September 9th, 2020 · Comments Off on ARTS: The arts are open! (Almost) (Aug. 2020)
Come tread gently in the Culture Corridor
By Meribeth Deen
Are your eyes crossed yet? If you haven’t already, it’s time to shut the computer down. Yes, we are still in a global pandemic, but you can leave your house now and become re-acquainted with the city’s public spaces. Just be sure to check your venues’ COVID-19-policies so you can follow the rules of entry.
The Royal Ontario Museum, which has been open since July, requires visitors to purchase time-based tickets, wear masks and hand sanitize frequently. Permanent galleries are now open, including Florals: Desire and Design. Winnie the Pooh: Exploring a Classic will re-open in September. September will also bring Egyptian Mummies: Ancient Lives. New Discoveries. This exhibit brings six mummies, each preserved for up to 3,000 years, alongside CT scans, 3D imaging and 200 contemporary objects to recreate the lives of each one. For those of you who are not ready to venture out yet – online programs will continue running.
Make an appointment with the Istituto Italiano di Cultura to check out 50 years of Italian Portraiture in the exhibition, Facing the Camera. Curated by photographer, editor and filmmaker Marco Delogu, the exhibit features the work of 20 photographers in total, and many previously unpublished photographs. In seeking the works for this exhibition, Delogu says he looked for portraits that “started off from personal experiences, in which you can sense the story of the photographer, his or her personal and social identity.”
If you’re feeling in top shape (ie: no fever, cough, chills or other questionable symptoms) book a visit to The Japan Foundation. Be sure to make time for the Manga Hokusai Manga: Approaching the Master’s Compendium from the Perspective of Contemporary Comics, which closes on September 18. Manga fans consider the works of Katsushika Hokusai as the origin of today’s manga, although the appearance of his work and modern manga do not necessarily suggest a continuous tradition. This exhibition approaches the work from a contemporary perspective, “focusing on genre, pictorial storytelling and participatory culture rather than the integration of word and image or the role of popular characters. And instead of aiming at a historiographic verification of influences, the exhibition invites viewers to ponder their own notions about manga by comparing works from different periods while exploring the diversity therein.”
Get back to class! And study French in-person at the Alliance Française. Social distancing rules will be in effect, as well as mask wearing and hand sanitizing stations. For more information, look into upcoming online open house events to get to know the AF community.
Many of the organizations, businesses and institutions affiliated with the Bloor St. Culture Corridor continue to offer events and programming online. No doubt the more than three million members of the public who enjoy these cultural offerings look forward to more live events so that they can tap into the city’s cultural diversity, including: Aboriginal, French, Jewish, Italian, Japanese, Estonian, African and Caribbean arts and culture – but let’s just see how this virus evolves!
Comments Off on ARTS: The arts are open! (Almost) (Aug. 2020)Tags:Annex · Arts
August 7th, 2020 · Comments Off on ON THE COVER (July 2020)
As Toronto remains in Stage 2 re-opening protocols, restaurants are doing their best to satisfy pent-up demand. Establishments such as Insomnia at 563 Bloor St. W. have found innovative ways to serve their clientelle along the sidewalk. BRIAN BURCHELL/GLEANER NEWS
Comments Off on ON THE COVER (July 2020)Tags:Annex · News
August 7th, 2020 · Comments Off on OBITUARY: Architect leaves indelibe marks (July 2020)
Martel was a planner and architect who turned parking into parks
Paul Martel (3rd from left) with his loyal band of Ecology Park volunteer gardeners. He saw the project as contributing to the greening and cohesion of the Annex. COURTESY MICKEY FRATERMAN
By Nicole Stoffman
If you have ever basked in the serenity of Gwendolyn MacEwan Park, delighted in the view of old trees in Taddle Creek Park, or enjoyed the conviviality of the plaza at Jean Sibelius Park, you can thank Paul Martel.
An astute architect, planner, designer and consensus-builder, Paul brought his love of nature to the revitalization of these parks. He also designed and built Ecology Park (now Paul Martel Park) and an innovative infill public housing project on Madison Ave. A passionate modernist, he worked with the great Canadian modern architect, Ron Thom, on Trent University, and with Mathers & Haldenby Architects on Robarts Library. He also had a deep appreciation for heritage homes, as can be seen in his renovation of The Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Toronto (IICT) on Huron St., and the Elmwood Spa and Bangkok Garden on Elm St.
