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Jorge Miguel turns to flamenco after years of rock and roll / 3

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Bar study trick shot among 2013 highlights: Gord Perks

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ERIN HATFIELD ehatfield@insidetoronto.com

Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly sits down for a year-end chat / 7

Councillor Mike Layton looks at 2013 and the year ahead / 10 shopping wagjag.com amazing deals on group discounts

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It was a challenging year at city hall, but there was still good and sometimes groundbreaking work done within Ward 14 in 2013, said Parkdale-High Park Councillor Gord Perks, “I am really lucky,” Perks said.

“I get to represent a thoughtful community that keeps innovating and solving problems in novel ways.”

Perks said he is proud of the work done in the past year on the West Queen West Bar and Restaurant study and the proposal that would, in part, limit the concentration of bars on Queen Street West between Dufferin Street and Roncesvalles Avenue.

He said the proposal was an innovation that communities in other parts of the city haven’t been able to accomplish.

“We did great work over several years as a neighbourhood to come up with what I think is the most creative and forward-thinking approach to bar concentration anywhere in the downtown,” Perks said.

T h a t p r o p o s a l i s c u rrently tied up at the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB), a result of an appeal made by a business lobby group. >>>councillor, page 2

Photo/PETER C. MCCUSKER

Sorauren Park Shinny: Jacob Benbenek, left, works on his trick shots during some shinny play at Sorauren Park natural rink on Saturday afternoon.

St. Joe’s pinpoints lung disease sooner LISA RAINFORD lrainford@insidetoronto.com Doctors at St. Joseph’s Health Centre are now able to pinpoint the exact stage of a patient’s lung cancer and if and where the disease has spread – without surgery.

The hospital has been able to help as many as 30 patients with the new diagnostic tool, called an Endo-Bronchial Ultrasound or “EBUS,” since it arrived in November. Physicians can provide their patients with the answers they need more quickly so they can begin treatment

sooner without the need for surgery, according to Dr. Chris Compeau, chief of surgery at St. Joseph’s Health Centre.

“The sad part is, lung cancer is the number one killer for men and women in Canada,” said the doctor. “This tool helps us determine which patients

are best served by surgery or treatment of chemotherapy or radiation.”

The technology has been available for about six years, Compeau said. Other centres in Toronto provide this technology.

It is new since November at St. >>>new, page 12

THE PARKDALE-LIBERTY VILLAGER | Thursday, January 2, 2014 |

2

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>>>from page 1 Similarly, the community consultation process, which looked at the permissions to allow businesses on the west side of Roncesvalles, resulted in a unique set of guidelines, Perks said.

In 2013, Ward 14 had two big development battles, said the Ward 14 councillor.

One on Sorauren Avenue, the other on Dundas St. W., just north of Bloor Street above the Crossways, which have now both been directed to the OMB. “I have to say that I have been enormously proud of working with the community,” Perks said. “They have been firm and clear with some developers about what vision they have for the city.”

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In the new year, Perks said he hopes the decision on those developments will support a good communitybased vision of planning.

“In the neighbourhood we work through difficult stuff and we do it together,” Perks said.

“But the hardest part (of 2013) has been trying to get sensitive and thoughtful things done at city hall in a circus-like climate.”

Looking to 2014, Perks said it will be a good year for green space.

“Next year is going to be a year of big moves for parks, which I always love because they (parks) are a critical public space that brings people together and lets people breathe and share in a very busy neighbourhood,” Perks said.

A small park on Dufferin, just south of King Street West, will be doubled in size to create a new open green space for residents of south Parkdale and Liberty Village.

The Sorauren Park Town Square will open in the spring and there will be a major redesign completed in West Lodge Park.

In Baird Park, at

Staff photo/ERIN HATFIELD

Parkdale-High Park (Ward 14) Councillor Gord Perks sat down with Parkdale Villager reporter Erin Hatfield to discuss the year that was 2013, and what to look forward to in 2014.

Humberside Avenue and Keele Street, Perks said he is making inroads into getting an outdoor ping-pong table installed. He is also working with parks and recreation staff and the West Toronto Lawn Bowling Club to get a youth lawn-bowling club started there. election As for the municipal election in 2014, the two-term councillor said he plans to seek re-election in Ward 14.

“I think there is still a lot of work I need to get done,” Perks said.

“We still haven’t done the work to become a sustainable city in the face of climate change. We still

“

...the hardest part (of 2013) has been trying to get sensitive and thoughtful things done at city hall in a circus-like climate.

– Gord Perks

haven’t addressed a lot of the issues of equity and inclusion that brought me into politics and there is a ton of neighbourhood-level stuff that has become the thing I think about before I go to bed and the thing I think about when I get up in the morning.”

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To know more about Ward 14 and Councillor Gord Perks, visit http://gordperks.ca

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Canadian Folk Music Award winner converts to flamenco ERIN HATFIELD ehatfield@insidetoronto.com Spanish Canadian guitarist and composer Jorge Miguel may have rejected the music of his heritage in his younger years, but after fully immersing himself in flamenco, not only has he made it his life’s work, but he was also named World Solo Artist of the Year for his album ‘Guitarra Flamenca/Flamenco Guitar’ at the recent Canadian Folk Music Awards.

“You know when people say, ‘I really didn’t think I would get this’ well I really didn’t think I would get it,” Miguel said. “What are the odds of an instrumental flamenco (artist) getting that?”

He was also nominated, but did not win, Instrumental Solo Artist of the Year.

When Miguel, who lives in North Parkdale, first picked up a guitar at the age of 13 he wanted to play anything but Spanish music. Miguel’s family immigrated to Toronto from Seville, Spain in the 1960s, just before he was born.

