PHOTO BY GEREMY BORDONARO/GLEANER NEWS: Heritage Toronto unveiled a plaque commemorating Albert Jackson, Canada’s first Black letter carrier, on July 21. The plaque is located on Lombard Street, outside the former Toronto General Post Office. Jackson lived and delivered mail in the Annex, and was the subject of The Postman, a play performed on Brunswick Avenue, Palmerston Boulevard, and Major Street in 2015.

READ MORE

BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Moving to the centre (February 2017)

Delivering history in Harbord Village (April 2015)

As the city struggles with a shortage of affordable rental housing, Toronto City Council’s executive committee has opened up a draft plan to register and license short-term rentals typically offered through Airbnb to public consultation.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that Airbnb has tightened the rental market in Toronto, and that some areas, including Kensington Market, have more than 100 Airbnb listings compared to 12 rental listings. The proposed plan would include changing zoning bylaws to include spaces as “short-term rentals”, licensing home-sharing companies like Airbnb, and starting a registry for anyone who operates one of these rentals.

The plan would also require an owner to reside in the space they wish to offer for short-term rent, which is aimed at preventing vacant properties from being bought and used solely as Airbnb spaces.

—Geremy Bordonaro/Annex Gleaner

The Harbord Village Residents’ Association (HVRA) has given Larry Sdao its Community Builder Award. Sdao owns 481 Bloor St. W., formerly home to the Brunswick House. HVRA chair Gus Sinclair said that Sdao worked with the community to deal with “an intractable problem that was the Brunswick House business [Sdao’s former tenant]”.

Local residents’ associations said that the pub and bar — known for cheap booze — was partly responsible for the noise, vandalism, brawls, and property damage that frequently occurred when its patrons poured into the neighbourhood after the bar closed early in the morning.

“Sdao worked behind the scenes to mitigate the negative impacts the Brunswick House was having,” said Sinclair. “He even took his own tenant to court and successfully got the lease shortened to five years, without an option to renew. It was a brave thing to do, as the rent was being paid.”

Rexall, a pharmacy drugstore chain, has since taken over the tenancy, renovating the building and preserving its heritage aspects.

“This was a real bonus for us, as we are big on heritage,” Sinclair added. He said that for Sdao “to be aware of, and where you can possibly do it, assist with community building, is for a business guy, impressive”.

—Brian Burchell/Annex Gleaner

READ MORE

NEWS: Restored Brunswick House reopens (May 2017)

NEWS: Rexall replaces Brunswick House (April 2016)

NEWS: Brunswick on the block (December 2015)

The Toronto Police Service’s (TPS) 14 Division is investigating a sexual assault at Bloor Street West and Robert Street.

On July 24, slightly before 6 a.m., a 25-year-old woman was reportedly approached from behind and assaulted by a man in his late-twenties to mid-thirties. The suspect then fled eastward.

The man is described as 5 feet 5 inches with black hair, beard, and a thin build. He was wearing a white sweater, tan pants, and black shoes.

If you have information about this suspect or the incident, please contact TPS at 416-808-1400 or Crimestoppers at 416-222-8477.

—Geremy Bordonaro/Annex Gleaner

Nurturing unexplored and unexpressed talent

PHOTO BY NEILAND BRISSENDEN/GLEANER NEWS: The Women’s Art Association of Canada has called 23 Prince Arthur Ave. home since 1916. A gem in the heart of the Annex, features of the nineteenth-century house include an art-filled president’s room, where founder Mary Dignam’s 1893 Peonies hangs in pride of place above the fireplace.

By Annemarie Brissenden

At a time when women had neither the right to vote nor access to much education, Mary Ella Dignam founded the Women’s Art Association of Canada (WAAC). By all accounts a singular woman with a singular vision, Dignam wanted the association to be a place that nurtured a love of art, promoted Canadian artists at home and abroad, and provided support for artists when they needed it. One hundred and thirty years later, the association remains true to this vision, and is still going strong from its home on Prince Arthur Avenue.

[pullquote]“Mary Dignam saw a role for women in society and wanted to pave the way for that”—Dale Butterill, president, WAAC[/pullquote]

“Dignam really believed that art could be a positive influence on society,” explained president Dale Butterill, adding that the dynamic founder is still very much alive in the organization today. “The association was founded at a time when women didn’t have a lot of options. They weren’t allowed in the Royal Society of Canada or the Arts & Letters Club, so they had to form their own.”

