trees, trees, and more trees

Posted: April 28, 2016 in nature
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Have you ever noticed how many trees there are in this city?
Have you ever stopped to examine the visual relationship between trees and architecture, the patterns of leafless branches superimposed on straight man-made lines?

Horizontal branches of a tree growing in front of a low rise yellowish brown brick apartment building. Balconies, jutting out with the bright blue sky behind.

For the past couple of weeks I have been keeping an eye open for such relationships while I walk.   As it turns out, there are lots to be found…. and some are even interesting  🙂

Part of a mature tree, looking upwards, the greenish steeple of St. Basils church can be seen through the branches. No leaves on the tree. A very tall condo building under construction is also in the picture.

Just for fun I googled “How many trees are there in Toronto?”.  I got answers!  One link was particularly useful:  available in pdf from the City of Toronto’s website is a report titled, “Every Tree Counts: A Portrait of Toronto’s Urban Forest” (updated in 2013).   It is estimated that Toronto has about 10.2 million trees and they provides a tree canopy over between 26% and 28% of the city.

A large mature tree with no leaves, early spring, grows in front of a large glass building that has a reflection of another large building its windows.

There are at least 116 different tree species in the city.  The 10 most common species account for close to 58% of the total.   We have a lot of maple trees – Norway Maple, Sugar Maple, and Manitoba Maple were the top 3 species.  Next in the list were Green Ash, White Spruce, Silver Maple, American Elm, Eastern White Cedar, Austrian Pine, and White Ash.

When Dutch elm disease devastated the city’s elm trees in the 1960s and 1970s many were replaced by Norway maples.  These proved to be hardy but they were also very invasive and damaging to ravines and other natural spaces.  As a result they are rarely planted on city property anymore.  Still, they represent 15% of Toronto’s tree coverage.

A lone smallish sized tree in winter is growing in front of a stone building on the University of Toronto campus, snow on the ground.

Of the total tree population, 6.1 million (60%) trees are on private property, 3.5 million (34%) trees are in parks and ravines, and 0.6 million (6%) trees are on city streets.

A tree in a concrete planter in front of a tral coloured building. It's a sunny day so there is a shadow of the tree on the building.

Trees make a significant contribution to our life.  Not only do they look nice, but they also provide benefits.  They provide shade in the summer and they help improve the air quality.  They help prevent erosion in our ravines and they provide habitat for insects, birds and animals.  Our parks would be poorer places without trees.

A large branch of a tree in the foreground, condos and the CN tower in the background. The curve of the tree branch looks like its wrapping itself around one of the tall condos.

One goal that the city has is to increase the canopy cover over Toronto to 30%.  To this end, between 2004 and 2012 the city and its partners planted almost 100,000 trees per year.   That’s almost 900,000 trees.   Not all survive but progress is being made.  Tree cover increased slightly (1.3%) between 1999 and 2009.

below: A map of Toronto showing the tree canopy in each neighbourhood

A map of Toronto showing the percentage of each neighbourhood covered by tree canopy from almost white (very few trees) to dark green (a lot of trees)

in winter, some snow, part of a large leafless tree in front of an office building with a sloght curve in it.

Take a moment to look at the trees you pass, yes, look up!  Especially in the next week while the branches are still bare.  Better still, look up often and watch the changes unfold as the trees bud and bloom.  At this time of year the trees change quickly and before you know it the city will be transformed.

winter tree in front of a stone government building on Queens Park Circle, A Canadian flag and an Ontario flag are flying in front of the building.

A number of leafless trees and three lamp posts in Simcoe Place, downtown Toronto, with the CBC building in the background

A man's legs as he walks across the pond on Ryerson campus. Very little water is therem lots of reflections of the trees and buildings around. He is wearing jeans and bright orange running shoes.

leafless tree branches above an older red brick house with a mansard black slate roof and a feww yellow brick details

textiles and curios

Posted: April 26, 2016 in stores
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First, a big thank you for being welcomed into Gadabout to explore and take pictures.  Gadabout is a store on Queen St East and it is home to “vintage clothing, nostalgia, ephemera, textiles and curios.”  It is packed full of old things.  Interesting things.

Exterior of the Gadabout store on Queen St East showing the window display and entrance. The window is full of things for sale and there are also a few things sitting outside the store that are also for sale - old glamour magazine, old men's skates, a teddy bear, a crocheted coat,

below: And when I say packed, I mean it!  Floor to ceiling.