Photo/COURTESY

Canadian Folk Music Award winner Jorge Miguel a North Parkdale resident was a late convert to flamenco music.

“I grew up a Canadian kid, but it was always Spanish at home,” Miguel said. “So my parents spoke Spanish and we ate Spanish food, but I tried to assimilate and went by George instead of Jorge, played hockey – a regular Canadian kid.”

But his mother made an effort

to imprint Spain on her children, taking them to her native country every few years to see the ocean and meet their family, Miguel said.

Bit by bit, as he made his way through being a rock guitar player, he said he had an epiphany one day that he is Spanish and that was the

music he wanted to play.

In his late 20s he moved to Spain for six months to hone his craft. He went to Cadiz, the city his family comes from, in the flamenco heartland, Miguel said.

“I was looking to do it right once and for all,” Miguel said. “I immersed myself completely in the lifestyle.”

Flamenco, Miguel said, is music of its place, the south of Spain, and the amalgamation of cultures that have been there for hundreds of years.

Peñas in Spain are gathering places for musicians, like coffee shops after hours, Miguel said, adding in the evening a circle of guitar players would gather and practice and exchange ideas.

“I would find myself standing out front of a lot of these places and knocking and seeing if I could come in,” Miguel said.

In 1996 he returned and spent three years shadowing a flamenco guitar player for a dance company here in Toronto. In 1999, player Carlos del Rio came to Toronto from Spain for six months and Miguel studied under him.

“He took me under his wing,” Miguel said. “And what I loved about him was he added a bit of levity to the whole thing. He would bring me up on stage and kick my butt (playing guitar) and laugh about it.

“He was a life changer,” Miguel said. “He made it real and he made it fun.”

Miguel now tours his music all over Canada, in small towns and cities from Antigonish, Nova Scotia to White Horse. His live show combines the “three pillars” of flamenco music: the guitar or ‘toque’, the song or ‘cante’ and the dance or ‘baile’.

“My manifesto is to take flamenco music to smaller communities across the country,” Miguel said.

Released at the end of 2012, the album Guitarra Flamenca/Flamenco Guitar is Miguel’s third album.

He released his first in 1998, which Miguel said he purposefully doesn’t sell anymore because he calls it “too commercial”, and his second in 2004.

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| THE PARKDALE-LIBERTY VILLAGER | Thursday, January 2, 2014

arts & entertainment

For more information on Miguel, visit http://jorgemiguel.com

Roncesvalles Village violinist shares his talents with TSO

TSO prepares to launch 10th annual Mozart Festival LISA RAINFORD lrainford@insidetoronto.com

Photo/COURTESY

Roncesvalles Village concertmaster and violinist Jonathan Crow, with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO), featuring Roncesvalles Village concertmaster and violinist Jonathan Crow, invites patrons to celebrate the new year with a series of concerts beginning Jan. 11.

The TSO presents the 10th annual Mozart Festival, A Fairy Tale Family Concert, Favourite French Composers and the Sounds of Simon and Garfunkel.

The ‘Mozart@258’ marks a decade that the TSO has celebrated Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s birthday with six concerts rich in the composer’s music, from Jan. 11 to 23. This year’s festival highlights the music Mozart wrote while working as a freelance composer and musician in Vienna and the choral music composed under his patron, Prince Archbishop of Salzburg. Both guest conductors joining the festival this year, Ignat Solzhenitsyn and Louis Lortie, will lead as Mozart did in his lifetime, performing and conducting from the piano. The final concert of the festival includes, ‘Gran Partita,’ long considered one of Mozart’s greatest works of chamber music for wind instruments.

The TSO’s guest soloists and conductors are part of its excitement

and appeal, Crow said.

“It’s a wonderful orchestra, community of musicians, who want to make great music,” the father of two daughters said. “It’s 90 people on stage with a common goal of creating something great for the audience.”

Guest conductor and pianist Ignat Solzhenitsyn will kick off the festival with Mozart’s Symphony No. 39, one of the composer’s final symphonies created near the end of his life.

Crow will be the featured soloist in Mozart’s Violin Sonata in G Major, as part of a masterworks program for violin, woodwinds, and piano.

It’s likely Crow’s daughters, six and seven, would love their dad’s involvement in the TSO’s Once Upon a Time on Saturday, Jan. 18 with shows at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. Fairytales old and new come to life through music and dance with the orchestra performing Prokofiev’s Cinderella, Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite, and Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and with special guests PickleShoes Dance Company.

This is Crow’s fourth season with the TSO. The Prince George, B.C. native was introduced to the violin when his parents enrolled him in the Suzuki Method as a six-yearold. It wasn’t until third year university at McGill that the thought of a musical career begin to take

shape, sparked by an audition for the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. At the time, Crow had little experience in auditioning.

“It was the first audition I did.

There was no pressure, no stress so I could play at my best,” recalled Crow.

Amidst his 20 hours-plus commitment to the TSO, Crow finds time to tour with his Oxford String Quartet while teaching at the University of Toronto.

The TSO’s French Connection, a program of audience favourites by Berlioz, Debussy and Saint-Saëns, matched with a solo performance of Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major

by Glenn Gould School graduate Ryan MacEvoy McCullough, features Québec Symphony Orchestra’s music director Fabien Gabel, with performances Jan. 25 and 26.

Guest Pops conductor Michael Krajewski, with vocalists AJ Swearingen and Jonathan Beedle, will bring their authentic re-creation of timeless hits by multi-Grammy Award-winning rock ‘n roll Hall of Famers Simon and Garfunkel, such as The Sound of Silence, Bridge Over Troubled Water and Mrs. Robinson, Jan. 28 and 29.

