September 5th, 2025 · Comments Off on ON THE COVER: Sato’s debut (May/June 2025)
On May 11 at Christie Pits, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Ayami Sato is greeted by manager Rob Butler after pitching a perfect inning as the first woman to play in a men’s pro baseball league in Canada. R.S. KONJEK/GLEANER NEWS
September 5th, 2025 · Comments Off on SPORTS: Sato makes history with perfect debut (May/June 2025)
Largest crowd in over a decade packs Christie Pits for Leafs season opener
By R.S. Konjek
She stands on the field near third base.
Diminutive and still, she is wearing her crisp white and blue Toronto Maple Leafs baseball uniform. An arm’s length away, a dozen people lean over the fence, cameras trained, phones recording.
Ayami Sato’s face is attentive. She listens as a reporter asks a question and waits as her interpreter, Yoko van Veen, translates. She responds in Japanese, then waits again as her words are translated back. It’s a familiar routine. She has been asked many of these same questions for months.
“Why did you choose Toronto?”
“Have you played against men before?”
“Do you hope to inspire girls and women?”
She answers all the questions again. In a few moments, the questions will cease, and a new chapter of her life will begin.
It is Sunday, May 11. Opening Day at Christie Pits, and a groundbreaking new season of the Intercounty Baseball League. Last December, when the Leafs announced that they had signed Sato to play for them in 2025, it made international headlines. A star of women’s baseball in Japan, she would be the first woman in Canadian history to play professional baseball against men.
The Leafs described the signing as “a pivotal moment, inspiring future generations and redefining the boundaries of professional sports.” The Sato hype was accompanied by a newly announced Women’s Pro Baseball League that will begin play in 2026. Leafs’ ownership has a hand in that venture.
After months of hype and interviews, the moment has arrived.
Corner to corner, the Christie hillsides are carpeted with thousands of fans, friends, and curious onlookers, a crowd of this size not seen for over a decade.
Before Sato can take to the mound, she receives greetings from a collection of dignitaries gathered on the infield. Mayor Olivia Chow speaks to the excitement of the day. Japanese Consul General Ken Matsunaga expresses pride and good wishes. Councillor Dianne Saxe notes that the neighbourhood is represented by women at all levels of government: municipally, provincially and federally. Sato receives bows, a bouquet, a box of doughnuts.
It’s time to play ball. The Leafs take the field, and the Kitchener Panthers prepare to bat.
The first batter steps in. Instead of a cinematic hush descending over the park, the crowd of thousands applauds and cheers in anticipation.
Sato winds up, delivers, and is tested right away. Her first pitch is tapped back to the mound. She grabs the ball and throws to first base. Jordan Castaldo makes the catch. One pitch, one out.
The second batter grounds out. The third batter pops up, and second baseman Dan Marra catches it on the infield dirt. It’s a perfect inning for Sato, who threw just five pitches.
She’s done it. An ovation rings around the ballpark. All the questions have been lifted off Sato’s shoulders. She smiles and bounds towards the Leafs bench with her teammates. Her beaming manager Rob Butler greets her with a hug.
Having passed the first test, Sato returns to the mound in the second inning. It takes her just nine pitches to record three more outs, including a strikeout.
From the day Sato was signed, Leafs’ ownership showed unwavering confidence that she could compete in a men’s league. She has rewarded their confidence and made history in style. Two perfect innings, forever etched in time.
As usual on Opening Day, the Leafs gave most of their roster an opportunity to get into the game. Sato’s day was done after the second. With a Leafs hoodie pulled over her uniform, she spent the rest of the game in the Leafs bullpen, chatting with fans and signing autographs.
The Leafs went on to drop the game 6-5, but the Pits overflowed with positive vibes all afternoon.
The Sato sensation is undeniable. The Leafs do not track attendance, but at a glance it looked like a record crowd was at Christie Pits for the historic day.
As the season goes on, Sato will be expected to go deeper into games and help rack up wins. If her debut is any indication, the Leafs and their fans can look forward to a successful summer.
