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yorkmasonrygtablog · 1 year ago

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Diverse Concrete Masonry Fence Designs from Masonry Contractors Toronto

Concrete masonry, a favored material in fencing, offers a blend of robustness and aesthetic appeal. Expert masonry contractors Toronto play a pivotal role in transforming this versatile material into an array of stunning fence designs. Ranging from classic to contemporary, concrete masonry fences not only provide security but also enhance the property's visual appeal. This article will explore the various concrete masonry fence designs, showcasing the creativity and craftsmanship of masonry contractors.

Traditional Stone-Look Fences

A timeless design offered by masonry contractors is the traditional stone-look fence. Mimicking the appearance of natural stone, these fences are constructed using concrete masonry units (CMUs) that have been textured and colored to resemble various types of stone. Ideal for homes and properties seeking a classic, rustic charm, these fences are not only aesthetically pleasing but also extremely durable and resistant to weathering.

Modern Geometric Fences

For a more contemporary style, modern geometric fences are a popular choice. Masonry contractors utilize precision-cut concrete blocks to create sleek, linear designs. These fences often feature clean, crisp lines and can include repeating geometric patterns. They are perfect for properties that boast a modern architectural style, adding to the minimalist yet sophisticated aesthetic.

Decorative Screen Fences

Decorative screen fences are a unique option crafted by skilled masonry contractors Toronto. These fences incorporate patterned concrete blocks, providing not just privacy but also a decorative element to the landscape. The patterns can range from simple geometric cutouts to intricate designs, allowing light and air to pass through while adding a striking visual element to any outdoor space.

Privacy Fences with Integrated Planters

Masonry contractors also offer privacy fences with integrated planters, which are ideal for those who wish to combine privacy with greenery. These concrete masonry fences have built-in spaces for plants and shrubs, creating a living fence that adds a touch of nature while maintaining privacy. This design is perfect for urban homes that desire a blend of functionality and natural beauty.

Stucco-Finished Concrete Fences

Stucco-finished fences are another versatile design. In this style, a smooth or textured stucco finish is applied over the concrete blocks, offering a vast array of color and texture options. Masonry contractors can tailor these fences to match the existing aesthetic of the property, making them a flexible choice for a wide range of architectural styles.

Combination Fences

Combination fences are a testament to the creativity of masonry contractors Toronto. These designs blend concrete masonry with other materials like wrought iron, wood, or glass. The result is a unique, custom fence that stands out for its innovative design. Combination fences are ideal for property owners looking to make a statement with their boundary fencing.

Concrete masonry fences offer a perfect blend of durability, security, and aesthetic versatility. With the expertise of masonry contractors Toronto, homeowners and businesses can choose from a wide range of designs, from traditional stone-look fences to modern geometric patterns. Whether the preference is for privacy, decorative appeal, or a unique combination of materials, there is a concrete masonry fence design to meet every need. By selecting the right design and working with skilled masonry contractors, property owners can significantly enhance the curb appeal and value of their properties.

#Masonry Contractors Toronto

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if-you-fan-a-fire · 1 year ago

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"DAUGHTERS' PORTRAITS HANG IN CELL OF WOMAN SERVING LIFE SENTENCE," Toronto Star. November 10, 1933. Page 1 & 3. --- Pathetic Attempts to Create a Home-Like Atmosphere Seen in Female Prison ---- BABY BORN THERE ---- Reforms, Including Review of Many Magistrates' Sentences, Are Urged ---- By REV. PETER BRYCE, D.D. ==== I had occasion to be in Kingston for special church services, and sought and obtained permission to visit Kingston penitentiary. I was received with courtesy by the warden, Lieut.-Col. W. B. Megloughlin, M.C. He has been in office for about one year. Every facility for observation and inquiry was placed at my disposal.

The warden offered to send an officer with me, and to arrange that everything I wished to see would be opened up for inspection. I asked, however, that he accompany me, if convenient, to which he readily consented. I desired to sense the attitude of the warden to the men, and their attitude to him, and I wished to gain, through the afternoon with him, some conception of his own spirit and policy. New prison regulations are important, but their value can only be fully realized if the warden is humane in spirit and wise in judgment.

