Police and city staff aim to keep parks safe after hours

By Victoria Prouse

Increased complaints about after-hours disturbances in neighbourhood parks are a telltale sign of summer for Toronto Police 14 Division. To combat this situation, 14 Division’s Community Response Unit has implemented a special parks initiative, which began in April and runs until September.

According to Staff Sergeant Darren Halman, in responding to complaints that include illegal drug use, alcohol consumption, animals running off their leashes, and people sleeping in the parks at night, 14 Division has adopted a two-pronged approach to ensuring Toronto’s parks are welcoming and safe for all. While offences including drug and alcohol use result in immediate charges and the issuing of tickets, transgressions like allowing dogs off their leashes are initially resolved by educating individuals about park rules and regulations.

[pullquote]“They’ll go somewhere else … If we’re moving people along, for example, from Bellevue Square, they would move to Scadding Court”

—Staff Sergeant Darren Halman, 14 Division[/pullquote]

Halman identified Bellevue Square Park in Kensington Market as a particularly problematic site. “We are certainly going to monitor that area for the next little while,” he said in a telephone interview.

Despite Toronto parks being closed to visitors after midnight, officers patrolling this park clear people out on a nightly basis.

According to Halman, the fundamental problem with this method of dealing with individuals in parks after-hours is that following eviction from a park, these individuals tend to simply move to an adjacent park.

This issue is “unfortunately a reality” said Halman. “They’ll go somewhere else … If we’re moving people along, for example, from Bellevue Square, they would move to Scadding Court.”

To counteract what Halman identifies as a “revolving door” pattern, the Community Response Unit undergoes a comprehensive sweep of area parks. “We won’t just go to one park, we’ll go to six or seven parks in the area.”

A supplementary endeavour established to secure the safety of Toronto’s parks is the City of Toronto’s Park Ambassador Program (PAP). This endeavour is quite different from 14 Division’s Parks Initiative, as it focuses on addressing the root causes of undesirable behaviour in parks.

Troy Ford is the City of Toronto’s Park Ambassador. Both his supervisor, Richard Ubbens, parks director at the City of Toronto, and Halman describe Ford’s work as highly generative.

“Troy does a lot of work [in Bellevue Square] and he works with us regularly,” said Halman. “He goes in and meets [loiterers] at their level, establishes a relationship with them, talks about appropriate behaviour in parks, and escalates that as necessary,” said Ubbens in a telephone interview.

According to Ubbens, the PAP works concurrently with the City of Toronto’s Streets to Homes Program, which delivers street outreach and housing assistance to marginally-housed people throughout the city. It seeks to help find permanent housing and subsequently provide the supports they require to remain in their homes.

Ubbens characterizes after-hours park disturbances as “part of a bigger problem.” He cautioned against depicting it as a “nuisance” issue, emphasizing how it indicates systemic issues that need to be addressed. He said it reflects the fact that these people need to be connected to the right services to address the acute health issues and social service needs that frequently plague them.

Ubbens said that although bylaw infractions are much more frequent than Park Ambassador requests, the significance of this initiative cannot be underestimated. He was careful to emphasize the difference between Parks Ambassador issues and bylaw enforcement infractions.

“If it’s illegal activity, the police can obviously move in and charge people … For the most part, [the PAP] is dealing with parts of society that aren’t so well connected.”

Local cartoonist releases third book

Perry King

In the middle of the G20 protest saga in 2010, Dave Lapp was at ground zero watching the chaos.

A veteran cartoonist, teacher, and local resident, Lapp eventually took his experiences to paper, using a trusty black tip marker to draw a black-and-white two-page strip.

The strip took 10 hours a page, but this was more than a comic for Lapp. “I wasn’t doing it for the newspaper, I was doing it because … what a unique experience, man oh man,” said Lapp, who thought a final product would have taken too long for newspapers.

And then, Lapp says “that was me not relying on the media, I thought ‘I don’t trust what [is] happening on the news,’ so I went down to have a look.”

In June, Conundrum Press published the cartoonist’s third book, People Around Here, a 160-page compendium of comics that appeared in the Gleaner and other publications over the span of a decade.

“I underestimated what was going on [at the G20]. Stupid me, I had black pants on, a black shirt,” he said.

“Where are the cops? I kept thinking, ‘Where are the police?’ Here we are starting at King and Yonge. They’re walking up the street, slowly, yelling, breaking windows, breaking windows, breaking windows … and there’s a contingent of six or eight cops that kept their distance about 30, 40 metres …”

In contrast to this eye-opening experience, most of the comics in People Around Here are snapshots of everyday life. “Those stories, the original ones, were always me in coffee shops or restaurants sketching,” said Lapp.

