Process to designate Kensington Market underway

By Geremy Bordonaro

After a year of study and consultation, the city is going ahead with the process to designate Kensington Market a Heritage Conservation District (HCD). The decision was announced at a community consultation meeting last month.

“It’s a two-year process,” said Joe Cressy (Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina). “By this time next year, we’ll have a new Heritage Conservation District here in Kensington.”

[pullquote]“We’ve heard a whole range of passionate articulations on why this place has been so important in your lives”—Melanie Hare, partner, Urban Strategies[/pullquote]

Prior HCDs have been used primarily to maintain architectural heritage. This HCD will instead preserve the culture and history of the market. Protecting an area based on something that doesn’t have so much of a tangible presence may prove difficult, noted the councillor.

“The history and heritage of Kensington is unlike anywhere else. It’s not just physical and architectural. It’s not about a row of townhouses or unique Victorians. It’s as much about cultural and intangible heritage,” he said. “How do you seek to ensure that the intangible and the cultural continue to grow along with the architectural? That’s what the challenge is as we develop this.”

Tamara Anson-Cartwright, program manager for the city’s Heritage Preservation Services, said there is a key difference in how an HCD works that will help the community.

“With a Heritage District Plan it’s about conserving what is there as well as thinking about how change will occur in the future,” she said. “Other planning studies are all about “What will be the future?’”

Anson-Cartwright said the community was very productive.

“I thought it was excellent. It was very informing and engaging. What I appreciated was the understanding of the depth of analysis that has been done,” she said. “I’ve been with the city for two years and I think it was one of the best meetings that we have had.”

The planners involved in the designation not only actively welcome community participation; they have been counting on it ever since this process began.

“What has worked well since the first phase is that we set up a stakeholder advisory committee. They were very engaged and helped us a lot,” said Anson-Cartwright. “One of the keys for success in this second phase will be getting that type of community engagement.”

At the heart of the consultation process is a desire to protect the market, and discussions in part centered around the proposed boundaries of the market, currently Spadina Avenue, Dundas, Bathurst and College streets.

One audience member argued that those streets “provide a shield from downtown and should not be included”, while another felt that those streets “do not reflect the culture of the community”.

“We’ve heard [terms like] chaos, we’ve heard anarchy, we’ve heard evolving, we’ve heard welcoming,” said Melanie Hare, a partner with Urban Strategies, who chaired the community meeting. “We’ve heard a whole range of passionate articulations on why this place has been so important in your lives and in many different generations of families.”

The staff report formally endorsing all the HCD recommendations will be presented to the Toronto Preservation Board on April 20.

“Going forward council will formally endorse proceeding,” said Cressy. “Over the next years, we’ll develop the specific tools and regulatory provisions to forward the Heritage Conservation District. I have to tell you, now is when we’re going to roll up our sleeves and do the hard work.”

READ MORE:

FORUM: Our dynamic Kensington Market (November 2016)

CHATTER: Painted streets launch in Kensington (September 2016)

ARTS: Molly Johnson launches new jazz festival (September 2016)

CHATTER: Kensington Market consultation focuses on culture (July 2016)

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

Business owners decry lack of consultation

PHOTO BY MATT JAMES/GLEANER NEWS FILE PHOTO: Business owners said they weren’t consulted on the City of Toronto’s proposal to hike to patio fees. Many businesses on Bloor Street West — such as Future Bakery (above) — open a patio in the warmer months, but they are already expensive to operate and maintain.

By Sanjeev Wignarajah

The City of Toronto’s proposed one thousand per cent increase to patio fees has local bar and restaurant owners — who say they were never consulted about the increase — worried about the future of their businesses.

Most sidewalk patios are on land that is owned by the city, which charges the operators an annual per square foot rent. The city wants to standardize its rates, which are currently all over the map, a holdover from pre-amalgamation.

[pullquote]“They’re thinking they can come and take something that was $1,500 a year and turn it into $15,000 a year”—Andrew Kilgour, owner, Kilgour’s[/pullquote]

Joe Cressy (Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina) said city staff, council members, and the Municipal Licensing and Standards committee met January 30 to discuss harmonizing the patio fees.

