When preservation leads to deterioration

Designated a heritage property by the City of Toronto, crumbling and neglected 6 Walmer Rd. is causing problems for its neighbours. AHMED-ZAKI HAGAR/GLEANER NEWS

By Ahmed-Zaki Hagar

At over 120 years old, 6 Walmer Rd. is at once a crumbling symbol of the area’s rich history and, a sign of the city’s inability to protect its built heritage. And it’s causing no small amount of problems for the neighbours.

“When I initially moved [here], it was not an issue. It was an abandoned house,” said Neil Jain. “Over the years, it has been deteriorating. There have been a number of issues.”

These include litter that attracts rats and other pests, graffiti covering the house, and a type of loitering best left to the police to handle. Then there’s the hole in the roof, which has been there since at least February.

Built in the Queen Anne style, which was popular in the Annex in the late nineteenth century, 6 Walmer Rd. was originally number 2 Walmer Rd. and designed by architect Frederick Henry Herbert for Presbyterian minister Thomas Goldsmith and his family in 1896. It’s one of five Walmer Road properties designed by Herbert designated as a heritage property under the Ontario Heritage Act.

Many houses of a similar style in the area were replaced by apartment towers during the latter half of the twentieth century, but 6 Walmer Rd. remains — boarded over, covered in graffiti, and a hazard to the neighbourhood.

Sandra Shaul, chair of the Annex Residents’ Association’s (ARA) heritage committee, described it as the “highest-profile negligence problem in the Annex”.

“Over the years, we filed 311 requests for garbage, for graffiti, for various issues,” said Jain. “A lot of times, especially in the past couple of years, I have seen it would take weeks or months before any action is taken.”

Shaul said that sometime after she moved into the neighbourhood 32 years ago, somebody bought the property and fixed it up so “that it looked better than new. It was beautiful.”

However, when 6 Walmer Rd. was rented, according to Shaul, there were issues between the owner and the tenant, which was where the problems began.

Jain contacted Albert Koehl, environmental lawyer and vice-chair of the ARA, who investigated further into the matter.

“When I saw what the condition of it was and heard from the neighbour, I was quite disappointed to see little action by the City [of Toronto] in terms of ensuring that the property owners keep the property protected,” he said.

Koehl sent a list of bylaws from the Toronto Municipal Code that the owner of 6 Walmer Rd. was violating, such as maintaining the heritage property’s “character, visual, and structural character”. Other bylaws state owners must minimize damage from natural causes or neglect.

The municipal code says owners can protect their property by boarding up all doors and windows to prevent people and animals entering the property.

Municipal Licensing & Standards enforces the bylaws for maintaining heritage properties, but Koehl questions how committed the city is to heritage preservation if it does enforce its own bylaws.

“After doing all of [the work of researching a property and designating it], there does not seem to be any kind of follow-up, enforcement, or interest,” he said.

Adding to the problem is that it’s not clear who owns on the property, as there’s conflicting information on the public record. According to the Ontario Land Registry, the City of Toronto owns 6 Walmer Rd., which is confirmed by an official from Municipal Licensing & Standards. However, a search of the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation database yields different information, and lists the owner as NSCL Investments Limited. And there’s a record of an owner applying to demolish the property in 2011, an application that was refused even though a staff report did state that there was “concern for the future of the site”.

Shaul said the city should secure the house to prevent further damage, and invest in its restoration.

“Even if it were not a heritage site, you do not want a house in that state in your community,” she said. “It becomes a beacon for vagrancies, for drug deals, for pests. That should not be permitted.”

It appears that it’s not the only property in the area lost in a limbo of preservation and deterioration.

“Another one is 10-14 Prince Arthur Ave., and if you look at it, that is really a sad story,” said Shaul. “That house is the last of the Yorkville houses, those wonderful white houses that were characteristic of Yorkville in the early 1800s.”

As the house’s ownership switched hands over the years, the property began to deteriorate. Today, 10 Prince Arthur Ave. is fenced with its windows barricaded by bricks and its white paint falling off.