The strips cite streets, neighbourhoods, and landmarks in Toronto, and are layered with Lapp’s dry humour. Many of the stories are of conversations with his colleagues, or conversations Lapp happened to overhear.

“There is a side to him that you don’t really see in person that does come through in the work,” said Chester Brown, Lapp’s colleague and a comic icon in his own regard. “I would place Dave at the forefront of the artists who are doing really interesting work, but there are just so many interesting young cartoonists—cartoonists in their 20s and early 30s. I guess Dave is situated somewhere between those guys and me, age-wise.”

From Honest Ed’s to Euclid Street to Yorkville, this Annex-area has often been his muse.

To have a third book published is still a pleasant surprise for this veteran artist. “Maybe the possibilities were there before, but I’m not really sure,” he said.

Lapp has come a long way as an artist. After a failed attempt to publish a comic while studying at OCAD, he resorted to publishing smaller comics. “The good news is I shifted my publishing focus. The bad news is I wasn’t thinking books at all,” he said.

He also supplemented his income with teaching gigs at the AGO and the Avenue Road Arts School (460 Avenue Rd.).

He didn’t leave his love behind, and his first two books, Drop-in and Children of the Atom, were published in the interim.

The indie comic scene in Toronto has been rewarding, but also unrelenting over the years.

Chester Brown, whom Lapp draws inspiration from, can relate.

“Going into cartooning, I had a suspicion that it wasn’t going to make me lots and lots of money and that I would be measuring my success in other ways—which is pretty much the case,” he said. “As long as you go into cartooning with your eyes wide open about that, then there are rewards to be had.”

Lapp is now focusing on publishing his next book, Pencils, a 500-page project that he began in 2006, which has been his white whale.

It is based on his own childhood life in London, Ontario at a time “when things were different. The parents weren’t monitoring all the time, no TVs, no video games. we would just go out in the field,” said Lapp. “It doesn’t have the organized evil of the Children of the Corn, but I was using up some of my nine lives with some of these neighbours.

“One of the key stories I love in the book is when my neighbour and I loaded up 30-aught-six hunting rifle. We were only like nine or ten years old … he loaded up the rifle, pointing it and swinging it at me. I had a World War II German Luger, and I filled the clip with bullets, and that’s just the two of us …”

From his parents’ divorce, to nature and his environment, the book explores relationships between himself and others at the time, and Lapp is taking studious care with the details.

Brown, a close confidant of Lapp, is looking forward to the new work. “I’m hoping it’s going to be the breakthrough book for him, the book that really puts him on the map, and gets people really recognizing him,” he said.

Pencils was intended as Lapp’s first published book, but he now finds himself with three. “I feel so lucky about all this stuff,” he said.

To see more of Lapp’s work, please visit davelappcomics.blogspot.ca.

Community Response Unit works to involve the community

By Victoria Prouse

Toronto Police 14 Division has worked diligently over the past few years to promote its image beyond the realm of law enforcement. Fundamental to their persona as, first and foremost, community members, is the work done by the Community Response Unit (CRU).

Staff Sergeant Darren Halman leads 14 Division’s CRU, which is comprised of 50 officers. “We work with the community to empower them to solve the problem,” with the ultimate goal to “try to get as many people involved.”

Halman emphasizes the crucial role the CRU plays in policing the city. “We’re not just trying to target people who are committing criminal offences,” he said. Rather, they will “have a conversation.”

14 Division covers an area that Sergeant Halman and Officer Brian Haywood describe as having undergone a rapid and marked transformation over the past 10 years. Consequently, the work being done by the CRU has become increasingly significant.

Haywood explained that ten years ago, Parkdale was a hotspot for crack cocaine-related arrests. Now crucial community networks have been consolidated in this neighbourhood, which have supported the growth of a different population in this area.

Another example is Liberty Village, now a favourite location for young professionals. However, “when you talk to the older population […] they called it ‘hooker alley’; when the trucks start, hookers would be between the trucks.”

The Community Response Unit addresses many of the issues this new demographic considers undesirable. Cutting down on park nuisance problems, as well as Project Post, an initiative increasing police presence in marginalized neighbourhoods, are CRU initiatives. “Kids shouldn’t have to go to a park and be afraid,” said Halman.

“At the CRU, what we do here is develop a strategy to help go and solve the problem.”

Tips on holding a fundraising concert in your own backyard.

