VAUGHAN CALLS FOR NEW ROBOCALL ELECTION RULES, EXPERTS WEIGH IN ON WHAT’S NEXT

By Alexa Huffman

At city hall in April, councillors weighed in on human trafficking in Toronto, and sport fishing on the city’s lakeshore. But, a motion for new robocall rules for future elections especially stood out.

Councillor Adam Vaughan (Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina) wants robocalls to change in municipal campaigns. He is working toward allowing only Canadian-based companies to provide campaign telephone support. He also wants to make it a legal offence to mislead electors about how they vote.

He’s not the only one with this viewpoint.

“With any election, there should be established rules where parties attribute their call,” said Rob Leone, Progressive Conservative MPP for Cambridge-North Dumfries. Leone says residents in his community also feel such practice is not right, no matter what level of government.

“We are currently looking at calls placed in our riding citing a hostile infrastructure project,” he said, citing hospital expansion plans in the riding as an upcoming budget nears. “The content of the calls was misleading.”

Leone has gone to both the Premier and the deputy premier of Ontario with this issue. However, the major robocall issue may not play out smoothly in federal politics. Chris Cochrane, a political science professor at the University of Toronto, said there are two sides to the issue.

“We need to look at laws and what the parties are able to do,” he said. “However, this has also been pitched as a partisan issue.”
While Cochrane says no one will defend what happened, it will take a while to sort out who is at fault for the alleged calls that intended to direct voters to incorrect polling stations in Guelph.

“It will break on party lines,” said Cochrane. “On the more Conservative side, it may be seen as just a rogue overzealous campaigner. On the left, it is seen as a systematic maneuver where Conservative wins need to be questioned.”

Conservative MPs are saying voter lists from Election Canada have mistakes, which means volunteers may have had wrong addresses.

The opposition claims there is a pattern of voter suppression.

As it stands right now, an Elections Canada investigation seems to only be limited to Guelph so far, but there have been other complaints in 200 ridings including at a more local level, Don Valley East in Ontario.

[pullquote]“In all instances, no party should be using chief communication lines to spread misinformation”—Rob Leone, (MPP, Cambridge North Dumfries)[/pullquote]

Torontonians are expressing their displeasure, including in the Trinity-Spadina riding where Olivia Chow is the member of parliament.

“I went to a rally where there were many people including from my riding,” said Chow. “The people in Trinity-Spadina do care about democracy and agree there should be nothing interfering with their right to vote.”

The NDP is addressing the issue by asking for a public inquiry and asking the Conservatives to hand over their emails and database records. The issue has been debated many times in the House of Commons, with Liberal Party interim leader Bob Rae even calling for a Royal Commission.

“We would also ideally like to have Elections Canada have more power to investigate and more money as well,” said Chow.

As for farther into the future, Chow does have high hopes for future elections despite the apparent drawbacks.  “The riding results are being challenged,” said Chow. “There’s also the in-and-out scandal. I think people are starting to see through Conservative illogical practices.”

She still urges people not to give up on democracy.

“There are people who are trying to prevent us from participating,” said Chow. “But we can fight by being aware of what’s going on and participating even more,”

Even though Leone is on the other side of party politics, he also agrees with the importance of truth during elections.

“In all instances, no party should be using chief communication lines to spread misinformation,” said Leone.

LOCAL PIANIST TO PLAY ALL OF BETHOVEN’S SONATAS CONSECUTIVELY AT THE ROYAL CONSERVATORY

Stewart Goodyear is set to perform all of Beethoven's masterpieces in a marathon-style concert beginning June 9. Courtesy Gary Beechey.

By Paris Herbert-Taylor

Toronto native Stewart Goodyear is no stranger to big challenges.

Although his love of music began when living in the Annex, his music has taken him all over the world. Goodyear originally started composing music from the age of eight, and went on to win a well-earned place at The Royal Conservatory of Music (273 Bloor St. W.), followed by studies at Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music, and the Julliard School in New York.

On June 9, Goodyear will bring his enormous musical talent back to Toronto, to undertake an astonishing musical task. In a co-production with the conservatory and Luminato—Toronto’s festival of arts, Goodyear will be playing all 23 Beethoven piano sonatas in one day.

[pullquote]“I was adamant about presenting all of Beethoven’s sonatas together, they are a set”—Stewart Goodyear[/pullquote]

The musical marathon will last ten hours. When asked about his decision to participate in the daunting musical feat he mused, “I was adamant about presenting all of Beethoven’s sonatas together, they are a set.”

According to Goodyear, by playing all of the sonatas in one sitting the audience will be able to see the work as a retrospective.

He has a long and extensive relationship with classical music, and with Beethoven in particular. Beethoven’s work was the first classical music he heard as a child, and he credits this early memory as the inspiration that drove him to become a musician.

He says that because of his long-standing love and respect for Beethoven, Goodyear feels as though he “is playing from a very personal part” of himself.

Goodyear also draws motivation from Beethoven when composing his own work. “His [Beethoven’s] sonatas are unique and distinctive … the passion in his music inspires me,” he said Goodyear, who says that each time he performs, the experience is different.

He is excited to be back in Toronto for the Beethoven marathon. He has played in a vast number of cities of the years and has said that he could not choose a favorite, although he does look forward to collaborating with his alma mater.

In the fall of 2011, Goodyear performed a recital at Koerner Hall in collaboration with The Royal Conservatory and described the experience as “playing for dear friends.”

