From left to right, Inspector Sandra Richardson, Reg Ayre, Lance Cumberbatch, Deborah Simon, and Councillor Cesar Palacio at the TCH town hall meeting at the Senator D. Croll Apartments on Apr. 25. Photo: Rasheed Clarke/Gleaner News

Public housing residents voice opposition to selling off units

By Rasheed Clarke

Holding a microphone to his lips, Clive Williams sat up straight at the edge of his chair and posed the question, “Why do I sit on a $650 toilet?”

“It’s not special. It doesn’t hook up to the ceiling or something,” Williams continued. “It just shows that the construction department is warped.”

The construction department he was referring to was that of the Toronto Community Housing (TCH), the largest social housing provider in Canada, which accommodates approximately 164,000 low and moderate-income tenants across the city.

Williams’ comments were the first of many complaints from TCH residents directed at board members at a town hall meeting held at the Senator D. Croll Apartments (341 Bloor St. W.) in April. Members from Toronto Public Health, bylaw officers and police representatives were also on hand.

Of prime concern among residents was the possibility that their homes would be sold to help TCH pay for a growing list of repair orders. Last February, TCH’s interim chief executive officer, Len Koroneos, proposed selling off 675 single-family homes to generate some of the $750 million needed for repairs.

When his turn to speak came about, Wallace Simpson stated bluntly, “Suggesting that selling off some homes is the only solution for dealing with repairs is not only bad business sense, but disrespectful to tenants.

“It’s not the tenants’ fault that TCH has this repair crisis, and tenants shouldn’t be the ones responsible for solving it.”

Simpson’s comments were greeted by chants of “we are not for sale” from a handful of residents.

TCH chief operating officer Deborah Simon said that limited funding makes repair work a challenge for the housing corporation.

“We’re working with a little over $50 million a year to support some very old structures, and to stretch those dollars in the best possible way is a difficult task,” she said.

“We get thousands of work orders per year, and we prioritize life safety as the most important thing to address, and we try our best to look after the other issues as they come, so that means in some cases we’re not getting to all the issues that are important to people.”

An alternative funding option raised by resident Harvey Pinder was to increase tenants’ rent-geared-to-income rate from 30 to 35 per cent of gross income. That suggestion was met with scattered shouts of disapproval.

Dan King, a tenant representative for the Senator Croll Apartments, suggested that the best way forward for TCH was to tear down old buildings and construct new ones, as they have in Regent Park.

Other issues raised by tenants revolved around safety and sanitation.

For five years, Keith Lancaster has tried unsuccessfully to have a known drug dealer removed from his building.

“In the last year he’s spent nine months in jail. Each time he gets out he walks right back into his apartment and [tenants] have to put up with his nonsense,” he said.

“I have requested a move, but my psychiatrist, my doctor and my case worker all say the same thing, ‘Why should you move? You’re not the troublemaker.’”

Concerns about hygiene brought Sandra Markov to the meeting. She said that rats had been tunneling into her building, and that unemptied garbage bins had attracted raccoons and flies to her neighbourhood.

Councillor Cesar Palacio (Ward 17, Davenport), sits on the board and chairs the tenant and community services committee. Addressing tenants’ security concerns, he said, “We recognize we have areas in the city where the level of crime is worse, and that’s where we need to focus our attention in terms of providing 24/7 security on site.”

Not all residents at the meeting came to reprimand TCH, however. Kathy Lee said that she loves her home, feels a sense of community, and feels safe—partly due to the fact that she lives steps away from Toronto Police 52 Division headquarters.

TCH held town hall meetings with residents at three other locations around the city in April.

Both have their environmental benefits, but how do you know which too choose?

By Terri Chu

Organic greens have expanded from a niche, farmers’ market item into the mainstream. I consider anything found at Loblaws–where about one in three grocery dollars in Canada are spent–mainstream.

Organic growers will tout their eco-friendly street cred by citing studies that show pound for pound, they have a lower carbon footprint for their goods compared to conventionally-grown food. While this may be true for some goods, I wouldn’t assume it translates to every type of produce. A study done by some industrious students right here at the University of Toronto however, did confirm that for popular local goods such as carrots and potatoes, organic trumped conventional. What these students also found though was that the carbon savings of organic production was quickly overshadowed by transportation.

