Canadian Icons

Dominion Stores, with their self-proclaimed excellence in butchery ("It's mainly because of the meat!") and distinctive signs, are a Canadian icon. But now, alas, they are gone. They remain throughout the Atlantic provinces, but are "Dominion" in name only, having been bought out by Loblaw, and so sport the Loblaw colours and design.

At least Dominion held on in Ontario. Until a few weeks ago, when Dominion was taken over by the Metro chain from Quebec. All the red and green signs with the old-fashioned scripted D and maple leaf were pulled down and temporarily replaced with banners until the new Metro signs were installed. Here's our Dominion. Pardon me, Metro.


I remember, as a child, thinking that my parents, aunts, and uncles were crazy when they reminisced about things from their childhoods that no longer existed. You know, a particular brand of biscuits, tea, or cod liver oil ... but now I think I understand.

This month also marked the passing of my beloved Tilley Hat. I've worn it every summer for seven years. It was inaugurated on part of a cross-Canada demonstration for Aboriginal Rights, criss-crossed the midwest, shielded me from the sun in Israel and the West Bank, saw a lot of birds in BC, stayed on my head in Newfoundland despite the wind, held off the rain in the UK, and brought a sartorial je ne sais quoi to Geneva. When I put it on while travelling with an Ecuadoran partner recently, she smiled and said, "Ahhh ... Canada!"

After all this time it was so frayed on the brim that whenever I touched it, it would shred.


Only one thing to do -- take it back to Tilley and get a replacement. For free. I kid you not. I handed it over; they handed back a fresh one. They even offered to let me keep the old one, I looked so stricken at giving it up.

Kelly says she thinks Tilley is a cult. She might have a point.