Each time he performs a piece of music; the audience dictates much of the energy in the concert hall. “Every experience is new, different … every experience is organic, you take energy from the audience. It makes the performances feel alive,” he said.

For his June 9 performance, Goodyear is teaming up with internationally-acclaimed Indonesian performance artist Melati Suryodarmo, who will create an onstage piece that will extend the full length of Goodyear’s marathon. It is the first time Goodyear and Surydarmo have worked together, and the piece is meant to provide a subtle, almost motionless visual enrichment to heighten the listening experience.

Goodyear “jumped at the opportunity” to work with Surydarmo. “Music can be expressed in so many ways. You can use many sorts of media to move people,” he explained.

Tickets are available for Stewart Goodyear’s Beethoven Marathon on June 9 from
the Royal Conservatory Box Office and from Ticketmaster.com. 

LOCAL PRODUCTION EXCELS AT MINIMALIST, EXPRESSIVE STYLE

SMOTHER, an hour-long dark comedy show, was held at Unit 102 (376 Dufferin St.) in late March. Courtesy Michael Orlando.

By Mickal Aranha

For three consecutive days in March, Unit 102 (376 Dufferin St.), a tiny theatre space in Parkdale, shook from the Theatre Lab’s experiment in storytelling.

SMOTHER, an hour-long dark comedy, written and directed by Omar Hady, was slowly developed by a small group of artists who explored aspects of Commedia Dell’Arte, Italian improv comedy; Bouffon, a form of satire; and the Laban Efforts, a study of human movement, to bring a short story to life. What resulted is a funny, dark, and inventive piece that although simple in its narrative, is wonderfully rich.

SMOTHER takes place long ago, somewhere in Eastern Europe, and tells the story of a man named Mitri (played by Rory de Brouer) who spends his days singing and selling vegetables in the market.

His elderly mother, Mama Beata (Alexandra Baczynsky), takes advantage of her sweet-natured son, and although she loves him dearly, constantly reminds him that she suffered a great deal in raising him alone—having had her husband drop dead while she gave birth (this is actually a scene in the play), and having to reconcile her husband’s debts.

Burdened by guilt, Mitri does not pursue his dream of having a family of his own, and instead puts all of his energy towards caring for his mother. Then one day, he falls in love.

True to the tradition of Commedia Dell’Arte, the staging for SMOTHER is minimalistic. In the opening scene, we see Mitri walking in place, singing with all of his heart and describing the imaginary lush landscape around him and the sounds of birds chirping. It is enough to transport the audience to his village life.

The costumes are also simple, and with the use of a few small props, characters are believable. The audience sees Baczynsky’s character transform from a happy, carefree, vibrant young lady, to an increasingly resentful, pregnant one, to a bitter old woman weighed down by the slings and arrows of life. This occurs within a few minutes with only the help of a few scarves.

The light mood of the Commedia comes from the slapstick humour, witty dialogue, dancing, and music.

The actors are multi-talented, bursting into song one minute, and in full acrobatics the next. The accordion, played by Canadian music icon Bob Wiseman, underscores the piece, helping to set the mood and add emphasis to the dialogue when necessary.

Influence of the Bouffon satire is evident in a couple of the actor’s bold, exaggerated contortions of the face and body to achieve a dark effect. Especially adept at this is Lea Russell, who plays Mitri’s love interest—and a few other small roles. She surrenders most wholeheartedly to this energy for what sometimes seems like endless moments.

This is perhaps the most interesting part of the play. The actors are able to escalate and sustain sounds of gibberish and grotesque bodily contortions in a way that conveys feelings of despair, pain, and anger in a way that I have never seen before.

What stands out are not the words being said, which are often indiscernible, but the depth of emotion behind them. The fact that the scenes in which Mama Beata reacts to Mitri’s mere mention of the thought of marriage, or his love interest’s encounter with Mama Beata at the dinner table, are still etched in my mind is proof of this method’s power.

The mood of the play, characters’ moods, and costume changes change strikingly throughout the play. This feat is successful not only because of the music, simple lighting techniques, and props, but also of the use of Laban Efforts. This thorough study in movement allows the actors to transition suddenly from one emotion to the next with authenticity, and gives each separate character an identifiable body language uniquely their own. Mama Beata’s hunched over stance and slow walk is one example.

SMOTHER has the captivating tension of the pushover son and the overbearing mother archetype versus the budding new love story that prompts the son’s coming of age. What makes this production stand out is the experimentation with acting methods, and the new and unexpected story arc.

The play leaves you feeling shaken up, in the best way possible.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS 6, OTTAWA FAT CATS 4

By Jonah Birenbaum

Despite failing to register a hit through the first six innings, a five-run seventh proved all the offense the Toronto Maple Leafs would need as they downed the Ottawa Fat Cats 6–4 at Dominico Field on Sunday.

Keyed by a three-run homerun from shortstop Tyler Fata, the Maple Leafs—held at bay all afternoon by Ottawa starter Brandon Huffman—feasted in the seventh on a Fat Cats relief corps that surrendered four runs on three hits and four walks by day’s end.

Trailing 3–1 in the seventh, Maple Leafs catcher Damon Topolie spoiled Huffman’s no-no bid with a sharp leadoff single, chasing Huffman from the game.  Fat Cats manager Tim Nelson called on left-handed reliever Eric Boisvert, who immediately surrendered a double to Toronto second-baseman Rob Gillis, bringing Fata to the plate with runners on second and third.