“There was a number that was pretty quickly rejected by business owners but also by council members like myself and Mayor Tory,” he said, adding that patios bring energy and vibrancy to main streets.

“While there is and should be a rate paid for patio licences, that rate should be fair and it needs to be affordable,” Cressy said. “I expect that city staff will now go back to review what is a more appropriate and fair amount.”

Carmine Raviele and his son are the owners of Il Gatto Nero, a café bar in Little Italy at 720 College St. Raviele said he pays $1,400 per year for patio fees. He pointed out that business will suffer in the winter since patios are only operational for the spring, summer, and fall months.

“Naturally we have think what to do with it, whether to renew it or whatever,” Raviele said. “It’s hard to run a business.”

“It’s insane,” said Andrew Kilgour, who has owned Kilgour’s on Bloor Street since 1995. “I’m all in favour of user fees but they have got to be reasonable. They’re thinking they can come and take something that was $1,500 a year and turn it into $15,000 a year.”

Killian Thomson, general manager of Pauper’s Pub, also on Bloor Street, said that the city will make it very expensive for small businesses.

“Bars on the strip usually pay an exorbitant amount of rent,” Thomson said. “A typical patio fee can range from $1,400 up to $5,000 a year.”

Not only do restaurant owners pay a per-square-foot amount, they also pay for a liquor licence to serve alcohol on the patio. Antonietta Raviele, a board member of the Little Italy BIA, explained that owners pay a lot to maintain their patios, which adds to the cost of doing business.

“If I put out a wooden platform to make my patio even because the city sidewalk is so badly damaged that the tables wobble and people’s glasses fall, it would hurt them. So, I have to protect myself from that liability,” she said. “You want to put a platform in. You can’t put a platform in unless it’s pre-approved by the city and you have to pay extra for that for your yearly patio fee.”

Cressy said that the feedback he has received from restaurant owners is heartfelt.

“I think people appreciated and recognized that it’s a good thing that the consultation happened. There was never a fee that was brought to council for consideration,” he said. “In fact, they went out to the restaurant community and the patio community first.”

But local patio operators have said nobody on city staff consulted them about the increase.

The Mayor wrote in a letter statement that he, city staff, and council members will work together on the updated changes on fees and regulations:

“In my discussions with city staff, I have made it clear that I do not support excessive fees and that this review will need to balance the value of sidewalks as a city asset with many public benefits that patios bring to our communities.”

City council will vote on the proposed changes to the patio fees in the spring.

PHOTO BY BRIAN BURCHELL/GLEANER NEWS

Preliminary data on the Bloor Street Bike Lane Pilot was released in February. Separated bike lanes were installed along Bloor Street from Avenue Road to Shaw Street last August. The city has released preliminary transportation data, including a traffic volume count and a travel time study along with a public opinion poll. Data collection was done both before and after the pilot was put in. While cycling has increased by 36 per cent and 63 per cent of drivers said that they were safe around cyclists on Bloor Street, travel times for times for cars have also increased by four minutes during the morning rush-hour and eight-and-a-half minutes during the afternoon rush-hour. Most people asked about the project seem to support it, except for drivers, only a third of whom are in favour of the bike lanes. The city is studying how to improve traffic flow, and the report — which will also include information about the impact the lanes are having on local businesses — will be delivered to city council later this year.

The Bloor Annex and Korea Town BIAs and the Metcalf Foundation have sponsored a study on the economic impact of the lanes on local business and the community. The study will be completed in the fall.

—Geremy Bordonaro/Annex Gleaner

READ MORE:

CHATTER: Ground-breaking bike lanes launch on Bloor Street (August 2016)

NEWS: Bikes blessed for another season (June 2016)

FOCUS: An early advocate for bike lanes (June 2016)

NEWS: Bike lanes for Bloor Street (May 2016)

The faster we lower speeds, the more lives we save (October 2015)

Early brewer the basis for Bloor Street’s name (May 2015)

Nearly one hundred bar and restaurant staff from Kensington Market participated in a free workshop on how to deal with drug overdoses on Feb. 27. Organized by the Kensington Market BIA and Joe Cressy (Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina), the workshop taught participants how to recognize and respond to an overdose. Queen West Central Toronto Community Health Centre led the technical aspects of the training and explained how Naloxone counter-acts the effects of opioids. Bar and restaurant owners also received overdose response kits.