Against a wall in Gadabout store, shelves with small cubbyholes all filled with small items, curios, b=vintage, treasures, such as old producs, toys, figurines, household items,

below: Who could resist a watering can purse?  In pink even.

a pink purse in the shape of a watering can hangs from a hook on a wall. A pair of beige gloves hangs below it. Folded fabric items are on the shelves beside the bag and gloves. Blankets or sweaters.

A small doll with a very lifelike face is looking towards a shelf filled with small ceramic and porcelain items such as vases and figurines

below: Containers and packaging for Mennen baby powder, 40 cents for J.R. for Athlete’s Foot, Silvo silver polish, a tire repair kit, 6-12 insect repellent, and wintergreen oil.  The latter is used topically to relieve muscle aches and pains.  It’s labelled as a poison as it is easy to overdose on it if ingested.

A small section of shelf in a store selling vintage items, on this shelf are old drug store and household products such as wintergreen oil, silvo silver polish, baby powder, athletes foot treatment,

below: Knights Templar black bicorne hat with feather along with matching cuff.

An old black military hat with a white feather in it sits on a head mannequin. Beside it is another mannequin wearing a tartan kilt and a white shirt. The shirt has a brownish leather cuff with a red cross on it.

below: All those drawers are filled with old photographs.

old wooden drawers filled with old photographs, a mirror, and an old chair with a vinyl watermelon print fabric on it.

old photograph of a man in uniform, a front page of the Daily Mirror newspaper, more drawers, all in a store filled with vintage items.

below: Vintage clothing

sleeves of colourful shirts and blouses hanging on a rack. Orange polka dots, red poppies, wild prints, all vintage clothing

a teddybear sites in a can with a painting of flowers on it. An old Glamour magazine with a yellow cover
Old pins (buttons) in the foreground with beaded necklaces in the background.

below:  Fancy handbags and shoes.

items in a vintage store on Queen St East in Toronto, on the wall there are some small handbags, as well as some high heeled shoes. Some of the bags are beaded and one is a shiny gold colour.

Gadabout website

plutocrats and proletariats

Posted: April 25, 2016 in galleries
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An art installation ‘Nest Egg’ by Brendan McNaughton
at the Corkin Gallery, Distillery District

The title of this blog post is taken from a description of McNaughton’s work on the Corkin gallery website, “The relationship between plutocrats and proletariats is central to his art practice.”  A plutocrat is a person who is powerful because they are wealthy.  Money equals power.  Proletariat on the other hand is a class of people, the working class, a class without money and without power.

below: A gold axe.  With its blade in a column, on a pedestal?  That’s not a passive positioning of the axe, i.e. it’s not just lying around.  Someone has swung it.
Axe as a symbol of the working class?  Juxtapositioned with gold, a symbol of money?

picture taken inside an art gallery - a tree trunk stands in the middle of a gold toned mirror, in the background, a gold plated (or gold colured) axe with its blade in the top of a white rectanguar column

below: A couple of the pieces were mirrors. But they were mirrors with a difference – slightly concave in shape, with a hint of gold, and marred by ragged shaped holes.  The resulting reflections are distorted and flawed.

an artwork by Brendan McNaughton of a slightly concave mirror but with a few torn holes in it. A bench is reflected in the mirror but because the mirror isnt't flat, the bench is distorted.

below: ‘Blue Chip’ a sculpture by Brendan McNaughton as viewed through one of his mirrors.  The expression ‘blue chip’ has become synonymous with high quality stocks, usually ones from the New York Stock Exchange.   Originally the expression meant stocks with higher prices because, if the story is correct, blue chips in poker are traditionally associated with the highest value.

Blue Chip, a sculpture by Brendan McNaughton, as viewed through an oval shaped mirror which is actually another art piece by the same artist.

below: The colour gold is very prevalent in this installation as are reflective surfaces.

picture taken inside an art gallery - a tree trunk stands in the middle of a gold toned mirror, also a mirror is on the top of each trunk, in the background are four panels of wrinkled gold

below: Parts of three wrinkly gold panels. There are actually four of these reflective square panels.  They are all the same size and colour but the surface patterns are slightly different.  Once again, the reflections are distorted.  Wealth distorts your view?

three square panels of reflective gold, wrinkled, material with reflections of people in them.

below: There was a group of what appeared to be photography students visiting the gallery at the same time that I was there. As I was standing beside this piece, looking for different and/or interesting angles and reflections, one of the students remarked on how he liked it when ordinary items were used in out of the ordinary ways. He then said that he wondered if it was …. and then he paused. I finished his sentence with the word ‘art’. He laughed and said yes, but that he was always afraid to say such things out loud. I gave him permission to ask “is it art?” as loud and as often as he wanted.

