http://www.facebook.com/bloordaletimesAPRIL 2014 VOLUME 2 ISSUE 3

Neighbourhood news worth repeating

BY KHRIS REARDONkhristopher.reardon@gmail.com

Residents are upset about the smell emanating from the Nitta Gelatin manufacturing plant lo-cated at 60 Paton Rd.. The noxious odour coming from the plant has caused issue with residents close to the plant who feel the odour has impacted their living environment.

“If you have company, it’s embar-rassing. Especially in the summer if you have people over,” said Whit-ney Miller, a mother who lives only

about 300 meters away from Nitta Gelatin’s property.

She said she’s hoping to ring in her birthday at the end of June with a barbeque but realizes that’s unre-alistic given the circumstances.

“You know sometime you’re sit-ting out on the back deck in the yard and you will have to go inside.”

Miller said she moved into the neighborhood in 2003 when the odour was bad but for awhile the noxious odour went away only to return sometime late 2012.

“It’s a bad smell, it’s not some-thing you get used to,” she said. “I

lived on an island once in Holland for six months and there was the smell of sheep manure, and in the beginning it bothered you and then you get used to it. It’s not like that, it’s not that kind of smell.”

More recently, the public has been vocal with their public of-ficials on the matter, trying to get the company to quell the odour. Miller said she has sent a number of letters and emails on the subject despite saying she’s not the most active person ever.

The Nitta Gelatin plant in To-ronto uses processes on pork skins to extract gelatin liquor that is then turned into a gelatin powder that goes into products like gummy bears or even soft gel capsules.

“We have submitted an action plan to the Ministry of The Envi-ronment and have begun work that will ensure we properly treat the odiferous vapours before they are discharged to the atmosphere,” said Steve Boudreau, General Manager at the processing plant in an email.

“Although some of the odours emanating from our facility can be unpleasant, none of these contain harmful or poisonous compounds.”

Nitta Gelatin has already tried to lessen the odour but to ill effect.

“I don’t know if they can mitigate this, I’d be interested to know if they can do anything. Because ap-parently they installed these filters that were going to work but they didn’t do anything. Zero effect,” said Miller.

Such concerns over smell might be a sign of the times for the area’s industrial sector as it’s seen many drastic changes.

“Since this area was rezoned from industrial to residential sev-eral years ago, we have certainly seen an increased concern over odour and noise issues, but we have adapted by spending significant sums of money to rectify these,” said Boudreau.

see NEW PARK page 3

INSIDEDUWEST PARKETTES WINSNATIONAL DESIGN AWARD

Canadian Society of Landscape Architects hands out the award

Page 2

LOCAL TEA SHOP ENGAGES COMMUNITY

Several community events now open for the public to enjoy

Page 10

FRENCH IMMERSION TO LAND IN PERTH JR PS

Twenty-five students are signed up for the 2014 school year

Page 3

NEW PARK TO OPEN SOUTH OF

BLOORDALEBY AINSLEY SMITHainsleysmith_10@hotmail.com

On March 26, a community meeting revealed plans for a brand new park to be opened just south of Bloordale’s borders in Septem-ber 2015.

Ward 18 Councillor Ana Bailão, who hosted the meeting, said that the park is an exciting new oppor-tunity for the community and that she wants the entire process of the park development to involve com-munity input.

Since Bailão was awarded office in 2010, she has been responsible for the upgrading and re-opening of five community parks - the aforementioned new park, which will eventually land just off the Dufferin and Peel streets, will be number six.

“I get involved in all of the big projects in the area. I get involved with all of the community presen-tations, and I go to all the meetings regarding the development of all Ward 18 parks,” Bailão said.

The park will be roughly 3,000 meters in diameter, with park...

TORONTO GELATIN PLANT EMITS CAUSE FOR CONCERN

TIMES

THE

BLOORDALEB

see GELATIN page 2

02

News

The Bloordale Times April 2014

BY DILARA KURTARANdilara-kurtaran@hotmail.com

Dundas St. W. Parkettes have been awarded the National Hon-our Award by Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA).

Fung Lee, a local designer from PMA Landscape Architects, the company responsible for the par-kette designs, said that people re-ally love the award winning pub-lic spaces.

“It was really thrilling to get a National award,” said Lee.

The project started out as a sidewalk repair endeavor, but eventually the once mundane land was developed into usable public spaces.

