Replies

1. 
   jet | Mar 20, 2009 06:59am | #1

   They still won't open one in Quebec.
   You can guess why!!!!!
   Burns me up!!!!! Darn separatwist nut cases!!!!!!!!

1. 
   fingersandtoes | Mar 20, 2009 07:10am | #2

   Only 24 more sleeps to go for me.

1. 
   Scott | Mar 20, 2009 08:20am | #3

   Hahahaha...it's a sad commentary; but I know how you feel.Scott.

2. 
   Gene_Davis | Mar 20, 2009 07:21pm | #7

   I wish they would open a store at their stateside distribution center here in upstate NY. 

   View Image

   "A stripe is just as real as a dadgummed flower."

   Gene Davis        1920-1985

1. 
   fingersandtoes | Mar 21, 2009 01:39am | #8

   Seems strange they wouldn't at least tack on a retail counter. Aren't there enough people around to make it worthwhile?

   I was afraid they had given up on opening here when construction didn't start for so long after the initial announcement - but I think they were just teasing me. 

   Some of the fun has gone out of it since my wife started making noises about all the things she can get from the gardening catalogue.

1. 
   dude | Mar 21, 2009 10:27am | #9

   i understand you aint got no Busy Bee or Princess Auto also for the same reason

   Busy bee i was told the other day is building a new store right across from the ne Princess Auto here in Ottawa

   you should go to Princess Auto on sale days if i dident know better i would swear i was in Quebec  as it seems most of their clientele speak french that day

   I shoud have bought shares in LeeValley & Princess according to what i spend in them every month & im 25 miles from Princess & 30 + from LeeValley

   I go to Princess the day before the sales as all the sale stuff is already marked at sale price and then i get ahead of the Quebeckers before they clean the place out before fleeing accross the border to the promised land LOL

1. 
   toolpouchguy | Mar 21, 2009 01:02pm | #10

   south of Ottawa kemptville or Prescott ????

2. 
   dude | Mar 21, 2009 05:55pm | #11

   between Vernon & Winchester & i mile south of new boundry for Ottawa

   http://www.foxfireridge.com

3. 
   fingersandtoes | Mar 21, 2009 11:23pm | #14

   Can you do an Arnprior accent?

4. 
   dude | Mar 22, 2009 04:15am | #15

   you have to be from the prior to do that seeing as i am from the south end of the "Valley " i dont have the natural ability youse  probability has with accents . LOL

5. 
   artacoma | Mar 22, 2009 05:11am | #16

   HEE HEE ....... it's about 1km up the road from my housedid you get your 10% off coupon with this flyer?See you on the 13thRik

6. 
   fingersandtoes | Mar 22, 2009 06:47am | #20

   Yeah. A nice little 10% surprise! And the more I spend, the greater the saving huh?

7. 
   artacoma | Mar 22, 2009 07:52am | #22

   haha that's the spiritRik

8. 
   dude | Mar 22, 2009 03:17pm | #23

   You forgot  about how if you are driving a commercial vehicle from Ontario in Quebec and the police stop you proof that you bought enough fuel in Quebec for your travels in Quebec must be provided on the spot or your vehicle can be impounded & yourself jailed till the fine is paid.

   This is a interesting situation if you go to the casino Lac Lemay just inside the border

   a friend of mine learned it the hard way, $250 fine & 5 hours in a cell as they say welcome to quebec you will be leaving your money behind one way or the other !

9. 
   sisyphus | Mar 22, 2009 11:24pm | #26

   That sucks!

   I have often seen the transportaton cops just across the MacDonald Cartier Bridge but luckily I don't have a vehicule that excites their avarice. The whole situation is bizarre. I used to have huge problems trying to get subs to cross into Quebec. Most of the labour movement is the other way. I hoped that the current economic mess would encourage the "powers that be" to reduce the barriers to inter-provincial trade. The economy could be improved at no financial cost to the taxpayers but the bureaucrats still can't even agree to a national securities regulator.