Mr. Martel, who did so much to shape the Annex neighbourhood where he himself resided, died on April 3, aged 83.
Paul Martel was a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, and a Member of Long Standing of the Ontario Association of Architects. A citation of appreciation from the House of Commons was presented to him by Olivia Chow in 2006 for the contribution of Ecology Park to the community.
In the late ‘70s, Mr. Martel was the consultant on an initiative that saved a group of heritage homes on Madison Ave. and transformed them into a public housing project. Density was added with infill housing, which he designed.
As Mr. Martel explains in the book, Making Cities Work: The Dynamics of Urban Innvovation, the success of the project, completed in 1981, hinged on his ability to include all stakeholders in the process. “He really knew how to integrate good social purpose into architecture,” said Adam Vaughan, MP for Spadina-Fort York. “The project on Madison was very important to him, because it “tied in with his social action,” explained friend Micky Fraterman.
When Mr. Martel was hired to renovate what would be The Elmwood Women’s Club in 1980, the interiors were dilapidated. He kept only the facade of the original building, restoring the beauty of the exterior masonry, and rebuilt everything in behind.
“From the outside, it’s hard to tell the old from the new,” said Executive Manager, Marie Picton. “The way he did that, was amazing.”
Inside, he installed a pool, whirlpool, terraced restaurant, dining room and kitchens; all still enjoyed by guests at the Elmwod Spa. He also detailed new woodwork inside that fit right in.
“In order to house what was going on in here, it was major heavy duty construction,” explained Picton. “But when you entered the building, you would have thought that was how it was in 1897.”
In 1979, when Mr. Martel met with then director of the IICT, Gianni d’Alba, the architect had already envisioned every detail for the renovation of the 1897 Queen Anne Style heritage home at 496 Huron; a library on the main floor with a small theatre next door, offices, archives and a newsletter room on the second floor, classrooms on the third, and more archives and a kitchen in the basement for catering events. This vision was realized and over the years, many Italian and Canadian personalities were guests of the Istituto, from Adrienne Clarkson, filmmaker Liliana Cavani, professor Agostino Lombardo and writer Umberto Eco, to name a few. The theatre is now used primarily as an art gallery.
Paul Martel was born in St. Boniface, Manitoba, to French parents Raoul Martel, and Arlette Grandmont. He was the eldest of four siblings. In 1948 the family moved to Hamilton, where Paul grew up. He moved to Toronto at the age of 17 to study architecture at the University of Toronto, moving into a rooming house on Admiral Rd.
Joan Willsher, an abstract painter, lived below him. Paul would stay up at night doing his projects and drawings and would rock a bit on his chair. Joan complained about the noise to the landlady, who replied, “I think you two should meet.”
They met, and married in 1962. The newlyweds took over being landlords of the house on Admiral Rd., purchasing it in 1968, when their daughter, Anne was born. Years later, when Anne found herself a single mother, the Martels happpily took her in, helping to raise their two granddaughters, Rachel and Rosalyn. “Paul was so smitten with his grandchildren,” recalled Picton.
Paul and Joan created a loving, artistic household. One of Rosalyn Martel’s earliest memories was crawling under Paul’s drafting table, and making drawings beside him and his hired draftsmen. He would encourage her to bring her sketch book on any family trip or outing. “He was like this giant heart,” recalls Rosalyn. “He was very gentle, very calm, an incredible listener, and the type of person you could tell absolutely anything to, without fear of judgement.”
In his role as Chair of the Parks and Trees Committee of the Annex Residents’ Association, Mr. Martel designed Ecology Park, on Madison Ave., just north of Bloor. The garden featured native species representative of all the ecosystems one can find in Southern Ontario. Every Saturday morning for ten years, he led a group of volunteer gardeners to maintain this ambitious little park from April to November. In 2014, it was renamed Paul Martel Park in his honour.
The architect also led the revitalization of Walmer Rd. Circle, an orphaned traffic circle. The city hoped to add some flowers, grass and a statue of a local poet. By the time Gwendolyn MacEwan Park was unveiled in 2010, it was 25% bigger, thanks to the removal of three parking spots on the outside of the circle. It was bulked out on every corner, turning it from a two-way to a one-way circle, calming traffic and making it safer for pedestrians. Adam Vaughan worked with Paul on the project, one of his first as a City Councillor, and remarked that Martel was one of the few people who’s ever put a park where parking spaces literally used to be.
