May 12

 CABBAGETOWN NEIGHBOURHOOD 

REVIEW

A PERSONAL VIEW

Renovation woes

Some contractors just take over all the available space.  Look at this photo of one little dead-end street - five vehicles parked on the wrong side of the road, half on the sidewalk and blocking three lanes.  It’s a common problem everywhere as owners decide to upgrade.  In this case, requests to move the trucks resulted in shouting and cursing.  It's time for all of us to quit suffering in silence - let’s try 311 instead and ask for building inspectors and traffic officers.

FEATURED ARTIST

Eric Morse

Eric has been taking photographs of Cabbagetown since 2006.  He’s captured hidden corners, bold events and beautiful homes.  He’s got a new page on our Cabbagetown Artists’ site - click here to see his first ten photos.

Cabbagetown Artists

This site introduces local artists to our local community.  There are currently five artists featured here.  More are coming soon.  In addition, these artists have been adding new images regularly.  It’s a site where you can happily browse and see works by people you know.  And you can purchase any that appeal to you. (This image: Irene Peplinski DeClute’s Oblong Lake). 

LOCAL NEWS

Kristyn Wong-Tam - NDP candidate in Toronto Centre

I sat down with Ms Wong-Tam on Saturday May 7 to talk about her career and her hopes for Toronto Centre Provincial Riding. Asked which three achievements she ranked as her best contributions as our former City Councillor, she listed the redesigning plan for Yonge Street, her work with the Indigenous community and the revitalization plan for Dundas and Sherbourne. She feels that this is the right time for her move to provincial politics after 12 years at Council. She isn’t afraid of the powerful Liberal attraction for Toronto Centre voters.  She isn’t worried about opinion polls showing that Liberals are leading in Toronto ridings.  She thinks that the NDP’s 2018 victory has created its own deep loyalties. She believes that the NDP’s platform offers the right progressive fit for voters here. She was described by Mayor John Tory as the “conscience” of City Council and she’ll continue that role at Queen’s Park.

City politics

There’s now a vacant seat on City Council following Kristyn Wong-Tam’s resignation.  On Wednesday June 1, City Council will appoint a replacement who will serve until November 14.  Applications from interested candidates will be received by the City Clerk from 8:30 am Friday May 13 to 4:30 pm Wednesday May 25.  For details, click on the link to the Clerk’s office.

Robin Potts

Ms Potts plans to apply for the interim Councillor’s job.  She worked with Kristyn Wong-Tam from December 2019 and she’s currently the Ward 13 Chief of Staff.  She feels that she can be an effective interim Councillor since she knows the current files and can carry them forward without delays.

Chris Moise

This guy didn’t waste any time making his intentions clear.  As soon as the dust from Kristyn Wong-Tam’s resignation had settled, he announced that he’ll leave the school board where he serves as our ward’s trustee and seek election to City Council.  We’ll undoubtedly get more info from him closer to election day in the Fall.

233 Carlton

Work can now begin on renovations at 233 Carlton for the women’s drop-in centre. Construction will start in August and continue for a year to October 2023. The City of Toronto’s plans for the centre were approved in February 2020 by the Committee of Adjustment.  That approval was appealed to the Toronto Local Appeal Board in January and March 2021. The TLAB appeal was then lost in March 2022, opening the door for the construction to begin. The mural painted on the front windows will remain there until construction starts. The Centre will open in November 2023.  

Problems with the new Regent Park plans

Local residents have expressed concern about the plans by Tridel and TCHC for the remaining areas in Regent Park along Gerrard Street.  The plans call for much greater density and higher towers.  Nine residential buildings along Gerrard will rise between 7 and 10 storeys.  Along Oak Street, however, the towers will climb between 11 and 38 stores - with three of them between 30 and 38 storeys.  Stephanie Beattie notes that this is “more than doubling the number of tall towers on Oak, from 3 to 7, and nearly doubling the heights, from 24 storeys to 38 storeys. All told, if this passes, the redevelopment will be more than 4x the density of the original community, and nearly double the density originally planned for the redevelopment.”  When asked earlier about this density, former Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam justified it by saying that it was needed to pay for the amenities planned for the area and for the increased number of affordable housing units.  The Tridel/TCHC plan is available online.

403 e-waste drive

The 403 Sea Scouts are conducting an e-waste drive on Saturday May 14 from 8 am to noon.  Bring anything with wires, a circuit board or battery. Headphones, cell phones or desk phones, chargers, radios, monitors, keyboards.  Wipe your hard drives clean.  Bring your batteries, TVs, scrap wire, pots and pans. At Dixon Hall parking lot (188 Carlton).