Fata, who appeared in just four games with the Maple Leafs last season, promptly deposited a Boisvert offering beyond the fence in left field to give the Maple Leafs a one-run lead.  Needless to say, the shortstop wasted no time endearing himself to Toronto manager Tim Harkness and the throngs of Maple Leafs fan in attendance with his late-inning heroics.

“It’s a great feeling whenever I can make an immediate impact for the team,” said Fata, who also added a sacrifice bunt in the victory.  “To be able to do that and help my team win a baseball game — there’s nothing more you can ask for on Opening Day.”

The Maple Leafs would tag on two more runs in the inning when Fat Cats second-baseman Chris Latimer’s throw eluded the first baseman while attempting to turn a double play on a ground ball from third-baseman Dan Gibbons.

Adam Garner, who worked the game’s final three innings, picked up the win for Toronto, striking out two and surrendering one run. Garner and Brett Lawson—who struck out three in three scoreless innings—did a fine job in relief of starter Marek Deska, who was pulled after surrendering three runs on five hits and two walks over just three frames.

Toronto’s refusal to quit despite the early deficit, their struggles against Huffman, and, of course, some Opening Day jitters is a testament to their character and experience, according to Topolie, who sparked the rally in the pivotal seventh.

“It just tells us that we have a veteran team and we didn’t panic,” said Topolie, of the victory.  “Those guys were pretty young, and they had us—we just needed a little bit of opening in the door and we took advantage.”

For the Fat Cats, who joined the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) in 2010, the loss represents a missed opportunity to snag a victory on the road and open the 2012 season with consecutive victories.  Nelson said the defeat will probably resonate a little  more considering Huffman’s impressive efforts.

“It’s disappointing for him.  He did throw very well,” Nelson said of Huffman, who surrendered just two runs—one earned—on one hit, and four walks over six-plus innings.  “We just couldn’t get those timely hits from our offense and when we went to the bullpen, things didn’t work out well there.

But while the loss hurts, Nelson said it’s important to realize that there’s a lot of baseball left this summer.

“It’s early in the season, wasn’t our best effort, wasn’t our worst effort, so it’s good just to get a couple games under our belt and look forward to next weekend,” he said.

The Maple Leafs play their next home game May 12, against the Brantford Red Sox. For more information about the Leafs and the IBL, visit leafsbaseball.weebly.com.

BAND LEADER OF NEON WINDBREAKER MEANDERED BETWEEN JOURNALISM, MUSIC

DJ Dekel at one of his Yes interactive dance parties. They are usually held at Oz Studios (134 Ossington Ave.). Courtesy Jonathan Dekel.

By Karen Bliss

Annex resident Jonathan Dekel’s first DJ gig was in 2003 at the age of 18 in London, England at an after-show party for on-the-rise Montreal band The Dears.

He had flown there from Amsterdam, where he was living at the time, for his first international article as a budding music journalist-for the defunct Chart Magazine.

“I was with a friend of mine who also works in the music business and The Dears’ manager at the time, Nadine Gelineu, said, ‘You guys DJ!’ So we said, ‘Yeah, of course,’” Dekel says. “So the first time I deejayed was in front of every major A&R scout in England.”

Today, the 27-year-old Dekel continues to DJ monthly and his interactive dance parties with Michael Joffe of GlassBOX Television are always a sell out.  The thematic nights have ranged from Yes New York, for which he played music from 2001 Strokes-era NYC to Oui Paris, which was 2007 Daft Punk/Justice era.

The next one, Yes Toronto, is April 13 at Oz Studios (134 Ossington St.), inspired by the recent The Grid and newyorktimes.com praising Toronto’s latest music output.

Dekel has also become one of the most respected music scribes in Canada. His pieces have been published by Spin, National Post, AOL Music, Spinner, MSN, Eye Weekly, The Grid, Chartattack, Amsterdam Weekly and Gasoline Magazine.

In September 2011, however, Dekel left freelance music journalism to accept a full-time office job as online editor for dose.ca, mainly writing about television. The day of this interview, he had just spoken with Jersey Shore’s Pauly D.

“I used to do more serious writing and now it’s more pop culture,” says Dekel. “But it’s also for Postmedia wire so everything I write gets picked up by every newspaper. Once in a while, I’ll do the music [pieces] for the National Post, like that Sheepdogs piece that was on the cover.”

Dekel, who was born in Israel and moved to Canada with his family when he was barely four-years-old, has always carved out a unique and independent path.  He likely inherited that trait from his parents who suddenly uprooted the family to Amsterdam when he was 18.

“They said we needed a different viewpoint,” Dekel explains. “They were from Israel; we were too North American. They took us out there for a year and I started the music magazine, Incendiary. They came back to Toronto and I stayed there and ran the magazine for another two years.”

When Dekel came home, he started writing for Gasoline,published by family friend Darryl Fine, also the owner of Toronto establishments, the Bovine Sex Club and Shanghai Cowboy (I was actually Dekel’s editor for a while and noted his promise). After Gasoline’s demise, Dekel kept freelancing and landed some candid interviews with such artists as Yoko Ono and Jack White.

Dekel is also a musician. He plays guitar, bass, piano, drums and sings. In 2011, he joined Neon Windbreaker as its guitarist and backing vocalist. “It started out as a joke,” says Dekel, explaining that singer Eric Warner, a local promoter, wanted to put together a band that had no music background and was comprised entirely of music industry people, just to see how far it could go.

