Last summer, having already journeyed through 10 provinces and one territory in an effort to get to know this land that much better, we ventured to the forbidden land that is northern Ontario. Or, as we quickly learned, northeastern Ontario.
It was already proving to be the region’s annus horribilus, forest fires having recently threatened many communities and the picturesque city of Elliot Lake still reeling from a tragedy from which its people may never fully recover. Shortly after our trip, storms would wash out parts of the TransCanada that is the lifeline of some towns; the provincial government’s closure of the Ontario Northland Railway would further isolate others.
It was a good time to venture north, if only to provide much needed moral and tourism support for a battered region. Continue reading