Toronto Police: To Serve & Protect

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, Grandpa James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!



Know what? Chance and me are in Toronto. We're sitting on a police cruiser. Cruiser is another word for car.

The police in Toronto have really big cars and they have some wee little newborn cars, too. I'm too little to drive now but I will drive one day. I would drive really fast and make the siren go and flash the red and blue lights. "Look out, good citizens!" I'd holler real loud. "Look out! Constable Charles and Constable Chance comin' through!"

I know what police do. They serve and protect. They have an important job. Their job is to make Toronto a safe for boys and girls to live. Grownups, too. Oh, wait! Police constables make Toronto safe for bear cubs, too.  The constables stop bad people from doing bad things. People who do bad things get arrested. They go to the Don Jail. They have to go to court. The judge decides if they're guilty or innocent. People who do bad things aren't good citizens, you know. Good citizens obey the rules.

I could be a constable when I grow up, you know. I could help make Toronto a safe place to live. People who live in Toronto are called Torontonians.  Toronto is pretty big. Six million people live in T.O. It's Canada's biggest city. It's way bigger than Windsor. That's where me and Chance live. Windsor is the centre of the universe and the nicest part of Detroit. That's what I learned at the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre.

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We have police in Windsor. Know what? There weren't any murders in Windsor last year. That's 'cuz the police serve and protect.

 Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? Grandpa James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find Grandpa James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

 This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be nice to friends and neighbours. Good citizens get to eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can play police. We can serve and protect! Okay! Over and out!"

Shopping On Queen Street in TO

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. He's so little he doesn't have a tail or any teeth, yet. He just drinks condensed owls' milk out of his bottle. Chance likes to take off his diaper and climb way up high on things. Then he's afraid and can't get down. He makes little squawky noises when he's afraid or hungry or sleepy or has to poo.    I look after Chance. He's a handful! 

Know what? We're on Queen Street in Toronto. James says it's a hip and trendy street. I don't know what that means but it's fun to shop on Queen Street.

We're here with our buddy Phil. Phil has lots of fun things to buy, like this  puppy toque.

The puppy toque is handmade. That means there isn't another one like it in the whole wide world. When I wear this toque it keeps my ears warm. We need to keep our ears warm in the wintertime, you know.

Now that I have this toque, I can play a new game. I can pretend to be a puppy. I can bark real good. Hmmmn. I need a puppy name. I think my puppy name will be Fred. Fred is a good name for a puppy. Oh. Wait! Maybe my puppy name should be Baxter. Yeah. I like Baxter. That's a good name for a puppy.

Know what? You could get a puppy toque, you know. You could get one and we could play puppies together. Yeah! That would be fun.

If you want a puppy toque you have to go to 208 Queen Street. That's right in the middle of Toronto between Soho and Beverley A nice man named Phil will sell you a puppy toque. He has lots of other animal toques, too. His stand is right next to the Aritzia store. I don't shop there 'cuz I'm a bear cub and  I don't have to wear clothes. I get to run around bear naked. That's a pun, you know.

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. 

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be kind to your friends and neighbours. Do good deeds. Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can go shopping on Queen Street together! Okay! Over and out!"

Our Trip to Toronto

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

 Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful! 

Know what? We're going to T.O. We have to get ready. We put things we will need in our suitcase. There are diapers for Chance and condensed owls' milk, too. I put my Cat-in-the-Hat sox in the suitcase.

Toronto is pretty far from our house. It takes a long time to get there. That's because O Canada is very big. Oh! I got an idea! One time James washed my favourite sweater in hot water and it shrank so much it only fit Chance. We could wash O Canada in the Inglis and then it would be smaller and then it wouldn't take so long to go places!

We go to Toronto on the train. I l-o-v-e VIA Rail. We use our best manners and we talk with our inside voices. There are lots of things to do on the train. We get to drink chocolate milk that the nice person has on the cart. I know where chocolate milk comes from. It comes from brown cows. Know what? Whole milk comes from whole cows. We play games on the train. We play  Snakes and Ladders. That's my favouritest game of all.

Oh! Look! Look at Chance! He climbed inside of a paper bag. I know what that means. It means he wants a bottle of warm, condensed owls' milk and then he will take a nap. Chance takes lots of naps. James says it's 'cuz he's just a wee little cubby and napping is good for him. Naps help make bear cubs bigger and stronger and healthier, too!

We get to eat a meal on the train. The food is yummy and yummy is one of the four food groups in the Canada Food Guide.

I will tell you more about our trip to Toronto the next time we blog. I'm sleepy and I need a nap.



Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. 

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be kind to your friends and neighbours. Do good deeds.  Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house. We can go to Toronto together. We can ride on VIA Rail all day Okay! Over and out!"

We Love VIA RAil!

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Know what? We're at Union Station in T.O. That's a nickname for Toronto. Toronto is a great big city. It's the capital of Ontario and Ontario is in O Canada, our home and native land.  We had fun in Toronto. Now we're gonna ride home on the train. It will take us to Windsor. Windsor is the centre of the known universe and the nicest part of Detroit. Know what?  The train has a name. It's name is VIA Rail. VIA Rail goes all over Canada and to the Knighted States, too. The best part is VIA Rail comes all the way to our house!