September 5th, 2025 · Comments Off on OPINION: Empty cars don’t buy things—people do (May/June 2025)
Proposed priority transit lanes on Bathurst will bring more shoppers
By Terri Chu
A few times a week, I take my kids about two kilometres south on Bathurst for Taekwondo. When the weather is nice, we like to go by bike, but when the weather isn’t so nice, we take transit. Lately, I have entirely given up on transit, even on the coldest of days. In addition to not dropping the $3.20 for pretty much nothing, it has been faster to walk, even with kids.
When we took transit, the app we used would show a bus arriving in a few minutes. Then the estimated arrival time would bounce back a few minutes, then a few minutes more. One day the scheduled arrival time was 4:48, and a bus finally arrived at 5:15. That was the last straw. It would have been faster and less stressful to walk. So ever since, we started walking. I have entirely given up on the Bathurst bus. It is often more than a 30-minute wait for three or four vehicles travelling in a wolf pack. Residents deserve better.
Imagine my excitement to see the city’s plans to create a transit corridor on Bathurst. The pavement currently taken up by empty cars will give way to a dedicated transit lane, giving commuters a fighting chance to get to where they need to be on time. The city plans on removing parking on either side of Bathurst to create a priority transit lane for buses (that bikes will be allowed to use). The priority lanes will be near the sidewalk north of Bloor and in the centre where the streetcar tracks already exist south of Bloor.
Most people reading this column are probably lucky enough to live close to the subway and walking is an option, but further up Bathurst is a large immigrant community completely dependent on reliable transit to get to work, school, or doctors’ offices. Many of these people do the hard work of taking care of kids too. The people of Toronto deserve reliable transit.
A luxury Lexus with nobody in it is not entitled to take up the same space as a vehicle that transports dozens of the city’s most hard-working people. The rich are not entitled to public space. This space absolutely needs to be taken back and put to better use.
There are businesses of course complaining about losing parking. Their counterparts on Bloor went through the same thing when the city first wanted to install bike lanes. Then they discovered that business went up because of increased foot traffic. It is hard to adjust a mindset based on fallacies, but the data is there. Empty cars don’t buy things; people do.
I will be boycotting any businesses organizing against this transit corridor. It reveals a narrow-minded perspective and a lack of community care. I want to support businesses that care about people, the environment, and the health of the city.
The city is seeking comments and will be hosting public meetings on the issue. Please tell them how much our community will benefit from dedicated transit lanes and do not let the empty SUVs speak for us.
September 5th, 2025 · Comments Off on CHATTER: Bloor-Borden farmers’ market returns (May/June 2025)
On Wednesday, June 4, the Bloor-Borden farmers’ market returned for its 19th year. It is a beloved institution that has been nestled in the Green P parking lot on the south side of Bloor behind Crafty Coyote for nearly two decades. Helen, the driving force behind the market, can be found at the information booth every week without fail. It takes an army of volunteers to bring this market to our neighbourhood but it’s worth it. Though it is an important source of farm fresh produce, it also acts as a gathering spot for so many people in our community. It is our town square where we can catch up on the latest happenings in the neighbourhood, meet politicians willingly to get an earful, and meet people face-to-face in a world dominated by fast food delivery.
The babies who came in strollers in the first year can now vote and drink. Some have even graced the volunteer table as young volunteers. The Bloor-Borden market allows city dwellers to directly support farmers who do the important work of growing food. It ensures they can earn enough to keep their farms alive, and it gives us city folks access to the freshest food that hasn’t been sitting in a shipping container for weeks.
Rain or shine, this market will run from the first week of June until the end of October. We will be there every Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. This year’s market will feature a lot of returning vendors as well as some new ones. Come grab your groceries, get a snack, and enjoy some live music. Remember to bring your reusable bags and containers. The amount of plastic our market produces has visibly reduced over the past 19 years. As a community, let’s also strive to make a no waste market.
—Terri Chu/Gleaner News
Comments Off on CHATTER: Bloor-Borden farmers’ market returns (May/June 2025)Tags:Annex · News
September 5th, 2025 · Comments Off on CHATTER: Esso closes on Harbord (May/June 2025)
A dearth of downtown gas stations as Esso gas station shutters on Harbord. BRIAN BURCHELL/GLEANER NEWS
Toronto has lost another small gas station in the downtown core. Originally a repair shop with two gas pumps, 132 Harbord St. was transformed into an Esso Station after it was sold in 2020. Passersby may have noticed that a fence has recently been erected. Rory Gus Sinclair, past chair of the Harbord Village Residents’ Association, shared factors that may have contributed to the closure.
