Toronto opens the doors to the city

This year was the first time I’ve taken in the Doors Open weekend in Toronto and I came away very impressed with this special weekend. I haven’t had so much fun walking around the city like I did over this weekend.

This event is one of the things Toronto does right when it comes to self-promotion. It’s a made-in-Toronto way to showcase the city to us, its residents. If you haven’t taken part, I would highly recommend it.

And this year there were plenty of buildings to choose from as there were 150 different buildings across the city to visit. I only hope that number grows next year.

I ended up going to a few places, some I’ve been to before but wanted to see again like Queen’s Park, and some I’ve never been to such as old and new City Hall, the MaRS Building, and St. Stanislaus Church.

I also wanted to see the King Edward Hotel but I didn’t expect such a long line up.

Along the way I also ended up going to neighbourhoods I haven’t been to in years in Queen West and Kensington Market.

Overall, it was a great day but (and there’s always a but) I guess, if I could make any suggestions for next year they would be the following:

• If possible, open up all buildings on both days. There were many buildings only open on Saturday or Sunday. I missed out on quite a few places I wanted to see because they weren’t open on Saturday and that was the only day I was free to see them.

• Longer hours! In seven hours I saw six places. In order to accommodate people the event should be opened later into the evening and the hours should be consistent across the board.

As for potential buildings to visit, I would hope the following buildings are open to Torontonians next year:

• All Bay St. bank buildings and the TSX - it would be cool to see the buildings that house the most important companies to the Canadian economy. I’ve had the privilege of “ringing the bell” at the TSX and it’s a really cool building to visit and experience.

• Rogers Centre - I wouldn’t pay to see a tour of the facility but by opening it up and allowing fans to be on the field and see the inner workings of the old SkyDome this might help bring back former fans and perhaps make new ones.

• Air Canada Centre - I think it would be neat to see the Leafs and Raptors dressing rooms and the NHL’s Canadian head office. It would be a great idea that could, perhaps, help show off something that is usually kept private.

• All Ryerson and U of T buildings - some of them were open but they give off the impression of being private and cut-off from everyone, especially U of T. These schools need to work on being more welcoming to residents who choose to visit the campuses. The OCAD building should also be included in this list as another place to visit.

• Humber College, Lakeshore Campus - while in school I found out the campus was previously a mental institution many decades ago, it fascinated me. I also heard there were underground tunnels connecting the separate cottages together, this would be a great place for people to visit and understand the history of treating mental illness in Ontario.

This weekend turned out to be a great way to learn about the history of the city. It was great to see buildings I've never visited and neighbourhoods I haven’t seen in years. I’m already looking forward to next year’s event!

About Robert Kirsic

The left has done enough for Toronto

I’ve read with interest the last two articles from Tonika Morgan and Marit Stiles, and while I enjoy and highly respect their opinions, they highlight part of the problem with this city. 

Apparently “progressives” don’t speak up enough. I must not have noticed the 30 or so, left-of-centre councillors that sit in City Hall and run the city, some of the major mayoral candidates, countless people representing left-of-centre organizations that appear on TV nightly, this newspaper at times and countless other ones across the city. These voices are speaking loudly.

If anything, this opinion is never silent and is not progressive at all. 

The cynic in me thinks this attitude in the city needs to change. I’ve always been fascinated by how a lot of people I’ve come across who are willing to label themselves as progressive are so one-sided and narrow in their thinking they will not consider or entertain a differing opinion. 

They are also quick to criticize and use old and worn-out labels like “redneck” and “hidden agenda” to denounce and condemn anything remotely to the right.

As far as I am concerned, these same people that have been labelled as “silent” have done enough for the City of Toronto and it’s time someone else with a different opinion takes over the reins at City Hall. For once it would be nice to hear and see how the “unprogressive” side would run the city. 