PHOTO BY NEILAND BRISSENDEN/GLEANER NEWS: The library leads to the studios for artists and an apartment.

Within a few years, the association had a thriving membership and a place for what Butterill called the “tremendous amount of unexpressed and unexplored talent”.

Butterill and past president Barbara Mitchell attribute the association’s early success to Dignam’s ability to cultivate relationships with a wide range of people. She had close friendships with the Group of Seven, who included artists from the association in their shows in the 1920s. Emily Carr, who only came to Toronto twice (in 1927 and 1935), visited the association both times.

Dignam also had a close relationship with Lady Aberdeen, who founded the National Council of Women in 1893, and would become the association’s first patron.

“Dignam saw a role for women in society and wanted to pave the way for that,” said Butterill.

In many ways a woman ahead her time, Dignam wasn’t afraid to be different. She had an unconventional marriage, and would frequently leave her husband at home to provide income for her family. She would take young girls from Ontario on a grand tour of Europe, and had friendships with prominent members of Toronto society. Early membership rolls read like a who’s who of Toronto society, and include names like Osler, Eaton, Gooderham, and Austin, many of whom would attend one of the association’s most popular events: the annual garden party.

Butterill pointed out that in the early days, “social life in Toronto was pretty limited. Apparently one garden party went on for three days.”

PHOTO BY NEILAND BRISSENDEN/GLEANER NEWS: The association’s annual garden party — once the highlight of Toronto’s social calendar — is held in the backyard.

The annual party is still a highlight of the association’s calendar, with this year’s event — the 101st — celebrating the association’s 130 years.

These days, the association’s mandate remains much as it was: support women in the arts, support students in the arts, and provide public education.

The association hosts regular lectures — its Wednesday night lecture series goes back 120 years — and has a lending library. It provides 14 scholarships at six institutions: OCAD University, Sheridan College Art & Art History, Royal Conservatory of Music – Glenn Gould School, The University of Toronto Faculty of Music, Canada’s National Ballet School, and the George Brown Theatre School. Scholarship recipients receive a one-year membership in the association in conjunction with their award.

Michelle Langille was a George Brown scholarship winner in 2012, and has remained a member ever since.

She said the scholarship gave her some much needed financial freedom, particularly because as a mature student, there were fewer scholarship opportunities open to her.

Langille describes the organization as a pretty interesting one that has been around for a very long time.

“As a feminist and female artist, it’s been great to explore,” said Langille. “I am constantly meeting new people I would never have met in other circumstances. And it’s a space that is continuing to welcome female artists.”

The house on Prince Arthur, which the association has owned since 1916, rents out 12 studios to its members. It also provides gallery space for exhibitions, and has one apartment that it rents out to an artist.

PHOTO BY NEILAND BRISSENDEN/GLEANER NEWS: The building also includes a gallery space for exhibitions.

The association currently has 210 members, ranging in age from adolescence to just shy of 100, and, of late, has focused more on engaging with the community. This year, 800 people toured the space during Doors Open Toronto.

Membership is on the rise — social media has made a big difference, noted Butterill — and new members are finding their way to the association’s door.

The membership is adapting, Butterill said, with a view to surviving for another 130 years. They have a 131 and beyond committee made up of younger women exploring how the club needs to adapt, a group the president described as very dynamic, well organized, and connected.

“We’re very conscious and aware of the need to think about what the future looks like,” said committee member Langille, adding that she’s confident about the association’s prospects.

“We have so much to learn and share. I’m very proud to be a member.”

More how nice!

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)

Every once in a while, someone gets mad as hell and decides not to accept the status quo. It’s a small act of rebellion that can shake things up, bringing sanity and common sense to a situation that has gotten well out of hand.

Take the case of Etobicoke resident Adi Asti. Frustrated by the city’s apparent refusal to install a small staircase along a dangerous incline in Tom Riley Park, Asti appealed to his local councillor. He discovered that people would have to make do with holding onto a rope, as quotes to install the stairs ranged between $65,000 and $150,000. A cash-strapped city, it seems, was not prepared to go down that slope anytime soon.

