In South Africa, Cape Town is about to run out of fresh water. Authorities predict that Day Zero — the last time water will flow from a domestic tap — will hit on July 9, 2018. Three years of drought resulting from climate change has brought a city of 4 million to the brink of crisis.

After Day Zero, water will be rationed from 200 collection stations set up across Cape Town, and residents will be permitted to collect only 25 litres of water a day, barely enough for drinking, cooking, cleaning, and flushing the toilet. As a comparison, the average American uses 300 litres day.

It’s worth noting how Capetonians have acted so far to mitigate the crisis. People have reduced their consumption to 50 litres a day, effectively delaying Day Zero — originally set at April 24 — by 11 weeks. Indeed, if the rains return in May, the reservoirs will return to normal and the city will have dodged the bullet, albeit temporarily.

But this is a deeply unequal city that is home to mansions and shantytowns alike. The impact of dwindling water supplies will depend on each individual’s resources. Already, people with means are drilling wells in their backyards to access ground water. Of course, the aquifers are not bottomless, and every litre of water taken privately arguably reduces the pool for shared use.

The biggest fear in Cape Town is that the water shortage could cause a breakdown of public order and a rise in socio-economic tensions. This is a reality in a city where the health and welfare interests of the whole are pitted against those who have grown accustomed to their sense of entitlement.

In Canada, half a world away, the City of Toronto recently tried an experiment for relieving congestion along its busiest transit route, King Street West. The pilot project limits cars and gives overflowing streetcars an express path from Jarvis to Bathurst streets. Although no reasonable person would equate this to a drought, in each case a social contract is at stake where one party feels their interests fundamentally trump that of the whole. Depending on who you ask, the King Street pilot project has either been a smashing success or the end of the world.

Al Carbone, who owns the Kit Kat Italian Bar and Grill on King Street West, definitely falls on the latter side of that camp. He sees the city’s restriction on cars as a personal affront, characterizing it as part of a “war on the car”.

Carbone has so little regard for the plan that he paid to erect a middle finger ice sculpture that’s aimed at commuters that ride the King Street streetcar, and provided identical sculptures to at least two other businesses along the strip. He sees the gesture as his own little act of road rage, something he references in interviews with a dubious sense of pride. But while some business owners have vehemently disagreed with the pilot project, most commuters have rejoiced. Travel times are down and ridership is up by 25 per cent.

In a move that echoes how it installed bike lanes on Bloor Street, the city did its own study to measure economic impact. Every retailer uses either Moneris or Paymentech to process credit or debit card transactions, and Moneris, the largest of the two, specializes in providing data about sales on specific streets.

As it turns out, the King Street businesses (in aggregate terms) have not actually been harmed by the pilot project. (Similarly, data showed that Bloor Street businesses actually benefitted from bike lanes.)

Numbers don’t lie, people do.

Don’t let the bluster — typically from people who care only for themselves — take over the debate. It’s easy to claim a right to a public resource like road space or water, but much harder to share that resource equally. At some point, though, the self-entitlement becomes self-defeating. Let’s hope it evaporates sooner rather than later.

READ MORE EDITORIALS: 

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)

More how nice!

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)

Provincially mandated taxes are driving out local entrepreneurs

By Joe Cressy

I spend a lot of time in this newspaper talking about the need to build a liveable city. A city that is affordable for all. A city that has the parks and services required to foster inclusive neighbourhoods. A city that takes care of the most vulnerable. And, a city that protects and supports arts and culture, because at the end of the day a city without culture would be a city missing something.

A critical component of a liveable city that has been under threat in recent years is the viability of small businesses and our vibrant main streets. I grew up in the Annex, shopping and eating along Bloor Street West. The same story can be told by residents adjacent to College Street, Queen Street, in Kensington Market, and on Roncesvalles Avenue…the list is endless. However, in recent years rising property values and the corresponding increase in provincially-regulated tax assessments are driving small businesses out of the city.

Here’s how it works.

Under the province’s tax assessment rules, commercial properties are assessed on the basis of “highest and best use”. In other words, a property’s taxes are not assessed on the basis of their actual use and sales, but rather on their potential revenue if they were to change.

Just a few examples help illustrate the problem.

401 Richmond is an arts and cultural hub providing below market rents to more than 150 tenants. It’s a dynamic place that enriches our city. However, its recent tax assessment resulted in a 109 per cent increase based on highest and best commercial use, calculated as if it rented to stores like the GAP and Starbucks.