10. 
    dude | Mar 23, 2009 02:37am | #27

    all we need are the same rules applied to quebec workers as are applied to qntario workers trying to work in quebec

    they would need a work permit to work in ontario & wouldent be able to get one the same way it is nearly impossible to get one to work there

    whats unfair about that new brunswick i understand did it a few years ago when they had the same problem at their northern border

    quebec is the spoiled child of canada & we keep spoiling them , duh

11. 
    sisyphus | Mar 23, 2009 05:29am | #28

    I agree, there should be the same rules for all Canadians. Mike Harris talked about it IIRC but nothing seems to get done. I suspect that outside of the Ottawa/Gatineau area it is not a big concern.  A National Capital Region (NCR) encompassing both sides of the river would settle the issue nicely and property values would zoom on the Quebec side. The PQ might even be secretly in favour of an NCR because they would get rid of enough No votes to win the next separation referendum (LOL).

    Edited 3/22/2009 10:40 pm ET by sisyphus

12. 
    dude | Mar 23, 2009 03:27pm | #29

    Eastern Ontario & west Quebec have a lot in common in tha neither one has any love for the people in their provincial capitals it seems

    Wakefield sure is purty in summer and has good fishing & a little culture to boot if only it werent for the politics  & sign measuring agenda

13. 
    sisyphus | Mar 24, 2009 05:23am | #31

    Wakefield is great.

     Last summer when I was up there they were working on extending the A5. It will be nice when it is finished and that one nasty dip north of Tulip Valley is bypassed.

14. 
    dude | Mar 24, 2009 01:05pm | #32

    built a 6m sq ft 6 bath house just past farm point years ago , took 2 years overall

    going up there i past that curve many a time and once saw the results of a tractor trailer  spill of lumber on that curve  sure was a mess

    i have a appointment just north east of edilweiss today to pick up 1200 bd ft of furniture grade maple

    if all goes well a 6 hr round trip through the hills & valleys

    we used to party where the bunjee jump is which was across from where i built the house

    that quarry claimed a few lives at that time from people diving to the plane & boat  at the bottom  but made a great party site !

15. 
    wane | Mar 24, 2009 03:19pm | #33

    not to be left out on the Ottawa thread, I'm 5 minutes away from Lee V, go there once a week for something to do, the best part is the sale table.  They put out everything the sales reps bring/leave behind, found some interesting 1 of's there.

    Suprised to hear BB is moving, his hours suck, he'll have to put in more than banker hours to get by there.

    Had an interesting meeting with MPAC (property tax assess) this week, guess who else is going to be getting a list of who claims the new reno tax credit .. foot in the door to take a look at everything and you should see how they grade your reno!  Not worth the 1 time tax credit to get hit by a prop tax increase for the rest of your life ...

16. 
    sisyphus | Mar 25, 2009 06:02am | #34

    Thanks.

     Your post just reminded me that MPAC left a note on my door knob inquiring about when my renovations (new shingles actually) would be completed ???? And I didn't even go for any renovation tax credit. The neighbour across the street had a notice on his door knob as well.

    Edited 3/24/2009 11:39 pm ET by sisyphus

17. 
    sisyphus | Mar 25, 2009 06:34am | #35

    Perfect weather for a drive in the country.

    We used to get brucite (IIRC) from that quarry which was great for driveways. It packed down well and over time became almost like weak concrete and of course your driveway was bright white. I don't think Morrison or whoever is trucking that stuff anymore, at least I don't see it being used. I suspect it probably doesn't meet environmental standards or something.

    The whole area , as you said, has so much to offer. Recreation, nature, beauty and a more relaxed small town lifestyle and you are only 35 minutes from Rideau St.. Almost every time I go to Wakefield I think about moving up there but for now Ottawa seems to have more to offer.

    Have fun with your maple! 

18. 
    dude | Mar 25, 2009 01:32pm | #36

    made my first run to gods country yesterday ( trailer lights not working right so left it behind ) using just the F 150 and got out 600 bd ft

    im going back this morning for the other half

    When mervin morrison had the quarry i had a tandem and hauled out some of the rock for myself to use on my laneway and others locally around here

    you could barely see when you were in the pit because of the sun reflecting off the rock , quite the thing to see

    the  rock was used by farmers at that time to alter the ph on their land i recall

    mervin also subdivided the land at the north end of the quarry and created some awsome lots up on the hill which are called " Morrison Heights "

    Well gotta go as i want to hit the road for the final haul

19. 
    fingersandtoes | Apr 14, 2009 07:34am | #37

    Turned out worst than I expected. Everything started well: I found a Vaughn S2 hammer for $25 on the sample table (!), and met at least a dozen people I know. But in the two hours it took to get through the cash, my wife managed to get enough junk off the table and ordered enough more to totally dwarf my pile. Sort of took the wind out of my sails.