[pullquote]“The alarming reality of this situation is that the original $65,000 to $150,000 estimate was based on similar projects that the city has already completed.”[/pullquote]

So Asti, engaging the help of a homeless man, decided to take matters into his own hands, building eight steps in just 12 hours at a cost of $550 of his own money. Press outlets promptly lavished him with praise for his resourcefulness. Embarrassed city staff responded quickly, warning Asti to remove the stairs or risk being charged under the municipal code, which prohibits the erection of any unauthorized structures in parks. And Mayor John Tory, supported the staff, warning against copy cat do-gooders, citing liability concerns.

It was an uproar that even attracted the attention of the international press: “Toronto rebukes handyman whose steps save taxpayers $50,000” ran the BBC headline, while CNN noted “City says steps will cost $65,000 – $150,000, man builds them for $550”. It would appear that frustration with bureaucratic nonsense is something that crosses borders.

It didn’t take long for the mayor to change his tune.

He recognized on the one hand that “anything that gets built on city lands must be absolutely safe and has to be able to stand the test of time” (these stairs built by Asti, a retired mechanic, don’t meet that threshold), yet acknowledged that city staff were responsible for generating “outrageous project cost estimates”.

By the end of the week, Tory wisely decided to call Asti and thank him for the well-intentioned effort to make a dangerous situation safer. He also thanked Asti for alerting him to an issue that had not been on his radar. Though Asti’s stairs have now been removed, they will soon be replaced (work has already started) by the city at a cost, according to the mayor’s office, of less than $10,000. The new stairs will have a proper foundation and handholds.

The alarming reality of this situation is that the original $65,000 to $150,000 estimate was based on similar projects that the city has already completed. How much waste are we surrounded by? How much money has gone down the drain? In a statement, Tory said he thanked Asti for “taking a stand”, adding that “his homemade steps sent a message that I know city staff have heard loud and clear…. I’m not happy that these kinds of outrageous project cost estimates are even possible. I’ll be working to identify what changes we can put into place to make sure that doesn’t continue to happen.”

There are thousands of city projects of this magnitude. How many are we overpaying for? Is it a system failure? Are staff incompetent? Is there impropriety in procurement? Is it some lethal combination of all three? This is how “gravy train” theories gain political traction.

It sounds like the mayor may be as mad as hell too. Let’s hope he also stops accepting the status quo. And to Mr. Asti: thank you for doing the right thing.

READ MORE

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)

Take personal actions to work towards reconciliation

By Mike Layton

As festivities wind down from Canada’s 150th birthday, we are granted an important opportunity to look back at where we have been as a nation and chart our course for the nation we want to become.

Many of the Canada 150 celebrations focused on the most recent history of our nation, but missed the opportunity to recognize the inhabitants of Canada prior to colonization and confederation, especially what has happened to Canada’s Indigenous people in the 150 years we are celebrating. We missed a key learning moment in our nation’s history.

[pullquote]“One step that city council can take is the establishment of the Aboriginal Affairs Office.”[/pullquote]

Don’t let Canada 150 pass by without seizing this opportunity to learn about the Indigenous people who lived here in the thousands of years before colonization, and the impact of colonization on the Aboriginal people who live in our city and across our country.

In Toronto, we often isolate ourselves from Indigenous issues. It’s too often assumed that the intergenerational trauma that is the legacy of the residential school system, the lack of safe drinking water, and other pressing issues are only felt on reserves, away from our city.

With more than 60,000 Aboriginal people living in Toronto, the issues are very real and we have unique opportunities to participate in the reconciliation effort. We have a duty to future generations to begin the process of reconciliation, first by learning, and then by taking action.

On June 21 at the annual sunrise ceremony at Nathan Phillips Square, the City of Toronto ceremonially unfurled the flags of the Mississaugas of the New Credit, the Huron Wendat, the Haudenosaunee, the Metis, and the Inuit. A symbolic gesture, but a meaningful one — these flags will remain, permanently.

These flags, along with other ceremonial changes Toronto City Council has made in recent years, show a willingness to change and a desire to learn, but where we have failed is in our commitment to take concrete steps along the road to reconciliation and to fund real action.

One step that city council can take is the establishment of the Aboriginal Affairs Office. The Aboriginal Affairs Advisory Committee, of which I have the honour of serving as co-chair, has repeatedly made this request. An Aboriginal Affairs Office would provide a resource to the Aboriginal community, Aboriginal organizations and city divisions, and would assist in addressing issues facing the Aboriginal community and implementing the reconciliation agenda. City council will vote on this issue in the fall.