According to Sinclair, an agreement was reached after a City of Toronto committee of adjustment process. Due to its location in a residential community, the station was limited to four pumps total and the height of the canopy was restricted so that it did not obstruct the view from nearby houses. In addition, the gas station could only be open between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m.
Perhaps surprisingly, gas stations rely heavily on sales made in their attached convenience stores.
In the case of 132 Harbord St., the site did not have sufficient space for customers to park their cars; consequently, the station depended mostly on foot traffic, further limiting revenue.
Under these constraints, the station was only able to remain open for a few years and has now gone into receivership. Sinclair said, “They went bankrupt. The company is now in what is called receivership…something else is going to go in there, and we don’t know what. It could be another gas station, but I think the lesson from this gas station is that it is not very profitable.”
While it is not yet known what the plans are for the location, it might be transformed into housing. The growing population means that when spaces like these become available, they are often used for additional housing. Paradoxically, with more people in the neighbourhood, more services should be available to meet their needs, but those still operating are gradually being lost to new residential developments.
—Elliot Barker/Gleaner News
Comments Off on CHATTER: Esso closes on Harbord (May/June 2025)Tags:Annex · News
September 5th, 2025 · Comments Off on NEWS: Estonian Music Week Celebrates 5th Anniversary (May/June 2025)
Madison street party took place on May 25
Canadian-Estonian turntablist and producer Erik Laar was part of Estonian Music Week’s Doors Open Toronto showcase. COURTESY TANEL TERO
By Kati Kiilaspea
Toronto, as an incredibly multicultural city, hosts so many cool, inspiring festivals throughout the year; it’s what makes the city really come alive. What better way is there to express cultural identity and pride, or learn about cultural diversity, than through live music? Estonian Music Week (EMW), based in the Annex, ran from May 22 to 25 and celebrated its fifth anniversary this year. The festival was bigger and better than ever and brought the best Estonian musicians to the Annex and nearby venues.
Performances venues included Division 88, Revival Event Venue, DROM Taberna, Innis Town Hall, St. Anne’s Parish Hall, and Trinity St. Paul’s United Church. The village party took place on Madison Avenue.
The festival kicked off with an exclusive launch party at the beautiful Gardiner Museum, right across from the ROM, on May 22. Patrons seized the chance to celebrate the festival in style and met some of this year’s artists while enjoying food and drinks.
On Sunday, May 25, we really brought the music to the heart of the Annex with a miniature street festival on Madison Avenue at Bloor Street. Our Külasimman/Village Party included a free, all-ages block party that celebrated Estonian culture with live music, singing, dancing, crafts, food, and drink. The Külasimman transported guests to the countryside, but it also celebrated the Estonian village forming in the heart of Toronto, with so many community organizations moving to this area. The event was also part of Doors Open, which celebrated the theme of “play” this year.
Following the street party, there were two great performances by celebrated Estonian musical groups. At Innis Town Hall there was a groundbreaking concert by Ensemble U: featuring an augmented reality cosmic journey set to the music of Canadian-Estonian composer Udo Kasemets. The group has been working with the music faculty at the University of Toronto and the Canadian Music Centre to develop historically informed performances of Kasemets’ works.
Some might say we saved the best for last. Grammy-winning vocal ensemble, Vox Clamantis, performed at Trinity-St. Paul’s. The audience witnessed their mastery of Gregorian chant and contemporary compositions. This special program featured works by famed Estonian composer Arvo Pärt in celebration of his 90th birthday, as well as works by Lembit Avesson and Veljo Tormis. It was perfect for those interested in Estonian classical-contemporary innovation.
The May 23 and 24 concerts were not far from the Annex. On May 23, EMW hosted a countryside dance party in the heart of the city at Revival Event Venue (783 College St.) The Estonian folk group, Curly Strings, headlined this event. They returned to Toronto for this festival because the Estonian-Canadian community voted to bring them back. What (or who) the audience wants, they get! Nordic bluegrass met Franco-Ontarian folklore, met Irish-inspired folk rock for one unforgettable night, with The Crosslegs, while Ontario’s Les Rats d’Swompe performed traditional music.
