27th Street

October 11, 2018

(Sort of) All Candidates Meeting

There’s a municipal election happening here in Toronto, made all the more complex by Ontario premier King Doug’s decree that Toronto shall cut the number of Councillors by about half, down to 25. Tonight was the only all-candidates meeting for the new Ward 3. I sallied forth to the Assembly Hall to check out the candidates.

There are 10 candidates for Councillor. They are:

Svitlana Burlakova
Iain Davis
Pamela Gough
Mark Grimes (the current and long-time Councillor)
Robert Gunnyon
Michael Julihen
Michael Loomans
Amber Morley
Peggy Mulder
Patrizia Nigro

However, tonight there were only 6 candidates in attendance. The following individuals showed up:
Iain Davis
Pamela Gough
Robert Gunnyon
Michael Julihen
Amber Morley
Peggy Mulder

Where was Councillor Grimes? A lot of people wanted the answer to that question and several loudly asked it at the beginning of the evening. There was no official answer forthcoming. The fellow in the seat beside me said Grimes never shows up for these things. I don’t know if that is true or not.

Does Councillor Grimes have an attendance problem? On Facebook, one of his opponents, Iain Davis wrote: If you missed work 33% of the time would you still have your job? Probably not. In 2018 Mark Grimes missed 33% of the council votes. But he still collected 100% of his $112,000 salary. I was hoping Mr. Grimes would be there tonight to explain his record. Missing a third of council votes is a whopping gap. Perhaps he has a legitimate reason for his poor attendance. I know I want a Councillor who is going to be there to vote on our behalf. That’s at the heart of the job.

I don’t know Councillor Grimes. I’ve been told some positive things about him by some people I know and trust in the neighbourhood, and I know he is very well connected in the community. Some people have told me that he has come to the table on the lot-splitting issue, written letters and launched some appeals, and I know that to be true. However, early on when the lot-splitting started in our area and some local residents wanted to oppose a severance decision, I contacted his office by email asking for advice and help and got no response at all. Another neighbour tried calling his office and did not receive a call-back on the same issue. Later on, when many individuals in the community contacted his office on the lot splitting issue, it seems Councillor Grimes became more tuned into it, and held a public meeting. While he clearly has done some work opposing some specific applications, in my assessment, this work has not been highly successful (you only have to walk around south Long Branch and look at all the soldier homes) and I suspect the lot-splitting and soldier homes in Long Branch will be the legacy of this Councillor’s terms in office when people look back at our local history in years to come. After all, the fabric of our community has changed more radically over the past 5 years than in 3 decades before that.

I will say that on smaller issues, when we have contacted the Councillor’s office, they have been responsive, and they did put notices about the garden tour we were organizing in the Councillor’s weekly newsletter. The garden tour turned out to be the biggest free garden tour in Toronto, quite an achievement for Long Branch. However, when we invited Councillor Grimes to join us for the opening “flower toss” for the garden tour, we did not receive a yes or no, and when I followed up asking if he was going to come, his office responded quite close to the date to say unfortunately the Councillor could not fit it into his schedule.

I think it is time for a fresh face representing us on Toronto Council. I’d like to congratulate all 6 of the candidates for showing up and facing public questions tonight. I think Councillor is an important but very difficult job. I know they have to work quite hard and the Council meetings are long and grueling. To be honest I think it takes a special personality to handle a job like this. I think I would grow to dislike that kind of work very quickly. They have to face constituents on all sides of difficult issues and make assessments and decisions I don’t envy.

I’m not going to go into a huge amount of detail about the meeting tonight. I left thinking 3 of the 6 candidates who were there were particularly credible and impressive – Iain Davis, Amber Morley and Pamela Gough.

I should say that I’ve known Iain Davis for some time. His family lives just around the corner from us. I know his family because our dog Memphis was best buddies from puppihood with their dog Annie. I recall Iain as a teenager. He has since become a Pastor, and talking to him these days I see a highly intelligent fellow who is very community-minded. Although Iain does not have political experience, he grew up with politics all around him, as his dad Bruce was a Trustee and TDSB chair several years ago, and has been involved with political campaigns. I’m impressed with Iain as a person and as a candidate, and I think he did a highly credible job at the all-candidates meeting tonight. I liked his strong answer on the lot-splitting issue tonight in particular. He was able to come out say the lot-splitting has not been good for our community and he does not support it.