As individuals, we can also take personal actions to work towards reconciliation.

Take every opportunity to learn about Canada’s Indigenous communities. Join one of the many Aboriginal organizations across Toronto working on reconciliation events and programs, or attend any one of the many Aboriginal events this summer.

Support Aboriginal businesses large and small, including some of the great new Aboriginal restaurants in Toronto like Nish Dish at Clinton and Bloor streets.

Overcoming the intergenerational trauma that is the result of the residential school system and working toward shared prosperity begins with learning and a shared understanding of our common history, but moves forward with meaningful actions made by each of us individually and together as a society.

Mike Layton is the councillor for Ward 19, Trinity-Spadina.

READ MORE

ARTS: Examining pre-Confederation treaties (May 2017)

NEWS: Reclaiming the Anishinaabe past (April 2017)

LIFE: Indigenous Games coming in July (March 2017)

NEWS: Building a stronger relationship (February 2017)

FOCUS ON EDUCATION: Decolonizing our schools (December 2016)

FOCUS ON EDUCATION: Building a respectful future (November 2016)

HISTORY: Honouring those who honour history (October 2016)

NEWS: U of T committee tasked with responding to Truth and Reconciliation Commission delivers interim report (August 2016)

ON THE COVER: Tracking history in the Annex (April 2016)

READ MORE BY MIKE LAYTON

FORUM: San Francisco a model to follow (April 2017)

FORUM: Tolls, taxes, and Toronto (February 2017)

FORUM: Seeing our neighbourhood through new eyes (December 2016)

Local politicians celebrate Canada at 150

As the nation celebrated the big 150 this month, we wondered how our local politicians marked our big day. Member of Provincial Parliament Han Dong (Trinity-Spadina), councillors Joe Cressy (Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina) and Mike Layton (Ward 19, Trinity-Spadina), and Toronto Catholic District School Board trustee Catholic School Board Jo-Ann Davis (Ward 9, Spadina-Fort York) shared their Canada Day plans, and some of their favourite Canadian facts, books, and treats!

Compiled by Emilie Jones

How did you spend Canada 150?

Joe Cressy (JC): I went to Alexander Park, as there was a large celebration. I also went to 250 Davenport, also community housing.

Jo-Ann Davis (JD): I actually spent it down in Cape Breton with extended family, who are from the east coast. I spent it mostly outside enjoying the outside, the community, and basically what makes Cape Breton great.

Han Dong (HD): It was great. I spent a few weeks previously knocking on doors, giving out Happy Canada Day signs, and I saw a lot of those in storefronts, which gave me joy. In the morning I went to St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association parade, invited by Adam Vaughan (MP, Spadina-Fort York). It was lovely; a few residents were in traditional clothing. There was a sense of pride, everyone was really happy, I gave pins to lots of kids, and they loved them. Then I went to Alexander Park, where there was a barbecue, and the community centre helped secure some donations for food. Next I went to Ontario Place, where they had the new oath ceremony for 50 new Canadians.

Mike Layton (ML): As Canada Day is the first long weekend after a busy year of city council meetings, for the past several years I have spent Canada Day sitting dockside at a family friend’s cottage.

What is your favourite Canadian book?

JD: That’s tough. I don’t want to just say the most recent book I read. Probably a Richler, I think The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz. I think because I read it when I was young, it was one of the first books I read that I thought of Canada. Because it is set both inside and outside Montreal, you get the urban setting and the lakes and the trees and everything that Canada is famous for. The environment really reminded me of Canada.

HD: I recently picked up Dave Suzuki’s Letters to my Grandchildren. It is an interesting book, of passing on knowledge and spiritual connection. I haven’t finished it yet, but it is very interesting.

ML: I love stories of Canadian wilderness. An early favourite of mine was Lost in the Barrens by Farley Mowatt.

JC: Can I say my partner’s book? The book I’m reading at the moment is my partner’s novel, Be Ready for the Lightning by Grace O’Connell. CBC called it one of summer’s best books.

What is your favourite fact about the Annex?

HD: I have to go with that we have Hot Docs. I want to use every opportunity to promote them. Having it in our community is so special. They have lots of programs, they have free showings for students, and their films have a large educational value.

ML: For me, growing up in the Annex and later studying and teaching Urban Planning at York University, the fact that Jane Jacobs lived on my street is pretty neat for my inner planning nerd.