Le Select Bistro is a French two-storey restaurant on Wellington Street. It’s independently owned and has operated for decades. The owners will soon see their taxes increase from $2,000 per month to $20,000 per month, based on a calculation that defines an 11-storey condominium as its highest and best use.

The list goes on and on: from Kensington Market grocery stores taxed on the basis that they could serve cocktails rather than tomatoes, to a local family-owned music shop on Bloor Street that is currently being taxed as if it were a condominium.

Over the last year, I have heard from many small businesses in our community that this flawed tax model is making it more and more difficult for small and independent businesses to survive. From local grocers and raw food vendors to restaurants across our ward, many have been sounding the alarm regarding the impact large and unexpected property tax increases can have on their ability to stay afloat.

Now nobody is suggesting that small businesses shouldn’t pay taxes. Taxes are at the core of our collective commitment to building a liveable city. Taxes are not a four letter word. They are the cost of city building. However, our taxation system should be fair for all, including the local businesses that make our communities and economy thrive.

In recent years I’ve worked closely with city finance staff to try and find solutions to this growing problem. I am delighted that they have come forward with a recommendation to cap annual tax increases on commercial properties in an effort to support local business across our city. The recommendation calls for a maximum possible increase of 10 per cent over the prior year’s taxes on an annual basis — rather than an undetermined, and often prohibitive, amount for some businesses.

The city’s plan is not a solution on its own. The province’s flawed model of assessing commercial properties on the basis of their supposed highest and best use needs to change.

However, as a city councillor I’m not prepared to sit and wait for that to happen while our neighbourhoods see more small businesses close down. Our new city plan will help.

At the end of the day building a liveable city requires us to imagine the city we want to live in and then implement the policies to make it a reality. For me, a liveable city is one where entrepreneurs and small businesses are successful and located in the neighbourhoods where people live.

Joe Cressy is the city councillor for Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina.

READ MORE BY JOE CRESSY:

FORUM: Looking back on 2017 in Ward 20 (Dec. 2017)

FORUM: Establishing a new Indigenous Affairs Office (Nov. 2017)

FORUM: Toronto — an artistic city (FALL 2017)

FORUM: Address affordable housing (June 2017)

FORUM: Build a neighbourhood (March 2017)

FORUM: Conserving past to enrich future (January 2017)

FORUM: Our dynamic Kensington Market (November 2016)

FORUM: A new central park for Toronto (September 2016)

A case for inclusivity and fairness

By Jessica Bell

I’ve been a community organizer and an executive director of non-profits for nearly 20 years, winning real change for human rights and the environment.

In Toronto, I co-founded a transit advocacy organization, TTCriders, because Toronto needs an affordable world-class public transit system. I was inspired to start TTCriders because its mission upholds my values: my lifelong commitment to tackling climate change, to building thriving, green, people-friendly cities, and to solving poverty.

[pullquote]Under the cranes and shiny condos, people are dying on the streets because community housing is crumbling and rents are skyrocketing.[/pullquote]

We have racked up victories. We shamed the Liberal government into lowering the fare on the UP Express so Torontonians can afford to ride the train we paid to build. Government funding to the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) has increased. And city council said yes to fare discounts for low-income riders, and two-hour fares.

It’s my experience working with people to get results that I will bring to the job as your representative at Queen’s Park. I can’t wait to get started.

Queen’s Park has so much power over our lives. It’s at Queen’s Park where I will continue to improve public transit because the New Democratic Party (NDP) will match the city’s funding contribution to the TTC so riders can have much better service.

It’s at Queen’s Park where we will improve our schools. I want my kids to get the best public education possible. That gets difficult when classrooms are overcrowded, up to 600 schools could be up for closure, and schools can’t afford to do basic repairs, like removing lead from the pipes so our kids have safe drinking water. The Ontario Government admits that many schools in our area, including Clinton Street Junior Public School and King Edward Junior and Senior Public School, are in critical condition.

Children are our future. The NDP will fix the school funding formula so schools have more resources, put a moratorium on school closures, and require local developers to pay their fair share to maintain local schools.

It’s at Queen’s Park where we can build a fair economy. Almost every new job in Ontario has been a precarious job, a casual job, or a minimum wage job since 2008. These are not jobs that let you save for a house, or children, or retirement. Yet, at 10:57 a.m. on January 2, Canada’s top 100 CEOs had already earned $49,738, which is what the rest of us, on average, make in a year. This inequality happened under a Liberal government.

