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Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

(OP)
It's been there for several years, and I've wondered for all of them...

The Google satellite pic is @ https://www.google.com/maps/@43.2943082,-80.503707...

It's in south-western Ontario, Canada, best seen when west-bound on the 401 from Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge; north side of the 401, west of the Nith River, up the hill, out in the field. I've never noticed aircraft obstruction lighting on it at night.

Satellite view shows it's south of a barn and south-west of a house.

None of the search engines are providing me an answer...

Any ideas?

CR

"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." [Proverbs 27:17, NIV]

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

I am continually amazed by Canadian sense of proportion and direction. How is a locale that is barely beyond Pennsylvania considered "western" Ontario?

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

From the street it looks like a very busy cell tower to me.

google.com/maps

That place is radio-active. If you stroll down that country road you see major cell towers, huge ham antennas, terrestrial television towers, and microwave links all over the place.

Keith Cress
kcress - http://www.flaminsystems.com

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

...How is a locale that is barely beyond Pennsylvania considered "western" Ontario?
What you're missing is the bias of certain Canadians, who locate everything relative to what they think is the center of the country: Toronto, of course.
There are a number of similar habits that westerners like me can listen for - to detect when we're listening to someone from hog-town. Usually they give it away in less than 60 seconds.

CRshears: It looks like a cell tower from the road to the north (but hard to see through the trees and hedges).

STF

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

You're saying that IR because it predates cellular?

Keith Cress
kcress - http://www.flaminsystems.com

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

No, that was just a side comment. Google Earth's imagery is more zoomable, and it's clearly not a cell tower, as shown in the image I posted. Plus, I would think CR should be able to recognize a cell tower. Besides, the street view from Google maps shows a cell tower that's closer to house than this other tower. Plus, Google Earth puts this other tower less than 50 ft from the coordinates, while the house is almost 500 ft from this tower.

TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies forum1529: Translation Assistance for Engineers

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

Maybe a drilling derrick?

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

From the mown area around it and the house it seems that whoever lives there considers it to be part of the "living area".

No sign of a driveway or access path or even repeated tire tracks leading to it.

Can you pull building permit records on-line in Canada?

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

Could it be the outer marker (radio beacon) for an airport?

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

(OP)
Not a former oil field as far as I know...which makes me ask: I know the structure is <20 years old, so why would such a structure be installed on a former oil field? Are you thinking some manner of low-capacity oil scavenging from any remaining pools? As to local building records, permit pulling might be possible, but probably only in person, and I don't live in the area, I only drive through it.

CR

"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." [Proverbs 27:17, NIV]

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

Just drove past that this weekend myself. Wondered if it had something to do with the Mannheim recharge project, which is treating and re-injecting river water into the aquifer that serves Kitchener-Waterloo. But that's just a guess.

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

http://www.ventax.com/frontview/

Vertical axis wind turbine...kind of daft, but it sure looks like it might be!

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

Possibly a surplus oilfield vessel bought for scrap at auction years ago, with the intention to use to store silage or grain. It probably didn't work due to corrosion contamination and was abandoned in place.
The nature of corrosion caused by service with sour hydro-carbons is such that it is virtually impossible to clean the vessels sufficiently for food stuff storage.

Bill
--------------------
"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

I was originally thinking a methane release structure; we have one built into the wall of our house to release built-up methane from the field underneath.

The wind turbine seems plausible; the width of the foundation is about 6 m, so somewhat smaller than the cited turbine, although, it appears to be much taller, nearly double the height of the cited turbine.

TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies forum1529: Translation Assistance for Engineers

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

TheTick

All of southern Ontario is located east of Detroit. Ontario is a big place. Sudbury is a five hour drive, and that is not even half the way up.

--
JHG

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

(OP)

Quote:

...How is a locale that is barely beyond Pennsylvania considered "western" Ontario?
What you're missing is the bias of certain Canadians, who locate everything relative to what they think is the center of the country: Toronto, of course.
There are a number of similar habits that westerners like me can listen for - to detect when we're listening to someone from hog-town. Usually they give it away in less than 60 seconds.

Ummm...er...I beg to differ...ponder

I don't consider myself one of those "certain Canadians..."