—Geremy Bordonaro/Annex Gleaner

READ MORE:

EDITORIAL: Pot a remedy in opioid crises (January 2017)

CHATTER: Marijuana dispensary opens (December 2016)

NEWS: City approves safe injection sites, as council embraces a public health approach (August 2016)

Harbord Collegiate Institute is celebrating its 125th anniversary with a weekend of events for neighbours, students, and alumni April 28 to 30. On April 28, the school will host an open house featuring a museum and decade rooms. The creative-arts team will stage a variety of music and talent shows, while the Athletic Association will run a few games. The formal reunion gala will be held at the Parkview Manor on April 29, while individual class reunions will run on April 30. For further information, please visit www.harbordclub.com.

—Geremy Bordonaro/Annex Gleaner

READ MORE

News: Celebrating pink at Harbord Collegiate Institute (May 2016)

BLACK HISTORY MONTH: A long history of activism (February 2017)

Reflections on 32 years of service (August 2014)

The Annex Residents’ Association is launching a new award to recognize the efforts of a resident who contributed to making the community a better place. The Community Builder of the Year award will be given to a person living in the Annex who has made a significant contribution in improving heritage, education, development, or social justice in the area. Nominations are being accepted up until April 23. The prize recipient, along with all of the nominees, will be announced on April 27 during the association’s annual general meeting at Friends’ House. Nominate a candidate by emailing secretary@theara.org with the name and address of the person you are nominating, and your reason for nominating them. Please also include your own name and address.

—Geremy Bordonaro/Annex Gleaner

READ MORE:

HISTORY: Honouring those who honour history (October 2016)

LIFE: How I have made my community better (June 2016)

NEWS: HVRA recognized for historical achievements (May 2016)

Recognition for Harbord Street BIA (January 2016)

Community, city closer to approving Mirvish Village development

PHOTO COURTESY WESTBANK PROJECTS CORP.

By Geremy Bordonaro

It all came down to this: one final community meeting about Westbank Projects Corp.’s application to build a large mixed-use development on the former site of Honest Ed’s and Mirvish Village. After a long and unprecedented involvement from the community — including residents and local business owners — Joe Cressy (Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina) and Mike Layton (Ward 19, Trinity-Spadina) hosted a meeting on March 2 to present the latest (and perhaps last) iteration of the application.

It was standing-room-only in the Bickford Centre cafeteria.

The proposed development has undergone many changes since it was first presented in 2015. The mixed-use plan includes a total of 804 rental residential spaces, a park spanning 1,150 square metres, a market alleyway, and 15,000 square metres of non-residential space. Twenty-three heritage buildings (up from 15) will be preserved out of a possible 27. All told, 47 unique buildings, including a 28-storey tower, will be raised.

“Thank you all so much for being here and welcome. This is the 750th meeting we’ve had for the Bloor and Bathurst street corner and section of town,” Layton joked. “I’m encouraged to see so many faces that are still so enthusiastic about what’s going on up the street.”

Cressy said he was to have a developer who did not shy away from confronting and keeping open communications with the public.

“Do we like absolutely everything that’s here? Is it perfect? Not yet,” said Cressy. “But, my goodness I can’t tell you in Ward 20 how many times we have a developer come in and a couple of months later they are at the Ontario Municipal Board.

“This is a model for how we want the development community to engage with us. When they work with the community and listen to the community we build better neighbourhoods.”

“The priorities for the community throughout this process have been limiting the height and density, and understanding the impact of these new buildings with regard to conserving as much heritage as possible of both the built and intangible heritage,” said Graig Uens, a community planner with the City of Toronto. “The site itself is special for a variety of reasons beyond the buildings that exist on it.”

These priorities dictated the flow of the meeting and feedback from those given the microphone to speak. While reassurances came from Cressy and Layton, there were still a number of those who called for the towers to be lowered and the density to be lessened.

There were also those who were concerned about recognizing and protecting the cultural history of the neighbourhood.