To be honest, ever since I learnt about systemic pesticides (pesticides that are absorbed in the plant effectively making the plant poisonous to insects), I cringe at the thought of purchasing conventionally-grown foods. Something that kills a bug at first bite no longer seems appetizing to me. With media reports of conventional farmers claiming they would not eat their own food, trust in the food system isn’t exactly at an all-time high.

However, let’s not paint all non-organic food with the same broad brush. There are many responsible farmers who don’t compromise food standards, yet can’t afford the very expensive and time-consuming certification process. It’s important to know your farmer and get food from a trusted source, not just a label.

Luckily for us living in the Annex, the time has come for us to enjoy our local farmers’ market again. (Full disclosure, I’ve been volunteering on the market committee for several years now). All farmers at this market are local and have been vetted by Farmers’ Market Ontario. In order to sell beans here, someone checked out their farm and confirmed they saw beans in the ground. The local production ensures that what you buy here is has as low carbon emissions as you will get. Nothing travelled very far and no supermarket was air-conditioned for it to be displayed in.

The farmers themselves staff most of the stalls. You can look your farmer in the eye and ask her what pesticides were used (if any), if her cows were free to roam and eat grass, and most importantly, would she feed the food to her own kids.

Living in the city, it’s hard to stay connected to where our food comes from and how it’s made. Meat comes in Styrofoam containers while milk comes in boxes. By shopping at local farmer’s markets, us city dwellers can reconnect with our food, feel good about what we eat, and at the same time, rest assured that by buying local, we’re minimizing our impact on our environment.

The Bloor Borden Market runs every Wednesday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. rain or shine in the Green P parking lot at on the south side of Bloor and Borden.

Bloor-Borden farmers market returns

By Victoria Prouse

“You shop differently in a farmers market than a supermarket,” says Gus Sinclair, former chair of the Harbord Village Residents’ Association (HVRA) and co-founder of the Bloor-Borden Farmers’ Market. “In a farmers’ market, people pause; they stop over tomatoes and talk about how the kids are doing at school”.

Afternoons of food, fun, and fellowship will return once again to the Annex. June 6 marks the kickoff of the weekly farmer’s market. The Green P Parking Lot at Lippincott and Borden streets will be transformed into a dynamic neighbourhood meeting place, hosting about a dozen farmers with local goods.

Over thirty farmers’ markets are interspersed throughout the city. However, the Bloor-Borden Market is unique. It is one of only five in Toronto that have been granted the “MyMarket” certification by Farmers’ Market Ontario. While vendors at conventional farmers’ markets are able to resell goods from the food terminal, acquiring the “MyMarket” certification mandates all goods sold are produced by the vendors themselves.

Farmers wishing to sell their goods at a “MyMarket” must undergo a stringent certification process. Sinclair emphasizes the importance of this certification as a guarantor that the items purchased at the market are fresh and of the highest quality.

The market’s return to the Green P will be greeted with significant fanfare. However, its fate was less than secure earlier in the year. In the past, the market had benefited from $5,000 in funding from “MyMarket”–funding Sinclair describes as ensuring a “soft landing” for guaranteeing the market’s welfare.

This year, however, the funding regime was withdrawn. Fortunately, contributions from the HVRA, the Annex Residents’ Association (ARA), Harbord Street Business Improvement Area, and the Bloor-Annex Business Improvement Area have alleviated this deficit, thereby enabling the market to cover its administrative and promotional costs.

This investment affirms this market’s significant contribution to community vitality–both socially and economically. Sinclair identifies the relationship between the vendors and surrounding businesses as inherently “symbiotic.”

Anne Freeman, project coordinator at the Toronto Farmers’ Market Initiative (TFMI) shares Sinclair’s perspective.“There is a spinoff benefit in terms of spending in the neighbourhood,” Freeman says. “It’s usually a very complementary effect”.

Since its inception in 2008, the market has transcended its role as a hub for produce in the Annex. Rather, Sinclair envisions it as a cultural, community-building, and commercial enterprise. Musicians contribute to the lively atmosphere, and the Children’s activity tent ensures visitors of all ages look forward to a trip to the market.

The activities at the Bloor-Borden market represent a commitment to community stewardship. It has the largest volunteer base of the five “MyMarket” farmers’ markets in Toronto. Additionally, the market hosts “Lemon and Allspice,” an initiative by Common Grounds Cooperative that provides adults with developmental disabilities an opportunity to gain skills by selling coffee and baked goods.

