The Great Canadian Towns and Villages Thread - Page 21

megadude · #**401** Posted **Sep 7, 2022, 6:12 PM**

The last time I was in the beer store was in June in streetsville Mississauga. The guy actually was a dick. I was pretty surprised by his attitude. Other than that, the person at cash anywhere else is usually pleasant.

niwell · #**402** Posted **Sep 7, 2022, 7:41 PM**

I honestly can't remember the last time I've been in a Beer Store. As mentioned above, quite a few of them in central Toronto have been redeveloped and while the intent was to reopen in the retail portion of replacement buildings it's unclear if that will actually happen. No clue what the one near me actually looks like inside!

The only real positive of the Beer Store is the bottle/can return program, which is actually very effective (apparently moreso than other locales) and has resulted in the vast majority of cans recycled and bottles put back into circulation for reuse. Not sure what will happen to this as it was apparently a part of the behind the scenes concessions to allow TBS to have a monopoly on the sales of 2-4s. This can obviously be shifted to another company but there will be a cost involved.

Speaking of, 2-4s is are probably the only reason people still go as you can't get them at the LCBO. Though a number of breweries have 24 packs of tall cans that are actually cheaper than a macro brands now. The rare time I need that many beers I'll order from Great Lakes Brewery for next day delivery, and I leave my empties on the sidewalk as they are picked up almost immediately.

WhipperSnapper · #**403** Posted **Sep 7, 2022, 9:14 PM**

The bottle return program has been heralded since I was a wee pup. No reason not to believe the numbers. Ontario or Toronto doesn't have recycling programs for other bottles and cans since I was a wee pup. The everything goes into one bin and deposited and compacted into a "garbage" truck bimonthly is not going to be economical to recycle. Point is, how do the overall numbers for all bottles and cans compare to the programs south of the border? I've heard of refill stations in Canada for laundry soap, etc.. I haven't seen any at all three major grocery stores chains in my neighbourhood. Well behind there.

I can't say the last time I've been in a beer store. I don't need to buy beer in bulk.

hipster duck · #**404** Posted **Sep 8, 2022, 2:25 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by niwell

My only real complaints are the lack of discounts for products offered through the LCBO (brewery/vineyard direct purchases can be discounted) and the general (un)availability of Canadian products from outside Ontario. The latter is a much larger issue experienced Canada-wide, and most shops here do have a great selection of Ontario craft products.

Alcohol sales are byzantine across North America and Ontario is probably more accessible than the overall average at this point. Plenty of places in the US where you can't buy booze on Sundays still or need to ask for hard alcohol from behind a glassed in counter. Pennsylvania is particularly awful.

I don't have much to complain about either. We can buy from independent bottle shops, we can buy from the producers themselves, we can buy from increasingly more grocery stores, we can BYOB and pay a corking fee (this never was that appealing to me, so I've never done it), we can drink on a patio that no longer has a fence, we can drink in a park on a mostly 'don't ask, don't tell' basis. Maybe I'm getting conservative as I get older, but this is good enough for me.

My only complaint is the high prices, although this is increasingly not a problem for me because I don't buy cheap beer or wine anymore. We don't have two buck chuck and you can't buy a 30 pack of Natty Lite at WalMart for $16US, but above a certain price and quality point the LCBO becomes price competitive with American liquor stores.

My other complaint is, like you, the lack of other Canadian content. There are a lot of Quebecois and BC beers I'd like to easily get my hands on.

Do you know if bottle shops have to buy through the LCBO as a middleman? I always wondered where they get items that aren't for sale at the LCBO, but also if that was the reason that their prices were marked up.

niwell · #**405** Posted **Sep 8, 2022, 1:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by hipster duck

Do you know if bottle shops have to buy through the LCBO as a middleman? I always wondered where they get items that aren't for sale at the LCBO, but also if that was the reason that their prices were marked up.

They don't for Ontario beer and wine, which they can buy direct from breweries/vineyards at discount or through a third party distributor. For macro stuff they would have to go through the LCBO which means it will be more expensive or they wouldn't really make any money. The liquor license is essentially the same as a restaurant/bar has IIRC. So you'll end up with specialty shops where people don't mind paying a premium for good product - I find the price point to be fairly similar to craft beer shops in the US actually.

The ability to buy off-sale from bars now is also nice, and has led to "to-go" cocktails from a lot of places. It's kind of a grey area as you obviously aren't supposed to drink it on the street and technically they need to be sealed but few do that beyond a lid.