“It was quite spectacular,” said Vaughan.
Paul designed Taddle Creek Park in 1976, and his original concepts held when it was redesigned in 2011, such as the mature trees that ring the park on elevated ground.
“So now when you stand in the middle of the park and look out you still get that expansive view of greenery without seeing parked cars,” recalls friend Eric Jackson. “That part of the park is all Paul.”
Community-based park design was a signature element of Adam Vaughan’s tenure as City Councillor for Trinity-Spadina (now Member of Parliament for Spadina-Fort York), and he says he owes it all to Paul Martel. Paul taught him to lead community consultations during the Jean Sibelius Park revitalization.
“He showed a way to bring voices to the table, and how to blend competing ideas,” recalls Vaughan. “There’s two ways to compromise: you can try and please everyone, or bring people together around a brilliant vision.”
It took six years, including intense debates between the Annex dog owners who wanted a dog-off leash area, and those who did not (this group won), but the park finally opened in 2012 with new playgrounds, pathways and a central plaza.
“Everything he touched had a reason. He had ideas behind it, he knew how to listen,” recalled Vaughan. “I can’t say enough good things about him. He was a real influence on me, a real influence on the neighbourhood, and one of the most gentle, sweet and smart people I think I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.”
Paul Martel was predeceased by his wife, Joan Willsher-Martel. He leaves his siblings, Lucille, Raymond and Robert; daughter, Anne; grandaughters Rosalyn and Rachel; great-grandsons, Jordan, 11, and Levi, 6; and great-granddaughter, Aleyah, 2.
August 7th, 2020 · Comments Off on NEWS: Boutique condos planned for Davenport (July 2020)
Latest submission taller than earlier versions
By Tanya Ielyseieva
BBB Architects have come back to the community with a new plan for 350 Davenport Rd., near Dupont. Originally submitted in 2015 at 7 storeys (24.2 meters) this project has had multiple re-submissions. The most recent, made in April 2020, is for a mid-rise, mixed-use building with luxury boutique condos at 8 storeys (30 meters).
The project, which has yet to be approved, would include ground floor retail with a mezzanine that will have an overall gross floor area (GFA) of 117 square meters. Total GFA in the building is 1275 square meters.
When the project was first submitted in 2015, it was too big and tall for the Davenport Triangle, which had a height limit of 5 storeys. “The applicant was asked to reduce it to set an appropriate precedent for other new projects on the block and nearby,” said Sipo Maphangoh, senior planner for the City of Toronto.
However, since that time, the maximum height for buildings in the Davenport Triangle has increased, following a community consultation that led to the adoption, in 2018, of guiding principles to inform development in the area. At the time, the Triangle was facing unprecedented levels of development pressure, with taller applications for developments at 314-326 Davenport (8-27 storeys), 342-346 Davenport (9 storeys), as well as a proposal for a smaller office building of 5 storeys at 115 Dupont.
All were eventually approved by settlement at the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT). An OMB appeal is underway for the developments at 314-326 Davenport. A 27 storey apartment development at 250 Davenport has already been approved by City Council, so such height in the area would not be without precedent.
“The project [at 350 Davenport Rd.] is slightly taller and bigger since the first submission. The relationship of the building to the lane has improved by providing setbacks that allow clear sight lines for vehicles travelling along Designer’s Walk,” explained Maphangoh. “The separation distance has increased significantly on all levels to mitigate overlook and loss of privacy impacts into the residential properties at the rear and the stacked parking spaces are recessed to allow space for queuing in the lane.”
Eight stories of residential space is proposed for the condominium with a total of 6 high-end units, consisting of a one-bedroom unit, four two-bedroom units, and a three-bedroom unit. Three units are proposed to have two storeys, and three units will take up an entire floor. There will be no affordable units.
“The stepping back of each floor will allow an outdoor terrace with green landscape for each unit, to soften the overall landscape of the building. At the roof level, it will be constructed as a green roof to satisfy the Toronto Green Standard,” said Martin Sun in the application, Project Director at BBB Architects.