As Freeman states, “The great thing about farmers’ markets is they give people a reason to come out and meet their neighbours.” Indeed, every Wednesday from June 6 to October 24, the vibrant heart of the Annex will be found on top of the asphalt at Borden and Lippincott. It is a “must-see experience” for anyone who wants to see life as it is intended to be lived: wholesome food from healthy soil, an amiable and welcoming atmosphere, and a community successfully working together for a common cause.

The Annex is home to a new form of green roof

The greenery of CSI Annex (720 Bathurst St.) will slowly extend up, to even the roof. Photo: Innis O’Grady/Gleaner News

By Innis O’Grady

It is said that a roof is often a source of untapped potential. They might be large, flat spaces but remain completely unused by its residents.

The City of Toronto took note of this about two years ago when they transformed the roof of City Hall (100 Queen St. W.) into a green roof, with diverse local species of plants. Completely covering the roof with bins of growing, green plants, the roof of city hall essentially became a new city park overnight.

The Annex is getting its own little piece of green roof at CSI Annex (720 Bathurst St.), where slowly the Everything Roof is beginning to take shape.

“We came to CSI with a proposal, and we were looking for a great location for a new rooftop project,” says Everything Roof co-founder Lauren Pirie, who collaborated with Natalie Boustead of The About Face Collective on the project.

“This project is focused on growing an urban farm,” says Pirie. According to Pirie, there are proposed plans to create community events that bring together the local eco-activist and artist communities to present clean, innovative and most sustainable lifestyles. Ideas for including these two distinct groups coming together are “including leading artist workshops but with recycling elements!”

“The idea is that we want to focus on is community workshops and half day programming for schools and community groups,” adds Pirie. The Everything Roof is pushing to be an education on ecology even in the heart of the city. Details on these workshops go into teaching about how everyone can make their own home more eco-friendly and sustainable.

The urban farm concept has stemmed off of the green roof, what on its own increases a building’s heat and sound insulation, and protects the roof from water erosion.

“We have had great support from the community, from both the area and the city” Says Lauren when asked about support for the urban farm, “we have had Councillor [Mike] Layton out for our events, and we’ve traded a lot of ideas with him.”

The Everything Roof has indeed its own share of community support. It’s page on Indiegogo.com, a website dedicated to interested contributors to donate money towards niche projects, generated over $10,000 in donations for the Everything Roof. This money is going to cover initial costs of the project.

“We hope to engage the community through the process of building, we have been continuing to find funding, as well as spreading the word about our fundraising,” said Pirie. The project is currently in production and is not looking to open until next year.

The About Face Collective is seeking funding support, particularly for the urban farm. Current sources of funding for the farm comes from ecological and artistic grants, and support from the community itself for this dual-purpose project.

“The city has been supportive, we applied for a green Toronto grant and working toward applying next year.” Currently the City of Toronto has been supporting the growth of green roofs and the similar solar reflective “cool roofs” through grants given to large industrial or commercial buildings that stand equipped.

Making the Everything Roof a reality is a fair bit away, but its founders are excited about the urban farm coming together. “We are constantly changing plans, new ideas are moving in and out depending on funding, components may come in phases, but we are aiming for next year!” said Pirin.

And so are the locally-grown spring books!

Book City has them. The authors have them. The publishers have them. The internet has them. Poke around online at Open Book: Toronto—a government funded unbiased guide to Ontario-based book publishers, updated daily with news of new authors, book events, readings and more. You too could be the proud owner of any number of these and other Spring 2012 books, brought to you by the hard-working, marginalized world of the Canadian independent publisher.

So to quickly contextualize this for you, in Canada there are two basic swimming pools for books. There are the multinationals—including Penguin, Random House, McClelland and Stewart—local and independent publishers such as Coach House Books, Pedlar Press, Anvil Press, Insomniac Press, Brick Books, Tightrope Books, Talon Books, Snare Books, and dozens of others nationwide.

Each season these publishers produce no less than four books. They all have websites, covers, content, punctuation, and they all want you to not only know they exist, but buy them, and then tell your friends how much you enjoyed them.