“When you see that house and you think of what it looked like through the years, you would want to cry,” said Shaul. “Any city with any civic pride would insist that people keep up a minimum standard of maintenance.”

Neither Heritage Preservation Services nor Municipal Licensing & Standards responded to repeated requests for comment.

READ MORE ON HERITAGE ISSUES:

CHATTER: Kensington Market HCD enters planning phase (Nov. 2017)

CHATTER: University to appeal Ten Editions heritage designation (MAY 2017)

NEWS: Restored Brunswick House reopens (May 2017)

NEWS: Kensington Market to become heritage district (May 2016)

NEWS: Mad House: Madison dweller alleges harassment over heritage home (Nov. 2010)

Community centre emphasizing accessibility

The new rooftop playground at the Miles Nadal JCC will feature natural elements, equipment that encourages learning through play, and be accessible to children in wheelchairs.

By Geremy Bordonaro

The Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre (JCC) is fundraising to build a new rooftop playground at its home at Bloor Street West and Spadina Avenue. A large portion of the funds has been raised in memory of Al Green on behalf of his family but there is still a little way to go before the construction begins.

The centre’s existing playground has served the community and the 125 children who attend school there well for a long time, but it is time for an upgrade, according to Harriet Wichin, executive director of the JCC.

“It’s flat now. It just looks like some dirt with some nice trees. We tried a natural playground for a while,” she said. “Now we’re trying to stay ahead of the curve. We’re doing what is necessary to keep the playground accessible.”

[pullquote]“They’re going to have just so much fun engaging with all the new materials in the playground”—Parveen Virdi, assistant director, JCC[/pullquote]

A key focus is making sure that all children from 15 months to five years, regardless of ability, will be able to enjoy the space. The surface, which is currently flat and made up of wood chips and dirt, will be changed to rubber at varying elevations, and there will be enough space to accommodate those in wheelchairs. There will also be many natural elements and gardens. There will be different rubberized pieces — similar to a large Lego set — that can be used to build whatever a child could dream up and help inspire creativity.

The JCC is working with architectural firm Land Art Design to help bring its vision to reality.

“There are many unique challenges to designing on a rooftop,” said Joaquin Sevillano, an associate at the company. “You have to keep weather and safety in mind…. As far as I can tell this is one of the only playgrounds of its kind in the city.”

A key goal is to create an opportunity for young children to learn and grow.

“It is designed for what is known as emergent play,” said Sevillano. “Kids will have the opportunity to learn through many different methods on this playground, whether it be through nature or otherwise.”

The design is in line with the JCC school, which is focused on creating emergent play that facilitates learning in a fun environment.

“The notion with all of our schools is ‘learn through play’. The idea is, even if you look out there [in the playground] now, you can see all the children are playing with trucks, nature, and different things. That’s the sort of learning we aim for,” said Wichin.

“It will just inspire the children,” said Parveen Virdi, the assistant director of children’s education at the JCC, who is ecstatic about the new playground. “[Children] have so much curiosity and imagination and they’re going to have just so much fun engaging with all the new materials in the playground.”

Meanwhile Sevillano, who worked on the plans, said that the JCC has been a good partner throughout all of this.

“The JCC have been great,” Sevillano said. “Generally they have been giving their feedback to us about what types of things they want to see in the playground and we’ve been putting them in. It’s a great relationship.”

To learn more about the JCC’s fundraising campaign for the new playground, please visit www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/milesnadaljcc/campaign/playground. The centre expects to break ground this year once the fundraising is complete.

MORE ON THE MILES NADAL JCC

NEWS: MNJCC makes giant splash (OCTOBER 2016)

NEWS: Miles Nadal JCC submits electronic roof sign application (MAY 2017)

All seven of the registered candidates running for election in University-Rosedale have been invited to participate in an all candidates meeting at Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church (427 Bloor St. W.) on May 23 at 6:30 p.m.

The local residents’ associations and BIAs are sponsoring the event, which will include an opportunity to ask questions of the candidates.