Eight parking spaces are proposed and will operate using mechanical lift systems. The parking will be serviced on the back of the building through the Design Walk laneway. The development plans to provide bicycle racks at the lower level to accommodate up to eight bicycles.
Comments Off on NEWS: Boutique condos planned for Davenport (July 2020)Tags:Annex · News
August 7th, 2020 · Comments Off on NEWS: Big-hearted barber gives back (July 2020)
Jack Shewahy provides free haircuts &?a meal to homeless
The Barber House at 791 Bathurst St. has reopened and welcomes back clients. TANYA IELYSEIEVA/GLEANER NEWS
This feature was created pre-COVID closures. We waited to publish it until the Barber House has re-opened. It’s helpful to remember that before the pandemic many front-line professionals, like Jack Shewahy, could also be credited with giving back to their commuities. Now they are open again for business, practicising safe protocols, and still trying to be a “good example for people”.
By Tanya Ielyseieva
Jack Shewahy believes that every man deserves to feel like a gentleman. His shop, The Barber House at 791 Bathurst Street specializes in traditional Turkish techniques including hot towel shaves.
When Shewahy, who has worked as a barber in the UK, Turkey and New York City, says “everyone,” he means it. Prior to being shut down, Shewahy and his employees started giving free hair trims to anyone in need, and offered a hot meal and clean clothes on top of that.
“I’m not just working to earn money. I want to be a good example for people in the area,” said Shewahy in a pre-Covid interview. “I don’t mind giving free haircuts and a hot meal to four or five people a day if they can’t afford it.”
Shewahy added that his father, who also happens to be his barbering mentor, was the reason he started helping people. Together they used to go to the families in need to give money to people who weren’t fortunate enough and had to struggle over money issues.
“My father used to go to the houses very early in the morning, like 3 or 4 a.m., so people won’t see him, and drop vegetables, fruits and envelopes with money on their porch. And here, in my barbershop I want to do the same thing,” Shewahy said.
Shewahy opened the Barber House in 2018 but prior to that he used to give free haircuts at the shelters once a month and every Christmas.
Now Shewahy helps people in The Barber House.
“When you get a fresh haircut and fill your stomach with delicious food you boost your confidence to a higher level and it gives you a hope that you can change your life,” Shewahy said.
“I let people know that it is nice to give something back, not just working and earning money. I want to be a good example for people in the area. I don’t do it for anything I do it from my heart for the people,” Shewahy said.
“I keep my door and my heart open for everybody. Some people don’t have houses, some people don’t have jobs, some people just got in a bad situation. Everybody has a different story but what they have in common is the need to figure out the way to overcome the obstacles. People are looking for a better life and our main goal here is to support them.”
Besides Shewahy there are four more barbers at his barber shop who share his views and passion to help the community.
Peter Ndiaye is one of the barbers. When he is on the subway, bus or any community transport he gives a Barber House card to people in need and offers a free haircut.
“I think it is a great initiative and I really like this place because of all the help we can offer to people,” he said.
Comments Off on NEWS: Big-hearted barber gives back (July 2020)Tags:Annex · News
Rosalyn Martel (left), and Philip Gevik (right) flank Sally’s Fright (1968). The exuberant colour-field landscape by Canadian abstract art pioneer, William Ronald, belonged to Martel’s grandfather, Paul Martel. The painting was recently purchased by Gevik Gallery in Yorkville. NICOLE STOFFMAN/GLEANER NEWS
Yorkville’s Gallery Gevik has acquired, Sally’s Fright (1968), a rare colour-field landscape painting by William Ronald from the collection of Paul and Joan-Wilsher Martel. Ronald was a trailblazer, founding Painters Eleven in 1953, a collective of artists that introduced abstract art to Canada. The 9×12 foot work was a birthday gift for Mrs. Martel, a modern artist in her own right, from her husband in 1968. Mr. Martel, an architect who led many greening projects in the Annex, passed away on April 3, 2020. Joan predeceased him in 2017.
William Ronald painted very few such landscapes, composed of strips of exuberant colours. Ronald’s work can be found in the collections of the National Gallery in Ottawa and the Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa. Gallery owner, Philip Gevik, who represented Mrs. Martel for a decade in the nineties, said he had to buy Sally’s Fright when he saw it at auction at Waddington’s in June, after admiring it over the years during visits to Joan’s home studio.
