Women Are Persons! in Ottawa

Does the word 'Persons' include female persons? This was the questions posed by five Canadian women in 1927 and again in 1928, in a petition to the Canada Supreme Court, with the goal of having women appointed to the Senate. Well, recognised as "persons" first within the Canadian Constitution, then to represent their constituents in Parliament.

These five women became known as The Famous Five, or even The Valiant Five, and really led the way in Canada, and indeed the former British Empire, for women's rights and recognition.

I came across their statues at Parliament Hill in Ottawa on my visit last year, and have since read up a little about their plight, and backgrounds.

The 5 included Emily Murphy, who was the first female judge in the British Empire, being appointed Magistrate in the Edmonton Juvenile Court. Nellie McClung was a teacher, a social worker, and elected onto the Alberta legislature. Irene Parlby was the second woman in Canada to hold a ministry position, and also had worked with the Red Cross during World War I.

Louise McKinney was the first women elected onto the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, which was also the first woman in Canada and the British Empire. Henrietta Edwards was an advocate for working women, served with the Red Cross also, and working within property law to protect women and children and their rights.

Eventually, in 1929, the Court decided that yes, in fact, women were "Persons", and the decision became known as the 'Persons Case'.

Four months after the ruling, the first women was appointed to the Senate, although this was none of the five that led the campaigning.

The work of these five women, regardless of their personal views on other matters which seems to be a focus in the reading I have done about them, clearly paved a path for women's rights in Canada and the Commonwealth. And their personalities seem to be captured in this lasting monument to their role.

Views Of The CN Tower

How fast a year seems to go! It’s 12 months now since I finished up my Summer in Toronto, and headed back home to Melbourne via New York City and the US Open. A year! To mark the occasion, I am going to give you a selection of the view I was most enamoured with in TO – the glimpse of the CN Tower from all areas of the city.

Right from my first walk around the city on my first weekend, I always got a rush from spotting it. Even in the everyday walk to and from work at the Hospital - I would spot it from the park, and then the view towards the city centre from University Avenue.

There was also a buzz from seeing it lit up at night, and it changing it's colours. The light show gets started just at dusk and runs much of the evening every hour on the hour. It also lights up different colours to commemorate different national holidays and events, which is actually pretty cool. To assist with bird migration, the lighting is dimmed during the autumn months! Wow!

I guess the CN Tower in Toronto is like Big Ben in London and the Empire State Building in NYC. Like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. That iconic view you look for in the skyline, that tells you where you are.

I remember being a little resistant to going up inside the tower, because I thought that doing that to get a view of the city would be missing the very item of the skyline that you were standing within. Although, it was totally worth the visit!

But one of the best views, of course, remains the one you get from across Ontario Lake on the Toronto Islands.

A year! Seems like no time at all, and yet an age ago all at the same time! I will have to include Toronto again for a visit next year - surely that will fit in with a ticket home from anywhere I may go! Would love to catch up with the people I met when I was there, and also get a glimpse of the CN Tower again!

Summer In Toronto

It’s been a year since I set off on my 3.5 months of living in Canada for their Summer, to complete my MSW placement for uni. As Summer approaches in Toronto now, and the word ‘patio’ is popping into regular conversation, these are the things I found to do and see in the city that made my Summer over there so much fun!

I loved Doors Open Toronto, as an introduction to so many different and diverse places around the city, with a bit of history, and quirky details about some of the buildings. That’s how I knew about the temperature forecast being broadcast from the spire on the Canada Life Building! It was a great chance to trek around the city to different areas, and familiarise myself with the transport system, and some areas of the city. This year it is on next weekend, May 25 and 26. Definitely check out the Winter Garden Theatre over that weekend, if you get the chance – gorgeous!

Baseball fever was in full force last year, with the Blue Jays doing quite well. Well, at least for the start of the season! It was pretty easy to get tickets, and the stadium has an unusual sliding roof which was worth checking out as part of the atmosphere of a match, and is just at the foot of the CN Tower.

North By North East, or NXNE, is a festival of music, film and interactive forums, and this year will be on June 12th til 16th. Last year, headliners The Flaming Lips were amazing in Yonge Square, and this event over the 5 days let me explore a host of music venues whilst sampling local, Aussie, and international bands. Plus I managed to see a few of the films shown also, which were well worth the festival pass.