—Billie Wilner/Gleaner News

The buzzer sounded for the last time until the leaves fall at William H. (Bill) Bolton Arena (40 Rossmore Rd.), near Bathurst and Dupont streets. The arena has been closed for mechanical upgrades, and all of its skating programs are cancelled until October. Some other options for skating and hockey while the arena is closed are Moss Park, McCormick, Forest Hill, and North Toronto Memorial arenas.

A portion of Vermont Square Park behind the arena will be used for contractor staging, while the corner of the park at Rossmore Road and Vermont Avenue will be used for parking and storage. According to a City of Toronto Forestry and Recreation flyer, work will be organized to minimize impacts on park and street access, trees will be protected, and surfaces and sod will be restored once the work is complete. The wading pool and playground will remain open.

Opened in 1971, the Bill Bolton Arena provides programs that respond to community needs and complement local facilities. It includes a rink, pro shop, and snack bar. It runs hockey camps, house leagues, adult hockey and skills programs, and public skates.

For further information about the arena or its programs, please visit www.billboltonarena.ca.

—Annemarie Brissenden with files from Billie Wilner/Gleaner News

Councillor Mike Layton’s (Ward 19, Trinity-Spadina) eighth annual kick off to Bike Month returns May 27 from 12 to 5 p.m. at Christie Pits Park.

Bike with Mike is a free, family-friendly community cycling event open to anyone who wants to participate. It will feature a free barbecue and many children’s events like bike decorating, bicycle-themed story telling, and tricycle races. There will also be free bike safety checks, tune-ups, and community cycling information.

The annual Kids Bike Swap, which is held in conjunction with the events, starts at 10 a.m. Parents of children ages 4 to 12 can drop off their child’s outgrown bike and pick up a new, better fitting one from 1 to 5 p.m. Celebrated every June in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, Bike Month promotes bike-centric events aimed at improving the health of Canadians and the environment.

—Billie Wilner/Gleaner News

There Goes the Bride opens at the Tranzac stage on April 26 and runs until May 5.

Directed by Martin Edmonds, the play follows Timothy Westerbury in 1970s England, an overworked advertising executive whose daughter is about to be married. Laugh along as the family navigates the stress of a wedding and Westerbury’s controversial marketing ideas. There Goes the Bride is written by Ray Cooney and John Chapman, and the show is produced by special arrangement with Samuel French Inc.

Founded in 1976, the NAGs Players is a non-profit community theatre group based in the Annex. Multiple performances are held throughout the year at the Tranzac stage at 292 Brunswick Ave., just south of Bloor Street West.

For tickets and more information about There Goes the Bride, please visit www.nagsplayers.com.

—Billie Wilner/Gleaner News

More how nice!

EDITORIAL CARTOON: How Nice (Spring 2018)

EDITORIAL CARTOON: How Nice (Mar. 2018)

EDITORIAL CARTOON: How Nice (Dec. 2017)

EDITORIAL CARTOON How nice! (August 2017)

EDITORIAL CARTOON How nice! (July 2017)

EDITORIAL CARTOON: how nice! by blamb (June 2017)

EDITORIAL CARTOON: TCHC (May 2017)

EDITORIAL CARTOON: The Grand Tory (April 2017)

FORUM: Celebrating 20 years of cartoonist Brett Lamb (April 2017)

EDITORIAL CARTOON: A second chance! by Brett Lamb 2037 (February 2017)

EDITORIAL CARTOON: Not really! It’s actually nice! by Stumpy the Subway(January 2017)

“Folks are working their backs off for minimum wage,” said Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PC) leader Doug Ford recently, after announcing he would block a promised minimum wage hike in favour of a tax break. According to Ford, this would give a full-time worker earning $14 per hour about $800 more in net income every year.

Crunch the numbers, however, and you’ll discover that he’s really pitching a lose-lose proposition. Blocking the wage hike will leave the province without about $500 million in tax revenue, something Mr. Ford readily acknowledges. It will also leave minimum wage earners with far less in their pockets than if the plan to increase the rate to $15 per hour minimum were passed as promised next January.