As a Canadian and Ontarian, I do NOT consider Toronto to be "the center of the country:" only certain Torontonians with an inflated sense of their own self-importance do that.smile

I do not even consider Hogtown to be the centre of Ontario; it's only its capital...from which I stay away as much as humanly possible; although as part of my duties I drove a company vehicle from substation to substation downtown for several years and am reasonably competent and sufficiently assertive to get by, I don't even like driving through it, not even when only on the major highways.

I also nominated the location under discussion as southwestern Ontario, NOT southwestern Canada.
Scales and proportions, people! noevil

CR

"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." [Proverbs 27:17, NIV]

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

All too familiar with the drive through Sudbury to other more habitable (by Ontario standards) places. My point is that "west" is in the east. There's a lot of west, but almost no east.

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

The phrase "Go west young man" was spoken in reference to western PA....
We all have geographic biases.

It lacks any service or access road, and it looks to be in good condition (at least not rusting away).
OK, someone needs to take their camera and a 1200mm telo next time that they are passing that area.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
P.E. Metallurgy, Plymouth Tube

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

(OP)
Are your "more habitable places" by definition the ones closer to or further from Hogtown? Not all Ontarians use the same definition of "more habitable" - amazingly and unaccountably enough those north of the French River seem to have a completely different meaning for that term...bigsmile

CR

"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." [Proverbs 27:17, NIV]

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

In the short 2.5 generations that my family has inhabited Canada, they've spread from Vancouver to St. Johns to Whitehorse, but none in Toronto.

When I was a kid, Sudbury was a stinky moonscape. It took entirely too long to get through it. I can't imagine life in such a place.

One thing I have in common with Neil Young is breaking down in the hills outside Blind River. I was 4 years old. For all I know, his beloved Mortimer Hearseberg was among the wrecked cars we were playing in while waiting for my parents to figure out how to continue our journey to Stittsville. The garage owner's wife took us berry picking near Elliot Lake. She told us we were picking "Elliot berries". The people of Blind River were very kind to us. After that, we always made a point to stop there.

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

TheTick,

I went on a five day trip to Manitoulin Island with a bicycle club. As you drive north of Toronto, you see two kinds of farm. Some farms are absolutely run-down and falling apart, and it obvious that when the farmer retires, the property will be bought by a developer. The other farms are very expensively maintained, and they keep horses.

As you get outside of commuting range of Toronto, you see regular farms, run by farmers, who plan to pass them onto whichever member of their family plans on farming. Manitoulin Island, a seven hour drive from Toronto, is covered in working farms. All the towns are very small. I went out via the ferry out Tobermory. I returned via Sudbury. As I went north off of Manitoulin Island, it was obvious were all the food was going. Sudbury is a mining town.

I just looked at the MapArt books in my car. They cover all of Ontario. There is one for the Golden Horseshoe, which is the Toronto area, through Hamilton, down to Niagara. There is one for Western, which goes from Kitchener/Waterloo, all the way to Windsor, across the river from Detroit. The third book is for Eastern and Northern Ontario. North Ontario extends way, way west of western Ontario.

I used to live next door to Elvis.

--
JHG

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

I haven't been in Tobermory for 40 years. We used to up that way to camp for the week between Christmas and New years. We used an old farmhouse on Otter lake. We would burn a lot of wood in that week.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
P.E. Metallurgy, Plymouth Tube

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

Hey, we have friends who think that anything north of the 401 is "northern Ontario"...

Toronto is getting less and less habitable all the time. It has something to do with doubling the population without spending a cent on infrastructure of any kind.

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

(OP)
Funding is an issue...which the Government of Ontario is addressing by selling shares in Hydro One, a provincially-owned asset, to fund subway and transit improvements in the centre of Canada, um, er, I mean Hogtown, um, er, I mean, Toronto.

The Ontario citizens who don't live in Toronto have concerns about this...and the citizens of Toronto would ask, "What?!?!? There are citizens of Ontario who don't live in Toronto?!?!? Impossible!"

CR

"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." [Proverbs 27:17, NIV]

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

"What?!?!? There are citizens of Ontario who don't live in Toronto?!?!? Impossible!"

Oh, surely a few dozen or so... I even played my part when I went to school in Barrie.

Molten,
That VAWT looks exactly like the kind of lawn-art one would set up in a FIT paying province like Ontario. Please say it ain't so.

STF

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

Maybe all the nickel in Sudbury make's Toronto's compasses point the wrong way--west is north; south is west.

