Residents’ association follows model set by Harbord Village

By Emilie Jones

The Palmerston Area Residents’ Association (PARA) unveiled its plan to go green at a public meeting in early August. The association, which has been developing the plan with the office of Mike Layton (Ward 19, Trinity-Spadina), was looking for ideas and feedback from the neighbourhood.

“Everything hinges on this meeting,” said Rachel Singer, a summer intern with the councillor’s office who has been on the file with fellow intern Francesca Campos. “The plan is completely created by the community; we are just here to support.”

PARA chair Paul MacLean described the meeting as an opportunity “to inform people what the interns have been doing. They have been a real boost throughout the summer, which is the energy that was needed. We want to do more than just brainstorm.”

In developing the plan, PARA is following the path laid by the Harbord Village Residents’ Association (HVRA), which released its Green Master Plan in February of last year, and the Bloor Annex BIA, which has developed its own plan for greening Bloor Street.

The HVRA’s Sue Dexter was on hand to give PARA some guidance on how best to proceed.

“My advice is that you want to build yourself in the city infrastructure, working and collaborating with them,” she said. “It is a little piece of a big problem. You want to focus, specialize in one thing, and go away with it.”

The focus of the meeting was on collaboration, as representatives from different organizations — Community Resilience to Extreme Weather, PARA, HVRA, and Layton’s office — gave presentations and answered questions.

Residents then participated in activities that helped determine their priorities for the neighbourhood. In dot-mocracy, for example, people used stickers to demonstrate the level of importance of various issues.

The idea, explained Rachel Singer, is to have the neighbourhood develop the plan it wants, rather than the city dictate to the neighbourhood.

“This is your plan. It represents your community. It is your voice,” she said.

Some of the themes that emerged included storm-management, pinch-point planters, identifying school areas that could be used as community greenspace, and tree planting. After working in groups, the residents came together to give some general and initial feedback on the themes, as well as show their support for the initiative overall.

“People might ask why a green plan,” said Frumie Diamond, the PARA board member responsible for green space and beautification. “It’s a great way to identify strengths and opportunities in the neighbourhood.”

She added that Mike Layton’s support is a big help.

“When you have a plan and people behind you, it allows us to have input when the city is putting in infrastructure. It allows us to have a seat at the table to get what we need.”

“I appreciate the idea of beautifying the neighbourhood and turning that into working with Layton into greening the neighbourhood,” agreed Becky, a local resident.

Although the meeting sparked discussion and brainstorming, it will take more than that to bring the green plan to fruition.

“This is a promising start,” said Singer, noting that such meetings are important, because “the hardest part is getting people involved”.

“Communications are necessary for this to be successful,” said Breanne, another resident. “How we are communicating and why the project is important must be communicated, we need to build partnerships. I am interested in how [the plan] can relate to our small neighbourhood which we all love so much.”

Meghan, another neighbour, echoed those thoughts. “It is already a green neighbourhood, with foliage and trees. Building on it to make it sustainable can be really valuable.”

The hope is to have a first draft of the plan ready for a public meeting this fall.

PHOTO BY GEREMY?BORDONARO/GLEANER NEWS

The founder and owner of Bloor Street retailer Curbside Cycle died of an apparent heart attack on August 16. He was 71 years old.

Don Watterson launched Curbside in 1991 as a tent on the side of a curb (hence the name) near Bloor Street and Brunswick Avenue, not far from its current storefront at 412 Bloor St. W. He was also heavily involved in Bells on Bloor, which advocates for bike lanes on Bloor Street, and was instrumental in making Toronto more accessible for cyclists.

Like his advocacy work, cycling in the city is at the heart of his shop. As a result, Curbside’s focus has always been on bikes that people use primarily to get around the city, rather than bikes for recreation (mountain bikes) or sport (racing bikes).

His entrepreneurial spirit enabled him to break from a rigid pre-existing supply chain structure and import city bikes directly from Europe, establishing Fourth Floor Distribution to distribute European city bikes across a Canada-wide network. According to their website, “it remains the case that bike stores tend to be run by males, often really grumpy males, and only sell products that are designed for other males, many of whom can also be quite grumpy. So while we dream of sharing our vision of city bikes with retailers across North America, it’s going to take a while to convince them.”

A recent visit to Curbside Cycle found not one grumpy staffer but rather a mechanic with a smile, eager to get a flat fixed on the spot to get the rider back on her way.

Watterson would have been proud.

