blogTO | Posts by Derek http://www.blogto.com/ Toronto blog Copyright 2009 Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:33:21 PST http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Saturday Brew: Pan Am Games Win, Rebranding Israel in Toronto, TTC Token Limits, Bloor Station Bottlenecks, and the Attack of a Copy Editor Photo: "AGO stairs" by septembergurl99, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):

Former Canadian Olympian, Marnie McBean summed it up nicely: "Toronto finally won something." Beating out Lima and Bogota on the first ballot, the Pan Am games will come to the city in 2015. Although the bid organizers are ecstatic about the win, public reaction has been ambivalent. As desirable as new sporting facilities and infrastructure are, many are worried about the price tag of an event that's not as prestigious as it used to be.

A Globe article featuring Amir Gissin, Jerusalem's leading PR man and Israel's consul-general for Toronto, explores his project to "rebrand" Israel abroad by using Toronto as a testing ground for the international community at large. Citing the city's overall size, its large Jewish and Muslim communities, and the fact that it's home to some of Israel's harshest critics (the article mentions the United Church and the Canadian Union of Public Employees), Gissin views it as an excellent testing ground for a PR project that aims to change the discourse that surrounds the country.

The TTC announced yesterday that it'll be limiting the number of tokens purchased at one time to 10 or less. The move is intended to prevent hoarding in the face of a possible (likely!) fare increase in the new year. Was it ever fast, though. The decision on the fare increase won't even take place until Nov. 17th. I also wonder about the effectiveness of such a strategy. If one really wanted to hoard tokens, couldn't he/she just purchase 10 over and over again on separate days? I guess they bank on people not going to the trouble of doing so.

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]]> http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/11/saturday_brew_pan_am_games_win_rebranding_israel_in_toronto_ttc_token_limits_bloor_station_bottlenecks_and_the_attack_of_a_copy_editor http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/11/saturday_brew_pan_am_games_win_rebranding_israel_in_toronto_ttc_token_limits_bloor_station_bottlenecks_and_the_attack_of_a_copy_editor City Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:41:13 PST City Derek 2009-11-06T21:41:13 Architectural Oddities and Loopy Landscaping Around Toronto
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Toronto is home to some pretty strange houses and front lawns. And living around Dupont and Christie, I've had a chance to take a look at quite a number of them, clustered as they are in this area. I've often wondered, however, where else I could find such quirky architecture and/or laugh-inducing landscaping. Well, by combining the resource (read distraction) that is Google Street View with the recommendations of blogTO's followers on Twitter, my curiosity has been mostly satisfied. I've just taken a virtual tour of some of the weirdest properties in the city, and I thought I'd share the experience.

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]]> http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/11/architectural_oddities_and_loopy_landscaping_around_toronto http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/11/architectural_oddities_and_loopy_landscaping_around_toronto City Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:15:44 PST City Derek 2009-11-05T09:15:44 Art Agenda: The Leona Drive Project, Toronto International Art Fair, Mark Henson at Meta, Last Chances at 47, Show & Tell and LE Gallery October's been a busy month for the visual arts throughout the city, headlined by the Leona Drive Project and the Toronto International Art Fair. And along with these major (although sadly short-lived) events, there's been plenty of stimulating shows at galleries across the city, many of which are still running, if only for a few more days.

Here's a roundup of the exciting events I've checked out over the last few weeks and some recommendations for upcoming shows.

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]]> http://www.blogto.com/arts/2009/10/art_agenda_the_leona_drive_project_toronto_international_art_fair_mark_henson_at_meta_last_chances_at_47_show_tell_and_le_gallery http://www.blogto.com/arts/2009/10/art_agenda_the_leona_drive_project_toronto_international_art_fair_mark_henson_at_meta_last_chances_at_47_show_tell_and_le_gallery Arts Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:49:55 PDT Arts Derek 2009-10-28T13:49:55 In Photos: Fall Colours Brighten Up Toronto With its many parks and trees, Toronto is a city that looks particularly beautiful in the fall. And as the end of October nears, much of this beauty has hit its peak. After a few windy days, what remains of the the bright and saturated foliage will likely hit the ground, leaving us with the prospect of cold grey days and (ugh!) snow. So, to commemorate another season, I thought I'd share some of the excellent photos in the blogTO Flickr pool that depict the various facets of fall.

