Windy

Every picture tells a story  It seems almost unbelievable now that as recently as ten years ago Karen and I used to go tent camping, mostly with our friends Brian and Andrea McCann. I was reminded of this because we had a lovely video chat with the McCanns this evening.

This is us - well, except me - at Killbear Provincial Park in 2008. Killbear is on Parry Sound, an inlet off Georgian Bay. It's a beautiful spot. We spent a lot of time on these rocks, usually sunbathing and picnicking by the water, but in this case facing the setting sun.

Many great stories of camping at Killbear. I have a vivid image of Brian and I yelling at, then throwing stones at a racoon that had come too close - and me actually hitting it on the backside as it waddled away, which the creature pretended not to notice. Another clip of Brian jumping up from a game at the picnic table to  go and scare away another coon intruder, dashing out of the dining tent, tripping on the lip at the doorway and sprawling face first. 

We laughed. Rocky Racoon probably laughed too. Which in retrospect - but only in retrospect - seems cruel. 

I say we went tent camping, but by 2008, the affluent and not very hardy McCanns had upgraded to a panel van fitted out as a camper, which Brian referred to as "the shaggin' wagon," an entirely aspirational nickname. We were the poor neighbours in our tarpaper tent.

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Long before the condo building across the street from us was built, Karen and I attended a public hearing at City Hall that was supposed to air issues related to possible impacts of the project, which at that point hadn't been approved. 

The loss of heritage buildings that were subsequently torn down was the biggest concern for the citizens who came out to quiz council members and city planners that day. But among the other issues discussed was the possibility that the building - which became the 29-floor Azure on the northwest corner of Talbot and Dufferin - would contribute to or create wind-tunnel effects.

City planners at the meeting assured us that modelling had been done that showed any wind-tunnel effects would be well within regulated "tolerances."

Maybe city planners who live in the suburbs find the winds created by the Azure tolerable. I don't. And in winter, you become very aware of just how bad they are. In the summer, you can grin and bear it when you walk out into the maelstrom. The worst effects only last for a few blocks anyway. In winter, it's different.

If the wind-chill is -14C at the airport where Environment Canada does its official weather measurements - and that's what it was reported to be today - I can guarantee it's probably about -25C at our corner. 

A chill wind was already blowing from the north along Talbot St. today when I went out. Our corner seems to have the effect of accelerating whatever breeze is blowing. Walking back from the market, it was lashing my face. It felt positively Antarctic. I was numb by the time I got to our front door.

It makes me feel very marginally better to air my disgruntlement in this way, but obviously nothing can be done now to fix it. What could have been done, though, is more due diligence on the possible amplifying effects of the three new buildings that the city, in its wisdom, approved for directly across the street from us, which are now under construction: 40 floors, nine floors and 29 floors, in that order, going south to north from Fullarton to Dufferin.

I shudder to think what it will be like. But maybe I can make lemonade from these lemons by rigging a sail on my bicycle. Or  mounting a wind turbine on our balcony.