A person who earns $14 an hour and works 40 hours a week has a gross income of $29,120. They’ll have $1,751 of deductions for CPP and EI, leaving $27,369 in pre-tax income. They’ll deduct the $10,354 tax exemption to arrive at taxable income of $17,015. Ford has said that he’ll wave the provincial tax, so they’ll only pay $2,552.25 in federal taxes. After deducting $2,552.25 from $27,369, a person earning $14 an hour will have net income of $24,816.75.

A person who earns $15 an hour and works 40 hours a week has a gross income of $31,200. They’ll have $1,888.49 of deductions for CPP and EI, leaving $29,311.51 in pre-tax income. They’ll deduct the $10,354 tax exemption to arrive at taxable income of $18,957.51. They’ll pay $957.36 in provincial and $2,843.63 in federal taxes. After deducting $957.36 and $2,843.63 from $29,311.51, a person earning $15 an hour will have net income of $25,510.52.

So a person earning $15 an hour, paying both federal and provincial income tax, still nets out ahead of the person earning $14 an hour paying only federal taxes by $693.77.

(We note that if a person is earning either $14 or $15 an hour, they are still living just above the poverty line, which the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives defines as annual net income of $20,811.)

We mused here recently that the provincial Liberals acted rashly when they increased the minimum wage from $11.60 to $14 effective Jan. 1, 2018. Though the goals of a liveable wage are laudable, we argued, they are not sustainable if it leads to an economic crisis for employers unable to absorb the increased expense.

But — judging from the many “for hire” signs along Bloor Street — the sky has not fallen as a result. Faced with exorbitant increases in rents and property taxes, a few bucks more to the staff is apparently a drop in the bucket, and has not visibly sunk the ship of any business within our catchment.

We are still cautious about Bill 148, The Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, which passed in Nov. 2017. In addition to increasing the minimum wage to $14 an hour, and promising another increase to $15 hour next year, the bill contained many sweeping reforms that are hard to quantify. It’s hard to know how many workers will take advantage of more paid sick days and paid personal days, for example, and it’s not clear how measures designed to level the pay of full-time, part-time or temporary employees will manifest itself. We can find no analysis of the true cost of this.

What is clear is that the Ford team isn’t spending a lot of time developing a credible platform. Instead they’re focused on a bait and switch, denying an increase only to replace it with a tax break of lesser value. Perhaps they hope voters will think of the tax break as an additional benefit for workers in the lowest tax bracket. In fact, though, it’s a take-away, one that these people can’t afford.

READ MORE EDITORIALS: 

EDITORIAL: Lessons to be learned from Excessive Force (Spring 2018)

EDITORIAL: A social contract is a precious thing (March 2018)

EDITORIAL: Intolerance leading to Quebec’s decline (Dec. 2017)

EDITORIAL (Nov. 2017): Student safety suffers as trustees cave

EDITORIAL: Pandering to religious intolerance (October 2017)

EDITORIAL: Bike lanes, good for business (Fall 2017)

EDITORIAL: Don’t sacrifice safety for political gain (August 2017)

EDITORIAL: Thank you Mr. Asti (July 2017)

EDITORIAL: A watershed moment (June 2017)

EDITORIAL: Revoke U of T’s unchecked “licence to build” (May 2017)

EDITORIAL: Westbank’s positive precedent (April 2017)

EDITORIAL: Foreign buyers tax a necessary cliff jump (March 2017)

Policy would lead to better health and increased revenue

By Daryl Christoff

Ontarians have been very clear — and so have the people of this riding. We don’t just need a new government but a whole new approach to government. The New People’s Choice offers this.

One issue that I am passionate about is the Downtown Toronto Congestion Charge. Traffic congestion is hugely frustrating. It negatively impacts thousands of people in our downtown riding and is completely ignored by the other parties, whose leaders have snubbed residents on this important issue. We know we are dealing with a productivity loss of $10 billion due to traffic congestion and healthcare costs alone.

At the New People’s Choice, our major advocacy push is the Downtown Toronto Congestion Charge (from which downtown residents will be exempt). Residents here pay a premium for living in the downtown core. We pay higher household costs with dramatically less square footage. The New People’s Choice is modelling an urban agenda that’s comparable to London, Stockholm, Singapore, Milan.