“The city has become denser; we need to maximize our pub-lic spaces,” said Lee. “The com-munity also has a large elderly population and quite often they sit there and watch people.”

The judging took place in Feb-ruary and they announced the

winners on March 4. Designs were judged by five criteria, which included demonstrations of social awareness, innovation in concept, project management and design comprehen-sion.

“The society is the voice of the profession in Cana-da,” said Michelle Legault, CSLA Executive Director. “The winning projects all demonstrate a high degree of both technical knowl-edge and creativity and how landscape architects have a positive impact on communities and on our everyday lives.”

The project will also resonate with a growing DuWest neighbourhood. DuWest, found on Dun-das St. W. between Lans-downe and Rusholme Rd., is undergoing a significant transformation thanks to the DuWest BIA commit-

tee. These new award-winning parks will only help the cause, said BIA coordinator Helder Ra-mos.

“It was created for people to

linger because in Dundas we don’t have any public places, there are a few benches that the city has installed but there is no place for people to stop and go

back,” said Ramos.The awards will be presented at

a gala during the CSLA Congress to be held at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa on May 31.

DUNDAS WEST PARKETTES RECOGNIZED FOR NATIONAL DESIGN AWARD

(top and bottom) The DuWest parkettes feature modern looking benches among flashes of green space. Photo courtesy CSLA Executive director Michelle Legault

“We want to keep working together with our local environmental agencies and appreciate the neighbourhood’s coop-eration in helping us resolve these issues.”

A community update meeting to discuss some of the measures of Nitta Gelatin’s op-erations was scheduled for mid-March at the Davenport Perth Neighbourhood Community Health Centre but has since been rescheduled for April 14. The meet-ing will have members from Nitta Gelatin and the Ministry of the Environment ad-dressing the public.

“I would like them to be able to continue to operate there,” said Miller. “But I want to make sure that they are doing every-thing possible.”

Ana Bailão, Councillor for Ward 18, has been working with both Nitta Gelatin and

the Ministry of the Environment in order to address the public about any concerns they may have. She said she’s experienced the smell coming from the plant while canvassing the area.

At the upcoming meeting, the pub-lic will be updated on what actions Nitta Gelatin has taken to abate the bad smell coming from the plant. Bailão said she’s concerned that the measures put in place right now aren’t enough.

“The Ministry of the Environment asked the gelatin factory to have some measures taken, to have a plan of action,” said Bailão. “We’re going to go over that to see if it’s been effective or not, because at the beginning, [I] still had concerns with it. Even the Ministry of the Environment had concerns so now we’re going to go over that plan with the residents.”

“We need to make sure the mechanisms are in place to protect everybody.”

GELATIN from page 1

The demand for French Immer-sion programs have increased in Bloordale over the past few years and as a result, Perth Avenue Ju-nior Public School (Perth PS) will be introducing the long called for program into their kindergarten classes starting this fall season.

After a three-year stretch of parental inquiries and concerns, officials involved with Perth PS have finally made the decision to bring french immersion into their school after 25 students signed up.

The process began in the sum-mer of 2009 when roughly 50 parents lobbied for a French es-tablishment close to their chil-dren. At that time, students were transferred to a program either at Regal Road Junior Public School or the Rawlinson Community School, schools both of which outside of Ward 18.

The lack of classroom space and unfeasible transportation accommodations within both

schools called for a change in the neighbourhood. Toronto District School Board trustee Maria Rodrigues met with Perth PS staff members along with parents to start the pro-cess.

“We are happy to be meeting the needs of our students,” said Rodrigues who added that Dav-enport now boasts a measure of three french immersion schools within a 10 km radius.

According to Perth PS princi-pal Janice Robinson, the school will start french immersion for junior-kindergarten students exclusively, but she said she looks forward to expanding the program as time moves along.

“That’s the plan,” said Robin-son. “The following year we will have grades one and senior-kindergarten, we will accumu-late from there.”

03

News

The Bloordale Times April 2014

PERTH JR PS TO HOLD FRENCH IMMERSION PROGRAM THIS FALLBY VIKTORIA SCIACCAviktoria_sciacca@hotmail.com

After years of lobbying, local parents seeking French Immersion at Perth PS will get their wish next school year. Photo by Viktoria Sciacca

...frontage facing both Dufferin and Peel streets

The developers working with Bailão are planning on including multiple park en-trance locations and bicycle access.