“I’m really concerned about the legacy of the local black community. There’s a long history that has expressed itself in the patty shops and the barber shops that continues to today. It’s a sacred site for a lot of communities,” said Kenneth Montague, who has run Word of Mouth Dentistry in the Annex for more than 20 years. “There needs to be a dedicated plan that says there will be community meeting places, art exhibitions, and so forth. I just want to make sure that in all this very beautiful planning there is something that maintains this history that we have.”

Gus Sinclair, chair of the Harbord Village Residents’ Association, said that while his organization supports the plan, his concerns are whether or not the promise for fully rental and affordable will be kept.

“We applaud the rental prioritizing of this project. Is there a way to guarantee that this will be all rental?” Sinclair asked. “That’s a critical question for us because we can imagine what would happen if it wasn’t and we’d rather the rentals would stay.”

Westbank, however, said they were committed to the rental model.

“[At this meeting] we’ll give you a sense of what’s happened over the past few years from our initial ideas, what we brought to the table at the beginning, how it has evolved and changed from your input and the input of city staff,” said Gregory Henriquez, lead architect. “We’re here to make it as good as it can be. We’re here to listen again.”

Henriquez valued the input on the project thus far and acknowledged that the development has “been strengthened” by residents and city staff.

Graig Uens said the city’s concerns with the proposal have been remedied, and that a recommendation to approve the application will be forthcoming.

“Our priorities [for] the site have largely been addressed by this development. This is a different approach from that brought to us by Westbank. We’ve reviewed the application and brought it into the community,” he said. “On April 4, we will bring forward recommendations to community council to approve the ­development as you see it today.”

READ MORE:

FORUM: Build a neighbourhood (March 2017)

NEWS: Height, density still top concerns (July 2016)

NEWS: Westbank submits revised application (June 2016)

DEVELOPINGS: Annual review reflects tension between community activism and OMB (March 2016)

Westbank towers over 4 Corners (January 2016)

City hosts first Mirvish Village community consultation (November 2015)

Residents’ associations share concerns for Mirvish Village (October 2015)

Westbank submits application (August 2015)

BABIA endorses Westbank proposal (July 2015)

How do you make it real? (April 2015)

Pursued to the edge of a cliff by relentless law enforcement, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were faced with an unenviable choice: jump, be captured, or — the most likely alternative — be killed while being captured. As they contemplate their fate, Butch and Sundance begin to argue over who should jump first, with Sundance finally admitting that he can’t swim.

“Are you crazy, the fall will probably kill you”, responds Butch, laughing, just before they finally jump — together. In this infamous scene from a 1969 Hollywood depiction of true-life events Butch and Sundance avoid drowning and escape the law, floating off to live another day.

[pullquote]This growth not only makes buying a house unaffordable for a huge swath of the population, it is also unsustainable and sucks real money out of the economy; money that could make a meaningful contribution to our gross domestic product.[/pullquote]

It’s a classic portrayal of being stuck between a rock and a hard place of having to make a decision when doing nothing is not an option.

According to the Toronto Real Estate Board, Greater Toronto Area (GTA) house prices in February were up 32.5 per cent over one year ago. Analysts have run out of adjectives to describe the extreme nature of this phenomenon. The average price for a detached home in the GTA is over $1.2 million, with the price of an Annex house much higher, as dedicated readers of our Focus on Homes section will know.

This growth not only makes buying a house unaffordable for a huge swath of the population, it is also unsustainable and sucks real money out of the economy; money that could make a meaningful contribution to our gross domestic product.

No one really believes the house they are purchasing is worth the millions in mortgage debt. It’s two or three bedrooms surrounded by plaster and brick on a 14-by-75-foot lot “close to TTC, U of T, schools, and lots of amenities”, as the listings tend to read. Most homes are sold without conditions, no survey, and no home inspection. Sometimes the buyers don’t even view the property. Sometimes they live in far-flung lands and the motive is to purchase a commodity, not to find a home in which to live.

Garth Turner, who was briefly the Minister of National Revenue under Kim Campbell, wrote in his 2005 book Greater Fool: The Troubled Future of Real Estate that such behaviour epitomizes the greater fool theory: when the price of an object is not determined by its intrinsic value, but the belief that another purchaser — the greater fool — will pay more for it down the road. It’s been a viable theory so far that has not only reaped untold millions of profit for speculators, but has also increased the theoretical value of every homeowner’s equity, be they speculators or not.

