theBLOORDALEpressHttp://www.thebloordalepress.comMAY 2012 VOLUME 2 ISSUE 4

Community News from Ward 18

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New Democrat politicians and local residents came together April 28 to express their support for the electrification of proposed diesel trains running through their neighbourhood.

The new Air Rail Link (ARL), between Pearson airport and Union station would increase rail traffic by 140 trains per day in the area. Critics say this raises serious health concerns for the 300, 000 residents along the rail corridor, which includes 30, 000 children in local schools and 44 daycare and long-term care facilities within a kilometre of the tracks.

“Toronto will be the only major city in the world to be running an air-rail link using diesel,” said Andrew Cash, MP for Davenport. “Diesel exhaust is a known car-cinogen that is particularly dan-gerous to children and the elderly.”

According to an NDP state-ment, another disadvantage to the diesel plan is that it will only al-low for two stops, where as electric

trains would allow for more stops throughout the same route.

“There are elements to this plan that appear to have been written on the back of an envelope,” said Cash.

“We’re building a link that has two stops along the way and so the communities along the rail corri-dor are going to pay full price in terms of their health, the environ-ment, and quality of life, yet reap none of the rewards,” he said.

Jonah Schein, MPP for Dav-enport said Premier Dalton Mc-Guinty knows the trains should be electric, and that changing them

in the future would be similar to “spending twice on something that we could do right the first time,” he said.

Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath said keeping the die-sel trains makes no sense, since most of the transit system in this city is electrified and “all around the world p e o p l e are going to elec-t r i f i e d systems.”

Cash said electrification is not significantly more expensive.

“We have to start talking about the full cost of infrastructure projects, not just the hard cost of building things,” said Cash. “The full cost is to the environment and our health, and the province has not addressed that in this in-stance.”

“I think the electrification is probably just the better way to go,” said Craig Charnock, a local resi-dent with three children. “There’s no reason in this day and age to go for diesel. It seems many parts of the developed world are going with electrification.”

see BLOOR STREET, page 2

I N S I D E

STARVING ARTIST OWNER OPENS NEW SPOTOwner hopeful that

lightning will strike twicePage 7

ART GROUP CATCH GOVERNOR GENERAL’S EYEDavid Johnston chimes in on

bi-centennial projectPage 9

DUFFERIN MALL’SREMODELING WOES

How the mall’s new lookhurt some businesses

Page 3

New Democrats want potential diesel trains electrified

BLOOR STREET UPGRADE IN THE WORKSChanges being discussed and planned for 2013 renovation

BY JUSTIN MILLERSONjustin.bdp@gmail.com

The City of Toronto and two local business improvement area (BIA) committees are teaming up in an effort to beautify a portion of Bloor St. W.

In a public meeting held at St. Mi-chael the Archangel Serbian Ortho-dox Church (212 Delaware Ave.) on April 26, the City of Toronto an-nounced a major resurfacing proj-ect scheduled for the summer of 2013. The Bloordale and Bloorcourt BIA committees also announced they are taking this opportunity to put their fingerprints on the project.

“We need to give Bloor St. W. the TLC it deserves,” said Ward 19 councillor Mike Layton on behalf of both BIAs.

Layton continued indicating that each BIA committee, in addition to the funds already allocated by the city, has put a “serious investment” forth.

The exact budgets were con-firmed as such...

Left to right: Davenport MP Andrew Cash, Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath, and Davenport MPP Jonah Schein speaking at the Clean Train Festival. Photo by Ryan Saundercook

BY RYAN SAUNDERCOOK & RICHARD FRANKELrsaundercook@gmail.com

02

News

The Bloordale Press MAY 2012

A young bmx enthusiast practices his jumps. Photo by Sara Yonis

BY SARA YONISsarayonis@hotmail.com

BMX riders will find a new and improved home when the Wallace Emerson Community Centre un-veils its newly built ramps in June.

In a joint effort between the city and Councillor Ana Bailão, the Wallace Emerson Community Centre will open the brand new state of the art BMX ramps to the community.

The project was the result of the BMX Go Forward strategy ap-

proved by Council in 2009 and was initiated by the City of Toron-to Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division.

Wooden ramps were destroyed in a suspicious fire at Wallace-Emerson Park in the Dupont and Dufferin Sts. area in 2008. The BMX ramps were replaced at least on a seasonal basis, but the city moved to establish a permanent area.

Councillor Ana Bailão got in-volved in this initiative after see-ing the importance biking played

in the community.“We had a lot of interest. Bik-

ing and cycling is becoming more prevalent in our neighborhood,” she said.

“And we thought it would be a good activity to keep our youth active and involved in recreational biking,” Bailão said. “We decided to move ahead with this project.”

The ramps, which cost about $150,000, are between one-and-a -half and two metres.

That is a bit too steep for Bailão’s liking.

“That’s a little bit out of my league,” she said reflecting on her biking abilities. “Maybe with a few lessons.”

For the rest of the community who are unfamiliar with riding the ramps like Bailão, the centre will offer lessons and rent out bikes to those interested in learn-ing.

“We’re going to have program-ming, so people can take classes through the Wallace Emerson centre,” said Bailão.

A community member said the

best part about the new ramps is the enthusiasm that comes from the young people in the neighbor-hood.

“It’s the kind of thing that en-gages youth to challenge them-selves,” he said.

“What I’ve seen in the park is these young people come out and they keep going until they get the trick right.”

The June 9 unveiling will host a barbeque, live bands and dem-onstrations by professional riders between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

BMX RAMPS RETURNING TO WALLACE EMERSON IN JUNE

...$360,000 for Bloorcourt (Montrose Ave. to Dufferin St.) and $180,000 for Bloordale (Duf-ferin St. to Lansdowne Ave.). The City of Toronto and the BIA com-mittees will split the cost fifty per cent apiece, which means, in the example of the Bloordale BIA, the cost for the project will be a tab of $90,000 each for the city and the Bloordale BIA.

The city will pay for the en-tire resurfacing project, which includes repaving the road and sidewalks along Bloor St. W., while the BIAs investment will be put towards beautifying the street.

During the meeting, many sug-gestions were put forth by com-mittee representatives. Some included the removal of the tree wells along the street, installing community directories outside of the subway stations and more greenery along the sidewalk.

Ward 18 councilor Ana Bailão, on behalf on the Bloordale BIA committee, spoke about the po-tential use of Kent Senior Public School (980 Dufferin St.), which after this school year will be put up for sale. She has optimistic hopes that some of the invested dollars will go towards a “public space, or meeting place” for the community.

