GO Free, TTC Not Free But Cheaper than Cab Fare

It's official if you haven't already heard. GO Transit is offering free rides after 7pm New Year's Eve. Seems that they have received corporate sponsorship from a US Fortune 500 Bank/Finance company. Looks as though no one wanted to pay party people's way home on the TTC. Rather than stiff taxpayers 3 million dollars the TTC will charge full fare. Sad that no Canadian banks or corporations didn't chip in but such is life.
Have fun Toronto, just leave the driving to your friendly neighbourhood GO Transit, TTC or cab driver.

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Teardown Toronto

It was gritty and pitted, the concrete marked by years of grease and oil. It was a drop of function amid renovated form. It was.

TENILLE BONOGUORE

December 29, 2007

Walking into the neighbourhood coffee house, Tanja-Tiziana Burdi found herself attending both a funeral and a wake.

Across Queen Street West, under a grey late-autumn sky, the claw of a demolition truck hovered over a mass of twisted metal. Wood and rubble peeked above poster-plastered hoardings set up to protect passersby from the worst of the destruction. A discoloured pole held the final sign of what had been: Queen's Car Wash, self serve, open 24 hrs.

Inside the Cinnamon Girls café, heady with caffeine and spice, locals watched the claw's progress. One man joked they should enjoy the sunlight streaming through the window before the planned condo blocked it out. The diners fell silent.

"I think that hit home for a lot of people," Ms. Burdi later said. "More than the idea of just the car wash being gone, it was that idea of the neighbourhood changing forever ... perhaps more for the worse than better."

So the Toronto-based freelance photographer, whose passion is documenting the disappearing city, sat in the window and snapped the demolition, posting the image on http://www.blogTO.com and her own website as a homage to the coin-operated car wash that she never used.

"The wrecking ball does more than wreck structures. Sometimes it wrecks feelings of comfort," says Michael Prokopow, Design Exchange curator, managing director of the Royal Ontario Museum and a lecturer at Ryerson University. "... When something physical has gone, it's tangible evidence of change that can't be controlled."

Change is a staple of Toronto life and it's something the city embraces with zeal, Mr. Prokopow feels, thanks to a leftover 1960s ethos that deemed artifacts of the past ugly. But that change comes at a cost, he says, and it's a cost Toronto has been more willing than many other cities to pay.

This year was no exception.

It opened with the battle for 48 Abell St., the century-old former lamp factory in the Queen West triangle that had been a long-time artists' home and haven.

In January, the Ontario Municipal Board overruled the City of Toronto's planning rules and approved the construction of a 1,500-unit condo development on the site between Queen West, Dovercourt and the railway tracks. Suddenly, it seemed, the city had no control over itself. Council's talk of an appeal was weakened when the city reached a deal with two of the developers, then won a handful of concessions in the third project, including a new theatre, park and artists' studios.

Over on the east side, the Canary served its last breakfast in April. The landmark diner near the Distillery District closed up shop after more than 40 years, surrounded by silent roads and expropriated buildings awaiting redevelopment of the once-thriving area.

Then the city took a full body blow when Sam the Record Man closed in June. Music lovers mourned the iconic Yonge Street store that fell victim to the quickly changing music industry after 46 years of business and two bankruptcies. Ryerson University applied to expropriate the land just two days later and the giant revolving neon albums on the storefront flickered off, giving the street over to the advertising of Dundas Square.

Even the city's history keepers are currently struggling to find a home in the city. The Community History Project, a group dedicated to preserving Toronto's historical record, is facing eviction from the Yonge-Bloor office it has used gratis for the past decade. That building is being torn down to make way for the 80-storey Crystal Blu condo tower, and the CHP - whose provincial grants cover little more than the phone bill - is in crisis mode.

"When something gets demolished, it breaks your heart, because a little piece of you is gone with it," Ms. Burdi says. "The country might see Torontonians as cold concrete-city dwellers, but we really honestly love our city."

