By Katie O’Connor

Peter Bruer has been the manager of the conflict resolution service since 1977. Katie O'Connor/Gleaner News

In a city of small spaces like Toronto, loud and obtrusive neighbours can become more than just a mere annoyance. Conflicts rise as the weather heats up, which is why making nice with them has never been more important.

St. Stephen’s Community House (260 Augusta Ave.) offers a free mediation program for neighbours, housemates, families, and anyone with a conflict in their private life.

The service covers a wide range of issues, from property line arguments to landlord and tenant problems.

“It’s a noise dispute in apartment complexes, it’s the people upstairs who have little kids running around, it’s people shovelling snow onto someone else’s sidewalk,” said manager Peter Bruer. “They are the kind of disputes that don’t get resolved by other means.”

Created in 1985, the program is funded through money from the City of Toronto and the United Way. The service is available to individuals living south of Eglinton Avenue between Victoria Park and the Humber River.

Individuals meet with trained mediators in a neutral location. The mediators work to figure out the root of the conflict, and how it can be solved amicably. “Our process isn’t about who is right or wrong,” said Bruer. “Our belief is that conflict is going to happen, that it’s a part of life.”

Jill Moriarty, interim co-ordinator for the program, said active listening is the most important part of the mediation process.

“You have to give each of the parties the space to be heard,” she said. “It’s very important that they know that they are being heard or understood.”

She said that most people look at mediation as a negotiated settlement, but it’s about finding a solution that’s workable for everyone.

“We don’t just give people their piece of the pie, we try to make the pie big enough so that everybody gets what they want,” said Moriarty.

The program also offers their services for cases that are referred to them by legal clinics and police. Bruer said the service is very successful when people involved in the cases are willing to take part in mediation, but that it can be difficult with cases that are referred to them.

He said that people have to be willing to fix the problem in order for mediation to work. Bruer said they get cases referred to them by legal clinics and the courts, but that if people are unwilling to be there, the mediation often doesn’t work.

He said the cases that get referred to them simply can’t be solved in court and that the program works as an alternative problem-solving method. “It was created partly because the other systems we have—and they are good—but, they are cumbersome. They often just plain don’t work.”

Bruer said the goal of the mediators is to create long-term solutions. “What it does in the long run is create a workable relationship between people.”

Call 416-925-2103 ext. 229 for more information.

By Katie O’Connor

After years of power struggles, the City of Toronto took control of Casa Loma (1 Austin Terrace) from the Kiwanis Club, which has managed the historic castle for almost 75 years.

The city owns Casa Loma, but had contracted out management to the charity since 1937.

In exchange for ending the management contract early, the city will pay the club $1.45 million for artifacts and branding such as the Casa Loma name, and $300,000 in unpaid management fees, said economic development and tourism general manager Mike Williams.

Under the deal, Kiwanis will be able to hold weekly meetings free of charge and up to five charitable events a year.

The city plans to run the facility for 12 to 18 months while it holds community consultations regarding the property.

The deal is just another twist in a tale that has, at times, seen the city and the Kiwanis Club of Casa Loma pitted against each other.

The takeover comes only three years after Kiwanis signed a 20-year contract with the city.

The relationship took a turn for the worse in the summer of 2010 when the city blamed Kiwanis for failing to complete renovations.

Former Mayor David Miller also unsuccessfully demanded the removal of Richard Wozenilek, chair of the Casa Loma board, because of conflict of interest issues.

Asked whether he thought the events of 2010 had anything to do with the contract being ended early, Wozenilek was adamant.

“Without question, it was nothing to do with these current negotiations,” he said. “The economic reality of the situation in our present day has dictated that this is the best eventuality for the castle.”

Wozenilek said he was sad to see the city take over management of the castle, but called it a “win-win” for both the city and the Kiwanis Club.

Over the past few years the castle has struggled to pull in visitors, and was hit especially hard by the recession.

“It’s not a place that Torontonians use to play, to experience culture, to eat, and so on. It could be so much more,” said Councillor Joe Mihevc (Ward 21, St. Pauls), a non-voting member of the Casa Loma board.

Mihevc said the castle needs a management board that understands heritage, tourism, special events, and property management.

“We have to acknowledge from the 1930s to the present era, Kiwanis did a great job keeping the place together. However, they are a social service club, focused on music,” said Mihevc. “We need to make this unpolished jewel shine better in our city.”

Trelawny Howell, the great-grandniece of Sir Henry Pellatt, the Toronto businessman who built the mansion, called the deal one-sided and said that the city was giving massive payouts for mismanagement.

The city should not be paying for the artifacts and trademarks, because they never actually belonged to Kiwanis, Howell said.

Mihevc called the payouts a “sweetener” used to make the deal happen.“Kiwanis saw the writing on the wall, but also needed to have their historical contribution to the castle valued, and this is how it expressed itself in this.”

