Canadiana

 

 

As the last load of stuff is "stuffed" into the GMC above and the apartment in Barrie Ontario is closed out for good and the keys turned in, I thought I'd take a break and talk about life here in central Ontario and some of the things that might be a bit different.

The first is the post office. In most larger cities the post office is collocated with the Shoppers drugstore chain which is really convenient. Open most of the week and carrying everything from drugs to magazines and food it is really great to have the post office right in the store as well. In smaller towns you might have a separate post office, but here in Ontario the Shoppers connection is really the norm.

The next red building to the left in the pic below is Home Hardware. While we have Lowes and Home Depot here the Home Hardware is more similar to the Ace chain in the states ... smaller, more personal, and always have that part you just couldn't find anywhere else.

In the same strip will be the LCBO or Liquor Control Board Ontario. If you need whiskey, beer, and wine this is the place you must go but the time they are a changing. Until last year you had to go to the Beer Store (clever name) to get beer and at LCBO you could get everything.

Now Walmart can sell some beer brands and some grocery stores are beginning to offer Ontario wines and some beers. Still if you want to browse all brands available here in the province your best bet is still the LCBO. All pricing is controlled by the province so there's no difference where you get it and there's no deals or big sales .... all other places must still get their alcohol from LCBO or the beer conglomerate.

A definite Canadian outlet is the local Canadian Tire store and we have no comparison to it in the states. It reminds me of some of the old White Auto stores that were in a lot of smaller towns. These guys are in every city here and offer everything from the basic auto stuff to camping, gardening, home repair, and like the one below even clothing ... really a direct competitor to Walmart.

And of course Hudson's Bay Company, in business since the 1600's it is a mainstay of a medium to higher end clothing store and one we frequent often. And like elsewhere we've lost all the Sears and also the Target stores. Target came in a couple of years ago but couldn't keep up with Walmart so sold off all its properties. Cabela's and Bass Pro have made a large increase in their presence here.

That's a very brief smattering of a few place that still make Ontario unique. The shot below from yesterday, while not unique to Ontario really highlights the farming nature of where we live as we pass by this farm every time we go into Barrie ... and the dandelions are in full bloom right now.

As a parting shot here is our friend Dave's coach and the hammock arrangement for his six Siamese cats all hanging from the front window ... gotta love the kitties.

Yesterday and today were about 80 degrees and around 60 at night so spring has finally taken a firm hold ... time to get out and enjoy!