The NDP stands for workplace fairness before and after elections. We will raise the minimum wage to $15, with no exemptions. We will require that temporary workers are paid the same as permanent workers, and will make it easier for workers in all sectors to choose to join a union.

It’s at Queen’s Park where we will improve health care. I lived in the United States for seven years and experienced the cruelty of private healthcare. No one should have to worry about money when they’re fighting for their lives.

Privatization and funding cuts are eroding our cherished universal health care system.

An NDP government will introduce universal pharmacare so everyone can access essential medications using their OHIP card instead of their credit card.

We’ll also increase funding to hospitals to reduce wait times and improve health care.

It’s at Queen’s Park where we must tackle Toronto’s housing crisis. Under the cranes and shiny condos, people are dying on the streets because community housing is crumbling and rents are skyrocketing — it was just reported that the average rent for a one-bedroom condo jumped 15.4 per cent last year.

Many Torontonians, including myself, have given up on homeownership, and the stability it provides, because housing prices are out of control. At the door, renters tell me again and again they hope their landlord doesn’t evict them because they can’t afford the neighbourhood anymore. I tell them that’s my experience too, and we are going to fix that issue together at Queen’s Park.

Housing is a human right. The NDP will contribute a third of the costs to community housing, and introduce strong inclusionary zoning rules, which require developers to make a portion of any new housing development affordable.

On June 7, 2018, you have a choice to make. You can choose between the Wynne Government, which has disappointed. You can choose the Conservatives, who will cut education and healthcare. Or you can choose to elect an effective local representative and the NDP, a party that stands up for us. It would be an honour to work with you.

Jessica Bell is the provincial New Democratic Party candidate for University-Rosedale.

READ MORE ON UNIVERSITY-ROSEDALE:

FORUM: Making Ontario a green leader (Jan. 2018)

FORUM: Fairness and cleaner air (Dec. 2017)

The danger of equating pop culture with the periodic table

This neighbourhood is known for great people and I’m lucky enough to call many of them neighbours. I had the pleasure of joining some friends for dinner recently. After dinner, the gracious host pulled out a game and continued their after-dinner tradition of playing the latest trivia game they received for Christmas.

[pullquote]Once eradicated diseases are now on the rise thanks to a vocal number of people who can’t read a scientific study.[/pullquote]

As someone who lives under a rock with children more interested in Caillou than Justin Bieber, I can say definitely that I scored a near 0 in the arts and entertainment category. Though I can appreciate Adele’s pipes, I had no idea she had the bestselling single in 2015.

The science and technology category though, I more or less cleaned up. I was quick to answer that Fe is the symbol for iron and tungsten was used in the production of light bulbs. The night was thoroughly enjoyable.

I decided that I love trivia games. The word trivia itself refers to bits of information of little importance, and stems from the Latin trivium where a road would fork and often became a public gathering place where people would discuss trivial matters.

When I got home, it occurred to me that at a time when science and math literacy is through the floor, this board game essentially sends the message that knowing the Billboard 100 is of equal importance to knowing the periodic table.

The lack of science literacy has given rise to climate change deniers, so called anti-vaxxers, and homeopaths that can cause a lot of harm. The environment and our own health and well-being suffer as a result of this and here I am, partaking in this game that treats science as a trifling matter.

Despite scientific consensus, popular media still treats climate change like a controversy. It is not. Yet even for those who are willing to accept the conclusion of 97 per cent of the scientific community, people often don’t have enough scientific knowledge to combat the cherry-picked data of Fox news. Political stagnation might be in the interest of the elite, it is certainly not in the interest of human survival.

Not understanding basic functions of chemicals and scary sounding words has led to the rise of a massive anti-vaccination movement. Once eradicated diseases are now on the rise thanks to a vocal number of people who can’t read a scientific study. I firmly believe the movement would have been dead in the water if scientific literacy were higher among the general population.

The inherent contradiction in homeopathy is both amusing and baffling. Proponents of homeopathy insist that water somehow can have memory and remember the molecular structure of a drop of onion juice. Practitioners continuously dilute solutions insisting that the bottle of water, essentially just water, contains the molecular structure of whatever substance it is they are using to cure your ailments but magically forget one of the most common water contaminants — feces.