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For more information on show times and tickets, visit www.tso.ca

THE PARKDALE-LIBERTY VILLAGER | Thursday, January 2, 2014 |

4

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new year dawns on our city and many people are considering their goals for 2014. In the spirit of reflection and resolution, we think there are a few goals the City of Toronto and its citizens, as a collective, should work toward.

Let’s continue to be a place people want to live, work and play. Based on world ranking surveys in 2013, our city is already sitting comfortably at the top: we were named the most youthful city by the Youthful Cities index; the second most reputable city by the Reputation Institute; and second in the Overall North American Cities of the Future for business investment.

Maintaining that high standard requires ongoing commitment by our elected officials, our business and community leaders.

So here’s a wish for 2014: to see effective, accountable and dignified leadership our view from our mayor and city council.

When we make headlines interit should be for posiMaintaining nationally, tive reasons that help strengthen our reputation – not tarnish it. If our high the ill-conceived behaviour of any standards person proves a detriment to the effectiveness of this city, then they need to answer for it.

We also hope 2014 is the year Toronto breaks out of its downward spiral on transit planning. No more flip-flopping, cancelled plans, lost investment and wasted time. We need vital transit upgrades and a concrete commitment from all levels of government to find a way to pay for it.

Another wish: that this year Toronto gets an engaging municipal election – one where candidates focus on critical issues mentioned here, and one that gets residents invested in municipal affairs and gets them out to the polls.

Lastly, we hope to continue to see evidence of the good will of the people of Toronto. Whether it’s offering refuge from a power outage after an ice storm, local police engaged in community building, or school children initiating charity drives for typhoon victims on the other side of the world – that spirit of compassion is our most defining feature.

There’s much to celebrate this year, with the World Cup set to spark excitement in our communities only possible in a city as diverse as ours, and the ongoing preparation of hosting the Pan/Parapan Am Games in 2015. This is our chance to showcase our city on the world stage – let’s work together and make the most of that opportunity.

The Parkdale Villager welcomes letters of 400 words or less. All submissions must include name, address and a daytime telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Copyright in letters remains with the author but the publisher and affiliates may freely reproduce them in print, electronic or other forms. Letters can be sent to letters@insidetoronto.com, or mailed to The Parkdale Villager, 175 Gordon Baker Rd. Toronto, ON, M2H 0A2.

column

Mayor Ford front and centre during ice storm

S

ay one thing about Mayor Rob Ford’s work ethic: it seemed to have grown two sizes over the Christmas holidays.

When the power went out for a third of the city, leaving families freezing in the dark, there he was: front and centre.

It’s unclear whether the mayor did so out of a sense of civic duty or a fear that if he didn’t step up, Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly and councillors like public works and infrastructure committee chair Denzil Minnan-Wong might soak up all of the credit for helping out during the ice storm.

The fact that the mayor refused to declare a state of emergency, turning powers over to the deputy mayor and also perhaps increasing the amount of inter-governmental aid the city could expect, tends to support the latter interpretation.

david nickle the city But never mind that.

Despite having been stripped of his powers after having debased the office of mayor like none before him, the mayor took to podiums and neighbourhoods with great zeal – inserting himself as the reassuring voice of the public service in calamitous times.

Political Calculus Doing so is a political calculus – if he is to stand a chance in the mayor’s race later this year, Ford must be seen to be doing something beyond brushing off reporters, dreaming of football and returning a handful of constituents’ phone calls.

And he must not be seen to be absent during public emergencies, par-

ticularly when his other duties and powers as mayor have been so effectively curtailed.

Now, it will take a lot of public emergencies over the next 10 months for Torontonians to forgive his appalling behaviour over the past couple of years.

This is the guy who admitted to smoking crack cocaine while in office, who consorts with gang members and alleged drug dealers, makes lewd remarks related to his wife to deny allegations of making even more lewd remarks about former employees.

As much as polls indicate that Ford’s base is remaining loyal, the majority of Torontonians are looking elsewhere for their next mayor.

And Ford risks giving the impression that his newly-found municipal engagement is nothing but a cynical grab for

“

It will take a lot of public emergencies ... for Torontonians to forgive his appalling behaviour over the past couple of years.

photo-ops, as sincere as a death-bed conversion.

Still, give him this: Rob Ford is finally doing the job he was elected to do.

On Sunday, he announced he’d be calling a special council meeting Jan. 10, to ask for provincial disaster relief assistance for those residents who spent all or part of the holidays dealing with the impact of the ice storm.

And whatever that does for his re-election chances, Ford seems to be doing the right thing now.

i

David Nickle is The Villager’s city hall reporter. His column runs Thursdays.

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5

PARKDALE IN BRIEF

TAKE A TOUR THROUGH WABASH BUILDING ◗Spend ◗ COLBORNE LODGE SOCIETY TO DISCUSS Christmas in High Park.

SORAUREN PARK JAN. 9 Take a tour of Colborne Lodge, 11 Colborne Lodge Dr., enjoy the Victorian Christmas decorations and light, seasonal refreshments weekly on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday until Jan. 7 (excluding Dec. 25, 26 and Jan. 1).

If you would like further details, visit www.highpark.org or call 416-392-6916.

BISHOP MARROCCO’S DANCE SHOWCASE Bishop Marrocco Thomas Mer ton Catholic Secondary School presents its Winter Dance Showcase on Thursday, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m.

The show features a variety of dance genres, including Jazz, hip hop, modern, lyrical, Latin and ballroom, as well as acrobatic stunts and singers.

Admission is $5. The school is located at 1515 Bloor St. W. For details, call 416-3935545.