There is a total penitentiary population of about 4,000 in Canada. The penitentiaries are: Dorchester, N.B.; St Vincent de Paul, Que.; Kingston, Ont.; Stoney Mountain, Man.; Prince Albert, Sask., and Westminster, В.С. Two others of a newer type have recently been built, one at Collins Bay and the other near St. Vincent de Paul. In 1920 there were 1,800 persons in our penitentiaries, thus the population has more than doubled in the 12 years. In 1920 the net cost was approximately $1,000,000, now it is more than $3,000,000. The lowest sentence is two years; the average is six years.

Practically Century Old Kingston penitentiary has been in existence since 1834. It is one of the largest of the penitentiaries. There is accommodation for 700, but there are 900 inmates. It is built of stone, surrounded by a high wall, flanked by towers which are manned by armed guards. Its whole atmosphere is forbidding. A central dome rises high above the mass of masonry. Long narrow wings run out from the hub of the dome like spokes of a great wheel.

Those spokes contain the cells, packed together like the cells in a honeycomb. The cells are generally five feet by eight feet and ten feet in height. In each cell there is a bed, folded against the wall in the daytime. There is a chair, a small table, a corner wash basin, and a seatless toilet bowl. On a shelf there is a Bible and a library catalogue. Pasted on a board is a copy of the penitentiary regulations. In loops on another board are fastened a fork, a spoon, and a bifurcated sort of spoon. A non-metallic comb is allowed.

I visited the workshops-carpenter, tailor, blacksmith, paint, printing, shoe and mail bag. In the carpenter shop the men were at work making tables, benches, chairs, etc., for the new women's prison. In the tailor shop all uniforms for the staff and prisoners are made. The shoe shop provides the shoes for the staff and the prisoners. Mail bags are made and repaired for the Dominion government. In the various shops work is done for governmental institutions, such as Indian schools. In all these shops the men are usefully employed. In some instances we found the men smoking and chatting. Two rest and smoke periods are arranged for each day.

"Hole" a Malodorous Spot In the library a group of men were busily occupied, some repairing books and others cataloguing, etc. The books and magazines in the library number thousands. Each prisoner may take out a book of fiction for each day, and two non-fiction each week. Some of the best magazines in circulation are available. The librarian is a qualified ex- teacher. He prepared for entrance examinations. a year ago, I understand, from 20 to 30 candidates, and all passed.

The change room and laundry were visited. Here the men come in batches for shower-baths, change of underclothing, hair-cut and shave. A complete set of clean underclothing is provided each week. The wooden slats upon which the men stand at the shower-baths are sterilized frequently, the warden informed me. There are no cases of "athlete's foot," at the penitentiary. The doctor joined us in our visitation of the hospital. I saw the operating room, the clinic, the cots, and the patients. I had visulalized beds laid out as in a public ward in our city hospitals. In Kingston the patients lie on cots in cells, similar to ordinary prison cells. The prison medical staff is augmented by members of the medical department of Queen's university.

I saw the cells beneath the ground level and the men confined there. It is a musty, smelly place, and to me, rather terrible. I had an impression of human beings being housed like beasts. It is a place of punishment, I was told, for serious offences. One man there, lashed by ungovernable temper, had broken the jaw of a fellow prisoner. Another was there because of an unspeakable offence. Three men were there b cause of leadership in an attempt to organize a riot. The period of incarceration may be 10 or 20 days.

Baseball as Recreation In the courtyard men were shouting and laughing as they played baseball. Some were playing horseshoes, and other games were in pro-ress. In periods of 30 to 45 minutes, groups of men have their recreation and physical exercise. Hospital patients were walking together in the sunshine, chatting with one another. Out-of-door work was going on in the gardens, and in the 600 acres of land attached to the penitentiary.

I saw the old and new "paddle" and the "lash." The paddle is not wooden, as I had supposed. It is a long piece of leather attached to a stout wooden handle. There are little holes in the leather. The lash is made up of six or seven strips of rope-like material, attached to a wooden handle. Judges and magistrates sentence men to receive so many lashes, or so many strokes of the paddle. The warden may order the paddle or the lash. This is only done, the present warden told me, in extreme cases, and where any other method of punishment. would fail. He does not know of a case where a man was afterwards "covered with blood," or unable to walk to his cell.