With the city in overdrive, University of Toronto architecture professor Larry Richards says, the issue of protecting and maintaining those places becomes increasingly important: Real-estate development, government inattention to heritage and "pockets of downright apathy" could lead to the mindless erasure of cherished elements.

For a city facing Toronto's population growth, though, protecting the past can seem like a quaint but impossible notion. The city plan predicts 2.7 million more people will pour into the Greater Toronto Area by 2031, and each new arrival increases the pressure to provide housing, transit and facilities.

Interestingly, Prof. Richards suspects that those newcomers are among the strongest defenders of the disappearing city. The world is being overrun with generic architecture, he explains. The towers being built here could just as easily be built in Halifax, Vancouver or Chicago as the same bland brush paints the world.

"Whether you come to Toronto from Sao Paolo or Shanghai or Cairo, there is a boredom and skepticism of this near-sameness," he says. Maybe newcomers gravitate to places and things they see as unique to the city, he theorizes. "Maybe it's a way of becoming more Canadian or more Torontonian," he says.

But just because something is old doesn't mean it should be saved, Mr. Prokopow points out. "A lot of things that are old are also bad," he says. "They were cheap when they were made, and they're still cheap and ersatz. [Now] they just have the patina of age."

There are success stories in the city.

In June, local couple Danny and Letty Mullin paid $954,000 to save the Revue Cinema, a cherished, 96-year-old landmark in Roncesvalles Village that was closed and put up for sale last year. It is now back in operation, run by a non-profit community group.

A rare victory against the city was notched up in October, when plans to turn the Matador, a famed west-end after-hours club, into a parking garage were shelved. The Toronto Parking Authority faced high-profile opponents, including author Michael Ondaatje, who said it was crazy and absurd to flatten the club that once played host to Leonard Cohen, Blue Rodeo and Stompin' Tom Connors.

And while Ms. Burdi may feel a pang of worry every time she visits Bloor Cinema - "every time I see a movie ... I feel like it could just be the last" - she was inspired by the redevelopment of the former home of Canada Foundry Co. Ltd. (and, later, General Electric) on Lansdowne into the Foundry Lofts, and decided to buy into the project.

"People do develop special attachments to a place," Prof. Richards says. "It's a layer of attachment over time, not only about how something looks, but also about what's happening socially."

And single elements can be just as powerful as entire city blocks, he says. When asked to name his favourite Toronto spot, he waxes lyrical about a 1960s fountain pool inside the Village Green apartment complex between Maitland and Alexander streets. "It's very quirky and very hard to maintain because it's getting old. It's this great little oasis," he says. " I keep thinking, 'How much longer can this really be there?' It is a 40-year-old oddity. It's a bit of an antique, but it's a real focus for our community."

It's those everyday items - maybe a building, a drinking fountain, a car wash or blue-painted fountain pool - that piece together our feeling of home. The lament for the Queen's Car Wash, Prof. Richards says, "surely signals that, underneath, there are some fairly strong, heartfelt things going on."

Since Ms. Burdi started documenting the city five years ago, producing a book titled Circa: An Urban Retrospect in the process, her awareness of the speed of change has become more acute. Perhaps life moves so quickly, she muses, that people just don't have time to notice these things, so they disappear before anyone can argue.

"If someone out there is pointing it out and making the public that little bit more aware, perhaps we can save a few pieces of history and find some balance between progress and preservation," she says.

As for that car-wash sign still hanging above the now-empty lot on Queen West, a spokeswoman for developer Baywood Homes told The Globe and Mail that the company would be more than happy to discuss plans to preserve or reuse it.

After all, she said, it's part of the neighbourhood.