The Martels had a passion for great Canadian Art, and Sally’s Fright was part of their Painters Eleven collection. The painting holds a special place in granddaughter Rosalyn Martel’s heart.
“I feel all of my memories just flowing through the piece,” she says. “All the vibrant colours of the years that have gone by.”
Here’s hoping this important work finds its rightful place in a new setting.
August 7th, 2020 · Comments Off on NEWS: St. Peter’s Church’s pastor succombs to COVID-19 (July 2020)
Paulist Father Richard Colgan, 68, died of complications from COVID-19 at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. on Monday, May 25. A former pastor at St. Peter’s Church on Bathurst St., Father Colgan served as a director of novices at the Paulist Fathers’ formation house of studies in Washington D.C.
“With great sadness, we announce that our brother, Paulist Fr. Richard Colgan, has entered eternal life,” the Paulist Fathers’ statement reads. “We pray that Fr. Rich, and all those around the world who have died from COVID-19, are now in God’s warm embrace.”
Not long before Fr. Rich left Toronto in 2008, he was diagnosed with cancer and recieved treatment. The cancer returned while he was in Washington D.C., making his immunity very low.
“When COVID-19 got into the seminary, I think some of the young men who are training to be priests there got it but it wasn’t the same for them. So, Fr. Rich fairly quickly went into the hospital and he went on the ventilator. He was on the ventilator for about a week and I don’t know whether he had pre-planned it, I’m sure he had, but at a certain point the decision was made to turn off the ventilator,” said Heather McClory, coordinator of Toronto Paulist Associates.
Colgan served the Paulist community for 46 years and as a priest for 41 years.
“He was such a kind and patient and wise man,” said McClory. “You could tell by his demeanor that he loved being a priest. And he really was very giving and kind, very good advice, very patient and calm.”
—Tanya Ielyseieva, Gleaner News
Comments Off on NEWS: St. Peter’s Church’s pastor succombs to COVID-19 (July 2020)Tags:Annex · News
August 7th, 2020 · Comments Off on CHATTER: Virus-killing tech used at check-out counter (July 2020)
COURTESY DARA GALLINGER
Between May 20 and June 1, a grocery store on Bathurst St took part in a cutting edge experiment to make sure customers took virus-free goods home from their store. The Summerhill Market (1014 Bathurst) worked on a pilot project of a machine called the X-Germinator which uses non-toxic UV light to damage the molecular structure of viruses in less than 30 seconds.
Real estate agent Alyssa Mincer and Dara Gallinger, a co-founder of the Toronto mill and bakery Brodflour, partnered with a medical startup called Prescientx, to develop the machine.
“We had a UV light machine to disinfect cellphones so I was wondering if that could be applied to groceries,” says Gallinger. “We did some research and found the Prescientx, the company which is developing the UV machines to sanitize N95 masks. We discussed the idea and developed the X-Germinator.”
According to the manager of the Summerhill Market, Brad McMullen, there was a lot of interest in the machine from the customers, and people were excited see it in use.
The cashier would scan the grocery items then place them on a closed conveyer belt. On the belt they were passed through a UV-C tunnel where they were then exposed to the germicidal light. While the effectiveness of this process left little to be desired and left customers very pleased, manager McMullen took issue with the size of the machine and the amount of space it required in the grocery store environment.
Gallinger says a second prototype for the X-Germinator is currently in the works, and when it arrives in stores this August, it will be half the size of the original.
—Tanya Ielyseieva, Gleaner News
Comments Off on CHATTER: Virus-killing tech used at check-out counter (July 2020)Tags:Annex · News
August 7th, 2020 · Comments Off on EDITORIAL: Ford turns on tenants (July 2020)
One of the strangest things to happen over the course of this very strange spring was the apparent transformation of Premier Doug Ford into to a caring, compassionate leader. This illusion is fading quickly, as his government rams Bill 184 through the Ontario legislature. The new law will almost surely result in mass residential evictions of tenants who were unable to pay full rent during the COVID-19 lockdown.
In March, Premier Ford promised Ontario tenants that he had their backs and they would be protected from evictions during the pandemic. It turns out his actions don’t match that promise. Across Canada, provincial governments have provided rent support for struggling tenants, in Ontario not one cent.
For Torontonians who pay some of the highest rents in the country, the problem is particularly acute. The lack of rent relief from the province hurts tenants and landlords alike.