Faced with an equally out-of-control residential real estate market, British Columbia enacted legislation imposing a 15 per cent tax on purchases of property by foreigners in that province. Acting on incomplete facts, as leaders sometimes must do, B.C. took the legislative plunge, applied the tax and waited, hoping it would cool (not kill) the market. It appears to have had its desired effect: prices have fallen approximately 12 per cent in a year. It seems to have worked, even though we may never know why.

The province, like Ontario, was not tracking at the time who the buyers were, where they lived, and their source of income. It was a shot in the dark at real estate speculation from foreign lands.

Now, it may be that those prospective buyers, rebuffed in the west, have moved their focus to the GTA. But John Tory and Kathleen Wynn appear unwilling to follow B.C.’s lead, saying they say they need more facts to make an informed decision. Perhaps they figure the market will collapse under its own weight, and don’t want to appear to have caused it.

This is a defeatist and cowardly course to chart. They are really worried about curbing speculation and crashing the market, evaporating the $1.5-million in equity that grandma had in her Scarborough bungalow. Neither are likely to be re-elected after such a scenario.

Like Butch and Sundance facing inevitable capture and certain loss, this housing market bubble will burst left to its own devices. The mayor and the premier must summon the courage to enact measures to cool the market, even if it’s a jump fraught with political danger.

READ MORE:

EDITORIAL: Clement’s petulance diminishes parliament (February 2017)

EDITORIAL: Pot a remedy in opioid crises (January 2017)

EDITORIAL: Grappling with growth (December 2016)

EDITORIAL: Freeland got it done, with flair (November 2016)

Not just buildings

By Joe Cressy

If you’ve ever made your way to a development meeting in Ward 20, you’ve heard me talk about the need to build community as we grow and change. With almost one quarter of all proposed development in the entire city occurring in our ward, we’d be leading ourselves astray without this focus. This has been my primary focus in the review of the Mirvish Village redevelopment proposal, which continues to evolve after three iterations.

[pullquote]How a building relates to our neighbourhoods is at the heart of how we can protect our communities and manage development[/pullquote]

Feedback from our neighbourhood stakeholders has identified the need for increased greenspace, the retention of heritage buildings, the preservation of the character and uniqueness of Markham Street, a diverse and locally focused retail strategy, and much more.

What happens on the Mirvish site will define our neighbourhood for the next 100 years, so it’s critical that we get it right. Let’s ask a few key questions: are we building a neighbourhood or just building buildings? Are we protecting the other corners, and Bloor Street as a whole, from negative precedents? Are we establishing a model for future development proposals in our city?

What makes a new development a neighbourhood? As we see growth in our neighbourhoods, ensuring that this growth contributes to the vibrancy and livability of our community is key — that means community spaces, community services, parks, and more. The first Mirvish Village proposal — despite plans for a new daycare and innovative green energy technology — fell much too short. Since then we’ve worked collectively and seen critical revisions: the plan now includes a new park on the west side of Markham Street, with a significantly enhanced tree canopy on it and adjacent streets. It will also include the development of an amenity space plan to ensure we’re planning for families.

Affordability is central to livability. For far too many the cost of housing has made our community impossible to live in. To that end, my colleague Mike Layton (Ward 19, Trinity-Spadina) and I are focused on achieving a significant measure of affordable housing in this project. We remain committed to this, and will bring city resources to the table to ensure we can build an affordable community.

Much of development is about precedent; with the Ontario Municipal Board looming large over our local planning decisions, we are acutely aware of the need to protect against negative precedent at the other corners of Bloor and Bathurst streets, and along the rest of Bloor Street. How a building relates to our neighbourhoods is at the heart of how we can protect our communities and manage development.

There have been changes to the height of many of the buildings in the third iteration, but at a peak height of 28 storeys, we still need to see more change — not just to sustain of our Bloor and Bathurst street neighbourhoods and infrastructure, but to protect the rest of Bloor Street as well.