By Susan Oppenheim

The first time that I heard the term “house concert” was about three years ago, when my musical son-in-law was heading to Kitchener-Waterloo to perform at one. A host opens their home, or in summertime their yard, to a minimum of 25 people who pay a cover charge, and can buy CDs and refreshments. Because these events take place in comfortable settings with like minded-people, the informality and ambience is unparalleled.

I have volunteered now for about 13 years for the Annex-based baroque orchestra Tafelmusik.

Through this connection, I was linked to “classical revolution” evenings, where performers sit in with sheet music on a drop-in basis and jam the classics. They are open to the public, sometimes donations are suggested, and you can usually order food and drinks, as they tend to take place in more-than-willing restaurants. They are fabulous experiences.

This summer I decided to host my own house concert. I have a terrific sun deck on an extension on my property (in the Christie, north of Bloor area) that is on a public laneway, so planning an open-air evening would likely not pose a sound problem for many of my neighbours.

For talent, I approached the Metis Fiddler Quartet, whom I had met at a classical revolution night. They are a totally unique classical/folk performing group comprised of two violins, a cello. and an acoustic guitar.

Siblings Alyssa, Conlin, Nicholas, and Danton Delbaere-Sawchuk, now ranging in age from 16 to 26, started playing professionally in earnest 10 years ago. They grew up nurtured and surrounded by music, with lessons ranging from the Suzuki Method, Royal Conservatory of Music, and independent mentors. They are the grateful recipients of Canada Council travel grants and study bursaries, and have earned for themselves and our country a solid reputation for playing concert that focus on the rich musical roots of Canadian Metis and Aboriginal elders. They are delightful and extremely gifted. When approached to do my first  house concert they eagerly accepted.

The only big stress I had: what if it rained? I was glued to my iPhone weather app, and luckily it didn’t.

Would I do it again? You bet!

For more on the Metis Fiddler Quartet, please visit metisfiddlerquartet.com. For more on Classical Revolution Toronto, please visit their Facebook page.

Tips that worked for me

• You are the host and you supply the space. We mutually agreed that 25 guests would be my ideal limit.
• The talent will fill the seats for you and arrive in plenty of time to help set up, work the door, and clean up afterwards.
• Local musicians find paying customers using their fan list, website, Facebook, neighbours, and family members. For our event they sold 90 per cent of the tickets.
• They brought wine and beer and CDs to boost their sales, and volunteers to assist.
• I donated homemade desserts and iced coffee and lemonade at the end of the performance for a social mix-and-mingle. This got everyone chatting, and is something that I love doing
• They included other performers in the sales who after the set quietly slipped out to their cars and brought in more instruments. We had an incredible jam session that lasted till almost midnight.

By Kristin Eliason

This past July, a new collaborative workspace opened on Bloor. CO:WORK (703 Bloor St. W.) opened with the goal of creating an inspiring space, where productivity and networking would be possible.

“I think the workforce is changing. People are empowered,” said Heidi McCulloch, founder of CO:WORK. “They can work from wherever they need to, and increasingly, they want to.”

McCulloch decided to take things into her own hands, considering flexibility and the psychology of space when opening her new business.

High ceilings and large windows flood the rooms the rooms with light.

Open spaces, 1700 square feet altogether, promote something that she likes to call “spontaneous collisions,” moments in which random encounters with colleagues can spark inspiration or solutions to problems.

“Sometimes even if you’re not talking,” she said, “there’s something that happens about being in physical proximity to people”.

Barnabe Geis, communications lead for the Centre for Social Innovation (CSI), agreed.

“When you have hundreds of people working to make the world a better place under one roof, there is huge potential for new collaborations and initiatives to emerge,” he said.

CSI, which began in 2004, was at the forefront of the shared-workspace model. CSI opened their second location at 720 Bathurst in 2010. CO:WORK seems to have adopted this successful model.

Affordable work rates—an hour at CO:WORK can be had for as little as five dollars—mean the space is available to almost everyone. Private, semi-private, and open work areas cater to clients’ personalities and needs.

There are also spaces where events and workshops can be held. CO:WORK has held two events within the past month, and also sponsored the international Creative Mornings Toronto series at the Gladstone Hotel on August 31.

“I think that the big hope is that … we can just be a go-to for those people who want the office at the end of the street,” said McCulloch.

According to Geis, CSI welcomes the new kid on the block. “In the end [with these kinds of spaces], you will have happier, healthier, and more productive people, and this is of benefit to the communities they belong to, and the city itself.”

