People, buy your fries at the corner store

Do you ever wonder about your old home?

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The other day I was updating my timeline information on my Facebook account. You know, that neat little timeline where you put events and pictures from your past into an historical document of yourself. Well I came across a scary thing. I googled an old address just for the hell of it ( I lived there for a few years in the late 70’s). I did not really think an address would pop up; but sure enough, my old address did. And not just the address, but a complete newspaper article.

The apartment building was involved in a nasty fire in 2011 — Floors 1-3 engulfed.

The following is actually sourced from CBC News.

CBC News Posted: Mar 30, 2011 7:43 AM ET

An overnight fire at a three-storey apartment building in the borough of Pierrefonds Roxboro on Montreal's West Island has forced about 200 people from their homes.

The fire broke out about 9 p.m. ET at 12110 Pierrefonds Boulevard. It took 125 firefighters several hours to put out the flames.

“People, buy your fries at the corner store”

A pot of cooking oil left on a hot stove was the cause of the fire that has left 40 Pierrefonds residents homeless and temporarily dislodged about 200 people.

“People, buy your fries at the corner store,” Montreal fire department spokesman Jean Leblanc said Wednesday morning as he stood outside the burned wreckage.

“On the first floor, when the people knew they had smoke in their apartment, they opened the patio doors. The fire then travelled up the outside of the building, jumping from balcony to balcony” he said.

The front doors have been padlocked, the power has been turned off and workers have barricaded a section of the building because of fears it could collapse. It's not clear when or or how many tenants will be able to return to their apartments.

So obviously things change and life moves on after you leave, and I can count my lucky stars that my Facebook timeline does have to have events like this posted.

OB Canada ( Canadian Ohio Brass) in Quebec - CANOBEC

IS THERE A LIFE WITHOUT THE INTERNET? - Today, it’s very hard.

The other day I was discussing a place where I used to work. I tried to do some investigating and realised there is hardly anything that can be found on the organisation. I assume primarily because most of its business was conducted pre-internet — pre personal computer too.

That small organisation along with some (to me) memorable individuals really did have an influence on me. So the following is just a little post mortem of the company from my point of view and to maybe give it some internet life.

Earl Robert Davey was born in Hamilton, Ontario, 8 April, 1906 and died 20 December, 1996. He joined the Canadian Ohio Brass Company in Niagara Falls. During the next 46 years he progressed up the ranks from his appointment as factory Manager in 1952 through to President in 1962 to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in 1976. The latter two he held until his retirement in 1980.

He became a director in 1964 of the parent Ohio Brass Company located in Mansfield, Ohio during which time, in addition to directing the Niagara Falls plant, there was one key achievement to be mentioned — he was instrumental in developing a second Canadian plant at Pointe Claire Q.C. in 1966 and in building a new plant at Baie d'Urfé Q.C. in 1975.

MY CAREER IN FINANCE STARTS HERE

I worked at both Quebec sites in the Accounting Department (would be called Finance today) from 1975 to 1980 so I was involved in a lot of the companies activities.

OB CANOBEC as it was called, was located first in Pointe Claire and then moved to the new plant in Baie d'Urfe. It was a division of Canadian Ohio Brass and its headquarters was located in Niagara Falls, ON.

In 1978, Canadian Ohio Brass was purchased by Harvey Hubbell.

Outlook for the company was optimistic. I only left because my Fiancée and I were getting married and we did not think the province of Quebec was suitable for growth. However from what I can source, in 1982, Canadian Ohio Brass experienced a rather long labour dispute that eventually led to its closing in mid-1983.

CANOBEC was primarily an assembly operation but also fabricated parts from raw steel for Utility trucks. The main product lines at the time I was there were: Mining industry Roof Bolts,
High Tower Porcelain Insulators and Holan Division — which assembled fully hydraulic aerial devices and buckets, also fabricated precision made customer-specific truck utility bodies and service vehicle ladder racks.

Some of the primary customers were:

• Hydro Quebec
• Bell Canada
• Toronto Hydro
• Niagara Utilities.

The new plant at 19,400 Cruickshank Ave. in Baie d'Urfe (1975–1983) also introduced a real shift in product. This plant was now physically divided with the assembly in one section and a brand new steel foundry — and not just a foundry — but (based on my recollection) it was the first completely electric foundry in North America. Two important customers back then were General Motors of Canada and Canadian National Railways.

I remember saying good-bye to the office staff that beautiful June day.
What a shame it did not survive.