Governments of every political stripe do this at least once during their time in office: create a law that helps one side but harms another and name the new law in such a way to make it sound like the opposite is true. What Doug Ford is trying to do with Bill 184 is a perfect example of this as the, “Protecting Tenants and Strengthening Community Housing Act,” will do nothing of the sort. This is right out of former Premier Mike Harris’s playbook.
Harris, in 1997 crafted legislation which stripped away tenant rights in the “Landlord and Tenant Act,” but not before clearly re-naming it the “Tenant Protection Act”. The parallels are eerie.
Essentially, this new law, which is expected to be enacted soon, will allow landlords to bypass the Landlord Tenant Board (LTB) who currently must be involved in a quasi-judicial capacity when a renter falls behind. At the LTB a repayment plan must be crafted or an eviction may be granted.
Other issues can be discussed there too: utility disruptions, broken elevators, and soon. Bill 184 allows the landlord to craft his or her own arrangements with the tenant. On the face of it, this may seem reasonable enough but tenants may feel pressured into agreements they can’t afford. Tenants whose first language is not English (highly likely here in the most diverse city in the world) will be at a distinct disadvantage.
Under the proposed rules if the tenant agrees to the rent re-payment terms, and for whatever reason falls behind on the repayment – even a single payment – the landlord can then ask the sheriff to evict the tenant.
Most shockingly, Bill 184 is back-dated to March 17 – the very day Ontario declared a state of emergency. It’s a perfect storm for tenants: unemployment, illness and an overall sense of economic uncertainty. Rent arrears may have accumulated and now the province has come up with tools for landlords to quickly remedy that problem.
Vulnerable tenants, who used to have the LTB as the regulatory referee in the middle, will no longer enjoy that protection. In many cases, the landlords will be thrilled to have their tenants evicted so they can take advantage of the rental market and raise the rents. It almost seems that was Ford’s plan all along: hook the tenants in on debt they could not repay and give the landlord lobby the tools to get rid of below market rent payers.
This all sets the stage for evictions to take place as early as August 1. After all, what better way to stay afloat during a pandemic than to add to the homeless population? Doug Ford, in all his meanness and bluster, is back.
August 7th, 2020 · Comments Off on FORUM: Finding positive outcomes (July 2020)
Rapidly expanding bike lanes a healthy solution
By Mike Layton
As Torontonians diligently work together to progress to the next stage of the recovery plan, we are collectively coming to terms with the fact that we are learning to live with a new normal. This period of rapid change has brought with it a number of difficult issues, and has highlighted the many ways in which we need to do better. However, it has also opened the door for us to imagine new ways forward. Toronto has always been a place where people with vision have put in the work to build their communities, and my recent communications with residents have shown that our city’s passion for progress is only getting stronger.
An integral part of our pandemic recovery response is reviewing our highest single expense, the police budget, to see if there are improved ways to deliver services that ensure the safety of all residents. At the first opportunity, I will work to reallocate resources from the police budget into services to promote anti-oppressive practices in consultation with Black and other racialized communities.
It is imperative that we continue to address systemic racism through the provision of services. We know that racism manifests in poverty, housing discrimination, in cuts to social and community programs, and in negative health outcomes—especially as being observed through the current pandemic. We must take action and invest our resources to address these inequities head on. The city works to apply an equity lens on every budget decision it makes, which is a good first step, but more must be done, starting with properly funding city services.
Learning to live with the COVID-19 pandemic means recognizing that people need to be able to get where they need to go while maintaining a safe physical distance. As retail stores that have a public entrance door that opens onto a street or sidewalk have been allowed to reopen, the opportunity to revive our main streets is possible, with protective measures in place. This also means that many of us will need to consider alternate methods of transportation.
In early June, we welcomed the installation of new protected bike lanes on University Avenue, through Queen’s Park Crescent. These lanes are part of 25 kilometres of new cycling infrastructure. This was approved by city council at the end of May, as part of the city’s ActiveTO program. The bike lanes on University Avenue will connect to existing lanes on Bloor, College, Adelaide, and Richmond Streets, making continuous, protected trips possible. They provide an alternative to the Line 1 subway for commuters, while opening up more space on the subway for those who need to take public transit.