JC: I have so many! Probably the one for me is that we stopped the Spadina Expressway that was supposed to be built, that would have really changed the area. So my favourite fact is that we stopped it.

JD: I guess that it has always been a centre, a community, that because of its proximity to the university, it is a place that has been open, and the birthplace of a lot of ideas, a lot of innovation. When I think of the Annex I think of Jane Jacobs, Margaret Atwood…just a place with lots of innovative ideas.

And lastly, what is your favourite Canadian treat?

JD: Butter tarts! That was a much easier question!

ML: Tourtière. A mix of savoury, sweet and a bit gamey, and every family has their own spin. You can go try it at Woodlot on College!

JC: Butter tarts! That’s easy…from the Kawarthas…if I can eat a butter tart in a canoe, I’m in heaven.

HD: Raisin Maple Donuts! I was down in Buffalo once, and I went to Tim Hortons and I asked for one, and they didn’t have any! What do you mean you don’t have any!

Member of Parliament Chrystia Freeland (University-Rosedale) and Toronto District School Board trustee Ausma Malik did not respond to the Gleaner.

READ MORE

FORUM: How our politicians celebrate the holidays (December 2016)

August is alive along the Bloor St. Corridor

PHOTO COURTESY THE ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM: Saul Williams of North Caribou Lake First Nation, Weagamo, infuses his first exposure to the homes of non-Indigenous women in the city with humour in White Women and Their Plants, 1978. The painting is part of Anishinaabeg: Art & Power, a Royal Ontario Museum exhibition that explores the life, traditions, and sacred stories of the Anishinaabeg.

By Heather Kelly

Film

Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema invites you to step into one of the most eccentric and remarkable spaces in New York hipster history: The Jazz Loft: According to W. Eugene Smith which opens August 4. Then enjoy a spirited look at the life and career of renowned artist Julian Schnabel: A Private Portrait, opening August 11. You can explore the performative aspects of Ronald Reagan’s time in the Oval Office with The Reagan Show starting August 18, celebrate the life and work of controversial photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in the latest in The Great Photographers series, Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures on August 20, and discover stories of remarkable individuals such as Patti Smith, Joan Rivers, and Muhammad Ali with Game Changers on screen August 2 to 13. If you’ve been wanting to break out your shoulder pads and big hair, here’s your chance: Like Totally 80s! will feature New Wave legends and the Brat Pack on screen, dirty dancing in the aisles, a videogame tournament, and 80s candy at concessions, at the cinema from August 11 to 17.

Camps for kids

The Royal Conservatory of Music’s many camps for children, teens, and adults continue throughout August at the Royal Conservatory School. In August, the final session features a high-energy, interactive camp for teen and adult voice enthusiasts at any level of experience, with Juno-nominated vocal group Cadence. Students will partake in performances, learn about vocal percussion, instrumental imitation, song arranging, stage presence, circle songs, small group singing, and more, August 21 to 26.

Art exhibitions

Visit the Gallery at the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre to enter into a world of empowerment and storytelling with I See: Difference in Perspective, a photography exhibition that explores identity and disability. The Istituto Italiano di Cultura continues to present a solo exhibition of artist Rino Noto’s Wave, where we catch a brief, truncated glimpse of life’s cycles: joy, resilience, purposeful absurdity, on view through September 7. At the Museum of Estonians Abroad/VEMU, the Forest University 50! anniversary exhibition is on display until the middle of September.

PHOTO COURTESY ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI CULTURA: Rino Noto’s Wave showcases a brief, truncated glimpse of life’s cycles: joy, resilience, and purposeful absurdity.

Museums

During the Royal Ontario Museum’s (ROM) Summer Fridays until September 22, visitors receive discounted admission to explore the museum’s galleries and exhibitions, live music, and a spectacular view of the Toronto skyline in c5 Lounge, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Canada’s Table, a delectable tour of regional cuisines prepared by Canada’s top chefs, takes place at the ROM on August 15. Guest chefs include Jamie Kennedy, Ted Corrado, Ned Bell, and more. Continuing exhibitions include Anishinaabeg: Art & Power, The Family Camera, The Evidence Room, and the specially-priced, feature exhibition, Out of the Depths: The Blue Whale Story.