The 1000 Tastes of Toronto has changed to a school kids JuniorChef-style event for this year (June 15 and 16) called Future Tastes Of Toronto: At The Kids Table, where you can wonder around the Distillery District and sample dishes for $5, made by a top chef and a little apprentice. It is still part of the Luminato Festival – which will be on June 14 to 23 - which looks like it will be bigger and better, and restyled, this year.

I was in Montreal for Canada Day holiday last year, but I would recommend trying to get to Ottawa for the music and light festival on the lawn of Parliament Hill for July 1st. Feist was the headliner there last year, so it clearly pulls some great names – and there are plenty of amazing Canadian acts that are possibilities for this gig. (Actually, it sounds like you will be hearing Call Me, Maybe this year!)


I was lucky enough to be invited to cover the Roundhouse Craft Beer Fest last year on my blog, and in 2013 it will be on again on August 10 and 11. This will surely be bigger in it’s sophomore year, so keep your eyes peeled for what they have in store. A great chance to sample some of the smaller breweries from the state of Ontario.

Ohhh, I would so love to pop into Tim Horton’s for an Iced Capp! Yum!

Patios (that’s a beer garden for the rest of the world, or a balcony outside, or even just a strip of the footpath!), will be EVERYWHERE very soon, and there is nothing like a Sunday Session in the sun in TO. And there are so many great options!

There is also the host of outdoor cinema venues that pop up all over the city, including the free one in Yonge Square. Of course, a visit to Toronto Islands, and High Park are ones to be planned for at least once during these Summer months ahead, just gorgeous! Toronto, like Melbourne and London and NYC, always have something going on, something to get involved with, and a new neighbourhood of activities to explore.

Enjoy the Summer over there!

The Gorgeous Library of Parliament Hill

The round, domed section of the Centre Block of Parliament Hill in Ottawa contains one of the most beautiful libraries I have ever walked into. It’s circular form, vaulting ceilings, and pine stacks lining the walls, in addition to the natural light flooding in from the windows all the way around, is just beautiful.

The exterior is equally as impressive, with it’s Gothic style and stone detail. From across the river, it is spectacular as it juts out from the uniform structure of the Centre Block of Parliament Hill, and like nothing I have seen before. Then walking around it’s edge on the actual grounds of Parliament Hill it loomed above

This section of the Parliament buildings was spared the fire in 1916 that destroyed the rest of it. The story told on our tour was that as the building was being evacuated, the caretaker of the library and the last person to leave the room, closed the iron door behind him. And that’s why it still stands today in it’s magnificent glory. A fire lesson for us all!

The smell of pine, the hush of such a grand reading room, and the presence of the royal fittings from London to remind the Canadian government of it’s Commonwealth heritage, including a bust of Queen Elisabeth II, was all so grand.

This tour of Parliament Hill was one of my favourite parts of my long weekend exploring the other Eastern cities of Canada.

Back To School

One of my favourite food finds in Toronto happened on my very last weekend there - always the way, isn't it! I followed the recommendation found on Crystal-Clear, and took Katie and Kylie on a trek to get there.

This find was also part of a quest to find a good brunch spot in the city, after a few disappointments. Of course, during the week leading to this last weekend one of my work colleagues gave me a massive list of places for brunch which she recommended. Oops! Just too late to get to them all.

School, however, made up for my other brunch fails.  Up near Dufferin in the West, we earnt our meals by walking up there, in the sun and humidity.

The restaurant is in full theme, with so many great and quirky details, and was packed on the morning we were there. The waitresses are in school uniforms, there are clocks adorning one wall, pages of school work hanging from the light fittings, and the drinks are served in beakers! So cool!

The food is amazing. Completely taken in by Crystal's review, I chose the toasted stuffed croissant with trout and scrambled eggs - it was a deal with that photo of hers and the hollandaise!

The counters all had loads of baked treats to choose from too, which we somehow managed to resist.  With the brunch menu served until 4pm on the weekends, I am so sad to have not discovered this place earlier!

Loved the attention to theme in the detail, the fast service, and the range of choices on the menu. I think it would be worth going here for Detention, too, and checking our their cocktail list!