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]]> http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/10/in_photos_fall_colours_brighten_up_toronto http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/10/in_photos_fall_colours_brighten_up_toronto City Sun, 25 Oct 2009 10:45:10 PDT City Derek 2009-10-25T10:45:10 Saturday Brew: Toronto School Closures, Municipal Budget Cuts, Dalton Days, Parking Meter Upgrades, Vaughan Crane Crash Photo: "King and Bay" by PJMixer, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):

As the Toronto District School Board loses students to Peel Region, York and Durham, new Director of Education, Chris Spence, is proposing to close 35 schools in eight neighbourhoods across the city. According to Spence, the point of the closures isn't only to save money by shedding costly unused space in sometimes run-down schools, but also to keep students in large enough numbers to allow more program choice. But with the price of commuting expected to steadily increase and families potentially migrating back downtown, some trustees think the proposed closures are premature and ill advised.

Also proposing cuts is Toronto's municipal government, which plans on taking a 10 per cent bite out of its operating budget by cutting $343 million over the next two years. Unlike the province, the city can't legally run a deficit, so councillors are being called on to implement immediate spending controls, a possible 3-per-cent hike in user fees, and to avoid any "new initiatives."

Speaking of the province and its deficit (recently announced at $24.7 billion), The Star is reporting that one of the ways the McGuinty government might tackle the shortfall is by bringing back the "Rae Day," or as it would have to be referred to this time around, the "Dalton Day." Doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?

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]]> http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/10/saturday_brew_toronto_school_closures_municipal_budget_cuts_dalton_days_parking_meter_upgrades_vaughan_crane_crash http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/10/saturday_brew_toronto_school_closures_municipal_budget_cuts_dalton_days_parking_meter_upgrades_vaughan_crane_crash City Fri, 23 Oct 2009 21:02:40 PDT City Derek 2009-10-23T21:02:40 Saturday Brew: Geographic Personality Profiling, Reference Library Reno, Meteorite Found, Bid for World Pride 2014, Revisiting Last Week Photo: "One warm autumn day" by bensonkua, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):

According to a survey compiled by the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, citizens can be divided into "psychological subsets" that are linked to the neighbourhoods in which they live. Indeed, the study supports the commonly held notion that there exists some sort of east/west divide in Toronto. Residents living east of Greektown tend to be a worrisome lot, while those living along Queen West appear to be more relaxed. The study is based on a sample of 1347 people, which strikes me as a bit small -- but the results are intriguing all the same.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper was in town yesterday to announce federal support for a project to improve the Toronto Reference Library, but apparently he and his office didn't know exactly how much the federal government was kicking in. Oh well, at least the library's getting a reno. But do prime ministers normally announce three million dollar funding packages in person and to such acclaim?

The meteorite that I mentioned a few Saturdays ago has been found by a family living in Grimbsy, Ontario. They originally thought that the broken windshield on their truck was the work of vandals, but had reason to reconsider after the University of Western Ontario appealed to residents in their area. Sure enough, the fragments of rock they retrieved from the truck were 4.6 billion years old. If you missed some of the video footage, it can be found here.

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]]> http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/10/saturday_brew_geographic_personality_profiling_reference_library_reno_meteorite_found_bid_for_world_pride_2014_revisiting_last_week http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/10/saturday_brew_geographic_personality_profiling_reference_library_reno_meteorite_found_bid_for_world_pride_2014_revisiting_last_week City Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:51:28 PDT City Derek 2009-10-17T00:51:28 A Return Visit to Toronto of the 1980s Inspires Nausea and Nostalgia

As someone who went through his formative years during the 1980s, I must admit that I'm still profoundly influenced by this time period. Perhaps a kernel of my childhood naivety has somehow been preserved over the years, such that I tend to greet 80s memories in a less complicated and carefree way than I do those of the 90s, during which time, I, like so many others, experienced the awkwardness and alienation that seems to unavoidably accompany the attendance of high school.

So, perhaps problematically, I often find myself cruising the web for recollections and souvenirs from the 80s, hoping somehow to reengage with a certain feeling or attitude that's now (mostly) faded. I used to accomplish this by searching out old episodes of Degrassi Junior High or listening to the Smiths and Tears for Fears with startling frequency, but my new habit is searching YouTube for depictions of Toronto during my own personal wonder years.