It would be funny if it weren’t so damaging. Parents are forgoing medical treatment in favour of these cures and causing real harm to their children. In some cases, children have died because of failure to treat illnesses.

While any exposure to science and facts is great, it really didn’t sit well with me that this game had put knowing scientific formulae on an equal footing as knowing lyrics to Justin Bieber’s latest song. One might be cute, while the other can lead to drug or material inventions that can save lives.

I certainly don’t expect game manufacturers to do anything about this dichotomy, so as parents, it’s our job to ensure that our children don’t think the Billboard 100 and periodic table are of equal relevance to the world.

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

READ MORE BY TERRI CHU:

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)

Central Tech student raced alongside Jesse Owens

Sam Richardson’s descendants pose on the steps of Central Technical School last month. Richardson’s family also spoke on the influence he had on the Black community, Toronto, and the nation at large. COURTESY CENTRAL TECHNICAL SCHOOL

Students and staff at Central Technical School joined the descendants of Sam Richardson to officially declare the school’s front laneway Sam Richardson Way and unveil a new street sign on February 15. The celebration was also one of the school’s events that marked Black History Month. We thought it appropriate to reprint our piece on Sam Richardson, a Canadian Olympian, which we originally published last August.

By Justin Viviera

Long before Canadian legend Donovan Bailey took to the track, athlete Samuel “Sam” Richardson realized his own dream when he sprinted on the grandest field of them all at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany.

Competing against the likes of Jesse Owens (who became a friend), Richardson held his own, coming in fifth as a member of the men’s 4×100 metre relay team, and finished 14th and 20th in the long and triple long jumps. Like Owens, he proudly represented his nation while facing the institutionalized racism of Nazi Germany.

“I’ll always remember his grace and the feeling of pride once I found out who he was and what he accomplished,” said his son Stacey Richardson, 47. “When I think about him, I’m always revisited by the gratification I grew up with from my father and his accolades.”

A local boy, Sam Richardson was born on Nov. 18, 1919, to Franklin and Maria of 222 Lippincott St. He went to school at King Edward Public School, then Lord Lansdowne Public School, and finally Central Technical School. It was there that he spent hours training on the track.

“My father used to go out onto the field at Central Tech with a rugby ball, kick it up the length of the field, run the distance and catch the ball himself,” relates Stacey. “Apparently he would do that almost all day long. I was amazed by that story and it was a reminder of how great an athlete my father was.”

At 15, Richardson won the gold medal in long jump in London, England, at the 1934 British Empire Games, now known as the Commonwealth Games.

At that time, he was the youngest competitor to ever win a gold medal in track. A year later, he would set a Canadian record of 25 feet in long jump at the Canadian Track and Field Championships in Winnipeg; a record that wouldn’t be broken for another 25 years. Between London and Berlin, he also represented Canada in France, New Zealand, and Australia. After his athletic career, Richardson began his service at the CBC in 1955 where he worked as a stagehand crew leader on the hit comedy The Wayne and Shuster Show, which aired the same year he started, as well as the children’s television show Mr. Dressup.

It was thanks to a school project that Stacey got to know more about his dad.

“There was an assignment I was given in school to do some research on a Canadian athlete. My teacher was assigning different athletes and I had mentioned to my teacher that I knew of an athlete that wasn’t mentioned.

“I talked about my father and they allowed me to do my research project on him. It was something I felt proud of doing and that’s when I started to learn more about him. I felt special to be his son.”

Richardson was 51 when his son Stacey was born, and 70 when he passed away in 1989.

Some of the faculty and students at Central Tech, which recently celebrated its 125th anniversary, are aware of the handful of Olympians who got their start at the school: Atlee Mahorn, Carl Folkes, Anthony Wilson, and Keturah Anderson.

“There’s a display case and a Wall of Fame of alumni who’ve made it to the Olympics. I know there’s been quite a few runners that went to school here but I didn’t know he [Richardson] was one of the first,” said Ryan, a Central Tech student. “If he raced alongside Jesse Owens that must have been a very special experience for him.”

The CTS community is planning a tribute in honour of Richardson’s long-lasting legacy. “He was Toronto’s son,” said Stacey. “His unsung stories are a distant memory but will never be forgotten.”