Patched Multicultural Faces In Toronto

These patched faces of children, on a signal box across the road from the AGO, was a piece of street art I passed every day on the way to work in Toronto, and loved!  I actually thought it was a once off, but towards the end of my Summer I saw a few more of these multicultural faces around.

The patches, bringing together so many cultures into the one face, is such a true outlook of the mix of people, faces and cultures that Toronto has to share.  One of the comparisons people make it that this aspect of the city is very much like Melbourne, which is so true.

Such a symbol of togetherness, acceptable, and the future!  They just seem to come together so well.  Great art pieces!

Two of Canada's Big Things

My love of Aussie Big Things is clear, so whilst in Canada I was on the lookout for some similar spectacles of art and culture!  The Canadians do indeed have a truckload of them around the country, which would add to any epic roadtrip.  Alas, I only really came across two in my 3.5 months over there...

The Big Spider, called Maman and is the work of sculptor Louise Bourgeois, can be found stalking the forecourt of the National Gallery of Canada, in Ottawa.  She's pretty impressive!

I am not sure if I can really count this one, but it meets the criteria - it is roadside and it is bigger than the actual item it is depicting.  The Big Thimble is on a corner of the Fashion District in Toronto.  Along the footpath of this corner is a tape measure winding it's way around the street - which is the thing that caught my eye first at this junction.

Have you come across any in Canada?  Where and what were they (for my to do list for next time!)?

Touching The CN Tower

It's fair to say I became pretty infatuated with the CN Tower whilst in Toronto. The beacon in the view of the city from every angle - and seeing it across the water punctuating the skyline was my last and favourite view of it!


We had a bit of fun taking these photos, as we waiting for the sun to set and change the colours above and around the city from the Toronto Islands.

Dinner In The Dark

Kylie was adamant that we go to Dinner In The Dark during the week Katie was in Toronto. The idea of being taken into a restaurant in complete darkness, and trying to eat a meal, sounded a little wacky to me, but sure enough, we went along!

Upon arrival, we were seated in the foyer area which is decked out very much like something out of Cluedo. Here, we were shown the menu, and after time to decide, our orders were taken out here, including when we would like our beverages of choice brought to the table.

I'll admit I was a little anxious about how I would cope in total darkness, in a room I couldn't see, with presumably people moving all about and food and drinks being transported all around us. But it was actually totally fine.

Once our table was ready, our blind waitress came to collect us, lining us up behind each other, hands on shoulders. We were led to our table, and with very clear instructions, the layout was explained to us. Drinks to the right of our bread plate, which was in front of us.

As we sat, and felt around the table for our bread and a knife and the butter...ekk!..we could hear tables of other people around. The room is complete blackness, and so we had to rely on our hearing and imagination to construct the room layout for us.

Soon our meals arrived at the table, with no visual warning of course, and we started our three courses. Kylie was the braver of us, ordering the "surprise" entree and dessert, relying on her tastebuds to figure out what she was eating - she thought the first was a mushroom dish, and that sweets was a chocolate mousse (which our waitress later confirmed was also half raspberry!).

The concept of the restaurant is that without your sense of sight, all of your other senses such as smell and taste are enhanced, and thus, the food could be simple and yet amazing. I think the fact that we ate at the CN Tower then night before probably took away from this meal in the darkness, to be honest. But it was a good meal, and a very different experience.

I did learn that I very much enjoy food for the aesthetics, being that if it looks pretty, I am most likely going to be more excited about it. I also eat in a very segregated way, so not being able to see and direct different tastes to my fork one at a time took that away from me.

The eating experience was something so different, having to chase around beans or a portion of risotto around on a plate you could not see. I challenge anyone to do this without the aide of your hands!

In The Village

In the village
We believe
That differences
Should enrich
Instead of divide

In a park space just off Saint Catherine Street East in Montreal, these letters suspended in the sky only made sense when you stood on a platform set up just at the right height.

And then, only if you could read French! Luckily there was an English translation nearby, which let those visitors to the city this Summer also get the message of this art installation at Aire Banque Nationale for Aire Libre.

You could walk though this message of The Village, and weave yourself through the red tubes swaying in the breeze.

A powerful delivery through a change of perspective.