Out of the hundreds of books that came out this spring in Canada, I’ve decided to tell you about four; one novel, a memoir, a book of poetry, and a collection of short stories.

Metal writer, poet, and cultural writer Natalie Zina Walschots is set to release her second book of poetry, DOOM: Love Poems for Supervillains (Insomiac Press), which realizes her nearly four year Odyssey of immersion in the world of supervillain devotion. Illustrated by Coach House Books publicity guru Evan Munday, DOOM “addresses the results of abuses of power and presents a case study on the pathology of villainy.” I’m sure Natalie will be wearing capes for most of the spring and cackling.

Heather Birrel returns to short fiction for the first time in seven years with Mad Hope (Coach House Books). The stories range from a science teacher and former doctor forced to re-examine the role he played in Ceauescu’s Romania after a student makes a shocking request; to women in an online chat group share (and overshare) their anxieties and personal histories; and a story about the chance and mysterious nature of pedestrian encounters and their meaning.

Set in the 1980s in Montreal, political cover-ups, drug dealing, and ending with the tragic massacre, Mount Royal by Basil Papademos (Tightrope Books) is a raunchy, aggressive and dark novel heralded as “a bittersweet romance, a love letter to a time and a place.”

Having a father you barely knew is one thing, but when that father happens to be Irving Layton, arguably Canadians greatest poet of all time, how are you supposed to feel about the city you grew up in, the people you know, and the father you didn’t?  Here we are among the Living by Samantha Bernstein (Tightrope Books) is a memoir written in epistolary form, chronicles the honest and heartbreaking examination of a life head on.

[pullquote]So yes citizens, the bookstores might be falling down like dominos, but the industry is still strong.[/pullquote] So put down your iPad and iPods and park your bikes and lock them twice, and stroll through a local bookshop for this Spring’s newest locally grown reads.

And if you don’t know, now you know.

GUELPH ROYALS 11, TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS 8

By Jonah Birenbaum

Signified by an animated fist-pump as he rounded first base and began his trot around the bases, Mark Allen knew he had redeemed himself.

After committing a costly error that opened the door for an improbable four-run, ninth-inning comeback by the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Guelph first baseman atoned for his defensive miscue with a towering, three-run homerun in the tenth to lift his team to an 11–8 victory over the Leafs at Dominico Field on Wednesday night.

A resilient Maple Leafs offense managed to erase two separate deficits—4–2 and 8–4, respectively—but ineffective pitching proved Toronto’s undoing once again. The loss, disheartening as they come, snapped Toronto’s winning streak at three games, but centre fielder Glenn Jackson insisted that there were some positives in defeat.

“Being down 8–4 in the ninth, to me it shows character,” said Jackson, who went 2-for-6 with a pair of runs. “That’s just the way it goes.”

Guelph staked out an early lead after tagging Toronto starter Brett Lawson for four runs over the first four innings by way of a Tyler Wheeler sacrifice fly and a pair of homeruns from Frankie Hare and Kevin Treichel, respectively.

But Toronto, trailing 4–2, responded with a two-out rally in the fifth that plated a pair of runs. After Jackson singled, shortstop Branfy Arias promptly brought him home with a double, his second of the day. Third baseman Jordan Castaldo subsequently ripped a hard grounder between first and second to plate Arias and tie the game at 4–4.

The deadlock was short-lived, though, as the Royals tagged Lawson for two more runs in the sixth, and then repeated the exercise in the seventh to extend the lead to 8-4.

Lawson was pulled after 6.1 innings, having surrendered eight earned runs on 10 hits and a walk. The towering right-hander remains winless on the season with an ERA of 10.39.

The score would remain the same until the ninth, which began with a solid single from Will Richards. But after Allen mishandled a seemingly innocuous grounder from Justin Gianfrancesco on the subsequent play, things came apart for the Royals. Third baseman Anthony Quintana couldn’t come up with a grounder down the line from Jackson, scoring Richards and putting runners on the corners.

After a walk to Arias, shortstop Nathan Grant botched what should’ve been a tailor-made double play off the bat of Castaldo, allowing two more runs to score and reducing the deficit to one. Aaron Guinn, who homered in the first, proceeded to tie the game with a sacrifice fly before Guelph reliever Bryan Boudreau was able to quell the threat.