The deal was rubber-stamped by the city’s executive committee on June 14.

By Síle Cleary

UTS, pictured here with students gathered outside for a Jane’s Walk in 2010, will be searching for a new home. Beth Macdonell/Gleaner News

The University of Toronto School (UTS, 371 Bloor St. W.) board is eager to enter into discussions with their academic partner, the University of Toronto, in order to clarify the terms of the school’s relocation plan.

Last month the UTS board was formally notified by U of T that their $48 million refurbishment proposal for their Bloor Street premises had been rejected and that they must relocate by 2021.

“Our current position is that we plan on entering into discussions with U of T on the terms of the relocation plan. We need a clear agreement before anything is finalized,” said David Rounthwaite, chair of UTS building committee.

Councillor Adam Vaughan (Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina) reiterated the call for discussions to take place between the two academic institutions. “At the moment we need the UTS and U of T to get together and explore the options,” he said.

“UTS students and family members are a valuable part of the community and I’ll move heaven and earth to keep the school as close as possible to its current location.”

UTS has been a part of the community since 1910, and was established as
a kind of laboratory for U of T’s faculty of education and a testing ground for student teachers.

According to Rounthwaite, the current building on Bloor is structurally sound but has electrical and plumbing issues.

The UTS redevelopment proposal plans to maintain the heritage façade of the building while making significant improvements to the interior, such as the building of new athletic facilities—including two fully-equipped gyms, a 25-metre swimming pool, new heating, air conditioning, and other infrastructure improvements.

After reviewing the UTS proposal, the university informed the school that they would require the entire UTS property to meet their own future academic space needs.

U of T communications officer Laurie Stephens said that the university didn’t want to encumber itself, as they have significant space issues on the St. George’s campus.

“The UTS site on the St. George campus is a valuable site for U of T and we felt that we needed that site for academic purposes,” she said.

While UTS is disappointed that they cannot remain in their current residence, they are confident that they will find a suitable location within the time frame. “I’m positive that we can relocate just as successfully as other institutes have done in the past. Of course, we will lose the connection with the building, but UTS is a living organism,” said Rounthwaite.

The University has said it will assist UTS in the site search process and help with the acquisition, including providing financial and other support.

“We have indicated to UTS that they have ten years to find a new location with the possibility of an extension after the ten years, if required,” said Stephens.

Jennet Poffenroth, teacher and leader of the Solar Inventors Club at Hillcrest. Julia Manoukian/GLEANER NEWS

By Julia Manoukian

The Toronto District School Board has jumped on the green bandwagon with a long-term solution that seemingly kills two birds with one stone, but the upcoming provincial election could bring all this to a halt.

Unveiled May 19, and born at Hillcrest Community School (44  Hilton Ave.), a groundbreaking partnership between the TDSB and AMP Solar Group Inc. would see solar panels installed on school roofs all across Toronto, and the energy generated sold to local consumers. The deal is believed to be the largest of its kind in North America, potentially worth $1.1 billion in green electricity over the 20-year contract.

Hillcrest was the site of the pilot project. For the past three years, the school has sported 52 solar panels on its rooftop. As an environmental leader in the Annex, the school has used the panels as a source of clean energy.

“Up on our roof I think we’re generating more than electricity, more than possible income—we’re actually generating ideas. We’re generating hope, we’re generating imagination, problem solving, and curriculum,” said Jennet Poffenroth, a staff member and leader of the Solar Inventors Club at Hillcrest. This local success became the basis for a new deal and a precursor for the expansion of solar energy in Toronto schools.

The board reported AMP is responsible for repairing 42 per cent of its roofing portfolio and installing solar photovoltaic panels on these rooftops, at a total cost of $120 million dollars. The 66 megawatts of solar energy generated annually from the panels will be sold to the distribution grid for use by Ontario consumers. This is enough to power 6,000 Toronto homes, and will offset a significant component of the board’s $3-billion backlog in basic repairs.

“Our rooftops represent a major untapped sustainable-energy resource,” said Chris Bolton, chair of the TDSB. “By installing solar panels on them, Toronto communities will get clean green energy, 450 schools will receive much-needed roof repairs, and TDSB students will experience an unparalleled real-life lesson in sustainable living.”

Despite the board’s claims that AMP is responsible for all project costs, many members, including Mr. Bolton, remain apprehensive about the deal. “I think it could be considered to be almost too good to be true,” he said at the unveiling. The installments also remain contingent on Feed-in Tariff (FIT) applications, which pay people or institutions for the renewable energy they produce, to be approved by the Ontario Power Authority.

However, with the upcoming provincial election this October, the plan may not survive a change in parliament. On May 10, Ontario Progressive Conservative leader, Tim Hudak, promised in a speech to the Ontario Power Summit to scrap the program in order to prevent Ontario families from paying unsustainable subsidies on their hydro bills for the next 20 years.

