November 17th, 2011 · 1 Comment
Help us spread the word on a couple of things we do every December here at the Gleaner: a holiday-themed cover and an Annex-centric wishlist.
Every December edition, the Gleaner features community and holiday-themed artwork on our covers for both our Annex and Liberty editions. We are currently looking for submissions reflecting this theme.
In the past, covers have generally been traditional interpretations—snowy Annex streetscapes, snowmen and Santa Claus–but we are open to any and all images that say holiday and community. Photos, painting, collage, mixed-media, comics, drawings, installations, etc. are all welcome. Bonus points for local artists or the art is neighbourhood-centric.
And wishes:
-We are seeking an infinite number of wishes. They can be whimsical or practical. They can be personal, political, or community related. Past wishes have included everything from “I wish there was a hot dog stand in the Annex,” to resurrecting a beloved tree that was cut down, to Rob Ford looking good in a Speedo.
-While we want world peace just as much as everyone else, please try and keep your wishes local.
- Wishes must be between one and 250 words. Visual interpretations of wishes are also welcome.
Please submit your wishlist by November 21 at the stroke of midnight to gleanereditor@gmail.com. Please include your name, and either your professional title or the street that you live on . We reserve the right to edit wishes for space, spelling and grammar. Artwork must be recieved no later than Nov. 21 for the Annex and Nov. 30 for the Liberty.
We really hope you all can take part! Tell your neighbours and friends!
Tags: Annex · General · Letters · Liberty · People
By Jennifer Farncomb
It has been 13 years since amalgamation, and City of Toronto staff say it is about time that the remaining legacy legislation dealing with public rights of way from the former seven municipalities become harmonized into one unified “Streets Bylaw.”
Public consultation took place in the fall with the public and stakeholders on proposed amendments to Chapter 743 (Streets and sidewalks, Use of) of the Toronto Municipal Code, known as the Streets Bylaw.
“By and large, the comments we have received have been relatively positive,” said Allan Smithies, city project manager for Traffic Planning/Right of Way management.
However, some have expressed concerns about new additions. One new clause in the bylaw prohibits camping and dwelling in the streets without the approval of the city’s general manager, and some are worried that this may be used as a tool to round up the homeless.
“Throughout the city there are a number of people who live in bus shelters because that gives them some shelter from the snow and the wind … all these people could potentially be ticketed, they’d be infringing this bylaw, ” said Greg Cook, a representative from Sanctuary, a Christian charitable organization that assists homeless people, at a consultation.
Don Pardoe, supervisor of Right of Way management, said this was not the intention of the bylaw. “Our intent is not to chase people with this. I don’t have the staff to do it. I’ve got other safety issues on the streets that I need to deal with. This just gives us another tool should we need it in a very unique situation,” he said.
Another new clause gives the general manager authority to enter on private property, excluding dwelling houses, at any “reasonable” time for the purpose of inspection, or to conduct necessary repairs.
“For front yard parking applications, for us to do the proper measurements, right now, we’re trespassing to go to measure these out, so, this would allow us to go in there and lay out the front yard parking pad. This gives us the opportunity to go and do our investigation without breaking the law,” said Pardoe.
The bylaw has brought to light the public’s dissatisfaction with the city’s diligence when it comes to street work. As a result of construction by utility companies, many streets in Toronto have been semi-permanently patched up with asphalt.
According to Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam (Ward 27, Toronto-Centre Rosedale), it can take two to seven years before permanent restoration is completed.
“The problem is that you can have the utility companies do the permanent restoration, but you need to have a pant load of municipal inspectors there to check the work they’re doing because all they want to do is the minimum amount of work,” said Smithies. “So the feeling has been internally that we do the permanent restoration in house with our own contractors.”
One person attending a public open house said city streets were looking like those of a third world country and challenged Smithies on this, asking why the city could not hire more inspectors and charge the cost back to the contractors.
According to the city, the impetus to harmonize existing bylaws stems from a need for consistency and equity among all Toronto districts. After amalgamation, Toronto inherited 30 sets of regulations from the seven former municipalities—making interpretation difficult at times. For example, “a property owner in former Toronto or York is required to cut the boulevard grass, while property owners/occupants in Scarborough and East York have to maintain their hedges and shrubs, but are not legally required to cut the grass.”
In addition, city staff say harmonization will make administration more efficient. Under the proposed bylaw, routine practices such as approving encroachments will be delegated to staff.