Affection for special Toronto locations

Larry Richards, architecture and design professor at the University of Toronto, names some of his favourite things:

Honest Ed's "department store," Bathurst and Bloor

Splash pool and fountain at the Village Green apartment complex, Church and Alexandra, 1966 (Jack Daniels, architect)

The Audience sculpture, north face of the Rogers Centre, 1989 (Michael Snow, artist)

Victorian-era Winchester Hotel and its Laurentian Room, Parliament and Winchester, 1888 (Thomas Kennedy, builder)

Bloor Street West Princes' Gates, eastern entrance of the Canadian National Exhibition grounds, 1927 (Chapman and Oxley, architects)

South entrance doorway of the Runnymede Public Library, 2178 Bloor St. W., 1929 (John M. Lyle, architect)

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World Famous Hypnotist Presents Toronto Workshop on the Subconscious

Gifted hypnotist and international speaker Debbie Papadakis, BCH, C.I., will present a workshop in Toronto on January 4th in celebration of World Hypnotism Day.

Hypnotists around the globe will hold events the same day using hypnosis as a practiced approach to treating issues such as addictions, weight loss and insomnia.

"We all have within us the power to live happy and healthy lives," said Debbie Papadakis, award-winning, board certified Master Hypnotist and trainer, featured this year in Oprah's "O" Magazine. "Join me as we explore the subconscious, our innermost fears, deepest beliefs and the part of us that controls our very thoughts and actions."

Called 'Journey to the Subconscious' the workshop will be held at the Latvian Centre, in the Corsa Room, 4 Credit Union Drive, Eglinton Avenue East and Victoria Park, Toronto, January 4 from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. Proceeds will be donated to the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls. The suggested donation is just $20. "Through hypnosis we can tap into a hidden power and dispel fears and limiting beliefs, heal our mind and body and make positive and lasting changes in our lives," said Debbie. Ms. Papadakis is a recipient of multiple awards from the National Guild of Hypnotists, the National Association of Transpersonal Hypnotherapists and is an inductee of the International Hypnosis Hall of Fame.



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NEW YEARS EVE EVENTS ~

Almost every club and restaurant around town has something going on for New Year's Eve. If you haven't already planned where to be when 2008 rolls in, here are some of the events to help you start the night or enjoy the countdown.

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Music

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Brownman Quartet rings in the new year with a night of music from the Duke Ellington/ Billy Strayhorn Songbook. Mon., doors open 6:30 p.m. ($45 at 416-913-8197/$50 at door; dinner packages available). Trane Studio, 964 Bathurst St.

Cuban New Year's Eve at Lula Lounge has an early show with Luis Mario Ochoa and his trio, followed by beginner salsa lessons and two sets with Café Cubano. Mon. from 8 p.m. ($50-$150 per person at www.ticketweb.ca). 1585 Dundas St. W. 416-588-0307.

Bob DeAngelis and His Champagne Symphony pay homage to a swing legend with their concert The Coronation of a King: A Tribute to Benny Goodman. The clarinettist is joined by guests Melissa Stylianou, Frank Wright and the Swing Dance Divas. Mon. 2 p.m. & 7 p.m. ($49-$95 at 416-872-4255). Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St.

New Year's Eve Blues Party at the Silver Dollar Room also helps celebrate the club's 50th anniversary. With The David Rotundo Band, Jerome Godboo, Layla Zoe and Doc MacLean. Mon., doors open 8 p.m. ($35 at www.ticketpro.ca/$40 at door). 486 Spadina Ave. 416-763-9139.

The Sadies ring in the new year with two sets Mon. 11:30 p.m. & 1:15 a.m. ($20 at Rotate This, Soundscapes & Ticketmaster). Horseshoe Tavern, 370 Queen St. W.

Toronto Operetta Theatre starts their performances of Lehar's The Count of Luxembourg on Dec. 28, but the annual New Year's Eve Celebration features a pre-theatre sit down dinner at the Hot House Café, the performance and the evening wraps up with dancing and champagne at midnight ($145 for dinner & dancing, $39 & up for performance). Tickets & info at 416-366-7723. St. Lawrence Centre, 27 Front St. E.

Unforgettable... New Year's Eve Celebration spotlights the hits of Nat "King" Cole and other musical superstars like Louis Armstrong, Stevie Wonder, Johnny Mathis, Diana Ross, Tina Turner and others. Rudy Mayes headlines the show along with Selena Gittens and others. Mon. 10 p.m., champagne reception 9 p.m. ($69 at 905-305-7469). Markham Theatre, 171 Town Centre Blvd.

Chris Whiteley's New Year's Show has John Sheard, Jessie Whiteley, Buck Berger, Victor Bateman and Drew Jurecka joining the multitalented man. Mon. 7 p.m. (dinner/show $110 per person at 416-531-6604). Hugh's Room, 2261 Dundas St. W.

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Comedy

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The Laugh Resort rings in the new year with headliner Debra DiGiovanni, MC Simon Rakoff, Fraser Young and Richard Ryder. Mon. 9 p.m. ($30). Holiday Inn, 370 King St. W. 416-364-5233 or www.laughresort.com

Yuk Yuk's Downtown offers laughs with Chuck Bryn, Terry Clement, Ian Sirota and Ian Peet, Mon. 10 p.m. 224 Richmond St. W.

The Mississauga location has Tim Nutt, Mike Cliff and Kate Davis performing Mon. 10 p.m. 5165 Dixie Rd. (dinner/show $85; show only $50 for both locations). Info/reservations at 416-967-6425 or www.yukyuks.com

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Cabarets

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The Drake Hotel celebrates with a 'Round Midnight Cabaret, featuring burlesque from Mina Lafleur and Coco LaCreme, contortionist Aidan Orange, some Latin jazz by Broadbelt Guitar Duo and New Orleans jazz with Lil Blue Devisl. Andrew Johnson emcees the night, which also has a live funk band and DJ. Mon. Packages range from $125-$225 per person; more info at www.thedrakehotel.ca. 1150 Queen St. W.


Raunch N Roll New Year has Skin Tight Outta Sight Rebel Burlesque features saucy guests like Diamondback Annie, Majenta Butterfly, "horrorbilly" rockers The Creepshow, Honey B. Hind, Venus Lakes, Cooter Nipplestein and others. Needless to say, this one's for adults only! Mon. 9 p.m. ($30 at Nearly Naked and Rotate This/$40 at the door). The Gladstone Ballroom, 1214 Queen St. W.

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Family Friendly

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Nathan Phillips Square is home to the biggest outdoor party in the city. Hosted by several Citytv personalities, musical guests for the night include Plain White T's, Roz Bell, Jdiggz, the cast of We Will Rock You, Samba Squad, Sky Sweetnam, The Midway State, Grand:PM and Carried Away. The pre-show starts at 8 p.m., performances start at 9 p.m. and the televised portion starts at 11 p.m. Queen St. W & Bay St. Info: www.citytv.com/toronto


Toronto Zoo holds its 5th annual New Year's Eve Family Countdown with music, entertainment, animal visitors and more, with an early countdown especially for the little ones. Guests include Dan the Music Man, Majinx, Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends and more. Mon. 6 p.m.-9 p.m. ($10/$7/$6). Tickets/info at www.torontozoo.com. Hwy 401 & Meadowvale Rd.

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More Parties & Events

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Rosewater Supper Club has a dinner and show with Rick Sonata performing "Absolutely Sinatra" Mon. ($160 per person, show only $75). Tickets at 416-870-8000. 19 Toronto St.


Stepping Out New Years Eve gala presented by Up From the Roots features Dwayne Morgan, Jay Martin, Trixx and special guest Teedra Moses. Mon. (show & party $50, dinner $70). 6 Degrees, 2335 Yonge St. Info: info@upfromtheroots.ca

Swing Toronto holds a New Year's Eve Swing Ball with the Downtown Swing Quartet. Mon. 9:15 p.m.-6 a.m.; beginner Lindy Hop lessons at 8 p.m. ($40). Dovercourt House, 805 Dovercourt Rd.