The community has long advocated for safe, protected bike lanes on University Avenue, alongside major hospitals in the area, including SickKids and the University Health Network, who released letters in support of the University bike lanes. Members of the group Doctors for Safe Cycling, some of whom work in the area’s hospitals, have also highlighted the importance of the lanes in enabling health care workers, staff, and clients to safely get to work and access the area’s health care facilities.
The lanes are ready to change the way that many residents get around this summer, and are just the beginning of what’s possible. With this change, Toronto has joined the ranks of London, New York, and Mexico City, all of which have responded to COVID-19 by expanding cycling infrastructure. Going forward, how people get around will continue to be a major public health issue. These new lanes are a step in the right direction towards keeping each other healthy, and keeping our city moving.
I am committed to building an equitable and just Toronto, and I am grateful to work with you to make it happen.
Mike Layton is Councillor for Ward 11, University—Rosedale
August 7th, 2020 · Comments Off on FORUM: Ford failing to address homelessness, racism, schooling (July 2020)
Telling parents to prepare for every eventuality is not a plan
By Jessica Bell
As the pandemic drags on, the social and economic impacts of COVID-19 on the most vulnerable are getting worse. I want to draw attention to three communities that need our help.
Toronto’s homelessness crisis is a ticking time bomb. The city has spent nearly $200 million on housing and supporting 7,000 people in community centres, hotels, and schools. Now, these schools and community centres are reopening, and the four to six-month contracts the city has with hotels are beginning to expire. People have nowhere to go. At the same time, Doug Ford is close to approving Bill 184, which will make it easier for landlords to evict renters. More people will be living and dying on our streets if we don’t take action.
On June 26, I joined Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam to call on the Ford Government to help the City of Toronto provide basic support to our homeless. We’re talking about food, water, medication, and portable toilets. We have a moral responsibility to help our most vulnerable.
Since April, 9 Black, Indigenous or racialized people in Canada have died in interactions with police. They were loved and should be here today. Their names are: Regis Korchinski-Paquet, Rodney Levi, Chantel Moore, Stewart Kevin Andrews, Jason Collins, Eishia Hudson, Caleb Tubila Njoko, D’Andre Campbell and Ejaz Choudry.
These deaths are not isolated incidents. They are due to a pattern of brutal policing and racism. On June 22, we laid out our commitments to tackling police brutality, these include overhauling police oversight so police are accountable, reinvesting funding into community programs and alternative first responders, demilitarizing the police, ending carding, and heavily investing resources in racialized and poor neighbourhoods to improve quality of life.
The Ford Government is refusing to truly address racism and police brutality. I believe public momentum is so strong that Ford will have no choice but to reverse course.
Just over a week ago, the Ontario Government announced its plan for kids returning to classrooms in September. School boards are being asked to plan three different scenarios for the classroom which will depend on public health advice and the province’s COVID-19 situation in the fall: online, in-class, and a hybrid of online and in-class. Part-time school is on the cards.
As a parent of two school-age children, I know how hard the last few months have been for families. I’m confused by the government’s, “it could be everything or nothing,” plan. I know many of you don’t know what child care plans to make if school returns only part-time, or what part-time means exactly? Many of you don’t want to repeat the months of emergency remote learning we just endured and many teachers are worried about what is being done to keep kids and teachers safe in the classroom, especially individuals with co-morbidities.
On June 29, we hosted a town hall with experts to learn what school should and could look like in September. Panelist Dr. Michelle Science shared the results of her Sick Kids report on COVID-19 and children. Dr. Science’s research shows that kids are less impacted by COVID-19 and there is a real need to balance the risk of COVID-19 with the growing impacts on mental health and child development from keeping schools closed and limiting child-to-child play. TDSB teacher, Nigel Barriffe, said the Ford Government has not consulted with teachers and that teachers are asking for information on what school could look like so they can prepare, as well as what health and safety measures will be taken to keep teachers and kids safe. MPP Marit Stiles spoke to the government’s failure to provide additional funding to school boards to accommodate health and safety guidelines, including paid sick days, smaller class sizes, proper ventilation, and working sinks.
It’s going to be a tough school year. I will be writing a letter to the minister of education summarizing some of the concerns and questions that residents have raised about school re-opening. There are no easy answers. We are in a time of flux. Public health is paramount.
Please contact my office if you have any questions or concerns about these issues and more.