Supporters of the 2022 Forsythia Festival

Many thanks to the businesses and individuals who contributed so generously to the Forsythia Festival.  Here are the gold sponsors who gave over $500.  St Jamestown Steak & Chops (516 Parliament) and Stout Irish Pub (221 Carlton) each made a big difference to the day with their food and drinks.  Other major contributors included Buds & Blossoms (517 Parliament), Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre (509 Parliament), Cycle Solutions (444 Parliament), The Epicure Shop (473 Parliament), F’Amelia (12 Amelia), Hepburn Landscaping, House on Parliament (454 Parliament), Meridian Credit Union (486 Parliament), Neighbourhood Care, TD Bank (493 Parliament), York Search Group and Weenen General Contracting (211 Carlton).  Eight more contributors are listed in the Silver group ($200 to $499) and seven in the Bronze ($50 to $199) - their gifts will be listed next week.  

Hidden Gardens & Private Spaces

Another great community event is back.  The Hidden Gardens & Private Spaces tour takes place on Sunday June 5 from 10 am to 3 pm with 11 gardens on the program.  Several extra events are planned. The CBC’s gardening expert Paul Zammit will be there along with master gardeners who can answer your questions.  On June 5, many local merchants will offer special discounts to tour supporters.

Tickets for the garden tour

Tickets are now on sale, $20.  They’re available online after May 10 - credit card sales.  Five local stores are selling them - cash sales only.  Akasha Art (204D Carlton), Epicure Shop (473 Parliament), Fairway Variety (520 Parliament), Jay’s Garden Centre (360 Gerrard E) and Spruce Home Decor (455 Parliament).  Two other businesses outside the area are also selling them - Davenport Garden Centre (360 Davenport, 1465 Bayview and 903 Pape) and Sheridan Nurseries (2827 Yonge N).  

Streetscapes in Bloom

Every year, the Cabbagetown Preservation Association presents an award to a garden for its design and impact.  Nominate any location in Cabbagetown, including your own - nominations are open now until Monday June 6.  Past winners and members of the CPA Board will visit each site four times during the gardening season.  For details about the awards and for a link to nominate your favourite, click here.

Signs at Menagerie Pet Shop

Local realtor Bill Renieris is representing the sale of the buildings at Menagerie Pet Shop (549 Parliament).  He’s put up several signs out front.  This sale involves only the properties - the business has a lease for several more years and is staying.  As noted on Menagerie’s Facebook page, “As a fixture in Cabbagetown for over 40 years, Menagerie has seen more than a few landlords.” See the note below for info about their Customer Appreciation Day.

They’re back

Colin and Ann report that these beautiful grosbeaks are back on Aberdeen.  They’ve had up to five at a time in their garden but so far, no 2022 photo.  This is last year’s snapshot. (Photo: Colin and Ann Lambert)

Cabbagetown Regent Park Museum Historical Tidbit

By Sally Gibson.  The passenger pigeon was well-known to Torontonians, from the time of Elizabeth Simcoe who spied them in April 1796 as she walked across future Cabbagetown to Castle Frank … to amateur naturalist John Toivnson who first spotted them as a youngster in 1864 when he accompanied his amateur taxidermist father from their home on Winchester Street near the Necropolis up the Don Valley … to internationally renowned naturalist Ernest Thompson Seton who reported that he had seen the last great fly-over as a boy in 1876. Toivnson Jr was a tailor by profession but a naturalist by inclination. He reported his first sighting of a passenger pigeon to the Brodie Club – a naturalists’ club sponsored by the ROM. “On Sunday morning, early in April, in [1864], I accompanied [my father] in his usual stroll up the river,” Toivnson related. “When we had proceeded a short distance north of the Winchester Street bridge, a flock of wild pigeons (probably two hundred or more) were seen flying up the valley.” The flock settled in trees near Castle Frank and made a great racket, very different from the soft cooing of our city pigeons.”  (Image:  Passenger pigeons by Louis Agassiz Fuertes Internet Archive)

COMING EVENTS

Spring plant sale and seed giveaway

Sponsored by Friends of Allan Gardens - Sunday May 15 from 1 to 4 pm.  The plants on sale will include succulents, foliage plants, and vegetable seedlings for backyards and balconies for prices ranging from $5 to $15. Volunteers are also sharing seeds for herbs, veggies, flowers and native plants.  Master gardeners will be there to answer your questions.  Allan Gardens at the edible garden (near the playground at the west end of the park.)

Sunday in the Park

A celebration of Allan Gardens (Sherbourne and Carlton). Sunday May 15 from 1 to 4 pm.  A full agenda including the plant and seed sales.  There’ll be community booths, giveaways, a scavenger hunt, yoga, kids’ activities and more.  There’ll be an announcement of an Indigenous Artist in the Park. 

Paint night at the Sumach

Wednesday May 25, 5 pm, everyone welcome. It’s an evening full of fun with step-by-step guides by an experienced artist - Tanya Zbili is an acrylic painter who has lead Paint Nights across Canada for the past six years.  Supplies and refreshments are provided. Please RSVP through the event link.  Sponsored by the Sumach (146 Sumach).

