John McIlveen worked with CMHC before joining DCL in 1951 . He served for a time as Regional Manager of Ontario and as Chief Engineer . In 1985 , he retired from Head Office in Ottawa as Senior Vice-President .
The beavers weren ’ t the only characters … Pagwa , 1953 — John McIlveen The scene is Pagwa , halfway between Nakina and Hearst at a ( then ) Department of Transport emergency airfield on the Canadian National Railway transcontinental line between Montreal and Winnipeg . Pagwa was inaccessible by road . A twice-weekly freight train with a combination passenger-baggage car serviced the site … ( but ) to the rescue of those who failed to connect with it , came the considerably more reliable gasoline-motordriven “ speeder ” from Nakina .
The “ character ” was recruited as a services inspector for duties at Pagwa . Call him Bob … ( he ) carried out his road , underground services and landscaping inspections on horseback , his mount shipped in as part of his baggage . Inspection on horseback had been his practice when previously employed at the lake head , and he wasn ’ t about to — and didn ’ t — change on joining CMHC . Not for anyone !
The isolation at Pagwa was delightful for some , while for others it was difficult to bear . It finally got to Bob . One day in late summer of 1953 , on a trainless day , an RCAF / USAF liaison group left Nakina by speeder for a Pagwa site visit . Halfway there , we were halted by Bob , advancing up the track on his horse , with belongings tied to the saddle . Our curiosity overcame our amazement . Bob quietly said that he was finished with Pagwa and was headed for the bright lights of Winnipeg , better than 500 miles to the west . He had had it . Bob passed around the speeder and rode on down the track into the sunset .
I never saw him again , though I heard months later that he had , indeed , reached Winnipeg . How , is unknown . He was reportedly happy in the arms of civilization .
BREAKING NEW GROUND DEFENCE CONSTRUCTION CANADA
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