“The problem is we still don’t know how many of these projects will be connected to the lack of transparency of this program,” said Progressive Conservative candidate for Trinity-Spadina Mike Yen. “Renewable energy must be at a price Ontario families can afford.”

Regardless of any scepticism, Poffenroth’s optimistic attitude not only inspired her students, who crafted and showcased solar-powered cars, but it echoed through the room, evident by the lasting applause. “It’s a win-win for everyone involved,” commented Chris Spence, director of education at the TDSB. “This school board led the way to realizing a greener future with our highly acclaimed EcoSchools program—now we are doing it again.”

After the company recovers the cost of the roof repairs, the TDSB will collect 14.5 per cent of the energy revenue. Once the contract is over, the school board will have full ownership of the panels.

Although the prospect of a Conservative majority may jeopardize the future of this historic deal, it seems a new and lasting light has been shed on the future generation. “We really learn the difference we can make to help the environment,” said Luke Brenton, a Grade 6 student at Hillcrest Community School and member of the Social Inventors Club, “because solar energy is the future.”

By Emina Gamulin

A recent immigrant just got a job in Toronto and wants to celebrate. She walks into a convenience store and looks for some beer. Unable to find any, she asks the clerk behind the counter where she might find some. “We don’t sell beer here.”

Confused, she walks out and spots a bar nearby. She greets the bartender, and orders six Coronas.

“Six?”

“Yes, six.”

“Are you waiting for friends?”

“No. They are all for me.”

“I can only serve you one at a time,” says the bartender, bottle opener in hand. “I’ll keep the rest in the fridge for now.”

“No, don’t open it! I’m not drinking them here, I’m taking them back to my apartment.”

After getting an explanation that this is illegal, the young woman leaves the bar in search of something called a “Beer Store,” more confused than ever.

Barring Islamic states, Ontario has some of the strictest liquor laws in the world, baffling to the majority of newcomers and tourists who come to our city.

On June 1, new provincial liquor regulations were passed, relaxing these stringent laws. Weddings can now serve guests until 2 a.m., servers will be able to carry alcoholic beverages between licensed areas, and drinkers at festivals will no longer be cordoned off to special tents. Bartenders who want to give you a free drink on your birthday (already common practise) will now have the law on their side.

While these changes are a step in the right direction, they also point to how much more we as a society need to grow up when it comes to drinking.

The Gleaner would like to see a community where people can buy beer at the convenience store, a couple can enjoy a bottle of chardonnay at Christie Pits, and bartenders can knock back a well-deserved cold one after finishing their shift. We would like to see neighbourhoods where entrepreneurs do not have to pretend that they are opening up a restaurant to get licensed, and the AGCO is made up, at least partially, of people with know-how around drinking culture.

If this sounds like the beginnings of the destruction of our social fabric, it is only because we have been conditioned to believe so. Ontario liquor laws, at various points in the last century, have seen everything from the outright ban of liquor, to more “relaxed” rules formed as a result of the lingering temperance movement in the province. The LCBO was created after prohibition was overturned and was given a mandate to know “exactly who is drinking and how much.” As late as 1962, people were required to fill out cards when they went to the liquor store (those deemed as buying too frequently would get blackballed), and women were not allowed to drink in the presence of unmarried men.

While Puritan values have loosened their stranglehold on other aspects of our society, their fingerprints can still be seen all over our current booze laws.

Those who are unconvinced need only look at examples from all over the world that show no correlation between relaxed alcohol laws and drinking problems. For example, in the overwhelming majority of Europe, drinking ages are lower (only Iceland’s is higher), last calls, if they do exist, are much later, and drinking in the street is perfectly acceptable. The public drunkenness one might expect to see because of permissive drinking laws rarely shows its face, as it is controlled via social mores.

We have four months until the provincial election. The Gleaner encourages you to tell your candidates what kind of liquor laws you want. Lets finally put the Puritan age behind us.

By Cara Waterfall

Festival on Bloor (FoB) originally began with a disagreement between Andrew Kilgour and former James Joyce Irish Pub (386 Bloor St. W.) owner Robert Costello.

“I said having a street festival would be a great way to bring the community together,” said Kilgour, owner of Kilgour’s Bar Meets Grill  (509 Bloor St. W.). “Robert bet me that I couldn’t get Bloor Street closed. The chair of the Metropolitan Transit Committee said ‘Go ahead and do it.’ It was very simple to start, and I won my bet.”

Bloor Street will once again be transformed into a pedestrian party on June 12 for the 15th annual FoB.  Maxine C. Bailey, FoB coordinator at the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre (MNJCC, 750 Spadina Ave.), is running the show for the third year in a row. “I just love the different vendors, performers, and people coming together,” she said. “I’m a Caribana baby, so I love that kind of party atmosphere.”