◗

The regular monthly community meeting of the Wabash Building Society to discuss Sorauren Park and related issues will take place on Thursday, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. at the Sorauren Park Field House, 50 Wabash Ave. The meeting agenda includes an update on Sorauren Town Square construction, community gardens, the Metrolinx noise wall, the future Wabash Community Centre, the natural ice rink and more.

Visit http://soraurenpark. wordpress.com/ for more information.

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DIVISION COMMUNITY MEETING JAN. 21 ◗14POLICE

The Community Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) for Toronto Police Service’s 14 Division will hold its monthly meeting on Jan. 21 at 6:30 p.m. at 14 Division Headquarters, 350 Dovercourt Rd. These open meetings are attended by residents, community groups, representatives from resident associations and business improvement areas and police officers and the aim is to improve public safety, promote positive working relations between

the community and police officers and identify problems and challenges involving community safety and policing.

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How would you like to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Confederation?

That is the question Shelly Glover, minister of Canadian heritage and official languages, is asking leading up to the celebration in 2017.

“Canada’s 150th celebrations will give us the opportunity to reflect on all the things that make Canada the united, prosperous and free country it is today,” Glover said in a release. “I invite all Canadians across our great country to tell us how they would like to celebrate in 2017.”

According to the press release, the Government of Canada will undertake consultations throughout Canada to learn how people want to celebrate.

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| THE PARKDALE-LIBERTY VILLAGER | Thursday, January 2, 2014

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THE PARKDALE-LIBERTY VILLAGER | Thursday, January 2, 2014 |

6

transit

Funding the focus for transit advocates in 2014 Municipal, and possible provincial, election present opportunity to pressure politicians RAHUL GUPTA rgupta@insidetoronto.com

T

he year 2013 did not go down in history as a particularly noteworthy one for transit in the City of Toronto.

There was some progress in improving transit, such as the introduction of articulated buses, completed subway station renovations as well as an emphasis on better customer service on the part of the TTC. Meanwhile, Metrolinx introduced all-day trips on GO train lines and proceeded on extensive renovation work at Union Station.

Real progress was also made in June of 2013 on the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, with tunnel excavations commencing far below Eglinton Avenue. Also, in the fall Toronto Council voted to extend the Bloor-Danforth subway line to Sheppard Avenue and McCowan Road in Scarborough, to ultimately replace the aging Scarborough RT. By-and-large, however, transit in 2013 was characterized by the endless bickering between politicians about funding, subways, LRTs and revenue tools, even as record levels of transit riders dealt with higher levels of congestion, creakier service, higher fares and plenty of delays.

It’s too soon to say whether 2014 will be any different, but the likelihood of two elections, provincially and municipally, make for an obvious and

useful coincidence for transit supporters seeking to drum up support for transit funding, such as TTC CEO Andy Byford.

“I’m hoping politicians will recognize we have to continue to expand the network, so I’m looking for a serious, mature debate that will lead to decent and adequate funding,” said Byford of his hopes for 2014.

“

I’m hoping politicians will recognize we have to continue to expand the network, so I’m looking for a serious, mature debate.

– TTC CEO Andy Byford

In the new year, Byford will be part of a delegation of city officials which includes mayoral candidate Karen Stintz set to travel to Queen’s Park and Ottawa in search of better transit funding.

He said the TTC couldn’t continue to function without better funding, with annual fare increases no longer acceptable to riders frustrated by higher prices and a declining level of service.

“We’ve got to be imaginative in the sources of funding, which is one of the reasons we’ve formed this task force,” he said. “We are doing our damnedest to make the service more reliable, but there comes a point you have to invest.”

The Greater Toronto CivicAction Alliance will also call for better transit funding in 2014, said a spokesperson for the advocacy group.

L i n d a We i c h e l s a i d CivicAction, which bills itself as a non-partisan regional organization, will resume efforts to convince elected officials to sign its pledge for better transit funding.

But as in the past, the group and its council of transportation “champions” will refrain from offering specific recommendations for funding or endorsements of pro-transit politicians.

“From day one, we created a council with a great variety of interests from business to labour to social service agencies,” said Weichel, a vice president with CivicAction who was responsible for leading the group’s Your32 transit awareness campaign.

“What everyone agreed on was we need investment.”

CivicAction also had to deal with the impromptu departure of its CEO Mitzie Hunter in 2013, who left the group to run for the provincial Liberals in a Scarborough-Guildwood byelection which she won.

“I had not anticipated her decision to run for office, and I understood eventually she would run, but that was down the road,” said Weichel who was part of an interim executive committee running the agency upon Hunter’s departure.

“But I think she and we didn’t expect that moment

Staff file photo/RAHUL GUPTA

The TTC showed off one of its new articulating buses at its Hillcrest facility in October. The 60-foot vehicles will provide 45 per cent more capacity than the regular bus fleet. They began running along Bathurst Street last month.

would come so soon.”

Sevaun Palvetzian, a longtime civil servant, will officially replace Hunter as CEO of CivicAction as of Jan. 6, but the agency could also face another high-profile departure in 2014 if chair John Tory enters the Toronto mayoral race.

Tory has not publicly announced whether he will run against announced candidates Stintz, David Soknacki and current mayor Rob Ford.

Weichel said CivicAction would focus more on getting residents to endorse the idea of better funding.

“The biggest obstacle is the question of trust,” she said.

“It’s very clear people want to see something done to deliver a better network and offer more transportation

choices, but it’s really a question of whether there’s trust in governments spending that money wisely. There is more work to be done there.”

According to Martin Collier, transportation issues will likely be front and centre in both the municipal elections (set for Oct. 27) and a possible provincial election, though historically that’s not often the case.

“It’s funny but transportation seems to be more of an issue between elections than on elections, that’s been my experience,” said Collier, director of Healthy Transport Consulting which organizes a series of seminars entitled Transport Futures. “But this year, it could be totally different.”