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]]> http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/10/a_return_visit_to_toronto_of_the_1980s_inspires_nausea_and_nostalgia http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/10/a_return_visit_to_toronto_of_the_1980s_inspires_nausea_and_nostalgia City Thu, 15 Oct 2009 22:45:16 PDT City Derek 2009-10-15T22:45:16 Saturday Brew: Plane Overshoots Runway, Restaurant to Remain Closed, Igor Kenk Stays Behind Bars, Maple Leafs Most Expensive, Main Station Bottlenecks Photo: "Aisle" by tianxiaozhang, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):

A pilot overshot the runway at the Toronto Island Airport last night, causing the marine unit of the Toronto police to rush to the scene at around 10pm. The six people on board the small plane did, however, manage to survive the incident unscathed. I have little doubt that this will further fuel the quest of CommunityAIR, a small but dedicated organization set on shutting down the Island airport. Amongst the criticisms on their website, they claim that the runways at the airport are too short and that the facility is dangerous in general. I'm not sure if this is necessarily true, but I think it's a pretty safe bet that extremely poor visibility played a role. I was driving on the Gardiner just before this happened, and can attest to the fact that the trio of high wind, fog and rain was nothing short of brutal.

Following up on yesterday's report about the problems at Ruby Chinese Restaurant, the latest news is that it will remain closed after failing another inspection. In the two days since being shut down, Ruby Chinese has yet to address a number of violations to the standards of health officials, including improperly refrigerated raw meat, and dirty cooking utensils and surfaces. The restaurant also has/had a cockroach infestation. As many as 37 cases of salmonella and a possible death have been reported in conjunction with food consumed at the restaurant.

Alleged bicycle thief Igor Kenk lost in his bid to have his bail reinstated yesterday. Although the proceedings were subject to a publication ban, his lawyer revealed that he plans on arguing the case in front of a Provincial judge in approximately two weeks. Along with the theft charges, Kenk faces more than 20 drug-related charges and one for assault (which is what put him back in jail after formerly receiving bail), making it unlikely that he and his lawyer will meet with success.

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]]> http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/10/saturday_brew_plane_overshoots_runway_restaurant_to_remain_closed_igor_kenk_stays_behind_bars_maple_leafs_most_expensive_main_station_bottlenecks http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/10/saturday_brew_plane_overshoots_runway_restaurant_to_remain_closed_igor_kenk_stays_behind_bars_maple_leafs_most_expensive_main_station_bottlenecks City Fri, 09 Oct 2009 23:07:16 PDT City Derek 2009-10-09T23:07:16 Ho-Lee-Chow Joins the Deadpool, Or Does It? Although it's been reported in various Toronto media outlets (other coverage here and here) that Ho-Lee-Chow has closed all its GTA locations, it appears that this isn't entirely true -- at least for now.

After receiving a strange phone call from the location nearest to me on Monday that urged me to place future orders using a new phone number, I was suspicious of yesterday's news that each and every location was shutting down. So, just to make sure, I decided to make a trip up the road to have a look for myself. Sure enough, I found the St. Clair and Winona location operating as usual.

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]]> http://www.blogto.com/deadpool/2009/10/ho-lee-chow_joins_the_deadpool_or_does_it http://www.blogto.com/deadpool/2009/10/ho-lee-chow_joins_the_deadpool_or_does_it Deadpool Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:22:58 PDT Deadpool Derek 2009-10-07T23:22:58 Art Agenda: Beautiful Fictions at the AGO, Bob Partington at the Department, Pop Up Shop and Music Videos at 107 Shaw, RISE Charity Auction With Nuit Blanche still occupying Toronto's artistic consciousness, I contemplated the usefulness of compiling an art agenda this week. But, after a little thought, I realized that it's quite possible that gallery shows around the city might benefit from the increased artistic enthusiasm the all-night art fest brings to town every year.

Sure these shows differ considerably from the primarily installation-based exhibits at Nuit Blanche, but that's not to say that they're all boring or conventional. On the contrary, these days it's easy to find galleries doing more than just hanging paintings on walls (which isn't necessarily a bad thing either!).