Our goal is to incentivize a 25 per cent reduction of vehicles in Ontario’s urban core — downtown Toronto — which would allow for productivity and optimal flow in the transit system.

This policy would have added benefits in terms of the health of the community. Commuting is a major cause of stress, which leads to stroke, heart disease, and other costly chronic illnesses. This policy would lead to fewer roadside fatalities and injuries. Pollution-related deaths killed 25,000 Canadians last year, while 43 pedestrian lives were lost in Toronto because of road fatalities (with 1,600 injured). The positive effects of our policies for the lives for Ontarians can’t be understated. Revenues gleaned from the Congestion Charge coupled with the funds saved in our healthcare system would number in the billions.

Ninety-five per cent of University-Rosedale residents support this policy, yet it continues to be ignored by those who seek to represent us. We need to regain our community voice! It is the people who live in a community who know it best.

I’ve been spending a lot of time talking to people who live here, my neighbours. There are issues most of them agree on, like the Congestion Charge, and then there are more contentious issues where people disagree.

One of those is federal legalization of cannabis. As the federal government has turned the question of distribution over to the province, it’s something your member of provincial parliament will be dealing with.

I’m the only candidate in our riding who can present effective public policy on this issue. Unlike the Liberals, who are stuck with Wynne’s problematic distribution plan, or the Conservatives, who have to pander to their religious base, or the New Democratic Party, who are beholden to the unions who want to ensure that the Canadian Union of Public Employees controls dispensary jobs, the New People’s Choice Party presents a clear-thinking and common-sense alternative.

We would provide some Ontario Cannabis Store locations in highly populated areas, but we support independent distribution and the craft market — with stringent licensing regulations to provide quality to Ontario’s cannabis consumers and protect public safety.

Out of the 75 per cent in tax revenue that the federal government is passing on to the province, we would give 37.5 per cent back to the municipalities, to set licensing and regulations regarding hours, quality, inspections, employees, and other requirements.

The residents of University-Rosedale are tired of politics as usual. I hear it every single day. People have had enough of the antics and corruption of the Wynne government, and they are looking for a better option. Unfortunately, with Ford’s Conservatives and Horwath’s NDP beholden to their respective special interests, voters don’t know where to turn.

Politics is now more akin to theatre than actual policy. Ontarians deserve better and so do the people of this riding, which is why I have decided to run with the New People’s Choice Party. As member of provincial parliament, it would truly be my mission to speak for the people of this riding — and to work for the advancement of good public policy.

Ontarians have been clear. We need a new approach in our government.

People are demanding change, but what kind of change? The choice is ours.

Daryl Christoff is the candidate for the New People’s Choice Party in University-Rosedale.

A case for opportunity and partnership

By Gillian Smith

For the last year, I have spent almost every evening and weekend at residents’ doors across University-Rosedale, listening to your views on the future of our province. From Governor’s Bridge to Little Portugal — with the Annex tucked right in the centre — it has been a privilege to learn from you, door-by-door.

Collectively, you have expressed an overwhelming mix of frustration and anger: frustration with the struggle and expense that comes with living in the heart of Toronto, and anger over the cynicism of the current government. In particular, you have told me you resent promises of “free” care measures offered just before an election when these measures — in whole or in part — could have been implemented over the past 15 years.

[pullquote]Ontario, today, is the most indebted sub-national jurisdiction (province/state) in the world.[/pullquote]

These feelings have been echoed in the hundreds of conversations — with teachers and their union leaders, healthcare professionals, arts and culture workers, business leaders and entrepreneurs, not-for-profit leaders, to name just a few groups that I’ve spoken to over the past year.

As a business person, community volunteer, and parent to two school-aged children (and another about to graduate from university), these are concerns I share.

We know our province is on the wrong path. And we understand that Ontario is at a crossroads.

Ontario, today, is the most indebted sub-national jurisdiction (province/state) in the world. This $312 billion debt burden will be carried by our children and grandchildren, potentially thwarting their ability to afford to live in the city we love.

We are all asking how it’s possible that this once prosperous province is now drowning in debt. Why hasn’t this spending resulted in better outcomes for our most vulnerable people? How is it that our infrastructure is crumbling before our eyes when we’re spending more than ever before?