picture taken inside an art gallery - a tree trunk stands in the middle of a gold toned mirror,

picture taken inside an art gallery - a tree trunk stands in the middle of a gold toned mirror,

Installation ends May 1st

community and history, St. Clair West

Posted: April 24, 2016 in graffiti and street art, locations, public art
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There is a railway bridge, just west of Caledonia Rd where the GO line to Aurora passes over St. Clair West.
On the north side of the underpass is a mural in black, white and grey tones.

mural in black, white, and grey about the first railway in Ontario, 1853, that was built here, and where the railway still runs as the GO line to Aurora - the words St. Clair West in large letters

The theme of the mural is “Ontario’s first railway” as this railway line has been in operation since 1853 when the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron railway was built here.

mural in black, white, and grey about the first railway in Ontario, 1853, that was built here, and where the railway still runs as the GO line to Aurora - a photo of the mural from across the street, with its three parts, the words St. Clair West on the left, the locomotive in the middle and the railway workers on the right
The first locomotive built in Canada was a steam powered engine built by the Toronto Locomotive Works, a company founded by James Good.  Named “Toronto”, it was finished in April 1853 and in mid-May 1853 it pulled a short (4 cars) train from downtown Toronto 30 miles north to Machells Corners (now Aurora).   Service on the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron line had begun!

below: “From one age to another.  The locomotive was the machine of the future.”
mural in black, white, and grey about the first railway in Ontario, 1853, that was built here, and where the railway still runs as the GO line to Aurora - a painting of an old locomotive with the words 'Ontario's First Railway' on the top of the mural and the words: "from one age to another. The locomotive was the machine of the future. " at the bottom

mural in black, white, and grey about the first railway in Ontario, 1853, that was built here, and where the railway still runs as the GO line to Aurora - three railway workers in jackets and caps

The mural was painted in September 2012 by Marcelo Pinero, Aelwynn Swanson, and Pia Ferrari from the Davenport Arts Community.

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There is also a mural on the south side of the underpass; it has a soccer theme.

mural on a railway bridge underpass that has a soccer theme. Flags of different countries, soccer players, words,

It too was painted by Davenport Arts Community.

part of a mural with a soccer theme with words that say Football Fever St. Clair 1982. also with pictures of football players and flags from different countries.

part of a mural with a soccer theme with words that say Football Fever St. Clair 1982. also with pictures of football players and flags from different countries.

below: Silverthorn Sunrise mural painted late in 2012 by Marcelo Pinero and Aelwynn Swanson.  It is painted on the side of Whiteside Pharmacy which is on the NE corner of St. Clair and Silverthorn.   Silverthorn was also the name of this neighbourhood prior to 1998 when it was amalgamated into the City of Toronto.

Silverthorn Sunrise mural by the Davenport Arts Community, with the word Silverthorn, a sun rising over a bridge while a new TTC streetcar passes under the bridge, the words "shop St. Clair". The mural is on the side of a red brick building, beside a pharmacy.

And last, a mural that is actually on the side of business, West York Motors, which is located on St. Clair West between Ford and Osler streets.
It was painted by Splash Murals.

mural on the side of West York motors on St. Clair West - a view of the mural from across the almost empty parking lot.

mural on the side of West York motors on St. Clair West near Osler - south end of the mural showing cars parked in front of a garagethe backs of two houses are also in the picture,

mural on the side of West York motors on St. Clair West - looking down the length of the mural including the narrow chimney on which the CN TOwer is painted.

mural on the side of West York motors on St. Clair West - the part of the mural with the words "West York since 1945" also an old convertible with its door open and top down.

mural on the side of West York motors on St. Clair West - a yellow sports car is painted on the wall near the entrance to the building

more information about the Davenport Arts Community

from Riverside to Leslieville

Posted: April 22, 2016 in locations
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A walk along Queen Street East from Broadview to Greenwood.

A no smoking sign written on a piece of paper that is upside down, as viewed from the other side of the window. Looking out onto a patio.

below: Welcome to Riverside, mural at the corner of Queen and Grant streets featuring the sign on the Queen bridge as it crosses over the Don River.

People walking past the intersection where there a mural for Riverside area of Toronto, TTC streetcar in the mural. It is on the upper floor of a two storey brick building.

below: Farther east on Queen Street, at Curzon,  there is this ‘Greetings from Leslieville’ mural.