Community is at the heart of this event, which attracts 15,000 attendees each year. Local merchants (including The Annex Gleaner), live music and theatre acts, and children’s entertainers line the street from Spadina Avenue to Bathurst Street.  This summer, Nintendo 3DS and marketing company Inventa World will be launching their interactive game from a 20 by 20 truck. The Toronto Cyclists’ Union will be promoting green transportation by offering free valet service to anybody who cycles to the event.

Local performers will hold court at the Tranzac Club’s (292 Brunswick Ave.) outdoor stage, which will be broadcast live by CIUT FM 89.5 radio. Live music acts include folk/funk artist Jaron Freeman-Fox & the Opposite of Everything, and No Fish, a group of high school musicians and several of their fathers who play everything ranging from Klezmer (secular Jewish music) to Balkan music.

Juno award-winners Donné Roberts and Adam Solomon will bring their take on world music to the festival main stage. Solomon got his break as a “subway player” in Toronto. At 1 p.m., the Battle of the Bands begins. Other street performers like The Toronto FRINGE (344 Bloor St. W.) theatre artists, and the Ecuadorian ensemble The Imbayakunas will keep the crowds energized.

Shutting down one of Bloor Street’s busiest sections induces headaches, but the MNJCC and local businesses cooperate to ensure the festival runs smoothly. The MNJCC supplies most of the volunteers and some of the entertainment in the form of choirs and fitness demonstrations.

Kilgour, the street festival’s first co-chair, believes the MNJCC is integral to the event’s success. “It does take a crapload of people,” Kilgour said. “Without the [JCC’s] support, I don’t think anybody would be capable of running it.”

YoYos Yogurt Café (417 Bloor St. W.) will be participating in FoB for the first time. “It’s a nice way to welcome us to the community,” said employee Tyler Ball, 30. But the festival is not only for Annex residents. “Even if you don’t live in the area, it’s still a chance to meet a lot of people who live and work in the area, and see what other businesses are available here,” Bailey said.

While Kilgour is excited about this year’s festival, he is nostalgic for the early days of FoB. “There was a great motto that seemed to be coming from the city which was ‘It’s better to ask for forgiveness than to beg for permission.’

“As it’s gone on, it’s become more regulated, all kinds of codes that need to be met.”

The MNJCC and Bloor Annex BIA are co-sponsoring the event. For more information, contact FOB Coordinator Maxine Bailey at (416) 924-6211 ext. 121 or by email at maxineb@mnjcc.org

By Julia Hennessey

Six shots were fired in an alley adjacent to Augusta Avenue. Julia Hennessey/Gleaner News

The Kensington Market community was back to its peaceful self just two days after three men were wounded from gun shots fired in an alleyway.

Just after 4:30 a.m. on the morning of Sunday, May 29, police responded to a distress call in Kensington Market. Six shots were fired in an alley near an after-hours club at 213 Augusta Ave., leaving three men wounded.

The events occurred just hours before the first Pedestrian Sunday of the spring, where the streets of Kensington Market are closed to cars and there are food stands, music and performances.

Partial street closure for the police investigation was necessary for a thorough analysis of the site. “There were casings and bullet fragments and blood all over the sidewalk and the street,” said Detective Chris Chilvers, lead investigator on the case. “In order to do a proper forensic investigation, and to make sure that it’s done properly, we need space.”

The triple shooting did not disturb the Market's first Pedestrian Sunday of the year on May 29. The street festival featured buskers, live music, and dance. Perry King/Gleaner News

The gunfire and resulting investigation delayed the opening of nearby businesses. Liv Luna, an employee at La Tortilleria Mexican restaurant, located at 198 Augusta Ave., arrived to work a few hours after the crime had occurred. “We had to open almost two hours late, the street was closed and I wasn’t able to open the store” she said.

The effect on Kensington Market’s stores, restaurants, and cafes was temporary. Later that day, it was business as usual. “People started to come here,” Luna said, “eating and everything, two hours later.”

The violence is especially unsettling given the reputation Kensington Market has for peaceful, community-oriented activity. However, according to Luna, the event did not defeat the positive energy of Pedestrian Sunday. “Sunday was, as always, packed with people. A lot of people having fun, eating outside, walking, dancing.”

This type of crime is so out of the ordinary for Kensington Market that most visitors to the neighbourhood probably did not even realize the shooting had taken place, she said. “It’s not something common, this is the first time I know of something like this happening.”

Michael Vit, employee at Funky Junky furniture store, located at 206 Augusta Ave., up the street from the site of the shootings, holds firm on Kensington Market’s reputation for peacefulness. “I don’t think it will change what people think of Kensington Market, it’s still a good area” he said. “This is an isolated incident, as far as I’m concerned.”

None of the victims’ injuries were life-threatening. One man was hit in the arm, and another in the leg. The third man suffered a more serious injury when he was struck in the stomach. All of the victims were taken to a local hospital.

Police currently have no suspects but are conducting a full investigation into the incident and following up on leads.