At their first show, they just asked the audience how long each song should be. Bigger opening slots came and eventually Dekel started writing songs for the band and the line-up was solidified: Warner, Dekel, bassist Patrick McCormack, guitarist Matthew Wronski and drummer Benjamin Reinhartz.

“We tried to figure out a musical style that would be the hardest for people to like and we ended up with hardcore music,” says Dekel.  “I don’t like hardcore music, but I was writing the songs so I wrote these pop songs that were hardcore-ized, so we got ‘pop-core.’”

Jonathan Dekel, pictured at centre advertising The Black Keys, with his bandmates in Neon Windbreaker. Courtesy Jonathan Dekel

Dekel did the publicity for the band and Neon Windbreaker ended up with a feature in Eye Weekly after performing numerous gigs at the SXSW music festival in Austin, Texas.

“It was a big story called “The Jokes Over” about us starting to take this seriously,” he says. “It ran at the same time as The Juno Awards story and our story became way bigger.

“We created this band to expose the idea that talent has very little to do with band success in Canada. It’s all about who you know. We thought it would be fun to expose that and be completely obvious about that.”

No longer a joke, Neon Windbreaker got a government grant and will soon release its new album, Perks.

SPUD COUNTERS WAR ON GRAFFITI WITH GALLERY EXHIBIT

SPUD holding up one of his artworks of Ford’s face. Jelena Subotic/Gleaner News

By Jelena Subotic

For the first time ever, SPUD, one of Toronto’s most reputable graffiti artists, opened a show of recent works focused on Mayor Rob Ford’s war on graffiti.

Censored, a show of his work that appeared at the Don’t Tell Mama gallery (108 Ossington Ave.), is on canvas for the first time in his career.

The exhibit focuses on Ford but it also shows SPUD’s true artistic side.

Ford’s war on graffiti pushed SPUD to raise his own war and use the mayor as inspiration in his recent work.

“He raised war, so fight back. I’m doing it anyways, so might as well do it, and have fun with it,” SPUD says.

Ford declared a war on graffiti last April and it has encouraged SPUD and other graffiti artists to do more art. “It helps having Rob Ford around to provoke some of these artists and because of them being provoked and having the heart to go out and do stuff, their arts excelled because of it,” said SPUD.

Ford was invited to the show’s opening, but declined due to prior engagements.

The show consisted of about 50 to 60 pieces incorporating SPUD’s take on Ford and the city. One of the pieces featured in the exhibit, “Going off the Rails on a Gravy Train,” shows Ford as a locomotive literally going off the rails into a pit of gravy and fries.

The owner of the gallery, Paolo Dalla Rosa has represented SPUD and other graffiti artists when others are not willing to. “Although it may be considered criminal, it doesn’t delegitimize these guys, these street artists. It doesn’t delegitimize their art, and it doesn’t delegitimize them,” said Dalla Rosa.

Ford sees the graffiti debate differently. Once he launched his attack on graffiti, he also forced property owners to clean graffiti off of their buildings, and charge them for the work.

“Not only has [Ford] declared the war on graffiti artists, he’s making victims out of these small business owners by giving them deadlines, making them pay for it,” says Dalla Rosa.

What SPUD and Dalla Rosa hoped to achieve with the exhibit is emphasize the war on graffiti and the culture shift graffiti and street art have taken.

The exhibit gives a voice to graffiti as an art form, and both SPUD and Dalla Rosa think the conversation between graffiti artists and the city needs to change.

One way to do this, according to Dalla Rosa, could include working with the artists.

“Ford has not hid the fact that he doesn’t support the arts, and especially graffiti. What I think is dangerous is to ignore these things and to try and supress them, the way the mayor is,” Dalla Rosa says.

“What people don’t understand people are scared of. Graffiti is an art form they can’t control, that’s also why it’s easy to pick on us,” SPUD says.

Shifting perceptions with any art form takes time. “There’s more recognition being given now, which is good, but this doesn’t happen overnight. It took one stupid thing like this to finally get realized,” SPUD says.

But, with Ford as mayor, the graffiti war will continue, says Dalla Rosa.

“Just declaring war is just absurd and declaring war on your own citizens, it blows my mind. Hopefully our city will learn not to elect these right winged lunatics.”

Right now, graffiti is not an acceptable art form, SPUD says. But shedding light on the issue through the show is a start. In the meantime things are changing and will continue to change.

“Vote for me. SPUD for mayor.”

EMERGING ANNEX ARTIST IS GAINING LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION

Suritah Wignall has earned local and international recognition for her Afrocentric paintings. Jelena Subotic/Gleaner News

By Jelena Subotic

Suritah Teresa Wignall, an emerging African-Canadian visual artist and Annex resident, is an accomplished painter who also takes time to volunteer in the community.

Wignall has earned local and international recognition for her Afrocentric paintings—portrayals of women who define beauty and strength.

“I do focus on women of colour and I just want to see us more in beauty. I want to create that balance, just show the beauty and fill in that gap,” Wignall says.

Wignall’s work has been exhibited in local galleries, from the Gladstone Hotel (1214 Queen St. W.) to the Manifesto Festival, and held her first solo exhibit at A Space Gallery (401 Richmond St. West) in 2010.

International recognition is on its way as well. The African Museum of Contemporary Art in San Francisco is interested in showing her work, and she’s getting phone calls from South Africa.