One of the Leslieville murals. Greetings from Leslieville with a postcard on it.

There are many interesting little stores on this stretch of Queen Street.
All the benches have been painted in cheerful colourful stripes.

Looking across the street at a man sitting on the edge of a concrete planter for a tree as well as a multicoloured striped bench with two women sitting on it. They are in front of two storey brick buildings with stores on the bottom level and apartments on the top. One of the stores is Bronze.

Rubiks cubes and large red and white dice in a store window, some real and some reflected in a a mirror on the wall.

looking into the window of a pharmacy, a toy troll is in a white mug. The mug has red lettering - Yours pharmacy. Also a mortar and pestle in the window along with a box with medicines for influenza

below: On the 21st of April (yesterday), Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 90th birthday.
A number of stores and restaurants had displays in her honour.

items in a store window. A Canadian flag, a mountie figurine that waves, two mugs featuring Queen Elizabeth and a container of tea.

A picture of Queen Elizabeth hangs on a wall in a cafe, seen through the window with reflections of the sky. There are red chairs in the cafe

Queen Street East was developed as long ago as the mid 1800’s and remnants of various decades can be found as one explores the area.
below: … details such as this fading Canada Dry sign.  The formula for Canada Dry ginger ale was developed in the early 1900’s by John J. McLaughlin, of the same McLaughlin family whose early automobile factory led to the start of General Motors.  This ginger ale was patented in Toronto in 1907.  Usually the words ‘Canada Dry’ are written in red, not yellow.   Is there a time when Canada Dry used yellow lettering?

An older Canada Dry advertisement sign hangs over the entrance to Eddies Convenience Store on Queen St East.

below:  At the corner of Queen and Coady there is also a ghost sign for Coady Sweets as well as an advertisement for Coca-Cola.

On a corner, Edjan Convenience Store with people walking past it. On the side of the upper floor of the two storey brick building is a ghost sign advertising coca cola and Coady Sweets. At the corner of Coady and Queen St. East in Leslieville Toronto
  below: Call it luck – even a vintage car drove past while I was there.

A black vintage car drives by on Queen St East

below: An old KitKat advertisement on the side of Boston Discount Store.  If you look closely, there is also an original Boston Ave street sign at the top right of the KitKat ad.

Side of a convenience store with an ad for KitKat, have a break, is painted on the side. Boston Discount Store on the corner of Queen St. East and Boston Ave

below: Even older are the buildings in the mural of Queen St. East circa 1926.  I am not sure if this an accurate depiction of a particular stretch of Queen Street.  It might be interesting to do some research to find out if the picture can be retaken, 90 years later.  So far I have been unable to find out anything about a Jackson Brothers store on Queen East.

Black and white mural of historical picture of Queen St East

below:  A sign of the new, some of the new TTC streetcars are now running along Queen Street.

The side of a new TTC streetcar behind a striped bench on a sidewalk

below: A mural depicting Frank Zappa along with the words
“Stupidity has a certain charm.  Ignorance does not.”

A mural of Frank Zappa on the upper floor of a two storey building. Also includes the words Stupidity has a certain charm, ignorance does not.

below: Like so many places and streets in Toronto, there are condos going up here too.

reflections in the shiny black hoardings around a condo construction site. buildings, car, people

A young man walks past the Value Village Donation Center that has a large window with 3 mannequins in it. A bike is parked in front.

below: The railway tracks pass over Queen Street.  A number of years ago the underpass was decorated with paintings of different animals and those paintings remain in good shape.

A small section of the railway bridge over Queen St. East near De Grassi. The far wall is painted light blue and there are picture of animals on it.

below: Once upon a time trains served this area.  There was a railway station here but it is long gone.

historical plaque describing the history of Riverdale train station at Queen St. East and De Grassi St in Toronto

transcription:

“In 1896, the Grand Trunk Railway opened its Queen East Station to serve Toronto’s growing east end.  Renamed Riverdale Station in 1907, the building stood here on De Grassi Street at Queen Street East.  Its dramatic turret, bay window, and a deep overhanging roof were defining features typical of small railway stations of the period.

In 1904, a streetcar collided with a freight train at the level crossing on Queen Street East, killing three people and injuring 18.  This and subsequent accidents led to the elevation of the new Union Station railway corridor above city streets and sidewalks.  The station was moved in 1927 to accommodate the new embankment for the underpass, the first of nine to be completed.  Dwindling passenger numbers during the Great Depression led to the closure of Riverdale Station in 1932 and its demolition in 1974.”

below: Looking west from under the railway bridge.

