The second-largest Iranian diaspora in the world is in the Greater Toronto Area and the community is feeling the impacts of the uprising and harsh crackdowns of the last couple of months, made worse by the uncertainty of communications blackouts.

The Great Fire of 1916, in the midst of the Great War, destroyed the Centre Block on Parliament Hill. It was rebuilt as a memorial to Canada's fallen soldiers from that conflict and all subsequent conflicts.

The road to Howard Hospital is not paved with gold. It is not paved at all. In some places the dirt track is almost impassable. Holes that could swallow a small car kept our driver's eyes on the road. There were no street lights, no street signs, no cars, no houses.