Also on the Bloordale BIA

committee wishlist is a push for more public art, art elements on or in the new sidewalks and more bike parking along the strip.

Community concerns were raised regarding the potential length of the project and its dis-turbances. The City of Toronto re-assured that all businesses would maintain parking access during the project. Layton added that the project will be done in parts, meaning only small sections of the street would be shutdown at a time to allow for better traffic flow.

For more information about the project or how you can get involved visit http://www.bloor-court.com or http://www.bloor-dale-bia.com

BLOOR STREET, from page 1

03

News

The Bloordale Press MAY 2012

There seem to be a mixed reaction with Dufferin Mall’s recent remodeling project, especially with the relocation of some of its smaller shops.

You may have noticed a recent spike of cell phone boutiques, or that shoe repair shop ‘Moneysworth’ moved to a cubbyhole booth near the Toys R Us entrance.

Fortunately, an employee at Mon-eysworth, who wanted to remain anony-mous, said the move to his smaller shop doesn’t really affect the business.

“We’re repair, not retail. People still come. I am still in the mall. They can ask for me at customer service and find me,” said the employee.

However, Picture Picture owner Farzad Rahnama, who moved from a store to a ki-osk in fall 2011 and has since completely vacated after nearly 20 years in the mall has a different perspective.

“It wasn’t fair,” he said from his new pic-ture framing shop at Dundas St. and Uni-versity Ave.

“The Dufferin Mall administration sent me a letter in February 2011 saying the lease would end in October 2011,” Rahna-ma said. “The mall didn’t give me a reason and provided no option to renew the lease.”

“They gave me a kiosk for just a couple months when I asked to get through the busy Christmas season,” he said. “I didn’t want to leave. I didn’t believe they could kick me out with no reason. There were never customer complaints. I was never late paying rent.”

“How could they do this?” Rahnama asked.

According to a spokesperson at the Min-istry of Municipal Affairs and Housing in Toronto who did not want his name re-leased, property owners are under no obli-gation to renew commercial leases and can evict tenants even if they have been there for years and are fiscally responsible.

“First off, using the term lease is mislead-ing. It’s a contract,” the ministry spokes-person said. “It is not like a housing lease. Once the initial contract expires it operates on a month to month agreement and can then be terminated at any time.”

The ministry spokesperson suggested commercial tenants try to protect them-selves by negotiating their contract ahead of time to make sure all items are clear, in-cluding building repairs or snow removal.

There is also no rental cap on commer-

cial contracts. Landlords can legally triple the rent as soon as the initial contract ex-pires.

“It’s not a roof over one’s head, it’s not like a housing issue,” the ministry spokes-person said.

Since Picture Picture left, no other busi-ness offers a framing service, yet Koodo, which has replaced Rahnama’s booth, is but one of several cell phone boutiques at the mall.

“It’s a big deal to be here because the competition is here. We used to just be a kiosk,” said a Koodo employee, who also wanted to remain anonymous. “Rogers doesn’t have a store, just a kiosk.”

The Koodo employee said a shop was key, because clients associate durability or longevity in a store but not in a kiosk.

The rent Koodo is paying is undisclosed and Rahnama was never given an option to pay more with a new lease.

Dufferin Mall Marketing Manager Ta-tiana Shovkun would not comment spe-cifically on the Picture Picture tenant ar-rangements.

As to whether or not she thought the mall remained a community space, Shovkun said, “the appeal of Dufferin Mall for community members lies in our having the stores and brands that they want”.

“We conduct market research on what Dufferin Mall shoppers want and then we re-merchandise the mall to meet their ex-pectations,” Shovkun said. “We have had overwhelmingly positive feedback to the recent introduction of the GAP Factory Store, David’s Tea and Swiss Chalet.”

THE DOWNSIDES TO UPSIZING THEDUFFERIN MALL

Much is changing at the Dufferin Mall these days. Photo by Justin Millerson

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BY MARY B. VALENCIAmarybvalencia@yahoo.ca

Newer and bigger names are finding their ways into the mall, but at the same time some smaller, lesser-known businesses are getting ousted or moved around

The Davenport West Bike Proj-ect, based out of the Davenport Perth Neighborhood Commu-nity Centre (1900 Davenport Rd.), is currently in the midst of a new project called ‘Cycle the Rail Path’.

The event is supported by the City of Toronto, Councillor Ana Bailão and members of the West Toronto Railpath and is to be a celebration of cyclists in the community of Ward 18.

Organizers for the event, scheduled for June 16, are hoping that this event, like in the past, will continue to increase aware-ness about chronic health condi-tions through biking.

“We continue to be devoted to bringing awareness to chronic health conditions by educating people on these conditions,” said

Gabrielle Langlois, coordinator of the Davenport West Bike Proj-ect.

Those chronic health condi-tions, which include diabetes and obesity, according to Lan-glois can be improved by being active.

The project has continued to draw a positive community reac-tion despite being inactive since late March according to Marcelo Castro, one of the project’s coor-dinators.

“We have been receiving a lot

of people coming forward asking us when is the next event and we are getting more people interest-ed in becoming volunteers,” said Castro.

“We have around 23 volun-teers who are very important for

the project, and the cool thing about this group is that they are all different in terms of some of them are high school students, some are of an older age and some don’t speak very much English,” added Langlois.

If you are interested in being a part of the bike project for future meetings and events, please con-tact Marcelo Castro via e-mail at mcastro@dpnchc.ca or through the Davenport West Bike project Facebook page.

04

News

The Bloordale Press MAY 2012

Beginner and seasoned local runners are warming up their soles for the fourth annual Oasis Spring Run to raise money for charity.

The May 26 charity fundraiser, hosted by Oasis Dufferin Com-munity Centre (1219 Dufferin St.) hopes to raise $15,000 in support for the programs offered at the cen-tre.

With a registration fee, partici-pants have the option to compete in a 5 km walk or run and a 10 km run.

Chris Ortiz, Director of Oasis Dufferin Community Centre, said he hopes funds raised from the event will help the centre offer more programs to the surrounding area.

“We have some new initiatives such as our youth programming, sports and recreation, and for young adults - the Oasis Urban

Training Ground, whose goal is to equip and engage youth in civic ac-tivities,” Ortiz said.

Top three finishers in each of the events will win one of six free en-tries into the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon for Oct. 14. There are also a couple of iPods up for grabs.

