[PHOTO] A Toronto laneway

A Toronto laneway
Originally uploaded by rfmcdpei

One feature of Toronto's map is the laneway, a sort of combination of the side street and the alley that produces very narrow streets just barely open to vehicle traffic located just off the main side streets. Sometimes these streets just provide access to parking garages in the back of house lots; sometimes, as in this case in the Annex, they function as fully-fledeged streets. See this July 2005 blogTo post and this January 2008 Spacing Toronto post for more information on the Toronto laneway.

[DM] "On Ukrainian regional demographic divergences: help?"

I've a post up at Demography Matters examining what seems to be the interesting phenomenon of western and central Ukraine evidencing substantially higher birth rates and lower death rates than the Russophone east, pointing out that there seems to be hardly any data out there, and begging the readers for help. You too: Please?

[BRIEF NOTE] On the end-of-September riots at Queen's University (Kingston ON)

It's not a lie for me at all when I say that the time I spent at Queen's University, located in the charming limestone-clad city of Kingston where the Great Lakes narrow into the St. Lawrence River, was one of the happiest times of my life. I'd go so far as to say that it help start off what has been the happiest period of my life to date. I love the university, my fellow students, the academic resources, the city: all of it is good.

That's why I'm embarrassed by news reports like this one.

Heavy rain and cool weather thinned out crowds of partiers at the annual street party near Queen's University, with an estimated 2,000 revellers taking to the street Saturday night.

The number of partiers who crammed the street had numbered as many as 8,000 in previous years, prompting the university to cancel this year's annual fall homecoming in hopes of putting an end to the unsanctioned street party.

This year, Kingston Police made about 60 arrests on Saturday night. Constable Mike Menor said the majority of arrests were for breach of the peace, drinking in public, obstructing police and a few related to drug activity. Police also made 23 arrests in the lead-up to the party on Friday night.

The university's Homecoming weekend, a combined reunion for alumni and riotous undergrad partying in the student ghetto (the university only has enough housing for first-year undergrads, forcing a diaspora into a neighbouring and now run-down neighbourhood), has gradually deteriorated over the years into a wild street party marked by drinking and mass arrests. And now, the alumni seem to be behaving themselves. Back in 2008, the controversy reached such a level that the university canceled the festivities.

Efforts over the past three years by the university, police and local citizens to make the outdoor booze-up less appealing have had little effect. After this year's gathering, the university announced that it would be examining how best to stop the unsanctioned event on Aberdeen Street out of concern for the safety of the 9,000 or some revellers who pack the area. There was also concern about the damage it was doing to the university's reputation.

A local emergency room doctor warned this fall that ”loss of life is inevitable,” unless the tradition was stopped.

Last month, Queen's, known for its strong school spirit and large alumni network, contacted past students to get their feedback on a possible solution to the street party.

”University officials, city leaders, police and the [Alma Mater Society] agree that this event that occurs at the same time as homecoming cannot be permitted to continue,” that message said.

This year police handed out more than 600 fines, mostly for liquor offences and arrested 138 people, about double the number of the previous year. Officials expressed concern that the character of the crowd had changed to include more high school students, older men and fewer people associated with the university.

To be fair, it doesn't help that the student ghetto has been left as a dump by negligent landlords, with the apparent connivance of the city. It also doesn't help that tension between students and townies has been a constant factor. (Hey, a townie even stole my bike! Probably it was tossed into the lake as per tradition.) Still, these riots don't even have the mitigating excuse of being political. It doesn't seem, either, like they're going to die down.

At least I can count on seeing my alma mater in the headlines every September.

[LINK] "Cat Congress Mired In Sunbeam"

One implication of this article is that sunbeams may be as much a threat to cat hegemony as our failure to uplift them.

The current session of the 111th Cat Congress was once again suspended Tuesday following the sudden introduction of a sunbeam onto the Senate floor, a development that has left a majority of transfixed lawmakers unable to move forward.

The ray of sunlight, which first appears in the official record at 11:30 a.m., interrupted debate over S. 391, a proposal to provide underprivileged felines with universal access to scratching posts.

"We've come up against an unforeseen circumstance, but we'll resume deliberation and voting as quickly as is reasonably possible," said majority leader and Budget Committee chaircat Sen. Creamsicle (D-ND), stretching out to his entire length and repeatedly kneading the chamber carpet. "I think I speak for most of my colleagues when I say that, while it is extremely important we continue the legislative work at hand, we must first give this warm and bright beam of light the due consideration it deserves."

