This is most likely a scam. I bought a house and recently got a notice from this mysterious company…read moreclaiming that I needed to give them a call for an inspection at my cost? Scam alert

The ESA is probably the worse Government Organization I've ever had to deal with. First of all they…read moresay they're a not for profit organization that protects Ontarians and "enhance public electrical safety in the province". I get that protecting dumb people from high voltage wires and giving insurance companies piece of mind is good and all. But really, for a Government Organization it seems like they're looking to protect their own pockets. For a first time home owner, I had to deal with them because my insurance company wanted to know my electrical wiring was safe. I had to call and book an appointment to have someone come out. They don't give you an exact time, just be available from 8AM to 4PM (of course Monday to Friday only). What normal person has that kind of time to sit around all day waiting for someone! In fact I had to book an entire day off work just to wait around. When the inspector arrived, he was nice and all and seemed to know his stuff. But of course paying $300 for a residential inspection that only took 30mins is a complete rip-off. But I guess they need to protect the pockets of their big wigs. Anyway, there were defects that needed repairing. Had everything fixed and also had to pay another $90 to the ESA just so I could take out a "permit" to fix the issues myself. Again more money in the pockets of some big wigs. Of course I had to reschedule another appointment to have my work inspected. So another day I had to take off work and sit around waiting for an inspector between 8AM and 4PM. Unfortunately I had to quickly run out to pick up a sick niece from summer camp and decided to leave a note at the door for the inspector to call me just in case I was only a couple minutes away from being back. After being away for about an hour and a half, I return to a reply on door note saying "Sorry we're 3 inspectors short". Okay, I get that you're short staffed, but at least have the decency to make a quick phone call to see if I was near. Seeing how I took an entire day off work and may have been a few blocks away. I still waited the rest of the day to see if there may have been a revisit, but nope. Meanwhile my insurance company keeps pestering me for an inspection report. I had to then reschedule another appointment with the ESA. Take off another day off work, which I'm lucky that the company I work for is flexible like that. Most Ontarians don't have that luxury. Finally, after getting a final inspection that of course only took less than 30mins and not all of the work was looked at, also the inspector tried to make me replace something that wasn't rated properly, which I had to point out to him that it was and where the marking was on an electrical switch. So much for being the "expert". Last thing I wanted to do was deal with another ESA appointment. So my conclusion after writing this novel is that the Electrical Safety Authority is a badly managed Government Organization that wants you to think they care about your safety, but really I think they care more about their bottom dollar and the salaries of the people who work there. If they're so short on staff and inspectors, why not open this up to private electrical companies to offer residential inspections. Much like how some car garages offer Emissions and Vehicle Inspections. This entire ordeal makes booking a cable tech 100 times better.

This Idea Exchange was constructed in 1921, located right in Hespeler. The building was originally…read morebuilt to Beaux Arts style l with clean classical lines, large columns and porticos. To preserve the building, you will see the library housed by glass walls giving it a modern look. The location has a parking lot with a 2hr parking limit with after hour drop box for patrons. When you drive in, be careful, next door is a fireball. Don't mistaken the fireball driveway for the library.

Today I did a pick up for a basketball. Athletic sports items can be borrowed for 3 weeks like…read morebooks. Ball was slightly inflated but did the job for practising hoops. Wifi is free, with the login and "accept." When picking up media, an empty holder is placed hold shelf and pick up at the front desk so let them know what you're picking up.

It was my first time being at this location. The library has many floors and yes air conditioning…read more There is a security guard at the front (that's new for me to see security guard at a library). When one of the staff noticed me exploring they gave me the run down of everything and when I said I was looking for the makers space, she directed me down two blocks to the right place. Parking is free here, its a beautiful library. Who knew you could take out PS4 games.

The Idea Exchange in Cambridge is, ultimately, a library. The employees and volunteers in place for…read morethe Cambridge Comic Arts Festival were all fantastically polite, warm, and helpful. The building itself is also quite beautiful, with lots of natural light and visual interest. I learned it has been renovate or added to four times! There are plenty of computers for people to use, and other technological tools -- some of which I didn't even recognize. There is ample seating for studying and even a private meeting room (though it is made of clear glass, so visual privacy is a no-go). It's also kid-friendly with plenty of children's books and hands-on activities for the youngest patrons. As someone who's worked in libraries in the past, I foudn Idea Exchange to be a real pleasure.

From the owner: In 1836 we were founded as the Galt Circulating Library, and we have evolved with our community…read moreever since.

Yesterday, I visited the Cambridge Kin Carnival at Riverside Park. I parked across from it, as it…read moreseemed to have more parking spots that trying my luck parking on park property. I thought that it was additional parking for the park. After backing into a spot, I noticed a boarded-up, vacant building several steps away from me. I didn't know what it was. I flagged it and headed to the carnival. I returned after a fun time at the carnival and stuffing myself with yummy tacos. I took another look at this building. It looked vacant to me with no signs to indicate what it once was. Weird. I did some research because this place piqued my curiosity. It is the Preston Electric Power House. It's labelled as Historic Preston Electric Power House on Google, although the historic part doesn't seem official based on my brief research. Preston used to be its own town before it became a community in Cambridge today. This power house was built in 1905. Its purpose was to supply hydro-electric power to the former Preston Junction and the former Grand River railway line. You can see faint remnants of rail tracks on the ground, which makes more sense now. Apparently, this building has been vacant for decades. It is owned by the City of Cambridge. This building is listed on the city's heritage walking tour. Perhaps it's where the historic label comes from. I still can't tell whether it is formally deemed a historic building. However, it is listed as a public building in Waterloo region's Public Building Inventory report. So many questions remain even after learning a bit about the building. Why is it kicking around? Is it used for storage? If it is a part of a heritage walk, shouldn't there be at least a sign with some details for tourists like me to read, instead of scratching my head looking at it and thinking that it's a dump? Anyway, it's cool that it was once a power station for Preston. You can park behind this abandoned building for free, but there's not much to see. It would be cool if it were converted to a museum, as it seems to play an important part of the city's history that feels like it's a huge secret. I'm hoping that wishful thinking helps here. (183)