For more information on CO:WORK, please visit coworkonbloor.ca

Gourmet grilled cheese shop makes headway

By Ryan Saundercook & Richard Frankel

Stepping through the doors of Say Cheese (337 Bloor St. W.), a new gourmet grilled cheese restaurant in the heart of the Annex, feels like walking into the future.

The decor is clean and bright. The floors, tables, and chairs are spaceship white, and large, globe-shaped lamps hang from the red painted ceiling. On the walls there are lights in rectangular boxes that cycle through a variety of colours. But what hits you first as you cross the threshold is the smell of various cheeses and toppings that will leave your stomach grumbling.

“My favourite sandwich would be the pulled pork and pasta,” said Nigel Koo, co-owner of the restaurant. “It’s basically pulled pork, extra-old cheddar, BBQ sauce, and mac ‘n’ cheese all grilled into a sandwich. We marinate it overnight. We sear it the next day, slow cook it for about 18 hours. We use a pork stock and fresh tomatoes and spices. We make the BBQ sauce in-house. Everything is made in-house here.”

Koo, 29, along with business partner Christopher Blondell, 27, quietly moved into the space in February and have slowly been adding signage and spreading the restaurant brand in the area while tinkering with a variety of recipes.

“This is the first business we’ve done together,” said Koo. “He has his strengths and I have mine and together it works. He’s a very good operations guy, a great chef.”

Both partners said they support independent businesses and are picky when it comes to quality. Koo said he spends at least an hour every morning buying fresh ingredients from Kensington Market, and laughs when he says he’s been known to hoard the bacon.

“If you put really high quality food together people do notice rather than going to a chain restaurant,” he said. “I think there’s enough people that would want to try an independent restaurant that’s doing something different.”

Koo is a graduate from the University of Toronto in economics and said he was inspired to start this business from his experiences of living life on the cheap as a student.

“Basically I lived off grilled cheese for four or five years, and what better food to expand on than a grilled cheese? It’s a classic comfort food,” he said.

Koo said he wanted a modern aesthetic to the restaurant that would give it a different feel compared to others in the area, most of which feature a more traditional look.

The biggest hurdle in the new operation has been marketing, said Koo.

“We’re not looking to be the next Subway. We just want to have a nice shop and provide good value, good food, and be an independent business. Getting your name out is hard, because you’re competing with all the big names, but slowly people have been telling their friends. University professors and students seem to like us.”

Lawsuit over diesel trains launched

By Richard Frankel

The Clean Train Coalition (CTC) has filed a lawsuit against Metrolinx, a GTA transit authority, over their decision to use diesel instead of electric trains for the Air Rail Link (ARL) between Union Station and Pearson International Airport.

“Clean Train Coalition has been forced to ask the courts to review how Metrolinx was fettered in its decision making by a short-term sporting event deadline [the Pan American Games in 2015] that does not relate to its mandate for planning and implementation of sustainable healthy transportation in the long-term interests of Ontarians,” said Rick Ciccarelli, the co-chair of the CTC.

Dozens of concerned citizens, along with local politicians, joined members of the CTC at Davenport Perth Neighborhood Centre (1900 Davenport Rd.) to discuss the potential electrification of the ARL at a meeting on July 18.

“My interest is that the trains [will be] running right through the middle of the neighbourhood,” said Rick Ciccarelli. “There are daycares and schools right there. We’re concerned and we want to see trains in the neighbourhood, but it needs to be electric transit.”

According to information from the CTC website, the McGuinty government plans to run 140 diesel trains daily along the Georgetown South rail corridor—encompassing 12 Toronto neighbourhoods.

According to a CTC news release, a recent World Health Organization announcement reclassified diesel exhaust as a carcinogen. The release said it is even more urgent that Metrolinx’s plans get changed and the ARL be built as electric from the start of service.

Mark Ostler, spokesperson for Metrolinx, said the transit authority is committed to building the link in an environmentally responsible way.

Electrification of the ARL requires an environmental assessment, which is already underway and will be completed in 2014.

“The vehicles we’re purchasing for the ARL are fully convertible to electric, and the track upgrades currently underway are built to allow for electrification,” he said.

Ostler said the service will launch with state-of-the-art Tier-4 diesel multiple units, the strictest non-road engine emissions standard set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“Tier-4 technology reduces airborne particulate emissions by 90 per cent and nitrogen oxides by 75 per cent. By using Tier 4 vehicles, there will be less total emissions on the area surrounding the Georgetown South corridor than today by removing the exhaust from 1.2 million auto trips from the road system that are destined to and from the airport.”