On May 24, Estonia’s leading a cappella jazz innovators, Estonian Voices, blended folk, pop, and jazz into ethereal vocal harmonies at Innis Town Hall. What better pairing for this vocal sextet from Estonia than the powerful voices and beautiful harmonies of Canada’s own Countermeasure. This event was presented in partnership with SING! The Toronto International Vocal Arts Festival.
The performance by Tuulikki Bartosik X Sander Mölder and Caracol, sculptors of folktronica soundscapes, was both minimalist and rich, emotionally resonant and sophisticated. It invited listeners to a space where folk meets electronica and new ideas emerge.
For those who felt the night was still young and wanted to keep the energy and vibes flowing, there was the twilight samurai of alternative pop, Estonia’s Mart Avi paired with Canada’s own award-winning singer, composer, producer, and builder of worlds, Katie McBride; it was a night to remember. Both concerts took place at St. Anne’s Parish Hall and were presented by Wavelength Music.
Estonian Music Week is presented by the Annex-based organizations Estonian Museum Canada and Tartu College.
July 15th, 2025 · Comments Off on EDITORIAL: Bill 5 recklessly endangers Ontario (May/June 2025)
The Ontario legislature has now passed Bill 5—the Protect Ontario by Unleashing the Economy Act. The bill allows cabinet, not the legislature, to establish Special Economic Zones (SEZ) where provincial or municipal regulations governing the environment, public health, labour, human rights, planning, and building would simply not apply. The flying monkeys who comprise Premier Doug Ford’s cabinet are sure to grant him these lawless spaces, wherever he asks for them. This is dangerous and unprecedented legislative overreach.
In his last term as premier, Ford tried unsuccessfully to get his family friend, Ron Taverner, appointed as OPP Commissioner, even though Taverner did not meet the qualifications for the job. When called out for this clear conflict of interest Ford said, “I have final sign-off on everything in this province.” It’s that attitude that underpins Bill 5, a sort of authoritarian populism. Even though he was elected by less than 20 per cent of eligible voters (43 per cent of the popular vote with a 45.4 per cent voter turnout), Ford appears to see his win as a mandate for an electoral dictatorship. In this line of thinking, he is entitled to exercise absolute power for the duration of his mandate.
Bill 5 is indeed just a power grab. For all his bluster in the last provincial election about seeking a mandate to do battle with President Trump’s tariffs, it appears it has all come down to a bid to be more like him. The premier has no vision for the Province of Ontario but he is hell bent on tearing down statutes and regulations that help define our society. It’s as if he is in a perpetual state of hating government whilst ostensibly leading it.
Bill 5 is a clear threat to Indigenous rights. The first SEZ will likely be located in the Ring of Fire in northern Ontario where Indigenous peoples have treaty-protected land rights. Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 does not recognize the unilateral power of the Ontario cabinet, and Ontario is required to meaningfully consult.
The legislation repeals the Endangered Species Act and elements of the Environmental Assessment Act. Scientists, municipalities, and Indigenous leaders throughout the province protested when the omnibus bill was introduced, but their voices were ignored. The bill was amended to include “consultations” with impacted Indigenous groups, but this is seen as a vague afterthought. Arguably, Bill 5 itself ought to have been the subject of such consultations. As a result, the province is probably already in breach of the Constitution.
The bill expressly exempts the Ontario Place redevelopment from the Environmental Bill of Rights, 1993 and would extend legal and regulatory exemptions to the controversial Highway 413 project and the Bradford Bypass. The premier has said he will use it to ram through his bizarre scheme to build a tunnel under the 401.
This legislation changes the Ontario Heritage Act by exempting archaeological requirements at significant Indigenous and settler sites. Found a longhouse or native burial site while constructing Highway 413? Just keep that bulldozer rolling along on Ontario’s supposed path to prosperity.
Is this the best that “Captain Canada” has to offer the people of Ontario?
