Free the Children on 60 Minutes
Sunday, November 25, 7 pm. CBS’ 60 Minutes has followed
Craig Kielburger for the past year. They’ve
visited Free the Children projects overseas, attended We Day events and
interviewed people at home and abroad about the organization’s work. This is a follow-up to an interview that they
did with Craig sixteen years ago when he was a young teen launching his first
efforts. For this program, they also
watched students in an American school who did their fundraising to build a
school room in Kenya. The broadcast will
follow the Sunday afternoon NFL game – if you can’t watch it then, you can
visit Free the Children’s website and see it online.
Toronto Street Cats
There’s an important animal rescue program under way in
Regent Park and Cabbagetown South (River to Sherbourne, Gerrard to Dundas) to
locate and neuter feral and stray cats living in the neighbourhood. Launched in November 2011, the program has
helped 250 cats out of an estimated 450.
It’s run by Toronto Street Cats using a generous grant from PetSmart
Charities.
All medical care is handled at the Toronto Humane Society
(11 River). The cats are brought there,
neutered, dewormed, vaccinated and given flea treatments and a two-day recovery.
This work is done by qualified veterinarians and support staff who are all
volunteers. Follow-ups include providing
shelters and feeding programs for the colonies of cats.
There are an estimated 100,000 feral cats in
Toronto. By neutering them, we avoid the
huge stress placed on shelters and the need for large scale euthanasia. The
animals enjoy a big improvement in their lives.
Volunteers are always welcome. Watch a two-minute video celebrating
treatment for the 1000th cat here.
Check out their informative
website here.
Regent Park’s new aquatic centre
Photo GridTO
The new swimming pool is officially open in Regent Park
and it’s another big milestone in the rebuilding of that community. It has a lap pool, a leisure pool, a warm
water pool, a Tarzan rope, a diving board and a water slide. There are good stories about the facilities
in GridTO
and in an earlier edition of the Globe & Mail.
The Centre promises to be very popular. The facilities are sensitive to various
social standards and the pools themselves accommodate kids, people with various
disabilities, families and serious fitness freaks.
Even Donald Trump got into the act – he donated $2
million toward its cost using something called Section 37 of the Ontario Planning
Act. In return, he got some leeway with
his plans for his hotel downtown. It was
a smart move organized by Pam McConnell to direct his money into this
project.
St James Town progress report
The recent edition of the CPA Newsletter offers an
article by Chris Hallett and Margaret Coshan about changes brewing in St James
Town. Margaret and Chris are leaders in
Community Matters, an agency
fostering better services and facilities for the St James Town area. As new development plans for the north end
are unveiled, they`ve worked for spin-offs that benefit the whole neighbourhood. Their article is a recommended and informed read.
Cabbagetown Preservation Association Speakers Night
Monday November 26, 7 pm, St Peter`s Church (188 Carlton
at Bleecker). The CPA has invited Andrew
McCausland to be the guest speaker. His
company, McCausland of Toronto, is the oldest surviving stained glass studio in
North America and their works are scattered everywhere across Toronto. Andrew is the fifth generation in the family
to run the firm. The meeting will include presentations for the
2012 winners of the Streetscape in Bloom award, the CPA`s annual nod to
outstanding gardens and the 2012 Volunteer Award.
CYC Appreciation Night
The Cabbagetown Youth Centre has a lot to celebrate. Their new renovations are complete and the
changes are remarkable. So they`re
hosting an evening to show off and to thank their supporters. John McFadyen, a very strong supporter and
leader, will be recognized. The people who contributed to Blair`s Run and to
the Scotiabank Marathon will be acknowledged. The CYC`s Performing Arts Kids
will perform. There`ll be tours of the
new facilities and refreshments. Please
RSVP to (416) 960-1032 or rsvp@cabbagetownyouth.ca
Historic hats
Congrats to Norma Shephard from the Mobile Millinery
Museum and to volunteers at the Cabbagetown Regent Park Museum. Last Sunday`s presentation, Historic Hats,
was a charming event – full of knowledgeable comments, gorgeous hats, gracious
models, witty remarks and an amused audience.
Well done everyone. For more hat insights, click here
and for more about our community museum, here
Restaurant news
Spanish wines at JAMcafe
Av and Joe are again hosting an evening of wine and food
tastings at JAMcafe (195 Carlton), this time featuring Spanish wines and olive
oils. It`s in co-operation with Olive
& Olives, a specialty shop at 779 Queen St.