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]]> http://www.blogto.com/arts/2009/10/art_agenda_beautiful_fictions_at_the_ago_bob_partington_at_the_department_pop_up_shop_and_music_videos_at_107_shaw_rise_charity_auction http://www.blogto.com/arts/2009/10/art_agenda_beautiful_fictions_at_the_ago_bob_partington_at_the_department_pop_up_shop_and_music_videos_at_107_shaw_rise_charity_auction Arts Sat, 03 Oct 2009 10:06:19 PDT Arts Derek 2009-10-03T10:06:19 Saturday Brew: Punjabi Gender Scam, Casino Craziness, Wild West on Ossington, Beer Store Reports Recycling Increase, the Panda Plan Photo: Interior - TD Canada Trust Tower by Jarrett E. Hather, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):

An investigative report in the Toronto Star aims to shed light on the degree to which Punjabi women in the GTA are pressured to give birth to baby boys. Posing as a a pregnant mother, a staff reporter responded to an ad in Mississauga's Punjabi paper, Ajit Weekly, which promised a way to ensure having a baby boy. The ad is the work of the paper's editor, Kanwar Bains, who provided a plethora of pills for a fee of 750 dollars, claiming they'd provide an 85% chance of a male birth. Over and above the scam, the article reveals the intense cultural demand for male children in the GTA's Punjabi community and its detrimental effect on would-be mothers, who some claim are forced to resort to aborting female fetuses at alarming rates.

Staying on the topic of "scams," certain casinos outside of Toronto -- in such places as Niagara Falls, Orillia, and Windsor -- are actually providing house credit to big time gamblers. The amount of credit offered between 2000-2009 comes in at around $89 million dollars, although that number may not reflect that amount actually taken by gamblers. Even though there are a number of provisions put in place to ensure that such credit can't be used in the heat of the moment and that it only be given to those who've received a background check, I've gotta think this practice should be banned. Isn't it just common sense that gambling with credit is almost inevitably going to backfire? Well, mathetmatics would say so at least...

Is Ossington south of Dundas a sort of wild west, a modern-day Deadwood, if you will? We already know that's what deputy mayor and area councillor Joe Pantalone believes, but the opening paragraphs of this article keep the hyperbole on high in describing a lack of change in the area six months into city council's year-long ban on liquor licence applications. Thankfully, a little balance is provided later in the form of a mini-profile of Paul Böhmer, a highly regarded chef who's liquor licence was the last submitted before the moratorium. But, come on, I've never seen the article's description of "hordes of intoxicated revellers trawling the strip in search of the hottest nightspot." That quotation does, on the other hand, paint a pretty accurate picture of the club district, doesn't it?

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]]> http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/10/saturday_brew_punjabi_gender_scam_casino_craziness_wild_west_on_ossington_beer_store_reports_recycling_increase_the_panda_plan http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/10/saturday_brew_punjabi_gender_scam_casino_craziness_wild_west_on_ossington_beer_store_reports_recycling_increase_the_panda_plan City Fri, 02 Oct 2009 23:50:50 PDT City Derek 2009-10-02T23:50:50 New Project Introduces On-Street Parking Spaces for Car Share Vehicles in Toronto In a move designed to promote further alternatives to car ownership in the city, Toronto City Council has approved a proposal to allow car share vehicles to occupy reserved on-street parking spaces in selected areas throughout the downtown core.

The one-year pilot project, which is part of the Sustainable Transportation Initiative, includes 20 spaces in such areas as King and Yonge and the Entertainment District. Up until now, companies like Autoshare and Zipcar have had to use primarily private parking lots and spaces to store their vehicles. And although these are common throughout Toronto, the ability to utilize street parking will almost certainly increase both the visibility and convenience of car share programs city-wide.