“Encroachment applications clog up community council agenda with a lot of administrative minutia that quite frankly they don’t want to see, they don’t need to see and it can be simply delegated to staff to approve,” said Smithies. “Under the old bylaw, the simple act of excavating in a road allowance required a permit whether you were planting a flower or repaving your driveway, or doing anything in the road allowance that involved breaking open the surface of the boulevard.”
In contrast, the amendments propose that certain activities like soft landscaping are exempt from requiring a permit. In addition to encroachments, the amendments deal with aspects of right of way administration—including prohibited and regulated activities, working in streets, boulevard maintenance, and sidewalks, constructing driveways as well as regulations specifying power of enforcement.
On Nov. 29, city council will decide on whether to give final approval or request further amendments.
If approved, the bylaw will likely take effect in the next two years.
To view the the proposed new bylaw, visit toronto.ca/involved/projects/streetsbylaw.
Tags: Bylaws · News
By Perry King
RioCan has bought a collection of properties on Bathurst Street, including the Kromer Radio electronics store (420 Bathurst St.). Perry King/Gleaner News
The future is unclear for a RioCan development on Bathurst Street, but the relationship between the local community and one of North America’s largest real estate companies has taken significant steps forward.
At a September meeting at Scadding Court Community Centre (707 Dundas St. W.), RioCan senior vice president Jordan Robins and his planning and legal team unveiled the first draft of their site plan for 410–444 Bathurst Street: a 139,000 square foot, three-storey development.
With rumours swirling about potential tenants, Robins wanted to communicate that no one had signed up yet. “I have heard every rumour that you have, and frankly some I wish were true, but aren’t,” said Robins. He would not speculate on which companies had come forward or who he would prefer on site. “We’re talking to everybody. We made a substantive investment, and we’re busy marketing, this is the nature of what we do.”
The site is expected to have multiple commercial tenants. The south end of the site will sync-up their loading and garage ramps with the traffic lights at the intersection. There is expected to be more than 300 underground parking spots.
Stretching from Nassau Street to the south and the Beer Store (452 Bathurst St.) to the north, the new project will replace electronics stalwart Kromer Radio (420 Bathurst St.), two auto body shops, and a supply warehouse. RioCan purchased the properties in the spring for $8 million Canadian.
Rumours swirled about the acquisition this summer. Councillor Mike Layton (Ward 19, Trinity-Spadina) was initially informed about the acquisition of the Bathurst properties in late 2010, and formally sat down with RioCan about the sale in March.
“If a WalMart comes in, or a Target comes in, you’ve destroyed and killed Kensington Market”—Martin Zimmerman, Zimmerman’s Freshmart
With planning in the very early stages, the meeting was organized by Councillor Mike Layton (Ward 19, Trinity-Spadina) to explain the sale, dispel rumours about potential tenants, and gain community input.
RioCan reps say the increase in downtown residents is causing retail companies to reconsider their presence in the core. “There has been a seismic shift in retail development,” said Robins.
RioCan first discovered that the properties were available in 2008, amidst planning and research for their Queen and Portland mixed-use site (585 Queen St. W.). Negotiations for the property had been ongoing for several years.
Some of RioCan’s most notable tenants include WalMart, Target, Home Depot, and Canadian Tire.
The meeting was meant to save the headaches the company experienced during the planning for the Queen-Portland project—originally planned as a Home Depot, now a Winners and a Joe Fresh, with a Loblaws being added by the new year.
“We had a meeting much similar to tonight, where there was absolutely huge resistance to this concept of Home Depot coming in because the perception of Home Depot was this giant orange box,” said Robins.
“What I can tell is the result of broader retailers’ desire to locate in the core is that they had to … adjust their prototypical format to suit an urban environment. They also realized that if they could do this successfully, they could attract more sufficient clientele.”
Attracting “sufficient clientele” is part of what concerns local residents. While many in the neighbourhood are pleased to see the city and RioCan take initiative, and are not opposed to new developments on a largely bleak stretch of Bathurst, there is a concern that a massive commercial project could impact other local business.
“I have a business in Kensington Market, and the market’s predominantly food-related. If a WalMart comes in, or a Target comes in, you’ve destroyed and killed Kensington Market,” said Martin Zimmerman, owner of Zimmerman’s Freshmart (241 Augusta Ave.). He cited WalMart’s late closing times as a reason for why the company would draw people away from small business.