In the case of the provincial election, he said it would be up to the minority Liberal government of Premier Kathleen Wynne to make the case for transit. But he thought the idea of paying more in taxes and fees could become a “wedge issue” and one provincial candidates would try to avoid during an election campaign.

He hopes future debates on what project to build next, and how to fund them, come from places of reason rather than emotion. “We do have to make sure we’re making the right choices based on facts and evidence,” he said.

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Transit reporter Rahul Gupta can be reached on Twitter: @ TOinTRANSIT

Staff file photo/DAN PEARCE

File photo/JAMES MACDONALD

Staff file photo/RAHUL GUPTA

The boring machine at the official launch of the first tunnel for the Eglinton Crosstown LRT was unveiled during a ceremony in June at Keelesdale Park.

Work by Metrolinx continued during the fall on the renovation of Union Station.

Completed rails tracks inside subway tunnels below the Downsview Park Station construction site in North York are shown during a tour of the line to Vaughan.

7

Deputy mayor: The year that was, the year that will be David Nickle dnickle@insidetoronto.com Going into 2014, Toronto’s Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly has a stack of books he wants to get to: a biography of Chairman Mao, another book on the new science of persuasion, a third looking at the fraternity of former U.S. presidents.

But although he is well-known as a voracious reader, Kelly hasn’t made much progress on these books and doesn’t expect to in the coming year. After a year of scandal, embarrassment and demagoguery coming out of the office of the Mayor of Toronto, the councillor from Scarborough-Agincourt who has now taken on many of the powers and responsibilities of the mayor, has his hands full.

Not that he’s complaining.

“It’s been very busy and the adjustment has been more comfortable than I guess I anticipated – but again, I didn’t know what to anticipate,” said Kelly, sitting down

for a year-end interview.

“I’ve been blessed with a terrific team of people helping me. As a councillor, you have to select a certain number of issues to focus on, but as a mayor it has to be wider.

In this position, you’re looking at a spectrum – you’ve got to be looking at everything,” he said.

Kelly has been working as Toronto’s de facto mayor for about a month, since Toronto City Council voted to strip Mayor Rob Ford of most of his powers and bestow them on Kelly.

It’s a u n i q u e p o s i t i o n i n Canadian municipal politics: Kelly was anointed deputy mayor in the summer by Ford, after former deputy Doug Holyday left city hall to sit on the Progressive Conservative benches in Queen’s Park.

Kelly took over as scandal, a police investigation and an admission of illegal drug use put Ford, and Toronto, on the world stage.

In the interview, Kelly assesses the

Staff photo/David Nickle

Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly.

damage done to the city.

“The executive function was beginning to erode in the last few days of the Ford administration,” said Kelly.

“That has been cauterized.

I think we’re well on our way, I hope, to regaining the respect of Torontonians, and maybe by

extension the international media as well.”

Kelly will be leading council into an election year – in an election that Ford promised would be bloody, as he set about to run for re-election. Kelly said he hoped it wouldn’t be too great a distraction to Toronto council.

“I think that there’s a genuine willingness by most members of council to focus on the business of the city,” he said, “the most important of which is the budget, and I think that people are hoping that there won’t be any further personal issues that will erupt on the sidelines. I have a sense that councillors are getting down to business and will maintain that frame of mind going forward.”

Kelly said that he anticipated much of the work of council in 2014 will focus on the budget, which will be approved in late January and implemented through the year.

“The budget’s going to take you well into the new year and the Billy

Bishop airport issue is going to occupy almost the same territory,” said Kelly.

“After that will be... the task of implementing the budget you decided on. And then you come into a smooth landing in July, and everybody gets off the plane and hits the streets at election time.”

Beyond that, Kelly is hoping Toronto can regain a sense of leadership in the Greater Toronto Area that he believes it’s lost over the Ford years.

“We are the most important city in the region and the country, and we’ve tended to back away from that leadership role, and I would like to see if we can reassert ourselves,” he said.

One thing Kelly insists is that he will not seek election as mayor in 2014. “I’m very proud to represent the communities of ScarboroughAgincourt. I’ll be standing for that office, and that honour.”

i

Follow City Hall reporter David Nickle on Twitter: @DavidNickle

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city hall

Councillor Layton proud of consensus-building in 2013 ERIN HATFIELD ehatfield@insidetoronto.com The biggest challenge of 2013 was maintaining decorum and fostering consensus at city hall, said Trinity-Spadina Councillor Mike Layton.

“I know a vast majority of councillors want to have a constructive and cordial dialogue around issues,” said the Ward 19 councillor. “Even if we

don’t see eye to eye, the good thing about municipal politics is there is a lot of room for cooperation and that is what we should be doing.”

Layton said he believes many councillors are putting their heads back to work at getting things done for their wards.

Priorities moving into 2014 will be fighting against the big box store proposed

for Bathurst Street near Kensington Market and a planning study on West Queen West. Dupont Street will also be undergoing a planning study.

“There are a couple of great things coming. The Fort York Library will open this year and the Fort York Visitors Centre,” Layton said.

There are also two pedestrian bridges planned for the

ward, the Fort York Pedestrian Bridge and one in Liberty Village.

Layton counts among the major wins in 2013 the battle over building a casino in Toronto, which council rejected.

Layton said he is particularly proud of the city-wide energy retrofit strategy he worked on, which was introduced at the beginning of 2013, and will be piloted in 2014.

“The way we brought everyone together; environmental groups, labour unions, Enbridge, Hydro, the Toronto Real Estate Board,” Layton said. “Building a big tent like that and practicing big tent politics is really what I got into politics to do – to try to build consensus.”