Pamela Gough is a 2-term school Trustee who wants to transition to the Councillor role. She certainly knows the lay of the land, so to speak, and is very conversant with the issues both in the old Ward 6 and the old Ward 5, which are now consolidated. I thought she was quite knowledgeable and gave thoughtful answers. I believe she has been dedicated and hard-working. I suppose my biggest concern is that she has been around the political scene already for 2 terms. No doubt the Trustee role is not the same as Councillor, and certainly not as complex. I think she’s a very credible candidate but I’m not entirely convinced.

Amber Morley is clearly very bright and well-spoken. She has a PR background and has worked at City Hall as an assistant to a couple different Councillors over the past few years. I have no doubt she was a very capable assistant in those offices and I know the staff in a Councillor’s office have highly responsible roles. She has a solid organization (I was even approached by 3 of them as I was leaving, who wanted to know what I thought about the candidates, and further wanted to engage me in discussion and try to win my vote). I do have one major concern. I’m interested in a candidate who is willing to take a side and take a stand on the lot-splitting issue (I want to vote for a candidate who has made it clear we need to try to curtail rampant over-development in the neighbourhoods and focus intensification on the main streets as laid out in the official plan). Amber stated that she thinks lot-splitting has to be looked at on a case-by-case basis, and that simply is not a strong enough position to win my vote.

It is very difficult to defeat an incumbent Councillor in Toronto. Voter turnout is traditionally low and for some people, the only name they know is the incumbent. There are a number of Councillors who have been around for a long time now. Tonight Iain Davis asked the capacity crowd in attendance how many thought the current guy has to go and the response was overwhelming. Granted, the audience was made up in part of supporters of each of the candidates in attendance. Can one of the candidates I highlighted tonight (or one of the others) be the so-called giant killer and take down the incumbent? I don’t know the answer to that. I would be happier if there was a single clear challenger, so the vote doesn’t get split. On the other hand, this is a very unusual election with the Council cut in half and anything can happen.

I’m supporting Iain Davis for Councillor. I trust him and I think he’s the right kind of person for this job. He said tonight he thinks the Councillor should be part of the Community, and available in office and at community meetings of various types. I like his spunk and his approach. As a Pastor, he brings a unique experience to the role which in my mind makes up for lack of political experience.

Good luck to all the candidates. I know they will continue campaigning hard before the election on the 22nd. I hope this experience is a good one for all of them and especially to the two younger candidates Iain and Amber. I think it is incredibly positive to see younger people step up and challenge for these positions. Only one person is going to win this election, but each candidate has an opportunity here to build some public profile and pivot to different roles in the future.

October 10, 2018

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High Park Nature Walk

What a beautiful day for a nature walk! One of the participants told us today’s walk was 4.5 km. Sunny day – comfortable temperatures. As a bonus there were lots of birds.

I was early (what else is knew) and went for a half hour pre-walk. In the trees just south of the Grenadier Restaurant, I spotted a red-tailed hawk, shopping for lunch. I watched as he checked out the buffet from various trees. He made one dramatic swoop while I was there, narrowly missing a squirrel. I’m sure it didn’t take long for this bird to score a meal.

Red-tailed hawk

Later we spotted 2 more red tailed hawks further north in the park.

This was a great day for birds. Our nature walk leader, Miles Hearn, identified 29 species. Here’s his list: double-crested cormorant, great blue heron, mute swan, Canada goose, mallard, gadwall, wood duck, northern shoveler, red-tailed hawk, rock pigeon, northern flicker, downy woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, blue jay, black-capped chickadee, red-breasted nuthatch, white-breasted nuthatch, house wren, American robin, hermit thrush, ruby-crowned kinglet, red-eyed vireo, house sparrow, common grackle, northern cardinal, house finch, American goldfinch, white-throated sparrow, song sparrow.

Northern shovelers

I think today was the first day I saw Norther shovelers. That is, I may have seen them before but didn’t know what these ducks were. There are plenty of them in Grenadier Pond in the fall. They gather in groups to feed in the pond. Their bills seem oversized compared to the other ducks around. We also saw some beautiful wood ducks.

male wood duck

female wood duck

There are still quite a few asters of various varieties in bloom in the park. Here are some Sky blue asters.