—Brian Burchell/Gleaner News

Central Tech Stadium is introducing a new after-school program. Open to children from schools within a 15 to 20 minute walk of the stadium, the CTS After School Club is a physical adventure program in which students will participate in sports at the stadium, activities in local parks, and excursions throughout the Annex. Participating children will be picked up from their school. The program, which begins in September, runs from the minute the school bell sounds until 6 p.m.

—Geremy Bordonaro/Annex Gleaner

This year’s Harbord Village Fall Fair will take place at Margaret Fairley Park on Sept. 10 from noon to 6 p.m. The block-busting party, say the organizers, will include live music, games for children, and a feast of food. There will also be a silent auction, as well as a selection of beer and wine. It’s hosted by the Harbord Village Residents’ Association, which is still looking for volunteers.

For further information, please visit www.harbordvillage.com.

—Geremy Bordonaro/Annex Gleaner

Delicious mulberries were at the height of season in early July for the Annex Residents’ Association’s (ARA) first ever Mulberry Festival. Organized by Trees Please, an ARA working group, and sponsored by the association and COBS Bread, the event drew about 70 to 80 participants who celebrated the urban forest and a love of mulberries.

The participants picked six local mulberry trees, and visited what the ARA calls “the most incredible back yard garden”. Other activities included a seeding demonstration, a talk about the city’s tree canopy, and, of course, eating copious amounts of mulberries.

The association hopes to make the festival an annual event. To volunteer or have your mulberry tree picked next year, please email events@theara.org.

—Terri Chu/Gleaner News

Terri Chu, a member of the ARA, helped organize this event. She also writes this paper’s Greenings column.

Vacancy rate for apartments getting even lower

By Geremy Bordonaro

If you’re coming to the Annex for a quick visit, you’re in luck. From hotels to condos to student residences, there’s lots of places that will give you a taste of what’s it like to live in Toronto’s most livable neighbourhood. If you actually want to live here, however, you’re out of luck. Long-term housing, especially affordable housing, is at a premium.

[pullquote]“We’ve got units being used in, essentially, a hotel function in residential communities” —Mike Layton, Ward 19, Trinity-Spadina[/pullquote]

And some say that’s because of the very perk available to visitors: short-term rental units, offered online through services like Airbnb, Flipkey, and Homeaway. Potential renters are being forced out in favour of hosts who rent out exclusively on online services to make a steady profit off short-term renters.

“The data is pretty clear. There are thousands of units that are being pulled off the rental market currently,” said Geordie Dent, executive director of the Federation of Metro Tenants’ Association. “What that means is that the city, which is under a housing crisis, continues to suffer and this exacerbates that.”

Neil Wright of Wright Real Estate said the situation has become so bad that he’s wary of those who want to purchase rental properties.

“I’ve had a number of people call me and ask me if we had any rentals that they could look into,” Wright said. “And these were people accumulating rentals that they had no intention of renting themselves. They wanted to rent them for Airbnb. It’s a huge business.”

“We’re in a situation where we’ve got units being used in, essentially, a hotel function in residential communities,” said Mike Layton (Ward 19, Trinity-Spadina). “The platform allows for us to really modernize some things that were legal in the past, like sublets. But it also has a dual purpose of allowing things that would otherwise not be permitted by our by-laws. For instance, some of the hotel-like arrangements.”

Such hotel-like arrangements have a big impact in areas of the city that are especially desirable.

“You can look at places like Kensington Market, Liberty Village, and the Annex where there is a really sought after place for people to live and visit,” Layton said. “People come here and they can’t afford to live there because of the lack of availability of units.”

The City of Toronto has responded by proposing new regulations that would require short-term rental companies and operators to register with the city. Short-term rentals would only be permitted in the principal residence of the owner or tenant, and would be limited to the entire dwelling unit, a secondary suite or up to three rooms rented for up to 28 days. The proposed regulations are now undergoing public consultations.

The city is particularly concerned with losing future rental units — such as those from Westbank Corp.’s Mirvish Village development — to a service like Airbnb.

“The fear is the loss of residential units. And thereby increasing the cost of renting,” Layton said. “When you see that sheer number of units up on Airbnb you know that that is taking away units from dozens, maybe hundreds or thousands, across the city. When you have a vacancy rate as low as ours, those units count.”

It’s a case of finding balance. Some Airbnb hosts provide a great service renting out the units they live in, and aren’t taking a potential rental unit out of the market.

“I know a number of people doing this and they’re very excited about it. They have beautiful accommodations in the interior,” Wright said. “It’s quite like a junior B?&?B. People get a taste of how to deal with management and proper etiquette of having guests coming into their home.”