The answer to these questions is as simple as it is disappointing: it’s a direct result of reckless and self-interested policy making.

Fortunately, we have the power to change this senseless fate.

This is a time for every one of us to think seriously about how we deliver care, of all kinds, in this province. It’s time to think about how we invest wisely in our shared future.

This is a moment to unleash the potential of all sectors by giving them the opportunity to build a better Ontario.

For more than 20 years, I have worked in the not-for-profit and private sector, with many roles working in direct partnership with the public sector. I have also devoted considerable time to my community through volunteering with organizations such as the Toronto Public Library Foundation, The Stop Community Food Centre, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and many more.

Through these roles, I have helped to build businesses, I have led and built not-for-profit entities, and I have supported and stewarded charities.

Through this earned experience, I’ve witnessed first-hand the strengths and challenges of all sectors.

Ontario is home to innovative businesses of all sizes, but they operate in a regulatory environment that hasn’t been reviewed in decades.

The burden of outdated rules, as well as rising costs of doing business, weighs heavily on their ability to grow and create secure jobs.

Ontario boasts tens of thousands of charities and not-for-profits.

These organizations provide vital services to Ontarians, yet they are forced to operate with a zero-sum-game mentality when competing for scarce resources. It’s time for government to recognize and value the role of civil society and develop mature, lasting partnerships so these vital organizations get the acknowledgement they deserve.

And Ontario benefits from a strong public sector, with thousands of professionals working tirelessly for the good of our province. Over time, however, relationships across this sector have been strained by overtly political decision-making. As a professional, and as the daughter of a retired federal civil servant, I know the power of relationships built on respect for expertise.

The opportunity for Ontario to thrive is enormous.

No other province has the power of our potential.

Meaningful, lasting, and positive change comes by putting the people of Ontario first, not by shaming and blaming others into action, nor by imposing self-interested policies.

It’s time to build a better Ontario by working together.

It would be my honour to serve you at Queen’s Park, and to contribute to this effort. On June 7, I hope I can count on your support.

Gillian Smith is the provincial Progressive Conservative Party candidate for University-Rosedale.

Nikon ambassadors to offer tips and tricks on May 30

The Tatsuya Nakatani Gong Orchestra, which is touring North America, brings its live sound project to the Music Gallery on May 26 at 8:00 p.m. COURTESY OF THE BLOOR STREET CULTURE CORRIDOR

By Heather Kelly

May is an exciting time as spring starts to arrive and brings new exhibitions and festivals.

NEW EXHIBITIONS OPENING

The Bata Shoe Museum launches Manolo Blahnik: The Art of Shoes on May 16. A celebration of one of the world’s most iconic shoemakers, this is the exhibition’s only North American stop, and will feature a series of tours with fashion industry professionals. Randi Bergman, writer, editor, and host of the podcast Capsule 98, will lead the first Fashion Walk, and focus on Blahnik’s work in the 1990s, when the designer became a household name thanks to Sex and the City.

In TOKYO before/after — on at the Japan Foundation Toronto until July 11 — photographs taken in Tokyo in the 1930s and 1940s are contrasted with photos taken in the city after 2010. COURTESY OF THE BLOOR STREET CULTURE CORRIDOR

SCOTIABANK CONTACT PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL

The Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival takes place throughout the city in May, and there is a cluster of photo-based exhibitions to see along the Bloor St. Culture Corridor.

Highlights include Allan Cullen’s Reality, where the photographer and disability activist turns the lens on homelessness, poverty, and disability. Curated by Irene Gotz and Bill Vrantsidis, Reality will be mounted at the Toronto Reference Library’s Hinton Theatre.

At the Gardiner Museum, Ingenuity, Pam Purves’s multimedia series reflects on the ingenious human use of nature and interaction with the basic building blocks of material design: sand, water, and clay.

Two Edges of a Lifespan, curated by Piret Noorhani at the Museum of Estonians Abroad, presents Kristin Dobbin’s nostalgic series on Estonian summer camps, and Toomas Volkmann’s triptychs of Estonian-Canadians born in Estonia from 1918 to 1923, alongside written personal reflections on their lives in two countries.

