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.

REPORTED 40-STOREYS TO BE REDUCED

By Sadie McInnes

BRANTFORD RED SOX 9, TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS 7

By Michael Radoslav

A solid start was spoiled by an eighth inning collapse as the first place Brantford Red Sox swept the season series over the Maple Leafs with a 9-7 win on Sunday.

“We just need to believe,” said starting pitcher Clay Caufield. “Everyone is here for a reason.”

Caufield had a solid outing on the day going seven complete innings surrendering two runs on seven hits with one walk and seven strikeouts.

“For the most part I was able to locate,” said Caufield. “It was a simple game plan of hitting spots, coming in on guys. When you got decent stuff you can get batters out.”

Toronto also opened the scoring early in the first inning as well. After lead-off hitters Glen Jackson and Branfy Arias got on base against Red Sox pitcher Andy St. Gelias, Jordan Castaldo drove them home to put the Leafs up 2-0. Rob Gillis added to the scoring with a two-run home run shot in the fourth inning to give Toronto a 4-0 lead.

After a 9-3 win over Hamilton on Friday, Toronto once again provided a strong hitting effort on Sunday, recording 12 hits on the afternoon.

“The guys halfway through the season are taking a better approach to the ball, we’re hitting the ball harder, and really getting a flow to the offence,” said Gillis. “It’s great to have guys in the same position in the lineup. You’re starting to see the first of the benefits.”

Caufield ran into some adversity in the seventh inning with Lee Delfino and Jason Gotwalt hitting back-to-back homers to start the inning.

Once Caufield left the game, however, Brantford took control.

Brett Lawson came in for relief and gave up five runs on four hits and a walk. Taking over for Lawson, who received the loss for the game, reliever Matt Tosoni walked in back-to-back runs with the bases loaded before he himself was replaced by Drew Taylor, who finished out the game for Toronto.

The Leafs kept the bats alive as Gillis drove in Castaldo on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth, and rallied late with Arias singling in a run and Castaldo himself also hitting a sacrifice fly to bring the score within two. However the rally fell short for the Leafs.

“Brantford is a very experienced team, and you can’t make many mistakes,” Gillis said. “But the offence has to pick it up when the pitchers don’t have it, and vice versa.”

Gillis said there was some changeover in the pitching ranks after a few years of the same rotation, and that now the pitchers are just starting to gel. “They just need to get more innings.”

Caufield said while there is some adversity facing the bullpen, and “while there’s definitely some disappointment, we have the guys and we just need to bring it together.”

Brantford stays on top of the league now sporting a 13-3 record. Brantford previously won by scores of 5-0 and 21-7 against Toronto. The winning pitcher for Brantford was Brian Speck, who entered in the seventh inning to relieve St. Gelias. Stefan Strecker recorded the save.

Toronto falls to 6-11 with the loss but remains one spot ahead of Hamilton, who is in last place. The next game for Toronto is at home against the last place Hamilton Cardinals on Wednesday, June 20 at 7:30pm at Dominico Field.

Interested in watching the Euro Cup with your neighbours and friends? Here’s a nifty map of bars that will be showing the tournament in the Annex.

View Euro bars in a larger map

Map legend

Mayday Malone’s. 1078 Bathurst St. (416) 531-8064

Amnesia. 526 Bloor St W. (416) 538-3335
– $5 pints!

Hey Lucy. 440 Bloor St W (416) 967-9670

Brunswick Pump. 410 Bloor St W. (416) 927-7337
– Soccer specials to 3 p.m. Burgers, Pasta & Pizza

St. Louis Bar and Grill. 376 Bloor St W. (416) 925-6689

Puck’N Wings. 362 Bloor St W. (416) 901-7825

Madison Avenue Pub. 14 Madison Avenue. (416) 927-1722
– $6.99 personal pitchers during all matches

Fox & Fiddle. 280 Bloor St W. (416) 966-4369

Regal Beagle. 335 Bloor St W. (416) 591-6859

Paupers Pub. 539 Bloor St W. (416) 530-1331
-$6.99 Carlsberg mini pitchers during matches

Kilgour’s. 509 Bloor St W. (416) 923-7680
– Cheap Mill Street Organic bottles until 4 every day

Brunswick House. 481 Bloor St W. (416) 964-2242

Beer Station. 539 Bloor St W. (416) 535-8965
– 30% off all appetizers until 8 p.m.

