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Morning Brew: Three more sex assaults in the Annex, GTA undecided on transit taxes, a museum of Toronto, wheelchair users stranded, and keeping out Terry Jones

Posted by Chris Bateman / October 9, 2012

38 Comments

toronto high parkThere were three more sexual assaults reported in the Bloor and Christie area over the long weekend, according to police. Two of the incidents took place within five minutes of each other on Montrose Avenue south of Harbord. Police haven't said if they believe the assaults are linked to similar attacks over the summer.

Another day, another poll. This one says Toronto and GTA residents are split on whether to fund transit and highway upgrades with new taxes and fees. According to the Globe and Mail, 34 percent of those asked were outright against the idea of any new charges while 28 percent were prepared to pay. What's the consensus here? Pay up or shut up?

There's been talk of repurposing Casa Loma for some time now, but how about turning the old mansion into a museum of Toronto? The historic building could become place for us to show off our local treasures that otherwise might languish in storage. The Toronto Star discussed the idea in an editorial yesterday. What do you think the city should do with the property?

Some wheelchair users in Toronto are having a hard time finding accessible transportation after regular business hours, according to a report in The Star. Some modified taxis are unavailable after 6 p.m. or simply charging considerably more than the standard meter rate.

The Florida pastor who made headlines last year for burning copies of the Qur'an is coming to Toronto Thursday to address a rally at Queen's Park. Or is he? Border officials say Terry Jones could be denied entry to Canada for being an all round hateful piece of work, or words to that effect.

Bummed that Toronto's professional sports teams are in a funk, on strike, or still in pre-season mode? Here are some alternatives courtesy of The Star.

Finally, we played yesterday but here's another round of "Guess the Intersection." Tell me if you can place this bankrupt stock store in the comments' section.toronto old intersection

IN BRIEF:

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FROM THE LONG WEEKEND

Photo: "High Park Relection" by Create Sean in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Discussion

38 Comments

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Torontonian / October 9, 2012 at 08:40 am
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That looks like the south-east
corner of Church and Dundas St. E.
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Chris Bateman replying to a comment from Torontonian / October 9, 2012 at 08:50 am
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@Torontonian: Sorry, keeping guessing.
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Rob / October 9, 2012 at 08:55 am
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Just having recently visited Chicago I found it has a museum dedicated to the history of its city. It's worth a visit. I'm surprised Toronto has never considered something like this in the past. The location is perfect and this could be something Heritage Toronto can take on, instead of the City.
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Ian / October 9, 2012 at 09:15 am
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Toronto has considered such a museum multiple times. It was most recently planned to go into Old City Hall, but I gather the province isn't super cooperative on moving their courts out.
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Mike / October 9, 2012 at 09:20 am
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Is that Queensway & Roncesvalles?
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MER1978 / October 9, 2012 at 09:25 am
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Casa Loma is featured prominently in several movies that have been shot here... maybe it should become a Toronto Film museum.
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Chris Bateman replying to a comment from Mike / October 9, 2012 at 09:36 am
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@Mike: Nope!
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Sue / October 9, 2012 at 09:36 am
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My guess would be north-west corner of Bay and Dundas St. E.
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Sue / October 9, 2012 at 09:37 am
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Opps I mean Dundas St W.
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DL / October 9, 2012 at 09:38 am
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Church and Queen
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Matt / October 9, 2012 at 09:44 am
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A "Museum of the City of Toronto" is a great idea, and Casa Loma a great location ... though The Star's assetion that "money-making ventures such as restaurants, retail outlets and perhaps even condos need to be part of the mix" is a little disquieting.
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Chris Bateman replying to a comment from Sue / October 9, 2012 at 09:49 am
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@Sue: That's the one. According to the label it's actually the southwest corner but you have the streets. I blacked out the "Bay" rollsign on the streetcar.
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Lee Zamparo / October 9, 2012 at 10:20 am
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Queen & Roncesvalles?
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Alex / October 9, 2012 at 10:34 am
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Casa Loma would be great as a museum of Toronto, because there's nothing to look at there otherwise.
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Todd Toronto / October 9, 2012 at 10:38 am
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Locals might appreciate a City of Toronto museum, but I'm not sure out-of-towners would care. Probably better to put European antiquities in there - play up the castle angle.
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A Girl / October 9, 2012 at 10:56 am
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The cops hide outside my apartment Bathurst, north of St Clair almost daily, nailing people "speeding" down a hill. Could they rather go patrol Bloor and Christie?
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Matt replying to a comment from Todd Toronto / October 9, 2012 at 11:34 am
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Actually I think you could get a lot of tourists out for a Toronto Museum -- local/Canadian and foreign. The Museum of the City of New York is a good example of this. Plus it's been how many years since Toronto got a major new museum/attraction?
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James replying to a comment from A Girl / October 9, 2012 at 11:47 am
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So true. It's shameful that they'd rather fine people for speeding than put forth a better effort to catch this creep.
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Jill / October 9, 2012 at 12:11 pm
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I just saw ten cops harassing two drunks sitting on a sidewalk in Kensington Mkt, when they could have been canvassing Little Italy. Actually, two were doing the harassing while the other eight were standing around chatting.
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Liam / October 9, 2012 at 12:13 pm
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A City of Toronto museum in Casa Loma would be brilliant. Look at what London, England has done with converting their ancient buildings into usable spaces and museums. They even have two London museums - one just for London and one focusing on the Docklands. Granted their history is much more rich, but if curated properly, a City of Toronto museum in an iconic location is a brilliant idea
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Aaron / October 9, 2012 at 12:23 pm
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A City of Toronto museum has the potential to be the dullest museum anywhere. Relative to other cities, not much to commemorate. SARS? G-20? The Pan Am Games lol!
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Rob replying to a comment from A Girl / October 9, 2012 at 12:29 pm
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You can thank our PC society for this guy being able to operate with impunity.