Labour standards would evaporate within a SEZ. Workplace health and safety standards and minimum wages would simply not exist. Want to set up a sweatshop with child labour? Come to Ontario; it’s your place to grow. It’s a potential two-tiered labour system, where life inside a SEZ, where human rights are optional, could resemble the dystopian reality of a Mad Max film.
The Unleashing the Economy Act is supposed to deliver Ontario into some vaguely defined promised land, but it’s not a vision; it’s a threat. And what Doug Ford has demonstrated is that it’s not just Donald Trump we should fear.
July 10th, 2025 · Comments Off on FORUM: Easing congestion into summer (May/June 2025)
Improving transit, hiring more traffic agents
By Dianne Saxe
Hello neighbours! Everyone seems happier in May: the days are longer, the weather is lovely, and flowers are springing up everywhere!
Thank you to everyone who joined our Community Cleanup at Fred Hamilton Park. Thank you as well to everyone who came out to our Spring Spectacular at Christie Pits!
It was most definitely a seasonal highlight, featuring free food, carnival games, face-painting and more!
To learn more about upcoming events, stay connected with us on Instagram (@dianne.saxe) and X (@Diannesaxe) and visit diannesaxe.ca to sign up for our newsletter.
One of the key items approved at April’s Council meeting was to upgrade how we manage congestion and coordinate construction that blocks streets and sidewalks. Higher lane occupancy fees, more traffic agents, and stronger coordination, etc., are already noticeably easing congestion and reducing travel times.
I am very glad to hear that, despite continuing challenges with congestion in our city, travel times have improved and should continue along a trajectory towards even further improvement.
Happily, the Superior Court issued an injunction preventing the Province from ripping out the Yonge, University and Bloor bike lanes during the court process.
The judge noted “compelling” evidence that bike lanes improve safety, and do not worsen congestion, despite the province’s ‘anecdotal’ claims to the contrary.
Thank you to Cycle Toronto & Ecojustice for bringing the lawsuit, and to each of the volunteer experts.
Parks staff tell me that their most divisive, emotional issues usually revolve around off-leash dogs.
Toronto has about 600,000 dogs, with many of them living downtown with no private outdoor space and playing in parks, ravines, and schoolyards.
Several reports addressing the issue passed Council in April – one improving the management of ~350 dangerous dogs, the other a strategy for dedicated off-leash spaces where other dogs can exercise and socialize.
The new dog strategy standardizes criteria for new off-leash dog areas, their hours, and when they can be used by commercial dog walkers. It will also improve maintenance and enforcement.
Last month, I persuaded Toronto City Council to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in neighbourhood polls.
These are not formal elections, but a form of local consultation. It is important however, that youth feel that they have a voice in their communities, and this new legislation encourages greater civic participation, making it more likely to create life-long voters.
Furthermore, young people will inherit the consequences of our decisions, so I’m glad to help give them a larger voice in that future.
Much of my work over these past months was focused on making TTC more reliable.
Buses and streetcars are often caught in traffic. The two main solutions are to give transit vehicles their own priority lanes (RapidTO) and priority getting through intersections.
Consultation will take place this month for the proposed Bathurst and Dufferin RapidTO lanes, which are essential for rapid, reliable transit on these key routes during FIFA and beyond. However, the cheapest and fastest thing the City can do is to give transit vehicles priority green lights at intersections.
I was shocked to learn that only half the intersections on our 20 busiest bus and streetcar lines have signal priority equipment.
Worse, 1 out of 4 of those are broken, and most of the remainder are out of date. I am pushing hard at the TTC and at Council to get this fixed. Transit vehicles need true prioritization to improve reliability.
I would encourage everyone to look online and review the RapidTO Bathurst plans at https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/streets-parking-transportation/transportation-projects/rapidto/rapidto-bathurst-street/.
If you did not have a chance to complete the survey by the May 26th deadline, please connect with my office, as the City of Toronto and the TTC want your input.
Every month for the rest of the term, I will be donating my salary increase to a worthy charity in Ward 11. Let me know your favourite and why!
Dianne Saxe is city councillor for Ward 11, University-Rosedale.