LAND OWNERSHIP ARRANGEMENT ALSO EXISTS IN UNITED STATES, EUROPE

Ideas and suggestions about how community land trusts (CLT) form in Parkdale were noted, so that community stakeholders could revisit these ideas down the road. Courtesy Kuni Kamizaki.

By Perry King

A different approach to land ownership is now moving forward in Parkdale.

Held at the Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre (PARC; 1499 Queen St. W.) this month, a small crowd gathered for the first of many meetings to discuss Community Land Trusts (CLT), an alternative, collective land ownership arrangement.

The meeting was organized by PARC and the Parkdale People’s Economy Project—a collaboration between community organizations like PARC, and researchers at the University of Toronto that would look into ways of building a resilient, local economy. The concept of CLTs rose out of initial research that U of T conducted about urban disparities in Parkdale, including housing and food insecurities.

“The reality for many of the people that come to PARC is that they’re living far below the low income cutoff,” said Victor Willis, PARC’s executive director. “If they’re lucky, they’re getting about $13,000 a year, if they’re unlucky it’s about $6,500. We know that the low-income cutoff is 20 to 21.”

The research findings, which recommended ten concepts including CLTs, has now set the stage for making it a reality and combining them with Parkdale’s food security and housing initiatives. “It’s how do we look at urban gardening, within the context of land and moving it into the public sector in a land trust as opposed to it sitting privately,” said Willis.

Susannah Bunce, a professor of Geography and City Studies at U of T, has a robust research background in CLTs and attended the meeting to provide the audience a thorough explanation on what CLTs are and what they can potentially do. First adopted and practiced during the Civil Rights Movement in the American South during the 1960s, CLTs create a mechanism for community ownership of land, and democratic control over how that land is used.

“When you’re going to purchase a home, you’re purchasing the lot as well. The housing unit and the lot becomes yours. With a community land trust, you’re only purchasing the units, not the land,” said Bunce. “It separates land value from housing price, which reduces the overall price of the house.”

Symbolically, the existence of a CLT in Parkdale would keep condo projects at bay, as these land trusts would keep developers from price speculating the land in the area, says Bunce.

At present, Parkdale is at a crossroads. Parkdale is seeing rising property values and decreased numbers of rooming houses and affordable housing. The area is starting to see hints of mass gentrification, said U of T researcher Brendon Goodmurphy. “We can see from a lot of these issues and challenges that these are questions about land,” he said. “This is an issue of who owns the land, and who gets to make decisions about its use and development,” he said.

The presenters believe CLTs could be the way to mitigate the growing disparities. Bunce brought forward three separate case stories from Boston, London, and Calgary to demonstrate how CLTs were a viable option for these neighbourhoods.

With the moderation of Kathy Allen, development consultant and former executive director of the Ontario Land Trusts Alliance (OLTA), attendees gave their feedback on how they would like the CLT to form. “I love the trend of the existing natural heritage land trusts moving towards community because our population in Southern Ontario is growing,” said Allen, also a Parkdale resident. She was excited to help record feedback from attendees.

As a result, the meeting prioritized food security, affordability, education, and commercial stabilization as initial principles to rest on while moving forward with this project.

Although a Parkdale Land Trust has numerous obstacles in order to become one—including acquiring parcels of land, developing a proper business model, and creating an internal democratic process—the future is bright. As Goodmurphy said, the discussion needs to continue outside of these meetings, with people in the community.