While I appreciated that drinking in public is now defacto legal, I'd still prefer it codified so that they can't do crackdowns if the feeling strikes. Can still ticket for destructive behaviour if necessary.

MolsonExport · #**406** Posted **Sep 8, 2022, 2:22 PM**

It is so bizarre that there are fucking pot shops on every street (London must have at least 4 trillion places selling weed...including places within several hundred metres of schools), and that there is still so much control over alcohol sales.

niwell · #**407** Posted **Sep 8, 2022, 2:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

It is so bizarre that there are fucking pot shops on every street (London must have at least 4 trillion places selling weed...including places within several hundred metres of schools), and that there is still so much control over alcohol sales.

In terms of product there's actually a lot more control over weed. They all basically sell the exact same stuff, whereas bottle shops have more freedom to purchase from independent producers. There will likely be a reckoning for weed shops soon with a bunch closing down - the market is oversaturated.

Loco101 · #**408** Posted **Sep 9, 2022, 6:19 AM**

We have at least 10 cannabis stores in Timmins now with a few more slated to open soon. I'm sure that some of them will be closing within the next year.

Loco101 · #**409** Posted **Sep 9, 2022, 6:26 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

The Beer Store is a worthless anachronism. Shitty service, shitty hours, shitty prices, shitty ambience. It is just shitty.

It's so bad that it's kind of funny. And the beer I get often has lots of dust on it as I don't normally order the most popular brands. I haven't been to a beer store this year now that I think of it. I've been buying either at the grocery store or the LCBOs in Foleyet or Matheson which sell beer in all sizes as there are no beer stores there. I also go to Full Beard which is our local microbrewery. The smaller town LCBOs in my region tend to stock the cheapest wines and beers that still taste good. The Timmins location really pushes more expensive stuff.

Tone · #**410** Posted **Sep 9, 2022, 11:45 AM**

Rimouski

Metro-One · #**411** Posted **Sep 10, 2022, 5:26 AM**

So, here it is, my August in Nelson, BC.

Nelson is perhaps the pitch perfect Pacific Northwest small town.

Its active, full of outdoor enthusiasts, has a historic core, is snug in the mountains next to a lake, is climatically a mix of both the Pacific Rainforest and the drier Montane forests, and has four well defined seasons.

First the Big orange Bridge (BOB) and the local beach:

NelsonSummer10 by Ian, on Flickr

Big Orange Bridge by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonBeach by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonSummer14 by Ian, on Flickr

Now Let's go Downtown:

NelsonSummer7 by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonSummer8 by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonSummer5 by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonStroll8 by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonSummer6 by Ian, on Flickr

Great Restaurant! Lots of garlic!

Nelson9 by Ian, on Flickr

Nelson7 by Ian, on Flickr

Nelson10 by Ian, on Flickr

Nelson8 by Ian, on Flickr

Nelson6 by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonDowntown10 by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonDowntown9 by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonDowntown8 by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonDowntown7 by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonDowntown6 by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonDowntown5 by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonDowntown4 by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonDowntown3 by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonDowntown1 by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonDowntown15 (1) by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonDowntown14 by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonDowntown13 by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonDowntown12 by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonDowntown11 by Ian, on Flickr

And now to some of the residential areas and other spots near downtown

NelsonStroll7 by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonSummer12 by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonSummer11 by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonStroll10 by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonDowntown16 by Ian, on Flickr

Nelson4 by Ian, on Flickr

Nelson5 by Ian, on Flickr

Nelson3 by Ian, on Flickr

Nelson1 by Ian, on Flickr

Nelson2 by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonSummer1 by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonSummer2 by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonStroll6 by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonStroll5 by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonStroll4 by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonStroll3 by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonStroll2 by Ian, on Flickr

NelsonSunset by Ian, on Flickr

All pics are my own!

niwell · #**412** Posted **Sep 10, 2022, 4:35 PM**

Nelson looks incredible! No idea it had a streetcar. Will need to make it out there at some point.

Alluded to this before but we bought a house in Napanee this spring and are in the process of getting it fixed up to use as a secondary / vacation home. Walking distance to downtown in a place built in 1900. The town is quite nice if a bit sleepy, and I think has a lot of potential, particularly given it’s proximity to Prince Edward county.