Guelph starter Andrew Vant Wout was charged with four unearned runs as a result of his team’s four-error ninth. The southpaw surrendered eight runs—four earned—on nine hits and four walks over eight-plus innings of work.

But the Royals refused to succumb to the abrupt momentum shift. After Hare—who raised his average to a whopping .445 with a 4-for-6 night—got things started in the tenth with a one-out single, and then advanced to second on a groundout, Toronto manager Tim Harkness elected to intentionally walk pinch-hitter Sean Reilly, bringing Allen to the plate.

Allen, who was mercilessly berated for his ninth-inning gaffe by the vociferous Maple Leafs fans, promptly deposited an elevated Luke Melymick offering well beyond the fence in right field to give his team an 11-8 lead, and effectively seal Toronto’s fate.

With the loss, the Maple Leafs drop to fifth in the Intercounty Baseball League standings with a record of 14-14, but Jackson isn’t too concerned about his team’s position.

“I truly believe we’re still in a good spot,” he said. “I just try to see the positives. I feel a lot better about where we are now than when we were 3–8 or 3–10.”

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS 17, BARRIE BAYCATS 13

By Michael Radoslav

The Toronto Maple Leafs survived a war of offensive attrition on Sunday to secure their first three-game win streak of the season.

Toronto claimed a 17–13 win over the Barrie Baycats, and with it fourth place in the Intercounty Baseball League standings.

The Leafs have won 11 of their past 15 games. The Leafs past two wins both came on the road—over the Kitchener Panthers on Thursday, 7–5, and Guelph Royals on Saturday, 6–3.

On this day, Toronto recorded 17 runs on 17 hits with three errors, while Barrie tallied 13 runs on 11 hits.

Barrie opened the scoring in the top of the first inning, with Jon Waltenbury connecting on his first of two three-run homeruns. Barrie further added to the lead in the second against Leafs starter Brandon Horgan, after a wild pitch and an error brought home Kevin Atkinson for a 4–0 lead.

The teams would take turns piling on the runs, as Toronto responded with the five runs to follow. In the home half of the second inning, with two runners aboard, Leafs Raul Borjas hit a two-run homerun to make the score 4–2 for Barrie.

In the third, Jordan Castaldo and Dan Marra each tallied homeruns (two and one run respectively) off Barrie starter Nick Fogarty. The Leafs took a 5–4 lead heading to the fourth inning.

While the bats calmed down for a couple of innings, they awoke with a fury later on. The top of the sixth Barrie reclaimed the lead, pouring in another three runs. Waltenbury’s second three-run blast occurred in the seventh.

The Leafs responded with a seven run explosion to regain their lead in the seventh. After Barrie’s relief pitcher Jamir Arneson walked in a run, Toronto’s Dan Marra hit a bases clearing double to bring the
game within one run, and Will Richards hit a three-run homerun to give the Leafs a 12–10 lead.

Barrie reclaimed the lead in the eighth, as Jordan Lundberg continued the trend of three run homeruns, this time off Toronto relief pitcher Drew Taylor.

Down 13–12 late in the game, Toronto put together another strong performance in the eighth, driving in five runs against Barrie’s JD Moore.

After Moore hit three batters by pitches, Borjas, Jeremy Walker, and Glenn Jackson all drove in runs on RBI singles.

With the win Toronto (14–13) moves a half game behind Barrie (15–13) in the standings.

Toronto’s next game is at home against the Guelph Royals on Wednesday, July 11 at Dominico Field at Christie Pits at 7:30 p.m.

KITCHENER PANTHERS 16, MAPLE LEAFS 8

By Michael Radoslav

It was a third inning the Maple Leaf baseball club would sooner rather forget, surrendering 11 runs to the Kitchener Panthers en route to a 16–8 loss on Wednesday night.

“It took us an inning or two to get over it,” said Toronto’s Glenn Jackson. “That was a 35- to 40-minute inning—it will get to any man.”

Toronto entered the night with two straight wins, having won seven of their last 10. However, once
again the Panthers had the Leafs number. “Every game has been a football score it seems with Kitchener,” said Jackson.

The Panthers beat Toronto 14–5 on May 17 and 11–4 on June 24, a game also played at Dominico Field. The two teams meet again tonight for a rematch in Kitchener. “They’re doing the things they need to do to get the W,” Jackson said.