For more information about the Parkdale People’s Economic Project and read the study conducted about CLTs, visit www.tinyurl.com/parkdaleclt.

OTTAWA FAT CATS 8, TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS 1

By Michael Radoslav

After stringing together their first set of consecutive wins this season, the Toronto Maple Leaf ball club fell back to earth with an 8–1 loss to the Ottawa Fat Cats on Wednesday night.

“It was just one of those days where the baseball gods just weren’t on our side,” said Glen Jackson, who provided the Leafs their only run of the game. “We didn’t catch any breaks.”

The Maple Leafs entered action ready to continue their climb back up the standings, playing an Ottawa team they defeated 6–4 in the season opener. However, Toronto ran into the same problems that have dogged the team the whole season—a lack of run support, and a substandard bullpen.

The Leafs managed one run on five hits against Ottawa starter James Amelotte, and four of Ottawa’s eight runs came against the relief staff in the ninth inning.

“The way we played the first six and a half innings, we did hit some balls and did draw some walks, but I think we just got frustrated,” Jackson said, as the Leafs hit into a couple double-plays, and found themselves at odds with the umpire crew.

Ottawa opened the scoring in what would become an eventful first inning. Tony Kirbis, starting for the first time this season, walked the first Ottawa batter Cody Mombourquette, and then gave up a home run on the very next pitch to Jason Coker to give the Fat Cats an early 2–0 lead.

Following another walk Ottawa’s Eitan Maoz drove in a run on a double to centre field, making it 3–0 for Ottawa before the first out of the game was recorded.

Kirbis settled down after that, striking out the next four batters straight. Outside of the first inning Kirbis pitched a solid game through his eight innings of work. He allowed four runs on six hits while surrendering two walks, and recording nine strikeouts in a losing effort.

Amelotte got the win for Ottawa, with Josh Soffer registering a save in relief.

Toronto’s lone run came from Jackson’s solo home run leading off Toronto’s first inning. The Leafs were unable to manage much offence outside of that solo blast, tallying only five hits on the night. “What can I say, all things that start well don’t always end well,” Jackson said.

The lack of consistent offensive output caused tensions to erupt in the third inning as Toronto’s third baseman Will Richards hit a ball well out of the park with two runners on base, which the umpire along the first baseline called foul. Leafs manager Tim Harkness came out to debate the call, but cooler heads prevailed.

“It’s all about breaks,” Jackson said. “You can’t blame the umps, they’re doing the best they can.”

Although the team entered the game with a “good vibe going,” Jackson said frustration mounted as the Leafs failed to string together hits, which also became directed towards the umpire crew following the disputed home run call.

Harkness declined to speak with the media following the game, only saying he had no comment on what had just taken place. Harkness had words with the umpire at first base following the called back home run, clearly stating his disapproval.

Harkness has previously said he has concerns with Toronto’s bullpen, which last night’s performance will surely not help to alleviate. Trailing 4–1 in the ninth, the Leafs Adam Garner came on in relief of Kirbis, and allowed three runs with two walks, throwing a couple wild pitches as well to help advance on base runners.

Brett Lawson, a starting pitcher for Toronto, came in to relieve Garner and close out the inning. Lawson gave up one unearned run on an error to the outfield, which rounded out the scoring for Ottawa.

Jackson said despite the loss, questions over officiating and the late game breakdown there are no issues in the clubhouse among players. “We’re good as a team, we’re just continuing to find our identity and to push.”

Jackson feels the team has to bounce back for their game in Hamilton on Friday night. “We need to climb in the standings, we have no choice,” he said. “We’re behind, not ahead.”

With the win, the Ottawa Fat Cats improve to 8-9 on the season. The Maple Leafs fall to 5–10 for the season.

The next game for the Toronto Maple Leaf baseball club is this Friday night in Hamilton, the next home game Sunday June 17 at 2 p.m. against the Brantford Red Sox at Dominico Field at Christie Pits.