing and follow the flow. Occasionally, I need to comment on its passing, tossing a pebble at it to enjoy the ripple affect upon Life's surface.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Next Year in Canada

Next year the G 8 meeting of countries will be in Canada. Recent news is that the G 8 countries will focus on issues of security. The G 20 group of countries, which just met in Pittsburgh, will become the international institution to focus on the World's economy. I assume both fiscal and social. It has been announced that the two groups will be held at the same time together next year in Canada. The G 8 may eventually disappear, replaced by the G 20. Time will tell.

These organizations of World leaders will meet at a Muskoka resort near the small community of Huntsville, which is a two hour drive south of where I live as you travel toward Toronto from here.

They will meet at the posh Deerhurst Inn Resort. The video below will give you a bird's eye view of this first class resort. I am sorry, I see such developments as a scar upon the landscape and with two golf courses is has to be bad for the environment. I guess the rich and famous need places to play. It can't be all bad. Shania Twain got here start as a big time performer here.

If you squint and try to ignore the resort you will get some idea of the beautiful countryside of water and forest upon the Canadian shield. Just north of Huntsville is Algonquin Park, Ontario's first Provincial Park is a highlands area of forest and lakes in which eight local rivers have their headwaters. It is a wonderful camping and canoeing park.







This video is largely a golfing commercial. The resort has a full range of activities for everyone.
If you would rather see a video about the range of activities at Deerhurst go here, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzQ01xuMhRs


Huntville is all abuss about the meeting at Deerhurst as it is a great economic boost for the area. It apparently costs $300,000 to put on one of this meetings. I guess it goes without saying that Deerhurst is in the political riding of a leading Conservative politician, Tony Clement. Gee, what a coincidence.! With any luck our Conservative government will not be in power next year and Prime Minister Stephen Harper will have lost his job and been sidelined.

Last time one of these meetings, was held it was in one of Alberta's extensive resort areas Kananaskis in the foothills of the Rockies. I think I read they spent $400,000.

I imagine one of the reasons for picking a remote rural setting for this meeting is that it makes security a little easier. Protesters will have trouble finding housing nearby and a security parimeter around this private property can be set up more easily established than in a city.

Unfortunately, by Canada hosting these events in a rural setting reinforces the international reputation of Canada as a resource based economy and Canadians as hewers of wood and drawers of water." An urban setting would have been more representative of the reality of the lives of most Canadians. For Torontonians Huntville is the "North Country" and few venture further. As one who lives a little beyond there I hope they don't find their way further North for
many years to come. The Temagami Region is quite spectacular and even more wilderness than the Algonquin Park region. For now, we are left alone but the day is coming with the highway improvementsand eventually a substantial upgrade of the Ontario Northland Railroad, our region may become Toronto's new "wilderness" playground.

For now, I can be left with my fantasy life as a hewer of wood and drawers of water, living close to Nature.

Note: Here are a couple or literary references to the phrase, "hewer of wood and drawer of water." They both speak to me and my ambiguous feelings about life and its meaning for me.

No,' said Nicholas, 'and for that reason poverty should engender an honest pride, that it may not lead and tempt us to unworthy actions, and that we may preserve the self-respect which a hewer of wood and drawer of water may maintain, and does better in maintaining than a monarch in preserving his.
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby by Dickens, Charles View in context

I, who preached contentment with a humble lot, and justified the vocation even of hewers of wood and drawers of water in God's service--I, His ordained minister, almost rave in my restlessness.
Jane Eyre by Bronte, Charlotte

6 Comments:

At 9:28 p.m., Blogger KGMom said...

Philip--I am with you on despising (most) golf courses.
I remember hearing George Carlin, the comedian, say that as long as there are homeless people, golf courses should be banned. Take them over, he said, erect tents and house the homeless.

 
At 8:18 a.m., Blogger Peggy said...

thank you for the link. It was the right song. It was the song sang at my aunts funeral and I have been searching for it.

 
At 10:25 p.m., Blogger Berni said...

Thanks Phillip for your thoughtful comment on my blog regarding prayer and our friend with cancer.

 
At 1:45 p.m., Blogger Tom said...

I have the last 4 posts Philip... you can blame my grand children and knitting on that.. but I have had an interesting half hour catching up on your posting..
I bet that was a nice meeting you had with a fellow blogger..

Tom

 
At 8:29 a.m., Blogger amelia said...

Deerhurst is so beautiful but I despise who they cater to and what goes on there.
I know there is a big push to get the highway finished and looking good for the G8 but all I see is more desecration and as John Denver put it, 'more scars upon the land'.

 
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