July 10th, 2025 · Comments Off on FORUM: Primary health, environment, education each suffer under Ford (May/June 2025)
Bill 5, Bill 11, and new provincial budget paint a worrying path forward
By Jessica Bell
From the environment to education, there’s currently a lot we’re debating in the legislature. Here is a roundup of what’s happening at Queen’s Park.
Bill 5 puts Indigenous rights and environmental protections at risk
Earlier this month, the government introduced Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025. This is a sweeping omnibus bill that makes major changes to Ontario’s environmental laws, heritage protections, Indigenous consultation, and more.
The government is talking up parts of the bill that aim to speed up the construction of mines, highways, and other major infrastructure, but there’s a lot more in this 229-page bill than that.
The bill undermines the Crown’s duty to consult and accommodate First Nations and allows the government to designate “trusted proponents” and delegate responsibilities to them, including regulatory approvals.
While the duty to consult is not explicitly handed off in law, the structure of the bill sets up a process where developers may be given lead responsibility for coordinating key project elements without meaningful Indigenous engagement.
This raises serious concerns about the Crown’s responsibility to consult and accommodate, and it takes us one step further away from securing free, prior, and informed consent from Indigenous communities before a project can proceed on their traditional territory.
The bill fundamentally weakens Ontario’s endangered species protections by repealing the Endangered Species Act and replacing it with a new “Species Conservation Act.”
Under the new rules, the definition of “habitat” would be narrowed to just a nest or den and the area right around it, instead of the full environment a species needs to survive. The government would no longer be required to create recovery plans for species in danger.
And instead of leaving protection decisions to scientists, the new law gives more power to politicians to decide which species are protected and which are not. Environmental experts say this is the biggest rollback of species protections in nearly 20 years.
The bill also creates Special Economic Zones that give the government sweeping powers to override municipal bylaws, environmental rules, and even provincial legislation to fast-track projects.
The government can create these zones anywhere they want and any projects inside them can skip the usual approval process including environmental reviews and public consultations.
The legislation could be used to accelerate development at places like Ontario Place, bypassing environmental safeguards and community input. I want to hear your thoughts on this bill. Please contact my office. Our contact information is at the end of this piece.
Primary care expansion is coming, but who is missing out?
On May 5, the government introduced Bill 11, the More Convenient Care Act, 2025 to define what Ontarians should expect from primary care. The bill outlines goals like the right to a primary care provider, timely access to care, and teams-based care that meets local needs. We are supporting this bill. To address the acute shortage of primary care in select postal codes (and some of these postal codes are in University-Rosedale), the government has asked health-care providers to apply to expand their primary care operations to help attach people to a primary care provider.
While these are very good steps, the funding commitment falls well short of ensuring the 2.3 million people without a family doctor actually get one. Health-care providers are also concerned that this funding can’t be applied to top up wages to keep and recruit nurses, social workers, and other support staff. We are also concerned about the challenges faced by existing patients, because the new funding available to health-care providers can only be used for new patients.
Why won’t the government invest in our public education?
The Toronto District School Board is looking at making major cuts to schools because of chronic underfunding by the province. The board is currently looking at closing nearly half its swimming pools and axing music programs, and there are huge funding gaps in special education and mental health.
On May 8, I asked the Minister of Education a simple question. Can this government commit to reinvesting that $1,500 per student back into our schools so our kids can see improvements in the classroom? He didn’t answer the question.
Since the Conservatives came to power in 2018, schools in Ontario have lost about $1,500 per student when adjusted for inflation. We need to turn this around.
Over the last few months, I’ve spoken with many parents, teachers, and students who are deeply worried about what’s happening in our schools.
From overcrowded classrooms to the loss of special education support, it’s clear that chronic underfunding is taking a toll on our kids’ learning and well-being.
Parents do not want this government to play political blame games with the school board. They want their kids to get a good public-school education, and that requires investment.
Please reach out to our offices if you’d like to request a meeting, invite us to an event, or want to work or volunteer with us.
Jessica Bell is the MPP for University-Rosedale and the Shadow Minister for Finance and the Treasury Board. You can reach her office at jbell-co@ndp.on.ca or 416-535-7206.