Ortiz also hopes runners will be-come more involved with the issues present in their community.

“Because it takes place in an ur-

ban running context, I think raising awareness of the issues that may ex-ist in the community is important,” he said.

Program leader Greg Matthews, whose role is to cover the promo-tional and administration work for the run, said he is looking forward to a large turnout.

“This fundraiser is one of the main projects that Oasis does and I am hoping that we get lots of par-ticipants and involvement,” Mat-

thews said.“I feel like this kind of grass-root

centre is important for communi-ties because it is very relational and personable which enables people to seek help at Oasis and feel comfort-able,” he said.

The two-hour run starts at 9 a.m. at Brockton Stadium (corner of Brock Ave. and Croatia St.). Regis-tration fees are $25 per person for the 5 km walk or run and $40 for the 10 km run.

For more information, or to reg-ister, visit http://www.oasisdufferin.org

'CYCLE THE RAILPATH' TO HIT BLOORDALE

LOCAL COMMUNITY CENTRE HOSTS CHARITY RUN

‘

“We continue to be devoted to bringing

awareness to chronic health conditions by educating people on

these conditions.”

Gabrielle LangloisProject coordinator

On June 16, the West Toronto Railpath will be littered with cyclists in an effort to increase awareness about chronic health conditions caused by cycling. Photo by Vic Gedris

BY ADRIANO MANCINIa.mancini101@gmail.com

BY SARA MILLERsaraemiller91@gmail.com

MPP JONAH SCHEIN416-535-3158

By the time you read this article, the Ontario Gov-ernment will have either accepted the NDP propos-als to amend the provincial budget or the Liberal Government will have forced Ontario into another election.

That’s because this spring, the Liberals introduced a budget that doesn’t do enough to create desper-ately needed jobs in Ontario; that makes cuts to vi-tal services including schools, healthcare and social assistance; that weakens environmental protections; and that increases inequality in Ontario. The Liberal budget does not reflect the values of our party, and we have heard from many of you that it does not re-flect your priorities or values either.

We are disappointed that the government failed to hold pre-budget consultations with Ontarians and chose instead to commission the advice of high-priced consultant, former banker Don Drummond. Rather than take an even approach to achieving fis-cal balance, they asked Drummond only to make

recommendations on how to reduce spending costs. The NDP asked Ontarians for feedback and heard

that although most of you share our concerns about this budget, you want us to avoid another election right now and do our best to try to make this parlia-ment work.

While the Conservatives have walked away from the bargaining table, my NDP colleagues and I have proposed amendments to try to make this a fairer budget. We’ve proposed a more balanced approach to address the deficit that asks the richest 1% of On-tarians to contribute more. We’ve proposed a 2% tax increase on those who earn over $500,000 per year. Coupled with our push to freeze corporate tax cuts, and cap CEO salaries, our proposal will generate more than a billion dollars. We can use that money to keep hospitals and daycares open and provide a small increase in benefits for people with disabilities. And we have proposed a jobs strategy that includes tax incentives for job-creators, and those who pro-cess our natural resources here in Ontario.

I don’t believe that the government’s laissez faire approach to governance is working for our province. I believe that we need practical and fair strategies to raise revenues that protect services and balance the budget. Our proposed surtax on the super rich is an-other step in the right direction.

But instead of taking a balanced leadership ap-proach to managing the economy, the Liberals have proposed building a new casino right here in Toronto at Ontario Place. By choosing to ignore the wishes of Torontonians, and by trying to create revenue from many of our most vulnerable residents, the Liberals are showing their contempt for everyday Ontarians. This Liberal approach of casino-style capitalism has created an Ontario where too few people are win-ning and too many people are losing everything. Ontarians have had enough. We can’t continue to gamble with our future or to roll the dice when we are vulnerable or need vital services.

You can count on me and the NDP to advocate for a fair and responsible approach at Queen’s Park that creates jobs, and protects our environment and our social programs. We wont gamble with our future or allow casinos on Toronto’s lakeshore.

COUNCILLOR ANA BAILÃO 416-392-7012

Dear Neighbours,What do Bloor Street, Dundas

Street, and Dufferin Street all have in com-mon? All are major streets in our area, all are busy sites for local busi-nesses, and all have been scheduled for resurfac-ing and streetscape im-provements. With so much positive change coming to our neigh-bourhoods, it is im-portant to manage this change effectively and with the full involve-ment of residents.

The first of this work took place on Dundas Street, where new par-kettes, benches, trees and sidewalks are al-

ready making a positive impact on local businesses and area residents.

Next is Bloor Street.In 2013, Bloor Street West will

be resurfaced from Bathurst Street to Lansdowne Avenue. Construc-tion is scheduled to run from May to September. The majority of side-walks will also be reconstructed and much needed improvements to the streetscape on Bloor Street will be included. Once this project is com-pleted, local area businesses and resi-dents will be able to enjoy the con-venience of additional benches, litter bins, message boards and bike rings. Local area residents, businesses and customers will also enjoy a more in-viting streetscape that will host newly added trees and green space.

To ensure this project is completed smoothly, successfully and on time, I have been holding regular monthly meetings with City Staff involved in the project. These meetings are not only in order to minimize inconve-nience to local businesses and resi-dents, but also to ensure that all con-struction in this area is coordinated to

prevent any disruption after the work is complete. I will be working hard to ensure this project is properly coordi-nated, as well as ensuring that com-munity concerns over lack of street lighting and litter bins on Bloor Street are addressed during this project.

As both a resident and a Council-lor, I am absolutely committed to the efficient and expedient resurfacing of Bloor Street. I also recognize, how-ever, that this is a unique opportunity for our community to influence the reconstruction of this major neigh-bourhood and business corridor. For this reason, I will be making a continual effort to keep residents, businesses and community groups involved and informed. I will be host-ing meetings to receive feedback, en-suring adequate construction notices are distributed, and will be posting regular updates on my website and E-newsletter.

The local Business Improvement

Areas (BIAs), residents, and artists have also been hard at work on a streetscape improvement plan. Both BIAs are taking this opportunity to make their neighbourhoods better places to live, work, and enjoy.

In addition, early in this process I worked with other Councillors in contacting Toronto Hydro to ensure lighting needs were met. After hear-ing concerns from local businesses that current street lighting is inade-quate, I responded by having Toronto Hydro investigate opportunities to increase lighting along Bloor Street and to do so in coordination with the City’s construction schedule.