I was not in the chapel. Religious services are conducted by a Roman Catholic chaplain for those of that faith. A new Protestant chaplain begins his duties this week, the Rev. W. E. Kidd of Ancaster, a Church of England clergyman. He is a brother of the Hon. Thos. A. Kidd, Speaker of the Ontario legislature. I did not learn what provision is made for those of non-Christian faiths. I understand there are about 75 Jews at Kingston, and no doubt adequate arrangements are made for them in the program of religious services. The warden told me the Protestant services would be of a character to interest and help the men, and that every facility would be provided whereby the chaplains would have access to the men.

Women's Prison Different The women's prison is at present within the grounds of the penitentiary. It is a small building, and quite different in its equipment and atmosphere from that of the men. It has a home-like feeling, if that term may be applied to a place of detention. There are 39 women in the prison. They come from all parts of Canada. With a few exceptions, each woman has a little room of her own.

Whereas the cells of the men are stark in their entire absence of any- thing of a refining nature, the omen's rooms have an appearance almost of daintiness. The beds have white coverings. Pictures are on the walls. Photographs are on the table, surrounded by a little knick-knacks. Small rugs, prison-made, are on the floors. The women are engaged in the kitchen, in house-work, in the sewing room, and in other useful employment. They may have books and magazines, as in the case of the men.

During my visit a baby had been brought in on a visit to her mother. The baby was born, I understand, in the prison, and now she is in the care of the Children's Aid Society at Kingston. Every woman was eager to handle the, little child. One girl there with a life sentence, stands out tragically in my mind. In neatness of dress, in manner and in general appearance she will compare favorably with the girls in our offices and in our stores.

In one room, surrounded by little evidence of a love for pretty things, there are two photographs of young girls. The mother of the girls, who occupies the room, is sentenced to life imprisonment.

"Kindly, Considerate" In his conversation with me throughout the afternoon, the warden evidenced a kindly and considerate attitude toward the men. He has quite clearly been studying the problems relating to his task. He is laying out for himself a course of study which will enable him to understand more fully that part of his office which relates to the reformation of the prisoner. His responsibility to the prisoners is twofold, he informed me. First, to keep them confined to the prison, and second, to take such measures in their treatment as will lead to their reformation His first duty is comparatively easy. He is determined to do everything possible to bring about the second.

As we walked through the workshops, and in the hospital, the war- den lingered to speak to certain men; others addressed him. He arranged for interviews with several men. One handed him a letter in which thanks were expressed for a concert given a few nights before. In the underground cells two men asked for interviews, and were given an appointment for the next forenoon. I believe the attitude of the men to the present warden is one of confidence. He is approachable. Interviews are granted. He gives them a "square deal."

There is a new atmosphere in the prisons, I was informed by one who should know, brought about by some new regulations, but in large measure through the personality and policy of the new warden. His task has been a very difficult one because of conditions he inherited. Moreover, from five to 15 men enter the penitentiary every week, and they bring news of the public controversy regarding conditions in Kingston. The impression has been created by some of the newcomers that the public is demanding a demonstration from the prisoners to emphasize the need for reform.

Many Reforms Needed Reform in prison administration must come from without as well as from within. In this regard we have a few sins of our own to acknowledge. Let us now confess them on the house-tops.

1. Society has made comparatively little progress in its effort to reclaim the criminal and prevent a repetition of the crime….

2. Crime has been regarded as an Individual offence, when it is really a social disease, requiring expert diagnosis and treatment. We have not supplied the expert, nor have we applied the remedy. We have fitted the penalty to the crime. We have said men will find thereby that crime is a poor investment, and others will be deterred from following their example. This, we might as well concede, is to attribute to the inmates of our penitentiaries a capacity for logic, logic, a st a strength of will and a power of imagination, which few of them possess. We have thought of punishment in terms of retribution, when we should have thought of it as a means of social and moral rehabilitation.

3. Prisons have been governed in large measure by men who are usually political appointees, without experience or social vision. Guards have been poorly paid, and they too are appointed through political in fluence. They are without training. There has been very little attempt at the classification or segregation of prisoners. There has been an at tempt at Intellectual and industrial training, but far from adequate. The men have had little to do of a constructive nature. They have had time to brood through long idle hours and in some instances have gone insane in the dreary and deadening influence of the prison. No remuneration has been paid to prisoners who have been given work, when they have known that their families have had to beg. When prison days are over. many have become unfitted in mind and spirit for work. Others eager and able for work, have found it almost Impossible to get it.