416-537-3337 or www.swingtoronto.com

For the Singles Ultimate Singles New Year's Eve House Party has the usual party favourites plus Texas Hold 'Em and Blackjack tables. Mon. 8 p.m. in the Yonge & Eglinton area ($90; exact location given upon reservation). Sign up at 905-842-2822 or www.25dates.com

Singles New Year's Eve Gala, Mon. 8 p.m. ($90-$100 at 416-203-3434). Palais Royale, 1601 Lakeshore Blvd. W. www.meetmarketadventures.com

New Year's Eve Masquerade Ball with live music and other entertainment. Mon. 7 p.m. (tickets/info at 905-833-4500). Eaton Hall Inn & Conference Centre, 13990 Dufferin St. King City.

The Mix Community Club has a New Year's Eve Party and Dance, Mon. 8 p.m. ($25, must reserve at 416-439-8813). 27 Griselda Cres.

Oscar Peterson, who once said playing piano gave him 'extreme joy,' dead at 82

TORONTO - Jazz pianist Oscar Peterson, whose flying fingers mesmerized audiences around the world - from dance halls in 1940s Montreal to the lights of Carnegie Hall and beyond - has died at age 82.

He played alongside the giants of jazz: Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Charlie Parker, Roy Eldridge, Nat King Cole, Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington, who once called Peterson the "Maharajah of the keyboard."

"Until the end, Oscar Peterson could tour the world and fill concert halls everywhere," said Andre Menard, artistic director and co-founder of the Montreal International Jazz Festival.

"This is something that never diminished. His drawing power, his mystique as a musician, was so big that he remained at the top of his game until the end ... Oscar Peterson has been the musician every musician in the world can look up to and aspire to."

Word of Peterson's death at his home in Mississauga, Ont., set off a torrent of international tributes, including a statement from French president Nicolas Sarkozy, who said "one of the bright lights of jazz has gone out."

"He was a regular on the French stage, where the public adored his luminous style," Sarkozy added. "It is a great loss for us."

Heritage Minister Josee Verner called Peterson a great Canadian and a beloved citizen of the world.

"His musical legacy will live on, as will his generous spirit in the hearts of those who knew and loved him," she said in a statement.
Former prime minister Jean Chretien reminisced Monday about the display of mutual admiration that unfolded when he invited Peterson to a 2001 ceremony honouring South African leader Nelson Mandela.

Chretien had been a fan and friend of Peterson's for decades, and says he had already offered to make him Ontario's lieutenant-governor after he took office in 1993.
He said Peterson declined for health reasons.

Years later Chretien brought Peterson to an Ottawa event where Mandela was named an honourary Canadian citizen.
During a private meeting, Chretien recalled, the revolutionary political figure glowed upon meeting the great pianist.

"It was very emotional," Chretien said.
"They were both moved to meet each other. These were two men with humble beginnings who rose to very illustrious levels."

Known for the propulsive swing of his music as well as his astounding technical virtuosity, the Montreal-born Peterson visited almost every major concert hall around the globe, recording some of the country's most distinctive music including "Canadiana Suite" and "Hymn to Freedom."

"He just drove the whole bus," Senator Tommy Banks, also a pianist, said Monday in Edmonton.
For the master himself, playing piano was an "extreme joy" that he couldn't articulate.
"I can only transmit it through the playing; I can't put it into words," Peterson said in a 1996 interview.

When describing how Peterson's music made her feel, the late Fitzgerald once said: "It makes you want to sing."

Throughout his career, Peterson was showered with accolades. He collected eight Grammys, including a lifetime achievement award in 1997, hundreds of prizes from the jazz community, the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for lifetime achievement and was a Companion of the Order of Canada. In 2005 Canada Post marked his contribution to music with a 50-cent stamp.

He was set to be honoured again next month in Toronto.
Peterson was frequently invited to perform for various luminaries including the Queen and U.S. President Richard Nixon.