20. 
    artacoma | Apr 14, 2009 04:07pm | #38

    Haha I went by at 9am and saw the lineup a fewhundred people then came back at 3:30 and got in the store and they were serving #644 and the next #was was in the 720's. I'm gonna have to wait till the frenzy dies down a bit.cheersRik

21. 
    jet | Mar 22, 2009 06:03am | #18

    Yer from the Valley? EH?
    #9 binder twine!
    Take off eh!!!

22. 
    FastEddie | Mar 21, 2009 06:27pm | #12

    Ok, what's the story on the Quebeckers?  And why there's no store there?"Put your creed in your deed."   Emerson

    "When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it."  T. Roosevelt

23. 
    dude | Mar 21, 2009 07:36pm | #13

    Ah the story: Quebec will not allow you to run management in a store in english if you have over 60 employees i was told

    thus LeeValley (main store & mfg ) Princess Auto ( large tool and equipment store ) Busy Bee ( wood working & machine shop tools ) about to start building new larger store accross from Princess all have a large presence in Ottawa Can just accross the border from Quebec & 125 miles from Montreal

    this creates a huge pool of francophones being tool freaks coming to Ottawa to satisfy their addiction . PS: we tried to get them on the 12 step program but it dident work as they just come in bigger Fords so they can haul more equipment home

    if you look at the parking lots on sale days you would think you had made a wrong turn and were in Quebec judging by the license plates

    Richmond Virginia lovely place been through there a number of times  on the way to Florida . cheers

24. 
    sisyphus | Mar 22, 2009 05:47am | #17

    Like Dude says. Everything is different in Quebec. Different language. Different legal system. Different basic philosophy of government. For example nonunion construction in Quebec is illegal (AFAIK)  except for people working on their own houses or those of their parents (maybe siblings or kids ?).

    Quebec has cuter girls though   ; )  .

    Edited 3/21/2009 10:48 pm ET by sisyphus

25. 
    jet | Mar 22, 2009 06:10am | #19

    Construction by non union is illegal only if you get caught.
    commercial renos or construction is what they look for. The private stuff is left out of their radar.
    I wonder with the down turn of the economy if they start to get on the private stuff too!

26. 
    sisyphus | Mar 22, 2009 11:07pm | #24

    Several years ago a buddy of mine was building his house just north of Ottawa (in Quebec) in a very rural setting. Various guys used to come by and watch him work, day after day. He said they were from the union and just didn't believe he was working alone. Other people I know were threatened or arrested but like you say they were mostly doing commercial work. 

    I wanted to hire another friend of mine (ontario union carpenter) but even that proved complex and problematic.

27. 
    fingersandtoes | Mar 22, 2009 06:49am | #21

    I'd go farther than that. Even the girls from other provinces get cuter when they move to Quebec.

28. 
    sisyphus | Mar 22, 2009 11:08pm | #25

    That's funny and maybe even somewhat true.

2. 
   edwin | Mar 23, 2009 03:45pm | #30

   I'll second that! Since our local Woodworker's Warehouse and Woodcraft store went out of business it has been a lonely region.

2. 
   cut50 | Mar 20, 2009 05:03pm | #4

   Right on, have brother living up island, O happy days! saving on shipping.

   Never been in one, must be like a candy store.    

    

1. 
   FastEddie | Mar 20, 2009 07:15pm | #5

   must be like a candy store.  

   Or an opium den."Put your creed in your deed."   Emerson

   "When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it."  T. Roosevelt

1. 
   IMERC | Mar 20, 2009 07:18pm | #6

   several opium dens... 

   Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->

   WOW!!! What a Ride!

   Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

    

   "Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints"