June 15th, 2021 · Comments Off on EDITORIAL: Ford chooses wrong path, again (May 2021)
And this month in Ontario politics: Premier Doug Ford, yet again summons the experts for their advice, and pledges to follow their lead. And yet again, once advice is received, promptly goes off in a wildly different direction. This month, the experts told Ford it was safe to re-open schools for the month of June. They told him schools need to be opened not just for the sake of education, but for the sake of mental health. Yet here we are, with schools closed until September.
When pressed by reporters as to why Ontario is the only jurisdiction in the country with schools still closed, Ford blamed the federal government. Ugh? Constitutionally, it’s the provinces that look after education. Besides, Ontario had 15 months to get education workers fully vaccinated, 15 months to get schools properly ventilated and class sizes reduced. We are so far behind on these fronts that Ford has stopped short of promising a return to normal schooling this coming September. Somehow, according to Ford, it’s Trudeau’s fault because Ontario has a porous border with the United States. Six other provinces share the same border and their schools are open. When confronted by reports on this discrepancy, he attributed Ontario’s position to the fact we have a relatively large population. Does he make this up as he goes?
What’s actually happening here is that Ford is skipping ahead to next year’s election campaign and is allowing internal polling to guide health policy decisions. In a survey commissioned by the Conservatives, of 1,246 people across the province asked whether Ontario should “re-open schools for three weeks in June even if that means Ontario’s re-opening plan is delayed by one week,” 56 per cent rejected that trade-off.
So when he tells us, “the health of Ontario’s children is our top priority,” some of us might have a hard time swallowing it.
When schools were open, he refused to release the rapid testing units. The government promised 50,000 school COVID-19 tests would be done weekly, a program he called “robust.” However, tests never exceeded 8,213 per week, which is less than 17 percent of what was promised. Now all those rapid tests (provided for free by the federal government) are sitting in some provincial warehouse waiting to expire. What a shame.
In an opinion piece published in the National Post, Dr. Alanna Golden and Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng argued that many students attend school to be fed and to get support. They also noted that school is where a majority of domestic abuse gets reported. Here we are in a situation where families are stressed financially, domestic violence is on the rise, and students are literally dropping off of ZOOM radar. But schools won’t open until the end of summer.
The decision to not prioritize educational workers at the outset, including administrative and caretaking staff, is at the heart of the problem. Even now most have only received their first vaccine doses. If schools do re-open now and something goes wrong, the Conservative’s chances of forming another government will be further diminished. Ford’s bias against teachers is coming back to haunt him. His playing politics in a pandemic is pathetic.
June 15th, 2021 · Comments Off on FORUM: Premier Ford’s land use planning agenda is a big worry (May 2021)
The good, the bad, and the ugly of a government run amok on planning policy
By Jessica Bell
Since becoming premier, the Doug Ford government has rewritten many of the laws and regulations that decide how we build and what we build. These developer-friendly changes help Doug Ford’s donor base reap record profits, but their impact on people, the environment, democracy and our affordable housing goals is mixed. And I’m being nice here.
Here’s a roundup of the good, the bad and the ugly changes to Ontario’s planning laws:
Abusing Ministerial Zoning Orders
Ministerial zoning orders (MZOs) are the nuclear bomb of planning. MZOs give the provincial government the power to override local planning rules and establish their own rules on a piece of land.
Doug Ford has issued about 40 MZOs, and has faced considerable community opposition in response. City councillors and local residents were furious that the government made a secret deal with a big developer to build on the provincially-owned Foundry site at 153 to 185 Eastern Ave.
The government backed down fast and is now negotiating with the city. In other cases, MZOs have been justifiable. I am at peace with MZOs that are formally requested by the city for projects that benefit the public good, like reducing the number of required parking spots at the new affordable housing development at 877 Yonge St.
Opening up farmland to single tract homes
In response to pressure from developers, the Ford government has been quietly forcing municipalities to review and expand their municipal boundaries to permit urban sprawl on thousands of acres of nearby farmland, and reduce density requirements within the municipal boundary. This is a huge issue that could lead to the paving of thousands and thousands of acres of greenspace across Southern Ontario.
The government says expanding municipal boundaries is necessary to meet the housing needs for projected population growth until 2051, but critics say the government’s population and job growth estimates are grossly exaggerated.
Environmental Defence, residents and councillors are campaigning to protect farmland, stop any needless expansion of a municipalities’ boundaries, and meet housing and job needs by increasing density within existing neighbourhoods first. This is an issue I’m following closely.
Transit-oriented development
Ford has embraced transit-oriented development by building above and nearby major transit stations. To transition to zero-carbon transit-friendly neighbourhoods, more housing should be built near transit.
Here’s the problem. The Ford government is making deals with developers to build above and near transit sites in return for partially paying for transit station construction, but the public doesn’t know how much money will go to station construction, what sized units the developer will build, how many of them will be truly affordable and for how long, and what profit margin the developer is permitted to make.
Is this truly the best we can do with our precious provincial land? No.
Instead of selling off land to big developers that we’ll never get back, we should keep our land and build housing and services, from affordable housing to community centres to daycares, that truly meet the needs of our city.
Changing LPAT rules
This year, the Ford government made changes to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) that gives community members and municipalities even less say over land use planning. The tribunal can now dismiss a proceeding without a hearing if the adjudicator believes the proceeding has no reasonable prospect of success.
Third parties – mostly residents – can no longer testify at a hearing, and can only submit written comments. The government has also removed the right to a judicial review or an appeal except in very exceptional circumstances.
Restricting inclusionary zoning
Of the over 230,000 units built or approved in the last five years within Toronto, only about 2% were affordable. Increasing supply will not solve our housing affordability crisis. Government needs to regulate and invest. The City of Toronto is developing an inclusionary zoning policy that would require new residential developments to include affordable housing units. The Ford government put hard limits on inclusionary zoning through Bill 108, which limits inclusionary zoning rules to major transit stations. Inclusionary zoning should be allowed beyond these transit stations.
We must increase our housing supply. Instead of building single tract homes on prime farmland, we should plan for walkable, transit-friendly neighbourhoods and housing. Our city truly needs affordable housing, supportive housing, community housing, and missing middle housing for families. This is how we create a truly livable and green city and protect our farmland and greenspaces for generations to come.
Please reach out to our office if you have feedback, have questions, or need help.
June 15th, 2021 · Comments Off on FORUM: Exclusionary planning must stop (May 2021)
The lack of affordable housing is the other crisis of our time
By Mike Layton
When asked to name the single biggest issue that is facing Torontonians, the most common answer is how hard it is to find affordable housing.
Not a week goes by when we don’t hear about a major condo or luxury rental development changing the face of our neighbourhoods, and generally driving up prices.
With the power that the current provincial government gives to developers, our ability to require that new developments include community benefits, such as affordable housing, is extremely limited. But now is the moment to change that.
In September 2021, a final report on inclusionary zoning (IZ) will be coming to the Planning and Housing Committee, and then to city council, where members have the chance to vote and implement its recommendations. This was the follow-up to the interim report on IZ that was released back in the fall of 2020.
If Toronto had strong inclusionary zoning a decade ago, we could have added over 30,000 new units of affordable housing. This is eight times the amount of affordable units that were created in the same number of years.
Our current pattern of development is highly exclusionary. We’re seeing the majority of newly built housing being bought by investors and rented out at extremely unaffordable rates.
At the Planning and Housing Committee in 2020, members accepted my motion calling on City Planning to explore whether it would be possible to significantly increase the amount of affordable housing that would be required of new developments, with options that would achieve a range of 10-30% of new condominium developments’ floor area and 5-20% of new purpose-built rental developments’ floor area.
I would like to see these higher numbers achieved.
The interim report from 2020 proposed anywhere between 3%-5% of new rental of IZ developments and 5%-10% of new condo developments to be set aside as affordable, depending on the areas of the city where IZ is required.
I, alongside numerous housing advocates, have made it clear that we need to do better to help address our housing crisis and have called for at least 20% to 30% affordable housing in new developments.
I have been fighting for this change since 2015, and I believe that we are at a critical moment.
Short of significant intergovernmental investment in affordable housing – the likes of which our city has not seen in decades – IZ is Toronto’s best chance to finally build the units desperately needed by our low- and moderate-income residents.
Implementing the strongest possible IZ framework this year is especially important now, as I am seeing countless first-hand examples of how the pandemic is threatening Torontonians’ housing stability. Many who have lost their jobs or had their hours reduced have been unable to make rent, and the provincial government is continually allowing landlords to evict them.
Without significant government intervention, finding affordable alternatives will become next to impossible for most.
I personally know families where four or more individuals have been forced to share a one-bedroom apartment; this type of situation will only become more common, which is especially dangerous during a pandemic.
There is a lot that city staff have gotten right so far.
The affordability period for units created through IZ is now proposed to be 99 years, which means this housing stock would be protected for future generations.
IZ housing would also comprise a mix of sizes, ensuring that affordable family-sized units are built.
We need to make sure we follow the lead of cities like Montreal and New York, which have both set ambitious requirements for the percentage of units in each building.
City studies have demonstrated that developers would still be able to make their buildings – and their profits – with set asides as high as 20-30% in many areas of the city. This is why I will continue to push for the highest targets possible.
In the coming months, residents must let the city know it’s imperative that we take this moment to shift the power from developers to people, so we can begin to turn the tide of the housing crisis.
Let me know if you would like to join me in pushing for IZ to become a permanent part of Toronto’s housing landscape.
As always, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with my office with your questions or concerns at Councillor_Layton@toronto.ca.
Mike Layton is the city councillor for Ward 11, University—Rosedale.
June 15th, 2021 · Comments Off on LIFE: Enough with beg buttons (May 2021)
It’s time to give pedestrians their due
By Terri Chu
Steven’s Grocery is easily my favourite corner of our neighbourhood. Helen’s flowers are always a welcome sight as we walk by, but the one thing I HATE about that corner is the beg button.
If I’m not quick enough, I have to stand there for an entire light cycle while gas guzzlers spew toxins in my kids’ faces.
The era of prioritizing cars is long over and the city, (actually, the entire country), needs to catch up.
Every time cyclists or pedestrians ask for just a little bit of space, either through bike lanes or expanded sidewalks, the city rushes off to do a traffic study. WHO CARES?
So what if it takes cars an extra 30 seconds or two minutes for a driver to reach his destination? Prioritizing the least efficient mode of transportation is so 20th century.
The city needs to keep up with the times and make a drastic shift in their priorities.
I don’t care if it takes a car an hour to get 10 blocks. Unless the roads are under construction, they probably can just as easily get there by transit or bike. It shouldn’t even be on the radar.
Every single effort of every planner and every engineer needs to be focused on getting people into alternative modes of transportation. Make bikes safer. Accommodate E-bikes. Widen pedestrian spaces so moms with strollers can walk side-by-side and enjoy each other’s company.
If people still insist on using energy to haul 2000 lbs of machinery to get them and their laptops 10 blocks, they can wait.
What about people with disabilities you say? Why are cars their only option? Why not golf carts that can safely get them from point A to point B? Why not rickshaws?
Why are we so obsessed with a singular mode of transportation our imaginations don’t let us imagine a better world with viable alternatives where cars aren’t out to kill us at every corner?
We need to dedicate a network of streets for the safe navigation of golf carts, bikes, and pedestrians where cars are restricted. Businesses in these corridors would boom. Think about the pedestrian districts in Old Montreal.
Put people first! Let’s start with getting rid of beg buttons. Lights should automatically turn for pedestrians. Cars should be made to stop and slow down even if nobody wants to cross.
During COVID times, it is only polite to keep your distance from fellow pedestrians waiting at a corner. Inevitably, kids end up bunched up on the sidewalk, even stepping onto the curb, closer to speeding traffic than any parent wants to see.
Meanwhile, people pointlessly burning fossil fuels, spewing toxins into our city’s air are treated with importance, a reminder that the city was built primarily around their needs when it was only the rich who could afford vehicles and the poor really did need to beg to even cross the street.
Classism is built right into our urban infrastructure and it will take decades to rid ourselves of this legacy.
The last thing we need is to continue this nonsensical servitude to the oil gods of old.
Provincially, Ford wants to continue this legacy by building another pointless highway that will be clogged within a few years.
He is doing it in the name of a make-work project to boost economic recovery. He won’t bring back permanent sick days but he’ll build us a highway.
If any new roads are to be built by anyone, they absolutely need to be restricted to small/light vehicles and bikes.
The plans for the new super highway should be a bike super highway where parents can safely travel with the kids large distances at moderate speeds and not be worried about getting crushed by a middle-aged man with a midlife crisis driving his new pickup truck with a 15-foot frontal blind spot he doesn’t know about.
If Premier Ford truly cared about a robust economic recovery his make-work projects would at least have an eye toward the economy of the future.
Light vehicles need their own space.
Though mass transit should be invested in heavily, there will likely be reluctance to go back to shared spaces right away.
If Ford wants to get people moving and the economy running, the focus needs to be on transportation that is efficient and will not further tax our limited energy resources.
What oil we have left should be reserved for applications that require high energy densities (like airplanes, though flights should be restricted).
We should be building infrastructure for the future.
Sadly, our leadership are stuck in Happy Days when Greased Lightning was still cool. It’s time to move on.
June 11th, 2021 · Comments Off on ARTS: Enjoy Annex-based opera online (May 2021)
From ‘park and bark’ to click and stream – opera is evolving locally
Don Alfonso (Alex Bowie) and Despina (Bahar M. Harandi) plotting and laying bets on what will happen with the young couples whom they serve. From the Long Reach Opera Workshop’s 2018 production of Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte. COURTESY ANDY WRIGHT ONLY1ANDYWRIGHT.COM
By James McLean
As a singing teacher, I am constantly listening to and watching for the development of students. When I went to see Long Reach Opera Workshop perform Floyd’s Susannah in the summer of 2016, I was knocked out. The young performers sang beautifully and I could see how far they had advanced after a short workshop in stage acting. As soon as the performance was over I spoke to founder Michael Donovan and asked to be put on the board.
Since that time I have been supporting Long Reach’s growth as a music organization, which now attracts students from across North America to work with an outstanding team of instructors.
Voice students in graduate programs from Boston to California are drawn to Toronto to receive first-class instruction in stage performance.
As the pandemic drags on and the risk of languishing increases, the timeless music of the great composers offers us a chance to tap into a joy that has lifted spirits through the centuries.
Townspeople praying at a revival in The Long Reach Opera Workshop’s 2016 production of Susannah by Carlisle Floyd. From front to back: Thera Barclay, Nune Ananyan, Lori Mak, Taylor Gibbs, and John Schneider. COURTESY ANDY WRIGHT ONLY1ANDYWRIGHT.COM
I hope you can join us on Friday and Saturday, June 18 and 19 at 7:30 EDT, for an online performance of arias and concert songs. Music by Mozart, Handel, Schubert, Schumann, Duparc, Brahms, and many more will be performed by Long Reach Opera Workshop (LROW) students.
The workshop was founded in 2014 by siblings Michael and Anne-Marie Donovan to fill a void they noticed while teaching post-secondary voice students.
“I felt that many of my voice students would benefit from more stage experience and more interaction with other singers and professionals,” explains Michael, who now teaches at Acadia University in Halifax. “So, I asked my sister to come in and work with them and stage a few scenes.”
Anne-Marie, who was teaching in the drama department of the University of Waterloo, jumped at the idea of joining her brother in Toronto’s Annex to help developing opera singers.
“LROW was created to develop the whole person, the singer-actor, on the road to a professional career,” explains Ms. Donovan, who will be directing the live-streamed June concerts.
Michael made his home in the Annex while teaching at York University and completing his doctoral studies.
That notion of the singer-actor is leading edge in vocal training today. It takes the singer beyond marching onto the stage to, “park and bark,” as the old saying goes, to a performance where the singer’s musical skills, emotional connection and acting ability make opera accessible to a broader audience.
The name, Long Reach, originates in New Brunswick where Michael and Anne-Marie have spent many summers with family on the banks of the St. John River.
It reflects their commitment to helping young singers strive for their goals and realize their dreams. This commitment, along with their leading-edge approach to opera pedagogy is attracting top teaching talent too.
“I was very pleased to both give a master class for Long Reach Opera as well as hear several of my students in lead roles in their production,” said Lorna MacDonald – Professor of Voice Studies, Vocal Pedagogy, and Lois Marshall Chair in Voice at the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto. “Everyone was open to suggestions and willing to take risks, and that shows the friendly, safe atmosphere that the leaders have cultivated.”
Long Reach has its roots in the Annex and plans to keep growing here. The workshop gave its first performances of opera scenes in the Heliconian Club on Hazelton Avenue. As they grew, they have shifted to the larger Walmer Road Baptist Church, then Trinity-St. Paul’s Church, and in 2022 they will perform in the newly renovated Knox Presbyterian Church on Spadina Avenue.
I sincerely hope you can join us online in June for what will be exquisite performances of songs and arias from the French and German classical repertoire. There will be no parking and barking.
Tickets are $10 for students, seniors, and culture sector workers, $20 for the general public, and go on sale June 1 at sidedooraccess.com.
James McLean has sung over 100 operas and oratorios across Canada, throughout Europe, Israel, and Russia in a career which spans over four decades.
He teaches singing privately in the Annex and at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo. He serves on the board of the Long Reach Opera Workshop.
May 12th, 2021 · Comments Off on ON THE COVER: The white elephant (Apr. 2021)
The white elephant in the neighbourhood: for over 17 years this life-sized Indian elephant sculpture has watched over Seaton Village from its home at 77 Yarmouth Rd. The 9 foot tall plaster sculpture was created by Matt Donovan in 1999 as part of his student thesis at the Ontario College of Art and Design and has lived on Yarmouth since 2003. NEILAND BRISSENDEN/GLEANER NEWS
Comments Off on ON THE COVER: The white elephant (Apr. 2021)Tags:Annex · News
May 12th, 2021 · Comments Off on NEWS: Geary goes green (Apr. 2021)
Construction on first Green Line initiative set for 2022
Widening sidewalks for better accessibility and pedestrian safety surrounding Geary Avenue Parkette is being discussed. COURTESY DTAH
By Mary An
One of the first initiatives within the Green Line is underway. As chronicled in the Annex Gleaner’s February edition, the Green Line will be a five kilometre-long park running along the hydro-electric corridor north of Dupont Street.
There are forty-five land parcels along the corridor which need either improvement, expansion, or a complete transformation into a new park. One of the first parcels of land the city is looking to work on in the Green Line is the Geary Avenue Parkette.
“We want to have green walkable neighbourhoods, and this checks all the boxes. It improves walkability and access to green space and communities that are growing already,” Ana Bailão, city councillor for Ward 9 and deputy mayor said in an interview with the Gleaner.
This parkette is located southwest of Geary and Ossington avenues, and extends west to Delaware Avenue North.
The proposed expansion for the parkette will extend west past Dovercourt Road to Westmoreland Avenue North. The city is currently working with DTAH, an architectural firm, to help design the new space.
“We think it’s a great opportunity to provide more accessible pathways and in-park opportunities in the neighbourhood, and especially with a lot of the development being proposed within the area both east and west,” says Yvonne Battista, Associate Partner with DTAH.
According to Battista, new park features will include accessible pathways with pavement designs that highlight the history of the neighbourhood, pedestrian lighting, a variety of seating options, flexible lawn areas, native meadows supporting pollinator species as well as fun graphics sharing Indigenous history, new bike racks, and a much-needed fenced area where dogs will be able to roam off-leash.
DTAH is also proposing to widen the existing sidewalks.
“We heard through the councillor and the community that the speed of cars on Geary Avenue and crossing opportunities are things that need improvement,” says Battista, who added her firm is working closely with transportation services on the pedestrian safety aspect of the project.
During the planning and community input phase of the parkette’s expansion, many residents mentioned the need for a public washroom to be included in the project. However, this request will not be fulfilled.
“One of the challenges we have is working underneath the hydro lines,” says Battista. “Anything that we propose needs to be approved by Hydro One to make sure that we’re keeping their staff as well as the public safe. Which means, at least at this point, that no structures will be built on their parcels of land.”
Construction of this parkette, whose name will be finalized following its completion, is set to begin in 2022.
May 12th, 2021 · Comments Off on NEWS: Tenants at risk of eviction (Apr. 2021)
Critics see government’s “protections” as toothless
By Nicole Stoffman
Seven percent of Ontario tenants, or 98,000 families, can’t pay their full rent because of pandemic-related job loss. They are accumulating rent arrears that many will never be able to repay, according to the Federation of Rental Providers of Ontario (FRPO). In the Annex alone, 16 eviction applications have been made since November.
Three of the applications were made at 50 Walmer Rd., owned by Mountrealco Inc.
According to the Keep Your Rent Campaign, some tenants at 50 Walmer Rd. asked Mountrealco Inc. for rent forgiveness in April, but were offered individual rent deferral plans instead. Some of those tenants declined the deferral plans citing uncertain financial futures, however, tenant organizer Pri Sharma did not grant the Gleaner an interview.
Other eviction applications include one at 245 Howland Ave., managed by COGIR Siteline, and another at 206 St. George St, managed by Better Living Homes. These companies did not return the Gleaner’s request for comment. The remaining Annex eviction applications as listed by Evictions Ontario did not identify the property owners.
The Ontario government stopped eviction enforcement on Jan. 14th, but only during Toronto’s “stay-at-home” order, while allowing eviction hearings to continue. That is why evictions resumed on March 8, when Toronto shifted into “grey-lockdown.”
“It scares me,” says Ria Rinne, from the anti-poverty group ACORN. “Evictions due to inability to pay rent through no fault of the tenant are going to whoosh in and I think we’re going to see more [homeless] encampments.”
The NDPs housing critic, and University-Rosedale MPP Jessica Bell says that informal evictions – where the tenant gets a notice and moves out – have been ongoing through the pandemic.
“The majority of tenants do not want to deal with the expense and stress of the Landlord Tenant Board (LTB),” explained Bell. “So the majority of evictions are informal.”
As for landlords, they are still on the hook for maintenance, property taxes, and other expenses, and don’t qualify for mortgage deferrals, according to the FPRO. However, independent research published by Parkdale Community Legal Services argues that large corporate landlords could forgive rent arrears out of their considerable profits, profits that have continued during the pandemic.
Toronto City Council has taken steps to protect tenants: it has called on the province to stop evictions and all associated hearings, and to provide an emergency rent subsidy for qualifying tenants. In March, the city extended its eviction enforcement moratorium in community housing for three additional months, and approved 15 new affordable housing developments.
The NDP has called for rent support and for the eviction ban to extend 12 months after the pandemic so tenants can rebuild their finances. Bills to this effect were voted down.
“The eviction blitz is on again, even though the pandemic is still raging,” says MPP Bell.
When asked by the Gleaner if they’d consider a rent subsidy program, Matt Carter, spokesperson for the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, pointed to the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit, launched in partnership with the federal government prior to the pandemic.
“Over 7,500 households have been approved to date for direct rent assistance payments – with more families receiving approvals every day,” says Carter. “In direct response to COVID-19, we invested $765 million through the Social Services Relief Fund, which municipalities can use towards rent banks and utility banks, and to provide emergency loans for those most in need.”
Carter also pointed to Bill 184, the Protecting Tenants and Strengthening Community Housing Act, which “promotes repayment agreements over evictions,” but tenant advocates roundly denounce it.
They argue the bill gives landlords the right to negotiate a repayment plan, a process normally overseen by the LTB, and if a tenant misses a repayment, under Bill 184, the landlord can evict them without a hearing.
Even the FRPO has proposed a generous rental assistance program called the Ontario Rental Assistance Program (ORAP) which would cover 25% of a qualifying tenant’s rent arrears if the tenant can cover 25%, and the government would cover the remaining 50%.
Under this proposal, the total cost to the government would be $210 million.
FPRO President and CEO Tony Irwin told the Gleaner the Ministry of Housing is “very concerned,” about tenants falling into arrears and asks for regular updates from his organization, who continue to lobby for ORAP.
Another eviction enforcement moratorium was announced by Premier Ford alongside new stay-at home orders on April 7, but as the ban only applies to enforcement, some tenants risk losing their homes as soon as the moratorium is lifted.
Comments Off on NEWS: Tenants at risk of eviction (Apr. 2021)Tags:Annex · News
May 12th, 2021 · Comments Off on NEWS: Light sculptures appear on Bloor (Apr. 2021)
BIA pays homage to its many food establishments during COVID
The colourful strainers and colanders catch the eye during the day and vibrate unique mandela effects during the night. This cylinder artwork can be found lighting up the new parkette on Brunswick Avenue at Bloor Street West MARY AN/GLEANER NEWS
By Mary An
If you find yourself walking down Bloor Street and suddenly entranced by a pile of colanders, it might be time to stop and consider that you’ve effectively engaged with a piece of interactive art. There are now three different colander columns on Bloor Street to choose from, located at the new parkettes on Brunswick Avenue, Robert, and Major streets. Each column has multiple strainers inside as well as a light bulb to highlight the impacts of independent restaurants in a year when many have lost business or been forced into closure.
“We’ve been able to make an artwork that speaks to the challenges faced by local restaurants – that brings life and light back into kitchen equipment,” says artist Layne Hinton.
The use of kitchen materials highlights food establishments in the Annex area. This installation can be found on Major St. at Bloor St. W. MARY AN/GLEANER NEWS
Hinton and her partner, Chris Foster, worked on the project with the Bloor-Annex BIA and Sustainable Thinking and Expression on Public Space (STEPS) to activate the new parkettes and encourage people to get outside and engage with art. This light art installation is the first interactive kinetic sculptural artwork to be promoted by the BIA.
“We were looking at it as starting a conversation about what’s happening to restaurants, post-COVID or during COVID,” said Melanie Ramsay, project administrator of the Bloor-Annex BIA. “We’re looking to build strong relationships and partnerships with art service organizations and artists going forward so that we could have more stuff like this.”
Each sculpture has a lightbulb inside it, so is best experienced after dusk.
Originally, the art was proposed for January during the winter months as the night would be longer than the day, but the installation date was moved to March – just in time for patios to open temporarily.
According to the artists, there is a “satisfying variety in the world of strainers,” because of the shadows they create against the concrete.
“As the light bulb moves up and down, it casts all these different shadows and patterns. There’s these unique mandala patterns that happen,” says Hinton.
Foster adds that they experimented with many different kitchen materials, including pizza pans, but landed on strainers as the best fit as they constrained the space inside of the artwork.