This is our buddy John. He works on the train. He smiles at everyone and makes them feel really special. I could work for VIA Rail,  you know. I can say, "Would you care for a snack?" I can say, "Would you like a beverage before dinner?" John asks people if they would like to read the Globe & Mail or the Toronto Star. Those are newspapers.

John's job is very important. He looks after the people on the train so they don't get cranky. Cranky people have to take naps.  Really cranky people have to sit on the Time Out Chair AND take naps. Don't be cranky on the train, okay?

We get to ride up front. That's nice. Some people ride Coach. That's behind us. I think some people have to ride Baggage. That's way at the back of the train.

John gives us chocolate milk to drink. I l-o-v-e chocolate milk. It's yummy and that's one of the four food groups in the Canada Food Guide. Chance likes chocolate milk, too. He drinks chocolate flavoured condensed owls' milk. I know where condensed owls' milk comes from. It comes from condensed owls. I get to eat a whole meal. That's 'cuz I'm five and I'm pretty grown up, now. The food on VIA Rail is really yummy.

Look at Chance. He's being silly, you know. John gave me a serviette for my meal. That will keep me from getting all covered in food in case I spill some. I put the serviette in my lap. That's good manners. Chance put the serviette over his head. Now he thinks he's invisible 'cuz he can't see me. I can still see him! I can see his feet! He's underneath the serviette. I pull it off of him and shout, "Boo! Boo! I see you!" Chance makes little squeaky noises when I pull off the serviette. That means he's happy. I'm lucky to have a little brother.

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? It's time to pre-board the train so we can go home.

That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. We wanna go home so I can ride my blue bike with the Canada flag on it and climb the sugar maple in the back yard and dig some really big holes, too!

Chance and me know how to use the telephone to make reservations at VIA Rail so we can go to Toronto or Cornwall or Montreal or even to your house!

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be nice to John on the train. If you are nice and polite, he might give you Smarties and chocolate milk. Oh! Wait! Come get on board VIA Rail with us! We can ride home together! All aboard! Tous a bord! Okay! Over and out!"

Toronto the Good

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Look at us! We're way up here on top of the mail box. Chance climbed up here all by himself. He climbs on everything, you know. That's what newborn cubbies do.

We're in Toronto. T.O. is the biggest city in Ontario. It's the capital of Ontario, too. James says the city has a nickname. People call it Toronto the Good.  Toronto is really big. Six million people live here. I don't know how many bear cubs  live in T.O. We only saw two bear cubs on our whole trip.

That's the CN Tower behind us. It's one of the tallest buildings in the world. It's way taller than me. I bet Chance would like to climb to the top! I'll have to keep an eye on him 'cuz it's dangerous to climb something so tall.

We're going shopping. We have to buy things in Chinatown Lots of people live in Chinatown. Most of them are Asian Canadians. They speak lots of different languages. We're gonna buy strawberries and sour sop in Chinatown. We're gonna shop in Kensington Market, too. That's where the TV show King of Kensington was made. We watch it on the CBC.

James needs sox. He says we will find a good bargain or two today. Know what?  I don't need to wear sox. I get to run around bear naked. That's a pun. I'm five. I know what a pun is. I have red-and-white striped Cat-in-the-Hat sox. My friend Tanner gave them to me. He was a big 'ole yeller dog who lived with his buddies Jay and Shaun.  Tanner died last Christmas. He was my firstest bestest friend. I remember him every time I wear my Cat-in-the-Hat sox. They make me run faster than anyone else. I'm the fastest bear cub in Olde Sandwich Towne.

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario?

That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Mind your manners. Keep your hands in your pockets when you go shopping so you don't break anything. Good citizens get to eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house! We can go to T.O. and shop together! Okay! Over and out!"

Riding the Rocket

 Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Know what? We're in Toronto. That's T.O. for short. Toronto is far from our house on Sparkle Road.  It takes four hours to get there.

James says six million people live in Toronto.  I want to know why so many people would want to live so far away from Windsor. James says Windsor is the centre of the known universe and the nicest part of Detroit.

When we are in T.O. we get to ride the TTC bus and the subway. We use special coins. They are gold and silver coloured. They're really tiny.  I have to watch Chance, if I give him one he might try to put one in his mouth. James says the little coins are called tokens. 

The subway has a nickname, too. People call it the Rocket. It's fun to ride the Rocket. It goes really fast! Even faster than my blue bike with the Canada flag on it. When it starts to move I hang onto Chance for dear life, 'cuz there's no seat belts. Seat belts would help us stay in the chairs and not slide out! That's how fast the Rocket is! 

The Rocket stops to let people on and off. Some of the trip is underground. That's fun! A man got sick on the subway ride. I watched him fall down on the floor. Someone pulled the emergency brake. The ambulance came and took the sick man to hospital. We sure hope he gets well.

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. 

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens.  Then you can come to Toronto with us and ride the Rocket. We can have fun together! Okay! Over and out!"