Police are requesting the public’s help with the investigation. Numerous patrons may have witnessed the event and fled before giving a statement to police. If you have any relevant information contact 14 Division at 416-808-1400.

By Beth Macdonell

The Annex Cat Rescue cautions that feral cats are never safe to pet. Beth Macdonell/Gleaner News

Look down one of the Annex’s many laneways and all may appear lifeless. But according to Janine Denney-Lightfoot, 47, a volunteer with the Annex Cat Rescue, living in and around our garages and sheds are hundreds of feral cats.

These wild felines live largely independent lives with no permanent home and no owner, yet depend on people daily to feed and care for them.

“There are so many homeless cats in the city of Toronto,” says Denney-Lightfoot, as she gathers supplies from the trunk of her car and prepares to take the Gleaner along her route near Christie Station. Every night, she follows the same path stopping at specific locations where the ACR knows feral cats are living.

“Most people are unaware the feral cats are even there,” she said. “You don’t see them because you don’t look for them … but go through laneways late at night, you start to see them. They come out largely after dark, when it’s very quiet.”

Along the route, Denney-Lightfoot stops at a dozen locations to fill bowls of water and leave food for cats. Some cats look on and wait for us to step back, others rush over immediately.

“It’s a very hard life for them,” she said. If no one were to feed the cats, “they would probably find another food source eventually, but would be extremely hungry and might die.”

Because the local feral cats were either born outside or lived most of their lives outside, Denney-Lightfoot said it’s unlikely they can ever be domesticated. It’s why the cats need to be fed and their populations monitored. She said even if feral cats are taken in by an animal shelter or adoption agency, no one will want them because of their un-nurtured tendencies. “They don’t know anything about people being kind to them, they are afraid of them, just like a wild animal would be because they’ve never been socialized, touched, or handled.”

Beyond food and water, Denney-Lightfoot said she would like to provide shelters for the ferals, but since most of the cats living along the route live in laneways or on public property she’s unable to.

A volunteer with the ACR since the organization’s inception in 1997, Denney-Lightfoot said she got involved soon after she started feeding some feral cats on her own near her home. “One day there was an ad in The Annex Gleaner that was looking to start a cat rescue group in the Annex, so I phoned,” she said. Today, she manages three routes in Toronto’s west-end and has four cats of her own. By day she works in management at a law firm and is a mother to a 7-year-old son.

Beyond making sure identified feral colonies are fed and have water to drink, volunteers also trap cats that are injured or sick. Once caught, they are rehabilitated in volunteer-run foster care homes, before being released back on the streets. One of the most important roles the organization plays is trapping cats and having them spayed and neutered so populations don’t continue to breed.

As we continue along the route and Denney-Lightfoot talks about the various feeding stations, it’s apparent she knows almost all the cats she feeds. She knows which cats have been pregnant, when they were born, if they’ve been spayed or neutered, even their individual personalities. Some of the cats she talks about are extremely wild and very timid, some more friendly, but she emphasizes that they are never okay to pet.

“There are cats that we have fed in the ACR for 12 years and still can’t touch. We can get really close to them, they know the sounds of our voices, they know the sounds of our cars. They’ll come running out as soon as you call them, put the food down, but you have to stay a bit of a distance back.”

One time she said she tried to pet a feral she had been feeding for years, but it “just jumped a mile gave me a look that said, I had crossed a boundary.” Another time she accidentally cornered a cat that reacted by hissing. “It’s really hands off.”

Despite not being able to touch the cats, Denney-Lightfoot said she truly enjoys her nighttime work with ferals. “It’s my me time, it’s away from the hustle bustle,” she said. “Ferals are almost wildlife, they are a part of nature. It’s a little bit of time out in the city. It’s some quiet time with the animals, and I find that very relaxing and very rewarding.”

She says one of the most difficult parts of the job is worrying that comes with it. “One of the challenges with the feral cats is that they just disappear, and then you never know what happened to them,” she said. “You don’t think you would, but you do, you do get attached to them.”

Attached as she is, Denney-Lightfoot needs help feeding the cats every night, year-round. The organization is always looking volunteers to help feeders along various routes; a job she says is very worthwhile and satisfying.

“After all these years of feeding I find it really rewarding to have a hungry cat and watch it have a good meal,” she said. “It still makes me smile.”

If you would like to get involved with the Annex Cat Rescue or know of a feral cat or colony in need of help please visit their website at annexcatrescue.ca.

By Nathaniel G. Moore

Daniel Jones was a self-proclaimed alcoholic writer. Photo courtesy Sam Kanga.

This month, two works by the infamous late-Annex writer Daniel Jones are being reissued.Coach House’s The Brave Never Write Poetry comes with a brand new New Order record sleeve-inspired cover, while Three O’Clock Press’ remix of 1978 is slightly more sophisticated than its original release over a decade ago.