More than 300,000 people live along the rail path. There are 76 schools, 96 daycare centres, and four long-term care facilities within a kilometre of the tracks.

At the meeting, CTC members agreed to incorporate the coalition as a non-profit organization. This would allow them to be recognized as an official body with a board of directors. A vote to elect up to 15 board members is scheduled to happen in the next few months. Ciccarelli said incorporation was necessary for fundraising so the CTC could compete with the ad campaigns by Metrolinx.

The CTC also encouraged its members and interested neighbourhood citizens to regularly contact the Premier’s office to have their voices heard, and tell their neighbors what is going on.

“The person who can change it to electric is the Premier,” said Ciccarelli. “I think the coalition should focus its energy on that.”

Greg Gormick, research director for the CTC, said the coalition has been told the only way to meet the deadline for the Pan Am Games is to use diesel. He said this is the Premier’s “legacy project.”

According to Ciccarelli, Metrolinx is very wary about changing technology and so they used the deadline for the games as justification for sticking with diesel.

Gormick criticized the Premier’s office, saying it has tuned out the CTC for political reasons and has been very vague about a plan of action.

MPP Jonah Schein (Davenport), who is also the current NDP transportation critic, told those at the meeting about the private members’ bill he introduced this past April, which supports electrification. Schein said the bill will be debated at Queen’s Park in September.

“This is an equity issue,” he said. “This would not happen in Rosedale … we have an opportunity here to build good transit. We have to get this changed at Queen’s Park.”

Hit SummerWorks play explores hard choices in marriage

By Melania Daniel

Its stage name is A Song for Tomorrow, but this Annex-based play, which enjoyed a successful debut at SummerWorks this year, could have easily been called The Story of the Wongs.

For one, a trio of unrelated Wongs dominated the program credits on opening night. But while playwright Christina Wong, stage manager Beth Wong, and director, co-producer, and sound and projection technician Gein Wong deserved every accolade, it was the unmentioned Wongs who carried the story.

Theatre-goers were given a hint in the playwright’s notes that there was some personal element to the play—that it was influenced by her parents’ marriage—but few would have guessed how closely May and Ping, the male and female characters in the two-person play, were patterned on actual events in the life of the Wongs of the Annex.

“I found out, through my parents arguments, that my mum wanted to leave my dad in the early stages of their marriage,” said Christina Wong. “Some of the dialogue is real.”

That may not have been apparent to the near-capacity audience that filled the 65-seat Backspace performance venue of Theatre Passe Muraille (16 Ryerson Ave.). It’s a nod to the playwright’s mastery of her craft that the play is not in the nakedly autobiographical or embarrassingly confessional genre.

Even less obvious was that an unassuming, frail Chinese woman who was seated front row on opening night, sometimes quietly sobbing as the drama unfolded on stage, was the muse for May, the character of the wife on stage. Anna Wong, 65, the playwright’s mother, had no idea that she was the star of her daughter’s show until four days before the play opened.

“I just told my mum it was loosely based on her,” said Christina Wong. “It’s close to home. That’s why I was reluctant to tell my mom the play was about her. It’s a very delicate project.”

Delicate is an understatement for the subdued tone of this powerful portrayal of a marriage as it unravels against the backdrop of the stresses and tensions of new immigrant life in a “semi-detached house on 539 Markham Street—the same street as Honest Ed (sic) is on,” Ping tells May in a scene when he is teaching her English.

The love story of May and Ping has many memorably sweet moments towards the end, but it is also a thesis in how hard-heartedness happens in long-term marriages.

The story begins at the end, with a frail Ping sitting in a rocking chair with his cane and in pajamas, saying goodbye to the departing figure of May, as she leaves with her packed suitcase. That ending, Christina Wong says, is a powerful message to her mother, who in real life, did not part ways with her husband of almost 40 years, until his death two years ago.

“I’m telling her it would have been okay to leave my dad,” said Christina. “I would have understood her decision. But she’s that selfless person. She stayed because she was thinking of me and my sister.”

Many experiences caused Christina to express such sympathy for the choice her mother might have made.

“One night, at the dinner table, dad just said, ‘You know you have a half-brother?’ And he just dropped it,” said Christina, who has never met her other sibling. “That was all. We were not allowed to ask questions. You find out little bits of your family history along the way.”

