[PHOTO] Looking south, Metcalfe at Winchester

Last Saturday evening, I snapped this picture looking south down Cabbagetown's Metcalfe Street at Winchester, east of Parliament Street. I was standing kitty-corner to the Winchester Street Theatre, also photographed by me that evening.

[BLOG] Some Thursday links

• In a guest post at Charlie Stross' blog, Kari Sperring takes issue with the idea of of a primeval Celtic paradise for women, based purely on myth and imaginings


• blogTO's Chris Bateman explains how different Toronto neighbourhoods--Parkdale, Rosedale, and so on--got their names.


• Eastern Approaches notes the ongoing scandal in Poland over that country's grant of permission to the United States to operate secure prisons on its territory.


• Reflecting on the death of Neil Armstrong, GNXP's Razib Khan wonders if the failure to return to the Moon demonstrates the end of the Whig ideal of inevitable progress.


• Language Hat takes note of research into scribblings of nonsense words on Greek pottery. Might these words be actual words from the languages of the Caucasus? It's a provocative idea.


• Language Log's Victor Mair reports on a Chinese artist's proposal to create new characters. Mair is against the idea entirely, instead favouring a shift to a simpler script.


• Marginal Revolution links to economics research suggesting that, whether in independent countries or American states, capital cities isolated from the populations they govern support high levels of corruption.


• Registan's Casey Michel expects the first-ever state visit of Kazakhstani president Nursultan Nazarbayev to his country's much poorer and smaller southern neighbour of Kyrgyzstan to result in the second country being pressured to adopt the ways of the first.


• Supernova Condensate wants the death of Neil Armstrong to mark the beginning of a second era of ambitious manned space travel and exploration.

[URBAN NOTE] "‘I don’t remember’ 89 times: details of Mayor Rob Ford’s closed-door grilling revealed

The point is fast approaching when Torontonians will find out if the turfing of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford from his office on grounds of conflict of interest violations--one of the more dignified endings imaginable for Ford's career as mayor--will actually happen. The Toronto Star's David Rider reports on the mayor's testimony to date.

Mayor Rob Ford thought he could be in a conflict of interest only if the item he was voting on benefited the city, and had no knowledge of a handbook city staff gave him and other council members that explains conflicts.

That’s according to remarks recorded in a transcript of a closed-door June 27 deposition by lawyer Clayton Ruby, who will give him another grilling — in open court this time — on Wednesday during a three-day conflict of interest hearing.

If the lawsuit launched by resident Paul Magder is successful, Ford would be automatically kicked out of office unless the judge deems his actions inadvertent or an error of judgment, or the sum involved “insignificant.”

Ford also told Ruby he voted to spare himself from paying back donations to his foundation, which gives football equipment to schools, because the foundation is “fantastic” and “saves kids’ lives.” Asked if he regretted his actions for even a moment, Ford replied: “Absolutely not.”

But the mayor was much less emphatic about many other things, including his first vote on the issue, in December 2010, and when it returned to council last February because he had failed to repay, as ordered, $3,150 in improperly solicited donations by lobbyists, their clients and a business.

During the roughly three-hour deposition, Ford replied “I don’t recall,” or “I don’t remember” a total of 89 times, prompting a chiding from Ruby about his “memory problem.”

[. . .]

Ruby took Ford through multiple instances where he declared a conflict of interest on issues involving printing contracts — his family owns a printing firm — and Greensboro Dr., where one of the printing plants is located.

“If staff tells me to declare a conflict, I declare a conflict,” Ford said.

He said it was important he convince council to let him off the hook for the $3,150 repayment.

“Number 1, I think the thing that bothers me is that I had to pay it back personally. It’s not personal money,” he said. “I don’t benefit from this. I don’t make a dime on this. I actually lose money on this” foundation.

“So when (the integrity commissioner) said I have to pay it out of my own pocket, I don’t see why I have to pay it out of my own pocket . . .

“I’m voting because I know my foundation. It’s a fantastic foundation . . . The foundation does great work, saves kids’ lives. That’s exactly why I’m speaking about it, and that’s why I did speak about it.”

The transcript is here.

[URBAN NOTE] One more Rob Ford note

Torontoist's Steve Kupferman just posted a copy of the factum--brief, in the United States and England--presented by Rob Ford's lawyer in his defense. The full factum is viewable here, but Kupferman's four-point summary is below.

The Municipal Conflict of Interest Act and its harsh penalties don’t apply to the case, because Ford was voting on a matter subject to council’s own code of conduct, which derives its authority from a different piece of legislation, the City of Toronto Act.

City council didn’t have the authority to levy the $3,150 fine in the first place, because the code of conduct doesn’t allow them to.

If the judge agrees with neither of those points, then it can at least be said that Ford’s mistake was nothing more than an error of judgment. He has declared conflicts in the past. The complexity of the vote confused him, and he didn’t realize he was in the wrong.

Also, $3,150 is insignificant. Ford would never knowingly have jeopardized his job over such a small amount.

Thoughts?

[BRIEF NOTE] On blaming perpetrators of sexual assault, not the victims

Recently, in response to a series of sexual assaults in The Annex, Krista Ford--niece of the incumbent mayor--tweeted some advice to the women of Toronto.