In the community, Layton said that effort at consensus building is reflected in the work his office has done with the residents around the Ossington Avenue Visioning Study that turned into the Ossington Avenue Planning

Staff photo/ERIN HATFIELD

Trinity-Spadina Councillor Mike Layton sat down with reporter Erin Hatfield to discuss the year that was 2013, and what to look forward to in 2014.

Study the city did.

“It was community-led, but grounded in good planning practice,” Layton said.

“And we are undergoing that

same process on Bathurst Street.”

i

To know more about Ward 19 and Councillor Mike Layton, visit http://mikelayton.ca

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THE PARKDALE-LIBERTY VILLAGER | Thursday, January 2, 2014 |

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health

New tool allows St. Joe’s doctors to detect lung cancer sooner

Beary Merry Christmas

Staff photo/IAN KELSO

Holiday cheer: Metroland Media Toronto handed out toy bears to children at St. Joseph’s Health Centre on Dec. 23. Pictured are Gavin (centre) who received a bear from Mason Thompson, left, mom Charlene, and Metroland staffers, Madison Thompson and Serena Tung.

>>>from page 1 Joe’s. The hospital underwent an evaluation process in which it tested different “vendors.”

This process came to an end in the fall. The EBUS has been in use for less than a month, Compeau said.

“It’s been a great experience for the surgical program and our thoracic team,” he said.

The first place that lung cancer will spread is usually the lymph nodes, the glands in the central part of the chest.

The EBUS machine allows physicians to biopsy lymph nodes from within the airway using an ultrasound probe and needle, which means a less invasive procedure for the patient.

“We can do a day procedure where the patient is sent home within an hour of the biopsy instead of doing a neck incision and a recovery of several weeks before other treatment options are

Photo/COURTESY

Dr. Chris Compeau, chief of surgery (right) at St. Joseph’s Health Centre, uses a new lung cancer diagnosis tool called an Endo-Bronchial Ultrasound.

possible,” the doctor said. “It helps us determine the extent of the spread of cancer in a less invasive way.”

Compeau credits St. Joseph’s Health Centre’s foundation and its administration for its support in bringing this tool to the hospital as well as patients who helped raise $265,000 to purchase the machine. Foundation president Maria Dyck expressed her appreciation for the effort

that was made to bring the EBUS to the hospital.

“This success shows what we can do when we partner with our staff and physicians to improve care for our patients and how meaningful it is for grateful patients to say thank you by making a gift to St. Joe’s,” Dyck in a statement.

i

For more information on St. Joe’s, visit the hospital at www.stjoe.on.ca

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‘Until people raise their voices politicians don’t need to act’ Daily Bread’s Gail Nyberg urges donors to press politicians for good jobs, Ontario Housing Benefit TAMARA SHEPHARD tshephard@insidetoronto.com Hunger is driven by a dearth of affordable housing and the arguably inadequate creation of decent-paying jobs.

Positive change in both areas requires people to raise their voices in protest to spur Canadian politicians at all levels of government to commit to take action.

Such is Gail Nyberg’s straightforward, uncomplicated response to hunger and poverty in Toronto and across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

“It’s not just about hunger.

It’s about poverty. Poverty causes hunger,” said the Daily Bread Food Bank executive director in an interview last week.

“Until people who don’t need a housing benefit or to go to a food bank, or to even consider going to a food bank, raise their voices to politicians and have politicians understand we need to deal with hunger and poverty in our communities, then politicians don’t need to act.”

Nyberg is urging a call to action.

“Make sure politicians know how important an issue this is to you – not just at Christmas. Where do they stand on ending this whole thing, on creating jobs?

What kind of jobs will they create? Minimum-wage jobs?

People need more than that to feed and look after their children.”

A month ago, Etobicokebased Daily Bread launched its annual holiday food drive setting its highest donation goal ever – $2.5 million and one-million pounds of food.

Visit www.dailybread.ca to donate.

The large donations are needed to ensure food bank clients get enough to eat through the winter, Nyberg said. Daily Bread distributes food through 200 food banks and programs across the city.

Two weeks ago, Daily Bread and North York-based Second Harvest announced a new partnership with Ontario Food Terminal wholesalers and farmers who will supply both food banks regularly with skids of fresh fruits and vegetables.

The two agencies supply food and resources to more than 370 community agencies and 450 food programs.

The need is striking.

Daily Bread’s now-signature, annual publication “Who’s Hungry” 2012 edition reported the picture of

Staff photo/IAN KELSO

Gail Nyberg, executive director of the Daily Bread Food Bank at the Ontario Food Terminal.

hunger in Toronto and across the GTA has not changed, but has shifted.

The number of visits to GTA food banks has climbed sharply, by 18 per cent, since the recession in 2008.

A striking 32 per cent of food bank clients remain children. An equal percentage of adult clients have given up food in order to pay rent.

And 45 per cent of clients go hungry at least once a week due to lack of money.

“The picture of hunger has not changed a lot. We’re still seeing people who lost their job; children. We’re seeing a lessening of the need in the downtown core and seeing the need increase in Etobicoke, North York and Scarborough,” Nyberg said.

“There is a shift. It’s about jobs and creating jobs.

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ernment not just take credit.

If they’re creating customer service jobs at $10.25 an hour with no benefits, people need three, four of them to make ends meet.”

That is why Daily Bread and its partners – Federation of Rental Housing Providers of Ontario, Ontario NonProfit Housing Association, Greater Toronto Apartment Association, Metcalf

Charitable Foundation and Atkinson Charitable Foundation – developed The Housing Benefit.

The coalition submitted its proposal to the Ontario government to implement a housing benefit, which would help low-income, working-age renters with high shelter-to-income burdens in communities across Ontario, particularly in the GTA and in Ottawa where rents are higher.