The design process for the upcoming park will rely heavily on community de-velopment workshops, which will allow local residents to work with Bailão and her development team. The workshops will allow residents to help shape the vi-sion for the park— from seating, lighting, planting, paving, and even park usage.

Bailão said she prefers including the community as much as possible because it allows people who are passionate about their neighbourhood to get involved and voice their opinion.

Garth Good, who is one of the devel-opers on the project said that developing a space that is both personal and social is

very important.“We need to create a flexible usage

space for all residents living in the area, as well as non-residents. The space needs to be versatile as this neighbourhood is very transitional and constantly developing,” said Good.

The Dufferin and Peel community is very diverse as it attracts singles, couples, young families and even older residents, some whom have been apart of the neigh-bourhood for over 40 years.

“I think being apart of an area that is getting a lot of development means hav-ing public spaces, especially green spaces. We want to make sure that we build them to accommodate the new communities, but to also to improve the lives of the community members that have been here for many years,” said Bailão.

The estimated budget for the park is $2 million dollars, and any money left over will go toward creating artist develop-ment spaces.

NEW PARK from page 1

Councillor Bailão sits among residents to help with the park’s planning process. Photo by Ainsley Smith

The Grand Budapest Hotel is the zenith of Wes Anderson’s imagi-nation, wit, and talent. If you are not a Wes Anderson, fan don’t fret, you simply won’t be able to resist this vivaciously vivid, lyri-cally lucid and intertwined tale of

majestic magnitude. In what can only be called a masterpiece, An-derson builds off the momentum of his Oscar Nominated Screen-play, Moonrise Kingdom, in this epic pre-war, intelligently hilari-ous and mesmerizing story that revolves around the adventures of Concierge Extraordinaire Gustave H. (Ralph Fiennes). One

can’t help but dream about visit-ing the fictional Grand Budapest Hotel that teeters magically in a glowing powder pink puff on top of a mountain.

For all you naysayers out there who find Anderson’s films too extraordinarily fictional that tend to dip more than a toe into fantasy, I remind you of the role

that motion pictures are sup-posed to play in the lives of ev-eryday people: as a means of es-capism; escape from stress, bills and hardship; a way to recharge the brain and soul while igniting the imagination. This is exactly what The Grand Budapest Hotel serves up on a silver platter to adventurous movie-goers look-ing to be entertained and wowed with their eyes as well as their minds.

And for you die-hard Wes An-derson fans, you will undoubted-ly be rewarded for your longtime loyalty, and will find yourself having to restructure your list of favourite Wes Anderson films. Yes, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman are all in the film as per their blood pact with Anderson, but only as bit players in a grander web magnif-icently woven by Ralph Fiennes and a cast of gifted character/ big-name actors, that everyone recognizes by face and are still unable to recall by name.

Here is the list of extraordinary talent that resides in and around the hotel:

F. Murray Abraham - Amade-us, Scarface (Oscar Winner)

Adrien Brody -The Pianist, The Brothers Bloom, The Dar-jeeling Limited (Oscar Winner)

Willem Dafoe -The Boondock Saints, Platoon, The Last Temp-tation of Christ (Oscar Nomi-nated)

Jeff Goldblum -The Life Aquat-ic with Steve Zissou, The Fly, Ju-rassic Park (Oscar Nominated)

Harvey Keitel - Moonrise Kingdom, Mean Streets, Smoke (Oscar Nominated)

Jude Law - The Talented Mr.

Ripley, Sherlock Holmes Films (2-Time Oscar Nominated)

Edward Norton - Moonrise Kingdom, Fight Club, American History X, Primal Fear (2-Time Oscar Nominated)

Saoirse Ronan - Hannah, The Lovely Bones, Atonement, The Host (Oscar Nominated)

Léa Seydoux - Blue Is The Warmest Color, Midnight in Par-is, M.I.-Ghost Protocal

Tilda Swinton - Michael Clay-ton, We Need To Talk About Kev-in (Oscar Winner)

Tom Wilkinson - RocknRolla, Michael Clayton, Batman Begins, The Full Monty (2-Time Oscar Nominated)

Bob Balaban - NBC Executive, Seinfeld

Then there is Tony Revolori, in his first major motion picture leading role, who has the unbe-lieveable task of shadowing ef-fervescent and charming Ralph Fiennes throughout the film, as his lowly Lobby Boy. Revolori proves his worth as the innocent, naïve and worldly Zero.