Julia Nemfield’s Lost and Found at the Alliance Française Gallery explores the projected value assigned to objects through ownership, and the subsequent loss of this value when an item has been separated from its owner.

At the Miles Nadal JCC, Mark L. Freedman’s Safari is a collection of intimate wildlife images captured during several photographic expeditions to East Africa.

The Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema hosts a free Nikon Lecture Series & Gallery Night on May 30, when a gallery showing of photographs will be followed by an inspirational hour of photographic stories and tips from Nikon Ambassadors Michelle Valberg and Craig Minielly.

ESTONIAN MUSIC WEEK

Celebrate Estonia’s 100th anniversary by honouring one of the country’s famed composers: Arvo Pärt. The Museum of Estonians Abroad is screening Arvo Pärt — Even if I Lose Everything, a documentary about the composer, on May 9. Then during Estonian Music Week — May 24 to 29 — be sure to check out Introducing internationally renowned composer Arvo Pärt, an exhibition created by the Estonian Theatre and Music Museum. It’s at Koerner Hall for the festival, then at the Museum of Estonians Abroad during the summer. And there’s On Pärt, Photographs by Tõnu Tormis, which features photographs of leading Estonian musicians, on view at the Museum of Estonians Abroad.

Proving the Estonian saying, “Song is food for the soul,” Estonian Music Week opens on May 24 at the Church of the Redeemer with ensemble Avarus, bassoonist Martin Kuuskmann, Montreal electronic artist Kara-Lis Coverdale, and world-jazz group Justin Gray & Synthesis.

At mid-day on May 25, the Museum of Estonians Abroad presents EE Meets CA — Building Bridges in Music, an opportunity for Estonian and Canadian professional music industry members to connect. Later that evening, The Estos Rock at Lee’s Palace starts at 7 p.m.

On May 26, the Grammy Award winning choral ensemble Vox Clamantis performs with electro-acoustic singer-violinist Maarja Nuut and electronic music composer HH (Hendrik Kaljujärv) at Koerner Hall, co-presented with The Royal Conservatory as part of the Conservatory’s 21C Music Festival.

On May 28, a jazz singing workshop with Kadri Voorand at the Museum of Estonians Abroad starts at 12:30 p.m., and in the evening Kristjan Randalu, one of Estonia’s best-known jazz musicians, will be joined by band members and emcee Jaymz Bee of JazzFM91 at The Royal Conservatory’s Mazzoleni Concert Hall.

21C MUSIC FESTIVAL

The 21C Music Festival returns to The Royal Conservatory of Music from May 23 to 27, welcoming musicians and composers who push the boundaries of contemporary music.

The eight concerts over five days will feature five world, 16 Canadian, 12 Ontario, and three Toronto premieres. Highlights include Kronos Quartet with Jherek Bischoff performing premieres of Bischoff’s works at Koerner Hall on May 23, pianist Simone Dinnerstein with A Far Cry juxtaposing works by J.S. Bach and Philip Glass at Koerner Hall on May 25, and Grammy Award-winning vocal ensemble Vox Clamantis, violinist/singer Maarja Nuut, and electronic composer Hendrik Kaljujärv, at Koerner Hall on May 26.

REELABILITIES FILM FESTIVAL

Now in its third year, ReelAbilities Toronto Film Festival, presented by the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre, is the largest film festival in Canada dedicated to showcasing deaf and disability cultures. The festival opens on May 29 at the Toronto Reference Library with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres with artists, filmmakers, and activists, and includes a double-bill screening of The Milky Pop Kid and Keep the Change.

The energy lost in the pretense of plastic recycling

By Terri Chu

With the celebration of Earth Day behind us and the provincial election before us, it seemed appropriate to rerun Greenings from February 2016. Writing that three Rs are not all equal, Chu is cautious about playing fast and loose with energy generation, and argues that the Wynne government needs to get it right when it comes to all things green.

“Why can’t they take black plastic?” asked my partner, staring at the City of Toronto recycling poster. I didn’t have an answer.