A city like Toronto says it welcomes all people from all backgrounds, orientations and experiences, and for the most part this is true, but if say you are conservative it’s like you have the plague and you need to be shunned. My opinion matters just as much as anyone on the left.

People will bring up the same old cliches when talking about those who have damaged Toronto: Mel Lastman, Mike Harris and Stephen Harper. 

People are quick to forget that there have been progressive right-of-centre candidates who have done, or could have done, some good - John Tory, Torontonians almost made him Mayor and Premier; Bill Davis who made transit a priority and killed highway projects in Toronto; the much hated Brian Mulroney won seats in Toronto and was once picked as Canada’s “greenest” Prime Minister.

Now, to be fair, some people on the right need to be more flexible on issues. The federal and provincial Tories would probably make greater headway in the city in their next elections if they came up with a detailed and comprehensible transit plan and restored funding to Transit City and then stopped playing this foolish political game of playing off rural and urban voters.

But people, and candidates, on the left need to realize that there are some issues the city could benefit from if implemented. 

Having a balanced budget would be a good start, we all benefit from that. Spend our tax money like it’s yours. Cutting back on services the city really shouldn’t be providing but feels it must. Building a subway on important streets like Eglinton instead of a light-rail line. Building a smart and useful bike network instead of putting one in for the sake of putting one in because everyone else in Europe is doing it. Europe is a great place with wonderful ideas and people but sometimes we need made-in-Toronto ideas to fix made-in-Toronto problems. 

These tendencies do go through cycles. Right now the city is firmly entrenched in the left-of-centre camp. That’s fine, but I detest the insistence that the left-of-centre folks in this city are being ignored.

And if the two respected bloggers feel the left is being shut out that’s actually quite unfortunate. There are many examples, some I highlighted already, that show this clearly is not the case. 

If anything, the right has a very valid case to make for feeling left out of helping build a stronger city. These are the ones who have truly been silenced by the city, most of its politicians, and some residents. 

Regardless of your opinion and political beliefs, this city would work better if people dropped silly labels like “progressive” and focused on what is best for the City of Toronto and the GTA as a whole. Toronto works better when everyone feels included and welcomed to discuss issues.

Both sides have good ideas that can be helpful in tackling the important issues in Toronto. To dismiss one outright is not constructive and only deepens the animosity between people on both sides of the political spectrum.

About Robert Kirsic

Is the Left really silent or just shut out…

Reading Tonika Morgan’s latest blog entry got me thinking. The stories she tells are not just interesting and insightful, they are essential to the message she is sending. They are the way she builds bridges between cultures and generations, because we simply don’t all share the same experience.

And while I agree that progressive voices aren’t being heard in this campaign, I think the issue isn’t whether progressive folk are "getting to the point" fast enough, it’s whether the story would be covered anyway… Indeed, it’s alarming how fast some media are leaping ahead to the mayoral finish line while the contestants are still warming up.

Getting Over Our Fear of Religion will Enrich City's Diversity

City Hall came close to the divine a couple of times last week. Last Monday, the Toronto Area Interfaith Council hosted a mayoral debate, where the candidates proposed ways to increase faith in the life of our city.

A few days later, we were debating whether to allow shopping on statuary holidays. Someone suggested we keep Christian holidays sacred, and controversy seemed to break out immediately.  We have to stop panicking every time we talk about faith, especially Christianity, and start embracing it as part of our diversity.

We can start with George Smitherman's suggestion of calling a Christmas tree a Christmas tree. We are supposed to now call it a holiday tree so we don't offend anybody or make them feel left out, but it has the opposite effect on me!  As a Christian who enjoys celebrating Christmas, I don't feel welcome to publicly acknowledge and celebrate my beliefs in this culture of political correctness. I  (and I'm sure many others) would enjoy seeing other symbols like menorahs in public spaces as well. 

There was also a suggestion of having an interfaith day or week. Rob Ford and Joe Pantalone said they wouldn't know how to be fair in acknowledging all belief systems, but I think this misses the spirit of the idea. Our faith is an important part of who we are as individuals, and we should use it as an opportunity to learn about and celebrate with each other. 