The Grand Budapest Hotel is a film for everyone alike. Se-niors, teenagers, first dates, solo movie-goers; essentially anyone looking to watch an extraordi-nary film. I can already guar-antee that The Grand Budapest Hotel is going to be one of my top 10 films of 2014. Yes, I know it’s only the first quarter, but it doesn’t matter, for great screen-writing is hard to come by in an action driven film industry that would rather follow a money making formula than take a risk on intelligent and original film-making.

Overall Grade: 5 out of 5

04

Feature

The Bloordale Times April 2014

Http://www.facebook.com/bloordaletimes

1139 College St. Toronto, ON. M6H 1B5 | Facebook.com/BloordaleTimes General Info/ Advertising: 647-961-4516, thebloordaletimes@gmail.com twitter@bloordaletimes

*EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/ART....Justin Millerson*ASSOCIATE EDITOR....Melissa Millerson*COPY EDITORS....Rob Lamberti, Gopi Bezzala*ADVERTISING....Justin Millerson*CONTRIBUTORS.... Dilara Kurtaran, Julianne Fox, Ainsley Smith, Jamie Baggs,

Khristopher Reardon, Chelsea Howard, Viktoria Sciacca

**The Bloordale Times is published monthly and distibuted within Ward 18’s boundaries and neighbouring areas. 10,000 copies are de-livered door-to-door, to local businesses and areas of interest. Call or email us with your story ideas or to inquire about our advertising rates**

THE

TIMESBLOORDALEB

FILM BUFF PRAISES WES ANDERSON’S LATEST FILM ‘THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL’ BY JESSICA BERRYmyyearatthemovietheatre.tumblr.com

Local resident Jessica Berry completed an improbable challenge that saw her watch 365 films in 2013. The project inspired a monthly film review here in the Bloordale Times. Photo by Justin Millerson

MPP JONAH SCHEIN416-535-3158

We know that young people in Ontario are feeling squeezed. They pay the highest university and college fees in the country, and graduate only to find that youth unemployment is more than double the provin-cial average. Students graduate to find a very challenging job market in Ontario, where half of all jobs in the GTA are classified as precarious jobs. Often these are contract jobs with no benefits, no holiday pay and no security.

And that’s if you’re lucky enough to get a paying job. Increasingly, we’re seeing that a lot of the entry-level jobs that used to exist for young workers have been replaced with unpaid internships.

Unpaid internships are a growing concern for young Ontarians and it has been the focus of many media stories recently. Most people in Ontario have either worked an unpaid internship or know someone

who has. Internships can offer valuable training opportunities for young people to help them gain the skills and experience they need to enter the workforce, but far too often we see that the internship system doesn’t work as it should.

People deserve real training opportunities in their internships and proper compensation for their work. A legal internship is not free labour for an employer. It should not replace a paying job. Internships are intended to be training experiences for a young worker. With the risk of being blacklisted by employ-ers, however, most workers are reluctant to speak up if they’re not getting the training they were expecting.

My colleague Andrew Cash and I are working to protect urban workers, especially young workers, and we know that as legislators we must address this situation.

Working to create more secure, well-paying jobs is a necessary part of the solution, but we also need to make sure that the internship system is working properly. That’s why I introduced Bill 170 this past March, and why Andrew has also introduced legislation at the federal level that would protect unpaid interns.

My bill provides greater protections to interns and vulnerable workers and raises awareness about what an internship should involve. It entitles interns to basic rights under the Employment Standards Act, like a regular work day, eating periods and holidays. It also gives them protection from reprisal, the right to file a complaint with the Ministry of Labour and to request a review by the Board.

Bill 170 helps clarify the conditions of a legal internship for employees and employers alike. It requires the Ministry of Labour to establish an anonymous, third party complaint system; to collect data on un-paid internships; and to create an intern bill of rights poster that employers would be required to post in all workplaces.

Too many young workers are being left behind. We need concrete action to enforce the law and pro-tect young workers. Bill 170 provides concrete, achievable ways we can start to address this issue in our province. I firmly believe that this is a good step in protecting interns across the province, and I’m proud to have the support of Students Against Unpaid Internship Scams on this bill.

If this issue is important to you, please sign the petition on my website at jonahscheinmpp.ca; call my office at 416 535 3158; or email me at jschein-co@ndp.on.ca.