The little bits she overheard or was told helped her script her mom’s onstage double, and puts May’s seeming callousness toward her husband at the start of the play in greater perspective. It was a big gamble that ran the risk of alienating audiences from May, who is adamant in her refusal to help her husband off the floor when his arthritic knees give way and his cane is knocked out of his reach.

Waiting to see if she will give in to his pleading and help him up for this umpteenth time is one of the more dramatic moments, and the strong choice she makes in the end is perhaps one of the most redeeming statements about the nature of love and human relationships. As the play progresses backwards, the universal appeal of A Song For Tomorrow plays out in growing sympathy for both May and Ping.

“Moving backwards helps you understand, not just that a person is like that, but a person is like that because of the many little incidents along the way that have shaped them,” said Donna-Michelle St. Bernard, whose company New Harlem productions produced the play.

Like Christina Wong, whose mum is from Hong Kong and father from China, St. Bernard is also of immigrant stock. She came to Canada when she was four with her parents, who were escaping the upheaval of the 1979 Grenada Revolution and its aftermath.

“There are many things my dad would say, ‘I’ll do later’ and my mum would have a disproportionate reaction,” said St. Bernard. “This play helps me understand it’s the reaction of 100 times, not the first time.”

Both St. Bernard and co-producer Gein Wong would like to see the stage run of the play continue past SummerWorks. Gein Wong feels just as strongly as St. Bernard that the play’s themes of love, marriage, parenting, and the hopes and toil of new Canadians will have widespread and lasting appeal. Gein, who is Canadian-born to parents from Hong Kong also, sees his family story in the script.

“My dad never said a lot to me growing up, and the play reminds me of that,” he said. “It may be personal for Christina, but it has a lot of elements immigrants can identify with.”

The executive director of Creative Trust is keeping the arts alive in Toronto, one dance troupe at a time

By Haley Steinberg

Jini Stolk, a longtime Annex resident, was recently awarded the Toronto Arts Foundation’s William Kilbourn Award for the Celebration of Toronto’s Cultural Life. The work she has done to promote and sustain the arts city-wide is extensive and diverse.

When asked about her recent award, Stolk modestly replied, “Of course, it’s always wonderful to know that your work has been noticed and is being acknowledged by your peers.” In an industry where so many personal relationships are built, she said the experience of being recognized for her projects was “truly delightful.”

Stolk has managed numerous studios and arts groups, from the Toronto Dance Theatre to Open Studios. Currently, she serves as the co-founder and executive director of Creative Trust.

Creative Trust is an organization dedicated to building financial and foundational stability for mid-sized and small performing arts companies. The goal is to arm these companies with the skills necessary to succeed and thrive as collaborative arts initiatives.

The concept for Creative Trust, which is housed in the Annex’s Centre for Social Innovation (720 Bathurst St.), came about through Stolk’s own experiences with struggling performing arts companies.

“It really became clear to me, and to a number of my colleagues, that the mid-sized companies needed a bit of outside help to really flourish,” she said. “Some of us had deficits, and the thought of having help with retiring the deficits was absolutely joyful.”

Stolk also noticed that these companies did not have the capacities to develop and manage other aspects of the business single-handedly.

The organization now plays a major role in actively sustaining these companies by providing “financial health and organizational strength.”

“The work we did certainly involved raising money so that we could give grants to companies for deficit reduction,” Stolk said of Creative Trust’s broader efforts.

“Also, we focused a lot on group learning … bringing people together in sessions on fundraising, marketing and audience development.”

By hosting workshops, Stolk and her counterparts are able to pass on strategies and skills which allow these smaller companies to thrive independently.

According to Stolk, venue and audience development are extremely important when it comes to promoting the local arts. “Audience development encompasses better marketing, it encompasses the whole topic of engaging audiences … it encompasses diversifying audiences.” If the performing arts are to thrive in the city, “the real Toronto” must be accurately represented in the audiences.

Although this is a large task, Stolk believes that with the proper technology and arts awareness education, it can be accomplished.

A current project of Creative Trust is the rehabilitation of performing arts venues. “We are working very intensively with most of the companies that are located in the Annex,” said Stolk. This project has required meeting with these companies to find funding and to raise awareness of the need for renovation. Without an adequate venue, it is very difficult for performing arts companies to function efficiently.

Toronto’s Green Theatres project helped spur the rehabilitation program. It focuses on “making the performing arts spaces more energy efficient and environmentally friendly,” and will have a large impact on the Annex neighborhood, as it is home to several large venues. At the forefront of the initiative is the Ed Mirvish Theatre (244 Victoria St.). The marquee, which previously featured incandescent bulbs, is now lit using LED bulbs. There is a projected 90 per cent reduction in energy use.