It first started when Wignall exhibited her art in Toronto when she was eighteen. Not in a show, but impressive nonetheless. Wignall designed dressing rooms for acclaimed American singer-songwriters Erykah Badu and Alicia Keys. “I would go in their dressing rooms and do a mini-exhibition, and do the interior design. I got to meet the artists,” Wignall explains.

Since first meeting Badu, Wignall has had the opportunity to collaborate with her. Because of this, she is getting recognized broadly. Wignall says that she is currently focused on reaching out to America and Europe.

“Right now it’s all about making these phone calls and making these connections with museums and galleries, really branching out there. People are hearing about this, that’s the beauty of technology,” Wignall says.

She won The Dr. Paul Garfinkle Award from University of Toronto, which acknowledges young entrepreneurs. “I thank the art foundation; I thank the Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council. They noticed all of the work I have been doing throughout the years. I’m thankful for the community papers,” she added.

On top of all this, Wignall is also involved with facilitating art for women. Giving them a space to create, Wignall finds it rewarding because she’s giving back to her community.

“I’m working with women in my community, and then I’m working with women from all over the world,” she said.

She wants aspiring artists to know that a full-time art career is possible. Wignall explains that it is important to also know the business side of things, something many artists struggle with.

“It’s also important to study other artists, and also make connections, not only in Toronto, but outside of the city,” Wignall adds.

She has put herself and her art out there. “That’s something that I would also tell artists, if there’s somebody that really inspires you or motivates you, try and get in contact with them,” she says.

And by doing that, Wignall has come very far. “I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot but I also feel like I’m just beginning. When you do your passion, the universe supports you. You stick with it because that’s what you want to do.”

LOCAL AUTHOR TO BE FEATURED AT TORONTO WOMEN’S BOOKSTORE BOOK LAUNCH

Eva Salinas holds her first published book, "Latin Americans Thought of It: Amazing Innovations." Jelena Subotic/Gleaner News

By Jelena Subotic

With her first book published, and a launch scheduled for the end of April, Eva Salinas is excited about the opportunities coming her way.

The local resident and journalist Salinas is now an author of a children’s book, Latin Americans Thought of It: Amazing Innovations. The book is the fifth installment in Annick Press’ ‘We Thought of It’ series, which looks at the innovations and traditions of different cultures.

“I thought [this was] a great opportunity to learn more about Latin American culture and history, and in the end have a published book. It was a great idea,” says Salinas.

Before the prospect of the book came about Salinas was working at The Santiago Times, Chile’s English-language newspaper. She had moved to Chile from Toronto to get in touch with, and learn about, her cultural roots. It was Salinas’ first time living in South America and it introduced her to many different Latin American cultures.

“I wasn’t born and raised in that culture. In order to feel more connected to the culture I definitely wanted to go and live there. I have no doubt that it changed my path immensely,” she says.

As a journalist, Salinas has been able to travel and work in many different countries. Salinas worked with Journalists for Human Rights in Ghana, and that experience opened her eyes to the challenges of development and the importance of shared learning when travelling to a new culture.

“I’ve always had a loose definition of what a journalist is for me,” says Salinas, and because of that, she also spent time doing non-traditional journalism, whether with non-profit groups or media outreach.

Salinas wasn’t thinking about publishing a book until Annick Press approached her with the idea as an open concept. It gave Salinas the opportunity to write about the topics that interested her or that she wanted to learn about.

“I never imagined my first book would be a children’s book. I was ready to move on from the paper and try something new. I felt the timing was right,” Salinas says.

The project has opened new doors to her, and Salinas says the book is a great first step to other writing projects. She is embracing the moment, and is excited for her book launch on Apr. 28. The launch will celebrate “with the community, whether that’s the Latin American community, or the Annex community,” and all are welcome.

The launch begins at 2 p.m. at the Toronto Women’s Bookstore (TWB; 73 Harbord St.). For more information about TWB, visit http://womensbookstore.com/.

CITY WIDE POSTERING BYLAW SLAMS LOCAL BANDS AND VENUES

With bylaws now being highly enforced, postering is now subject to stiff fines for businesses, promoters, and bands. This photo was taken in 2010. Perry King/Gleaner News.

By Jelena Subotic

It looks like Mayor Rob Ford has picked another fight.

A city bylaw created by Municipal Licensing and Standards is cracking down on posters taped or glued on hydro poles, bus shelters, and parking meters. This has bands, venues, and even event organizers scared because the bylaw would slap a fine up to $500 per poster.

The bylaw has been on the books for years. It was originally created in 2006, but only adopted in 2010 [pdf] when Ford started city-wide attacks on the posters.

In 2007, the city signed a 20-year period agreement with Astral Media for street furniture, which includes 2,000 postering boards and 500 postering columns. The final design of the columns, scattered around the city in odd spots, give more space for posters than existing options. But, there are very few columns. Any poster found on anything but sanctioned kiosks would be considered illegal.

Venues, including Lee’s Palace (529 Bloor St. W.), Horseshoe Tavern, and Clinton’s (693 Bloor St. W.), are getting fined because they are easier to track down.

Bands are also being fined. In 2008, Toronto band Spiral Beach was fined $1,470 back in 2008 for putting up a handmade poster on one of EcoMedia’s bins, the same company that operates Toronto’s SilverBox recycling bin program.

Under the bylaw, the city can charge the venue, band, or event organizer for the illegal posters. Some do not think it’s fair for venues to be charged because they are easiest to track down. Some think the promoters should be held accountable. They are also wondering why nightclubs and major advertising companies are just shrugging off the billboard and sign by-laws, while slamming local bands and small venues with hefty fines.