Both the Bloorcourt BIA and Bloordale BIA presented their re-spective streetscape improvement strategies to the local community on Thursday, April 26, 2012. For the most recent developments on this project you can call my office 416-392-7012 or visit www.anabailao.ca

MP ANDREW CASH 416-654-8048

Public services are cool again!! About a year ago it seemed the close association between Mayor Ford and Prime Minister Harper threat-ened to deep six so much of what this city holds dear and aspires to - good public services like transit, affordable housing, and child care. But, two years after the mayor killed Transit City, this excellent light rapid transit plan is back!! It just show us that we can never give up the fight for good public services.

And that is why it was so impor-tant that so many people came to the Clean Train Festival on Satur-day April 28th. Over 600 commu-nity members and volunteers, great musical talent Alberta Darling and Cuff The Duke’s Wayne Petti, and the presence of NDP MP’s, council-

ors, and Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath filled the West Toronto Rail Path to have their voices heard on the importance of electrifying the rail link from Peason Airport to Union Station. The community doesn’t want diesel, but so far the McGuinty government is stubbornly sticking to its polluting plan. That’s why we need every one who cares about this issue to contact the Premier and tell him that this community is not a toxic dump for diesel. Go Electric!!

And finally many in Bloordale are urban workers - that is to say, those who have had to, either by choice or by necessity, create their own employment. Many are small business people, sometimes running micro businesses, sometimes very large small busi-nesses. But whether you clean offices at night or are a web designer by day just about all of us here depend on well functioning public services. One currently under threat is our local post office - Canada Post’s station E retail outlet on Dovercourt.

Canada Post has been pretty mum about their intentions - first putting a for sale sign on the building only to take it down. If they do close the retail outlet - a service hundreds of community members and businesses rely on daily - the residents and businesses will be left with just one small franchise operation on the Bloor strip. That’s why over two thousand community members have signed petitions demanding that Canada Post keep the store open. I have met with Canada Post management and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers to express the very real concerns of the community. My office will be providing more information in the coming days and weeks on this important local issue. Stay tuned and pop by our office to sign the petition.

05

Letters from your political representatives

The Bloordale Press MAY 2012

BY JONAH SCHEINDAVENPORT’S MPP416-535-3158

It won’t be easy, but I’m determined to change politics in Davenport.

After working on three election campaigns in Davenport in less than two years, and listening to thousands of residents, I’ve heard repeatedly that people have lost faith in politicians and the political process. I understand why.

The political process often seems unclear and doesn’t seem to make sense, and many times it is unclear and doesn’t make sense. Too many people hear promises that never come true. They hear politicians talking but not listening. They feel like they are paying more to get by and get-ting less service and support in return.

It’s easy to become discouraged, but we cannot

afford to give up on government. Without an ef-fort to renew and repair our democratic process, we stand no chance to meet the challenges that face us. We need government to work for us, to help us steward our environment, to educate our young people, to create good jobs and to care for the sick and vulnerable people in our com-munity.

We are constantly told that government is “inefficient” and ineffective, yet recent and pro-posed cuts to programs and services make our government less effective and less efficient.

We need to reverse this from the ground up. For us that has to start right here in Davenport.

Earlier this year, I opened my community of-fice to better serve our riding. My fantastic and dedicated staff is working to serve you in our new office on St. Clair Ave. W. I’ve worked hard to create a team that is passionate and skilled and build an office that is accessible and welcoming.

In addition to providing information, advo-cacy, and assistance to constituents who need help accessing programs, our office will also be a meeting place for our community to discuss provincial issues that matter to Davenport, for educationals, coffeehouses, and to provide ser-vices like tax clinics for low income community members.

We often feel like government is working against us and not for us. If we’re going to turn this around, we need you be part of a new poli-tics in Davenport. My office wants to hear from you. We want to be in conversation with you. We want to work with you to make this province work better for all of us.

We’re on your side and we’re here to help. Please drop by our office at 1674 St. Clair Ave. W. and see a great exhibit of local artists. You can contact our community office by email at jschein-co@ndp.on.ca, by phone at 416-535-3158. To stay connected online, email and ask to join our mailing list.

BY ANDREW CASHDAVENPORT’S MP416-654-8048

Well it has been a wild ride in Ottawa these days. The Conservative government of Stephen Harper has been intent not only on ramming laws through Parliament without sufficient debate or oversight, but of using outrageous rhetoric to divide Ca-nadians and silence debate. For folks in To-ronto this is particularly disturbing since so much of what Harper is doing is toxic here. For example the vote to axe the long gun registry and destroy all the records will weaken gun control in big cities like Toron-to. Their proposed Lawful Access legisla-tion will permit law enforcement agencies to access your private online information without a warrant from a judge. That’s bad!

I held a townhall discussion of this bill in Davenport and knocked on doors in several neighbourhoods to discuss it. Overwhelmingly you had serious concerns. Well so does both the Ontario and the Federal Privacy Commissioners. But what does Vic Toews, our Public Safety Minister say a couple weeks ago? If you don’t stand with the government on this bill then you stand with child por-nographers! Ya, he really said that.

Which leads us to the topic of government’s crime bill C-10. Bil-lions for super jails and nothing to address the roots of most crime—mental illness, drug addiction and poverty. But it will divert precious financial resources away from what we DO need—comprehensive and affordable childcare, more recreation centres and programs for our youth, better public transit and much, much

more affordable housing.The Conservatives have run out of plans,

and the ones they have don’t work for Toronto. It is one of many reasons why I was proud, as one of the NDP Official Opposition’s housing critics, to introduce a National Housing Strategy recently. Affordable housing is one of the biggest issues facing people in Toronto and Ca-nadians right across the country. Over the next several months we’ll be pressuring the government to adopt this plan. And boy do they need one. Recently I asked the Human Resources Minister Diane Findlay about the lack of affordable rental accom-modations in Toronto. She said it wasn’t a problem since interest rates were so low people were simply buying houses. What?! Ya, she really said that too.

BY ANA BAILÃOWARD 18 COUNCILLOR416-392-7012

Dear Neighbours, After transit, I strongly believe the

biggest issue facing Torontonians is affordable housing. The need for safe, well-kept affordable housing is a criti-cal aspect of a caring and cohesive society, and provides dignity to the many low-income Torontonians that contribute readily to our social and economic health.

