Tag: history

Posted on in community, environment, travel

Find community connection in your own backyard

High speed train and proposed route

Special guest blog by Alison Taylor

I had some time to reflect over the holidays and decided that in 2026 I would become more involved and aware of the things going on in my community.

Recently retired, I wanted to find more purpose in my days. Don’t get me wrong, living in the country I have plenty of time for long walks, reading and writing, connecting with friends, shovelling snow and embracing wind chills.

However, I wanted more, so I started reviewing local news, and websites and was surprised at how much is going on in my little corner of the woods.  

What also surprised me was how much joy it brings to connect with my fellow “Stone Millers” (what I call those of us who live in Stone Mills Township northwest of Kingston)  

So far this year, I have attended a weaving demonstration at a local museum, an agricultural land use meeting to understand how land is designated in the province, and will be attending an open house for the proposed southern route for the Alto high-speed train rail proposal in eastern Ontario.  

So much going on in my neighbourhood.

The transition from working full-time to retirement can be tricky, but I am finding new ways to discover happiness in my own backyard.

I predict some great local connections in the months to come and look forward to being an active and well-informed “Stone Miller”.

Ed. note: Alto is a crown corporation that was established to plan and deliver the high-speed rail project in the Toronto to Quebec City corridor. The speed of the trains will reach 300 km/hour and the cost of the project is projected to be $80 billion. Alto is evaluating two rail routes between Peterborough and Ottawa, a southern route through more heavily populated but ecologically sensitive South Frontenac, and a northern route near Highway 7. A route along the already established corridor north of Lake Ontario through Kingston is not currently under consideration. If you want to find out more about this project and make your opinions known, Alto is holding a series of Open Houses this month. You can also complete an online form to share your feedback. The times for the Open Houses appear to be the same for all locations.

  • February 18: South Frontenac (11 am – 3 pm and 5-9 pm at Storrington Lions Club, 2992 Princess Rd., Inverary)
  • February 26: Peterborough
  • March 4: Perth
  • March 5: Madoc

Posted on in Uncategorized

Reach out your hand in peace and friendship

Paris, Brussels, Lahore, Pakistan.

The world has become a bloody place.

I don’t claim to understand these terrorist acts, but I have been thinking about what drives a person to destroy human life and what we can do to turn hatred into love and acceptance.

I’ve also had a lot of different experiences in the past few weeks that continue to send these thoughts swirling in my head.

On Easter Weekend, we took Dave’s Dad to the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton. There was a special exhibit on Anne Frank that detailed her journey into hiding alongside Hitler’s rise to power. It was the week of the Brussels bombing and as I stood looking at the images of the Nazis in the 1930s, it was easy to draw parallels to today and how circumstances can make otherwise good people conduct acts of horror under the philosophical banner that the end justifies the means in fighting evil.

Leaving Hamilton and arriving at Union station in Toronto during rush hour on Easter Monday for business, I tried to imagine the destruction if a bomb exploded in the station. I thought of those people in Brussels and the images I had seen on television earlier that day of the Easter bombing in Lahore, Pakistan. Years ago, I had been in London, England a month before the bombs went off at the Kings Cross tube station. We had been in that station at least two or three times a day.

When my kids ask about these terrorist acts and whether they could happen where we live, my answer is always the same. “Yes, they can, but we cannot live in fear.”

Later that night, over dinner with a friend, we talked about everything going on in the world. We both admitted despite being “good people” and wanting to accept all races, creeds, cultures, we were not above profiling people (see an earlier blog post on stereotyping kids with autism).

Then I went and saw Johnny Reid and his What Love is All About tour at the KRock Centre in Kingston. I’m a huge Johnny Reid fan. I was fortunate to sit next to him on a plane to Nashville once. He was so genuine and generous with his time I became just as big a fan of Johnny Reid the man, as Johnny Reid the musician. During the concert, he said that one of the reasons he loves Canada so much is because it is one of the few countries in the world that truly accepts and celebrates diversity. His message was clear: love is the cure for the evils of the world.

It is hard to hate someone you know. This week’s #HappyAct is to say a kind word, or reach out and offer your hand in peace, friendship and acceptance the next time you experience fear or prejudice without basis. Get to know the person. Together we can try to change the world.