The Grid has some upsetting news for all the latte-sipping, bicycle-riding, downtown pinkos who are pining for more “urbanist” policies: Markham is looking better and better. The weekly reports that Toronto suburbs are adopting policies and tackling projects that would make Jane Jacobs proud—like networks of bike lanes and improved rapid transit. Even more interesting, though, is that while these sorts of civic initiatives may seem sacrilegious to Rob Ford, they’re being undertaken by a Markham mayor who’s simultaneously slashing spending and cutting staff. Which makes us wish the politicians in the clamshell would focus more on the possibility of progress and less on service cuts and regressive policies (even with a fiscal conservative at the helm)—because, seriously, it’s kind of embarrassing when Markham is kicking your ass. Read the entire story [The Grid] »
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Bob Barker says he’ll pay for Toronto elephants’ air fare (and spa day)
Former Price Is Right host and long-time animal lover Bob Barker is going to pay to fly the Toronto Zoo’s three elephants to a California sanctuary that, apparently, boasts super-luxe amenities, like therapeutic Jacuzzis (no, really). The elephants’ long, complicated and often controversial story looks like it will finally come to a close—hot tub party anybody? Read the entire story [Globe and Mail] »
(Images: hot tub, Jeannine Cousin; elephants, Thierry)
Adam Giambrone updates his marital status on Facebook
It’s official (Image: Tsar Kasim)
Former councillor and one-time mayoral aspirant Adam Giambrone recently married his long-time partner Sarah McQuarrie, according to, uh, Facebook. The Toronto Star reports that Giambrone changed his marital status on Facebook, provoking an outpouring of likes and comments. Apparently the wedding took place at One King West, although Giambrone, true to form, couldn’t help but post a link to a Torontoist story about transit cuts in the minutes leading up the big moment. At the time of publication, the like count on his post is 135.
• Giambrone and McQuarrie now husband and wife [Toronto Star]
With the Occupy Toronto encampment over, local dog owners can finally return to their beloved park for a game of canine Frisbee, a frolic in the leaves or a good old-fashioned stoop-and-scoop. The tension between dog walkers and occupiers was no secret—the park was prime dog-walking territory before protesters plopped down a bunch of tents, yurts and portable toilets. Naturally, we had a nice chuckle at the thought of the battle between the 99 and the one per cent coming down to dirty hippies and yuppies walking dogs in designer sweaters. It sounds like a really, really bad screenplay. As the Toronto Star writes: “The protest was a glimpse into a bohemian existence” for some locals. How precious. Read the entire story [Toronto Star] »
First, Calgary’s street eats (think truffle-oiled French fries and lamb burgers) trumped Toronto’s. Now, average weekly wages in Saskatchewan have surpassed Ontario’s for the first time. Sakatchewanians earn $906.22 on average, 6.9 per cent more than last year. As for Ontario, weekly wages are falling faster than anywhere else in the country, dropping 1.3 per cent over the same period from $901.16 to $889.13. That puts Ontario’s average wages in fourth place in the country, behind Alberta, the Yukon (seriously) and the Saskies. So what’s the reason for the prairie province’s prosperity? No, the cost of canola hasn’t quadrupled: new industries and steadily rising commodity prices (including those of Saskatchewan’s abundant grains, oil, gas, uranium and potash stores) have seen the province’s status surge to “have” in recent years. Premier Brad Wall is even inviting Ontarians to head west to seek their fortune. Maybe “Saskatchewaner” doesn’t sound so bad after all. Read the entire story [Toronto Star] »
In a quintessentially Toronto moment, the Occupy protest comes to a peaceful end
St. James Park after the eviction notice is served (Image: Portraits Of Toronto from the Torontolife.com Flickr pool)
The remaining Occupy Toronto protesters were forced from the wilds of St. James Park yesterday, and all things considered, it was a pretty smooth ride. Police, bylaw officers and city workers entered the park before sunrise and began removing tents and debris, but the process dragged on throughout the afternoon as a few diehard protesters staged their last stands. For now, though, that’s it: a few arrests and nary a broken window. In other words, nothing like the violence and relative chaos witnessed during the G20.
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Ottawa Magazine’s Mark Bourrie notes that the American Occupy protesters displayed a level of bombast that helped them garner media attention, and that they were also the target of far more police violence (case in point: the police officer who pepper-sprayed a group of UC Davis Occupiers with the kind of nonchalance normally applied to watering a garden). And much like Toronto’s own homegrown police embarrassment, Officer Bubbles, Bourrie believes the violence actually helped, not hindered, the American cause. The anti-Occupy forces appeared to be a bunch of heartless bullies, and claims like Megyn Kelly’s—that pepper spray is “a food product, essentially”—is the kind of stupid you just can’t make up. Read the entire story [Ottawa Magazine] »
Occupy Toronto is staggering toward a conclusion. Early this morning, police and bylaw officers asked protesters to disperse, before entering the park and tagging tents for removal. The police’s arrival came after hours of rumours at the encampment, where many demonstrators were convinced a raid was coming at 4 a.m. (the police didn’t actually show up until a couple of hours later). There were garbage trucks and city workers scattered throughout the park, cataloguing people’s loose belongings so that they could retrieve them later. Many protesters have cleared out, while others show no signs of budging. One woman was arrested, but then quickly released from custody. For the most part, the situation seems to be in a weird state of limbo. Read Torontoist’s live blog [Torontoist] »
Occupy Toronto gets its marching orders; police take a hands-off approach to the eviction
Protesters at St. James Park (Image: Portraits of Toronto from the Torontolife.com Flickr pool)
Yesterday, a judge ruled that it was within the city’s rights to evict Occupy Toronto from St. James Park. Some protesters responded by leaving the park, while many others, including a group of particularly committed Occupiers who chained themselves to the library yurt, seemed less inclined to pack up and ship out. The police, meanwhile, said they’ll give protesters time to clear out, a marked departure from how they dealt with demonstrators at last year’s G20.
