October 19th, 2022 · Comments Off on EDITORIAL: A small business tax break in name only (Oct. 2022)
In November of last year Mayor John Tory announced a new small business tax that was meant to reduce the property tax burden that small businesses must pay to the city. In theory, this meant an across the board decrease of 15 per cent for properties that met two criteria: lot size and value. It turns out however, that the methodology chosen by the city is so flawed that it appears that as many as 20 per cent of properties will not get the break even though they meet the requirements.
Apparently, the scheme has nothing to do with whether the business occupying the property is big or small. The “small business” adjective is just spin; for example, the Bank of Nova Scotia at the corner of Bloor/Spadina, an organization whose revenue last year was $7.8 billion, got the tax break. Whereas By the Way Café, located at Bloor and Brunswick, who should qualify, does not. They have been at that corner for 45 years and are independently owned.
Why should the bank get the break and not By the Way Cafe? The answer lies in the methodology chosen by the city. The city chose Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) rolls to determine who gets the break. MPAC is the arm of the province that sets values for individual properties and reports on lot sizes. The problem is those rolls tend to notionally merge properties under common ownership. So, if a small business has a landlord that also owns the property next door, or down the block, or across the street, then all those properties will get denied the tax benefit. The reason is that the cumulative lot size of those addresses and their total value exceeds the thresholds that would otherwise apply to those individual properties.
In our section of Toronto, properties eligible for the tax break are those whose lot sizes are 7500 sq. feet or less AND whose MPAC valuation is less than $7 million. Tenant businesses pay the property owner’s tax in most commercial leases.
Side by side sushi shops may find themselves in the following predicament: shop “A” has a landlord who has no properties with a common MPAC roll number so the owner will get the approximately $7500 tax break and communicate this to the tenant; shop “B” has a property owner who owns something across the street with a common MPAC roll number and is denied the break. “A” now has a competitive advantage over “B.” This gets worse: The city is not actually reducing its revenue because the tax break is funded by the ineligible commercial taxpayers. So not only does sushi shop “B” not get the break, they are also burdened with a one per cent tax increase!
The province gave Ontario municipalities wide-ranging powers to select a fair means of applying the small business tax break. Toronto chose a crude method and failed to avail itself of the power to make exceptions; by all accounts, it’s not granting appeals.
The tax reduction is not pocket change. The average assessed value of a property on Bloor Street between Bathurst and Madison is $3 million. The tax savings for the average property is $7500 per annum at that value. That’s make or break for some businesses. The total net loss of tax savings on this strip alone on Bloor Street is estimated to be $175,000 for 2022. Do the math for the rest of the city and one can see the numbers are enormous.
That is money that businesses will have to pay through property owners that they should not have to.
The city is just being lazy by using a crude yard stick to measure which properties are eligible and appears to be unmotivated to fix the inequities their approach has created.
October 19th, 2022 · Comments Off on FORUM: Living on welfare is not healthy (Oct. 2022)
MPP subsists on welfare-funded diet
By Jessica Bell
Last month, I went on a “welfare diet” and lived on a grocery budget of $47.60 a week for two weeks to pressure the Ford government to double social assistance rates.
I went on a “welfare diet” and lived on a grocery budget of $47.60 a week for two weeks to pressure the Ford government to double social assistance rates.
—MPP Jessica Bell
About 900,000 Ontarians live on social assistance. If the person qualifies for Ontario Works, they receive $733 a month for a single person, and if they qualify for Ontario Disability Support Payments, they get $1227 a month. These meager payments keep people in poverty.
In my first week, I bought the cheapest food I could find—potatoes, lentils, kidney beans, oats, rice, milk and butter. In the second week, I augmented my meals with eggs, bread, peas, and hot sauce. This diet was not sustainable or healthy. I was often hungry. I experienced sugar withdrawal, and I dreamt of eating lettuce and apples.
The experience was humbling. I learned a lot. People contacted me to describe how difficult, humiliating, and stressful it was to be poor. They spoke about the many expenses that spiraled them into debt and hunger, from cell phone costs, transit, medications, a trip to the hospital, diapers, and more. Many residents spent less than $47.60 a week on food.
By far, the biggest cost is rent. Rent has risen much faster than inflation over the past decade. Many people on social assistance live in overcrowded and poorly maintained homes, and many more end up homeless, often because they are evicted and cannot find any apartment or rooming house that meets their budget. I’ve been appalled by the extent of hidden poverty I have witnessed going door to door in our riding.
The inflation crisis is sending more people into poverty and hunger. Bob Mandel, co-founder of the Avenue Road Food Bank, said the number of people visiting their food bank has gone up by 30 per cent in the past six weeks alone due to the rising cost of food and the arrival of people from Ukraine.
“People from across Toronto, from as far as Mississauga, start queuing at 12 p.m. in rain, heat or snow, three hours before the food bank opens its doors at 3 p.m. I’ve never seen a need like this. We used to have food left over to donate to kitchens, now we have none,” he said.
Shauna Harris, the co-founder of Spadina-Fort York Community Care, has a similar experience. Her food bank, which also serves people in University-Rosedale, provides food to people on social assistance, seniors, and low-income workers. Harris has seen food donations from grocery stores drop by about a quarter because of rising food costs. The food bank now “regularly runs out of food, forcing them to ration what people can take when they visit. People used to receive a whole carton of eggs, and now they get two or three,” she explained to me.
Poverty was a central issue in the 2022 June election. The provincial government agreed to a five per cent increase in social assistance rates this year, with future increases tied to inflation.
Reducing poverty will require a more comprehensive approach from Premier Ford. That approach must include stronger rent control, the construction of affordable housing, price caps on essential food, an increase to the minimum wage, and a doubling of social assistance rates.
Doubling social assistance rates is expensive—about $9 billion a year—but providing downstream services and support to people living in poverty is very expensive for governments as well.
Poor people are more likely to get sick, die earlier, struggle with mental health, have encounters with the police, end up in an emergency room or hospital, sleep in a shelter, lose work, and have children who struggle, fail to complete high school, and fall short of their full potential, thereby perpetuating a cycle of poverty.
On the positive side, people who are provided with more financial support are more likely to get their lives in order, care for their children, get a job, pay taxes, and contribute. People want to contribute, and to ensure more of them can, we must help them first.
Contact our office if you need help or want to help the less fortunate in our riding.
Jessica Bell is the MPP for University-Rosedale and the Official Opposition’s Housing Critic.
October 19th, 2022 · Comments Off on ARTS: You don’t have to be funny to succeed at improv (Oct. 2022)
Annex Improv celebrates 10 years of laughter and community
Annex Improv has a successful low-pressure formula which one member describes as sometimes it just “feels
good to be silly.” MARISA KELLY/GLEANER NEWS
By Marisa Kelly
“You don’t have to be funny to succeed at improv,” says Brian G. Smith on a Monday night.
We’re seated across from each other in the bottom level of the Centre for Social Innovation (CSI) in the Annex. A former teacher at The Second City (Toronto), Smith has over 20 years of experience in theatre and comedy.
“A story will happen when you continue to say yes,” he says. “If you’re honest, it’s authentic and surprising, and surprise makes us laugh.”
Being authentic is one of the key ingredients to improv, and indeed, Smith’s class was just that.
I had the opportunity to sit in with the folks taking the course. The room was full of joy, compassion, and humour.
We promptly assembled in a circle at the back of CSI at 6:30 p.m., and I quickly realized that the class wasn’t about getting comedy right, it was about play.
We started with an alphabet game, saying the first word that comes to mind starting with A, until someone decides to switch to B, and continuing with the alphabet until we reach Z.
I realize how little my brain was challenged during the pandemic lockdown.
The folks in the class feel similarly. A member of the class, Harriet Friedman, says it’s her first ever improv class and that it’s “time to learn how to be playful.”
This is Smith’s goal. He wants people to feel the therapeutic effects of laughter and community, both of which have been lacking in the pandemic.
Another class member, Amar Shah, said that COVID-19 influenced his decision to take the course.
“It’s a fun and casual way to interact with others. I look forward to Monday evenings after work. It feels good to be silly.”
I enjoyed participating and watching from the side of the stage.
Smith maneuvered around the room politely correcting people’s posture and stage demeanor and interjecting with “should have said…” as part of an activity to keep the mind working and the comedy flowing.
Everyone respects the need to take breaks, and they laugh off any embarrassment or pausing.
Over the past two and half years, Smith tried both online classes and masked outdoor classes; however, he found both of these posed a hindrance to students properly showing facial expressions and body language.
Although there have been some learning curves along the way, the comedian and teacher is celebrating 10 years of Annex Improv this year. Fall in-person classes are still available.
Hopefully, Smith’s teachings and humour will continue throughout another terrific decade.
October 19th, 2022 · Comments Off on GRADING OUR GREENSPACE: Third and final instalment (Oct. 2022)
Part 3 of the Gleaner’s greenspace reviews
Compiled by Marisa Kelly, photos by Hailey Alexander
Continuing from the August & September editions we review area parks and assign a letter grade. Park amenities, tree coverage, seating and waste management all go into the evaluations each year.
Philosopher’s Walk is a truly beloved park described by our reviewer as simply “romantic”.
Philosopher’s Walk
78 Queen’s Park Cres. W.
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Grade: A+ (Last year A)
Reasons to go: The historic and scenic winding path of Philosopher’s Walk offers the recluse serenity in the heart of the city. The maintenance of the grounds is truly remarkable. The grass is very lush and there are both wildflowers and planters. The trees have not been compromised despite city infrastructure growing around them. You can tell their age by the size of the base of the trunk. There isn’t much to do except to have a really relaxing walk or sit. However, the Romanesque and Gothic architecture of the University of Toronto campus, combined with the ambient music from the faculty of music building, make this walkway both a romantic and relaxing place to spend time.
Overheard: Piano coming from the faculty of music building, and not a single car despite Bloor Street, Harbord Street and Queen’s Park nearby.
Did you know: Philosopher’s Walk
was formerly part of Taddle Creek, a stream that flowed through this natural ravine and fed McCaul’s Pond (where Hart House Circle is now located) until the late 1800s.
High traffic and low maintenance contribute to Matt Cohen Park’s D ranking.
Matt Cohen Park
393 Bloor St. W
Grade: D (Last year: C-)
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Reasons to go: Matt Cohen Park is an educational parkette, but because of its location, it needs some work because it is heavily polluted. The local traffic or lack of maintenance has killed most of the grass. Spadina and Bloor Streets border the park and provide excess noise and safety concerns for pets or small children. Educational plaques line the edge of the University of Toronto building, each one educating the reader about U of T alumni Matt Cohen. The park has large rocks with inlaid chess boards. However, the rocks are not at playing level, so one would be hunching significantly. The park needs maintenance work and some attention.
Overheard: All of the cars from Spadina and Bloor.
Did you know: Matt Cohen (1942-1999) was a Canadian author who wrote both fiction and children’s literature. He attended the University of Toronto which is next to the park.
Ample seating and clean working washrooms are the among the amenities that give Bickford Park a A- rating.
Bickford Park
468 Grace St.
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Grade: A- (Last year: A-)
Reasons to go: Bickford Park has a bit of joy for everyone and is well maintained. For folks looking for a dog park, there is a shaded and clean one. For friends with a large blanket to hang out on the hill side, the slope is free of debris and litter. Interested in sports? The baseball diamond and large field offer the freedom for folks to play sports. People were participating in softball, frisbee, and soccer. There’s a make-shift skate park made by locals under the Bickford Centre at the northernmost point of the park. The bathrooms are in working condition and clean, for a public lavatory, and are open from 9 a.m. until dusk.
Overheard: Friends cheering on someone learning to play softball.
Did you know: There are weekly Yoga in the Park classes every Thursday evening. From 6-7 p.m., wellness and yoga instructor Montana Skurka hosts a class until the end of October. The class can be booked on Eventbrite.
September 27th, 2022 · Comments Off on ON THE COVER: Bloor Street United demo begins (Sept. 2022)
Work has begun to in part demolish, and in part to restore, the Bloor Street United Church located at Bloor and Huron streets. A new luxury condo will be constructed to the north and west of the original church building. The section on the left will be removed and the part on the right restored. BRIAN BURCHELL/GLEANER NEWS
September 27th, 2022 · Comments Off on GRADING OUR GREENSPACE: Appraising Annex parks (Sept. 2022)
Part 2 of the Gleaner’s greenspace reviews
Compiled and photos by Marisa Kelly
Continuing from the August edition we review area parks and assign a letter grade. Park amenities, tree coverage, seating and waste management all go into the evaluations each year.
Euclid Avenue Parkette is unfortunately plagued by graffiti and litter.
Euclid Avenue Parkette
711 Euclid Ave.
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Grade: This year a D+ (Last year F)
Reasons to go: The Euclid Avenue Parkette is a tree-swaying walkway between Euclid and Palmerston Avenues. Wedged between houses and behind storefronts on Bloor Street in Koreatown, it’s a quaint resting spot with a lot of potential. The beautiful, crooked trees give enough shade to the benches midday. Unfortunately, there is some graffiti and litter, and the condos on the previous Honest Ed’s space tower nearby, so the park lacks a cozy feel. If the benches faced north instead of south, and the city cleaned it up a bit, you’d have the perfect tiny getaway. Last year Euclid Parkette was given an F for uncleanliness, but it looks like the city has started to pay attention to its upkeep.
Overheard: A cat meowing.
Did you know: The subway going from Bathurst station to Christie station shakes the ground just slightly, reminding you the hustle and bustle is still nearby.
St. Alban’s Square is a complete getaway
St. Alban’s Square
90 Howland Ave.
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Grade: A (Last year B+)
Reasons to go: St. Alban’s Square is a complete getaway. The park is the perfect place to be anonymous. There aren’t many amenities, but the space has a certain whimsy that is cultivated by the surrounding architecture of the church, the wild rose bushes, and the historic Toronto homes. The scenery is reminiscent of a European summer day. With an abundance of gorgeous, scattered trees and nourished grass, there’s plenty of spots to read in the shade, have a picnic in the sun, or drop off a Green P bike on your way to and from.
Overheard: So many birds chirping.
Did you know: There is a bike share drop off/pick up port in the park. It’s one of ten that are in the Annex.
An array of trees provide ample shade in Jean Sibelius Park.
Jean Sibelius
50 Kendal Ave
Time: 4:40 p.m.
Grade: A+ (Last year A+)
Reasons to go: The many picnic benches in Jean Sibelius Park and the free-standing mural of musical animals playing their instruments keep visitors feeling welcomed. The park is also equipped with an onsite bathroom, water fountain and a clean and well-maintained playground for kids. An array of trees provides ample shade on the walkway, and there is an open field to play a sport or lie in the grass in full sun.
Overheard: Kids playing in the playground.
Did you know: Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) was a Finnish composer who was the most noted Scandinavian composer of his time!
City staff have stepped up and improved maintenance on Sally Bird Park – which is much loved by Central Tech students.
Sally Bird
194 Brunswick Ave.
Grade: B (Last year C+)
Time: 12:00 p.m. & 5:30 p.m.
Reasons to go: This is an unassuming parkette with a large draping tree. It is perfect for leisurely sitting on a bench for a lunchtime phone call with a co-worker or long-distance friend. After school hours, it’s perfect for a self-determined workout because of the on-site built-in equipment. The park is clean and quiet, except during Central Tech’s lunch break. There is a mural on the house next to the park and the flowers lining the path are well groomed. Last year, this park was rated much lower because of poor maintenance, but recently, the city has paid attention to its upkeep.
Overheard: At lunch time, the school kids. In the evening, nothing but my own thoughts.
Did you know: The outdoor workout equipment is clean and in working condition.
Huron Street Playground
459 Huron St.
Grade: C+ (Last year B-)
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Reasons to go: A great park for neighbours with dogs or folks looking for a quick playground visit with kids. However, the Huron Street Playground is mainly surrounded by encroaching apartment buildings, contains patchy grass, and has too many wood chips. The dog park is awkwardly situated on the northwest corner behind a tall, black fence that feels cut off from the rest of the environment without a sign to indicate that it’s a dog park. The park could use some extra signs, a cleanup, and some flowers.
Overheard: Dogs barking mixed with wind chimes from the surrounding houses.
Did you know: The park has a water fountain to refill your water bottle.
Playful and creative Taddle Creek Park upgrades to “A”.
Taddle Creek
40 Bedford Ave.
Grade:A (Last year A-)
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Reasons to go: An element of Yorkville modern art in the Annex. The gorgeous, towering, large wire sculpture of a vase trickles down water, both adding to the artistic piece itself and giving some extra moisture to the air. The abstract sprinkler was recently turned back on after being off during the recent pandemic-compromised summers. Beautiful planters contain sprouting little pink flowers next to well taken care of begonias. The playground is in perfect working condition, but it is in full sun. The wood chips are maintained, and there are plenty of large trees to keep cool under.
Overheard: Elderly folks from a local seniors’ home out on a visit with their supervisors chatting and enjoying their lunch.
Did you know: There’s a plaque commemorating Beatrice Worsley (1921-1972) who was the first female computer scientist in Canada. She lived on this block of Bedford.
Queen’s Park North
11 Wellesley St. W.
Time: 4:40 p.m.
Grade: B (Last year A)
Reasons to go: Queen’s Park is an escape in the middle of a traffic roundabout. The curved benches on the outskirts of interlocked stone and grass mimic Central Park. The architecture does not match the other larger Toronto parks and is charming. Unfortunately, there is still a large protest against vaccines that is held every Sunday. Due to a lack of city maintenance or climate change, the grass is mainly patchy and brown with a bit of green; lush is nowhere to be found.
Overheard: A busker playing the ukulele for tips!
Did you know: The statue in the park is of King Edward VII. During 2017, the performance art duo group Life of a Craphead, composed of artists Amy Lam and Jon McCurley, created a replica of the statue and paddled it down the Don Valley River to address ideas of power that statues bring to cities.
Stretch between Dupont and Bedford to include buffers
By Fox Oliver
The Bike Lane and Road Safety Upgrades on Davenport Road involve an upgrade plan which will take place over three phases, and the second phase is scheduled to begin this month.
Phase one was completed in 2021 and saw the upgrade of pre-existing bike lanes into cycle tracks on Davenport Road between Yonge Street and Bay Street. Phase two of this project involves upgrading pre-existing bike lanes into cycle tracks between Bedford Road and Bay Street. In 2023, the third and final phase of the project will involve upgrading the bike lanes on Davenport Road into cycle tracks between Dupont Street and Bedford Road.
There are a few reasons why cycle tracks are a safer alternative to bike lanes.
According to the City of Toronto’s webpage on cycling infrastructure, bicycle lanes are a “dedicated part of the roadway for the exclusive use of people cycling,” in which other road users “may not lawfully drive, stand, stop or park.”
However, road safety advocate and environmental lawyer Albert Koehl points out that “a painted (bike) lane is only that; cars can choose to ignore them.”
Although it is illegal, motor vehicles driving, idling, or parking in designated bike lanes is a very real danger in Toronto. The city’s background information on the Davenport Road Safety Upgrade project states that between 2016 and 2020 there were 27 reported collisions involving people walking or cycling on Davenport Road between Yonge Street and Dupont Street, including one fatality.
To combat this danger, the city has decided to install cycle tracks on this dangerous strip of roadway. The cycle tracks on Davenport will be separated from the road by buffers (a curb, bollards or planters), and there will also be raised areas for bus stops. The buffers create physical and visual barriers that prevent motor vehicles from entering the bike lanes.
Cycle tracks will also make the public realm safer for pedestrians because buffers also prevent cars from going onto the sidewalk. Additionally, if cyclists feel safe in their own lane, they are less likely to bike on the sidewalk and infringe on the space of those on foot. This reduces the risk of pedestrian-cyclist collisions.
Alison Stewart, senior advocacy manager at Cycle Toronto, believes that Toronto is headed in the right direction by improving cycling infrastructure. She says that many city councillors, including University-Rosedale councillor, Mike Layton, are strong advocates for an improved cycling network. Stewart says that ideally buffered lanes for bikes and outdoor patios will continue to be built following the pilot project currently in effect on Yonge Street. She adds that the recent revamping of Shaw Street to better accommodate bikes is one to emulate, and that you know the city is heading in the right direction “when you are seeing families with kids riding their bikes and walking to school (like you do on Shaw Street).”
“Safer and more plentiful bike lanes are important for cyclists and pedestrians because currently motorized vehicles dominate 76 per cent of public road space in the city,” says Stewart. Improved biking infrastructure will also increase the number of cyclists in the city. This increase in bikers comes with its own benefits, including reduced traffic and a more environmentally friendly city.
September 27th, 2022 · Comments Off on FOCUS: Layton reflects on three terms as city councillor (Sept. 2022)
Outgoing Ward 11 representative proud of legacy
A pensive Mike Layton selects a different path as he chooses family over
the gruelling life of a Toronto city councillor. COURTESY MIKE LAYTON
By Brian Burchell
As Mike Layton prepares for a very different lifestyle from that as a city councillor in one of the busiest municipal precincts in the country, he took the time to talk to the Gleaner about what he is most proud of.
Q: How are you feeling now that the announcement is made that you will not seek re-election?
A: I am proud of what we have accomplished over the last 12 years. I have pushed council on climate action, road safety, Indigenous reconciliation, supportive housing, and inclusionary zoning, to name a few. We have done this by building strong coalitions of groups and neighbourhoods to ensure the longevity of the policies with broad based support.
Beyond the nitty gritty of constituent complaints requiring resolution, committee and board assignments too numerous to list, and hosting public meetings every night and weekend, this councillor wanted to leave his mark on some bigger files.
Layton chooses to catalogue his larger achievements under the headings of climate action, healthy environments, affordable housing, safer streets, and a more inclusive city. He helped build bike lanes on Shaw, Bloor, Richmond, Adelaide, Palmerston, Argyle, Wellington, Douro, Brunswick, University, and Yonge, as well as upgrades on Harbord and College. He crafted policies to build safer streets, including lower speeds across the network, improved infrastructure, and winter maintenance for bike lanes and sidewalks.
Q: Cycling infrastructure had a huge growth spurt due to the pandemic and Active TO. Do you think that cyclists will be able to hold onto that real estate long-term?
A: I think cycling infrastructure as part of our Vision Zero road safety efforts and part of our climate action policy has become far less controversial and has widespread support.
I’m not worried the real estate will be lost, but we need to keep up the momentum.
He fought hard to make Toronto more affordable. For several years, alongside housing advocates, he pushed for more affordability in all new developments through inclusionary zoning, which eventually led to provincial policy change and a new city policy.
Layton also fought against the sale of TCHC scattered houses, of which the Annex has a surprising number, and demanded that tenants be treated with respect. He consistently advocated for better funding for supportive housing and put pressure on the provincial government to address this growing need.
Q: Are there local examples resulting from your work on policies favouring inclusionary zoning?
A: Unfortunately, the city’s inclusionary zoning policy met many hurdles put up by the province, and it is still being met with resistance. While I would have preferred a faster implementation, we can celebrate that we managed to get the province to change the regulations to allow the city to require affordable housing in new developments.
Perhaps portending what may lie ahead for Layton, he seems most proud of his contributions to important citywide initiatives on climate action and environmental health. He championed many aspects of environmental protection and climate action, including establishing a subcommittee on climate that would become the foundation for TransformTO: Toronto’s climate action strategy.
He wrote (and then seconded) the mayor’s climate emergency motion which led to an aggressive climate target: reducing Toronto’s GHG emissions to net zero by 2040.
Layton initiated the Biodiversity Strategy, the Home Energy Loan Program, stormwater funding tools, bird-friendly programs, funding to implement the Ravine Strategy, motions on protecting the Great Lakes from nuclear waste and invasive species, better regulations on single-use plastics, and increased use of biofuels.
Q: You are obviously very passionate about climate action. Can you give readers a hint about where you will be applying that passion in the future?
A: I don’t know what the future holds for me and I’m looking at how I can best contribute to climate solutions—I owe it to my kids to do the best I can to protect the planet for their generation.
Q: In 2018, the provincial government enacted legislation cutting the size of Toronto’s city council in half. This effectively doubled the responsibilities for each councillor. How much did that contribute to your decision to not seek re-election?
A: Not that much. While the workload increased and the nature of the job changed dramatically after the election, my decision not to seek re-election isn’t necessarily due to the fact that the province cut council size in half. Prior to the changes I was working most nights, and after the cut to council I was working most nights. My decision is a personal and professional one. I’d like to both have a little more time with my kids and at the same time spend more time specifically on fighting climate change and inequality.
This October 24 is the municipal election, and there are 14 registered candidates for Ward 11, University-Rosedale.
Q: Do you have any words of wisdom for your successor?
A: Toronto is a great city, with incredible potential, but a lack of investment and fear of change is holding us back from realizing that potential. I hope the next council will work with each other, with staff, and with their constituents, so we can overcome the challenges we’re facing with bold moves.
