Toronto parade

[Edwin Wand]

Interesting you were contacted by the Dutch Consulate in Toronto. I will call them on Monday to see if we can help them with vehicles, reinactors etc.

World War 2 vehicles do exist in Toronto, including jeeps and a quad, with a 25 pounder and limber. If the search area is expanded to include the area from North Bay to the US Border (Niagara River) and from London to Oshawa there are a large number of vehicles available.

The issue is not a shortage of heritage vehicles, it is the lack of willingness to pay for transporting them. All the usual suspects have contacted us at one time or another and requested that we bring our equipment to their event but never with an offer of transportation. Everyone wants halftracks, 15cwts, 18, 25 pounders, portable displays and reinactors but none can supply transportation saying, as did the Toronto Canadian National Exhibition two years ago "we have no budget but we can supply parking spaces for your car and trailer".

In 2013 we approached the local MP who is also the Parliamentary Secretary of Canadian Heritage (Rick Dykstra) and asked him to endorse our efforts to have a 2015 Niagara commemoration of the liberation of Holland. As part of this event we wanted to show pictures of the liberation and use a local family's story to tell about life under the Germans and of their liberation. There was no interest by elected officials in assisting us and we were told that all liberation events would not take place before 2017, the anniversary of Confederation. This was especially disappointing because the MP's family lived in Holland during the War and came here after the war as so many other Dutch families did. We still want to do this.

Last summer I did some preliminary research on transportation costs and found that the cost of renting a car transporter to take vehicles from St Catharines to Toronto and return (about 180 miles return) would be about $1,500. Five or six vehicles on a transport (M37s, Jeeps, CMPs). We were also told that negotiating would likely bring the price down.

We have several volunteer truckers who will move our equipment short distances for free and as a result we are able to move about the Niagara peninsula fairly easily. One issue is that sometimes a contractor will offer to help. Unfortunately, they are not used to moving anything but earthmoving equipment and are unaware of how fragile our vehicles are. e.g they want to use steel chains and not fabric tie downs.

Some of our equipment has gone to Coe Hill and the transporters they use have been excellent. Perhaps the Dutch Consulate could use them.

We also have found that event organizers are reluctant to ask their local business people for help in locating transportation. Surely in the larger cities there are business organizations who will help. If we can find them in Niagara, people in Toronto could do the same.

As for the Dutch event, Veterans Affairs have grant programs that might be of assistance. Requests made for financial support so that vehicles can attend could be made. Also at the same time Heritage Canada has a community grant open now but closing April 2nd. They might well in interested in providing assistance.

The lead on this would likely best come from a Toronto Charity or not for profit.

Hope this information is useful. I will advise about our call to the Toronto Consulate.