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Lost in time, lost in space...
Mar. 30th, 2012 02:24 pmI sometimes think Canadians have no sense of time, or history, while Europeans have no sense of space, or distance.
In Canada, a particular building can be only a few decades old and already we're screaming "Heritage! We CAN'T get rid of THAT building - it's a superb example of 1970s neo-brutalist architecture!" Meanwhile the Brits, for example, with their castles dating back to the Norman Conquest, shake their heads in disbelief.
Here in Ottawa, there was something of a kerfuffle recently about getting rid of the last "temporary building" near the Supreme Courthouse. The temporary buildings were put up during World War II to provide office and other workspaces for the vast influx of workers required for war-related industries. Umm, doesn't "temporary" imply that they're supposed to be dispensed with once they no longer have a purpose? What's next? Will folks in the educational sector object to the elimination of portable classrooms because they are such iconic representations of school architecture of the baby boom and baby-boom-echo generations? Or perhaps we should protest the, er, elimination, of the last remaining urban outhouses? Of course, income tax was supposed to be a temporary measure too, but retaining it has enabled many of us to enjoy a standard of living beyond what we could otherwise have enjoyed - so maybe keeping what was supposed to be temporary is not always a bad thing. Perhaps in that respect, we do not have such a throwaway society as Alvin Toffler maintained in Future Shock. (Aside: We don't have overchoice either, as I pointed out in my previous entry about the rise of big box stores)
Now let's talk about space, or distance, and how we get from point A to point B. It's often said that we are extremely spoilt in Canada because gasoline (or petrol, or gaz or essence if you prefer) is only about half the price here that it is in Europe. There is some truth in that, of course. On the other hand, gasoline (at least until alternately-powered vehicles become more widespread and affordable) nudges closer to the "necessities" side of the balance sheet in Canada, but closer to the "luxuries" side in Europe. If you travel from the west coast to the east coast of Canada, then travel that same distance across Europe, how many European countries would you have travelled through? The fact is, in many parts of Canada you have to travel vast distances just to get to your destination. And vast swaths of Canada are virtually uninhabitable or at best, are beautiful places to visit but it would take a pretty hardy soul to live there full-time. Moreover, a harsh climate - hot humid summers and bitterly cold winters - make certain forms of transport that are widely used in Europe (cycling, for example) impractical or unpleasant for much of the year here.
Yes, we need to improve our public transit. We need to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and non-renewable energy sources. We should strive in general to reduce our carbon footprint. I'll talk about these and other ideas in future blogs, but they are beyond the scope of the point I am making today.
In Canada, a particular building can be only a few decades old and already we're screaming "Heritage! We CAN'T get rid of THAT building - it's a superb example of 1970s neo-brutalist architecture!" Meanwhile the Brits, for example, with their castles dating back to the Norman Conquest, shake their heads in disbelief.
Here in Ottawa, there was something of a kerfuffle recently about getting rid of the last "temporary building" near the Supreme Courthouse. The temporary buildings were put up during World War II to provide office and other workspaces for the vast influx of workers required for war-related industries. Umm, doesn't "temporary" imply that they're supposed to be dispensed with once they no longer have a purpose? What's next? Will folks in the educational sector object to the elimination of portable classrooms because they are such iconic representations of school architecture of the baby boom and baby-boom-echo generations? Or perhaps we should protest the, er, elimination, of the last remaining urban outhouses? Of course, income tax was supposed to be a temporary measure too, but retaining it has enabled many of us to enjoy a standard of living beyond what we could otherwise have enjoyed - so maybe keeping what was supposed to be temporary is not always a bad thing. Perhaps in that respect, we do not have such a throwaway society as Alvin Toffler maintained in Future Shock. (Aside: We don't have overchoice either, as I pointed out in my previous entry about the rise of big box stores)
Now let's talk about space, or distance, and how we get from point A to point B. It's often said that we are extremely spoilt in Canada because gasoline (or petrol, or gaz or essence if you prefer) is only about half the price here that it is in Europe. There is some truth in that, of course. On the other hand, gasoline (at least until alternately-powered vehicles become more widespread and affordable) nudges closer to the "necessities" side of the balance sheet in Canada, but closer to the "luxuries" side in Europe. If you travel from the west coast to the east coast of Canada, then travel that same distance across Europe, how many European countries would you have travelled through? The fact is, in many parts of Canada you have to travel vast distances just to get to your destination. And vast swaths of Canada are virtually uninhabitable or at best, are beautiful places to visit but it would take a pretty hardy soul to live there full-time. Moreover, a harsh climate - hot humid summers and bitterly cold winters - make certain forms of transport that are widely used in Europe (cycling, for example) impractical or unpleasant for much of the year here.
Yes, we need to improve our public transit. We need to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and non-renewable energy sources. We should strive in general to reduce our carbon footprint. I'll talk about these and other ideas in future blogs, but they are beyond the scope of the point I am making today.