September 27th, 2022 · Comments Off on CHATTER: Spadina Station gets a lift—two, actually (Sept. 2022)
The intersection of Spadina Road and Lowther Avenue will be a construction zone as the TTC adds elevators below. COURTESY THE TORONTO TRANSIT COMMISSION
The TTC is planning to add two elevators to its sprawling Spadina subway station. These will be located under the intersection of Spadina Road and Lowther Avenue.
It’s part of the TTC’s Easier Access Program to make subway stations more accessible. Construction is scheduled to begin on September 19, 2022. Lowther Avenue west is scheduled to be closed to vehicle access to and from Spadina Road on September 19, 2022 until Q4 2023.
The pre-construction presentation, which includes conceptual staging plans, is posted online: www.ttc.ca/Spadinaconstruction
There will be barrier-free paths from the street to the subway platforms by the end of 2024.
The first major phase of work will include shoring and excavation activities for the new elevator shafts located on the northwest and southeast corners of Spadina Road and Lowther Avenue. Work will be completed in two phases, starting with construction of Elevator 2 on Lowther Avenue west of Spadina Road and then moving onto Elevator 1 on the east side of Spadina Road.
Vehicular lanes will be reduced and pedestrians will be required to detour around the construction sites through temporary crosswalks.
The TTC initiated a similar project to install an accessible street level elevator at Dupont Station just up the road and now 8 years later it is still not operational.
—Brian Burchell/Gleaner News
Comments Off on CHATTER: Spadina Station gets a lift—two, actually (Sept. 2022)Tags:Annex · News
September 27th, 2022 · Comments Off on EDITORIAL: Taking control of the narrative (Sept. 2022)
The province is dissolving Ontario’s independent COVID-19 Science Advisory Table and replacing it with, what one member described, as its exact antithesis. The science table didn’t hesitate to bring attention to facts the government didn’t want to hear, but which the public needed to know.
Just 48 hours before the surprise decision to shutter the body, the table’s new chair, Dr. Fahad Razak, penned an opinion piece for the Globe and Mail calling on the government to take COVID-19 more seriously. It seems the government, and Premier Ford specifically, does not like being called out. He’s got a fresh approach that hinges on pretending there’s no pandemic. Got a positive test? No worries, you can go back to work or school after your symptoms cease. The premier and his loyal puppet, chief medical officer of health, Dr. Kieran Moore, want you to ignore the science that says you are still contagious. This is not the flu.
Ignoring science and silencing those that espouse it, is Ford’s prayer book for the fall. The next COVID-19 wave will be greeted with the sheer will of denial. It’s not hard to predict the speech that will come soon after:
“Folks it breaks my heart to tell you this, but the chief medical officer of health leaves me no choice. Effective immediately we are locked down again. Please only shop at big box stores.”
Those who have watched the work of the U.S. Congress’s January 6 committee may have seen them interview the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley. Milley told the committee that the only order the White House gave to the military while their legislature was under attack was “to take control of the narrative.” This is exactly what Doug Ford is trying to do.
The science table’s advice and guidance over the past two years has sometimes run contrary to government actions. A key instance of this divide came in February 2021 as the province was preparing to ease health restrictions during a temporary lull in new cases, as new variants were beginning to emerge. The table’s then co-chair, Adalsteinn Brown, was asked by a reporter if the table was “predicting disaster” if the government did not change course. Brown replied in the affirmative. The government moved ahead with its plan; what followed was the third wave, which at its apex saw 900 patients admitted to the ICU. The government reimposed public health orders. Brown was right.
The new “science table” will not be allowed to choose its own subjects of study, will not speak directly to the public, and will just feed the province’s media message through public health, under the thumb of Moore, himself under the thumb of the premier’s office.
The now defunct COVID-19 Science Advisory Table was a loose collection of a few dozen volunteers (all unpaid, but most were on the payroll of a university or health institution). It started at the University of Toronto, and it gave itself a mandate that stressed independent thinking and transparency. It was in part created by a vacuum resulting from the inaction of Public Health Ontario (PHO). PHO was itself created as a result of the province’s bungled response to the SARS crisis. It has a $165 million budget and did nothing in response to the COVID-19 crisis and appears to continue to do nothing. Are we expected to see PHO’s next move as a welcome alternative to the science table? Based on what track record?
Will PHO stand up to its political masters and act in the public interest? Likely not, as we live in a world where the premier’s critics are roundly silenced.
