Straddling the fertile valleys of the south Caucasus Mountains, Georgia is commonly believed to be the birthplace of wine, with the practice originating around 6,000BC. Not only were Stone Age Georgians believed to be the first humans to ferment grapes by burying its juice underground for the winter, but today, Georgian identity remains inseparable from winemaking, with wine long being the engine of the Georgian economy. In fact, among invaders, it was historically said that if you wanted to defeat Georgia, you needed to first destroy its vineyards. This is exactly what happened in Georgia’s southern Samtskhe-Javakheti region in the 1500s. For centuries, this key winemaking region was home to ancient Georgians who lived in hollowed-out caves in the nearby volcanic rock and constructed terraced vineyards down its slopes. In the 1550s, invading Ottoman Turks destroyed Samtskhe-Javakheti’s vineyards and went on to rule the area for more than 300 years. Yet, in recent years, locals have begun replanting indigenous grapes, restoring their ancestors’ once-proud terraced vineyards to their former glory and harvesting wine in the region for the first time in 400 years.
Travel & Leisure
CALEDON, Ont. — Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government is reiterating its support for another controversial Greater Toronto Area highway project. Ontario Premier Doug Ford was in Caledon, Ont., on Wednesday to show support for Highway 413, which he says will relieve traffic congestion in the regions of Halton, Peel and York. It was his government’s second event this week in support of a planned highway in the growing Toronto area, infrastructure they argue will benefit commuters and the economy. Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney says Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass will not be tolled roads once completed. Public information sessions on Highway 413 will be held next month and the government says Indigenous communities and other residents will have more opportunities to give input. But the project has drawn criticism from political opponents and environmental advocates, who are concerned it will pave over farmland and environmentally sensitive areas, including the protected Greenbelt. The provincial New Democrats and Liberals have both said they will not go through with it if elected next June.
With ochre-stained streams, crimson-hued beaches and enchanting salt caves, Iran’s Hormuz Island is a geologist’s Disneyland. “You should get a taste of this soil,” said Farzad Kay, my tour guide on southern Iran’s Hormuz Island, as we stood at the foot of a ruby-red mountain that loomed majestically over the shoreline, engulfing the beach and waves in a crimson shadow. I approached his suggestion with some trepidation, as I was yet to understand this mysterious, mineral-laden landscape. Set 8km off Iran’s coast amid the murky blue waters of the Persian Gulf, Hormuz is a teardrop-shaped shimmering salt dome embedded with layers of shale, clay and iron-rich volcanic rocks that glow in dazzling shades of red, yellow and orange due to the more than 70 minerals found here. Nearly every inch of Hormuz Island’s 42 awe-invoking sq km imparts a story of its formation. According to Dr Kathryn Goodenough, principal geologist at the British Geological Survey who has previously worked in Iran, hundreds of millions of years ago, shallow seas formed thick layers of salt around the margins of the Persian Gulf.
The government of Hong Kong has banned Air Canada flights from Vancouver after a passenger on a recent flight tested positive for COVID-19. The Chinese special administrative region announced the ban in its update on the pandemic on Friday, saying that one person on Air Canada flight 7 from Vancouver to Hong Kong on Oct. 13 had tested positive for the coronavirus on arrival. One additional passenger failed to comply with local regulations, according to the update. The Hong Kong government did not specify what the traveller did that was against the rules. The ban on Air Canada flights from Vancouver to Hong Kong will be in place from Oct. 16 to 29. In a statement, Air Canada told CTV News Vancouver it has four flights between Vancouver and Hong Kong during that window, which have all been cancelled. “Air Canada’s Toronto-Hong Kong passenger flights and Vancouver-Hong Kong cargo flights are not affected and will continue to operate as scheduled,” the airline said. Travellers who were booked on the four cancelled flights are being rebooked and offered alternatives such as travel on a later date, Air Canada said.
How a Manitoba motorcycle club is changing perceptions of the Sikh faith. Rajwinder Singh Sandhu stands in front of a mirror and suits up for an afternoon motorcycle ride through the country roads south of Winnipeg. He winds a fuchsia-coloured turban around his head and slips on a black leather vest adorned with a large blue and yellow patch on the back that identifies him as a member of the Sikh Motorcycle Club of Manitoba. The club’s insignia includes a khanda, a symbol of the Sikh faith and a sign that what unifies him and his fellow motorcycling enthusiasts is more than a love of the open road. For more than two decades, Sikh riders in Canada have fought for the right to be exempted from the helmet requirement that motorcyclists are obliged to follow so they could wear a turban. In Manitoba, they won that right in 2000, shortly after the first exemption came into effect in B.C. in 1999. “Whenever we ride wearing turbans, it already gives out a positive message in society, that we are very proud Canadians and part of this society, we are in a free country,” said Singh Sandhu, the club’s spokesperson.
The future is never certain, but some aspects of the looming fuel tax revenue crisis seem comfortably predictable. As bans on the sale of internal combustion cars and trucks begin to take hold, government fuel tax income will start a rapid decline. If, as expected, governments act to protect this important revenue source, we can expect new policies that seek to replace the gas tax — and these efforts will almost certainly include EV owners. Experience in the U.S. suggests the simplest solution is an extra registration fee on every EV. But such a system is also inherently unfair, since it requires drivers who don’t drive a lot to subsidize those who do. This, as well as various other reasons, is likely to push governments to prefer a technology-based solution based on kilometres driven. And that could open the door to a host of new driving charges that will revolutionize how — and how much — we pay to use the roads. Canadian drivers may soon find themselves wishing the future never comes.