The Gardiner Museum’s Community Arts Space is now in full swing. The month of August brings free programming by Feminist Art Museum, August Fröhls, and artist SoJin Chun in collaboration with The Truth & Dare Project. They’ll be presenting film screenings, exhibitions, workshops, artist talks, and more running until the end of August. All programming is free with registration.

While strolling along the Bloor St. Culture Corridor, take a photo with the Bata Shoe Museum’s (BSM) new window installation. Created by students from Ryerson University, In Full Bloom: Celebrating Canada 150 is an interpretation of the provincial and territorial flowers of Canada using — what else — shoes! Now on display in the Canada 150 x Power exhibition, Toronto-based sneaker designers reflect on what it means to be Canadian. There’s always something for kids to do at the BSM in the summer. This year during Summer Family Fun at the Bata Shoe Museum, kids visiting the museum receive an activity bag that includes a sneaker key chain for decorating, an ISpy game to play in each gallery, and a colourful temporary tattoo. There is also funky footwear to try on, and great opportunities to get a family selfie capturing #BSMfamilyfun.

Heather Kelly is the founder and director of the Bloor St. Culture Corridor. Her column focuses on arts and culture events from the district.

A Toronto baseball institution for over a century

PHOTO BY R.S. KONJEK/GLEANER NEWS: Grant Tamane and his Intercounty Baseball League teammates in 2017.

By R.S. Konjek

In some quarters of Toronto, this year’s Canada Day celebrations were a time of spirited debate.

People argued whether a giant rubber ducky on the lakeshore was a whimsical tourism boon or an outrageous financial boondoggle.

Some wondered what a rubber duck had to do with Canada in the first place. As Canadian symbols go, it’s no loon or beaver, and certainly no maple leaf. There’s an icon with staying power.

[pullquote]“The Leafs of the International League are considered one of the best minor league organizations of all time.”[/pullquote]

The leaf, for instance, goes hand in hand with images of Canadian athletes. Here in Toronto, baseball players have been taking the field with a leaf on their uniforms for over a century.

Long before the Blue Jays were hatched in Toronto, baseball in this city was the domain of the Maple Leafs.

Founded in the late 1800s, the city’s first professional ballclub was known simply as the Toronto Baseball Club, or the “Torontos”. The “Maple Leafs” nickname was adopted around the turn of the last century. Not long after that, a small silhouette of a leaf appeared on the left breasts of players’ uniforms. Later on, a “T” for Toronto was laid overtop the foliage to create the iconic “T-Leaf” logo that is still worn to this day.

The original Maple Leafs played in the International League — one level below major league baseball. Over the years, the team’s home park moved around the city. From Sunlight Park near Queen Street East and the Don Valley Parkway, to Hanlan’s Point Stadium on the islands, to Maple Leaf Stadium at the foot of Bathurst Street.

The Leafs of the International League are considered one of the best minor league organizations of all time. They won ten championships and several Hall of Famers spent parts of their careers there — players like Nap Lajoie, Ralph Kiner, and Sparky Anderson all wore the maple leaf. Former Montreal Expos manager Dick Williams’ first managerial job was with the Leafs.

By the 1960s, Maple Leaf Stadium was showing its age. The team also started losing money. They played their final game in the International League in 1967, and then were relocated to Louisville, Kentucky.

Toronto was a baseball black hole for just one year. In 1969, a new Toronto franchise joined the Intercounty Baseball League — an independent league for clubs around southern Ontario. The present day Maple Leafs were born, and they have called Christie Pits their home ever since. Now playing their 49th season, the Leafs of the Intercounty League have won eight championships.

Neither the long history of minor league baseball in Toronto nor the symbolism of the maple leaf are lost on current Toronto players.

“I definitely feel a sense of pride every time I put on the Leafs jersey,” says third-year shortstop Ryan White. “It’s cool to be a part of such a storied franchise.”

Players have discovered that items of clothing that bear the team logo are highly prized in other parts of the world.

“A lot of my friends and players I’ve played with in college in the States love the old school look, and everyone asks me if I can get them a ‘leaf hat’ whenever they know I’m going home for the summer,” White adds.

Players have also come to appreciate that the fans at Christie Pits quickly learn your name once you don the home team’s uniform.

“It’s an amazing feeling to represent Toronto as a part of the Maple Leafs baseball club,” says second-year outfielder Troy Daring. “We have some really loyal fans that truly support the club. I remember my first game back from college this summer, a fan came up to me and welcomed me back by name. I couldn’t believe he remembered who I was.”