Jackson himself opened the scoring in the game with a solo home run blast in the bottom of the first inning for Toronto. The Panthers however responded quickly, pouncing on Maple Leaf mistakes.

With two outs in the bottom of the second inning the Leafs recorded two straight fielding errors, allowing Kitchener’s Mike Winter the opportunity to hit a two-run double and give the Panthers a 2–1 lead.

In the third inning, everything fell apart for Toronto.

Kitchener knocked Toronto starter Drew Taylor out of the game after registering seven runs against him in the frame, including back-to-back home runs by Ben Kangas and Brian Burton.

Adam Garner came in to relieve Taylor and allowed four runs himself before escaping the inning. The Panthers scored eleven runs on twelve hits, sending 16 batters to the plate. The scoreboard read 13–1 for the visitors as the fourth inning began.

Maple Leaf owner Jack Dominico said it was a tough assignment for Taylor, who pitched only a couple innings at a time previously, to take the mound Wednesday night. “He just had a rough night tonight, they hit him all over the lot,” he said.

Dominico said manager Tim Harkness should have pulled Taylor earlier than he did. “You don’t keep a pitcher in for nine runs, that’s quite embarrassing if you ask me.”

Kitchener starter Mike McGillivray recorded the win. However, Toronto was able to record some runs off him—capitalizing on the seven walks he surrendered on the evening.

The Leafs Raul Borjas drove in Aaron Guinn with a single in the fourth inning after McGillivray recorded two walks and threw a couple wild pitches, cutting the score to 13–2.

In the top of the seventh Kitchener’s Mitch Delaney hit a two-run blast off of Garner to make it 15–2 for the Panthers. Garner was replaced by Luke Melymick to start the eighth inning.

But Toronto quickly responded in the bottom half of the seventh. Jackson hit a stand up triple to drive in Rob Gillis, and then a Dan Marra single brought home Jackson, chasing McGillivray from the game after 6 and one-third innings.

A Damon Topolie single off Kitchener relief pitcher Matt Vickers scored Jackson to cap off a three-run Toronto inning, cutting the Panthers lead to 15–5.

The late push continued in the eighth as Vickers loaded the bases with three walks, and then uncorked a wild pitch allowing Borjas to steal home.

After Vickers was replaced by Derek Sinko, singles by Guinn and pinch hitter Brandon Dhue brought the score to 15–8. The Panthers added one run in the ninth, a Iggy Villalobos single against Toronto reliever Brett Lawson bringing home Luke Baker, to round out the scoring at 16–8.

“Days like today, the boxscore shows better on the other side,” said Jackson, who added that he is still optimistic about the club’s chances heading towards the postseason. “If you take a look at the standings, from three down it’s a horse race.”

“We’re beating quality teams, but nights like tonight we just need to get over the hump, “Jackson said. “We need to win on those off nights.”

With the loss Toronto and Kitchener swap places in the standings. The Leafs fall a half-game back to 11–13 and seventh place, the Panthers rise to sixth place sporting a 11–12 record. The two teams meet again in Kitchener tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Jack Couch Park.

The Leafs travel to Guelph for a game this weekend against the Royals, Saturday, July 7 at 7:30pm. The next Maple Leaf home game is against the Barrie Baycast on Sunday, July 8 at 2:30pm at Dominico Field at Christie Pits.

KITCHENER PANTHERS 11, TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS 4

By Jonah Birenbaum

Porous defence and some ineffective relief pitching compounded a rough outing from starter Adam Garner as the Toronto Maple Leafs fell to the Kitchener Panthers 11-4 at Dominico Field on Wednesday night.

The potent Kitchener offense pounded 17 hits off Toronto’s staff — including a three-run, five-hit second inning — while Toronto’s defense committed three errors in defeat, snapping their winning streak at three games.

“You just got to forget about that one,” Maple Leafs third baseman Jordan Castaldo said.  “There’s not much you can do about it.  Kitchener hit the ball well, you know, you got to give them credit where credit’s due.”

Despite a solid opening frame from Garner — the righty retired the side in order to start off the game — things went south rather quickly.  Kitchener sent eight men to the plate in a three-run second that saw four consecutive Panthers register base hits, a stretch punctuated by a mammoth two-run homerun from right fielder Brian Burton.