The installation was called Manifeste and was inspired by the last sentence of the Aires Libres manifesto written by Guy Corriveau: A time will come where you can express yourself freely. It was created by Paprika Studios.

Dinner At 114 Stories Above Toronto

The CN Tower in the skyline of Toronto was one of my favourite features of the city.

Going up the tower was something we had saved for when my little sister came to visit, and in that week we booked to have dinner up in the sky.

60 seconds it takes to be whisked up in the elevator from the ground to the 114th floor where the 360 Restaurant is. With a glass front door and side looking out, we got a view of the Islands getting smaller as we got higher.

Before we were seated, we ducked down a flight of stairs so we could check out the glass floor. Which to be honest, was not as exciting as we had imagined. And the view straight down in the section of the floor chosen to be glassed was pretty dull. Shame.

Once seated at our table by the window overlooking the city as darkness quickly fell, we took in the view properly, before we studied the menu. The dining section of the restaurant is on a lazy-susan type floor, which completes a full circle of the tower in just over an hour, allowing you a full view of Toronto below.

We each chose our combinations from the prix fixe menu for our 3 course dinner, which was expensive but had also included the ride up to this level of the Tower, so we could justify the cost. I had the duck entree, complete with fushia decoration, then the salmon which was delicious, and then the butter tart. I took some photos of our meal, but alas, I am no foodie! The food was very good, and well worth the booking.

Once our plates were empty, and we finished off the bottle of Ontario wine we had selected, we got off the revolving floor and took the stairs down two flights to the outside caged area to take in the city of lights below.

Picking out the landmarks, and having funny discussions about different opinons on our orientation at times, we also got to experience the light show of the Tower up close!

I totally wish I had gone up during a clear day now, to get the view in the sunshine. But I had totally thought seeing Toronto without the Tower in the view, by being in the Tower, would be missing something. But it was actually pretty awesome. Oh well, next time!

Having this bird's eye view of the city I called home for 3.5 months was such a nice finish, as I was able to see all the landmarks that I had managed to visit or take in in different ways during my time here.

Toronto Islands

Visiting the islands in Lake Ontario, just off Toronto, was one of the things I was told I must do by almost everyone whilst I was there for the Summer. I finally made a day of it on my last weekend, and amazingly the weather was perfect for it.

Katie, Kylie and I met Rianne, Jay and little Claire at the ferry terminal at the end of Bay Street for the short and affordable ride across to the Center Island.

Once on land, we followed the path inward, and found the space with gardens and pools and fountains, and a place for Claire to roam free. We checked out the beach on the lake side of the island, with proper sand, and then walked the length of the pier.

After Claire had a run through the frog themed fountains, and we all had a lounge around on the grass, it was time for the little one to head back to Toronto for a nap.

The three of us remaining then found the bike rental shed on the island, and took off towards the Ward Island end on 2 wheels each. The old adage that anything is like riding a bike was certainly tested out by me, considering the last time I used a bicycle was back in Venice, with equally shaky results!

The bikes allowed us to cover so much more distance, although we only managed the eastern edge before we needed to get out rentals back. We wove through the paths of the homes there on the island, the little community living out there, as well as stopping along the way to check out the views of the city across the water.

Once we had relinquished the bikes, we made our way back to Snake Island, and found a spot on the edge of the water to watch the sun go down behind the city of Toronto.


Once the sun disappeared, and the mosquitoes got busy, we found our way back to the ferry, which actually runs til just before midnight. This visit was like a country escape from the city, just a 15 minute journey away.

Château Frontenac

The castle in Quebec City is one of those iconic and beautiful places I have found on my travels, and one that I took loads of photos of! So enchanting!

Moonrise Kingdom and Dusted at Amsterdam

An outdoor movie, with the view of the CN Tower, out on a barmy Toronto evening sounded perfect to me. The fact that this was held at a brewery, with a band to start the evening and a food truck serving dinner sounded amazing!

Natalie and I ventured down after work, and grabbed the wares from the Sky Blue Sky toasted sandwiches for dinner, and a beer, and found our seats.

Just as the sun was disappearing, and the lights started up on the CN Tower, the band of the evening, Dusted, started their indie funk set. Whilst the sound was not crisp enough to hear them properly, their energy set the mood for the night as the crowd gathered. The food was delicious!