Toronto’s biggest landlord for af-fordable housing is also Canada’s, with the Toronto Community Hous-ing Corporation providing accom-modation for 154,000 tenants. Since amalgamation, the TCHC has strug-gled significantly under the responsi-bility of caring for the aging housing stock that was downloaded from the Province. Since then, the organiza-tion has been unable to keep up with the growing repair backlog, which is

currently estimated at over $750 million. This backlog, in combination with the corporation’s debt of over $2 billion, is a significant threat to the continued service delivery of affordable housing in Toronto

For this reason, a proposal was brought for-ward that would sell nearly 700 stand-alone units of housing scattered across the City. This would result in over $250 million to be injected directly into repairs to existing TCHC units.

While I recognize that the TCHC faces a growing backlog, the sale of these buildings will not help our City address the over 80,000 households currently on the waiting list for affordable housing; nor does it address the shortage of family housing units - the large proportion of the stand-alone units. Addition-ally, for truly prosperous neighbourhoods, we must value and maintain a mix of incomes and housing types in our communities.

Recently, I was pleased to receive support of the Executive Committee to delay the proposed sell-off until after a Special Working Group is created and able to report back on innovative ways of improving the shape of our TCHC housing. This Working Group will reach out to the non-profit, private and public sectors to

better manage our housing assets in a compas-sionate and more financially sustainable way.

Only with an understanding of the broader housing landscape can we maintain and reaf-firm Toronto’s stake in providing affordable housing by keeping this invaluable social asset viable and effective. As both a Councillor and Chair of the Affordable Housing Committee, I will continue to meet with tenant groups and ownership assistance organizations to have a stronger vision for Toronto’s affordable hous-ing future.

It is also critical that the Province and Federal government share in this commitment and rec-ognize their responsibility to the many thou-sands of Canadians who need housing support by investing in this issue through long-term, sustainable funding of affordable housing.

Toronto’s current housing situation is too critical to wait for solutions; we must begin the work to create them, and we must begin today. We must move forward with a vision that treats people respectfully and provides for the future needs of our City. This will continue to be my priority as these important discussions, and the work of the Special Working Committee, take place.

05The Bloordale Press MARCH 2012

Letters from your Representatives

BY JONAH SCHEIN Greetings Davenport! This is my

first article submission for the Bloor-dale Press. I’m really grateful to the editors for offering me this space to connect with you readers each month.

In many ways the Bloordale Press does more than tell the news in our neighbourhood – it’s part of the good news in our neighbourhood.

Bloordale Press is an example of a growing spirit of community engage-ment our riding.

I feel so lucky to represent this rid-ing where many people are making huge contributions to our neigh-bourhoods. Whether that’s the good folks at Bloordale Press, young people at City View Alternative School, organizers at Dufferin Grove Park, activists with The Clean Trains Coalition, or my old colleagues at The Stop Community Food Centre; people in Davenport are passionate about making our community a bet-ter place to live.

I know that the NDP reflects the values of Davenport. We all know what it means to work hard to pay the bills each month, and we are deeply

committed to the environment and social justice. As residents we all contribute a lot to our community but we also know that government has to do its part too. We need government to help people when they are vulnerable, to steward our environment, and to make life more affordable. We need government to invest in public transit and childcare, and to support senior citizens. And we know we can’t continue on the same old path. In tough economic times, we need our governments to stop giving billions of dollars away to corporations and start investing in our communities. This is the mes-sage that the NDP and I have been bringing to the legislature this fall.

I’m deeply honoured to have earned your support and I’ll work everyday to serve our riding and bring your voices to Queens Park.

I look forward to hearing from you and working together to make this a better riding and province to live in.

I am currently in the process of setting up my office at 1674 St. Clair West, and am available at 416-535-3158 or jschein-co@ndp.on.ca At Queen’s Park I can be reached at 416-325-0014 or jschein-qp@ndp.on.ca

BY ANA BAILÃO Dear Neighbours,

With cooling weather, rosy cheeks, and arriving home from work in the dark, the signs of the season are upon us. Yet, despite these weather grievances, Ward 18 is alive with activity and colour.

Whether it is the beautifully wrapped packages in the arms of residents walking out of Queen Street shops, the beautiful lighting along Dundas Street, or the shouts and sounds of skates on ice at our many outdoor rinks - the holidays are here.

The holidays are also a busy time to move around our neighbour-hood. While good public transit is vital for a well planned City, the increased ridership during the winter months - when many driv-ers and cyclists find refuge from the salt and snow - is an important time to reflect on our current tran-sit priorities.

As a candidate, I campaigned on the principles of fast, efficient and affordable public transportation. With those principles in mind, any transit decisions that I support will

have the interests of Davenport residents at its heart while never neglecting the need for a global transportation vision for the City of Toronto.

In order to pay for improved transit infrastructure, and meet spending reduction targets, the TTC has proposed route changes across the City.In Ward 18, the 506 Carleton, 29 Dufferin, 505 Dundas, 26 Dupont are among the routes experiencing reduction in service. In each case these reduc-tions mean riders will have to wait longer (in most cases less than 50 seconds) between vehicles. I am pleased, however, that we will ac-tually see service increases to the 501 Queen, 168 Symington and 40 Junction routes.

These service cuts raise serious concerns about how transit will effectively serve Ward 18 residents. It is critical that affordable and ac-cessible transit be the focus of any transit changes in our Ward and we must look at a variety of methods of accomplishing this goal without compromising transit routes.

I support the notion that we must demand our fair share of transit funding from other levels

of government, and also strongly believe that we must seek to do more with the resources at hand by addressing efficiency concerns like overcrowding and vehicle bunch-ing.

For example, I have requested that City staff investigate solutions to the bunching of buses along the 29 Dufferin route and the TTC is now closely examining this matter. The Queen Street car is a further high-ridership route that suffers from bunching. Especially with the increased population that is predicted with upcoming develop-ment opportunities along Queen Street, it is necessary that we take a proactive approach now in order to guarantee the infrastructure to support the future.

Regardless of the season, I will continue to advocate for afford-able, accessible and sustainable transit for our neighbourhood and would like to wish all the residents of Ward 18 a safe and happy holi-day.

Best wishes to you and your loved ones and I look forward to seeing many of you over the holi-days.

05The Bloordale Press DECEMBER 2011

The Councillor’s Corner

The MPP’s Corner

BY JONAH SCHEINDAVENPORT’S MPP416-535-3158

It won’t be easy, but I’m determined to change politics in Davenport.

After working on three election campaigns in Davenport in less than two years, and listening to thousands of residents, I’ve heard repeatedly that people have lost faith in politicians and the political process. I understand why.