This sounds so elementary, and yet we won't do this because we're too afraid to offend someone.  We talk about tolerance, but that has a connotation of reluctance.  We really need to start talking (and thinking) in terms of acceptance  - maybe even enjoyment!

At the mayoral debate, Smitherman proposed bringing together faith groups to help the city's less fortunate, such as the homeless and those struggling with addiction.  I think this is an excellent idea that brings out the best of what many beliefs have to offer.  Many faith groups (and their smaller study groups)  volunteer to help others. 

A great example of what can be done when people work together is the Out of the Cold program. For this program, different venues, including places of worship, take turns offering homeless people safe shelter and a warm meal.

If the city were to develop and co-ordinate more of these initiatives, our help could be spread around and it would cut down on administrative issues for organizations.  We would also be creating services for the countless individuals who currently fall between the cracks.

Many people acknowledge a spiritual side of themselves, and the sooner we stop being afraid to talk about it, the sooner we will be able to see the best in each other and enrich our diversity.

About Sarah Evans

Finding Our Identity

What does it actually mean to be a Torontonian?

Recently, the issue of identity has been on my mind lately. When I read through the newspaper and catch the on-line headlines that seem to continuously flash before my eyes, issues and events are defined in certain perspectives; the liberal perspective, the conservative perspective, the global consciousness, national interest, municipal benefits. Each article identifies with a certain group of people, beliefs and ideology.

So when we talk about Toronto and what we want to see our city become, is it really for the collective good or individual? We are an extremely multicultural city and will always be very proud of the number of languages and cultures that fill our city streets.

I feel that we need to think about what actually brings us all together. What connects our city? Leafs nation is still going strong (don’t ask me how or why), but let’s face it, although it’s a big group of people it still doesn't define our city.

My vision for the future of Toronto is finding our identity and embodying what it means to be a Torontonian. What are our values? We all know what our own values are, but as a community what do we stand for?

Is it too radical to suggest we should have community animators in every part of the city strengthening the bond that holds us all together through local centres, libraries, schools and businesses.

I’m not talking about pricey government supported programs, which I truly believe we need more of, but going back to grass roots; people helping people. Whether this is a "learn to play" night for kids at the local community centre or a book/movie exchange at the library, the importance is consistency.

We must continue to bring people together and I believe and would expect my provincial government and those who govern us to do just that.

About Alexandra Orlando

No simple, single cure for transportation woes

For our mayoral candidates the "red rocket" seems to have become their "silver bullet" in the endless pursuit to find a solution to our transportation challenges.

The electorate are looking to politicians and decision-makers to ease commuter woes, and no one seems to have the heart to tell them that common wisdom and professional opinion suggest there really isn’t a single answer for something as complex as the way the citizens of Greater Toronto choose to move around the region each day.

Rocco Rossi is the latest mayoral candidate to position himself as a transit "super-hero" by promising to build two kilometres of track every year, over the next decade. Rossi says the city can afford the $4.5 billion price tag if it sells Toronto Hydro and other assets, and then uses that cash to clear the $2.5 billion debt. It seems that once someone dons the Captain Transit cape nothing can get in the way of their mission.

Mr. Rossi’s financial plan to fund his transit quest isn’t entirely apparent to me, however, in his words, The City of Toronto is rich in assets and together we own a lot of stuff’, and it seems that he and the Toronto Board of Trade don’t consider Toronto Hydro to be central to the operation and mission of the city.

That's beginning to sound like the same pretzel logic and voodoo economics the Mike Harris "common-sense revolutionaries" proffered up in the mid-1990s to clear a provincial deficit prior to an election. In that boondoggle we saw a prized public transportation asset sold to the highest bidder. Considering the tolls collected each year by the ETR 407 total a half a billon dollars a year it’s no wonder taxpayers continue to lament that decision.