Read the rest of this entry »
If last week’s eviction notice was the beginning of the end for Occupy Toronto’s scrappy camp in St. James Park, today’s ruling by Justice David Brown of the Ontario Superior Court is something like the middle of the end. As Torontoist reports, Brown concluded that the city was well within its rights to turf protesters. “The Charter does not permit the protesters to take over public space without asking, exclude the rest of the public from enjoying their traditional use of that space, and then contend that they are under no obligation to leave.” (Councillor Doug Ford, ever gracious in victory, was heard quipping to reporters that “Woodstock Toronto is all over.”) This ruling puts the ball back in the city’s court—although Rob Ford has already indicated he wants the occupiers to leave “as soon as possible” and city manager Joe Pennachetti has said he hopes everyone will be out, voluntarily, by midnight, there’s currently no official deadline for when they need to clear the park. It seems there’s just no appetite for a repeat of last year’s G20 debacle friendly tête-à-tête between protesters and police. Read the entire story [Torontoist] »
Occupy Toronto gets crushed by the man, then fights the power and actually wins (at least, momentarily)
Protesters at St. James Park after being served with an eviction notice (Image: Kevin Hamilton)
The campout will continue. After the city served Occupy Toronto with an eviction notice yesterday morning, it looked like the party was over. Written by city manager Joe Pennachetti, the notice ordered occupiers to “remove immediately any tent, shelter, structure, equipment and debris” from the park and to stay out between 12:01 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. The protesters began hashing out a series of contingency plans, while a group of sympathetic left-leaning councillors issued a letter to Mayor Rob Ford calling for more discussion. But after a day of frantic action, a last-minute injunction spared the group from eviction—at least until Saturday.
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Occupy Wall Street is given the boot; Rob Ford follows suit by serving Occupy Toronto an eviction notice
Eviction notice from the City of Toronto (Image: Kevin Hamilton)
The city said it would make its move on Occupy Toronto sometime this week, and Rob Ford offered yesterday that the protesters at St. James Park would be given notice “soon.” But with the PR motive for playing nice with the protesters essentially evaporated—after other Canadian cities cleared out their own Occupy movements and, most importantly, New York City forced Occupy Wall Street protesters out of Zuccotti Park early this morning—the city decided the time had arrived to serve Occupy Toronto with an eviction notice of its own. Back in New York, there are already reports that Wall Street protesters will be allowed back into the park (albeit without tents and their belongings). But we’re guessing the last thing Ford wants is for the Toronto eviction to be temporary. Follow Toronto Now for ongoing coverage [Toronto Star] »
An attempt by some Occupy Toronto–types to dodge an impending city crackdown failed when a small group of protesters set up camp at Queen’s Park this weekend, only to be given the boot. Sure, the provincial legislature may make more sense as an occupation site from a political standpoint, but the benevolence of the folks at St. James Cathedral makes the park a more practical choice. It sounds like the story is somewhat more complicated than a brief camping trip to the provincial legislature, too. CTV reports: “The men are believed to have been forced out of the St. James encampment by protest organizers who claim they are not affiliated with the bigger Toronto movement.” Read the entire story [CBC] »
Member of the one per cent goes to St. James Park, yells at Occupy Toronto
(Image: marc falardeau)
“You couldn’t cut the hypocrisy with a chainsaw in this park.”
That was Brad Geddes, managing partner and chief executive of consulting firm Matthew Michaels, addressing the 99 per cent currently camping at St. James Park. After heading to the Occupy Toronto staging ground, Geddes publicly complained about the protesters’ drug use, garbage and drumming. “They have done to this park, in a shameless way, what they claim we have done to this country,” he said. Geddes then explained that the whole movement is pointless, since no economic model could provide for everyone. “So if you have a solution on how to completely change the geographic structures of politics,” he said, “you let me know.” Sadly, we’re pretty sure this is the most dialogue that’s ever occurred between the two camps. Read the entire story [National Post] »
The city is poised to take serious action against the Occupy Toronto protesters next week—or it might just write a whole bunch of tickets. According to the Toronto Sun’s sources, one idea for dealing with the protest (and Joe Pennachetti says the city will be dealing with the protest) is to dispatch bylaw officers to the site. Naturally, Giorgio Mammoliti would rather the police shut down the protest entirely, but deputy mayor Doug Holyday is worried an eviction could result in violence. Why? Because, um, he doesn’t want the incident to be on the front pages of newspapers across the continent. Sigh. Read the entire story [Toronto Sun] »