READ MORE:

LETTER TO THE EDITOR (AUGUST 2017): An inspiration to us all

NEWS (JULY 2017): Remembering an unsung hero

March Break fun with art, music, and culture

Audience and art interact in Riverbed by Yoko Ono at the Gardiner Museum. The museum is showing Ono’s films from the 1960s and 1970s, and hosting a lecture about the artist’s activism on March 26. COURTESY GARDINER MUSEUM

By Heather Kelly

March break arts and culture

Young family members will have plenty of inspiration to sing, dance, make music, enjoy art and crafts, see films and exhibitions, and participate in adventures at the many March break camps and family events along the Bloor St. Culture Corridor March 12 to 16 and beyond.

At the Miles Nadal JCC, people 5 to 10 years old will enjoy cooperative play and team building with activities at local parks, drama, arts and crafts, cooking, and more.

Go for the Gold March break activities at the Bata Shoe Museum March 10 to 18 are inspired by the current exhibition The Gold Standard. The museum will be chockablock with activities for children ages 3 to 12. (If your little one is too small for March break activities, there will be a Baby Stroller Tour at the Bata Shoe Museum on March 27.)

You can go to the Japan Foundation to watch anime and other family-friendly film screenings, as well as films by Japanese women in celebration of international women’s history month. While there, stop in to see the exhibition Variation and Autonomy: Prints by Contemporary Japanese Painters, featuring original prints by Yayoi Kusama.

Alliance Française will be presenting a theatre and dance performance for children, Les Moutons by Sylvie Bouchard where a bucolic country scene in an urban setting is a strange, poetic and baffling universe that takes audiences into the lives of sheep, in a double-bill with the dance performance C’est Comme Ça Qu’on Aime (This Is How We Love) by Susie Burpee and Marie-Josée Chartier, on March 18.

March break is also a time for exploration, and The Royal Conservatory School offers day camps where budding young musicians can experience what it’s like to play a real instrument at the Instrument Exploration Camp for children 6 to 7 years old, or try the fun-sounding camp, A Few Of Our Favourite Musicals, where children 8 to 10 years old will learn to sing selections from favourite musicals including Oliver, Anne of Green Gables, and Moana, and learn movement routines, design and build costumes, sets, and then showcase their new repertoire in a performance.

Children can explore Norse culture at the Royal Ontario Museum, as Vikings take over the museum during March break. Kids can play interactive games, explore a Viking Village and the daily lives of the legendary Norse people with living history re-enactors, make Viking bling to wear, pretend to be a mighty Viking warrior, go on scavenger hunts through the museum, and participate in other Viking and Norse-themed activities during the ROM’s extended dates and hours, March 10 to 18.

An original print by Yayoi Kusama from Variation and Autonomy: Prints by Contemporary Japanese Painters, on display now at the Japan Foundation’s Toronto gallery. COURTESY JAPAN FOUNDATION

Storytelling

The Toronto Storytelling Festival celebrates diversity as tellers, listeners, story-lovers, adults, youth and kids are invited to gather at many Bloor St. Culture Corridor organizations for intimate performances, storytalks, workshops, open mics, games, and informal conversations.

On March 3, the Japan Foundation will be part of the 25th Katari Storytelling Show-Hina Doll Festival, with traditional and contemporary children’s stories accompanied by guitar. The event features Nathalie Vachon, Noriko Yamamoto, Koko Kikuchi, Yusuke Tanaka, Aisha Masoka and Rui Umezawa. Also on March 3, the Bata Shoe Museum is the place to hear Stories, Rhymes and Songs…Oh My! with Rita Cox, Carol Ashton, and Sally Jaeger.

A Different Booklist Cultural Centre will be a hub of storytelling activity, starting with Fabulous Brazilian Fables, with Fabio Lisboa telling folktales and native South American stories from the Atlantic forest on March 3. Then on March 19, Judith Liberman and Aubrey Davis lead International Storytalk: Back-To-Front and Upside Down.

At another International Storytalk event at A Different Booklist, focusing on Stories of Resilience, award-winning storytellers from Holland, Sahand Sahebdivani and Eric Borrias, share stories about the resilience of imagination when the unimaginable occurs, on March 20.

Storytelling and Social Change, features Gcina Mhlophe and Itah Sadu, who share their experiences with the power of storytelling to bring about social change on March 21, the anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre in South Africa.