The irony of having to line up just before the movie was about to start, with the rest of the crowd, to get a beer from the only two working taps was not lost on anyone. I had to listen to a group of people debate how many beers they could carry, how many beers they would need, and how many tokens they had whilst the opening narration of the movie began. Shame.

But once settled back into my seat, I could get into the film, and it was lovely! The story of two mis-fit teens who meet, strike up a penpal relationship, and plot to run away together. A quirky, awkward teen love story - so cute!

This is a movie I would have seen at MIFF and continues my attempt to fill my movie list despite being on the other side of the world!

Market 707

One of my food finds of Toronto has come within my last week here, when my supervisor took me on a little outing for lunch. She took me to Market 707, which is a street of food sellers set up in shipping containers along Dundas Street West.

It is across the road from Toronto Western Hospital, of which Toronto General Hospital has a shuttle that runs every 15 minutes all day - handy!

The row of containers house sellers from such diverse cultural food backgrounds, and ranges from Mexican to Korean, West Indian wares to Japanese and Vegetarian feasts.

The smells along the row make your mouth water, and the mix means that there are hard food decisions to be made!

Foods from all around the world, made right there, by the little businesses that bring this strip to life - a perfect city lunch escape.

The food truck craze is really starting to take off here in Toronto, and this permanent little gathering of a dozen food sellers is way ahead of the game. Good food, local businesses, and good prices will surely have the locals flocking to this place as the word continues to get out about it.

I had the Shrimp Ceviche (that's prawn to us Aussie's!), which was delicious.

Sadly I have run out of time to sample all the treats here, and would have definitely made the journey time and again for the dessert options as well as the different foods on offer if I had known about Market 707 sooner! And I lived so close to it! Ha! Always the way....

Chinese Fishermen of Toronto

The examples of street art around Toronto are so varied, and some are so beautiful. This collection has caught my eye during my time here.


I spotted this fisherman with his catch down on Queen Street West, across the road from CAMH. I had read some talk about it's threat, given that the building has been sold, and the ongoing Toronto talk to clearing the city of graffiti.


These other pieces catch my eye on my walk to work, almost everyday, as I take Dundas Street West through Chinatown.


These characters are so well painted, and bring to life a neighbourhood as well as an otherwise dull brick wall along a non-descript alleyway. Why would anyone want to rob a city of such magic, creativity and escapism??!?

An Aussie Bobsled Team

I wonder if we missed things in Calgary when we were there, but over breakfast and when plotting out our roadtrip to Banff, we could only find one thing jumping off the tourism page for the city - and that was the site of the 1988 Winter Olympics, which is now a fun park as well as a training facility.

The WinSport Canada complex had us at hello with the idea of a zipline from the ski jump platforms, and then a ride on the bobsled track. Sounded amazing!

Then we passed the ski jumps on the drive towards the Rockies, which solidified our decision to go there on the way back.

Reaching the park on the Monday after an awesome weekend, we chatted at the ticket desk about times, mindful of our flight that afternoon, and found we could really only fit the bobsled run in to our day.

We were driven up to the top of the bobsled run, with 4 other blokes who were to do the run before us. As we watched them get ready for it, we got to take in the view of the track and the Calgary sprawl below us.

Given our own helmets, we were then loaded into the bobsled one by one, and the Canadian Bobsleder (who represented in Salt Lake City) gave us the final instructions of the run down. He was pretty funny, and calmed the nerves of us as he joked and did all the checks.

This link gives you an idea of the run, and tells me that we went through 14 turns! The run announcement at the end advised us that we reached a top speed of 93km/hr on our run down the track, as we each were hurtled around within the sled, and very thankful for the helmets!


The sign walking into the top of the ride said that we were about to experience 60 seconds we would talk about for the rest of our lives! Ha, I don't doubt it! It was fun and scary all at once, and one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences!

One of the best roller-coaster experiences, that's for sure - on an Olympic track in a bobsled!

As we regained our legs and our breath, we walked back to the carpark, exhilarated and shell-shocked all at once.

I checked out the International Flag Court before we drove off, where the flags of the nations competing back in the late 80s were displayed, as well as the cauldron for the flame. What a cool visit, as the Olympics were going on in another part of the world at the very same time.