“Stay alert, walk tall, carry mace, take self-defence classes & don’t dress like a whore. #DontBeAVictim #StreetSmart”

The major problem most people had with this tweet didn't relate to the fact that mace is a prohibited weapon in Canada.

This statement, the latest local installment in a somewhat surprising global discourse on rape, got widely carried by the Toronto media (The Globe and Mail, Torontoist, Toronto Sun, CBC, National Post, Toronto Star). The response of one Alice Moran, originally posted on her Facebook page, got even broader circulation, as it well should have.

Dear a lot of people, but specifically Ms. Krista Ford,

In advance I’d like to say I am sorry. This is not the ideal situation to first acquaint oneself with someone and I am mortified. Sorry! However, under the circumstance, I feel like you owe me a moment of your time, even though we’ve never meet.

The circumstance being you called me a whore.

I should clarify: I’m one of the victims of the recent string of sexual assaults in the Annex. ‘Sup? It’s nice to make you acquaintance.

So, you’ve called me a whore. Here we are. This is awkward now, isn’t it? You’re probably wondering if I’m going to challenge you on having been a member of Lingerie League. I’m not, because I’d never slut-shame another woman. I believe you have a right to your body and regardless of how you do or don’t dress it I believe you have a right to respect and personal security. I guess that’s the key difference in our thinking. You could wear a t-shirt that says “I’m literally asking for it” and I’d still advocate for your security.

That’s what I’m asking for this brief moment of your day, for your edification. You’re a woman and you should know that your body is yours and yours alone. No matter how you dress it, you have a right – an actual Charter of Rights and Freedom right – to not be sexually assaulted. You are entitled to life, liberty and the security of person. Welcome to Canada – you live here! If you weren’t aware of your Charter rights, other Canadian things you may have missed out on are double-doubles, good maple syrup, and Beachcombers*, so check that shit out.

For the record, I was sexually assaulted while wearing a knee-length polka-dot dress. The last time I wore that dress, it was to Easter dinner at my Gran’s, where I’m fairly certain I could make little to no money whoring.

With due repect / sorry,

Alice Moran

Canadian / Comedian / Beachcombers Enthusiast

The conclusion of Torontoist's Natalie Zina Walschots is mine.

Krista Ford has since issued a statement apologizing for her earlier tweet: “I didn’t mean to cause such an alarm and I apologize if I did.I just want women to be safe.” In her statement, Ford goes on to state that she believes that women should avoid dangerous situations (which she identifies as walking alone), should be aware of their surroundings, and should be able to protect themselves (she advocates kickboxing).

While her apology seems genuine, it is clear that Ford is still missing the mark. Dealing effectively with sexual assault requires shifting responsibility from the victims to the perpetrators. It is not someone’s responsibility to carry mace or know how to throw a punch; the onus is on everyone else not to commit assaults. Only by rallying around victims, calling out victim blaming, focusing on punishing those who have committed assault, and improving community engagement and education can we make people safe.

[URBAN NOTE] "Boomtown Toronto: Trinity-Spadina accounts for 26% of recent population growth"

Metro Canada's Matt Elliott has another great Toronto map and demographics post up at his blog, this one taking a look at population growth in different Toronto neighbourhoods (defined by ridings). Trinity-Spadina is booming.

According to recent census figures by Statistics Canada, nearly 30,000 new residents moved into the 18.6 km² area of downtown Toronto between 2006 and 2011, making for a staggering 25.5% increase in population in just five years.To put that into perspective: that means about 3% of the land area in Toronto accounted for more than 26% of the city’s recent population growth.

In 2001, Trinity-Spadina was the third smallest federal riding in Toronto. In 2006, it was the fifth largest. In 2011, it became the biggest. (There was some minor redrawing of the riding’s borders during that time, but the impact on population was pretty minimal.)

These stats really aren’t too surprising when you consider the insane number of cranes that crowd Toronto’s skyline. But the numbers do go a long way toward contextualizing the changing face of our city and the impact of the prolonged condo boom. While Toronto’s suburbs still represent a staid majority, the trend toward downtown living is kind of hard to ignore. People are putting a premium on dense, walkable neighbourhoods like never before.

Most interesting to me is that the epicentre of the condo boom in Trinity-Spadina and Toronto Centre (up 7%) is bordered by neighbourhoods that have seen limited or no population growth. Even Parkdale-High Park and Beaches-East York, which feature to-die-for real estate markets, aren’t showing huge population growth.

It’s no mystery as to why. As prices rise and gentrification gentrifies, multi-unit houses that were once home to large working-class families have been snatched up and renovated for a million-dollar market of smaller families or no-kids couples. At the same time, developers have had a hard time selling new project proposals with residents in these areas—even low- and mid-rise development provoke calamity.

Beyond that, the anemic growth in the city’s northern corners only pours more water on some of the fiery pro-subway arguments made during council’s recent transit debate. Scarborough shows no signs of achieving the levels of growth and density necessary to support something like Mayor Rob Ford’s pet subway project. And while Finch Avenue desperately needs improved transit service, Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti is never going to be able to make a realistic case for a Finch subway.