Photo taken from under a bridge, looking west along Queen St. East, cars on the street, a restaurant on the corner, and some women on the sidewalk.

below: A train themed mural in an alley just off Queen Street.

Street art painting of a brown train boxcar, with a yellow and orange tag on it, on the side of a building in an alley.

board outside Fuzz salon.

graffiti, white stick drawing of a man with a beard pointing his finger, or giving someone the finger, hard to tell

Two brick stores on Queen St East, two storey. One is the OKOK diner with a mural on the side of it that features an older version TTC streetcar.
reflections in the window of a cafe. Red benches are outside the window. People, TTC streetcar

Looking into a store window. A small model of the Statue of Liberty, a fire extinguisher, a pump and some PVC pipe parts. Reflections of sky, buildings from across the street and a yellow set of lights above a cross walk.

The painted sign on the door of Dangerous Dan's restaurant that says, No bathrooms, no change, no outside food, no kidding.

420 Day 2016

Posted: April 21, 2016 in events, people
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The 10th annual 420 Day celebration in Toronto was held this year at Yonge Dundas Square.
By mid-afternoon the square was very crowded but most people didn’t seem to mind.

Part of 420 day celebrations at Dundas Square - a black Tshirt for sale. It has 420 Toronto on it, with a cannabis leaf in the middle of the zero

People at Yonge Dundas Square in Toronto celebrating 420 day - a young woman in a jean jacket is holding up a black sign advertising twinkies for sale.

People at Yonge Dundas Square in Toronto celebrating 420 day - a young woman walks through the crowd, holding part of her grey sweater over her nose

People at Yonge Dundas Square in Toronto celebrating 420 day - a young man stands amidst those who are sitting on the ground

People at Yonge Dundas Square in Toronto celebrating 420 day - a group of young men sitting around on the ground with a couple of bongs

People at Yonge Dundas Square in Toronto celebrating 420 day - three young women in sunglasses are talking to a vendor at the event. One is wearing bright orangish pink tight pants and a black top with the words eat me on it.

three older people share joints while a red haired woman plays a violin, Dundas Square, 420 day event

People at Yonge Dundas Square in Toronto celebrating 420 day - people mingling around a sign that is advertising free cannabis seeds

pot smoking paraphenalia for sale at a 420 day event,

People at Yonge Dundas Square in Toronto celebrating 420 day - two people sitting together and talking, a man's back is to the camera and on the back of his tshirt are the words fresh kush and a picture of a cannabis leaf

a person with an old person mask and a carboard sign that says grandma likes her natural medicine, is waving a cane at the camera

Crowds at Yonge Dundas Square celebrating 420 day

a young woman with long green hair walks through the crowd. she has a hula hoop in her hand.

three young women with long hair and green headbands are sitting together. A young man on a cellphone is sitting beside them.

A couple, vendors, he has dreadlocks and a long beard.

People at Yonge Dundas Square in Toronto celebrating 420 day - 4 young men, one of whom has yellow reflective sunglasses on.

People at Yonge Dundas Square in Toronto celebrating 420 day - a group of people checking a vendor's wares.

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blog_420_day_butterfly_wings

Part of 420 day celebrations at Dundas Square - two young women are dressed up in cannabis themed clothes with make up on their faces. One woman has 420! written on her forehead, the other woman has half her face painted green

People at Yonge Dundas Square in Toronto celebrating 420 day - a young man sits on the ground while others around him are standing

People at Yonge Dundas Square in Toronto celebrating 420 day - a red haired woman in a green cap is laughing

People at Yonge Dundas Square in Toronto celebrating 420 day - a young woman in an electric wheelchair with bright pink hair is selling cookies for $5

People at Yonge Dundas Square in Toronto celebrating 420 day - a person poses with someone who is dressed up in a superhero costume, similar to Superman, but is a super bong instead

outside the Eaton Centre, across the street from Yonge Dundas Square, a man is carrying a sign that says pot smoking leads to hell but that Jesus can save you. He is holding a bible. A young man is arguing with him while other people stand around and watch

outside the Eaton Centre, across the street from Yonge Dundas Square - a young man wearing a cannabis t-shirt is posing for a camera, he is standing in front of a man is carrying a sign that says pot smoking leads to hell but that Jesus can save

#420day | #420toronto | #420toronto2016

tim’s cups

Posted: April 19, 2016 in abstract, general Toronto
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Behold, I give you the Tim Hortons cup.  Empty.

an empty paper coffee cup from Tim Hortons that has been discarded - in the snow on top of a grey wood railing in front of a store. A street art painting of a man with outstretched hands is in the background.