Many residents also wondered why the project was only commercial and not mixed-use. “Because the hospital is so close, and there’s an opportunity here for the hospital to rent some of that space, even for families who’ve come from somewhere else,” said one resident at the meeting.
Robins said that RioCan is not planning for residential use simply because they are a company that specializes in commercial projects.
Traffic issues will also play a role in this project. Toronto Western Hospital (399 Bathurst St.) is in the midst of constructing a new atrium on the east side of their site on Nassau Street. With these new additions, congestion could increase on the roads.
A Markham Street resident at the meeting added that laneway traffic could balloon because of the project. “The laneway [behind the project] is 20 feet wide, and [around the ramp area] my house backs out right onto that,” he said. He fears many cars and trucks may use the laneway as an alternate route for local traffic.
“In terms of traffic, it’s early to be honest. There aren’t a lot of projects like this in the city of Toronto in terms of such a retail location. We’re studying it right now,” said traffic consultant Steven Krossey, who is assisting RioCan on this project.
RioCan—which owns roughly 300 properties in its Canadian portfolio alone—has been making inroads in downtown Toronto for some time. RioCan Hall (126 John St.), which houses Scotiabank Theatre and a Chapters bookstore, has been a thriving property for years. Their 93,000 square foot mixed-use site at Queen and Portland Streets opened in September. In January 2010, the company also purchased 740 Dupont St.—a luxury car dealership in the Dupont-Christie area—but short- or long-term plans have not been publicly announced for that property.
A working group between RioCan, the community, and the offices of Councillors Layton and Adam Vaughan (Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina) is presently being formed to focus on the planning issues. The group will help suggest what variance requests they deem sutiable for RioCan to submit to the Committee of Adjustment. At the meeting, Peter Smith, RioCan’s lead architect, said there were “six or seven” variances planned for submission, including those for density, height and parking. RioCan’s legal counsel, Catherine Biesma, said that if discussions go well, those variances may not have to be submitted. A local resident also gave Robins and others on his team a walking tour of the site and Kensington Market in mid-October.
Kromer Radio, which has been on the site since the early 1970s, has a two-year lease that will finish in 2013.
Tags: Development · General · Liberty · News
November 7th, 2011 · 1 Comment
By Michael Radoslav
Nathaniel Moore has collected works of art, including this sketch, to commemorate the late "Macho Man" Randy Savage. Courtesy Roberto Alicea.
Nathaniel G. Moore vividly remembers attending a “Macho Man” Randy Savage wrestling match 20 years ago with his father. Following the death of Savage earlier this year, Moore decided to honour the man he calls an “aging hero” that always seemed to be there by his side while he grew up.
When Savage passed away in May, Moore said he received numerous emails from friends who always associated him with the Macho Man. “They asked ‘What are you going to do?’ so I said ‘Well, I guess I’m doing an art show.’”
The wrestling icon will be immortalized this November at the White House Studio Project in Kensington Market (277½ Augusta Ave.).
A local author and Gleaner contributor, Moore formed connections with members of the professional wrestling community, recently helping Bret “the Hitman” Hart’s ex-wife Julie Hart complete her book. Writing a novel loosely based around Savage and wrestling himself, Moore put an ad on Craigslist for artistic interpretations of the Macho Man for his book.
“Over the last couple years I’ve been collecting drawings of Savage for what I perceive to be the inside covers, just repeated black and white images.”
He received submissions from a wide array of skill levels, ranging from “people who like to sketch” to “professional artists.”
“What I noticed was when I started putting the idea of pictures together, it was like I was creating my own Google image search,” he said. “And that’s kind of what this show is, me pointing an artist in the direction of a subject.”
Members of the White House Studio vote on potential exhibits and Moore’s received a unanimous yea vote, said Vanessa Rieger, an executive administrator at the studio.
“We’re all very excited about it,” she said, “especially since Nathaniel came with artists secured and also had an open call for more people to contribute.”
White House is a not-for-profit, artist-run studio that receives no grants or funding. The studio makes money by renting out their space to artists, holding events, and selling art. News of the Savage show spread quickly online, Reiger said, and exploded after Terry “Hulk” Hogan retweeted one of Moore’s messages promoting the event.
“It’s really cool that it’s generating this kind of interest,” she said, “because it is publicity and because we are honouring [Savage].”
Courtesy Ryan McClure.