The political process often seems unclear and doesn’t seem to make sense, and many times it is unclear and doesn’t make sense. Too many people hear promises that never come true. They hear politicians talking but not listening. They feel like they are paying more to get by and get-ting less service and support in return.

It’s easy to become discouraged, but we cannot

afford to give up on government. Without an ef-fort to renew and repair our democratic process, we stand no chance to meet the challenges that face us. We need government to work for us, to help us steward our environment, to educate our young people, to create good jobs and to care for the sick and vulnerable people in our com-munity.

We are constantly told that government is “inefficient” and ineffective, yet recent and pro-posed cuts to programs and services make our government less effective and less efficient.

We need to reverse this from the ground up. For us that has to start right here in Davenport.

Earlier this year, I opened my community of-fice to better serve our riding. My fantastic and dedicated staff is working to serve you in our new office on St. Clair Ave. W. I’ve worked hard to create a team that is passionate and skilled and build an office that is accessible and welcoming.

In addition to providing information, advo-cacy, and assistance to constituents who need help accessing programs, our office will also be a meeting place for our community to discuss provincial issues that matter to Davenport, for educationals, coffeehouses, and to provide ser-vices like tax clinics for low income community members.

We often feel like government is working against us and not for us. If we’re going to turn this around, we need you be part of a new poli-tics in Davenport. My office wants to hear from you. We want to be in conversation with you. We want to work with you to make this province work better for all of us.

We’re on your side and we’re here to help. Please drop by our office at 1674 St. Clair Ave. W. and see a great exhibit of local artists. You can contact our community office by email at jschein-co@ndp.on.ca, by phone at 416-535-3158. To stay connected online, email and ask to join our mailing list.

BY ANDREW CASHDAVENPORT’S MP416-654-8048

Well it has been a wild ride in Ottawa these days. The Conservative government of Stephen Harper has been intent not only on ramming laws through Parliament without sufficient debate or oversight, but of using outrageous rhetoric to divide Ca-nadians and silence debate. For folks in To-ronto this is particularly disturbing since so much of what Harper is doing is toxic here. For example the vote to axe the long gun registry and destroy all the records will weaken gun control in big cities like Toron-to. Their proposed Lawful Access legisla-tion will permit law enforcement agencies to access your private online information without a warrant from a judge. That’s bad!

I held a townhall discussion of this bill in Davenport and knocked on doors in several neighbourhoods to discuss it. Overwhelmingly you had serious concerns. Well so does both the Ontario and the Federal Privacy Commissioners. But what does Vic Toews, our Public Safety Minister say a couple weeks ago? If you don’t stand with the government on this bill then you stand with child por-nographers! Ya, he really said that.

Which leads us to the topic of government’s crime bill C-10. Bil-lions for super jails and nothing to address the roots of most crime—mental illness, drug addiction and poverty. But it will divert precious financial resources away from what we DO need—comprehensive and affordable childcare, more recreation centres and programs for our youth, better public transit and much, much

more affordable housing.The Conservatives have run out of plans,

and the ones they have don’t work for Toronto. It is one of many reasons why I was proud, as one of the NDP Official Opposition’s housing critics, to introduce a National Housing Strategy recently. Affordable housing is one of the biggest issues facing people in Toronto and Ca-nadians right across the country. Over the next several months we’ll be pressuring the government to adopt this plan. And boy do they need one. Recently I asked the Human Resources Minister Diane Findlay about the lack of affordable rental accom-modations in Toronto. She said it wasn’t a problem since interest rates were so low people were simply buying houses. What?! Ya, she really said that too.

BY ANA BAILÃOWARD 18 COUNCILLOR416-392-7012

Dear Neighbours, After transit, I strongly believe the

biggest issue facing Torontonians is affordable housing. The need for safe, well-kept affordable housing is a criti-cal aspect of a caring and cohesive society, and provides dignity to the many low-income Torontonians that contribute readily to our social and economic health.

Toronto’s biggest landlord for af-fordable housing is also Canada’s, with the Toronto Community Hous-ing Corporation providing accom-modation for 154,000 tenants. Since amalgamation, the TCHC has strug-gled significantly under the responsi-bility of caring for the aging housing stock that was downloaded from the Province. Since then, the organiza-tion has been unable to keep up with the growing repair backlog, which is

currently estimated at over $750 million. This backlog, in combination with the corporation’s debt of over $2 billion, is a significant threat to the continued service delivery of affordable housing in Toronto

For this reason, a proposal was brought for-ward that would sell nearly 700 stand-alone units of housing scattered across the City. This would result in over $250 million to be injected directly into repairs to existing TCHC units.

While I recognize that the TCHC faces a growing backlog, the sale of these buildings will not help our City address the over 80,000 households currently on the waiting list for affordable housing; nor does it address the shortage of family housing units - the large proportion of the stand-alone units. Addition-ally, for truly prosperous neighbourhoods, we must value and maintain a mix of incomes and housing types in our communities.

Recently, I was pleased to receive support of the Executive Committee to delay the proposed sell-off until after a Special Working Group is created and able to report back on innovative ways of improving the shape of our TCHC housing. This Working Group will reach out to the non-profit, private and public sectors to

better manage our housing assets in a compas-sionate and more financially sustainable way.

Only with an understanding of the broader housing landscape can we maintain and reaf-firm Toronto’s stake in providing affordable housing by keeping this invaluable social asset viable and effective. As both a Councillor and Chair of the Affordable Housing Committee, I will continue to meet with tenant groups and ownership assistance organizations to have a stronger vision for Toronto’s affordable hous-ing future.

It is also critical that the Province and Federal government share in this commitment and rec-ognize their responsibility to the many thou-sands of Canadians who need housing support by investing in this issue through long-term, sustainable funding of affordable housing.

Toronto’s current housing situation is too critical to wait for solutions; we must begin the work to create them, and we must begin today. We must move forward with a vision that treats people respectfully and provides for the future needs of our City. This will continue to be my priority as these important discussions, and the work of the Special Working Committee, take place.

05The Bloordale Press MARCH 2012

Letters from your Representatives

BY JONAH SCHEIN Greetings Davenport! This is my

first article submission for the Bloor-dale Press. I’m really grateful to the editors for offering me this space to connect with you readers each month.

In many ways the Bloordale Press does more than tell the news in our neighbourhood – it’s part of the good news in our neighbourhood.

Bloordale Press is an example of a growing spirit of community engage-ment our riding.