There's apparently something that's wrong about stopping black guys who match descriptions. It's not like it would be difficult finding a chubby black guy in his 30s in a neighbourhood teeming with Koreans and students. Do away with this "racial profiling" farce and watch this guy get apprehended.
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Matt replying to a comment from Aaron / October 9, 2012 at 12:40 pm
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You're right Aaron -- absolutely NOTHING of interest has happened in this city which came into being in 2002.

[But if it's dull you're looking for, Toronto already has the Bata shoe museum.]
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Aaron replying to a comment from Matt / October 9, 2012 at 01:04 pm
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There are things that may be interesting to nostalgic locals but as far as earth-shattering events that a visitor would care about? We've already seen the almost zero interest that the War of 1812 has generated- and that is considered THE major historical event. Marilyn Bell's bathing cap or the Royal Visit of 1951 exhibit won't exactly draw huge crowds. Not exactly Berlin Wall, 9-11, World Fair, Olympics material.
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the lemur replying to a comment from Rob / October 9, 2012 at 01:07 pm
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Yeah, that's totally why the cops were stopping and grilling a stocky black guy in the neighbourhood a few weeks back.
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steve / October 9, 2012 at 01:17 pm
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Thunder Bay has a museum celebrating its history.
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Rob replying to a comment from the lemur / October 9, 2012 at 01:27 pm
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Then you move on to the next one.
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the lemur replying to a comment from Rob / October 9, 2012 at 01:34 pm
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So basically there's no reason to assert that cops aren't able or willing to stop anyone who fits a description for a given set of offences.
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the lemur replying to a comment from Aaron / October 9, 2012 at 01:42 pm
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I think you'll find that a large proportion of people who visit Toront are in fact interested in some aspect of its history but can't get reliable information from locals (certainly not those tour buses) or find it in one convenient location.

Stuff that a city museum could cover: settlement/native populations, traders, Fort York/1812, industry (incl. distilleries), urban planning/land reclamation, railways/transit, immigration, Orange Order, Christie Pits riot, liquor licensing, rivers and waterways, 1904 fire, Ned Hanlon, the Islands, war efforts, rise of Toronto as a business centre post-1976, Hurricane Hazel, education, major structures, etc.
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Chris replying to a comment from Rob / October 9, 2012 at 02:10 pm
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Wow - you must watch too much CSI if you think its really that easy. As hard as it may be to believe, you don't always catch a criminal in less than 55 minutes.

Besides, as others have pointed out, what you described isn't even racial profiling and there's nothing to suggest that hte police haven't questioned individuals who fit the description you provided. So really, what is the point of your rant?

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Rob replying to a comment from Chris / October 9, 2012 at 03:26 pm
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Getting a reaction from uppity white liberal hipsters.

Mission accomplished.
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Aaron replying to a comment from the lemur / October 9, 2012 at 05:56 pm
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You've pretty much illustrated my point: interesting to local historians and engaged citizens, boring as hell to anyone who has travelled- even just within Canada. Business, education, a random athlete from 120 years ago? A weather event? You'd have to provide visitors with intravenous Red Bull simply to keep them from falling asleep standing. Planning and transit (or lack thereof) are embarrassing enough. No need to emphasize those shortcomings in a museum setting. Liquor licensing? Seriously? I'm sure that most visitors find the current liquor regulations sufficiently antiquated without having to set foot in a museum.
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Chris replying to a comment from Rob / October 10, 2012 at 02:42 pm
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oooh burn. You're so clever Rob. Yep, you got me.
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Simon Tarses replying to a comment from Aaron / October 10, 2012 at 04:13 pm
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Why the frack do you even live in this city, Aaron?
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MeezStephanie / October 11, 2012 at 08:43 am
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Bloor and Christie isn't the Annex
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the lemur replying to a comment from Aaron / October 11, 2012 at 09:56 am
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Have you ever been to a city-themed museum in another city? Did you find anything interesting? You strike me as the kind of person who doesn't like museums by definition.

It all depends on the presentation. The Museum of the City of New York puts on exhibits about exactly the kind of subjects I listed and they are well done, interesting (and not in an interesting-by-default way just because NYC is NYC and Toronto is not) and well attended.
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the lemur replying to a comment from MeezStephanie / October 11, 2012 at 10:50 am
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Thanks for pointing that out. There have been a few incidents in the actual Annex, but most of them around Christie Pits and south of there, which is not the Annex at all.
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Dee / October 14, 2012 at 09:39 am
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I moved to Bloor and Christie about 2 years ago, and completely fell in love with the neighborhood and its people, always felt safe and never worried about jogging after dark. Now this person has completely taken that away from me, and from all of us who live here: not only women, since my (male) partner worries about me every day when I walk home from the subway after work. I just want this guy caught...I want my neighborhood back!!
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