COUNCILLOR ANA BAILÃO 416-392-7012

Ward 18 residents, and especially those near the intersection of Bloor and Dufferin Streets, may be aware that the TDSB is currently in the pro-cess of selling 7.3 acres of land that would include Kent School and Bloor Collegiate Institute. This is the latest stage in a long process and I wanted to ensure that you are informed and engaged.

The Bloor-Dufferin School Lands were declared surplus on December 19th, 2013 and the closing date for

Expressions of Interest from public agencies is April 18th, 2014. How-ever, the TDSB has been looking at the possibility of big changes to this site since 2004. This process became much more intensive early in my term as Councillor, after the TDSB wrapped up its Accommodation Re-view Committee (ARC), which was an effort to ensure that student needs could be met before looking at dis-posal of the property.

The next stage was the TDSB’s Local School Community Design Team, which began early in 2012. The design team recommended that the TDSB move students into Brock-ton School, settled on a set of design principles and sketched out a site plan. There was a year delay between the time the Local School Commu-nity Design Team finished its plan and the time the TDSB was able to declare these properties surplus. This left many residents wondering what was going to happen to the Bloor-Dufferin School Lands.

At the TDSB’s meeting in Novem-ber 2013, the public was informed that The Bloor-Dufferin School Lands were to be declared surplus and put up for sale. After the formal declaration of surplus, the Toronto Lands Company (acting on behalf of the Toronto District School Board) issued a circulation notice. Upon re-ceiving notice of this proposal, I im-mediately coordinated City divisions to determine available resources toward purchasing the site. These efforts resulted in a letter from the City’s Real Estate Services Division on March 4th, where formal interest was expressed on behalf of our Parks, Forestry & Recreation and Economic Development & Culture Divisions.

The Toronto Lands Corporation’s response letter stated that the School Board and the Toronto Lands Corpo-ration are unwilling to entertain any bid for less than the entire 7.3 acre site. It was impossible for the City of Toronto to obtain necessary fund-ing approval to submit an offer for

the entire property by the deadline; however, I believe there is tremen-dous shared interest in bringing all partners together to make the most of this irreplaceable community op-portunity; in particular, to discuss the size and orientation of park lands, the possibility of cultural and social service agencies finding space within existing or modified buildings and the density of development which is permitted on site are of critical im-portance for our community. For this reason, I contacted TDSB Trustee Maria Rodrigues and worked with her to arrange a meeting with To-ronto Lands Corporation CEO Daryl Sage.

Discussion between the City of Toronto and TDSB/Toronto Lands Corporation took a big step forward on April 4th when we met at City Hall to discuss how we might work together to ensure public benefit in case the site ends up being offered for sale on the open market. I clearly ex-pressed that what is eventually built at

the corner of Bloor and Dufferin will significantly impact the daily lives of area residents and TDSB students for generations to come. Therefore, we have a unique opportunity in guiding development outcomes early in this bidding process. This landmark site holds potential to become a shining example of city-building partnership between the City, the School Board and local organizations. For these reasons, I will continue dialogue with these agencies and with our commu-nity as this process continues.

It is possible that another school board will buy the site and it will never go to the open market. It is also possible that no public agency will be able to offer the fair market value for the entire 7.3 acre site and it will be offered to private developers. In any case, I am committed to ensuring that the next stages of this process are community oriented, consultative and coordinated. I will not allow this important opportunity to be missed by our community or our city.

MP ANDREW CASH 416-654-8048

Last month I wrote in this space about the devastating cuts that the Harper Conserva-tives are making to Canada Post, which will result in the loss of 8,000 jobs and the elimination of door-to-door mail delivery in our neighbourhood. These cuts will see our current home delivery replaced with so-called “community mailboxes” installed on street corners throughout Davenport.

Since I wrote last month, the community opposition to this plan has only intensified. I have heard from many of you about your serious concerns about these cuts.

It’s time for us to send a message to Ste-phen Harper that these cuts are unaccept-able to the people of Davenport. On April 26 I will be hosting a Day of Action against

the cuts to Canada Post. Concerned residents and I will be out on the streets, knocking on doors and talking to our neighbours about the cuts and how they will affect our community.

I’d love to have you join me. If you’re interested in participating or helping out, please con-tact my office at 416-654-8048 or andrew.cash@parl.gc.ca. Don’t forget to sign the petition opposing the cuts at http://petition.ndp.ca/stop-the-cuts-to-our-postal-service!