What’s encouraging is that all of the candidates support transit expansion in some form or another, and some of the financing schemes being offered up are also on the mark. The challenge is that regardless whether we choose subways, buses or light rail transit (LRT) these systems once built require on going operation, maintenance and ultimately replacement. If, as Rossi suggests, we sell assets to pay for capital expansion how will we afford the other on-going (operational) expenses?

People move around the city in a variety of ways, at all times of day and for many different reasons. How we use the transportation system is based on many considerations – where we live and work, our disposable income, our age, our health, our recreational interests, our diet, and more. The notion that a "single fix" approach is out there, if only we could find it, is preposterous, and the search itself stymies creativity, collaboration and partnership. Humans are complex beings and our mobility needs and the transportation challenges they present demand sophisticated solutions.

With the run up to the municipal elections candidates across the GTA will form an opinion regarding "how they would solve the traffic problems in their community." What remains to be seen is whether someone emerges that has the acumen to fully understand the problem, the humility to admit they don’t have all the answers and the courage to deliver solutions they know will be unpopular.

About Lorenzo Mele

A taxing situation

The constant call for cutting taxes that is used to troll for votes on the right -- along with more police and less gay pride -- tends to reverberate well among a number of the better off, especially those who feel victimized by having to contribute to the communal pot. It seems this group will always find and support a simplistic and bombastic candidate for mayor, as long as the mantra of less taxes and less government is first and foremost.  It would seem to be the only criteria that counts.

It puzzles me as to why some folks chose to live in Toronto while at the same time actively trying to dismantle what makes this city a worthy address. 

What are the benefits of being a city dweller? Step out your door and look around.  First and foremost, the diversity of languages, colours, dress and class. I remember old Toronto, having spent a year here in 1968: how terribly white and plain and stuffy and cold after the streets and sights of Montreal.  I couldn't wait to leave.  Now I can't imagine living anywhere else.

And then there are the summers, the public concerts, the celebrations, the book fairs, the arts, the joy of meeting new people, hearing new music, watching good documentaries.  And the food, every possible taste, every exotic spice, if you can afford to eat, you are in the best place in the world to do so.

The different neighbourhoods, the public offerings of individual gardeners, the glorious trees, the relatively clean sidewalks and streets, the parks, big and small, the lake and yes, even the streetcars all enhance our lives. 

We put our garbage out on the curb, and a truck comes and takes it away.  We bring our children to day care, and there are staff there to welcome them. Restaurants are inspected, our water is monitored, our drive home kept safe by patrol cars, and our lives protected by firefighters. Living in community means sharing, it's pooling and growing our tax dollars so that we have big buying power, to keep our transit running,  our garbage collected, our food safe.

We can't go back to having a city in constant turmoil, to having a populist for mayor who appeals to greed and the "I'm alright Jack" mentality of gated communities and gated lives. Toronto deserves better, we all deserve better. 

So ask yourself, what's this city worth? 

Preserve the gains Toronto has made.  Speak up for the city.  Speak out for good government, and our need to ensure it has the funds to govern well.

About Pat Capponi

Wanted: One serious advocate for artists

Stroll along Bloor between Dufferin and Lansdowne, and you see change a-comin’… Art galleries popping up in long-vacant storefronts. New design shops, bars and cafés so hip they don’t need signs (or keep the retro signage of previous occupants).

Artists began moving to this neighbourhood as they were priced out of other areas like Queen Street West and Parkdale. Some were even able to buy houses in this somewhat affordable corner of the downtown.

Like many Toronto neighbourhoods before, this one seems set for a renaissance, perhaps evolving into a creative centre, a hub for the entire City. Most recently, big-time videogame developer Ubisoft announced it will set up shop just north of the Lansdowne subway, with a plan to hire 800 high-skilled employees over the next few years.