"And we should, er, debate this for as long as it takes," added Creamsicle, softly swishing his tail back and forth. "Perhaps all day, if we have to."

A majority of senators seemed to agree with Creamsicle. Eighty-nine of the 100 congresscats present immediately joined the new Sunbeam Investigative Committee, and a number of subcommittees are also reported to have been created, the largest of which has been tasked with determining the value of lazily batting at rising dust motes while half-asleep.

A small minority of feline senators, however, took issue with the procedural delay. Sen. Poppy (D-DE) was especially vocal, claiming that the Senate should ignore the seemingly intractable sunbeam issue and continue with other, more pressing matters.

"This irresponsible stoppage is absolutely unacceptable," Poppy said. "Frivolous distractions like these are robbing our constituents of the soft, cozy shafts of…I mean, the reforms they so desperately need…so desperately need… I yield my remaining time."

Some legislators refused to participate in the debate altogether, most notably Sen. Ruby (R-SC), who spent several hours sitting motionless in front of the northwest wall of the Cat Capitol Building, staring unblinkingly at an unknown object.

The sunbeam marked the fourth event to suspend congressional activity this week. According to sources, other disruptions included a thunderclap on Monday that instantly adjourned proceedings; Wednesday's chaotic introduction of a laser pointer; and the discovery of a large cardboard box in the Capitol Rotunda Thursday that prompted minority whip Sen. Tiddles (R-TN) to call a recess so that he could sit inside of it.

[LINK] "Ottawa moves to reshape the House"

Finally, greater democracy is coming to Canada's parliament.

Democratic Reform Minister Steven Fletcher is in the advanced stages of preparing legislation that would reshape the House of Commons, adding dozens of seats to the three fast-growing provinces that are now seriously underrepresented.

Legislation could be ready this autumn, said a government official speaking on background, or in the new year.

The new seats would most likely be concentrated in the burgeoning suburban and exurban ridings that ring Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. Voters in these ridings – typically younger and multiethnic –would finally wield a political clout that has been denied them in previous elections in favour of voters in mostly white rural ridings.

“We never had a debate and said that new Canadians, visible minorities, people who live in the GTA [greater Toronto], Calgary, Edmonton and the Lower Mainland [of British Columbia], young people, gays and lesbians – that they should all have less representation,” observes Matthew Mendelsohn, director of the Mowat Centre for Policy Innovation, a new Toronto-based think tank that examines the impact of public policy on the province of Ontario. “If we had framed it that way, no Canadian would support it.

[. . .]

Adding so many seats to the Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta totals could transform the political map, potentially putting an end to this decade's chronic run of unstable minority governments.

The Conservatives could be expected to dominate any new Alberta seats, would be favoured in added British Columbia ridings, and would be competitive in many of the new ridings in Ontario, which may be why they are keen on redistribution. Being just 12 seats shy of a majority, they would have the best shot at winning a majority in an enlarged Commons.

Still, the Liberal Party is the party of cities. Apart from their Atlantic redoubt, the party's remaining strength is mostly concentrated in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. The new ridings should offer fertile ground for Liberal victories.

But downtowns and older suburbs, where Liberals tend to dominate, are not the locus of population growth. Cities are growing at their edges, as new suburbs replace farmlands. It is no coincidence that Prime Minister Stephen Harper forsook the United Nations earlier this week for an event at Tim Hortons, or that Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff spent Thursday in Burlington, in the Golden Horseshoe, decrying what he claimed were the inadequacies of the government's stimulus efforts.

[LINK] "Turkey, Armenia to sign landmark deal"

Wonderful, wonderful news.

Turkey and Armenia will sign a landmark deal to establish diplomatic ties next month in Switzerland in a bid to end decades of animosity over World War I massacres, Turkish officials said Sunday.

"The foreign ministers will come together on October 10 and sign the drafted document," Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters, without giving details.

The signing is to take place in Zurich, a government official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Foreign ministers Ahmet Davutoglu of Turkey and Eduard Nalbandian of Armenia will ink two protocols, the texts of which had been agreed earlier and internationally hailed as a major breakthrough, he said.

Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey, whose country acted as a mediator in reconciliation talks between the two neighbours, is also likely to attend the ceremony, he said.

Long estranged by a bloody history, Turkey and Armenia announced last month the talks had resulted in two protocols calling for the establishment of diplomatic ties and re-opening their border.

They also set a timetable for a series of steps to improve ties.

A Swiss foreign ministry official said the signing ceremony "will probably take place in Switzerland," while Armenian officials were not available for comment.