Born in a working-class district of Hamilton in 1959, Daniel Jones moved to Toronto to attend the University of Toronto in 1977. Before graduating, he embarked on a traveling expedition that saw him visit the United States and Central America. He then returned to Toronto where, according to a close friend, he lived in the Annex at various locales, including a house Vermont Avenue, but the one place he lived longest in Toronto was at College and Grace.

Jones divided his time between writing, performing at alcohol-fuelled poetry readings (on some occasions naked), and editing various small press micro-journals. He spent some of his time hospitalized, on welfare, or working at low-paying jobs to subsidize his writing career.

In 1985, The Brave Never Write Poetry (edited by one of Canada’s most distinguished poets, David McFadden) was published, and according to Jones’ highly autobiographical short story “In Various Restaurants,” the poet describes, with heart-breaking vitriol how “Nicola” never showed up to the launch, and was scared of him, which only fuelled Jones into more chemical debauchery and dangerous introspection.

Before his death, Jones did briefly attempt to make the most of his writing output, teaching at York University for two years. According to an article published just months after his death in Open Letter by Clint Burnham, the prospect of teaching was a brutal wake up call for Jones.

“For most of this country, these sub-occupations of the general label ‘intellectual’ mean almost nothing, a fact brought brutally home to Jones the two years he taught a fiction-writing course at York University when he would try to teach students, bedazzled by Hollywood ideas of creativity and writing, that most writers are not Stephen King.”

Jones turned his back on poetry, and in addition to editing many fledgling small-press journals in Toronto, began writing fiction before taking his own life in 1994, the day before Valentine’s Day.

“In Various Restaurants” epitomizes what Jones’ work did; ripping life right out of the red-hot embers of individuality, without extracting the emotional turmoil, or creating superficial misplaced energies lost in the transference from life to literature.

His extractions were exact DNA replications of both his own purpose and meaning, and those around him, who also appeared in his hazy horizons. It was never a simple literary construct with Jones, these characters lived and breathed and were fully realized, as likeable, unlikable, loveable monsters.

Though in “In Various Restaurants” Jones is a self-described alcoholic writer, it’s the tender versions of his character via Nicola in which we fall in love with both of them and their sprawling, waning unclear love affair. Unclear in the sense that it is perhaps nontraditional, mutually exploitative, narcissistic, and to a lesser extent, doomed.

In addition to these new titles, Jones’ work appears in two fiction books published by Mercury Press: Obsessions and The People One Knows.

Yet other work still remains in limited edition quantities. Mark McCawley, editor of Edmonton’s Greensleeve Editions and the underground literary journal Urban Graffiti, published Jones just before his death. “I published a chapbook of Jones’, The Job After The One Before, in 1990. Ever since, I have endeavored to keep the chapbook in print, re-printing whenever necessary.”

McCawley describes the chapbook as “a suite of interconnected, semi-autobiographical stories about various jobs the Jones persona experiences during his day passes from the Queen Street West psychiatric hospital—stories which would find further realization in his posthumous book, The People One Knows.”

Like all of Jones’ work, the stories are about real life, an almost Xeroxed facsimile of those who touched him. Though unnamed in the stories, the pot-smoking editor in “Occupational Therapy” is none other than the late Ted Plantos, and the silent, smoking editor in “The Birth of a Minor Canadian Poet” is David McFadden—who edited Jones’ sole trade book of poetry from Coach House Press in 1985, The Brave Never Write Poetry.

In 2003, Chelsea Ireton, a first-year York University drama student, was stage manager for a play called Poet based on Daniel Jones’ poetry, written by Robert Wallace. According to an archived issue of student paper Protem from November 2003, Ireton was asked to describe the play in one word, and she responded, “different,” adding “oh that sounded bad, but it isn’t that, it’s different in a good way.”

The play, in which “Wallace and his tremendously talented students explore Jones’ poems, extending them into powerful acts producing stellar moods birthed from the very poem itself,” ran for a week that fall.

Ireton described Jones’ poetry as having a “dark mood, yet he also has a dry humour,” and it was the hope of both Ireton and Wallace that the play’s vibrancy would encourage people to seek out the late poet’s original work.

With the two Jones reissues hitting stores this month, perhaps a whole new generation of readers may be waiting around for his words, as we speak, in various restaurants.

Nathaniel G Moore is a poet, novelist, essayist, and columnist with Open Book: Toronto. He has worked with the Toronto literary scene for over a decade.

By Perry King

Unlike many development disputes across the city, talks between developers and residents have been so healthy for a proposed Bloor-Bathurst condo that the project has already been scaled down considerably.

“We had a couple of meetings—the councillor, some of his office staff and HVRA (Harbord Village Residents’ Association) board members—and basically I said ‘We weren’t committing anybody to anything, and we couldn’t speak for either the board or for the community, because we had no authority to speak,” said Sue Dexter, who was in on the initial meeting between the HVRA and H&R Developments.