Sky blue aster

In case you were wondering why butterfly bush got its name…..

butterfly bush with monarch

A note on poison ivy. This plant does not always look the same. Sometimes the leaves are somewhat toothed, other times not. This time of year, much of the poison ivy growing in the shade has turned yellow. In sunny areas though, much of it has turned red. It grows to various heights and the leaves can be small or quite large. It always has 3 leaves, hence the saying: leaflets three, quickly flee. In all cases, avoid touching the stuff and if you do happen to touch it, avoid scratching and wash the exposed skin as soon as possible.

Poison ivy

This time of year, the sassafras in the park, and there is a lot of it, is turning yellow and orange and it is striking and beautiful.

Sassafras

Here’s a selection of other plants we learned about on today’s nature walk.

Dawn redwood

Milkweed pods

Creeping bellflower

Buckthorn berries

Grey dogwood

Cup plant

By the way, these nature walks are facilitated by the Toronto District School Board and led by a superb naturalist, Miles Hearn.

October 10, 2018

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Old Paint

For those days when you just need a cowboy song.

October 9, 2018

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The Fall Garden

I love the fall gardens. Sure, in high summer the gardens are spectacular, featuring rushes of high-tone colour, but the mature garden has plenty going for it too.

Flowers take on new and often mysterious shapes.

The earthy fall colours are showy in their own way, contrasting with the remaining bright greens around them.

October 9, 2018

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Everything is upside down

October 8, 2018

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A long walk in Sam Smith Park

I took The Partners out for a long walk in Sam Smith Park today. We sure are fortunate to have a treasure like this a few minutes walk away.

It’s a grey day, cool but comfortable, with a wind coming off the lake.

We walked by the leash free area between the water filtration plant and the park and it was empty. It’s a sad little leash free area really. Imagine a huge field in which the City has come along and fenced off a little featureless chunk, added a couple garbage pails, and a sign telling you the rules. I like to walk the main park with The Partners. I keep them on the leash but we must have come across 10 dogs on our walk today off leash outside of the fenced off area. Every now and again the City sends by-law officers out and they fine a few people, but I don’t think enforcement is the solution. The solution is creating an interesting leash free area, big enough to walk in, with some features and access to the water. Can it be done? I can think of two excellent leash free zones around here. One of them is along Etobicoke Creek below Dundas – a wonderful spot our dogs love – and the other is Jack Darling Park out in Mississauga, which – aside from not having access to the lake – is excellent. Still, an on-leash walk all around Sam Smith Park is excellent.

I don’t usually see a lot of interesting mushrooms in the park, but today we came across some shaggy manes.

We walked over to the pond. Mr. Heron was there, doing a little fishing. It reminded me of a day I enjoyed fly fishing on the Grand River. Mr. Heron set up shop about 60 feet upstream from me and did a fine job out-fishing me all afternoon.

We didn’t see a lot of songbirds on our walk, but we did see a couple birdwatchers out there with long camera lenses and binoculars. In peak migration times, you can see many birdwatchers in the park. It’s a so-called migration trap and people come from all over the place to enjoy the bird action. Walking with 2 Newfs is not the best way to see songbirds. We make an awkward and obvious convoy.

The dogs are napping now. They like a good nap after a long walk. Me too, actually. I might just pull up a sofa and settle in for an hour.

October 8, 2018

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The Sisters Brothers – the movie

The Sisters Brothers, based on Patrick deWitt’s 2011 novel, is in limited release and is now playing at Scotiabank Theatre in Toronto. This film marks the English language debut for director Jacques Audiard. It has an excellent cast, featuring John C. Reilly as Eli Sisters, Joaquin Phoenix as Charlie Sisters, Jake Gyllenhaal as John Morris, and Riz Ahmed as Hermann Kermit Warm. Movie lovers will remember Gyllenhaal and Ahmed together in a previous film, the very dark 2014 flick Nightcrawler.

This film may not be a blockbuster. After all, there isn’t even one superhero in the whole movie. In fact, all the characters are tremendously flawed, each in their own way. As well, it’s a western, and that’s a genre which has been done to death over many decades. I’ve heard this one called a revisionist western, and that’s not even a new idea. After all, we endured the forgettable Tarantino effort, The Hateful Eight, just a couple years ago.