You may also have heard about their proposed changes to our electoral system through the so-called “Fair Elections Act”. Careful reading of their changes shows that it’s actually an “Unfair Elections Act”!

The Government is planning reforms that would unfairly tilt the playing field in their fa-vour. They plan to up the donation limit to allow their wealthy friends to contribute more to their campaigns. They plan to allow unlimited spending on robo-calls to donors. The worst part is that they plan to strip the right to vote from hundreds of thousands of Canadians by eliminating the ability to vouch for your neighbours.

So many people in our neighbourhood would be affected by this, especially young people and new Canadians, because they don’t have the right ID. In an urban community like ours, many people take the TTC and don’t have a driver’s license, or bank online and don’t have utility bills mailed to them. These people would fail the new ID requirements and wouldn’t be able to vote. They would need a neighbour or roommate to vouch for them, and that abil-ity might be taken away.

The facts are clear: the Unfair Elections Act would rob Canadians of their democratic right to vote and it needs to be killed.

If you’d like to share your thoughts on this or any other issue, please get in touch with my office.

05

Letters from your political representatives

The Bloordale Times April 2014

The very southeast corner of Bloordale is now home to a natu-ral health dispensary named An-arres Natural Health (749 Dover-court Rd.).

Shop owner and operator Trac-ey Tief, in an effort to continue a family tradition, opened the new retail location roughly a month ago after running the business out of her home for nearly a decade.

Her new shop offers an array of services, many of which are meant to augment the mind, body and soul. Medicines of all natural ingredients, workshops, consulta-tion and natural perfumes are just a few of the many products and services Tief offers to her patrons.

“I have clients who go from buying products, to learning how to make their own products, at which point they can buy ingredi-ents from here,” says Tief, whose

mother and grandmother had also worked as health practitio-ners.

The shops namesake, Tief said, is derived from a book which sheds light on the very service she provides. Ursula K. LeGuin’s The Dispossessed features an anarchist society which lives on a planet called Anarres. People of Anarres defy a neighbouring planet called Urras which deters freedom of all expression, includ-ing the passing of gifts and infor-mation.

“In [the] book, the struggle for the people is to offer their gifts to society,” says Tief.

Tief said, by opening this shop to public, she gets to offer her gifts and expertise on a large scale.

Plans of product expansion is on the horizon as Tief has recently welcomed Tynan Rhea, a Univer-sity of Waterloo graduate, as her full-time apprentice. Rhea carries a joint honours degree in Psychol-

ogy and Sexuality, Marriage and Family.

“Through learning about each other, we decided to join interests and forces and come up with the whole sexual health side of An-

arres Natural Health,” says Rhea.In the coming months, Tief

and Rhea plan to provide a more comprehensive selection of sexual health products and services.

“I thought, lets go ahead and

start a sexual health department, since I had already been selling natural contraception,” says Tief.

Anarres is open Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 7 p.m..

New In Business

NATURAL HEALTH GURU OPENS UP RETAIL SHOP ON DOVERCOURTBY JULIANNE FOXjulianne_fox@hotmail.com

Anarres Natural Health rests at the corner of Dovercourt Rd. and College St. Photo by Julianne Fox

06 The Bloordale Times April 2014

FREE FREEchicken Pad Thai

with order over $35Free spring roll

with order over $25

(not valid with other discount) (not valid with other discount)

*FREE DELIVERY

AFFORDABLE SENIOR LIVING IN THE HEART OF BLOORDALE VILLAGE

1140 Bloor Street West • NewHorizonsTower.com

CALL 416-536-6111 TODAY

NHT offers YOU MORE

Services, Support & Companionship

Swing into Spring at NHT!

BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER Swing into Spring • It’s all here at NHT • Come Join the Action!

At NHT we are birds of a feather. Together residents and staff are family. We ind joy in one another and in everyday living.

It was an opportunity Alice Wong Baxter couldn’t pass up. When she heard the news from a friend of her brothers that there was a unit available on College St., she knew it was her time to follow in her mother’s foot-steps and open up her own flower shop.

Having no other florists in the College and Dufferin area, Baxter thought it was the perfect opportunity to bring something new to what is already an up and coming area.

“I love the area and the fact that it is still a growing community,” said Baxter. “In the last year, four businesses, two of which are restaurants, have popped up. It has brought a lot of customers to the area which has been great for business.”