A 2009 study by Hill Strategies Research mapped out where Canada’s artists reside. It’s no surprise that Toronto has the largest community of artists and cultural workers. Cultural workers in Riverdale, Beaches and Danforth represent between 13 and 15 per cent of the labour force residing east of the Don. The highest concentration of artists is in the downtown west-end, from Parkdale to Bathurst and north to St. Clair.

Actors, visual artists, dancers, musicians, writers. The City is crawling with them. We take for granted the depth of artists’ contribution and for too many Torontonians arts funding is an "extra," relegated to the backseat. In other big cities, like New York, artists are fleeing to smaller centres where they can afford a roof over their heads and studio space. New York is freaking out. They've glimpsed the future and the potential impact on their culture and economy, and it ain't pretty.

Luckily, in David Miller we had a mayor who understood the creative economy. The arts and cultural sector had an advocate. It’s no coincidence that Toronto’s film and television industry has experienced a healthy bump lately. That’s thanks in part to Mayor Miller’s responsiveness to the industry’s list of asks, largely met, not the least of which was making it easier to obtain film permits by reducing red tape.

And there was the recent budget decision to ensure the billboard tax finally went to the arts. Finally, Council is living up to its commitment to the Culture Plan by increasing Toronto’s per capita spending to a competitive level. In short, Miller created a “Film Friendly Toronto” in the worst of economic times… and we will reap the benefits well into the future.

There is so much more to be done, and it’s going to require a Mayor willing to advocate for Toronto’s artistic community by demanding change at the provincial and federal levels.

First, we need a Mayor willing to fight for Income Tax Averaging, ensuring more fairness for artists and other self-employed workers who would be taxed based on their average income over a set number of years. Far better than being penalized for one good year amidst, say, four really lean years.

The average earnings of Toronto’s 22,265 artists are nearly 40 per cent less than the average of other local workers. Depending on the particular form their art or craft takes – writer, screenwriter, actor, poet, painter, sculptor, filmmaker, dancer, etc – an artist may be lucky enough to belong to a union or guild that provides some insurance or retirement benefits, negotiates minimum rates and working conditions, and secures for them a little piece of the pie if their work is shown, used, sold in the future.

But even for those that benefit from such representation, most artists face enormous income insecurity throughout their career.

Our Mayor could demand that the Feds make the new EI benefits for self-employed workers REALLY work, and expand them to full benefits. The introduction of these benefits was a (rare) step in the right direction, but the criteria are such that – as currently envisioned – most artists won’t be able to take advantage.

Our Mayor could stand up to the province and demand fairness for film and television production in Toronto… So workers don’t have to truck out to distant locations just to film something that could more easily be made here, while producers take advantage of higher tax credits outside the City.

Our Mayor could continue and expand use of the planning process to ensure no net loss of artistic space in areas of dramatic change, like Queen St. West. And our Mayor could explicitly link cultural wealth to neighbourhood diversity by continuing to support affordable housing initiatives in the city core.

We need someone to continue along the path Miller laid out for us. As a City we need to embrace artists for what they bring to our lives, our neighbourhoods, and our economy. We need, in short, a Mayor willing to stand up for artists.

About Marit Stiles

Should cars be banned from Queen St.?

There is much talk about creating cities for people and not just for car mobility. There is lots of talk about improving pedestrian safety, promoting cycling, improving public transportation, but not much doing.

The World Car Free Day celebration presents a wonderful opportunity to be innovative and actually do something relevant and bold in Toronto. Why not open Queen Street to pedestrians, cyclists and street cars and close it to motor vehicles during the week of September 20th to the 26th?

Queen Street is already poor for car mobility. It’s narrow, has too many parked cars and the street car makes it even slower. The amount of cars using this street could easily be absorbed by Richmond and Adelaide, from Niagara Street in the west to Parliament Street to the east. It’s just 3.8 kilometres but could be a magnificent pilot project that if successful, could become permanent in 2011.