In a way The Sisters Brothers is a road-trip movie, except that there are no cars, just horses. For much of the film, in between various gunfights, the brothers are on their horses talking. They’re hired killers. That’s really all they’ve ever done for a living and they are good at their job and bloody ruthless too. Eli doesn’t have the same drunken enthusiasm for killing Charlie enjoys. He’s thinking of stopping, doing something else. He’s the more sensitive of the two. He’s a guy, for instance, who cares about his horse Tub, even though he describes Tub as middling.

Brothers can be a pain in the arse, but you need to be there for them. That’s really why Eli got into the hired gun business. The brothers look after one another, and of course they fight much of the time. The latest mission changes everything for the brothers.

They work for a guy called The Commodore, who tells them who to kill, and the Commodore sends them after a guy named Warm. Warm is a chemist who has a unique formula. Now you need to know this film takes place in California during the gold rush. Dump Warm’s mixture into a creek and it illuminates all the gold in the creek. All you need to do is pick it up. Of course, we all know if anything seems to be too good to be true, it’s – well – too good to be true.

If you get a chance to see The Sisters Brothers, I recommend it. It’s a film which aspires to be a great film. Ok, it falls a little short, but still, it’s got some ambition and it’s great to see a film not driven by special effects for a change. The pace lags for certain sections of this film. I mean noticeably lags. That’s the only thing that bothered me about it. It seems to lose its cadence now and then. Maybe it just needs a little editing.

I should say there are a couple scenes in this movie which have more gore than you may be ready for, maybe even more than the film needs. If that’s going to really bother you, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Would the film have been as good without them? Well, yes I think it would be just fine.

27th Street recommended.

October 7, 2018

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Gum Boot Cloggeroo

More Canadian fiddle music. I came across this gem tonight on YouTube. It’s Gordon Stobbe with Calvin Vollrath performing the Stompin’ Tom song Gumboot Cloggeroo.

For those viewers who aren’t from around Canada and maybe don’t know Stompin’ Tom Conners from a hole in the ground…..here’s the late Stompin’ Tom from 1990, with a little help from a friend.

October 5, 2018

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The George

October 3, 2018

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Nature walk – Lambton Woods

Today’s walk with naturalist Miles Hearn was at Lambton Woods, near the Humber River. This is a Toronto treasure. There’s lots of parking in the James Gardens parking lot and trails both along the river and through the woods.

Northern flicker

We saw and heard quite a few birds today. Miles identified 21 species. You can see his full list in the nature walk report he published on his website.

Cormorant, chair and herring gull

This is the best time of year for asters and over the past couple weeks we’ve been seeing lots of them.

large leaved aster

calico aster

purple-stemmed aster

There are a couple varieties of euonymus which are known as burning bush, the Winged euonymus and the Spindle tree.

Spindle tree

Winged euonymus

There were a number of mushrooms fruiting today, including these puffballs. Most people are familiar with the giant puffballs but there are varieties of small puffballs which grow on wood. Most are edible as long as they are still pure white. Once they start changing colour like the ones in the picture below, don’t eat them.

The birch polypore below is growing on a yellow birch tree. These are reputed to be excellent fire-starters. birch polypore.jpg

What are these slimy mushrooms? slimy mushrooms.jpg

Speaking of slime, we saw quite a bit of slime mould today. It is such weird but colourful stuff. slime mould.jpg

Many people refer to cattails as bull rushes but that is not correct. Here are some Barber pole bullrushes we saw today. barber pole bullrush.jpg

What’s the most muscular tree you know? My pick is the blue beech. Sometimes it’s known as musclewood or ironwood. It gets confusing to use ironwood though, because another tree, the Hop hornbeam is also known as ironwood. blue beech.jpg

Each week Miles identifies a mind-bending number of plants. I’m trying to learn as many as I can. On each walk I write down the name of every plant I photograph then later match the photos and the names and look up quite a few of them on the internet to increase my learning about these plants. Even with this effort, I forget a lot of them, but I’ve been going on these nature walks since early spring and I’ve learned to identify quite a number of plants and trees and flowers. Repetition helps. The challenge is that many plants change through the season and in the spring look much different than in the fall.

Here’s a few more photos I shot today. Each of them are labeled.