The ad, which helpfully reminds Torontonians what goes in which bin, notes that all black plastics are relegated to municipal solid waste. Turns out, black plastic isn’t very valuable. It isn’t accepted into recycling because it is difficult to sort and once dyed black, it can’t be turned back clear. In short, it would cost the city more to accept black plastics than it would get for them. So black plastics in this city are relegated to the landfill.

Every time I research plastic recycling, I come to suspect that we should rid ourselves of these programs altogether. Perhaps if people weren’t fooled into thinking plastic was “recycled”, consumption of it would actually go down. Make no mistake; the plastic industry spends a lot of money on “recycling” ads for a reason. Not for one minute do they want you to second-guess your purchasing decision.

What still burns me up (no pun intended) is the refusal of both the city and the province to even put recovering energy from waste on the table. After the Oakville fiasco, I fully understand the power of NIMBY-ism but landfilling tons of high energy plastic a year, and, worse, allowing it to eventually make its way into our oceans, is an absolute disgrace.

Few things made me more embarrassed than listening to former Premier Dalton McGuinty stand in front of a microphone and describe the decision to locate the power plant in Oakville a “mistake”. While cheers of joy sounded off in the west end, my ears only heard “politics now trumps science, professional advice, and efficiency”. This was only for a gas plant, a fuel source that is already in virtually every home in Oakville.

Media focused a lot on the political fallout, but few stories have been written about whether or not siting the plant there was the right decision, and it absolutely was from an environmental and efficiency standpoint. Cancelling it was the mistake whose after-effects we will be seeing in the future.

Premier Kathleen Wynne has promised a new era of politics.

Recovering energy from waste will be highly politically unpopular but a necessary part of our waste management strategy.

Europe, Asia, and the Middle East have been recovering energy from waste for decades now. While there are emissions associated with it, long-term, these generate far less pollution than low level smoulders. One landfill fire at a low temperature burn will more than justify recovering the plastic waste. New technologies that allow for very clean and efficient recovery are becoming available all the time. It would mean less natural gas, which is transported at great distance and cost, and it would also mean less plastic finding its way into our oceans.

Over five trillion pieces of plastic are floating somewhere in the oceans. That number is going up every day. Animals often get ensnarled in our plastic waste leading to devastating consequences. The ocean is only so big and can be our waste bin for only so long. Until we get our plastic consumption down to zero, we need to be responsible for breaking it back down into smaller, less harmful parts.

While there are many valid arguments against recovering energy from waste (such as cost, and that it encourages more waste), there are many valid reasons to start using it as part of our overall environmental stewardship solutions. How many more turtles tangled in plastic do we have to see before we accept that sending our “recycled” plastics onto boats bound for China isn’t the greatest of ideas? That’s the reality of what happens to much of what gets thrown in the blue box. Shipping containers are notorious for getting lost at sea. It doesn’t take much of a rogue wave to slosh a few containers overboard. I have very little doubt that some of the plastic waste is what we thought was bound for recycling.

We cannot ignore our environmental responsibilities because they prove politically unpopular. REDUCE, reuse, and then recycle. Until we have the reduce part down, we need a better solution than relying on the latter.

Terri Chu is an engineer committed to practical environmentalism. This column is dedicated to helping the community reduce energy and distinguish environmental truths from myths.

Correction: A previous version of this article misspelled smoulders.

READ MORE BY TERRI CHU:

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GREENINGS: The science of board games (Mar. 2018)

GREENINGS: Driving fuelled by unseen subsidies (Jan. 2018)

GREENINGS: No solutions for nobody’s problem (Dec. 2017)

GREENINGS: Celebrate science not milestones (Nov. 2017)

GREENINGS: Down to the data (Oct. 2017)

GREENINGS: Reducing paper waste (Fall 2017)

GREENINGS: Taking tolls to the Gardiner and Don Valley Parkway (July 2017)

GREENINGS: Lessons from Madrid (June 2017)

GREENINGS: Thoughts on hitting the 400 benchmark (May 2017)

GREENINGS: Solving the food waste problem (April 2017)

GREENINGS: Kellie Leitch was right (March 2017)