“I don’t even try and put posters up on street poles because they either get taken down right away or the law gets involved,” local musician Sam Cash says.

Cash has heard stories from friends fined when bands play their venue and have the name of the bar on posters. It is more effective to put up posters inside shops, record stores, and bars, says Cash.

“Kensington is a really good place to poster inside stores. Everyone seems really cool about supporting local music there,” Cash adds.

Matthew Almeida, an independent promoter, says that the bylaw has ruined one of his best methods for advertising. The advantage of social media helps with promotion, but “it limits my ability to draw in new people who might be interested in the sort of events I am hosting,” he says.

Smaller local bands turn to postering to promote shows and their businesses downtown. Advertising campaigns are costly, so bands like Spiral Beach make their own homemade posters and glue to keep things cheap.

“For the small independents, who were photocopying black and white drawings, it seems unfair,” says Almeida, comparing smaller scale to corporate based promoters, who can put up larger posters in higher amounts.

Cash thinks social media has an advantage, and wonders if posters are essential for promoting shows anymore. “Back in the 90’s, at the beginning of the whole [Do-It-Yourself]/indie scene in Toronto, street posters were essential in promoting a great show. Now, I’m not so sure,” he says.

In January, former Councillor Howard Moscoe told the Globe and Mail that Toronto’s “sign bylaw is a complete and total disaster.” This is because the law is poorly advertised and is very broad, he says.

The bylaw also stokes up the issue of free speech for Almeida. The Supreme Court has protected postering rights, but because the poster is an advertisement, it is unprotected as creative expression. Others would argue that postering is freedom of expression.

“Individuals have long used postering as an effective and inexpensive means of communicative expression,” said Justice John Laskin to the Toronto Star in January.

“It’s already a difficult task to turn a profit,” Almeida says, who says his friends are losing income because of the by-law.

The city is trying to save money and make profit, yet it’s a “waste of money the city has decided to use … that plastic coating on lamp posts in the Annex,” says Almeida.

“Now the city has taken away our cheapest and most effective ways of marketing.”

TAKING A FIRST LOOK AT THIS YEAR’S JANE’S WALKS

By Whitney French

Lace up your sneakers and get ready to walk it off! Since 2007, the first weekend of May has been slated for the annual Jane’s Walk, an urban neighbourhood walking tour that honours urban advocate and author Jane Jacobs.  In the spirit of Jacob’s cause, Jane’s Walk embraces civic engagement by offering free walks led by enthusiastic locals who recognize pedestrian-focused landscaping over vehicle-centric interests. This year, a confirmed 170 walks are scheduled and thousands of Torontonians are expected to participate.

[pullquote]Jane’s Walk is always looking for volunteers to assist with various tasks, including coordinating, photographing, and tweeting walking tours. Individuals can choose specific walks they wish to volunteer for. See www.janeswalk.net for more information.[/pullquote]

The Toronto City of Labyrinths Walk offers a unique perspective of city-bound labyrinths. Himy Syed, founder of the Toronto City of Labyrinths Project, leads this walk for the second time. Beginning at Christie Station, Syed discusses the origin of labyrinths, their trans-cultural nature and their contemporary relevance, despite the fact that they have been used for centuries.

Walkers will learn about the misconception that labyrinths and mazes are the same; a labyrinth has one entrance, a center and a path in which it is impossible to get lost. Labyrinths are an appropriate theme for a Jane’s Walk since, according to Syed, “mazes are like traffic and labyrinths are like walking.”

Walkers participating in The Toronto City of Labyrinths Walk can expect to learn about different types of labyrinths, including ancient models to more modern, mathematical examples. And, naturally, a portion of the walk will be reserved for walking a labyrinth in Christie Pits Park.

“There’s no right or wrong way to walk a labyrinth. Kids never walk labyrinths, they always run,” Syed laughs.

After creating over 80 of them across Toronto, Syed paints these beautiful walkways as a response to the events in the city. Whether it is a reaction to the 2009 garbage strike, a broken public fountain in a park or neighbouring violence, all of Syed’s labyrinths have a purpose. The Toronto City of Labyrinths Walk is scheduled for May 5 at 5pm, but come early as last year over sixty people attended.

In the theme of political response, the recent subway versus LRT debate sparked criticism of the effectiveness of streetcars along St. Clair. The popular Twitter trend inspired the #StClairDisaster: Seeing is Believing Walk led by John Lorinc.

While walking along St Clair West between Bathurst and Dufferin, and then riding it out to Gunn’s Loop, Lorinc invites participants to travel around his neighbourhood and explore the current growth, decline, and overall development of St. Clair’s real estate and businesses. Walkers can expect to learn stats about St. Clair’s economy, demographics, and accident rates, while investigating why some businesses thrive and others fail in the area. Lorinc hopes to share his perspective on how the street responds to the right-of-way. There are multiple uses of the street, and the streetcar plays a vital role to the function of St. Clair West.

The goal of the #StClairDisaster Walk is to have “people speak for themselves,” as Lorinc strongly encourages audience participation. Torontonians have been “told certain things” about St. Clair, and this walk acts as a dialogue to address conflicting stigmas, share pedestrian experiences, and discuss the broader trajectories of the neighbourhood.

John Lorinc led two walks last year and has been “discovering city stuff” for over fifteen years. He is a columnist for Spacing, The Globe and Mail, The Walrus, and Atlantic Cities with a special focus on urban affairs and municipal issues, as well as energy and the environment. The #StClairDisaster Walk is scheduled for May 5 at 2pm.