Baxter moved to Toronto from Panama when she was three years old. Ever since moving to Canada, flowers have been a big part of her family. Her mother, who has been in the business for 30 years, opened a flower and gifts shop in Brampton which led to her gaining a strong passion and love for plants and flowers.

Baxter said that she inherited her love for plants and flowers from her mom.

“Ever since a young age I’ve been really good at taking care of plants and keeping them healthy,” she said.

This is why in late November of last year Baxter decided to take everything she’d learned from her mother, floral-wise, and open Brockton Flower Shop (1132 College St.).

She said that the location could not have been any better and more convenient for her.

“People are really excited about the area having a new flower shop . There has been a lot of positive energy,” said Baxter.

Brockton Flower Shop has already blos-somed into so much more than just your typical flower shop. The business offers not only floral arrangements and plants, but will also customize any arrangement you envi-sion for any occasion. Baxter offers custom orders for weddings, funerals, baptisms and any other type of hall celebrations.

What makes Brockton Flower Shop differ-ent than all other floral shops, Baxter said, is that she makes everything its own. There is

nothing duplicated within her store and she never makes the same arrangement twice.

Baxter gets her inspiration for new ideas at grocery stores. She looks for neatly shaped glass containers that she can paint or hand create out of clay. From there she finds as many unique, strange looking plants as possible that she can put together an ar-rangement with.

“I don’t like anything traditional. I like to put together one of a kind containers with

different looking plants.”Baxter specializes in terrariums. She likes

to find glass vessels and puts mini plants in them. From there she adds decorative acces-sories and pieces them together to create a mini garden under glass.

Brockton Flower Shop is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

She said if business remains as busy as it has been, she is going to extend her hours until 7 p.m. in the summer.

07

New In Business

The Bloordale Times April 2014

FAMILY FLORAL TRADITION INITIATED ON COLLEGE STREETBY JAMIE BAGGSjamielyn.baggs@gmail.com

Baxter tends to the many flowers and plants now up for sale. Photo by Jamie Baggs

The Bloordale TimesNeighbourhood News Worth Repeating

Discover one of Toronto’s most up-and-coming neighbourhoods.

Follow the Bloordale Times today!

This page is a joint effort between the Bloordale Times and the Bloordale BIA to showcase local businesses.

Your business name here...If your business is on Bloor St. between Dufferin St. and Lansdowne

Ave. and you would like to advertise on this page, please call 647-961-4516

1222 Bloor St. W.416.531.1028

EPHINSTORE.comEPHIN.comSTOMPDOWN.ca

416-532-7997LOW PRICES AND HIGH QUAlITY SERVICE

We Craft Quality Lenses In Store LabEYE EXAMINATION ARRANGED (next door)

Over 3000 Frames to Choose fromLarge Quantity of contact lenses in stock

Satifaction Guaranteed

Shop Bloordale

Tune up your bike for 50% off

1222 Bloor St. W.416.531.1028

$25.00Broadway Cycle

WHY SWEET PETE’S?

“The truth is simple: we don’t just sell

bikes - we love bikes and we want you

to love them just as much as we do.”

1204 Bloor St. W. 416.533.4481

$30.00Now only...

REPEATED BEGINNINGS

I can feel it. I can almost see the light. As I lie here in the darkness, I am consumed by the feeling of loneliness. It is damp and murky and completely unattractive. My friends are not here. When we had to go our separate ways, our friendships disappeared as well. But now, it is almost time. I re-member spending hours in the meadow with the wind rushing through me. The sunlight envel-oped me in a warm and familiar hug. That was the most beautiful time. I was enamoured with the life I had. I crave that feeling still.

But then the darkness came.

I suppose the darkness always comes. It is an inevitable part of my existence. There is no way to stop it and there is no way to end my fear. Time stops for no one and it is unbelievably applicable now. I feel as if I am drowning and there is no way out. But I have become accustomed to this darkness. How-ever, I crave light. I know the time is now.

Without warning, I can feel myself being pulled through the Earth. I can breathe again and I sigh in relief. I am at this halfway point, where the darkness meets with the light. I am ecstatic. I look around and my friends are there to greet me.

“Welcome back!” They wave.I envy them for experiencing

the warmth and the wind before I

have. They dance gently through-out the meadow. I am pleased that nothing has changed much.

“Have you been here long?” I ask.

They stare at me in amusement, while the wind flows throughout them. They are mesmerizing to watch.

“Not long. But is it not wonder-ful?” They reply.