Stolk has learned some valuable lessons through her work with Creative Trust. “Collaboration works. People should not think of themselves as being in competition, but rather think of all the arts working together to create stronger interest in the arts.”

This innovative approach may be just what is needed to further stimulate Toronto’s performing arts scene, and to ensure the survival of the companies behind it.

Stolk is committed to promoting the importance of arts in the community. “It has the power to change your life, it has the power to change the way you think about yourself.” She sees the performing arts as “an outlet for creativity,” not only beneficial for the artists themselves, but for audience members as well.

By Rosario Marchese, Member of Provincial Parliament for Trinity-Spadina

Part of my job as a Member of Provincial Parliament involves participating on the committees that evaluate the effectiveness of existing laws. Earlier this year, my colleagues and I held committee hearings on the Aggregate Resources Act, the legislation that governs the operation of pits and quarries in Ontario.

Although it may not seem like it at first, the extraction of aggregates is of great importance to places like downtown Toronto. These materials—such as gravel, sand, and crushed rock—are essential components in the construction and maintenance of our infrastructure.

However, these quarries are also a serious threat to our environment and water supply. They are eating up Ontario’s prime agricultural land. And they are being built close to residential and environmentally sensitive areas with little public consultation or municipal approval.

The Aggregate Resources Act (ARA) was created 22 years ago. Despite being amended in 2009, it still does not provide the protection Ontarians need. In fact, the Environmental Commissioner has asked for a review of the ARA 17 times over the past 12 years.

The committee that is reviewing the ARA has travelled to several towns and cities in Ontario, where we heard the concerns of many residents and communities. Several items stuck with me throughout these consultations.

First, Ontario consumes 164 million tonnes of aggregates each year, and this number is expected to increase by 13 per cent over the next 20 years.

Second, we can do much better when it comes to the recycling of aggregate material. Only seven per cent of aggregate material is currently recycled. (In comparison, the United Kingdom manages to recycle 21 per cent.) The remainder—pieces of broken concrete and asphalt—is wasted.

Third, it would be an extremely short-sighted decision to choose quarries over prime agricultural land. Aggregates are a finite resource, and can only be collected once. Farm crops, however, can be grown and harvested annually. One farmer who spoke to the committee pointed out that he can grow lettuce on his land for $18,000 per tonne year after year, while aggregates sell for a mere eight dollars per tonne, and can only be dug up once.

I support measures that would develop a more sustainable aggregates industry in Ontario.  We need incentives to recycle a greater percentage of asphalt and aggregates from Toronto and other municipalities. The provincial government could help cities increase the amount of recycled aggregates that can be used in construction projects. Information could be provided to let consumers actively choose recycled aggregate material.

We should also discuss our local priorities. At the moment, Ontario insists that aggregates be obtained close to market, but also supports produce grown close to home. Although both are desirable goals, the limited amount of space around most of our cities means a choice needs to be made. This is a conflict that is currently playing out at the Melancthon Quarry, and in the communities nearby.

Which would you rather have? Locally grown produce or locally dug gravel? For me, the choice is obvious.

Station P, near Bloor and Spadina, will move to the Bloor and Ossington area this fall

Photo: Victoria Prouse/Gleaner News

By Victoria Prouse

Annex residents will soon have to travel much farther to reach a full-service post office. Canada Post recently announced that in October, Station P will be relocated from its current site at 704 Spadina Ave., just south of Bloor Street, all the way to 875 Bloor St. W., just east of Ossington Avenue. The new post office will be nearly two kilometres west of the Spadina location.

This move has surprised Station P customers, and those interviewed expressed frustration at the relocation.

“I’m so sorry to hear that. I’m always around this area,” said one customer.

A recent graduate of the University of Toronto, Sima Atri, echoed the sentiment. “I’m really upset about the move. It will be so inconvenient for all the students who live in the area.”

Reasons for the move have been poorly publicized. A Station P employee, who wished to remain anonymous, said that the University of Toronto had refused to renew Canada Post’s long-term lease agreement at the property.

“The post office lease expires August 2013 and we are not aware of any other lease discussions,” said Michael Kennedy, issues and media relations officer at the University of Toronto. The property was purchased by the University’s Asset Management Fund in December 2010.

Eugene Knapik, manager in the Canada Post Media Relations division, also said that it was Canada Post’s decision not to renew their long-term lease at this site, stating the present location no longer suited the needs of Canada Post.