Just as we seek to protect against bad precedent, building a model for future development — establishing positive precedents — is also critical. Significant heritage retention on the site, a focus on affordable housing, building in parks and green space, childcare and diverse uses, and a focus on sustainability overall — these are some of the ways we have worked together to set an example for those who might tell us they can’t. To those developers with large sites who say they can’t provide a park or the services our communities rely on, we say you can, and you must.

I believe that communities have a right to say no when things may harm our neighbourhoods. But, we also have a responsibility to say yes to things that will improve our neighbourhoods. Are we finished with the Mirvish Village proposal? No — we’re not there yet. More changes are needed. But, this multi-year development process should serve as an example to all.

We’ve seen our residents’ associations get engaged and lead this process through three years of work. We’ve had hundreds of our neighbours come to public meetings to voice support and concerns to help shape the project. We’ve seen a developer that’s engaged in this process, working with us and responding to concerns. And, we’ve seen the unparalleled commitment of our city staff to achieve one of the highest levels of engagement and attention in recent memory.

Listen, change is hard. When it comes to development in our own backyard, it’s also deeply personal. I get it. Bathurst and Bloor streets is my home too. So, after three years of work, let’s roll up our sleeves, push for a few more critical changes, and build a new neighbourhood for all.

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

READ MORE ABOUT WESTBANK DEVELOPMENT:

NEWS: Westbank presents latest proposal (March 2017)

NEWS: Height, density still top concerns (July 2016)

NEWS: Westbank submits revised application (June 2016)

DEVELOPINGS: Annual review reflects tension between community activism and OMB (March 2016)

Westbank towers over 4 Corners (January 2016)

City hosts first Mirvish Village community consultation (November 2015)

Residents’ associations share concerns for Mirvish Village (October 2015)

Westbank submits application (August 2015)

BABIA endorses Westbank proposal (July 2015)

How do you make it real? (April 2015)

READ MORE BY JOE CRESSY

FORUM: Conserving past to enrich future (January 2017)

FORUM: Our dynamic Kensington Market (November 2016)

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

Tracking the rivers under our feet

PHOTO BY NEILAND BRISSENDEN/GLEANER NEWS FILE: The area’s lost rivers have long been a source of fascination for artists and writers. In this 2015 Nuit Blanche installation, To Love You Deeply I Look to My Mind’s Eye, visual artist Christine Dewancker and landscape designer Katie Strang tracked Garrison Creek through Bickford Park to explore the impact of an invisible geography — such as a lost river — on a community.

By Geremy Bordonaro

It may be hard to fathom now, but the Annex was once home to three major creeks: Taddle, Garrison, and Russell. They are the area’s lost rivers, buried or incorporated into the city’s sewage system in the late 1800s.

“For people, it’s often like ‘Oh my god. Now I know why I have a wet basement or I get flooded.’ Or ‘Oh my god I used to play in this creek when I was a kid,’” said Helen Mills, coordinator of the Lost Rivers walks, which trace their trajectory.

[pullquote]Henry Scadding described Russell Creek as “meandering most recklessly through the fields”.[/pullquote]

She said that though Taddle and Garrison creeks are relatively well-known throughout the neighbourhood, Russell Creek is new to many people.

“Russell is lower and less famous but pretty cool actually. It starts northwest of Bathurst and Harbord [streets] and flows south right through Kensington Market and Chinatown,” said Mills, adding that mid-1800s clergyman and scholar Henry Scadding described it as “meandering most recklessly through the fields”.

Mills has studied the rivers and their place in Toronto’s ecological history for years. She believes it is important to learn about the rivers, because “there’s a whole layer of meaning that comes with that knowledge.

“For most of us our frame of awareness is probably the city grid or the transportation lines, work or home. This is a way to discover the fabric of the life support system of the city. It changes your sense of connection to this place where we live.”

You can follow the lost rivers by connecting the dots between canoe gardens that attract bees and butterflies installed by Community Canoe.

“[We are] using canoes as a vehicle to get the message out there about pollinators and lost rivers in the city,” explains organizer Aidan Nolan, who says the canoes also serve as a reminder of the Indigenous people who once lived by the rivers.

“We are marking the route of the rivers and building a habitat. In the Garrison Creek area, our canoes are on top of where the rivers went. In other places, we’ve been closer to the river but not exactly on top of it. It’s a physical and visual marker of where these rivers were.”