On March 22, Laura Simms and Dan Yashinsky lead Dr. Scheherazade Storytelling in Healthcare and Community Healing, focusing on the important role a storyteller can play in creating solace, understanding, and transformation. Also on March 22, Stories and Music From Southern Africa will be shared by Tich Maredza and Gcina Mhlophe. International Storytalk: Honouring the Elders with Humour, on March 23, will feature Yukon storytellers and comedians Sharon Shorty and Duane Gastant’Aucoin who offer a wry and hilarious commentary on modern life from the perspective of traditional Yukon wisdom.

When Strangers Come Knocking, at Alliance Française de Toronto’s Spadina Theatre, features Mariella Bertelli, Eric Borrias, Aubrey Davis, Donna Dudinsky, Judith Liberman, Laura Simms, and Sage Tyrtle, exploring how we welcome — or not — the strangers who come to our borders, our homes, and our hearts, on March 20.

At the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto on March 21, Gramma Susie and Cash Creek Charlie (Sharon Shorty and Duane Gastant’Aucoin) join Metis storyteller Ron Evans and host Denise Booth McLeod from the First Nations comedy troupe Manifest Destiny’s Child, for a night of comedy, creation tales, and impossible-to-predict adventures at an event called MinwaaJimo.

On March 22, Oral History: A Storm Fool Visits the ROM, takes place at the Royal Ontario Museum where Ron Evans shares histories of his Métis ancestors and stories from the Chippewa Cree oral tradition. The next day at the museum, FNLROM: Equinox, on March 23, features CTV’s The Launch winner Logan Staats, Juno-nominated singer Brenna MacCrimmon, and renowned storytellers Gcina Mhlophe and Judith Liberman to share stories from Turkey, Southern Africa, and Jewish traditions.

The festival finale on March 25, Story Jam, is a full day of family-friendly storytelling and activities throughout the Toronto Reference Library, including folktales from around the world, an African Riddle Contest, international guests, Indigenous creation tales, and many more storytelling activities.

Heather Kelly is the founder and director of the Bloor St. Culture Corridor. Her column focuses on arts and culture events from the district. More information about events and locations can be found at www.BloorStCultureCorridor.com.

Media coverage saves program for now

Newcomer Kitchen began at Butler’s Pantry on Markham Street before moving to Depanneur on College Street when Butler’s Pantry was closed due to the Mirvish Village redevelopment. BRIAN BURCHELL/GLEANER NEWS

By Geremy Bordonaro

A streak of luck, international media attention, and more than a little bit of hope have saved Newcomer Kitchen, which had its roots in Mirvish Village. The Gleaner first covered the initiative — which gave Syrian refugees temporarily housed in hotels the opportunity to make a home-cooked meal from a stocked restaurant kitchen — in May 2016.

After running for nearly two years, it seemed like the last meal would be cooked in December 2017. Administrative costs were high and, without funding, there was no way to keep up with the growing program.

Then, an article on the program’s financial troubles appeared in a Toronto daily newspaper, a documentary filmmaker amended her online funding campaign, and donations started to pour in. Within a day, Newcomer Kitchen was saved.

Kelli Kieley is the filmmaker who managed the online fundraising campaign. She used an existing Indiegogo campaign, which she had created to fund her documentary Shway Shway: The Newcomer Kitchen Story. She started working on her film almost as soon as Newcomer Kitchen got cooking.

“It was something that I wanted to witness myself,” she said, highlighting the interest in Syrian culture and the unique setting. “There’s a reason everybody is interested. Many people want to help other people. Hear their stories. Feel connected to the community by helping.”

Kieley heard about the program from someone who had been in one of previous films and was compelled to make a documentary about it.

“We were hearing more and more about the families stuck in the hotels,” explained Len Senater. “It became clear that those families had no access to kitchens at all to cook for themselves or their families. I have this large kitchen and I have a venue…that is not being used during the day. Why not invite these families to come so that they can cook food for themselves and for their family.”

“I…bumped into Len Senater…who had been in a series I had produced at Bell,” Kieley said. “He told me about Newcomer Kitchen and I said ‘Oh my God. I totally have to film this.’ It was myself and a cinematographer, who actually spoke Arabic himself by luck, who would show up and start filming prior to all the news coming out. And then it sort of became a viral story not long after that.”

Newcomer Kitchen got a lot of attention — even landing on the front page of The New York Times in early January. It’s thanks to this attention that it’s been able to keep going.

“It feels really good,” said Kieley. “The whole thing that happened with Newcomer Kitchen was magical.”

