Victory Gardens

 Bill 5 (again)
   At the beginning of this month you will find this post in MM which is linked here: "Line 5 (again) and Bill 5."  Line 5 has to do with the potential for the loss of a great deal of fresh water from the Great Lakes and Bill 5, many believe, will lead to the loss of farmland here in Ontario. That post has some useful links and I will add more below.

  After the recent U.S. presidential election and the tariff announcement(sss) there was a brief moment of Canadian camaraderie, as well as come concern that perhaps we got too much stuff, including food, from sources that might no longer be available. Some began thinking that we should be more careful with the land down here since it is better than land above here where it is also colder.
  At least a few people continue to worry about the loss of farms and you may have received an email from some of them containing this sentence: "Every day we lose 319 acres of farmland in Ontario – that’s the equivalent of nine family farms." If you did not receive such a message that may mean that you are not concerned and, as well, believe it might be just more "fake news." Some additional sources related to these issues are provided, but you only have to circumnavigate London (not an easy thing to do) to see the good land receding like water at low tide.

What About the Victory Gardens?

  Such gardens were typically planted during the war and you don't have to be a "prepper" worried about an apocalypse to think about growing your own food or to at least start thinking about where it comes from and how to get some. 

Sources:
  Read Bill 5 and decide for yourself. It supposedly will "Protect Ontario By Unleashing Our Economy."
  For agricultural land loss in Ontario:
319 Acres: What Does It Mean?
A Waterloo example: "70% of Wilmot Farmland Secured for Future Industrial Site, Region Says," CBC News, May 14, 2025
  For a grow-your-own Victory Garden:
  The Wikipedia entry is a good place to start and then see, "Victory Gardens" in The Canadian Encyclopedia. 
There are many more including: "How Can Your Start Your Own 'Victory Garden," CBC News, April 11, 2023 and from the good Old Farmer's Almanac, "Planning a Victory Garden", Robin Sweetser, May 15, 2025.

Biggest Mystery Ever - Solved!

 Well, technically speaking, it may not have been the biggest one since the beginning of time, but for me it was the most mystifying mystery I have ever read about. In a county close by, someone snuck up on 30,000 chickens and then came back later and stole 15,000 more. You can read about the original chicken caper in The Great Huron County Chicken Heist(s). Apparently (and, of course always allegedly) it was an inside job as you will learn from the sources below and we are all eager to know where exactly the chickens were kept inside. 

Large Larcenies Continue to be a Problem
    A litany of them was offered in Large Larcenies. Lest you think that you can rest easy, even in a rural area, that is not the case. Rustlers have returned to Colorado as this headline indicates: "Nearly 200 Cows Disappeared: The Case Remains Cold," Karin Brulliard, The Washington Post, April 9, 2025.
   Even sheep aren't safe, even in England where there are also rustlers: "Hundreds of Sheep Stolen as Livestock Rustlers Target, UK Farms," Aleksandra Cupriak, Farmers Guide, March 6, 2024. Like cars in Toronto, farming equipment is also being nicked: "The Landscape is Centuries Old. The Crime is More Modern," Stephen Castle, NYT, April 22, 2025.
'In rural England, increasingly sophisticated farming equipment has become a target for thieves, adding to pressure on farming communities....Farms can be lucrative targets for thieves, because of the value of their vehicles and equipment. Thefts are “ever more sophisticated with examples of criminal gangs using technology such as drones” to pinpoint expensive machinery or accessories, according to Jim McLaren, chairman of NFU Mutual, an insurance company specializing in rural areas. Some equipment, the police say, is stolen to order and moved abroad...Andy Lemon, a police inspector who works on rural crime at Wiltshire Police, says that in some instances, high-value equipment has left Britain within 48 hours and ended up in Eastern Europe."

Sources:
   "Farmer Who Reported Theft of 45,000 chicks Charged With Fraud, Mischief: OPP: A Huron County farmer who reported the theft of 45,000 chicks in April 2023 has been charged with fraud and public mischief, Huron OPP said,” Beatriz Baleeiro
London Free Press, May 07, 2025
 "More than two years after a reported theft of 45,000 chicks from a Huron County farm, OPP have laid charges – against the farmer who reported the theft.
Huron OPP said Wednesday a 41-year-old South Huron man is charged with fraud over $5,000 and public mischief in a case one farmer described as “mind-boggling” when it was reported in April 2023....Huron OPP received a report on April 20, 2023, that 30,000 15-day-old chicks were stolen overnight on April 19. The alleged theft caused a stir in farming circles and stumped police.
“It’s absolutely mind-boggling,” Ethan Wallace, a farmer and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture director for Huron and Perth counties, said in a Free Press story on May 16, 2023.
“Anybody that’s chased a bird or anything knows how they scatter. To undertake rounding up 30,000 of them is, yeah, absolutely mind-boggling.” In the same story, an OPP spokesperson said investigators were puzzled.“We’re really lacking physical evidence to support the report of the theft, but it still doesn’t explain where are the chicks and how are they in the barn one day and gone the next?” Const. Craig Soldan said. “It’s still a mystery.”