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]]> http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/10/new_project_introduces_on-street_parking_spaces_for_car_share_vehicles_in_toronto http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/10/new_project_introduces_on-street_parking_spaces_for_car_share_vehicles_in_toronto City Fri, 02 Oct 2009 02:09:20 PDT City Derek 2009-10-02T02:09:20 Morning Brew: Miller a Lame-Duck Mayor, D. B. Sentencing, Terrorist Lawyer, Goalie Controversy, Paintings Stolen Photo: CN [Seein'] Birds, by neilta, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):

With David Miller's announcement that he will not seek re-election in the next municipal election, many are wondering if he's set to become a lame-duck mayor. Miller, for his part, vows to push forward his agenda in his remaining 14 months in office, but now it'll obviously be even more difficult to rally together the support of the 44-member city council on proposals that risk controversy.

The verdict on the sentence of D. B. -- convicted of killing Stefanie Rengel -- will be handed down later today. The Crown is asking for an adult sentence, despite the fact that D.B. was legally considered a youth when the crime was committed (but only by 4 days). The difference between an adult and youth sentence, among other things, is that as an adult D. B. would face 10 years in prison without chance of parole, while as a youth he would spend 6 years in jail and 4 in the community.

Parminder Singh Saini, a convicted terrorist in India, is now looking to practice law in the GTA. Although some believe that the 25 years that have passed since his crime have earned him the right to a second chance, others remain unswayed by his accomplishments over that period. Beyond his terrorism conviction -- which Saini attributes to youthful naivete -- he's also fighting a deportation order from Canada, and is considered a national threat. I'm no legal expert, but I can't imagine that the Law Society of Upper Canada will give him the green light.

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]]> http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/09/morning_brew_miller_a_lame-duck_mayor_d_b_sentencing_terrorist_lawyer_goalie_controversy_paintings_stolen http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/09/morning_brew_miller_a_lame-duck_mayor_d_b_sentencing_terrorist_lawyer_goalie_controversy_paintings_stolen City Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:09:19 PDT City Derek 2009-09-28T09:09:19 Saturday Brew: Moving on from Miller, More TTC Problems, Provincial Budget Shortfall, Food Bank Running Dry, Meteor Spotted Photo: The Sky's Tears, by Danielle Scott, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):

With yesterday's announcement that David Miller will not seek mayoral re-election, the speculation regarding those who will replace him has elevated considerably. And although no one has officially declared his/her candidacy, there's certainly a decent number of potential combatants starting to make a little noise. I was always ambivalent about Miller, but, not surprisingly, reaction to his announcement has been quite mixed. But of the articles I've read -- and I must admit that haven't read them all -- I particularly admire Marcus Gee's analysis of Miller's strengths and weakness.

Amid all the talk of the TTC's 17.4 million dollar operating deficit and its putative source in the transferable metropass, the news that the commission is now seeking an additional 350$ million from the province for funding of proposed light rail vehicles (and specifically a garage to house them) has flown a bit under the radar. City council had originally ponied up the money when the Feds refused, but in the face significant capital shortfalls, the new Bombardier streetcar project needs an influx of cash. Although the two budgets -- operating and capital -- are separate, it seems pretty clear both are in pretty dire straits.

Speaking of troubled budgets, word came yesterday that the provincial budget shortfall is far higher than expected at 6.4 billion (up from estimates of around 3.9 billion). The major culprit? Corporate tax revenues, which fell an 'unprecedented' 48.1 percent. Worse still, the estimated shortfall for 2009/10 of 18.5 billion could now also rise.

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]]> http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/09/saturday_brew_moving_on_from_miller_more_ttc_problems_provincial_budget_shortfall_food_bank_running_dry_meteor_spotted http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/09/saturday_brew_moving_on_from_miller_more_ttc_problems_provincial_budget_shortfall_food_bank_running_dry_meteor_spotted City Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:38:45 PDT City Derek 2009-09-26T00:38:45 Is the York BRT a Waste of Money? As construction nears the scheduled November completion of a new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line to York University, reaction on campus is mixed. Although students who take the TTC's heavily traveled 196 express route to school look forward to the reduction of their commute time, eyebrows are being raised over the timing of the project and the plans for a subway line to the school.

As Aurelie Mulolo, a student at Seneca College's York campus, puts it, "I think it would be better to spend that money once and for all on the subway to campus. I'm sure we can handle our current routine for a while longer."

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]]> http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/09/is_the_york_brt_a_waste_of_money http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/09/is_the_york_brt_a_waste_of_money City Tue, 22 Sep 2009 04:11:59 PDT City Derek 2009-09-22T04:11:59