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WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1987, PAGE 7 PAGE SEVEN An Anniversary of Canadian-American Relations As the debate on the free trade agreement heats up and the passions centrei on the long term future of Canada and the potential for its eventual annexation by the United States, it is interesting to note the passing of an important anniversary. One hundred and seventy five years ago yesterday on October 13, 1812, by the light of burning torches and exploding gunpowder, a battle began in the early morning on a hill north of Niagara Falls to decide the fate of Canada. Twelve hours later the Canadians had won but not before the death of one of only a handful of true romantic heroes that Canada has ever produced. The battle of Queenston Heights occurred quite early in the War .of 1812, and the death of Isaac Brock, the British commanding officer left the Canadian forces with relatively weak leadership. However, the Americans had already been stung by several embarrassing defeats and had discovered that the Canadian people were not waiting for the liberation they had supposed. Their expectations of an easy victory were dashed. Brock was one of those few leaders whose swashbuckling bravado could snatch victory from the jaws of certain defeat. Only weeks before be had bluffed his way to the surrender of a vastly superior American force at Detroit. In an age when officers bought their commissions (his cost 3000 pounds), he was one of those few leaders who inspired absolute loyalty in his men. His death at the head of his advancing troops became the stuff of legend and his matrydom at the hands of American expansionism provided a lasting rallying cry for his successors After Queenston Heights, the rest of the war was largely anticlimactic. It was dominated by bad and ineffectual leadership on both sides and although the next two years saw many more offensives and a lot of bloodshed, the flare and bravado that Brock brought to the first few months was never equalled. In the end the politicians in Washington and London (England) decided the border should remain as it was at the beginning of the war. The decision was a political one and both sides spent the next hundred years arguing over who had really won the war. However, it is far more interesting to speculate on what might iave'happened if Brock had lived to finish the war. If he had been able to maintain his frenetic pace for another two years, the entire American frontier south and west from Detroit would probably have become part of Canada and the expansion of the United States toward the Pacific would have been severely limited. As Canada engages in the final stages at yet another attempt at a free trade deal with the Americans, we should look back at the historic events that make us distinct from our neighbours. Does the deal preserve that distinctiveness or does it leave us open to a gradual erosion of everything we cherish as Canadians? The details of the agreement are still not public but already the debate has begun. The next few months will be very interesting and vital for the future of our country. Another Passage by Fire Another chapter in the history of Durham Region came to an abrupt and fiery conclusion on October 4th. The Hermitage, the historic former gymnasium of the old Pickering College was burnt to the ground. Arson was suspected. To many of us in the heritage movement, this comes as no surprise. There is a sense of déjà vu whenever a heritage building burns down. Although nothing is ever proven on an individual basis, statistically too many historic buldings get burned down, especially those that are not wanted by the powers that be. Officially they declare that vandals must have done it but none are ever caught and punished. The long-standing access of vandals to such buildings is a deliberate process which leads to inevitable results. A fire is a simple and very conclusive way to solve a thorny problem. The responsibility for such destruction lies more with those that allow and condone it than those who actually do the deed. As some may recall, I visited the Hermitage this past summer with Fred Roles, former Chairman of Ajax's LACAC and subsequently I wrote a column about this important historic building. Fred was very pessimistic about its future at the time for the simple reason that nothing was being done to prevent the extensive vandalism that had already occurred. The Hermitage was a designated building which stood on land belonging to Runnymede Developments but the land was to revert to the Town of Ajax for a public park in the near future as Runnymede developed the land. Some councillors had already stated publicly that they wanted the building demolished because they did not want to spend the money to repair the damage already done. It seems their prayers have been answered. Another recent suspicious fire was the one at the Music Building at the CNE this past summer. Arson was once agamn suspected and even before the flames were out tbe CNE General Manager (who had been trying to get it demolisbed for years) was planning its replacement. There were many who suspected some banky-panky in tbe fire at Lynde House last summer sbortly before it was moved. Passions on both sides were so bigh that anything was possible. The police investigated but found nothing. Members of tbe beritage mnovement aeue owthn their dreams go up in smoke. It simplybadntemalte more for the next battle, ONTARIO COUNTY REGISTRY OFFICE, 1873, 1929 The Whitby Land Registry Office moved this past weekend to a temporary location in a new plaza at the corner of King Street and Thornton Road in Oshawa after 134 years in the Town of Whitby. (A new building is to be built in a few years on Rossland Road in Whitby.) The first land registry office operated by John Ham Perry (son of Peter Perry, Whitby's founder) was opened on Brock Street North in 1853 but was replaced by the building above at Centre and Gilbert Streets in 1873. An addition was made to the front of the building in 1929 and a second addition provided space for a reading room in 1954. Perry was responsible for standardizing the design of provincial registry offices in 1865. 10 YEARS AGO from the Wednesday, October 12, 1977 edition of the WHITBY FREE PRESS * Mayor Jim Gartshore announces that a $500,000 Neighbourhood Improvement grant to enclose Ash Creek will be made soon by the federal and provincial governments. * A new branch of the Royal Bank opened at the corner of Dundas and Anderson Streets with Reg Flewelling as manager. * Durham Region proposed a $5 million addition to its headquarters on Rossland Road. * Construction has begun on the Athol-Qreen Co-operative Housing Project. 25 YEARS AGO from the Thursday, October 11, 1962 edition of the WHITBY WEEKLY NEWS * Fluoride will be added to the Whitby water supply by the end of October, PUC General Manager Harry Simpson announced. * Marion Neilson is elected President of the Anderson Collegiate Student Council. * Many Whitby residents are complaining about increases in their assessment. * Mary Elizabeth Grobb married Earl Whitmore Anderson at the chapel in the Ontario Ladies' College on October 6. 100 YEARS AGO from the Friday, October 14, 1887 edition of the WHITBY CHRONICLE * The engine to run the McKay Brothers' grain elevator at Myrtle Station arrived Oct. 10. * John Dryden, MPP for Ontario South, suggested a gymnasium should be built for the youth of Whitby. * Chief Constable Hugh McBrien is looking for the parties stealing wood from Christopher Johnson's lumber yard. * Muddy roads are causing problems for farmers bringing their harvest to Whitby harbor for shipment across Lake Ontario. bibi