Some of those people fear the impact the proposed regulations could have on a much-needed source of income. “I rent out a small unit and the regulations would definitely hurt me,” said an Airbnb host in the Annex who wished to remain anonymous for fear of backlash. “I use that income to help support myself, pay for rent and all that stuff. I need this money to survive in the city.”

Layton is sympathetic. He hopes the public consultation process will help make sure the regulations won’t hurt people who rely on Airbnb to help meet their cost of living.

“Not all of it is something that would have been on the housing market otherwise and that’s the careful piece that we have to determine. What is the level of intervention that our government needs to do to protect our communities from these party hotels that are popping up but at the same time protect affordable housing? It’s a very difficult line for a regulatory perspective, but we’re working on it.”

The deeply divisive debate on whether or not the Toronto Police Service (TPS) should continue the School Resource Officer (SRO) program reveals fault lines among those responsible for ensuring that secondary education be conducted in a safe, supportive environment. Under the program, thirty-six police officers are assigned to work in Toronto’s public and Catholic high schools.

In June, a group including Black Lives Matter, Education-Not-Incarceration, Latinx and the Afro-Latin-Amercia Abya Yala Education Network presented a petition to the TPS Board calling for the immediate cessation of the program, and in response, the TPS Board in August ordered an independent study on the program. A few days later, in a seeming rebuke of this strategy, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) suddenly voted to cancel it.

The trustees who voted for cancellation said it was impossible to conduct a study while the police where still in the schools. The chair of the Toronto Catholic District School Board for whom the program also applies, wrote “how important the program is to fostering safe and acceptable learning environments”. The mayor, ever measured, said he wants to “wait for the facts” from the study before entering the fray of public opinion. And the premier, ever dithering, and apparently not sure where the bandwagon is headed, offered her support for all sides.

In opposing the program, critics have been loud on rhetoric but light on facts. These groups have said that they speak for the marginalized youth who have become victims of the hostile presence of armed police officers. Further, they have argued that the police have effectively become stooges of the federal government by demanding citizenship papers from students that appear to be immigrants. They have also argued that, paradoxically, the previously safe schools have become dangerous places because of the police presence and that effectively, the SRO program is a pipeline to prison for racialized high school students.

It’s a lot of loaded language, and the police services board has responded by requesting an academic study to determine whether such claims are supported by facts. As it happens, Dr. Linda Duxbury of Carleton University has conducted an academic study for the Peel Regional Police. Serving Mississauga, its Neighbourhood Policing Unit (NPU) has ten officers in five high schools. Duxbury interviewed 1300 students in grades 9 and 10 with surprising results.

Overwhelmingly, students answered yes to the question “Do the police protect me and can they be relied upon to come to my aid?” In response to the question, “Are the police as a group a racist organization?” the students answered “yes”. And “Are the police officers in the school racist?” the students say “no”. Mostly, the students report feeling safer, more likely to play on a sports team, less likely to be bullied a higher desire to not skip school with the NPU present.

Duxbury says she was “stunned at how positive the impact was and how much time and energy is being spent on proactive policing, essentially stopping issues before they arise”. Despite the TPS budget woes, Toronto’s SRO program puts precious resources where it matters most. Emphasizing prevention the program allows police officers to form relationships in neighbourhoods where breaking down barriers is key.The Duxbury report also found that students were more likely to report incidents of domestic violence, other serious crimes, and their own mental health concerns, to an officer with whom they had developed a trusting relationship.

The TDSB trustee decision to suspend the SRO program abruptly without even consulting with its own leadership or the students is reckless and sacrifices the safety of the learning environment for political convenience.

The TPS decision to invite an independent academic review is warranted but the groups that have been so militant in their badgering don’t want the study, because they are wary of facts. Perhaps they should be as they appear to have none of their own.

READ MORE

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)

Re: New vision for Bloor Street United (July 2017)

Kent Jackson, a member of the Bloor Street United Church congregation, noted that the archival photo we ran with this article did not match the cutline: “The church lost its steps and main entrance when it was truncated in 1927 to make way for the widening of Bloor Street West.”

While the steps were indeed removed in 1927, that photo did not show the steps in question. This photo, however, does. It is from Seventy Years at Bloor Street United Church 1887-1957, and has been reproduced with permission of the publisher.

Have a correction??A comment? We want to hear from you. Please email us your feedback or mail us at P.O. Box 414, Station P, Toronto, ON??M5S 2S9.

Remembering an unsung hero

On behalf of the Richardson family and the Central Technical School community I would like to thank you for the lovely story on Olympian and Jesse Owens U.S. counterpart, Sam Richardson.

It is important to share the stories and experiences of our fellow school alumni and neighbours, as it enriches our lives.