Other Jane’s Walks to keep on the radar: Wizard of Ossington Jane’s Walk, Graffiti in Toronto, and Liberty Village: Change is Good.

Be sure to have comfortable shoes for May 5th and May 6th for this year’s Jane’s Walk line-up. Know the city, know the community, know your neighbours.

Alice and Dan Heap had this photo taken for Dan's Holiday season householder in 1993. They stand on the porch of their home at 29 Wales Ave. in Kensington Market. Courtesy David Smiley

By Lee Zaslofsky

On March 24, just as the NDP was choosing its new Leader, Alice Heap passed away. I learned of it on Facebook, from a short message posted by her son, David.

Alice Heap was married to Dan Heap, who represented Downtown Toronto at City Hall and then in Ottawa as the NDP Member of Parliament for Spadina (now Trinity-Spadina).

Her death saddened all who knew her through her incredible range of activism for social justice, peace, women’s rights; at Holy Trinity Anglican Church; and as a Co-Op Housing Coordinator.

Alice and Dan could be called a “power couple”, though their power grew out of their commitment to the ideals for which they worked together throughout their lives. Dan relied on Alice for support and understanding, certainly. But, Alice was also his most efficient organizer, best political fundraiser, and his unfailing source of principled, savvy counsel on the many issues he had to confront in his long political career.

Dan and Alice were the first of three “power couples” who, beginning in the late 1960s, and continuing until August last year, led and fostered the community activism and progressive politics that have become the hallmark of our way of doing politics in downtown Toronto.

Alice’s and Dan’s home at 29 Wales Ave. in Kensington Market became a focal point of activism when Dan made his first run for office as NDP candidate in Spadina in 1968. He won that nomination by defeating Paul Copeland—now a leading human rights lawyer. But he lost the election to Liberal Peter Stollery in the wave of Trudeaumania that swept the country that year. Dan ran again in 1971, this time as the NDP provincial candidate for St. Andrew-St. Patrick. In a hard—and Dan thought unfairly—fought election, he was defeated by PC Cabinet Minister Allan Grossman, who had snatched the riding in the 1950s from J.B. Salsberg, a Communist.

Dan ran for City Council the next year. This time, he won. I remember his triumphant promise at his victory party: “We’re going to organize the ward!” He didn’t just mean organize to win elections. He meant organize to build active, democratic participation by residents.

Alice and Dan shared a commitment to socialism—not “big government”—but real democracy that goes beyond elections and becomes part of the fabric of everyday life. Democracy that starts with neighbourhood issues, and grows to include issues that affect the whole city, the whole country. Participation that makes it possible for working people to have a powerful influence on their communities, on their governments.

In those days, each ward had two aldermen. Dan was paired with Bill Archer, an independent-minded Conservative. Dan and Bill got along personally, but politically not at all.

About that time another couple began to be involved in community activism. Allan and Susan Sparrow were progressive, brilliant, and committed to much the same agenda as Alice and Dan Heap. Allan and Sue, along with many others, formed the Ward 6 Community Organization.

The W6CO shared Alice and Dan’s commitment to community activism, though they were not members of a political party. The 1974 election was coming up, and Allan suggested that W6CO nominate a full slate of candidates: two for alderman, two for school trustee. The idea was that this way, Dan’s “second votes” wouldn’t go to Bill Archer, but to a like-minded candidate.

In 1974, the W6CO ran a full slate: Dan Heap and Allan Sparrow for alderman; Dan Leckie and Bob Spencer for trustee. All of them won. The two “power couples,” Alice and Dan, Sue and Allan, worked well together—the Heaps in the western part of the ward; the Sparrows in the east. They joined with the progressives on City Council, led by Mayor David Crombie, and began an era of creative, progressive, activist government that many now remember as almost a Golden Age when the City stopped kowtowing to developers and started listening to residents.

The two power couples continued their cooperation through three elections, until Allan Sparrow decided to step aside. Please don’t get the idea that these couples went around telling everybody what to do. Their power was as catalysts, teachers, fellow activists.

In 1980, with Allan stepping down, W6CO needed a candidate to run alongside Dan Heap. We ran a full scale nomination process. Two men came forward to seek our endorsement. George Hislop, a longtime activist in the gay community, and a young professor of political science at Ryerson, Jack Layton. It was a hard fought nomination battle. Each contender signed up hundreds of new members. The meeting was held at City Hall. George Hislop, who wanted to be the first openly gay politician ever elected in Canada, won the nomination. Despite a strong campaign Hislop lost the election to Gordon Chong, a Conservative.

In 1981, Prime Minister Trudeau decided to kick Spadina MP Peter Stollery upstairs to the Senate to clear the way for his closest advisor, Jim Coutts to run for Parliament in the “safe” Liberal riding of Spadina in a by-election. He reckoned without Alice and Dan Heap and their years of work in building an active community with progressive values. In 1981, Dan was the NDP federal candidate in Spadina once again. On the slogan “Let’s Put the Boots to Coutts,” and with Alice’s organizing at full throttle, that’s exactly what he did. Dan Heap became MP for Spadina. He was reelected in 1984 and 1988.

Now we had a problem: who to run to replace Dan Heap, and who to fill the second spot on the slate. Jack Layton came forward again. His running mate, chosen after a hard-fought nomination battle with labour activist Winnie Ng, was tenant leader Dale Martin. This time, Gordon Chong was sent packing, and downtown Toronto again had a full slate of, by now, NDP aldermen and trustees.