July 10th, 2025 · Comments Off on LIFE: Trinity-St. Paul’s pickleball league (May/June 2025)
Come play at Trinity St. Paul’s, no praying required
A sacred place to play pickleball on Bloor Street. COURTESY TRINITY-ST.PAUL’S UNITED CHURCH
By Eleanor Vieira-Silva
Pickleball is all the rage at the moment, and it may be closer to home than you think.
Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church (located in the heart of the Annex at 427 Bloor St. W.) has been welcoming worshippers for over a century. The church, known for its social justice activism and as a concert venue for the world famous Tafelmusik Orchestra, hosts a range of activities from dance, music, the arts, martial arts, and now, pickleball.
The pickleball league at Trinity-St. Paul’s has been running for about a year and a half on Fridays (excluding holidays) from 10 a.m to 12 p.m. Participants in the league tend to be female seniors, but anyone can join. The women have a variety of experience; some are new to the sport and some are professionals. Regardless of your experience, pickleball is a great sport to play.
Pickleball does not have a dress code or uniform, however you are required to wear running shoes, and it is recommended that you buy a non-wooden paddle.
Women from the pickleball league at Trinity-St. Paul’s claim that the sport greatly helps with their hand-eye coordination and enhances their mood. It’s also very easy to see improvement, and if you’re not a fan of super-competitive sports then pickleball is perfect for you.
However, Trinity-St. Paul’s is not the only place where you can play pickleball. Central Technical School, the Bickford Centre, Jimmie Simpson Recreation Centre and the Miles Nadal JCC are just a few of the many places where you can play.
Some places require you to pay a fee to play. Trinity-St. Paul’s prices range from $30 to $50 an hour. You can look online at trinitystpauls.ca/rentals.
July 10th, 2025 · Comments Off on LIFE: Insomnia hosts art exhibition (May/June 2025)
Restaurant features Toronto-based artist Colin Stark
Canyon Road, November 11, 1999. From a recent exhibition at Insomnia Restaurant. COURTESY COLIN STARK
By Abigail Harris
Insomnia Restaurant (563 Bloor St. W.) hosted an opening party for Toronto-based artist Colin Stark, on Monday May 5, the fourth artist to be featured in their Artist Series.
The Artist Series’ exhibits rotate every seven weeks, with artwork displayed throughout the front, side, and back walls of the restaurant. Guests can meet the artists during opening and closing parties and learn more about their creative processes.
“It’s really exciting to get to offer the space for emerging artists,” said Insomnia’s creative coordinator, Sophia Alexandra. “It’s pretty relaxed, not like a gallery setting. It’s more like, come and relax and enjoy a drink. Have something to eat and admire what’s on display and take it home if you feel called enough to do so.”
The series began this past winter and has displayed local artists John Courtney, Jasmine Virginia, and Michael Bedford.
“To see that they want to platform artists and give them a space to share is really exciting and pretty cool,” Alexandra said. “Especially in a time when I feel like as artists we’re losing spaces in a lot of ways.”
Stark uses a variety of media including acrylic and latex paints, charcoal, and resin. His work is influenced by his travels abroad as well as his upbringing in the Rouge Valley. Many of his pieces feature abstract landscapes, while others are more realistic.
Stark’s work also reflects his relationship with his late mentor Gordan Rayner, a renowned Canadian painter who passed in 2010.
The two met in 2005 and quickly struck up a friendship. Stark helped Rayner out in his studio and house, and they went out for lunches together.
“We had a parallel approach to art and a lot of similarities, so that’s why we hit it off as contemporaries,” Stark said. “We exchanged stories about our worldly travels and ideas, and [we] do critiques.”
Stark’s experience hitchhiking in the Grand Cayon at age 19 is depicted in one of his favourite artworks on display titled Canyon Road.
Stark told the Gleaner that the inspiration for the piece came when he was looking through a book of drawings he had kept from his travels 25 years ago.
“It’s not a hugely abstracted piece because it’s being drawn from a drawing,” Stark said. “But it definitely sort of simplifies and idealizes some of the shapes and forms. It harkens back to that personal time in my travelling experience.”
Stark’s closing party was on Sunday, June 8.
To learn more about Colin Stark’s work, to apply to exhibit, or to make a reservation for one of the artist events, please visit www.insomniarestaurant.com.