In 2008, H&R purchased 783 Bathurst St., and came forward with a proposal for a 15-storey condominium at the site.

For Councillor Adam Vaughan (Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina), “[15 storeys] was one of the options we looked at. We looked at what would happen if you massed all the density to the north end of the site, what would happen if you moved it to Bathurst Street. We played with massing models to try and create as strong a proposal as possible,” he said.

The informal talks have created a working group consisting of developers, Vaughan’s office, and local residents. The developers “came into it with a really open mind,” said Vaughan. “I think they’ve done some amazing stuff around the laneways. They are animating Bathurst Street, and the architecture through this process got better and better.”

783 Bathurst, formerly Loretto College’s south campus, has been sparsely used since the school combined its two campuses—the other campus was located at Brunswick and Barton—and moved to the Dufferin and St. Clair neighbourhood in 2006.

The building was most recently used as Trinity Spadina’s federal election returning office.

“I think the school turned its back to Bathurst Street. I think [the area] will have a little bit of personality and a bit of activity at street level, and I think that‘s a good thing for everybody. Hopefully, out of all of this, we end up with a bit of a renaissance on Bathurst Street when we start returning some of the services that are needed in the neighbourhood,” said Vaughan.

The project finally moved forward in March with Official Plan rezoning and site plan approval applications for a nine-storey, 196-unit proposal.

Regardless of the progress made, the public consultation, to be set in the near future, will bring more concerns from local residents and businesses. “I think that living with construction morning, noon, and night is going to be really disappointing, and I think it will draw a lot of business away from the Annex because [the area is a] small little community to itself,” said Sheena Wallace, a local resident who works at the condo-neighbouring Trove apparel store. “If you start bringing all that in, you’re starting to change the whole dynamic, and I already pay high enough rent.”

Wallace says she understands the neighbourhood is not immune to development, but  is concerned about how the changes will influence architecture for the worse. She has already considered moving from the neighbourhood once her current lease expires. “It seems that everywhere I’ve moved, I have construction following. This [condo proposal] is pretty disappointing, actually.”

The project’s influence on businesses could mean growth, but Cito Ramos, who manages the nearby Midas auto shop, foresees the woes that come with higher density. “People are occupying a nine-storey condo, so that’s going to increase traffic flow in the area. So be it. The city and the school board want to take advantage of the property and flip it for something and make some pay out of it. I can understand that, I see an impact,” he said.

Ramos was managing the shop when the TTC replaced the streetcar tracks on Bathurst several years ago, and it was “murder” for the business. “Sometimes, people, rather than wanting to come down here because the parking might be a bitch—maybe they’ll go somewhere convenient for them.” But, Ramos is confident the shop can adjust to traffic congestion.

Demolition for the old school is expected to occur later this year.

Pre-mapping developments key to “progressive change”

By Perry King

“There’s been a progressive change in the way development applications are being handled in the ward, and basically what happens is a lot of things were arriving at a public meeting,” said Sue Dexter. “[Before] the neighbours had no way of putting any input ahead of that, and these cases ultimately wound up at the OMB, which would not turn out well.”

It’s a culture that Councillor Vaughan says he has been looking to change since he took office in 2006. His office has mapped all possible development sites in Ward 20. “We found a way in the ward, not just in the north end, but in the south end, to highlight areas that we expect growth to happen in.”

New projects are being measured against expectations based on the mapping.

According to Vaughan, the approach has fostered cooperation, and all sides are better able to push staff to get approvals quicker. It is a tactic that works, compared to “a divide and conquer tactic—which has defined other wards”. He says he plans on working with colleges and universities in this same exercise soon.

New owner George Zotti describes the Silver Snail as a destination store at its current location on Queen. He is looking into moving the store to the Annex. Photo credit: Adam Carter/Gleaner News.

By Adam Carter

After decades of calling Queen West home, Toronto’s famed comic shop the Silver Snail is being sold along with their building, and is looking for a new location.

Incoming co-owner George Zotti has been working at the shop for over 20 years, and said the Annex could be ideal as a new location for the iconic store.
“I’d love to go to the Annex, I think it has that counterculture feel that Queen Street used to have,” Zotti said. “Now Queen Street is all big business and fashion. When I was coming down as a kid, it was an event to come to Queen Street.”

Zotti said he thinks clients will follow the business to a new location.

“We’re pretty much a destination store here on Queen anyway,” Zotti said. “The Snail has been there from the beginning—most of the stores that were around back then are gone. Silver Snail has been that first ‘niche mecca’ and now it’s just turned into this Toronto pop culture icon.”

Zotti said the building holds a lot of memories—though some are stranger that others. ”I’ve opened our back door to people urinating on our doorstep,” he said. “And once in the middle of February a car pulled up into our back alley, a dude steps out of the back seat totally naked, runs up the alley, back to the car, and drives away. Somebody lost a bet that day.”