Always fresh.  Toujours frais.
They even come in a number of handy sizes, usually small, medium, large, and extra large.

an empty paper coffee cup from Tim Hortons that has been discarded - on a wooden horizontal beam on a grey wall below a large red door, industrial building
They are found all over town,  compositional elements splashed onto the urban canvas.

an empty paper coffee cup from Tim Hortons that has been discarded - on top of a dark green barrel that is beside a lighter green barrel, in front of a red brick wall that has been partially painted grey

Some are carefully placed little art installations.  They certainly didn’t get there on their own!

an empty paper coffee cup from Tim Hortons that has been discarded - upside down on top of a metal pole that is about a meter high, in an alley, beside a gate

And others are willfully abandoned.   Often left on their own.  Alone.  Empty. Lidless.

a small red empty Tim Hortons coffee cup sits on the muddy ground outside the back entrance of an older grey brick apartment building

Sometimes they are found in groups.  Carried away and then forgotten.

a stolen shopping cart, black metal, sits on a piece of grass, beside the sidewalk, but behind a chained off driveway. In the top part of the cart are 4 TIm Hortons cups and in the bottom part, an empty coke can.

Sigh.  The Tims cup.  The omnipresent Tims cup.

One day I got tired of trying to decide whether or not to photoshop out a coffee cup that had been discarded on a sidewalk.  Maybe it would be better to take on a “if you can beat them, join them” attitude.  Instead of avoiding or removing cups, I should focus on them.  Make them part of the picture.  The redness of the coffee cups that Tim Hortons has been using recently adds to the appeal of making them the subject matter and not the subject of scorn and cause of exasperation.

Fight for 15 and fairness

Posted: April 16, 2016 in events, people
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Rally and protest in front of the Ministry of Labour building on University Avenue.

April 15 was chosen as the day for rallies and protests across the country in support of a $15/hour minimum wage as well as other changes to labour laws.  Changes such as equal pay for equal work and fair scheduling.

photographs taken at a rally and protest in support of a $15 minimum wage, The Fight for 15 and fairness - people, many different union flags

cars driving past the protest on University Ave., people lined up on the boulevard taking pictures of the rally

photographs taken at a rally and protest in support of a $15 minimum wage, The Fight for 15 and fairness - photo taken from across University Ave

photographs taken at a rally and protest in support of a $15 minimum wage, The Fight for 15 and fairness - older woman in a blue baseball cap and smoking a cigarette holds a sign that says "Kicking ass for the working class"

photographs taken at a rally and protest in support of a $15 minimum wage, The Fight for 15 and fairness - one of the leaders, a young Asian man, gives a speech

photographs taken at a rally and protest in support of a $15 minimum wage, The Fight for 15 and fairness - three female students standing together holding signs. One says "Public Health students for decent work" and the other says " Free prescriptions, no student debt,

photographs taken at a rally and protest in support of a $15 minimum wage, The Fight for 15 and fairness - a car passes by the rally and as it does, people try to persuade the driver to honk his horn.

 

photographs taken at a rally and protest in support of a $15 minimum wage, The Fight for 15 and fairness - the contingent from York University, behind a banner that says $15 fairness now.

photographs taken at a rally and protest in support of a $15 minimum wage, The Fight for 15 and fairness - two women are talking together. One holds a sign that says $15 salario minimo (Spanish)

photographs taken at a rally and protest in support of a $15 minimum wage, The Fight for 15 and fairness - members of the OPSEU union arrive at the rally waving flags, holding signs, and carrying a banner that says Fight for fifteen dollars and fairness"

a young man is handing out leaflets to drivers of cars as they past a rally for Fight for 15 anf Fairness, a protest for decent working conditions and wages

photographs taken at a rally and protest in support of a $15 minimum wage, The Fight for 15 and fairness - two men standing together, one with a United Steelworkers flag and the other with a large effigy of Kathleen Wynne's head held above his own head

photographs taken at a rally and protest in support of a $15 minimum wage, The Fight for 15 and fairness - the rally spilled onto the street at one point. police kept the far lane open for traffic, in this picture an upmarket car (Jaguar?) passes by the crowd

photographs taken at a rally and protest in support of a $15 minimum wage, The Fight for 15 and fairness - members of the OPSEU union arrive at the rally waving flags, holding signs, and carrying a banner that says Fight for fifteen dollars and fairness"

photographs taken at a rally and protest in support of a $15 minimum wage, The Fight for 15 and fairness - a group of people stand around holding a flag banner about 3 metres by 3 metres that says fight for fifteen and fairness.