But Toronto responded almost immediately when Castaldo emphatically erased the early 3-0 deficit with a three-run blast to centrefield off Kitchener starter Kyle McKay the following inning.

“[I] was just looking for something to hit — something to hit hard,” said Castaldo.  “Kinda been struggling recently so I just made some adjustments, just try to get something I could handle, and 3-1 he grooved it in there and I just put a good swing on it.”

The deadlock was a brief one, though, as Kitchener tacked on another pair in the top of the fourth on a two-run single from left fielder Luke Baker, giving them the lead for good and ultimately chasing Garner from the game.  Toronto’s starter lasted just four innings, allowing five runs on eight hits while striking out four as he took his sixth loss of the season.

Toronto would muster one more run in the contest on an RBI double from catcher Damon Topolie in the fourth before the Kitchener offense took control of the game for good, much to the chagrin of the Toronto relief corps.  The Panthers proceeded to pound out another six runs on seven hits off relievers Drew Taylor and rookie Luke Melnyk, due in part to some shaky defense from the Maple Leafs.

“Some timely errors didn’t help, especially on my behalf,” said Castaldo, who committed a throwing error in Kitchener’s two-run fourth inning.

Trailing by seven with two outs in the eighth, Toronto summoned righthander Brett Lawson to stop the bleeding.  He promptly retired the first hitter he faced and proceeded to pitch a scoreless ninth, making him the lone Toronto hurler not to surrender a run on Wednesday.

By day’s end, six of Kitchener’s nine starters had multiple hits, including a triumvirate of three-hit performances from Mitch Delaney, Darnell Duckett, and Mike Andrulis.

McKay worked five innings for Kitchener, surrendering four runs on three hits and five walks while striking out five to pick up his second win of the season and halt his team’s losing streak at three games.

“It feels great,” McKay said of the win.  “Feels good to be around all the veterans [and] learn stuff every day that I didn’t know.  [I’m] glad to contribute all the time.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS 5, GUELPH ROYALS 3

By Michael Radoslav

It is officially a winning streak. The Toronto Maple Leafs swept their home-and-home series with the Guelph Royals this weekend with a 5–3 win at Dominico Field on Sunday. Toronto also won 5–2 on Saturday in Guelph.

“Everything is gelling right now,” said Leaf manager Tim Harkness. “We’ve played a lot of games by now, and that’s what it takes sometimes.”

Caufield had another solid outing as Toronto’s starting pitcher. In seven-plus innings for the Leafs, he surrendered one earned run on seven hits, while walking one batter and striking out nine. “Our starting pitching, right now I think it’s as good as anything in the league,” said Harkness. Toronto received a complete game effort from Marek Deska in the win at Guelph on Saturday.

Guelph opened the scoring in the fourth inning amid a string of fielding woes by Toronto, as two errors and a couple of wild pitches from Caufield allowed the Royals to load the bases. Guelph however only managed one run, stranding three runners on base.

Missed opportunities became a theme for the Royals on the afternoon as they stranded 10 baserunners—twice failing to capitalize with the bases loaded.

Toronto responded in the fourth inning as Glen Jackson, who went three-for-four on the afternoon with two stolen bases and an RBI, scored on a Jordan Costaldo sacrifice fly. Damon Topolie, who batted two-for-four with two RBIs of his own, grounded out to first but was able to bring in Branfy Arias to put Toronto in a lead they would never relinquish.

Jackson drove in Rob Gillis the next inning to give the Leafs a 3–1 lead. Guelph’s lead-off batter Frankie Hare responded in the sixth inning, bringing home the Royals Nathan Grant on a RBI double to make it a 3–2 game.

In the bottom half of the sixth Topolie added an RBI double of his own, which brought home Dan Marra and restored a two-run lead for Toronto. Will Richards singled in Marra again in the eighth to make the score 5–2 for the Leafs.

The Leafs bullpen has had its share of problems this season however Adam Garner gave a solid performance over the final two innings, allowing just one hit—a solo home run blast by Guelph’s DH Sean Reilly in the ninth inning—and one walk against the seven Guelph batters he faced.

“I’m very apprehensive any time I have to go to the bullpen right now,” Harkness said, “but Adam Garner did a very good job today.”

For the Royals, pitcher David Hatt, who had previously beaten Toronto during Guelph’s last visit to Dominico Field, went into the eighth inning before being replaced by Marc Anthony Clauser. Hatt surrendered five runs on nine hits, with three walks and two strikeouts.