Authors Greg Oliver and Michael Holmes, who have both written books based around professional wrestling, will perform readings at the event. A comedy troupe created a song and a local video game retailer will display old wrestling video games that include the Macho Man. Music and food will also be provided.
“I wanted a fun show, but I wanted the art to be good, and I also wanted to sort of challenge people’s interpretation of what I’ve been doing so far with Savage and the book,” Moore said.
Sherwin Tijia, a professional artist from Montreal with a piece in the show, said he enjoys exhibits that are atypical. “Most art shows are pretty specific and include pretty pictures for rich people because those are the people who can afford it,” he said.
Floating in the same literary circles as Moore for years, Tijia is happy to be involved with such a unique event. “An artistic wake for a fictional person is very bizarre,” he said.
Having received such great interest online, Moore said he may take the show on tour but ultimately he would like to send photos or videos to Savage’s brother, another wrestler himself, “Leaping” Lanny Poffo.
There have been two tribute wrestling shows to Savage over the past couple months and Moore said “they’ve both been terrible” for different reasons. He hopes this serves as a fitting tribute to the Macho Man. “The fact that people stopped and made the art is a tribute to him, and his memory,” he said.
The Savage Art Show runs from Nov. 12 to 15, coinciding with Savage’s 59th birthday. For info about the White House Studio, www.theotherwhitehouse.ca.
Tags: Arts · General · Liberty
By Melania Daniel
Myles Dobson plays ill-at-ease newcomer teen Dano in Date Night. Courtesy Jenny Nguyen
Three short films shot in Parkdale are set to have their first public screening this month.
Date Night, The Break, and Heartbreak Café are the end products of the “Acting for the Camera” workshops conducted for youth ages 14 to 25 at the Parkdale Public Library (1303 Queen St. W.) over the summer.
The movie-making workshops, which took place Tuesdays from mid-July to late September, fell under the umbrella of Parkdale Street Writers (PSW), a non-profit local author Emily Pohl-Weary founded in 2008. PSW mentors and publishes young Parkdalians “interested in trying out different kinds of writing,” she said. “They were asking for more performance workshops.”
She had been privately collaborating with old friends Dominic Desjardins and Rayne Zuckerman on a film script called “Life on the Edge.” Desjardins and Zuckerman are the owners of Zazie Films, an independent production company operating out of the Distillery District, which produces feature films and television programs in French. The three thought acting workshops would help the youth “come out of their shells” and “connect them with professionals working in the industry.”
The Canada Council for the Arts funded their proposal with a generous grant. Desjardins served as director, Zuckerman as producer, and Pohl-Weary as lead scriptwriter. They helped the youngsters polish drafts produced from improvisations of real-life situations they had experienced directly or witnessed.
Myles Dobson was one of the participants. He had been in Toronto for just one month when a flyer advertising free workshops in Parkdale caught his eye. Dobson, who said he migrated to Canada because “England was boring,” was cast in a lead role in Date Night.
“I had been trying my hand at acting in England, mostly in high school, and a bit at community centres,” said Dobson. “Then I tried to get into drama schools and [they] all said I did not have enough experience.”
Parkdale’s Acting for the Camera group required only interest and raw talent from registrants, in return for lessons in acting techniques, story telling, script writing, and the technical and business side of filmmaking.
Dobson plays Dano, the new boy in a high school class who stands out for his self-conscious geekiness and peculiar accent. Teen anxieties and foreigner insecurities make Dano less than forthright about his lack of experience in romantic matters as he embarks on his first date, played with comedic bungling and exaggerations.
Dobson credits the mentorship of Desjardins for his growth in confidence and acting abilities. “Dominic’s critiquing of my acting has been very helpful,” said Dobson. “Seeing it all come together has been a real positive experience, given the way we started improvising random scenes and were able to drag them all together into three scripts.”
For his part, Desjardins said he was “overwhelmed by the quality of the acting and improvs,” that went into the making of the shorts.
“I’ve been surprised at every class by the talent and the ease with which they learned the process of making films,” said Desjardins.
At the end of the day, each member was able to find a unique niche, and to take something meaningful from the workshops. Participant Chanelle Hanian-Hudson said “the sense of community” was her best memory of the exercise.
“Working with other writers on the scripts, that’s where my interest was,” she said. “I had no idea how it worked before, but now I have a much better concept of what needs to be done, and how.”
Contact info@parkdalewriters.ca or call 416-779-1448 for dates and times of the screenings.
Tags: General · Liberty