Says Churches Fall 4. The churches have failed to arouse and inform public opinion on this question. To do so has been part of their responsibility in the Christianization of society. The chaplain, the church's particular contribution to the personnel of administration, has been appointed as other officers are chosen, largely because of political influence. They have erected great church edifices in residential areas. They have withdrawn from the areas where many of the inmates of the prisons have come or they have reduced the work there, and made impossible the preventives measures that should have been. carried on, and only can be carried on by the church.

5. Much of the unrest in prison is. due to the conviction of the prisoners that our system of justice is not equitable. It may be hard for us to acknowledge this, for we have prided ourselves that in British justice, there is "one law for both: rich and poor." Have we not before us constantly, however, the spectacle of rival lawyers, instead of co-operating for the purpose of bringing out all the facts and so ensuring justice, engaging in a battle of wits in which one seeks to secure conviction by appeal to passion on prejudice without regard to facts, and the other seeking to secure acquittal by impugning the good faith of witnesses and taking ad vantage of every legal technicality?

The accused person, able to pay for the services of a highly trained and effective lawyer, is much more likely to be acquitted or to receive a lighter sentence, than is the man who cannot employ a lawyer of such standing. The men in our penitentiaries know these facts. There may be in their midst one sentenced to three years for stealing chickens, and another sentenced to two years for stealing many thousands of dollars. Sentences by magistrates often appear to the lay mind to be in equitable.

Suspect Undue Influence 6. There is unrest also because the prisoners believe the parole board is influenced in its decisions. They, think the prisoner who has political or social influence has consideration not granted to those without friends. Are we quite sure that their belief has no foundation in fact?

Nearly all the resolutions passed by various bodies have called for the appointment of a commission to inquire into conditions in Kingston penitentiary. I understand a royal commission reported to the federal government in 1914, on the eve of the great war. Another committee reported in 1920, on the eve of a change in government. Brig. Gen. St. W.Pierre Hughes, superintendent of penitentiaries, in his annual report year after year made recommendations, of which one of the most important called for the segregation of prisoners.

This led to the erection of the prison at Collins Bay, and one near St. Vincent de Paul penitentiary. These prisons were to be used for the younger and more reclaimable prisoners. These valuable reports; with recommendations, must be available and at the disposal of the government. Aroused public opinion calls now for whatever further action should be taken for the reclamation of the prison population of our country, a population which as already stated, has doubled in less than 15 years.

I venture to submit, for the consideration of the public, my own conclusions in the matter:

1. Appointments on the staff of penitentiaries should be by merit not through political patronage.

2. Guards should go through course of training.

3. There should be an advisory committee for each penitentiary represent the public in its administration. Part of the duty of such a committee should be to make recommendations to the parole board.

4. Educational facilities should and recreational to be greatly increased.

5. Productive labor should be provided on a larger scale, and men with dependents should be paid for their labor. I understand organized labor is opposed to such a plan. I do not believe their opposition is well grounded.

Segregate Young Offenders 6. Youthful and first offenders should be segregated from older and more crime-hardened criminals.

7. Mental cases should be moved from the penitentiary to a hospital.

8. Hospital cases should be in cots in a dormitory, not in cells.

9. The "dungeon" or underground cells should be abolished.

10. Greatly daring, I submit that an examination into our judiciary system should be undertaken. There is a widespread belief that many sentences imposed by magistrates are inequitable. Moreover, I would be glad to see an organization set up for the purpose of providing legal aid in certain circumstances. Many years ago the Scottish poet "Rabbie" Burns wrote:

"Then gently scan yir brither man Still gentler sister woman, Though they may gang a 'kennin wrang Tae step aside is human."

As years pass over us, we condemn less and we pity more. We come to understand better our own shortcomings. We learn too that violence breeds violence, and harsh and cruel measures do not reform. The whole trend of prison administration the world over is toward the reformative and away from the punitive. This, I am certain, is the mind of the people of Canada.

Photo caption:

IN CHARGE OF PRISON Col. W. B. Megloughlin, warden of Kingston penitentiary, described by Rev. Peter Bryce in the accompanying article as "kindly and considerate" to the inmates.

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