Comic aficionado Toby Orr has worked at the Snail on and off since 1995, and said the move was fairly inevitable.

“Queen Street now is not what Queen Street used to be,” he said. “The Annex seems like a reasonable choice. People do buy books up there—it’s near to the school and near to the hipsters.”

Orr said the legacy of the store through the years has been to offer a place much more welcoming than what many perceive a comic shop to be.

“We’re not a crummy underground dust hole, as so many comic shops are,” he said. “The Snail will always be a haven for science fiction and comic book fans, and hopefully the kind of place where somebody who is new to the hobby can feel welcome. It’ll be a place where you can come and dip your toe in without having to know everything about Batman before walking in.”

Orr thinks competition could be an issue in the already bookstore-strewn streets of the Annex. Even before the Silver Snail’s possible move, comic book lovers in the area already have the option of going to the Beguiling, Labyrinth Books, or BMV Books.

“But a little healthy competition helps everybody—at least that’s the theory, right? Hopefully having more stores in the neighbourhood will just attract more customers for everybody and we’ll all do better,” Orr said.

Peter Birkemoe, owner of the Beguiling, said he doesn’t see a move by the Snail as detrimental to his businesses.

“The great comic stores in Toronto have all historically had different specialties, so they don’t really compete with one another that much,” Birkemoe said. “Whereas we’ve taken a very graphic novel and literature focus to our store, the Snail has taken a much more merchandise and memorabilia thrust to theirs.”

Birkemoe said the real issue is not another store moving into the Annex, but what this move will mean for the southern half of Toronto that now has no comic shop.

“It might have a small effect on the Annex, but all of a sudden you have an entire half of the city that isn’t really being serviced by a local comic shop at all,” Birkemoe said.

“Even though Queen West is not what it used to be in terms of a cultural centre or hub, that part of Toronto now has a much denser population. You still have a bunch of people there that just want to buy their comics.”

The Captain Wallace app began as an idea between three dads who work in Liberty Village. Courtesy Ken Reddick.

By Gurpreet Ghag

According to his Twitter account, Captain Wallace is an adventurer, a mustache enthusiast, a pith hat collector, and a friend to all animals. He once spent a week in the belly of a whale with only a ginger beer and a loaf of bread.

You may be surprised to know then, that the travelling Captain’s roots are here in Liberty Village.

Yes, as it happens, “Wallace, the fictional guide of ‘Captain Wallace’s ABC expedition,’” an iPad app that helps children learn their alphabet through familiarizing themselves with animal names, is the creation of three fathers who work out of Meldmedia Inc. (360 Dufferin St.).

It all began in 2008, when soon-to-be father Chris Barrett was preparing his nursery.

“I was looking for an animal print that could be put around the room, but I didn’t find one that I liked,” said Barrett, “So, I made one myself.”

Then he took the idea to Adrian Newbould, who tried to help come up with a name for the prints and turn them into a book.

“At the time, I was just calling it ‘Alphabet Zoo,’” said Barrett.

Newbould then shared this idea with Ken Reddick, the owner of Meldmedia, who was doing advertising and design at the time, but liked the prints very much and wanted to help produce something interactive out of them.

The illustrations then turned into animations, but what to do with them was still in the air.

“We thought it would be some bumpers for kids television programming, or some kind of animated web experience, but then I woke up one morning and realized that we had an app on our hands,” said Reddick.

The next morning, Barrett threw together an interface for an iPhone app.

“It was small, but it worked,” recalls Reddick, explaining that the app was functional and enjoyable, but the resolution didn’t allow the pictures to be fully appreciated. “And then halfway through the development, the iPad came out and we were like, ‘We have an iPad app on our hands.’”

Slowly all the pieces started coming together. The developers’ children acted as testers to the app, telling their fathers what they did and did not like. In fact Adrian’s seven-year-old daughter, Emina, is actually the voice that is heard when a letter is pressed on the app.

Courtesy Ken Reddick.

After careful work on animations, voices, and interface, the ABC Expedition was released on February 3.

Sales were slow at first, but recently the team got some much-deserved recognition when the American Apple store featured the app on their staff favourites list.

“Sales have gone up eight hundred percent since then,” said Barrett, “and we’re currently staff favourites in Mexico, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, South Africa, and the United States, which is huge.” The app has now sold over 2,500 copies, and the team couldn’t be happier.

“We’re not some big company cranking out apps, we’re three dads who are doing this out of passion, and we really wanted to put out something we love. There could have been a ton of shortcuts made, but we kept going back and making sure the animations were perfect, and the voices were perfect, and the interface was perfect; we just put a lot of care into this and said if we were happy with this other people would feel the same,” said Newbould.

The team hopes to get started on a mathematics version of the app soon.

To find out more about the Captain and his alphabet adventures, you can follow him on Twitter.