Ontario Visit October 2005
Vancouver: We experimented at a number of levels. Some successful others not so. Storm windows
were installed upper and lower but have not met the approval of the strata so something we shall have to attend to on return.
On Sunday went to Cloverdale Baptist . They have a new pastor who has come from Houston BC. Someone had
written him up as being very good. The Church was well filled at 11.00 with mostly older people. The presentation
classic Baptist with strong emphasis on the Word of God being sufficient to meet all challenges in life. Very orthodox but
for us rather simplistic and unconvincing. Janette was offered a ballpoint pen by the lady at the Welcome desk but otherwise
as in most Churches of this type we passed out unnoticed.
Left for the airport on the 09.15 shuttle bus scheduled to reach at 10.15 for the ll.30 flight. We had
booked in on the internet so expected no problems. The man did not arrive until 09.35 then ran into real traffic at the
Alex Fraser Bridge due to some bad weather; one of his passengers an older lady had to be delivered to the South Terminal at
the Airport so in the end we arrived at ll.00 just in time to make the flight. Colin had a dream the night before where
mistakes were overruled for good. His interpretation was that we would make the airport!
Westjet proved to be all they advertised to be. The plane was new, comfortable and the service very
good. We are looking forward to the return flight.
Holland Landing.
The weather was surprisingly warm for the first period only on the weekend becoming colder.
Joshua having to work much hader at school as he has taken Advanced Placement courses in Maths, Physics
and Chemistry this semester. On the weekends working at the local Pizza Pizza under a Pakstani owner. We all went on the
Friday evening. The owner has promised Janette and I a Pakistani dinner at his home on our return. We shall see if it
materializes! Joshua gave good input on the web site with useful ideas.
Ben is the happy contented boy whistling loudly around the house when home. Now willing to
watch more conventional TV programming than formerly . Otherwise much as usual with some incremental changes.
Henry busy and involved enjoying the Willow Creek assignments. 6 weekly visits to Kelowna HQ keep him up
to date on developments. Good contacts have been made with seminars planned for the Fall. In between times he is working on
his MBA from Regent U which will be completed in 18 months.
Yvonne nursing a few shifts a week at the Govt. medical centre in New market. Better paid and improved working
conditions compared the private institution she started. She and Janette made two Christmas cakes one for Yvonne and the other
passed on to Henry's parents on Thanksgiving day.
Thanksgiving Turkey dinner was shared with Henry's parents who came over on the Sunday evening. Henry's
Dad with crippled fingers from arthritis. He is not sure about going to Florida this coming winter. The parents passed on to
H and Y an antique German clock the kind with weights hanging down.
Toronto City
 Ann Benoit, an old friend of Janette's from Interserve links,
kindly offered us hospitality so we stayed with them. They live in a classic Toronto style house, in the desirable Rosedale area. For a number of years they had a
Variety Store on Yonge St nearby. Frank has been a member of the nearby Tennis Club for 30 years or so. He joined when the entrance fee was $75 now into the
thousands! Ann has strong British background and the same approach to house heating so need to keep sweaters on when around here !
This location enabled us to look up old Toronto contacts which for Janette meant Nancy Howard, the daughter of her Springburn Presbytian Church
minister in Glasgow, Scotland during her formative years. Margart Amanatidis, an Interserve link of more recent times from Greek background now finding
her feet again after some years overseas. I took in an old Pakistani contact now retired in the Assembly of God retirement home; an interesting Christian ghetto type
enclave with all those dynamics. The recent Pakistan earthquake disaster revived old memories of the 1960s when Gladys took shelter with them while I sought to
work through the woes of importing cars, caravans and the like into Pakistan during that era.
A more up to date link was with the new Interserve Director, Jayawant Michael. A man of Indian origin who kindly took us home for a typical South
Asian meal. Met up with his daughter Misha, looking over her art portfolio and giving suggestions on how she might improve it.
Sunday back at the Chinese Presbyterian Church in down town
Toronto. Nothing too much has changed since we first made contact in 1968. The same gymnasium setup; about the same numbers and constituency. It was great
to see Winston Ling again have lunch with him and consult about a possible way to handle our financial legacy to the family and community.
Monday we stayed over to take in an Interserve night of the traditional missionary report type. We were bundled in with younger On Trackers who
had been in South India at Hebron School and others in Kyrgystan in Central Asia.
Toronto Dynamics
Toronto is a dynamic pulsating place, asking many questions about how to grow, develop, expand contain and cope with its growing diversity.
Major challenges relate to the clash between the older established and the new growing demands. One outstanding case has been the opposition to a planned
expansion of the street car line along St Clair, one of the older thoroughfares. A successful agitation to this proposal has been made by a local group opposed to the
plan. Other areas
 are growing teenage gang violence in less privileged areas;
highlighting the limited low cost housing, the drop out rate amongst the less intellectually equipped members of society; then the ever present housing density
debates along with questions about urban sprawl now moving to the north having saturated the east west corridors along Lake Ontario. The daily traffic grid lock on
Highway 401, Don Valley Parkway and now extending on to 400 and 404 as the tide of daily commuters grows.
Elliot Lake
Monday saw us on the Greyhound bus making the five hour ride up to Sudbury where we met up with Liv and Verona for the two hour ride west to
their home in Elliot Lake. Elliot Lake is an interesting place which has found new life
after being a uranium mining area. The last mine closed in 1996, a demise due the ceasing of production of nuclear weapons as well as the questions about the
safety of nuclear power plants. New life has been breathed into the town by an enterprising group who have seized on the need for cheaper housing for retirees.
Home here are offered in a range from $20,000 for small one bedroom condominium apartments, 50,000 for 3 bed-roomed town houses and up to $100-150,000
for detached houses. These affordable price along with aggressive advertising has brought in significant numbers producing a vibrant functioning community.
Verona and Liv have moved here from Kitimat in BC where they stayed for 18 months. The appointment is for one year but with prospects
for extension on by mutual consent.
Copyright (c) Coljan Enterprise
151 10090 152nd St Surrey BC Canada V3R 8X8
E mail: colin@coljan.com
Phone 1-604-930-3033
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