“This pitcher is really good, he locates really well,“ said Topolie. “He beat us the last time so we knew we had to grind it out to get the runs when we got the chance.”

The Leafs are now riding a three game winning streak with victories over Hamilton last Wednesday, and Guelph twice this weekend. Toronto’s record now improves to 9-11, while Guelph, the team Toronto is currently chasing in fifth place, falls to 10-12 on the season.

Topolie said the clubhouse has started to feel more positive as of late with the team stringing together some wins.  “We had a rough start in May, and there was some negativity but we turned it around and made it positive,” he said. “It’s this time of year we’ve got to get it going because there’s a month left before the playoff run.”

“Hopefully we’ll continue with this pace,” said Harkness.

The Leafs host the Kitchener Panthers next on June 27 at 7:30 p.m. at Dominico Field.

THE GLEANER SITS DOWN WITH THE MUSICAL KENSINGTON MARKET RESIDENT

Kensington Market resident Sophia Perlman is a featured musician during the 2012 Toronto International Jazz Festival. Courtesy R. Kelly Clipperton.

By Paris Herbert-Taylor

Sophia Perlman is a young, up and coming Jazz musician who grew up in Toronto in the Kensington Market Area. She has performed for a number of years at the Toronto Jazz Festival, and has a regular appearance on a Monday night at the Reservoir Lounge with her band, The Vipers. We caught up with her to chat about her music, her inspirations and what it was like growing up in an artsy part of town.

Kensington must have changed a lot since you were growing up there, what changes have you noticed?

Perlman: Kensington is a pretty diverse neighborhood—20 years ago it was even more diverse, the area drew a lot of people working in the arts. I think growing up there was the closest thing to being in a village in the city. I could walk down the street and feel really safe. I felt like I knew everyone. It is still a close community, but it’s different.

Who were your early Musical influences?

Perlman: I started listening to jazz, Ella Fitzgerald and jazz musicians like her. Both my parents are both really musical, creative people. They met studying musical theatre. My dad immigrated from South Africa and my Mom from New York, so they had a lot of different musical tastes, and gave me an appetite for lots of kinds of music. My dad plays guitar and writes music. We listened to all kinds of music growing up—I credit my parents for that.

When did you know music was what you wanted to do?

Perlman: In high school. I did a 10-week music course for young adults at the Royal Conservatory. I also played sax in high school at Harbord Collegiate (286 Harbord St.). Eventually, I was planning to go and study journalism. Then my high hchool bandleader gave me a flyer to a band camp at Manitou—the Interprovincial Music Camp. One of the leaders there gave a talk and said, “If you want to be a musician you can’t have a Plan B. You just have to do it.” I realized if I didn’t try for a career in music, I’d always wonder. So far, no regrets.

Tell us about your work with the CCOC (Canadian Children’s Opera Company) and OPERAtion Kids?

Perlman: It is exciting—I love helping kids. I love getting them excited about music. It is a bit of a juggling act—working late as a performer and then getting up early to teach. You are also juggling—putting on different hats. When I find the balance it’s a great match.

You’ve performed for different types of audiences and different types of settings. How do they compare?

Perlman: Whatever the setting, it’s up to the performer to connect with the audience. For example, this year at the [Toronto] Jazz Festival I’m playing on four stages that are all different. I’m playing on an outdoor stage with a big band. I’m playing another outdoor venue with my husband Adrean [Adrean Farrugia, Juno Nominee whom Sophia met at the Jazz Festival]. I’m also playing in a restaurant, which will be different, having people eat and watch us, and playing at the Musideum (401 Richmond St. W.)—an intimate tiny store with some interesting exotic instruments. Each of those settings has its challenges and really wonderful aspects. The cool thing for me as a jazz musician working today is that Toronto has some world class secondary jazz institutes including Humber, York and the University of Toronto. Young musicians in this town are finding their voices, experimenting with new forms of avant garde, experimental jazz. For young artists, and some not so young, The Toronto Jazz festival offers exciting opportunities.

For a full line up of artists and events, including for Perlman`s performances, visit www.torontojazz.com. You can also catch her and The Vipers at the Reservoir Lounge (52 Wellington St. E.) on Monday nights.