Unlike other provinces, the working poor in Ontario do not get any ongoing help to cover housing costs, a barrier to employment, which further frustrates the transition from social assistance to the labour market, the coalition argued.

The housing benefit proposed envisions paying 75 per cent of rent costs from a floor amount to the median cost of housing. The benefit starts to fall and gradually reduces to zero as income rises.

The coalition estimated almost 66,000 families and

129,000 individuals would receive an average benefit of $1,236 a year.

Nyberg said she is hopeful the Ontario government’s implementation of the Ontario Child Benefit could be replicated with an Ontario Housing Benefit.

“We were one of the leading advocates of the Ontario Child Benefit. It lifted a number of children out of poverty and prevented a number from ever getting there.

“The Ontario Housing Benefit would help people with their rent to free up money for food. If you have $100, you can choose not to buy any ground beef or fresh fruits or vegetables that week.

But when you pay rent, you have to pay the whole rent.

You can’t pay for the living room and the kitchen, and not pay for the bedrooms and the bathroom. You can’t defer it.”

i

To learn more or to donate, visit www.dailybread.ca or call 416-203-0050.

| THE PARKDALE-LIBERTY VILLAGER | Thursday, January 2, 2014

community

THE PARKDALE-LIBERTY VILLAGER | Thursday, January 2, 2014 |

14

transit Ice storm plays wDecember’s havoc with transit severe ice storm played havoc with transit operations across the city.

Both TTC and GO Transit riders experienced major delays as the transit agencies struggled with power issues caused by the storm.

At its height, service on all subway lines was affected as well as streetcar routes, plus the Scarborough RT. Several bus routes were also forced to cancel service or detour around areas where downed hydro wires or trees were reported. It wasn’t until midday on Christmas Eve – with the re-opening of the Sheppard subway – that service was fully restored. to step down wKaStintz as TTC chair re n St i n t z o f f i c i a l l y announced she will step down from her position as chair of the TTC board in February.

Stintz, who intends to run in the 2014 mayoral election, made the announcement at last week’s TTC board meeting.

She will leave the chair’s seat as of Feb. 22, 2014, but

rahul gupta TO in TRANSIT will remain on the board. She has already endorsed fellow board member Josh Colle as her replacement.

Maria Augimeri, a longtime TTC commissioner, is also considered a contender for the position. City council will vote on Stintz’s replacement at its Feb. 19 session. hikes in effect wTisFare as of New Years Day the season for transit fare hikes.

As of New Years Day, TTC riders were faced with another price increase, as the cash-strapped transit agency struggles to cover its 2014 operating budget.

Hardest hit are Metropass holders who will now pay $5.25 more per month in 2014. A five cent increase was also approved per token or ticket. With the fare hike, the TTC projects it will raise around eight million dollars, which still won’t be enough to balance the budget. In January city council will vote

on whether to approve an annual operating subsidy for the transit commission.

Regardless if the $428 million request is accepted by council, the TTC will continue to be among the lowest funded transit agencies in North America.

A fare hike for 2015 is also scheduled.

Articulated buses back on the street Elongated TTC buses are back on city streets following a relaunch of the vehicles last month.

Articulated buses are characterized by a pivoting accordion joint separating passenger compartments, which increases capacity by 45 per cent compared to the regular fleet. The buses can hold a maximum of 112 riders, seating 77.

The TTC officially launched the first of 15 Novamanufactured “artics” along the 7 Bathurst route, which will be deployed mainly during peak travel periods.

w

i

Rahul Gupta is The Villager’s transit reporter. Reach him on Twitter: @TOinTRANSIT

TTC chair blasts Presto fare system timeline RAHUL GUPTA rgupta@insidetoronto.com

A long term plan to install the Presto fare system in TTC vehicles and stations is not acceptable, says the transit commission’s chair.

The fare collection system is already in wide use on GO Transit and other GTA-area transit agencies with hundreds of thousands of transit riders tapping on daily.

Presto is scheduled to be fully deployed by 2016 on the TTC, but that’s not nearly soon enough according to TTC chair Karen Stintz, who wants to see “substantial completion” by the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games.

At the Dec. 18 TTC board meeting, Stintz made a motion to direct staff to work with Metrolinx on a sped-up deployment schedule so that the smart fare card is in place in stations, new streetcars and

buses as well as Wheel-Trans vehicles by the time the 2015 Pan Am Games begin.

The motion, which also called for regular schedule updates to the board, was approved unanimously.

“We were presented with a schedule that wasn’t going to help us meet our goal, so I want to make sure the partners go back and look at a revised schedule,” said Stintz following the meeting at city hall.

At the meeting, TTC staff presented to the board particulars of the Presto rollout plan, which will come in two phases starting fall of 2014, beginning with installing Presto card readers on 50 new streetcars to serve the Spadina, Bathurst, Dundas and Harbourfront lines, as well as at 23 stations, most of them in the downtown core.

Installations would be handled by Metrolinx, which operates Presto, including vending

machines in stations and on vehicles as well as ticket validation devices for riders choosing to use paper tickets.

Riders will also eventually be able to use their mobile devices, debit and credit cards to tap on, though not in time for the 2014 deployment.

Complicating matters is the need for the deployment to satisfy 4,000 “business requirements” to ensure stable implementation. Also required are power upgrades in stations to accommodate the new Presto machines.

TTC CEO Andy Byford agreed Presto implementation should be close to complete by 2015. But he urged caution on moving too quickly.

“Absolutely we want to have as much implemented by the Pan Am Games, but let’s not progress so quickly that the implementation goes wrong,” said Byford. “We’ve got to get that balance right.”