8pm on a Friday:

JHikka · #**413** Posted **Sep 10, 2022, 4:40 PM**

Great photos from Nelson. Thanks for the tour!

lio45 · #**414** Posted **Sep 10, 2022, 4:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tone

Rimouski

Did anyone inform you guys that there's a beached cruise ship in the middle of the downtown?

Kilgore Trout · #**415** Posted **Sep 10, 2022, 4:48 PM**

I passed through Napanee driving from PEC to Kingston and remember thinking it has good bones.

Have we talked about Brockville in this thread? It's a city with a really handsome downtown area that feels like the centre of a much larger and more important city. But it's pretty sleepy and surprisingly rough feeling in parts.

https://goo.gl/maps/1PWo5ricUFfK8G4HA

lio45 · #**416** Posted **Sep 10, 2022, 4:51 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Metro-One

That red/beige building in the foreground is butt ugly, but I love the western frontier feel of having the mountains right there behind the town.

niwell · #**417** Posted **Sep 10, 2022, 4:53 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kilgore Trout

I passed through Napanee driving from PEC to Kingston and remember thinking it has good bones.

Have we talked about Brockville in this thread? It's a city with a really handsome downtown area that feels like the centre of a much larger and more important city. But it's pretty sleepy and surprisingly rough feeling in parts.

https://goo.gl/maps/1PWo5ricUFfK8G4HA

We looked at Brockville as well but it was just a bit too far. Agreed on great bones though, it feels like it should be a much bigger place. All the towns around there have a bit of a rough side surprisingly - Napanee even has a homeless population. We actually had someone try and break in to our house (nothing was in it at the time) but our neighbour scared him off. They told us it’s gotten much worse since COVID but everyone on our block seems to look out for each other. We have it all on camera too in case it escalates, but thankfully no repeat visits.

Tone · #**418** Posted **Sep 10, 2022, 5:24 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by lio45

Did anyone inform you guys that there's a beached cruise ship in the middle of the downtown?

There are two of these white structures on the seawalk and they are indeed meant to mimic an old ship's deck, complete with two decks, benches and ship wood flooring. They are nice/touristy features on the seawalk!

megadude · #**419** Posted **Oct 9, 2022, 1:55 PM**

I think Simcoe, pop. 14k, is the least known town of substance in Ontario. It has some good heritage there and I get a little bit of a gritty feeling as I pass through. A few days ago was the second time I had been.

https://www.facebook.com/norfolkcountyfair/

Didn't stop in nearby Port Dover this time, but did a few years ago. Worth a mention again. Ontario's Daytona I guess since it has the beach and Friday 13th motorcycle rallies. Doesn't have a track right there but half hour away there are two. Road course and drag strip in Cayuga, that is named Toronto Motorsports Park for some reason, and Cayuga Speedway/Jukasa Speedway (renovated version) in Hagersville. Too bad covid killed the latter.

There's a thread here about where in Canada feels the most American. Once you get south of Hamilton you can definitely pick up hints here and there. There's a small NASCAR fan culture as you approach Lake Erie. There's a NASCAR/short track racing themed bar I went to once in Binbrook. And a few days ago I saw an old bus painted in NASCAR theme. I think it was used to take fans on trips to races.

https://www.portdovermapleleaf.com/f...ions-downtown/

https://www.thestar.com/news/2007/07...e_hogs.html?rf

https://insearchofsarah.com/things-to-do-in-port-dover/

https://www.pinterest.de/pin/108860515976615654/

https://www.speedtherapy.com/tracks/

https://norrismcdonald.ca/canadian-r...s-closed-down/

https://www.smartsportsnetwork.ca/lo...ay-closes.html

https://www.canadianracer.com/track-...ayuga/programs

https://www.reddit.com/r/NASCAR/comm...a_speedway_so/

The Norfolk County cousin of the above two, Waterford, is very small but somewhat interesting. I fished Waterford ponds once, which I guess is a bunch of old, small quarries.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/a_y_jackson/9531687989

urbandreamer · #**420** Posted **Oct 9, 2022, 2:40 PM**

Waterford is nicer than Simcoe. Each time I explore Simcoe the less I like it. It's got an edgy druggie alcoholic rundown feel that reminds me of Strathroy, Wallaceburg and many Northern Ontario and Manitoba towns. eg Kenora: On the way to BC I found it charming with its hilly historic housing stock and setting on the lake; coming back in late July I found it stagnant with many homeless FN, abandoned buildings and generally depressed.