The relationships between clubs and symbols, fans and players — they span the decades of our city’s baseball history.

The Leafs of 2017 find themselves in the middle of the pack. As the season rolls on, they have been holding steady at fourth place in the standings, hovering around the .500 mark.

August will be playoff time, and one thing the Leafs have shown in recent seasons is that they are something of a sleeping giant. Last summer, they made it all the way to the championship series before falling short.

Weather permitting, the Leafs play at Christie Pits every Sunday through the rest of July. Games start at 2:00 p.m. The playoffs will begin in August.

READ MORE

SPORTS: Weather permitting (June 2017)

SPORTS: Leafs return with sights on a title (May 2017)

SPORTS: Late summer blues (September 2016)

Toronto shouldn’t have to pay for roads used by non-Torontonians

I love a good history lesson.

The Green Party of Ontario is floating a wonderful petition to implement road tolls on the Don Valley Parkway (DVP) and Gardiner Expressway. I haven’t been shy about being a fan for congestion control purposes. It likely won’t be a revenue windfall as most of these schemes are lucky to generate enough revenue to pay for the capital financing in full, but it will go a long way to reducing emissions and getting people where they need to be.

[pullquote]“Knowing this bit of history made the government’s decision to block tolls seem like a downright asinine one.”[/pullquote]

Having had to sit on the DVP for an hour to get to a family event in Markham recently, I would have gladly paid $5 to reduce the suffering.

While chatting with Tim Grant, chair of the Harbord Village Residents’ Association and the Green candidate for University-Rosedale, I learned a little bit of city history. The costs for the DVP and Gardiner used to be paid for by the province. That cost got downloaded during the Harris days of austerity (as if changing which pocket money comes from makes us richer, but, hey, they balanced their books at the provincial level).

This left the City of Toronto with no choice but to use property taxes to pay for an expensive road used routinely by non-Torontonians.

I had no idea that it wasn’t always paid for by the city. It seems an extreme act of cowardice and a major case of having your cake and eating it too when one level of government says to another “it’s your responsibility to pay for it, but we will prevent you from tolling it in order to do so”.

Knowing this bit of history made the provincial government’s decision to block tolls seem like a downright asinine one. This isn’t about “us” vs. “them”. This is about fairly paying for an asset that’s expensive to maintain and the demand for using it far outstrips the supply.

It’s almost like being forced to take over a fledging business and being told by the former owners “but part of the deal is that you can’t charge for coffee”. If you’ve sold the business, frankly, butt out of the operations.

Beyond the environmental benefits of reducing congestion, there are obvious economic ones too. Consultants trying to get across town to see clients can’t bill for all the time they are sitting on the road. They also can’t work while they are driving. Until we have self-driving cars take over, this is a lot of lost productivity.

Mayor John Tory should seriously consider other options to get congestion under control. He might do well to think about a congestion charge.

Stockholm experimented with such a scheme about a decade ago. If one entered the city between 6:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. through one of 18 control points, there was a charge depending on the exact time of day. (Since these were all electronic, there was no slowdown of traffic flow.)

Traffic declined by 22 per cent during the day and emissions inside the city were estimated to have dropped by 14 per cent.

Traffic injuries declined by an estimated 5 to 10 per cent due to the congestion charge.

After a six-month pilot, they held a referendum in which citizens elected to keep the tolls. After it was implemented and both private citizens and businesses saw the benefits to their bottom lines, it became a “no brainer”.

It will not be an easy sell, but we can learn a lot from the experience of other countries. This is what leadership is about.

Tory moved us in the right direction with tolling the Gardiner and DVP, but failing “permission” to do that, we need to start seriously considering other schemes.

As for us environmentalists, we need to recognize people’s concerns. It generally isn’t about a risk they can’t see.

Let’s start emphasizing the very real economic benefits of faster travel times first and use that to win converts. Starting with an environmental argument will get us the exact same thing the last forty years has gotten us. Nowhere.

If you want to support the petition to toll our roads, go to www.tollsfundtransit.ca.

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 GREENINGS BY TERRI CHU:

Lessons from Madrid (June 2017)

Thoughts on hitting the 400 benchmark (May 2017)

Solving the food waste problem (April 2017)

Kellie Leitch was right (March 2017)