I feel so lucky to represent this rid-ing where many people are making huge contributions to our neigh-bourhoods. Whether that’s the good folks at Bloordale Press, young people at City View Alternative School, organizers at Dufferin Grove Park, activists with The Clean Trains Coalition, or my old colleagues at The Stop Community Food Centre; people in Davenport are passionate about making our community a bet-ter place to live.

I know that the NDP reflects the values of Davenport. We all know what it means to work hard to pay the bills each month, and we are deeply

committed to the environment and social justice. As residents we all contribute a lot to our community but we also know that government has to do its part too. We need government to help people when they are vulnerable, to steward our environment, and to make life more affordable. We need government to invest in public transit and childcare, and to support senior citizens. And we know we can’t continue on the same old path. In tough economic times, we need our governments to stop giving billions of dollars away to corporations and start investing in our communities. This is the mes-sage that the NDP and I have been bringing to the legislature this fall.

I’m deeply honoured to have earned your support and I’ll work everyday to serve our riding and bring your voices to Queens Park.

I look forward to hearing from you and working together to make this a better riding and province to live in.

I am currently in the process of setting up my office at 1674 St. Clair West, and am available at 416-535-3158 or jschein-co@ndp.on.ca At Queen’s Park I can be reached at 416-325-0014 or jschein-qp@ndp.on.ca

BY ANA BAILÃO Dear Neighbours,

With cooling weather, rosy cheeks, and arriving home from work in the dark, the signs of the season are upon us. Yet, despite these weather grievances, Ward 18 is alive with activity and colour.

Whether it is the beautifully wrapped packages in the arms of residents walking out of Queen Street shops, the beautiful lighting along Dundas Street, or the shouts and sounds of skates on ice at our many outdoor rinks - the holidays are here.

The holidays are also a busy time to move around our neighbour-hood. While good public transit is vital for a well planned City, the increased ridership during the winter months - when many driv-ers and cyclists find refuge from the salt and snow - is an important time to reflect on our current tran-sit priorities.

As a candidate, I campaigned on the principles of fast, efficient and affordable public transportation. With those principles in mind, any transit decisions that I support will

have the interests of Davenport residents at its heart while never neglecting the need for a global transportation vision for the City of Toronto.

In order to pay for improved transit infrastructure, and meet spending reduction targets, the TTC has proposed route changes across the City.In Ward 18, the 506 Carleton, 29 Dufferin, 505 Dundas, 26 Dupont are among the routes experiencing reduction in service. In each case these reduc-tions mean riders will have to wait longer (in most cases less than 50 seconds) between vehicles. I am pleased, however, that we will ac-tually see service increases to the 501 Queen, 168 Symington and 40 Junction routes.

These service cuts raise serious concerns about how transit will effectively serve Ward 18 residents. It is critical that affordable and ac-cessible transit be the focus of any transit changes in our Ward and we must look at a variety of methods of accomplishing this goal without compromising transit routes.

I support the notion that we must demand our fair share of transit funding from other levels

of government, and also strongly believe that we must seek to do more with the resources at hand by addressing efficiency concerns like overcrowding and vehicle bunch-ing.

For example, I have requested that City staff investigate solutions to the bunching of buses along the 29 Dufferin route and the TTC is now closely examining this matter. The Queen Street car is a further high-ridership route that suffers from bunching. Especially with the increased population that is predicted with upcoming develop-ment opportunities along Queen Street, it is necessary that we take a proactive approach now in order to guarantee the infrastructure to support the future.

Regardless of the season, I will continue to advocate for afford-able, accessible and sustainable transit for our neighbourhood and would like to wish all the residents of Ward 18 a safe and happy holi-day.

Best wishes to you and your loved ones and I look forward to seeing many of you over the holi-days.

05The Bloordale Press DECEMBER 2011

The Councillor’s Corner

The MPP’s Corner

06

New in Business

The Bloordale Press MAY 2012

BY JUSTIN MILLERSONjustin.bdp@gmail.com

The beginning stages of what could be a restaurant chain in To-ronto lies at the corner of Bloor St. and Lansdowne Ave.

New York Fried Chicken (1281 Bloor St. W.) opened its doors roughly a month ago serving ex-actly what its name suggests, but owner, Yousef Bani hopes to ex-pand beyond his one location.

“I would like to have more, but I have to see if it works here first,” said Bani. “You never know until you try.”

Once living on Dundas St. W. near Bloor St., Bani said he has grown to love the neighbourhood, so when it came time to open up shop, he said Bloor St. W. was a fa-vourable choice.

Bani also owns the Ali Baba’s next door at 1283 Bloor St. W. and the now vacant store on the other side at 1279 Bloor St. W.

Bani, who hails from Jordan, is not a stranger to the poultry busi-ness. He said he has a deep passion for chicken, rooted from running many restaurants on his native soil.

He moved to Canada in 1999 to capture a dream to live overseas, and to target a “bigger business market” and so far, the reception has been encouraging.

“It’s been very good, we’ve been very busy,” said Bani. “We want to be [an affordable option] in the area.”

Currently, New York Chicken offers a two piece chicken and fries combo for $3.99, a three piece or a chicken burger combo for $4.99 and other various larger combos of wings, fried shrimp, and a num-ber of sides. As of publication date, their current special is chicken for one dollar a piece.

NEW YORK FRIED CHICKEN LANDS IN BLOORDALE Located at the corner of Bloor St. and Lansdowne Ave., New York Fried Chicken serves an array of chicken dishes at an affordable price

Shop owner, Yousef Bani stands beside his first chicken eatery in Toronto. Photo by Justin Millerson

Roughly three years after open-ing up his popular waffle espresso

bar, ‘The Starving Artist’ at 584 Lansdowne Ave., owner Bryan Jackson, with the help of co-owner Jose Rodriguez, is at it again.

The tandem is hoping their new

Mexican-comfort-food-bar ‘Kitch’, located at 229 Geary Ave. (Dufferin St. and Dupont St.) can garner the same kind of success.

“We were feeling that the west

end needed something,” Jackson said. “We live in the neighbour-hood and there is nothing really here that speaks to our clientele and that we ourselves would want

to go to.”While managing the Starving

Artist, Jackson said he and Rodri-guez were working on planning events together. Jackson said that Rodriguez, who manages some well known DJ’s in the city, hired him to do some event designing and the two realized they had many things in common.

Before they knew it, in Novem-ber of 2011, the two found them-selves at 229 Geary Ave. and started designing what is now Kitch.