"The piano is like an extension of his own physical being," composer Phil Nimmons, who helped create "Canadiana Suite," said in 1975 of his longtime friend.
"I'm amazed at the speed of his creativity. I am not talking about mere technical capabilities, although his are awesome. I'm speaking of the times when you find him under optimum conditions of creativity. His mind can move as quickly as his fingers and that is what is so astounding."

Peterson began playing the piano and trumpet as a young boy under the stern tutelage of his father, Daniel Peterson, a West Indian immigrant who worked as a railway porter.
He continued with his piano studies under the watch of his older sister Daisy after tuberculosis damaged his lungs at age six.

At 14, Peterson earned his first break, winning the CBC's national amateur contest (and $250). With his father's permission, Peterson dropped out of school to focus on his budding career.
As the only black member of a dance band, he was frequently subjected to the racism of the day. Peterson spent a great deal of his life acting as a spokesman for minority rights, drawing on his experiences growing up St. Antoine district of Montreal.

International exposure came in 1948 when Norman Granz, producer of Jazz at the Philharmonic, heard Peterson on Montreal radio and later invited the 24-year-old to New York to play as a surprise guest at Carnegie Hall. After the performance, the young talent joined the troupe and toured North America with them for two years.

Peterson, whose career was managed by Granz for over 30 years, formed a trio in 1951 with Ray Brown on bass and Charlie Smith on drums and continued playing with the prestigious group.

His most famous threesome - from 1953 to 1958 - was with guitarist Herb Ellis and bassist Ray Brown who were often cited as one of the world's finest jazz combos.
"You saw the greatness immediately," Ellis once said of Peterson. "He was awesome right away - always."

Ellis left the Peterson trio in 1958 and was replaced by drummer Ed Thigpen. That trio lasted for seven years.

Although Peterson was one of Canada's leading artistic exports, he was frequently mistaken as an American because of his Jazz at the Philharmonic performances.

"I've achieved a funny kind of status in Canada," he once said. "Most of it comes because I went to the United States and other places, and as a result of Canadians having seen me repeatedly on the television shows of people like Johnny Carson, Merv Griffin . . . I think that has weighed heavily with Canadians."

But he loved his home country and had lived in Mississauga since the late 1950s.
On a personal level, he was remembered as a low-key guy with a wonderful sense of humour.
"They named a school after him, he used to drop in unexpectedly to visit the school, that's the kind of person he was, very down to earth," Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion said in an interview. "You didn't realize you were in the presence of a world famous jazz player."
Added Menard: "He was a really straightforward man. Lots of integrity. Whatever he promised, he would deliver."

Peterson was also well known for his kindness towards young artists, having tutored many an aspiring pianist.

Diana Krall credits Peterson for prompting her to pursue a musical career after catching one of his concerts as a young girl.

"You inspire me to no end every day," she told him in 2005 during a ceremony unveiling a Canada Post stamp in his honour.

In his efforts to coach youth, Peterson helped open Toronto's Advanced School of Contemporary Music in 1960 only to see his beloved project fail due to financial difficulties three years later. He didn't give up, serving as an adjunct music professor at York University in the mid-1980s and as its chancellor in the early 1990s.

Arthritis became a problem for the charming musician in the 1980s, causing him some pain in his hands and difficulty in walking yet he never seemed to slow down.
In 1993, at 68, he suffered a stroke which incapacitated his left hand. Peterson recovered and resumed performing two years later.

He then released "A Summer Night in Munich," a live recording of old and new material; an instructional CD-ROM; and "Trail of Dreams," a musical portrait of Canada commemorating the Trans Canada Trail.

"Age doesn't seem to enter into my thought to that great an extent," he said in 2001. "I just figure that the love I have of the instrument and my group and the medium itself works as a sort of a rejuvenating factor for me."

A spokesperson at a Mississauga, Ont., funeral home said Monday that a service for the pianist would be private.

McCallion said the cause of death was kidney failure.

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