READ MORE:

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

Canoe garden lands on the shore of Lake Iroquois (May 2015)

Toronto to host First Nations youth from across the continent

By R.S. Konjek

A recent exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum called Toronto Underfoot, presented a collection of Indigenous artifacts that have been unearthed from numerous locations around the city.

Tools, projectile points, carvings, and beads all provide evidence that for thousands of years Indigenous peoples have been coming to the Toronto area to live, thrive, and survive.

PHOTO COURTESY ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM: Birdstones were abstract stone carvings made by prehistoric North American Indians who lived around the Great Lakes and the Ohio River watershed. The one pictured above dates to the Late Archaic and Early Woodland period (2000 BCE to 100 CE) from a Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) collection was found sometime before 1896 just west of the Annex on the Quinn Farm near Dufferin Street. It’s featured in Underfoot, an exhibition showcasing the rich history of the ROM’s archeology collection that serves as a reminder of the deep roots of our local Indigenous communities.

This July, Toronto will acknowledge these links by hosting the 2017 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG 2017), and thousands of athletes and coaches from First Nations throughout Canada and the United States will come here to take part.

This is the first time in the 27-year history of the games that they will be held in Ontario, on the traditional lands of the Huron-Wendat Nation, Metis Nation of Ontario, Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation, and Six Nations of the Grand River.

The games will take place at many of the sports venues that were used for the 2015 Pan Am/ParaPan Am Games.

Approximately 5,200 athletes aged 13 to 19 are expected to compete at NAIG 2017 on teams from each province and territory, as well as on regional teams from the United States. Over 6,100 athletes took part in the Pan Am/ParaPan Am Games. The athletes will compete in 14 different sports categories including archery, athletics, baseball, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, and swimming.

[pullquote]“You have Canada’s 150th, which is contentious for a lot of Indigenous communities and people, but it’s also a time of reconciliation”—Abidah Shirazi, Toronto NAIG 2017 Host Society[/pullquote]

Two week-long cultural festivals are also being organized to run concurrently with the games. The festivals will showcase Indigenous artists, performers, vendors, and food at two different locations.

The City of Toronto was integral to bringing the games here by supporting the bid process and providing funding.

“You have Canada’s 150th, which is contentious for a lot of Indigenous communities and people, but it’s also a time of reconciliation right now, and these games will set the stage for the next 150 years,” said Abidah Shirazi, director of Marketing and Communications for the Toronto NAIG 2017 Host Society.

One of the themes of the games is Past, Present, Future: All One. The athletic and cultural showcases will provide an opportunity to celebrate the rich history of Indigenous peoples while giving today’s youth a path to reconciliation through sport.

All the athletes will be participating under the banner (and hashtag) of #Team88, referring to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)’s Call to Action #88, which calls on all levels of government to take action to ensure long-term Indigenous athlete development and growth, and promote the positive impacts of sport and wellness in Indigenous communities.

“Team 88 is about taking this sporting and cultural event and using it as a platform for greater social change,” Shirazi said. “We want to bring attention to the TRC, and to highlight some of the amazing Indigenous athletes out there right now that are not being talked about and reported on.”

Many of these athletes compete at the national level.

“We want to tell the story of Indigenous athletes and help create programs and policies that will reduce barriers and create pathways for [them] to have opportunities in mainstream Canadian high-performance sport,” Shirazi said. “We really see sport as a pathway to reconciliation. Sport is universal and positive and this provides people a way to get engaged with the conversation of reconciliation. Through sport we can begin some of that dialogue, so everyone is part of Team 88.”

The games will kick off with an opening ceremony in Toronto on July 16, and the sporting competitions will run for a week. The organizing committee is hoping to have about 2,000 volunteers for the games.

“Reconciliation is about every individual,” said Shirazi. “It’s not just up to the government or Indigenous communities, it’s up to everyone. These games will unite Indigenous communities and non-Indigenous communities across Canada, across North America, and we are all one.”

READ MORE:

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)

Bloor Street’s cultural organizations starting to celebrate Canada 150

PHOTO COURTESY THE GARDINER MUSEUM: Drawing from memory and using a unique visual language of hybrid animal creatures, Janet Macpherson presents her very personal view of the nation in Janet Macpherson: A Canadian Bestiary at the Gardiner Museum. Its features four immersive installations are connected by overlapping themes and questions tracing identity and history, nature and the consequences of human actions, and the idea of the North. Showing until May 22.