Queen Street is a good street, but it can be better. It can become a world class street. The transformation of Queen Street, along with car diversion to parallel streets, can be a learning experience for many communities. Similar actions in comparable cities have proven to be extraordinary for local business, and magnificent for people of all ages and levels of ability who enjoy a great public place. In the process, we can imagine what a Toronto for people can look and feel like.

A great complement to this pilot project would be to do a ped/bike friendly treatment on Yonge St., by opening the right lanes in both directions exclusive for bicycle riders from Bloor St. to Lake Ontario, leaving the two centre lanes for cars and buses. This would complete the east-west and a north-south bicycle connection.

Smaller interventions should also be used to connect these two arterials to educational institutions, parks, Union Station, and other points of origin and/or destination.

This would be a celebration of Car Free Week with a great deal of impact, which would get everyone thinking about the role of the pedestrians, cyclists, transit users and cars, in a sustainable city. Special projects could be developed from elementary schools to PhD students, media coverage, public forums, etc. The monetary cost is small, as all you need are some signs, pylons, and politicians who have guts and aren’t afraid to think and act big.

Other cities have taken similar measures.

• In Bogota, Colombia, Car Free Day is celebrated on a Thursday in February by not allowing circulation of cars anywhere in a city of 7 million people (approved by referendum);
• in Brussels, Belgium, they also have a total ban on cars one Sunday per year.
• NYC transformed Broadway around Times Square into an exclusive pedestrian and cycling way.

Copenhagen, Paris and Portland also enjoy car free streets and closer to home, one of the nicest experiences for Vancouverites during the Winter Olympics was to have multiple streets open to people and closed to cars during the games; the experience was so successful for community building as well as for the business owners that Administration is evaluating the possibility of making it permanent.

Change is hard and it does not happen by consensus. We must change if we want to combat global warming, the obesity epidemic, economic crisis and traffic congestion, elements that are creating a perfect storm. We cannot expect different results by doing things the same way.

Why not take up this challenge and together, elected officials, city staff, and community members look for solutions to the problems that might arise with this pilot project and not for problems to the solutions and make it a wonderful celebration of life in Toronto?

Queen St. could really become the Jewel of the City, and in the process, contribute to having a cleaner environment, more vibrant business, nice recreation for all, real alternative transportation modes and more physical activity improving public health.

About Gil Penalosa

The progressive silence is deafening

Today's entry is inspired by my last post and leaves me wondering where Toronto's progressive voice is in this mayoral race. My last post left me rambling about something that a reader was kind enough to seek clarification about:

“Hi, Tonika,

while I heard a lot of rhetoric in this piece, and agree with the general sentiment that we should give our seniors more help, I don't quite get the specific issue you are complaining about.”

To be clear the “rant” was about 3 things:

1. As a first generation Canadian, I appreciate the work that my grandmother put in to ensure that my father and subsequently, I had a better life

2. Toronto needs to acknowledge that a newcomer who retires, is not like a Canadian-born retiree through an innovative taxation system

3. This innovative system should be part of a larger seniors strategy that is inclusive and includes the experiences of seniors like my grandmother (who is not sitting on a $500,000 nest egg)

I read the comment three times and then read my post. After the third time I regretfully conceded that the reader was, in fact, correct. My point was lost somewhere between my passionate story about grandma and the end. It really got me thinking about this in a larger context.

It’s no secret that I would count myself among the politically progressive. These circles often consist of advocates, activists and sometimes radicals who enjoy jumping on their soapbox. However, I often find that many of my peers get so passionate about illustrating their point that they lose it. In turn, our conservative counterparts, who often don’t share our fire, desire and compassion use these moments to discredit our views on the basis that we can’t clearly state them in 30 words or less.

The progressive voice in this mayoral race is missing. Why? Is it because overzealous storytelling trumps the utility of the story itself? Can the progressives in this mayoral race just get to the point?

About Tonika Morgan