Hi neighbour! Art colony moves in on Soudan

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A group of artists has a taken up residence at 593 Soudan Ave. in a house that is slated for demolition. It sold recently for $699,000 to a builder. The group calls itself Project Soudan and it has a Facebook page at The Soudan Project  One participant is James Anthony Usas, shown above from Facebook. He is described as a video-artist and designer currently completing a Master of Architecture Degree at Waterloo University.  An excerpt from material on the page: “The Soudan Project is a collaborative effort derived from an experiment by Toronto-based architects and artists. It is meant to explore and challenge the existential relationship with our immediate dwelling; consciously. We think that the house/place that we inhabit is present, yet intertwined with our everyday life, beyond its function or material existence. It is simultaneously giving home to our emotions, memories and state of mind, while sheltering our bodies and belongings. Through architecture the places we live in blends the boundaries of tangible and intangible, rendering an imagined world that is personal and distinct. We invited artists and asked them a simple question: “What have you always wanted to do to a house?”

I’ll Have Another scratched from Belmont

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AP report by Jim Bell. There will be no Triple Crown for I’ll Have Another. The celebrated thoroughbred is out of that race and out of racing, his Canadian owner said today .Tendon issue takes winner out of the running.

“Jaywalk Alley” scene of pedestrian accident

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The stretch between Davisville and Merton on Yonge is known to many as Jaywalk Alley. This morning about 8.45 a pedestrian was hit and subsequently taken to hospital. Condition is not known. There’s no information whose fault it was but this strip of street is notorious for masses of jaywalkers coming off the west sidewalk at random. Part of the problem is that unlike other subway stations, Davisville has exits only on one side of the street — the west. Drivers familiar with the corner at Merton and Yonge will know that it’s necessary to have 360 degree vision to track on-coming pedestrians. It has always been a source of some curiosity why there is no railing as there is in other spots where jaywalking is a problem. 

Local cops paddle for Victims Services

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After three months of indoor training and over a month riding the waves on Lake Ontario, the members of 53 Division Outrigger Canoe Team are well on their way in both achieving the goal of raising $10,000 for Victim Services Toronto and being fit to make their 51-km lake crossing July 21. TPS story.

3 Councillors switched sides between votes

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  Matlow, Pasternak and Minan-Wong

Does it mater that some City Councillors apparently changed their votes in the bag ban voting just to go with the majority? That seems to be the case with three Toronto Councillors: Josh Matlow, Denzil Minan-Wong and James Pasternak. They all voted against the ban in the first vote on this subject last night. That vote ended 24-21 to ban so the vote-changers didn’t actually change the outcome when they moved over to the ‘”yes” side in the second vote later in the evening. The second vote was 27 in favour and 17 against. But it’s fascinating to see these moves, made as a matter of political strategy rather than environmental compulsion. And thanks to our reader who wrote to say it appeared that Mr. Matlow had voted in favour of the bag ban. In fact, Mr. Matlow was against it before he was in favour of it. Toronto Sun votes tabulation for both motions

Sorting out the bag ban vote

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We’ve had mail to suggest that contrary to our post below, Josh Matlow voted in favour of the bag ban. According to the Star’s map of who voted how, it seems he voted against the motion (red)
Any firm information either way is welcome in comment. Vote map.

Toronto Star has new managing editor

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Toronto Star news editor Jane Davenport has been appointed managing editor of the paper, the newspaper announced. Davenport, 36, has been running the Star’s night news desk for the past two years. She replaces Joe Hall, who is retiring after a 37-year career at the Star, including 13 years as managing editor. Davenport joined the Star in 2008 as deputy national editor. She was appointed to the position of news editor in 2010. Prior to joining the Star, she was national editor and assistant city editor at the Gazette in Montreal, Sunday and weeklies editor at the Halifax Daily News and managing editor of Metro in Halifax.

Man always wins at Man vs Lobster tilt

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Here are some of the events planned for the Saturday June 23, 2012 Summer Sizzler Event on South Bayview. We love McSorely’s Man vs Lobster match-up. Man always wins. Highlight June 23 on your calendar. Southbayview.ca

RBC Young Savers Event! 9am-4pm
Young Savers’ Surprise: RBC Piggy Bank, RBC Balloons, Cookies & Activity Books
Royal Bank – Bayview Branch
1554 Bayview Avenue
Clown & FREE Balloon Twisters! 1-3pm
Bonnie Byford Real Estate Ltd.
1536 Bayview Avenue
MAN VS LOBSTER! 6-9pm
1 1/4 Lb live Lobster cooked on the patio,
corn on the cob, potato salad & moosehead draught $25!
McSorley’s Saloon
1544 Bayview Avenue

What will these impetuous people do next?

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You don’t have to be caught up in Green Politics one way or another to find City Council’s legislative approach bizarre. It’s almost as if they were told to lock themselves in a room and not come out until they’d done something that would stun the City. That’s certainly what the totally unplanned and unexpected ban on all plastic bags has done. At this writing it’s not at all clear whether degradable plastic bags used to dispose of wet garbage are gone. Yellow bags? Did council even think about these things?  It’s interesting to note that local Councillors Josh Matlow and John Parker voted against the motion to ban. Ward 27 Councillor Wong-Tam voted in favour of the ban. Karen Stintz, of Ward 16 was absent for the vote. 

Early morning mugging on Yonge subway

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Toronto Police Service report:  A 25 year old male reports that on June 6, 2012 at approximately 0030 hours, he was on a subway train travelling southbound on Yonge-University-Spadina line when he was approached by a male suspect. The suspect produced a knife and made a demand for the victim’s property. The victim complied. The suspect fled the train at the Bloor subway station in an unknown direction. The victim did not sustain any injuries. Police are requesting the assistance of the public in identifying the following described person in connection with this offence. Description of Suspect: Male, black, 20 to 30 years, 5’9” to 5’10”, thin build

Why bother consulting anyone? Ban the bag

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City stunned by out-of-nowhere plastic bag ban

City bans plastic bags outright — no exceptions

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Drop the bags lady

Get ready for a black market in plastic bags. Got a bag? It’s okay. Joe sent me. It seems to be coming as City Council enacts an outright ban on plastic bags in Toronto. In particular, Council has voted 24-20 to ban any retailer from giving you a plastic bag for any reason whatsoever. Lobalws, Cobs, Chai on Bayview, Homefront, Right Impressions, Mac’s, Subway Sandwich. The list goes on and on. And it seems highly likely, if this ban sticks, that someone is going to get charged under the law. Will it be you? Seen on the street with a plastic bag? .Where did you get that plastic bag ma’am?  Don’t you know that it’s illegal to give someone a plastic bag. Do you have any more at home?