photographs taken at a rally and protest in support of a $15 minimum wage, The Fight for 15 and fairness - a white car passes by the rally, the woman driver leans out her window to take a picture with her cellphone

photographs taken at a rally and protest in support of a $15 minimum wage, The Fight for 15 and fairness - people holding signs that says "defend workers rights" and "fifteen dollar minimum wage now"

photographs taken at a rally and protest in support of a $15 minimum wage, The Fight for 15 and fairness - people holding flags and one person holding a sign that says "Unite here local 75"

photographs taken at a rally and protest in support of a $15 minimum wage, The Fight for 15 and fairness - speakers and a few people holding signs at the top of the stairs, using that part as a stage

photographs taken at a rally and protest in support of a $15 minimum wage, The Fight for 15 and fairness - large group of people standing around holding a black banner with the words "Make it fair" in large white letter.

man holding up a sign that says "Wake Up" at a rally protesting for a $15 minimum wage

#15andfairness | #OntarioWeWant

15andfairness.org

 

canary and swan

Posted: April 15, 2016 in locations, public art
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Within the past week or so, the fences around the new Canary District have come down.  Toronto’s newest development is now open to the public so I thought I would check it out.

I started my walk from the streetcar stop at King and Sumach.  Walking down Sumach Street I passed the metal fence that separates the school property from the street.  This stone building was built in 1887 as Sackville Street School and it has been used as a school ever since.  At the moment it is home to Inglenook Community School.  The fence with it’s double layer of metal – rusted in the back and shiny in the front – is interesting in the daytime but even more so at night when it is lit with a series of lights located between the layers  and near the base of the fence.

public art on Sumach St., rusted metal and shiny metal fence with cut outs, looking across the street at it, with older stone building behind it.

When I took the above picture I was standing on the new streetcar tracks that run south from King Street.  The tracks are ready and the wires have been installed.  Streetcars will begin servicing the route in June as part of route 514.  No map or schedule appears on the TTC website yet but apparently this route will run between the Dufferin Gate Loop and the new loop on Cherry Street via King Street

below: Looking north from Eastern Avenue at the new streetcar tracks on Sumach Street.

looking north on Sumach Street from Eastern Ave at the new streetcar tracks. They are blocked by 5 large black and orange traffic cones as well as a large do not enter sign. Overhead wires for the streetcars are in place.

At Eastern Avenue, Sumach Street becomes Cherry Street.   The new Cherry Street YMCA is on the east side of the street.  The sidewalk is wide but at the moment the branches of the young trees are at face level and you have to be careful where you walk.

looking south on Cherry Street from Eastern Ave, past the new Cherry Street YMCA on the left and all the new trees that have been planted.

below: The bright red detailing on the YMCA building continues over the entry way.  Part of the new residences for George Brown College peak out from behind.

roofline over the entry of Cherry Street YMCA with it's bright red colour. Corner of George Brown College building is in the background.

Front Street now has wide sidewalks.  None of the businesses have moved into the ground level retail spaces yet but the signs in the windows suggest that a number of cafes, restaurants, and food stores will soon be opening.   A couple of public art pieces are also on the sidewalk.

below: ‘Lampposts’ by Tadashi Kawabata

A tall art installation as public art on Front Street in the Canary District, Lampposts by Tadashi Kawabata, construction from many different styles of street lamp posts all arranged in a cluster

below: Looking up from underneath the artwork.

looking up at the lights from underneath the artwork,Lampposts by Tadashi Kawabata

below: ‘The Water Guardians’ stand over a soft squishy playpad.
It was designed by Jennifer Marman and Daniel Borins.

'Tje Water Guardians', A tall art installation as public art on Front Street in the Canary District, 3 stylized abstracted human forms with legs in an arc shape over a squishy playpad in green, blue and white. The blue represents water. The green parts are raised slightly in bumps.

below: There are a lot of little design elements that have been incorporated into the this development including what I think is a bench.  With a light underneath?

A curved black metal bench on a sidewalk

below: The sidewalk around the trees is made from two colours of brick.  The opening for the tree is just the right size to collect garbage.  Whether or not these traps get cleaned out remains to be seen.

square hole in the brickwork of the sidewalk to allow a tree to grow. The hole is shallow, a few cm. deep but it collects garbage such as empty coffe cups and discarded papers that blow in the wind.

below:  The Canary District is not yet finished as this sign clearly states.