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

I wouldn't hesitate to drive up the driveway of that house and hat-in-hand inquire what the heck that thing is. A better picture would be really nice too.

Keith Cress
kcress - http://www.flaminsystems.com

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

(OP)
Maybe one of these times...

CR

"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." [Proverbs 27:17, NIV]

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

In encounters with Torontonians I may have suggested that although Toronto may be the center of the universe, I personally subscribe to a larger universe than what may be viewed from the top of the CN Tower.

Bill
--------------------
"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

waross,

There is a lovely Stephen Leacock piece about visiting London England and being asked if he had visited the Tower of London. His reply was "No, I haven't, and neither have you!"

I actually have had dinner at the CN tower. We went there for Mother's Day, after we learned she was about to die of osteosarcoma. It was a nice evening, but under the circumstances, not a very happy occasion.

--
JHG

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

They have a cable swing up there, now. Oh, Drawoh, sorry, I thought you meant "mother-in-law".

STF

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

I have no idea what that thing is. I don't travel that part of the 401 or in that area enough to have even noticed it was there. It is a curiously shaped structure though.

I suppose what is considered south-western Ontario would depend on how you define southern Ontario. I don't really consider the Kitchener-Waterloo area to be in the west of that part of Ontario. I would consider places like Clinton, Goderich, Lucknow, Tara, Hanover, Wingham etc to be in the west of that part of Ontario. I do find it curious that people from western Canada take offence to calling a part of Ontario western and immediately bring up their view of people considering Toronto the center of the universe.

It's like Huron County calling itself Ontario's West Coast. A coast can refer to the shoreline of a sea or lake so it could be argued this is correct since the western side of Huron County is the shoreline of Lake Huron.

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

Lionel,
It's more of a running gag than actual offense...
...usually.

STF

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

It might be a comm tower for a 'high speed rural internet provider' called Silo Wireless. I know they operate in this vicinity. It kinda looks like a silo to boot.
Other than that it might be an alien teleport.

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

This conversation makes me think of when I lived in southern Louisiana, where anything north of I-10/I-12 was "northerners/Yankee territory" lol

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

SparWeb - It seems to be more of an offence than a gag to me.

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

crshears, TheTick, Sparweb, moltenmetal, drawoh, itsmoked, LionelHutz…

I believe it is your duty, for your country and all humanity, to knock on the door and ask.

I'll give you all until after Labor / Labour Day weekend to report back.

Thank you in advance!

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

Alas, my arm is not 2k miles long as I would not hesitate.

Keith Cress
kcress - http://www.flaminsystems.com

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

What the hey Keith. Once you've gone that far, make a little 1500 mile detour and drop in for coffee.
Yours
Bill

Bill
--------------------
"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

itsmoked,

I would have kept you out of the list of eligibles as you are not from the area and far from it. HOWEVER... as I also thought that I would approach the house and owner, as i read your post, I realized that you came up with the idea first and i wouldn't want to take that away from you!

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

Never take the 401 anymore as the 407 ETR (Electronic Toll Road) is free to us non-Canadians. 2thumbsup It's such a lovely road, perfectly maintained and virtually free of traffic, something you can't say about most of the roads around Toronto. Unfortunately, the traffic on the QEW and 400 make up for it.

I vacation north of Manitoulin in the North Channel every year. We did more driving on The Big Island this year than most. Have to say the local economy seems to be hanging by a thread. The farms have a tough time growing anything but hay with the thin soil and a lot of the shops and restaurants don't look to be doing too well even in the tourist areas. Little Current, the biggest town, is loosing store fronts even with the water front full of yachts and cruise ships.

We have an interesting mix of people in the bay, about 50/50 mix of Canadians and Americans with a sprinkling of British and Germans. The Canadians are split between semi-local from greater Sudbury area, Toronto area and everywhere else. The semi local ones tend to have cottages on the mainland so they can drive back and forth easily while the rest of us prefer the islands as we want no connection to the daily grind.

Have no idea really what that tower is but in one of the google earth shots it looks somewhat like the towers I've seen fire fighters use for practice. But if that was the case, I'd expect to see tracks and charring.

----------------------------------------

The Help for this program was created in Windows Help format, which depends on a feature that isn't included in this version of Windows.

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

BSVD,
It's a long hike for me, too, eh!

STF

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

(Everybody... i assume this is all understood as light-hearted humor... inform me if i need to refrain...)