By Heather Kelly

The Annex neighbourhood is so full of art and culture organizations that, for March Break, we don’t have to go far to find fun and creative activities. The Bata Shoe Museum will host “shoetastic shenanigans” during March Break, where kids can make shoe crafts, walk the runway in fun footwear, play games, and go on a “heel hunt”. The Bata Shoe Museum also offers hands-on demonstrations at the All About Shoes exhibition on Saturday afternoons, and crafts and try-on shoes every weekend.

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) presents Big Blue March Break based on the new exhibition Out of the Depths: The Blue Whale Story. This exhibit, opening March 11, showcases one of the largest, most complete blue whale skeletons ever discovered. Blue whale themed family activities include Swimming with Giants, a virtual reality experience, and stories by ROM experts who tell the secrets of whales.

The Gardiner Museum will run its popular March Break Kids Clay Camps where people aged 7 to 16 can unplug and get their hands dirty. Every Sunday in March the Gardiner offers Family Sunday activities from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Miles Nadal JCC also has a March Break camp for children aged 5 to 10 with drama, arts, cooking, and other activities. The Royal Conservatory School offers an Instrument Exploration Camp for ages 7 and 8, a camp called Songs of the Sea and Sky for ages 8 to 10, and Music Camp en Français for ages 5 to 7 presented in partnership with Alliance Française.

For those of us without little tykes to keep entertained, there are hundreds of options for adults to enjoy. Arts organizations across the Bloor St. Culture Corridor are starting to roll out events for Canada 150, Canada’s sesquicentenary.

The special exhibition Janet Macpherson: A Canadian Bestiary, on now at the Gardiner Museum, addresses Canadian identity and history, nature, and the North. The Talisker Players mark Canada’s sesquicentennial with Land of the Silver Birch, based on settlers’ folk songs, March 28 and 29 at Trinity St. Paul’s Centre. The Museum of Estonians Abroad hosts the exhibition Sharing Our Stories: The Baltic Diaspora at Home in Canada, opening March 4. Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra presents The Baroque Diva, Karina Gauvin performing Handel, Vivaldi, and a world premiere by Canadian composer Colin Labadie, commissioned for Canada 150, at Koerner Hall from March 23 to 26.

We will see more Canada 150 events in the coming months.

Photography exhibitions are opening at local culture organizations. Alliance Française presents Photographic Memories of Lost Spaces by Marilyn Stafford, March 8 to April 1.

The Istituto Italiano di Cultura presents Ritual by documentary photographer Vincenzo Pietropaolo until March 16, and Palimpsests and Interfaces: Architecture by Renato Rizzi and Cino Zucchi opening March 28. The Miles Nadal JCC presents Among Israelis: Some Captured Moments, on view March 2-29. The Japan Foundation hosts the exhibition National Treasures at Todaiji Temple by Miro Ito, opening March 15.

For film lovers, Apples from the Desert will screen at the Miles Nadal JCC twice on March 26, and The Canadian Improv Games from March 28 to April 1. The Bata Shoe Museum’s Arctic Film Series continues with 7 SÁMI STORIES. The Museum of Estonians Abroad presents Tangerines at Alliance Française on March 10.

There’s no shortage of concerts, too. The Royal Conservatory of Music presents violinist Alina Ibragimova with pianist Cédric Tiberghien on March 31 at Koerner Hall. Alliance Française presents NAISA performing works by the Marocouleurs on March 18. The University of Toronto Faculty of Music presents The Gryphon Trio on March 27, and during ROM Winter Fridays visitors can enjoy live music in the galleries on Friday evenings until March 17.

Heather Kelly is the founder and director of the Bloor St. Culture Corridor, one of the city’s leading cultural districts. All of these arts and culture events are part of the Bloor St. Culture Corridor, a collaboration of 19 arts and culture organizations located on Bloor St. West.

READ MORE:

 ARTS: Celebrate love and family (February 2017)

ARTS: Creating growth through the arts (January 2016)