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Articles for Sale

Home Renovations

Flooring & Carpeting

Tree/Stump Service

Appliance Repairs/ Installation

Adult Personals

HOT TUB (SPA) COVERS. Best Price, Best Quality. All Shapes & Colors Available. Call 1-866-652-6837 www.thecoverguy.com/ newspaper

BUILDER/ GENERAL CONTRACTORS RESIDENTIAL/ COMMERCIAL. Finished basements.

Painting.

Bathrooms.

Ceramic tiles. Flat roofs. Leaking basements. Brick/chimney repairs. House additions 905-764-6667, 416-823-5120

NESO FLOORING Carpet installation starting from $1.19/ sq.ft.

Hardwood, laminate at low prices.

27 yrs experience.

Free Estimates.

Best Price!

647-400-8198

LUMBER-JACK’S Tree Service, Since 1980.

Hedge trimming, tree pruning, tree/ stump removal.

Free estimates.

Fully insured. Call Jack (416)762-2400 www. treeservicetoronto.com

Professional Repairs of all brands of: Refrigeration, Stoves, Dishwashers, Washers, Dryers, Air Conditioning, & Heating.

Free Estimates.

Warranty, Credit cards accepted.

Seniors discount.

416-616-0388

LOCAL HOOKUPS BROWSE4FREE 1-888-628-6790 or #7878 Mobile HOT LOCAL CHAT 1-877-290-0553 Mobile: #5015 Find Your Favourite CALL NOW 1-866-732-0070 1-888-544-0199 18+

HOT TUB (SPA) Covers Best Price, Best Quality.

All shapes & Colours Available.

CEILINGS repaired.

Spray textures, plaster designs, stucco, drywall, paint. We fix them all!

C a l l www.mrstucco.ca 1 - 8 6 6 - 6 5 2 - 6 8 3 7 . 416-242-8863

w w w. t h e c o v e r guy.com/sale

Building Equipment/ Materials

TRUE PSYCHICS For Answers, CALL NOW 24/7 Toll FREE 1-877-342-3032 Mobile: #4486 www.truepsychics.ca

STEEL BUILDI N G S / M E T AL BUILDINGS UP TO 60% OFF! 30x40, 40x60, 50x80, 60x100, 80x100 sell for balance owed!

Call: 1-800-457-2206 www.crownsteel buildings.ca

Waste Removal

S T OP and post your

Must be at least 21 years of age, have a valid A,B,C,D,E,F, or full G licence, and must be proficient in english

PETER’S DEPENDABLE JUNK REMOVAL From home or business, including furniture/ appliances, construction waste.

Quick & careful!

New member of the family ?

Share the News!

416-677-3818 Rock Bottom Rates!

event, sale, business & much more in the classifieds!

Call 1-800

743-3353

to plan your advertising campaign today!

Call 1-800-743-3353 to place your ad

Handy Person HOME RENOVATIONS & Repairs. From backyard clean-ups to trash removal, all your home needs and repairs. Call John: 647-467-9976, 416-906-5601

Plumbing

EMERGENCY? Clogged drain, camera inspection Leaky pipes Reasonable price, 25 years experience Licensed/ Insured credit card accepted Free estimate James Chen 647-519-9506

LTEPD E H WAN Call 1-800 743-3353 to plan your advertising campaign.

HOME IMPROVEMENT Directory CHIMNEYS

ELECTRICAL

Burton Electric Inc.

Bricks & Chimneys

416 419-1772

Repaired and rebuilt Bricks + mortar colour match House-front, pillars, bricks repaired or replaced Chris Jemmett Masonry

Tuckpointing 416-686-8095

Knob and tube replacement LED Lighting Aluminum wire reconditioning Permits and inspections

Pot lights Service upgrades Breakers/Panels FREE ESTIMATES

Master Electrician * License # 7001220 * Insured www.burtonelectric.ca mark.burton@burtonelectric.ca

ELECTRICAL

PLUMBING

ALL TECH ELECTRIC BaySprings Plumbing Ltd. SERVICING ALL YOUR PLUMBING NEEDS Contact: Jason Sa HOLIDAY SPECIAL Master Electrician $ OFF (416) 723-1169

25

Specializing in removal of Knob & Tube & Electrical upgrades.

WITH THIS AD

EXTENDED UNTIL JANUARY 31ST

10% SENIORS DISCOUNT

416-427-0955

ECRA/ESA Lic.#7006706

Metro Lic. #P20212 - Fully Insured

FREE ESTIMATES

24/7 No Extra Charges for Evenings, Weekends or Holidays

Want to get your business noticed?

www.insidetoronto.com

Call 1-800-743-3353 to plan your advertising campaign today!

Call 1-800-743-3353 to plan your advertising campaign today!

www.insidetoronto.com

Want to get your information online or in print?

An effective, easy way to spread the word about your business or event.

Submitting is easy. And it’s FREE!

prlink.insidetoronto.com

| THE PARKDALE-LIBERTY VILLAGER | Thursday, January 2, 2014

175 Gordon Baker Road, Toronto, Ontario M2H 0A2 www.insidetoronto.com | Circulation: 416 493 4400

THE PARKDALE-LIBERTY VILLAGER | Thursday, January 2, 2014 |

16

75%

Bathurst St

Portland St

UP TO OFF ALL IN-STOCK ITEMS

King St West

Sale ends Sunday January 12, 2014 or while quantities last.

Sale applicable only at King Street location only.

Hours of Operation: M-F: 11AM-7PM | SAT: 10AM-6PM | SUN: 12PM-5PM

Toronto’s fashionable lighting destination.

416-364-9099 | 624 King Street West (east of Bathurst) www.livinglightingonking.com kingstreet@livinglighting.com