The HMCS Ontario left Hong Kong at the end of October 1945, and steamed back to Canada across the Pacific. They arrived at Esquimalt on 27 November 1945. My grandfather then took a train across the country back to Halifax. His war was over.

Hong Kong ceased to be a British colony in 1945 and is now a special adminsitrative region of the People's Republic of China. Many Canadians have roots and ties to the city and an estimated 300,000 Canadians live there. They may not remember what the Canadian boys did in 1945.

The Kowloon Clock Tower is still there today. The train station was torn down in 1977 but the clock was preserved. It's a tourist attraction and a heritage landmark today. The clocks have remained in operation since 1945, thanks to the young men of the Royal Canadian Navy.

British civil authorities requested help restarting the clock tower. The HMCS Ontario sent their electrical team (including my 19-year old grandfather) to repair the tower. The team were able to restart the clock and restore operation after 44 months of occupation.

Canadian sailors also began to repair facilities in the city. One example was the Tsim Sha Tsui clock tower in Kowloon. It was originally part of a train station built in 1916. The tower sustained damage during the Japanese invasion and had not operated since 1941.

The city was in a bad way. The Japanese had stripped the city of war material. The population was starving. The British did what they could to restore order. Canadian sailors from the HMCS Ontario led armed patrols through the city.

Hong Kong had been occupied by Japan since December 1941. A Chinese Canadian, LT(N) William Lore of Victoria BC, was selected as the first Allied officer to land in Hong Kong. Contingents of British and Canadian sailors liberated the city and captured Japanese forces.

Here's a Remembrance Day story about something my grandfather helped with in 1945. Hong Kong was liberated from the Japanese in August 1945. The first Allied forces in the city were British naval ships, including the HMCS Ontario. My grandfather (sixth from left) was on that ship

RT @MokeyIRL: “You block people over politics?” I’ll block people if they say something too mean about a Muppet.

Policy and party aside, this is pretty cool. Also worth nothing he'll serve alongside a man born into fantastic wealth.

RT @thor_benson: I, for one, fully support Democrats talking like Tony Soprano for the next four years.

Maybe Trump didn't really mean Canada when he promised a 10% tarriff on all imports. Maybe he did. Maybe he honours the previous trade deal he negotiated with us. Maybe he puts the screws to us. It's the uncertainty that hurts business.

Something as simple as the cost of a 20 ft length of stainless steel pipe is now in question because Canadian suppliers don't know if or when price increases could occur. Prices always vary but not with this amount of uncertainty.

The US elected their new President and Congress with clear policy goals on trade. That's their right. Our problem in Canada will be that we are part of a fully integrated North American market. American suppliers sell north and Canadian suppliers sell south.

Looking at design work for projects in 2025 and we just received a price warning about imported material from the USA and potential tariff costs. Suppliers are warning of unknown price increases and that they will not be honouring quotes into the New Year.

RT @NeedlesOnNews: If you don't like Gretzky's politics, I have some news about Ovechkin's. .

The good news for Canadians who are nervous or tired of the Donald Trump win is that Pierre Poilievre will be the man of the moment in 2025.

RT @UNBMSoccer: Massive day for us! Here we go 🔴🔴🔴.

My election predictions

His grandfather would have loved this photo.