The evening will include five wines, two sherry vinegars and three olive
oils, all with matching hors d`oeuvres. Seating
will be limited to 28 people so it`s advisable to call early. Save the date – Wednesday December 5, 6:30 pm
– final details about ticket prices will be ready soon. (416) 921-1255.
Cafuné – a new café on Carlton Street
Vicente Gannam will open his new café (194A Carlton) this
weekend. He`s presenting a unique blend
of art and food from Brazil. Each month,
he`ll be showcasing a new artist along his walls – works by Selma Abreu are
shown now. He also has natural fabric
crafts displayed and for sale in the shop.
His menu will feature traditional meals, snacks and baked goods from
indigenous and Afro-Brazilian cooking. These are the dishes that have become
the heart of Brazilian cuisine. The
coffee comes from the microregion in the southeast mountains. By next year, he plans to have a listing of
Brazilian wines to match the menu. Check out Vicente`s website here – menu specifics will be added
soon. A welcome addition to our
restaurant choices.
It`s Jenny
Photo Jesse Milns
blogTO has just published a very nice profile of our new café,
It`s Jenny (253 Gerrard). The review is
favourable and well deserved. Read it
here.
Shopping news
Congratulations Cabbagetown Pet Clinic
The Farley Fund is a program run by the Ontario Veterinary
Medical Association. It provides
assistance for seniors and disabled people who can’t afford treatments for
their pets. Through the fund, participating clinics receive a budget and decide
locally who will get the support. Our
own Cabbagetown Pet Clinic (239 Gerrard) raised $1400 this year for the fund –
up from $500 last year.
Eclectisaurus
Leslie has a dazzling studio art glass perfume bottle, artist
signed and dated 1995. Its sculptural
frosted sommerso glass has a Memphis inspired slash of deep purple on one side
and peach on the other. For more info,
visit her website. 249 Gerrard.
For the perfect couple from Kendall & Co
These Mr & Mrs monogrammed pillows are a match made in heaven. They’re
equally perfect as a set of Mr & Mr and Mrs & Mrs. Locally handmade. Available exclusively at Kendall & Co,
227 Carlton.
Labour of Love
Tis the season – Regina invites you, ``Our Christmas
window is up and our shop is stocked with all the Christmas essentials. Drop by to see what we`ve chosen for you this
season!`` 242 Carlton.
Sundara`s new classes
Sundara (492 Parliament, side door) now has three new
classes for you.
Friday November 23, 7:30 pm. It`s Vinyasa and vino with Emma. Do a dynamic vinyasa class with Emma and then
stay afterward to meet fellow yogis in your community.
Saturdays, November 24 to December 15, 3 to 4:30 pm. Ashtanga fundamentals with Emma. Learn the basics of Ashtanga yoga.
Saturdays, 1 to 2:15 pm.
Pre-natal yoga is now a drop-in class.
This is an opportunity to connect with yourself, your baby and other women
going through similar experiences.
Christmas news
Christmas decorations
The Cabbagetown Christmas Market (238A Gerrard) is a specialty shop devoted
to Christmas installations and greenery.
George, the owner, will design and install your personalized home and
tree decorations. His shop also provides
both vintage and modern decorations. Contact
him at (647) 997-7078.
Santa`s new look
Kidin Thrifty Shop (246B Gerrard) has given Santa a brand new look. Local wits have noted that it`s a big
improvement over the fat old guy.
Complaints department
Life is often full of tiny irritations that seem too
small to deserve a mention. Bottling up these frustrations can be unhealthy.
This department on our Review provides a therapeutic answer to that problem.
Garbage collection
Photo Toronto Sun
Normally, the City`s collection guys do a spiffy
job. But in Don Vale recently, they`ve
started to experiment with the schedule.
They arrive on the proper day but the times are changed all around. For twenty years, the truck has arrived at a predictable
time and the bins were always there waiting for them. Over the past few weeks, afternoon pick-ups
started to take place in the mornings and vice versa. As a result, homeowners are seen in pajamas
and bare feet racing to the curb with the week`s collection of goodies. Curses have also been heard. Maybe someone in authority at City Hall can
ask the crews to go back to their comfortable old ways.
The Globe & Mail
The Globe & Mail also needs to fix its delivery
schedules. Home deliveries seem to be
fine. Deliveries to our local stores,
however, arrive now at 9 or 9:30 am, especially on Saturdays. For one G&M
fan, this is far too late – it`s like getting an afternoon paper with yesterday`s
news. Let`s get back to our 7 am
routine.