While Newcomer Kitchen has been saved for now, there are still worries about the future. It’s not lost on the mind of Atique Azad, a friend and mentor to Senater, who helped set up a pop-up brunch at Butler’s Pantry when it was operating out of Mirvish Village.

“[Longevity] is a driving force,” said Azad. “For a project like this it’s important to keep the future in mind.”

READ MORE:

NEWS (JUNE 2016): Building community over fattoush

Charlie Conacher banner presented to Jesse Ketchum

Charlie Conacher’s nephew Brian applauds at the unveiling of Charlie Conacher’s banner at Jesse Ketchum Public School. COURTESY JOHN CALDARONE

By R.S. Konjek

Jesse Ketchum Public School on Davenport Road received a special gift from the Toronto Maple Leafs just before the holidays, thanks to one of its most famous graduates.

On December 12, the school was presented with the original Charlie Conacher banner that used to hang from the rafters of the Air Canada Centre.

Born in 1909, Charlie was one of ten Conacher siblings who grew up in the Yorkville neighbourhood. They all attended Jesse Ketchum, where the children were encouraged to participate in sports.

A poor skater at first, Charlie found himself playing goalie on the hockey team. Eventually, he grew to over six feet tall and played in the NHL for 14 seasons.

Playing as a power forward, Conacher was known for his dominant size and strength, and nicknamed — courtesy of his booming shots that tore a hole through many a net —The Big Bomber.

Charlie realized the dream of almost every local schoolboy when he joined the Leafs, and became a Stanley Cup winner in 1932 and captain of the team for the 1937-38 season. He retired in 1941 and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961.

Charlie’s career and legacy are only one part of the Conacher story.

His brothers Lionel and Roy also played in the NHL and won four more Stanley Cups between them. The Conachers are the only family to have three siblings in the Hall of Fame. Over the years, three more Conacher descendants have also played in the NHL.

“There can be only one Royal Family of Hockey, the Conachers,” wrote Paul White in a recent biography of the sporting family. “The list of scoring titles, all-star game appearances, Stanley Cup and league championships, not to mention other unique hockey achievements, are all documented.”

Charlie’s number 9 is one of thirteen numbers, honouring nineteen different players, that were officially retired in 2016. At that time, the hockey club created brand new banners that now hang at the ACC.

Since then, the Leafs have been delivering the old banners to the hometowns of their honoured players. Charlie’s banner made the shortest trip, just four kilometres up Bay Street to the primary school where he spent his formative years.

“Like the Toronto Maple Leafs, Jesse Ketchum Public School has been part of the fabric of this city for a very, very long time,” said school principal Elizabeth Holmes at the presentation. “In fact, our school actually predates our beloved hockey team. And like the Leafs, our school is about community. That’s why this event is so important for us. It recognizes the importance of community and how our school and our community helped to shape Charlie Conacher into not just the great player that he was, but also the person that he was.”

Charlie’s connection with the Leafs is special because he is a home-grown hero.

In the club’s entire history, the Leafs have had only three Toronto-born captains. The most recent one was Sid Smith in the 1950s. Since then, the team has named captains from far-flung locales ranging from Saskatchewan to Sweden (Wendell Clark and Mats Sundin, respectively).

Today, there are only two players on the team roster who were born in this city. Professional hockey is now an international affair, and a local-born player making it to the top is increasingly a rarity.

At the presentation ceremony, Charlie’s banner was raised to its new home inside Jesse Ketchum school with the help of his sons Peter and Brad, and his nephew Brian.

Perhaps Charlie’s image will help inspire the youngsters at Jesse Ketchum to pursue their dreams, be they athletic, academic or artistic. Maybe other tributes and banners will someday join Charlie’s.

“Our school today is home to about 450 students whose cultural backgrounds represent countries from all over the world, just like the Leafs of today,” said Holmes. “But what remains constant is that commitment to community, and to working together as a team to achieve success.”

As go the Leafs, so go the kids at Jesse Ketchum.

Ward boundaries redrawn

By Geremy Bordonaro

Joe Cressy has confirmed that he will be standing for re-election at the next municipal election. He’s just not sure which ward he’ll be running in, now that the Ontario Municipal Board has approved Toronto City Council’s decision to increase the number of wards from 44 to 47.

This landmark decision will see one ward removed and three added in an attempt to create voter parity in the upcoming municipal election.