“There’s this cinematic quality that happens with light and motion that makes it captivating,” says Foster.
The interactive art sculptures at the new parkettes will be removed by the last day of May.
May 12th, 2021 · Comments Off on CHATTER: The pivot to the mask trade (Apr. 2021)
Stores like David Dunkley Fine Millinery at 974 Bathurst St. have successfully re-tooled to make protective masks for their customers. BRIAN BURCHELL/GLEANER NEWS
Rainbows, sparkles and onesies, it turns out, are no match for a global pandemic. That’s what Lien Nguyen and her business partner found out after COVID-19 forced numerous strategic pivots just to stay alive. Their enterprise, the Unicorn Café, opened up in January of 2020 at 561 Bloor Street W., and attempted to continue running via Uber Eats. Like many businesses, the Unicorn Café entered the mask trade and in that, found some hope.
“Because our theme is designed for families with kids, we had to find something to meet their needs,” says Nguyen. “So we decided to sell masks for kids through our storefront window. If people need the masks, we will keep making them.”
David Dunkley Fine Millinery, a unique store which sells handmade hats and headpieces, has also transitioned to selling masks.
“Masks for me was a very logical transition,” said Dunkley. “I had the fabrics, I had the skill, and it’s something that is similar to all the other work I do.”
Dunkley’s masks are all handmade and offer unique features. As a person who wears glasses, he was motivated to create a mask that does not fog up the lenses and was successful in creating one with three layers of protection. He also created masks for a wedding, working with unique fabrics like lace. He has also focused on creating masks that are comfortable for men.
“Surprisingly, many gentlemen with beards found it really hard to find a mask that fit snugly. So, I also created a pattern that would fit over a beard,” Dunkley said. “But, hopefully, we don’t need them in the future.”
He adds that, for him, profit was not a major motivator.
“Masks have saved my mental health. They gave me a purpose, a reason to come into the shop and do something, because what I did was no longer needed,” said Dunkley.
—Mary An/Gleaner News
Comments Off on CHATTER: The pivot to the mask trade (Apr. 2021)Tags:Annex · News
May 12th, 2021 · Comments Off on CHATTER: Tarragon’s Reinvention (Apr. 2021)
Fans of original Canadian theatre will be pleased to know that the Tarragon is not gone. On offer in May are audio dramas Scorched and Come Home-The Legend of Daddy Hall. Visit tickets.tarragontheatre.com. BRIAN BURCHELL/GLEANER NEWS
The Tarragon Theatre has stayed afloat through the third wave of this pandemic by bringing theatre lovers a full season of audio dramas. This art form enjoyed its golden age in the 40s and had been enjoying a rebirth which has boomed with the pandemic. Theatres have been discovering its usefulness as a cheaper and more reliable way to deliver shows than filmed productions or Zoom plays. Actors record their parts remotely, which are combined by the producers who then add in the sound design.
There’s still time to catch Scorched by Wajdi Mouawad and Come Home-The Legend of Daddy Hall by Audrey Dwyer.
Scorched is the story of twins who discover their estranged mother’s painful past after her death. The 2007 production won two Dora Awards and the Globe and Mail called it, “The best piece of theatre this country has produced this millennium.”
Come Home-The Legend of Daddy Hall is a new play by Audrey Dwyer, Artistic Director at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre. Daddy Hall was the Town Crier of Owen Sound in the 19th century. One of the first African-American citizens of Owen Sound, his job was to ring his bell and announce the news and advertisements of the day. He was well liked throughout the town and lived to be over 100, according to historian Paul White. The play will feature original music.
Scorched runs from May 13-26, and The Legend of Daddy Hall from May 30 to June 13. Tickets are $12.50 and are available at tickets.tarragontheatre.com. Within 24 hours, an email is sent with access information for the play, which is available for two weeks from the date of purchase, day or night. The full Tarragon Acoustic subscription of 18 plays is also available for purchase for $152.
—Nicole Stoffman/Gleaner News
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