Save the date - Cabbagetown Preservation Association

The CPA will host its annual meeting at 7 pm on Thursday May 26. The event will be either online or in-person (at the Meeting House in Riverdale Farm).  The guest speaker will be Adam Brunch, author of Toronto Book of the Dead.  Meeting details will be announced as soon as possible.

Doors Open Toronto

On Saturday May 28 and Sunday May 29, intriguing buildings across the GTA will be open for public tours.  Free.  Several are in our neighbourhood.  St Peter & St Simon Church (525 Bloor E) - Saturday and Sunday.  The Daniels Spectrum (585 Dundas E) - Saturday and Sunday.  Toronto Humane Society (11 River)  - Saturday and Sunday. St Paul Basilica (83 Power) - Saturday and Sunday.  Little Trinity Church (425 King E) - Saturday and Sunday.  Enoch Turner Schoolhouse (106 Trinity) - Sunday.  Deaf Culture Centre (15 Mill St, Distillery) - Saturday and Sunday.  Details about each site are available online.

IN THE MEDIA

Density problems in Regent Park

Cristopher Hume has written an article in Storeys about the proposals for the final stages of Regent Park’s revitalization.  He attacks the reliance on huge high rise towers, comparing the plan to a 21st Century St James Town.  With public consultations about these plans now underway, his article is a useful view of the proposals.

Security guards in Cabbagetown South

Elspeth Chalmers reports in The Bridge that residents in Cabbagetown South have again hired security guards to patrol the neighbourhood on weekends. They’ll work from Shuter to Carlton, from Sherbourne to Parliament.  They aren’t police officials - they’ll limit their involvement to reports to the police when they see something happening. For the full story, click here.  (Image: The Bridge). 

THEATRE & DANCE NEWS

Is God Is

Presented by Canadian Stage at the Berkeley Street Theatre (26 Berkeley).  On stage now to May 22. Tickets and info are available online.  

Lesson in Forgetting

Presented by Pleiades Theatre in the Young Centre (50 Tank House Lane). Can love alone suffice when everything else is lost.  Onstage now to May 22.

Verge

The Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre (509 Parliament) is staging Verge at 8 pm on Friday May 27 and Saturday May 28.  The program features world premiere works by Deborah Lundmark Jennifer Archibald and Charlotte Boye-Christensen and favourites Reset by Roderick George and Arena by Colin Connor.  Fleck Dance Theatre (207 Queens Quay W).  For more info and tickets, click here.

Where the Blood Mixes

A coproduction between Native Earth and Soulpepper.  Winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama in 2009.  “Where the Blood Mixes takes us to the place where the rivers meet, to the heart of a family. After decades apart, Christine returns to her First Nations community to reconnect with her father. Her return provokes his memories of the Residential School system and together they must confront that legacy. With beautiful heart and great humour, this is a celebration of resilience and the healing power of stories.”  May 26 to June 26.  50 Tank House Lane.    For more info and tickets, click here. 

IN OUR SHOPS

Fire at The Epicure Shop

Patty Junior has tweeted that Tuesday’s fire was out back of the store.  Everyone is safe.  It closed that day and will reopen soon.  473 Parliament.

Menagerie Pet Shop

Menagerie (549 Parliament) is hosting a customer appreciation day on Saturday May 14 from noon to 2 pm.  There’ll be face painting, glitter tattoos, live DJ music and free samples.  And if your pooch is a touch filthy, enjoy a free dog wash - first come, first served.  

RESTAURANT NEWS

Cafe TO

The barriers are going up along the street.  Outdoor roadside patios will fill these spaces soon.  They were a great idea last year and the City and Cabbagetown BIA have brought them back.

Patio news

Patios and outdoor spaces are opening up again - YES!  In the south end, check out Corktown’s Dominion on Queen (500 Queen E),  Keating Channel - a great waterfront location (2 Villiers),  Mill Street Brew Pub - beautiful big Distillery space (21 Tank House Lane, Distillery),  Fusilli - great food (531 Queen E), Aviary - home for Longslice Brewery (484 Front E), El Catrin - Mexico in the Distillery (18 Tank House Lane, Distillery).

In Cabbagetown, there’s House on Parliament - both on the street and on the roof (454 Parliament), The Irv - for great pub food and drinks (195 Carlton), Stout Irish Pub - more beer from Erin’s own brewery (221 Carlton).  DOVA - a beautiful back garden space opening May 17 (229 Carlton) and F’Amelia - casual comfort and outstanding Italian food (12 Amelia).  

Cyril’s soup

This week’s soup is a classic Springtime peas and mint. Lots of peas, lots of mint, plus onions, scallions, garlic, potatoes, sugar and lemon.  3 to 9 cups at $3/each.  10 or more cups at $2.50/each. The juice is apple, lime, cucumber and mint, $9 for two cups.  Next week is the long May weekend, so Cyril will have a holiday.  He’ll be back in two weeks.  Email your order to him.