Jack Layton and Dale Martin won again in 1985 (now terms were of 3 years). On the Trustee side, there were two women: Joan Doiron, a dedicated community activist who had been elected in 1982; and Olivia Chow, Dan Heap’s former constituency assistant (with Dan Leckie). A new Power Couple was about to be formed.

Jack and Olivia had a lot in common, politically at first, then in so many other ways. Both full of energy, both committed to the kind of politics Alice and Dan Heap had brought to downtown Toronto, both brilliant and charismatic. At City Hall, Jack added Dan Leckie—also brilliant and deeply committed to community activism—to his office team. The three of them were very close, each bringing complementary gifts and a Heap-like commitment to their activism. Later, when Dale Martin decided not to seek re-election to Council, Olivia replaced him on the slate, and Jack and Olivia served together on Metro Council.

This third Power Couple, Jack and Olivia, lost their dearest friend and counsellor, Dan Leckie, when Dan died suddenly and prematurely. So Dan was not around when Jack moved over to represent Toronto-Danforth on City Council; and then to represent it in Parliament. He wasn’t around to see Olivia elected to Parliament, to serve again alongside Jack.

Last August, this third couple was dissolved by Jack’s untimely death. Allan Sparrow had died several years before, after putting his activism to work trying to stop the Island Airport from expanding as one of the leaders of Community Air. On Mar. 24, the first of our power couples was dissolved, this time by the death of Alice Heap—mother, grandmother, organizer, teacher, example, and friend to so many people.

Alice and Dan Heap laid the foundation of an approach to community and politics that joined activism, democracy, compassion, and principle. Or, to put it in Jack’s words “Love, Hope, and Optimism.” All of us in downtown Toronto have benefited by their commitment, and their love for each other and for us, their neighbours. Let’s be sure to keep that legacy alive and growing. Or, as I’m sure Alice would say “Don’t mourn for me. Organize.”

CLAMP-ON LIGHT PROJECT HAMPERED BY DELAYS AND CONFUSION

Twenty-one Clamp-on lights, like this one, have been installed on side streets along Bloor Street in the Bloor-Annex area by Toronto Hydro. Jelena Subotic/Gleaner News

By Mike Shulman

Miscommunication between the Bloor-Annex Business Improvement Area (BIA) and Toronto Hydro has resulted in delays and possibly increased costs for the second phase of the BIA’s clamp-on pedestrian lighting project.

The plan was to install 15 clamp-on street lights to Toronto Hydro poles, along side streets in the Bloor-Annex area, just off of Bloor Street.

It appears as though the project has hit a snag in its development.

“We wanted them up months ago. They were supposed to be installed in early 2012. I would’ve expected them on the streets by now if you had asked me last year,” said Wade MacCallum, chair of the Bloor-Annex BIA.

These delays appear to be occurring, in part, due to restructuring at Toronto Hydro. In 2005, the city sold its street lights and poles to Toronto Hydro to raise $60 million.

According to John Kiru, the Executive Director of the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA), when the city was in possession of the poles “we had agreements and arrangements with [the city] for some preferred pricing in terms of mounting hardware on them and using them for seasonal lights, banners, plants, and even clamp-ons. Once they were transferred over to Toronto Hydro a whole different set of rules applied. That was sort of the ultimate unintended consequence. I don’t think anybody had any idea of how much more legislation would come into effect and how many more restrictions would come in for the poles once they were turned over to Toronto Hydro,” said Kiru.

Phase one of the project led to the installation of 21 clamp-on lights on Bloor. The Bloor-Annex BIA is awaiting approval for phase two.

Toronto Hydro has since reconfigured the process in which approval is granted for pole attachments. There is now a formal pole attachment agreement that was not a part of phase one of the clamp-on lighting project. The Bloor-Annex BIA is one of 36 (out of 70) BIAs which have not signed that agreement. The agreement “makes it easier for the specific attachments to get approved, and lays out who’s responsible for what” said Joyce McLean, director of strategic issues at Toronto Hydro.

MacCallum is concerned that BIAs could incur increased costs due to new restrictions and rumoured new requirements for phase two of the clamp-on design.

“First off, there are the fixed costs for the engineering report—we need new engineering reports.  [There are] secondary costs, because now we require … or supposedly require a conduit outside the telephone pole—that’s not as simple as it sounds. It is a very unique type of conduit in the way that it is installed, drilled, etc., and that’s going to add to the installation costs,” said MacCallum.

In phase one, the Bloor-Annex BIA was allowed to drill into the poles to feed the lights. In phase two, it appears that “[Toronto] Hydro might have some concerns how that affects the integrity of the pole,” said Mike Major, manager of BIA office at the city.

Additional design costs have been pegged at around $1,700. This would cover new electrical engineering plans.

McLean could not divulge any details about design changes at this time.

Any increases in costs would be shared 50/50 as part of the city’s BIA Capital Cost-Sharing Program. The program is funded on a 50/50 capital matching basis for streetscape beautification projects for all the BIAs.

In the meantime, the project remains at a standstill as the Bloor-Annex BIA is currently looking over Toronto Hydro’s pole attachment agreement.

“We want to ensure that we’re supportive of the small business community across the city, as they give a real flavour to the City of Toronto and we’re working collaboratively with them and the city. Obviously, there has been some confusion with this particular BIA in terms of process,” said McLean.