SparWeb,

Your first comment "It looks like a cell tower from the road to the north (but hard to see through the trees and hedges)." implies that you have at least physically driven by at one time, thus, achieving greater eligibility than most. A suitable deadline could be granted upon request.

SparWeb, moltenmetal and drawoh, out of curiosity... on your "Member Profile", why does your (implied) area of profession say (ON, US)? How does that work? On the lighter and semi-humorous side, for the sake of this post, it accordingly implies that (some) Ontarians lack such a sense of direction that they don't even know what country their province is in.

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

BSVBD,

I have telephoned people in the USA and told them I am from Ontario, and they have assumed that I was in California. I actually don't know how that "ON, US" got there. I cannot find it in my profile.

--
JHG

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

Just got back from northern Minnesota. Ontario was south of us.

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

Trivia Question: Heading directly South from downtown Detroit, MI, which is the first foreign country that you will encounter?

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-Product 'Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

Canada.

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

first would be Canada, then Cuba

"Wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then." -- Bob Seger

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

JohnRBaker and GroovyGuy,

Heading directly South from downtown Detroit, MI, the first foreign country that you will encounter is Canada. From there (Canada), the next foreign country you encounter will be The United States.

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

I'll ask my Honduran friends for an opinion.

Bill
--------------------
"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

BSVD,
I was using Google street view, when I said that.

Truth be told, however, I am only about 50 km away from that thing right now. I am also working 12-hour shifts and showing up on those people's doorstep between 2AM and 8AM might not go over well, the only free time I have. Which I'd rather use for sleeping.

One more thing: member profile data is notoriously unreliable. I will check my profile after writing this, but last I checked it read "AB, CA" which correctly indicated Alberta.

Also related to geography (somewhat):
Have any of you guys heard the song by Journey, called "Don't Stop Believing"? Here's how some of the lyrics go, for those who don't yet have the tune in their heads and aren't shaking their fists at me for mentioning this ear-worm:

Just a city boy
Born and raised in South Detroit
He took the midnight train
Goin' anywhere


When many Canadians heard "South Detroit", they thought, oh... you mean Windsor.
We assume that Steve Perry has some kind artistic license since "Windsor" doesn't rhyme with "city boy" like "Detroit" does. Right????

STF

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

To the original question, with the number of oil/gas wells in the area, I have to assume it's related, but I didn't see it on the map of actively producing wells.

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

Quote (SparWeb)


Truth be told, however, I am only about 50 km away from that thing right now. I am also working 12-hour shifts and showing up on those people's doorstep between 2AM and 8AM might not go over well, the only free time I have.

So you're working seven days a week, eh? No days off? I always thought the Canadian labor (labour) laws where a lot less draconian than that winky smile

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-Product 'Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

Canadian labor (labour) laws are draconian to be sure. My cousin was crossing at the Peace Bridge with 2 friends on their way up to his fathers cabin for a week of fishing and relaxation. When asked why they were entering Canada one of the fools mentioned they were going to help build a porch on the cabin. Being a cabin owner means that your vacations involve working like a dog half the time. They were denied entry and my cousin was black listed for bringing in illegal laborers. It's taken him several years and sizeable legal fees to be allowed back into Canada.

----------------------------------------

The Help for this program was created in Windows Help format, which depends on a feature that isn't included in this version of Windows.

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

WOW government run-a-muck!

Keith Cress
kcress - http://www.flaminsystems.com

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

US customs once asked me if I intended to work during my visit to the US.
No, just visiting relatives.
Then why do you have so many tools in the trunk?
This is a 20 year old car. When it breaks I fix it.
They let me pass with no problems.
Had I said that I was going to fix a friends door knob I would have been denied entry.
P.S. That car has been recently been replaced. Still running good, but an old Beemer is more fun to drive.

Bill
--------------------
"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

Yes I also answered that question incorrectly, on my way into the USA at Niagara Falls. "For work"... Really?... "Oh I mean an aircraft I'm working on, based in Canada, is temporarily at Niagara Falls now"... I got a lecture, and eventually passed through.

John R: I intend to fly home as soon as I get time off! I've already driven aimlessly around the Ancaster countryside once, I don't need to do that again.

STF

RE: Does anybody know what this tower-like structure in SW Ontario is?

The exact same rules apply to people entering the US. I know people who got in trouble for the exact same thing, entering the US with tools in their cars.

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