704 Spadina Ave. also houses TopCuts and A&C Games. Vicki Nguyen, staff member at TopCuts, said the business is facing uncertainty regarding their future at this site. “We don’t know because we are a big company. I don’t know when the lease finishes.”

Gar Wan Toy, owner of A&C Games, is facing similar uncertainty. “We might be staying, we might be going. We’ll probably find out by next year. We’ll be here for at least another year.”

Vera DeWaard, managing editor of [Descant ITAL], a literary journal with nearby offices, is a frequent user of Station P, and summarizes the move as “inconvenient.”
“From what I understand,” said DeWaard, “[Canada Post] wasn’t able to renew the lease. It’s unavoidable, it’s not going to change, despite how much inconvenience it causes.

“We are always dealing with mail, always shipping out copies of our magazine … There are other locations in the downtown area that are of similar distance, but none of them are closer, or more convenient, than this one is.”

DeWaard currently picks up the magazine’s mail on her way to work. Moving the full-service post office will mean an inconvenient stopover on her way to the office. “We’re trying to decide whether we’re going to continue using Station P or move to another location,” she said.

While the move presents obvious usability issues to residents and businesses in close proximity to Spadina Avenue, DeWaard emphasizes an additional financial problem is incurred with the relocation. “The move may require us to change our P.O. Box address, which is going to be difficult because we have a lot of stationery with our address on it.

“A lot of things are still up in the air… We’re sort of just hanging on, looking at our options. It’s going to be troublesome, in any case,” said DeWaard.

The future of the site remains unknown at this point. According to Kennedy, “U of T does not currently have any plans for the site or for additional [nearby] purchases.”

NHL stars come out to support the Team Up Foundation
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By Andrew Schopp

As an NHL all-star, Doug Gilmour could score goals. But there were no home-runs from the Hall of Famer at the inaugural “Dougieball” softball match at Christie Pits Park on July 19.

“Some of these guys with the power, they’ll be going for it today. Not me: I’ll hurt myself,” said Gilmour prior to digging in at the plate.

Two teams fielded by former and current NHL all-stars, “Team Gilmour” and “Team Lindros,” went head-to-head in a slow-pitch softball match to raise funds for the Maple Leafs Sports Entertainment Team Up Foundation (TUF). The charitable organization is dedicated to refurbishing athletic facilities and contributing to youth sports programs.

TUF recently made a sizable donation to Toronto Community Housing to improve the outdoor hockey rink in Regent Park and set the course for the construction of more extensive athletic facilities in the community.

“Whether it’s a soccer field, baseball diamond, or hockey arena, keeping the kids in the community playing sports, that’s what it’s all about,” said Gilmour.

“It’s about keeping the kids motivated and off the streets.”

NHL superstars past and present were on hand to treat the crowd to softball action, including Phoenix Coyotes forward Paul Bissonnette and former Maple Leafs tough guy Shayne Corson.

“I’m always big to jump on board charities. I got a chance to meet with Doug and when he asked me to come down it was a no-brainer. I cleared my schedule to come down and help him out,” said Bissonnette.

The NHL athletes participating in the game were happy to use their star power to draw a large crowd and help give the gift of sports to less fortunate communities.

“As a hockey player, and being an athlete, it was hard even for me growing up wondering why people look up to players the way we did,” said Corson.

“We’re just playing the game we love to play, but if we can use that to get people out here and help raise money for a great cause, then that’s what we should do. Kids are our future and are the most important part of the world. We want to give them every opportunity to be successful, be happy and enjoy life like we did.”

Dougieball t-shirts, hats, and other merchandise were sold to fans, with all proceeds going to Team Up Foundation.

The free event allowed fans a chance to meet and greet their hockey heroes and score some autographs.

One local resident, Francesca Garcea, 22, was enthralled to spend her birthday at the event and to meet her all-time favourite Maple Leaf, “Killer Doug.”

“I thought, what better way to spend my birthday than to watch some of my hockey heroes play some baseball,” said Garcea.

“I definitely think it’s a great cause, especially getting the community involved. It’s definitely a great event to throw and there are a lot of kids here with camps and stuff, so it’s definitely an opportunity for them to meet their hockey heroes.”

Bissonnette kicked off the game with a lead-off inside the park homerun for Team Gilmour. Gilmour’s squad carried the momentum throughout the game.

New York Rangers defenseman Michael Del Zotto, using a hockey glove rather than a baseball mitt, ended the game with a spectacular final out catch, clinching Team Gilmour the 15-13 victory.

All photos by Andrew Schopp/Gleaner News