“It had everything,” said Rodri-guez of the 3,000 square foot space, “it had the patio, it had a second floor and the main area that has very nice high ceilings.”

It took roughly six months, but what was once Copas Cafe, was stripped down and redone.

Now the walls feature patterns done entirely in black permanent marker, the washrooms are wall-papered with custom-made boom box images, there are a plethora of speakers sitting atop the bar, and the bar itself was resurfaced with a lane from a vintage bowling alley.

07

New in Business

The Bloordale Press MAY 2012

Left: some of the bar’s staple offerings. Right: Owners Jose Rodriguez (left) and Bryan Jackson enjoying the foods of their labour. Photos by Gurpreet Ghag

STARVING ARTIST OWNER OPENS UP A NEW BAR

see KITCH, page 9

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09

News

The Bloordale Press MAY 2012

Workman Arts, a local orga-nization for artists who received treatment for mental illness and addiction, recently caught the eye of Governor General David Johnston.

According to the Governor’s website, he and his wife Sharon were in the city to raise aware-ness for mental health issues and took the time to catch Workman’s Mad Couture Catwalk event on April 13.

“Mental illness is not only a tremendous burden on the per-son suffering from the disease, but also on family members,” her Excellency Mrs. Johnston stated on the website.

“We feel it is important to ac-knowledge the strength, deter-mination and commitment of Canadian organizations reaching out to families in need.”

The event at the Art Gallery of Ontario was the first program of the year that began celebrations for Workman Arts’ 25th anniver-sary.

Mad Couture Catwalk, a col-laborative effort by Workman Arts artists and educator Elena Soni, was created to address the stigmas placed on people with mental illness and addiction.

“I think the creative process, when one is doing it in commu-nity, allows people to discover that their personal fears are not theirs alone,” Soni said as she re-ceived congratulatory hugs and kisses from supporters after the show. “We all have fears and if we

can work together we can get the courage to move forward.”

“It’s with every group, any group, and any community that wants to explore difficult sub-jects,” she said. “We can do so if we’re all together taking it one step at a time.”

Soni said that “with empathy and a lot of patience,” she was able to convince Workman Arts artists that “they can take the next step.”

She prepared four pieces for the artists to use as a blank can-vas and take to the next level.

The event hosted more than 320 guests, according to Danica Brown, Workman Arts’ Interim Membership and Training Man-ager.

“The catwalk started off as a training program and evolved into a showcase,” Brown said.

There is no clear sign if the event will take place again next year, but Workman Arts’ Visual Arts Manager Chris Mitchell hopes for the best.

“Hopefully that can come to fruition,” she said.

The organization is now in the process of preparing for their Be-ing Scene exhibition.

“Being Scene begins May 30 and will showcase 50 artworks from 38 artists,” Mitchell said.

Other future shows produced by the organization include Ren-dezvous with Madness and 5 in Focus.

For more information visit http://www.workmanarts.com/

GOVERNOR GENERAL HELPS LOCAL ART GROUP CELE-BRATE 25TH ANNIVERSARY

A rough menu, that may be al-tered a little here and there, said Jackson, is also in place and fea-tures mexican staples such as ta-cos, nachos and a variety of bev-erages.

Prices range from $6 to $9 for snacks and tacos to $14.50 for a heap of chicken or beef nachos.

The bar launched a soft open in mid-April and residents have been quick to offer positive feed-back.

“People are thanking us for hav-

ing something in the neighbour-hood that’s not just another Por-tuguese chicken place,” Jackson said.

“The response has been great. There are a lot of people moving up here and starting families and really want something cool and local where they can hang out,” said Rodriguez.

The grand opening for the bar will be Saturday, May 5 and then following that regular business hours will be Tuesdays to Satur-days from 5:30 p.m. to 2 a.m.

For more information visit http://www.kitchbar.com

A model poses at the end of runway wearing an ensemble made from Mylar and CDs designed by Annette Seip. Photo by Shylo Adams

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Art Gallery Guide

10 The Bloordale Press MAY 2012

Artist: Nancy Oakes

In 2006, Oakes be-gan experimenting with “Walking Draw-ings,” navigating the city streets while si-multaneously pro-ducing drawings that captured her lived experience as it hap-pened. Later enhanced with graphite, and stained with tea and

wax, the final draw-ings are believable ur-ban scenes composed of elements encoun-tered separately over time and space. This experiential peripa-tetic strategy exists at the intersection of all four of Oakes’ key in-terests: human beings, the urban environ-ment, walking, and drawing.

An installation drawing upon the ecologi-cal effects of vibration and the history of sonic warfare. Historically, sound has been an ideal medium for the performance of psychological

warfare because of how efficiently it evokes events and locations. Whether declarative, as with anthems or artillery, or deceptive, as with sonic decoys or surveillance, the audiosphere

is well disposed to militarization. Inside the gallery, aural en-counters occur in two strains. One territo-rial, via the ground walked upon, as much felt as heard; the oth-er aerial, via a sonic beam that occasion-ally swept the visitor unannounced like a wandering ghost.

Claude BreezeOpening reception May 12 4-8 p.m.

Canadian iconic artist, Claude Breeze presents his latest work at the Robert Kananaj gallery. Breeze’s painting has been displayed in all parts of the world and mostly reflect television

news and the discon-nect between reality and the viewer. Argu-ably his most reconized work is called Spac-ing... Aerial Highways, a large, 300-foot mural pasted on the walls of Lawence West subway station. Come by to see the work of one of Can-ada’s best artists.

Opened: Thursday, April 19

Egan Frantz (Connecti-cut, 1986) is a conceptual artist that received his B.A. in Art and Literature from Hampshire College in 2009 under the advisory of the late poet Robert Seydel. With his objects, drawings, and installations that often resemble those of other art-ists and/ of everyday objects, Frantz has from the outset positioned the craftsman, a

figure who favors the work-ing of pre-existing materials to creation ex nihilo, at the center of a structural drama. He is also the founder of _______________, a hush-hush, New York framing company, which is to say his practice quite literally cir-cumscribes the materials that produce contemporary art.

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59 Project Management Inc.PROJECT MANAGEMENT

52 Pick-up Inc.STRATEGIC DESIGN // MARKETING

A new loft space on Dundas Street West.An architectural interpretation in glass andmetal that goes beyond the norm.From every direction, a visual tease.As pioneering as its location.A home in this culturally rich neighbourhoodthat’s as design savvy as you are.Community. Design. Originality.It all adds up.

NOW OPEN1245 Dundas Street West