Upon reading the article I would like to clarify that Central Technical School celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2015. Harbord Collegiate Institute celebrated 125 years in 2017.

There is some confusion as to Sam Richardson’s birthdate. Although we have resource material stating that Sam was born in 1919, we have most recently accessed Sam’s school registration card from King Edward School, which states that he was born in 1921. This would mean that he would have been 15 years of age at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, 13 at the British Empire Games, very young indeed and what moxie!

The Canadian Olympic website and Wikipedia post his year of birth as 1917. To date, we have not been able to access Canada census information, which leaves the issue of his age at the Olympics unverified.

To quote a letter that we received from the Ontario Black History Society:

“Sammy Richardson, as he was known to his friends, was born just after the end of the First World War. His father served in the war and his great-grandparents came up through the Underground Railroad. Prior to attending Central Tech, he attended King Edward Public school with Stanley Grizzle and they used to race one another. Sammy, always a gifted athlete, travelled across Canada and the U.S., winning numerous medals. As a teenager, he competed and won both a gold medal and a silver medal at the British Empire Games in London in 1934. Upon his return members of the Black and white community came out in force to celebrate his return.

Still a teenager, he competed in three events at the 1936 Olympics with Jesse Owens and fellow Canadian Phil Edwards.

He was an inspiration to all.”

Once again thank you for the article, we look forward to further tributes in honour of Sam.

Fernanda Pisani
Central Tech Alumni
Archives Chair

Editors’ note: Thanks for the correction, and a great addition to the story of Sam Richardson.

Prepare for excitement and drama during trade talks

By Chrystia Freeland

As we undertake our discussions with the United States and Mexico on the renegotiation of NAFTA, we are seeking your views. Are there areas of the agreement that could be clarified? Are there parts that should be updated? Are there any new sections that should be part of a modernized agreement? Please visit www.international.gc.ca/nafta to participate in the public consultation process.

In his book about the war of 1812, the historian Alan Taylor describes how, at the height of the conflict between the United States and British Canada, the U.S. forces unaccountably held off trying to invade the St. Lawrence River valley.

Such an invasion might have dramatically changed the outcome of the war. But it never happened.

The reason, Taylor writes, is that American and Canadian merchants and farmers in the border towns were enthusiastic cross-border traders. And some of them, on the American side, had influence in Washington.

Any actual fighting, these Yankee entrepreneurs successfully argued, would be bad for business. So they urged Washington to take care.

This story epitomizes one of the most important aspects of trade: it brings us into shared purpose across national borders, working to address common needs — even in the most extraordinary circumstances.

This brings me to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) — and the historic project on which we are embarking, with our neighbours, to modernize this landmark pact for the twenty-first century.

Trade is about people. It’s about creating the best possible conditions for growth, for jobs, and for prosperity.

Thanks to NAFTA, the North American economy is highly integrated, making our companies more competitive in the global marketplace and creating more jobs on our continent.

NAFTA has been an extraordinary success story. And, Canadians today largely agree with me in that assessment. A Pew Research poll in May found that 74 per cent of those surveyed think NAFTA has been good for Canada. This is a remarkable consensus. It extends across the political spectrum. It is reflected in the high calibre of the people who recently joined our NAFTA Council. These members set partisan politics aside to work to pursue the national interest. I am grateful.

Our mission is clear. We are in this effort for all Canadians — and beyond that, for the broader North American community. Because if we get this right, the working people of all three countries will benefit.

Canada, the United States, and Mexico have a powerful shared interest in reaching a mutually beneficial agreement.

Strong economic fundamentals are a compelling argument for bolstering what works, and improving what can be made better. I am confident that this is a story with a happy ending.

But, as I am sure Canadians appreciate, the path to getting there could well include some moments of excitement as well as a few moments of drama.

I am no stranger myself to moments of drama in trade talks. We are delighted CETA has been signed and ratified and will be provisionally applied on Sept. 21. But before we got there, our talks with the Wallonian government in Namur broke down. I had to make the difficult decision to get up from the table, and go home.

Preparing for these negotiations has already united us as a country.

I have been astounded and moved by the extremely high level of support and collaboration. That is because of this fundamental reality: the Canada-U.S. economic relationship is the most significant, the most mutually beneficial, and the most effective anywhere in the world. We know that. And, particularly after six months of constant reminders from their friends in the north, our American neighbours now know it, too.

Good fundamentals lead to good results — and that is what we will achieve.

Chrystia Freeland is the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Member of Parliament for University-Rosedale.

September marks the start of performance season and arts classes

PICTURE COURTESY HEATHER KELLY: The Royal Conservatory’s red piano at Open Streets TO.