A large plot of land with rocks and newly planted trees in a grid. An orange and yellow sign advertises the Canary District. It also says that this land is slated for future residential development

below: The sculpture ‘No Shoes’ by Mark di Suvero is now accessible.   The artwork was completed in 1967 and originally installed in High Park.   In 2013 it was renovated and moved to Corktown Common.

The sculpture 'No Shoes', red metal beams and wood poles, very large, stands in a park with some buildings in the background.

below: The pavillion at Corktown Commons in the distance.

The pavillion at Corktown Commons i the background as seen through the bottom part of the sculpture 'No Shoes'

below:  The Bala Pedestrian Underpass, aka the south exit from Corktown Commons, goes under the railway tracks and merges with the Don Landing part of the Lower Don Valley trail.  The artwork was designed by Rolande Souliere and is part of the StreetARToronto initiative.   A yellow Lovebot and a happy orange monster have been added to the scene too!

pedestrian underpass under railway tracks that has been painted in bright stripes, yellow, red and black. The left of it is a large yellowlovebot and to the right is a sign with a map and a description of the Don Pathway, part of the Pan Am Path.

below: Nature in the city.  Birds of a different feather.  On the Don River, just south of Corktown Common a pair of swans is nesting.  One of the swans was swimming a short distance away while the other was sitting on the nest.   Cars pass by on the Don Valley Parkway unaware of the domestic scene below them.

A swan is sitting on a nest in the Don River, it is beside the Don Valley Parkway, a busy road in Toronto, two cars are passing by above the swan.

Dominion Coal and Wood

Posted: April 13, 2016 in history, locations
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The eastern end of the Kay Gardner Belt Line Park crosses over Yonge St and the subway just south of Davisville station.  It then runs across the north side of Mt. Pleasant cemetery.  It comes to an end at Mt. Pleasant Road where the trail merges into the roads that run through the cemetery.

In 2014 students from Greenwood School painted a mural at this location.  The mural has three main elements.  A train to represent the Belt Line, the name of the community that it is located in (Mt Pleasant Village), and the words ‘use Dominion Coal and Wood’.    The last part is because not long ago, on this site, stood the large concrete silos that the Dominion Coal and Wood company used to store coal and wood.   The shape of the black background is very similar to the shape of the silos if viewed from above.

below: Mural, with Mt. Pleasant Road above it.

blog_domiion_mural_greenwood

mural celebrating mt pleasant village and the old dominion coal and wood silos that used to be at that location. At the end of the belt line trail where it merges into mt pleasant cemetery

below: Plaque located on the site of the old silos (now in the bushes beside a condo)

City of Toronto historical plaque describing the history of the Dominion Coal and Wood silos that used to be on Mt. Pleasant Ave near the old Belt Line Railway tracks.

transcription of the Heritage Toronto plaque:

“Dominion Coal and Wood

Originally located on Danforth Avenue, the Dominion Coal and Wood Company was founded in 1912 by William H. Smith.  In 1929, the company opened a landmark facility on this site.  Its nine adjoining concrete silos were designed by E.P. Muntz Engineering Company.  Coal and wood were transported here by rail car along the former Belt Line Railway and then sold as heating fuel to local businesses and home owners.

Originally just one among many similar suppliers in the city, Dominion Coal and Wood outlasted most of its competitors.  The company expanded into building supplies as coal sales dwindled, but continued to sell coal here until the site was closed in 1999.  Although recognized as an increasingly rare type of industrial architecture, the historic silos were demolished in 2001. “

 

below: The nine silos, about 1972.  The photo is from City of Toronto Archives and was found online at JB’s Warehouse (a good source if you are interested in more information at Dominion Coal and Wood)

picture of the Dominion Coal and Wood silos on Mt. Pleasant, from city of Toronto Archives, taken about 1972. With an old Mt. Pleasant streetcar on the street by the silos.

below: I tried to replicate the above photo, about 42 years later.  The Mt. Pleasant streetcars are long gone as is the gas station on the NW corner of Merton and Mt. Pleasant.  A corner of the tall white apartment building on the right can be seen peaking from behind newer condo buildings.  Of course, the dominant part of the picture is the condo development that was built on the site of the Dominion silos in 2002.

condo building across the street, about 12 storeys high, made of brick and glass, a couple of cars are on the street

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