Local wards 19 and 20 (both Trinity-Spadina) have been significantly redefined. Ward 19 — represented by Mike Layton — will now absorb Seaton Village into its boundaries and Ward 20 — represented by Cressy — will be split.

The boundaries of the new Ward 20 will be Queen Street West to Harbourfront from Bathurst to John streets. The boundaries of new Ward 24 will be Queen Street West to Dupont Street from University Avenue to Bathurst Street.

A large factor in splitting up Ward 20 was giving residents of the ward a fair amount of voting power and the more undivided attention of the city councillor.

“Ward 20, as it exists today, has nearly 100,000 residents. Some other wards in the city have 30,000,” said Cressy. “What that means, practically, as the local councillor I’m not able to respond to my constituents’ concerns and requests as quickly as many of my colleagues simply due to the fact that it is three times larger than some wards.”

Cressy was happy with the review as the highly researched project of over four years stayed sensitive to the needs and issues of certain communities.

“There was an exceptionally robust process towards the development of these boundaries,” he said. “Consultants were hired, who I should note live in the Palmerston area of our community, and they did detailed research looking at population patterns and historical boundaries. They made proposals and consulted with the public.”

Ward 19 will expand to encompass the entirety of Bathurst Street along with Seaton Village. Layton said the ward review was necessary to prevent further disparities between the wards.

“A ward boundary review was the necessary thing to do. We had the obligation to review whether or not there was voter parity across the city. And there was not,” said Layton. “We had some wards with 140,000 people represented by [one vote on the council], and some wards with 40,000 people with one vote on the council.”

At its worst this disparity in population made a voter’s power in the largest areas a third of what the power of the votes from the smallest areas was. Though this issue was pressing there was still, however, a need to have some mindfulness about splitting neighbourhoods into different wards.

“It’s important for us to remember that change needed to happen. I was supportive of the ways the boundaries were redrawn because I thought, in particular in Ward 19, that it kept communities intact,” Layton said. “It didn’t split communities so that they would be dealing with two different councillors if they crossed the street.”

Although there is going to be little change for most communities the increased attention from a lower population area is a welcome change for community groups like the Annex Residents’ Association (ARA).

“I think it’s better. We certainly made the plea for it,” said David Harrison, ARA chair. “It’s basically a much more cohesive unit for the interests of the neighbourhoods. Whoever happens to be councillor at the time will be able to focus on our needs and on the needs of the people of the ward. The ward at the moment is just too big…. It’s just too much work.”

Cressy said he is planning to run in one of the wards created by the redrawn boundaries.

“I will be running for City Council in 2018. I will be running for re-election. I have not decided in which of my current areas I will be running,” said Cressy. “The ward south of Queen has many projects that I care deeply about that I’ve been working on for years. In the north there are also neighbourhoods that I love and adore. The Annex is where I was born, and raised, and live today. So I’m agonizing over that decision.”

Mitzie Hunter (right), Ontario’s minister of education, sits in on a Kensington Community School kindergarten class discussion about climate change. BRIAN BURCHELL/GLEANER NEWS

Just in time for the relentlessly extreme cold this winter, Kensington Community School on College Street is basking in warmth, thanks to two new energy-efficient boilers. The provincial government spent $358,000 on the installation, using funds from a $200 million dividend from the carbon market created by its cap and trade program. So far, 594 schools have received energy-efficient upgrades totalling $84 million from the dividend.

Mitzie Hunter, the provincial minister of education, announced the investment at the school on January 12. She said that buildings, and the energy they consume, account for almost one quarter of Ontario’s greenhouse gas pollution, and that reducing our carbon footprint was critical in order for us to “leave a sustainable legacy for our children and grandchildren”.

“The province’s public schools are doing their part to fight climate change,” she said. “These upgrades will reduce green gas emissions to create a greener school environment for students and staff and a healthier future for the province.”

With Ontario’s public schools facing an estimated $15 billion backlog in deferred and major maintenance, Hunter was asked how such a relatively small investment of $358,000 could begin to address this general condition of deterioration.

Hunter explained that the Kensington investment was part of a larger plan to upgrade schools with solar panels and replace roofs, flooring, and plumbing systems.

“We are investing $1.4 billion in school boards, and that’s an annual figure, to help them begin to address the backlog,” added Hunter.

—Brian Burchell/Gleaner News