By Heather Kelly

Concert season begins!

Fanfares herald Tafelmusik’s 2017-18 concert season and new Music Director Elisa Citterio, who makes her debut directing A Joyous Welcome at Koerner Hall, September 21 to 24. Vivaldi’s Summer, the first in a complete cycle of his The Four Seasons being performed this year, will showcase Tafelmusik’s dynamic new leader. The University of Toronto Faculty of Music starts its concert season September 7 with percussionist Berndt Thurner in a free noon recital and Q&A at Walter Hall. On September 10, the faculty hosts Mysterious Barricades, a free noon concert in honour of World Suicide Prevention Day with Russell Braun, Judy Loman, and more. The Gryphon Trio and clarinetist James Campbell kick off Thursdays at Noon free concerts on September 14, and on September 21 the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s Winona Zelenka and the Gryphon Trio’s James Parker perform Bach’s Three Sonatas for Viola da Gamba and Harpsichord. The Miles Nadal JCC presents folk duo Dwight & Sue in a daytime concert honouring Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan on September 14, and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura presents the Vesuvius Ensemble on September 18. The Royal Conservatory’s 2017-18 season begins with a free concert by Ensemble Made in Canada with Scott St. John on October 1 as part of the Bloor St. Culture Corridor hub of Culture Days.

Culture Days

Celebrate Culture Days, the annual weekend of free arts and culture, at the special Bloor St. Culture Corridor hub, Friday, September 29, through Sunday, October 1. The Gardiner Museum will be free all weekend. On Saturday, September 30, the Bata Shoe Museum is free 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. with three special art installations and all galleries open as part of Culture Days and Nuit Blanche. Saturday only, Alliance Française presents an exhibition about the Allied Landing in Provence. On Sunday, October 1, the University of Toronto Faculty of Music’s Bass Day includes a world-record attempt for the most bassists ever to play “The Elephant” from Carnival of the Animals and a fun Bass Petting Zoo for the whole family. Also on October 1, the Royal Conservatory presents a free concert by Ensemble Made in Canada with Scott St. John, and the Museum of Estonians Abroad brings Estonian fashion design to Canada with pop-up stores and a fashion show.

Open Streets

At Open Streets TO on Sunday, September 17, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., you can dance in the streets as you listen to the University of Toronto Jazz Street Band, or play the Royal Conservatory’s famous red piano in the middle of the road. There will also be folk music, arts and crafts, buskers, and more at the activity hub located at Bloor and Spadina.

Arts & Culture Talks

The Istituto Italiano di Cultura presents Italian-Canadian writers of Calabrese origins with hosts Francesco Loriggio and Damiano Pietropaolo on September 13. On September 8, the Istituto presents Extra Virgin Olive Oil lecture and tasting, and on September 15, a talk and tasting of Italian bread. Alliance Française presents French lectures Louis Riel and language rights in Court with Gérard Lévesque on September 13, Scandal and the peripatetic with Chantal Pontbriand September 20, and English lectures Bill Davis, the life of an Extraordinary Premier with Steve Paikin September 27, and Film memories of the Great War with Brian Jacobson September 28.

The ROM launches ROM Speaks Tuesday, September 19, with author Drew Hayden Taylor Spreading the Gospel of Native Literature. Then, The Next Fire Fight: Transitioning Out of Uniform features the inspiring story of decorated Lt.-Col. David Quick on September 26. The Museum of Estonians Abroad celebrates Tartu College’s 47th anniversary on Saturday, September 23, with a lecture by Estonian Academy of Arts Prof. Mart Kalm (in Estonian). The Gardiner Signature Lecture Series returns September 27, with Chief Curator Meredith Chilton bringing to life Lord Milton’s 1862 cross-Canada odyssey and the Minton bone china commissioned to commemorate the journey. Learn about Canadian cartoonists Josh Silburt and Gary Clement at The Power of Political Cartoons with Ralph Wintrob September 28 at the Miles Nadal JCC, in conjunction with their exhibition A Colourful Life.

Get Creative at Hands-On Classes

The Royal Conservatory School’s music courses for adults and children start on September 9 and their free Band Day on Sunday, September 10, offers people a chance to try instruments and meet instructors. The Bata Shoe Museum offers moccasin-making workshops and new evenings of sketching in the museum after it closes on Friday, September 29. At the Gardiner Museum, choose from hand building, wheel throwing, at drop-in classes every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, or discover the meditative qualities of clay in the new six-week workshop Reclaim This Moment: Finding Your Centre Through Clay.

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.