City of Mississauga kicks off rehabilitation of Small Arms Building; official ceremony begins 11:00 am, June 17, 2017

In Situ event at Small Arms Building, Oct. 29, 2016. Jaan Pill photo

Click here for previous posts about the Small Arms Building >

Click here for previous posts about postwar emergency housing (in vicinity of Small Arms Building and elsewhere in the Greater Toronto Region) >

Tweet from Mayor Crombie

I learned about the June 17, 2017 event from a recent tweet from City of Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie:

Bonnie Crombie @BonnieCrombie

In Situ, Oct. 29, 2016. Jaan Pill photo

Groundbreaking to kick off @citymississauga Small Arms rehabilitation project set for June 17 at 11 am. http://ow.ly/q9Z830cAe9v #Canada150

[End]

In Situ, Oct. 29, 2016. The display is from the TRCA / Sawmill Sid portable sawmilling project behind the Small Arms Building. The project is repurposing trees destroyed by the emerald ash borer. Jaan Pill photo

The link at the tweet refers to the following June 14, 2017 news release at the City of Mississauga website:

City of Mississauga Kicks off Rehabilitation of Small Arms Inspection Building

Details include:

Date:

Saturday, June 17, 2017

Time:

Official ceremony begins at 11 a.m.
Following the ceremony, a tree planting will take place to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
Light refreshments to follow.

In Situ, Oct. 29, 2016. The image at the centre of the photo makes evocative, engaging use of perspective cues to represent a hallway at the Small Arms Building. The paintings on display at In Situ were of high quality; I look forward to seeing additional displays of such paintings. Jaan Pill photo

Where:

Military history mural at front of Small Arms Building, which was designated as a heritage site under the Ontario Heritage Act in 2009, as a result of a community initiative led by Jim Tovey who now serves as Ward 1 Councillor in Mississauga. The mural has since been moved to the inside of the building. The temporary wall at the left of the photo, protecting the site of the Hanlan Water Project, has now been removed. Jaan Pill photo

Small Arms Inspection Building
1352 Lakeshore Rd. E.
Mississauga, ON

[MAP]

Parking:

Available at 1345 Lakeshore Rd. E., on the northwest corner of Lakeshore Rd.E. and Dixie Rd.

View of Small Arms Building in Mississauga: Corner of Dixie Road and Lakeshore Road East, Oct. 29, 2016. Jaan Pill photo

Background:

Constructed in 1941, the Small Arms Inspection Building is an industrial facility that was part of the former Small Arms Ltd. munitions factory complex that operated on the Arsenal Lands. The Small Arms Building and Arsenal Lands were acquired by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) in 1992, with a portion of the lands and building conveyed to the City of Mississauga in 2017. The City designated the building as being of cultural heritage value or interest under the Ontario Heritage Act in 2009.

[End]

A Hanlan Water Project construction site is located just east of the Small Arms Building. Work at the site has been completed. Jaan Pill photo – Oct. 29, 2016

Comment

It may be noted that it was on the initiative of Lakeview residents that the Small Arms Building was saved from demolition and was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act. The presence of a bulldozer at the site, some time prior to the series of steps leading to designation of the building, was an event that galvanized and mobilized the local community.

With the leadership of Jim Tovey (now Ward 1 Councillor, and at that time the president of the Lakeview Ratepayers Association), the Lakeview community at  once took steps – through immediate, high-level communications with the City of Mississauga – to ensure that the bulldozer would not initiate a demolition of the building.

This was a case when, through a combination of fortuitous circumstances, the presence of a bulldozer at the site of a heritage building did not lead to the process of destruction that was about to be completed. This event – the presence of the bulldozer and the actions taken by the local community – is a key back story related to the Small Arms Building, and the Official Ceremony that is taking place on June 17, 2017.

Optimal hours of work – Research regarding work in First World War munitions plants

A Sept. 22, 2019 BBC article is entitled: “What wartime ‘munitionettes’ can teach us about burnout: A short overtime sprint won’t kill you but, as data from World War One shows, consistently putting in too many hours at work hurts employees and employers.”