I face the sky and try to memo-rize the different shades of blue. I feel safe. The darkness is no longer my home. I am no longer drown-ing. I am floating.

But I notice someone ap-proaching. It is a young girl with light brown hair in pig-tails. She smiles at me and I feel completely warm all over again.

“Look, Mommy!” She calls. “The flowers are blooming again!”

She points at me and then slowly walks forward to study me.

“It is pretty,” She mutters to me, lightly

touching my petals. This is my favourite part of the

light. I can begin all over again.

09

Short Story ~ Health & Wellness

The Bloordale Times April 2014

BY DR. JENNIFER BAERGot a question?health@drjenniferbaer.com

TOP 10 REASONS THAT

WALKING ROCKS (AND AN IN-VITATION TO JOIN OUR LOCAL CLUB)!

Walking may not be especial-ly cool or glamorous, but it has become a bigger trend this past decade. In North America, pe-destrian-friendly zones are pop-ping up, and people are starting to get the message about walking to work or school, or getting off transit a stop or two before your destination. Walking regularly will absolutely improve your fit-ness, and has a wide array of other health benefits to go along with it.

1. (Almost) ANYONE can do it. Walking doesn’t require any special skills, and the pace and duration can easily be altered to suit each individual’s fitness lev-el, gait or age.

2. It’s (basically) FREE. No fancy equipment required – just a decent pair of shoes (flexible, lightweight walking shoes are recommended), and weather-appropriate garb (think light moisture-wicking layers in cool-er weather, and thin, lightweight, light-coloured clothes and a hat

for hot weather). A pedometer (or app) is optional – but is in-expensive and tends to increase activity by about 27 per cent!

3. You can do it ANYTIME. No need to fit a class schedule into your day or find a gym close enough to work or home. Just lace up and your workout begins immediately. Even in icy condi-tions there are indoor options for walking (think malls, and underground concourses). Got 15 minutes at break time or time at lunch? Even shorter walks have shown benefits, and are less likely to require a shower before heading back to your desk.

4. It slows WEIGHT GAIN and helps maintain WEIGHT LOSS. A 2013 study followed 822 sub-jects for 4 years and found that the average participant gained 3.5 lbs. However, those who walked to work only gained up to 1.5 lbs over the same time period. In those who have lost more than 10 per cent of their body weight and kept it off for at least 2 years, walking for 30-60 minutes daily figured prominently.

5. It improves BLOOD SUGAR CONTROL. For those with dia-betes, walking for 15 minutes 3 times a day after meals shows better blood sugar regulation than a single 45-minute walk in the morning or afternoon.

6. It encourages us to GET

OUTSIDE. We live in a world of screens and “connectivity” that has rendered us more and more disconnected from each other, ourselves and the natural world. Not only does the terrain have more variability and therefore challenge for our muscles than the monotony of a treadmill, but walking outside triggers a medi-tative state, gets us fresh air, and offers the added benefit of:

7. It improves MOOD. Espe-cially when done in nature (see above). Just 10 minutes of walking at a moderately fast pace can boost your mood for two hours!

8. It improves MEMORY, and protects against OP, CVD and CANCER. Seniors who walked 40 minutes three times per week showed a 2 per cent increase in hippocampus size (part of brain that controls memory and emo-tions) after one year. Improved circulation is likely a contribut-ing factor – as it is in the case of CVD or cardiovascular disease prevention and the lowering of blood pressure. A recent study showed that walking 60 minutes daily may reduce a woman’s risk of breast cancer by 14 per cent, and improved outcomes in colorectal cancer patients. And of course, walking is a weight-bearing activity – particularly important to maintaining bone

health and preventing OP (osteo-porosis).

9. It’s good for your DIGES-TION. Speaking of colorectal cancer – it’s National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. And daily activity – especially walk-ing – is a great way to stimu-late regular bowel movements. Those with chronic constipation are at higher risk of developing colorectal and other cancers, high cholesterol and hormone imbalances. Not to mention the

discomfort involved!10. It’s coming to YOUR

NEIGHBOURHOOD! If lack of company, poor motivation or safety concerns stop you from walking, consider joining our local Dovercourt Park Women’s Walking Club – starting this April 16! The club will offer 3 km and 5-6 km led local walks – so that individuals can choose their starting time and length/pace of walk. More info/join: dpwalks@yahoogroups.ca

ASK YOUR BLOORDALE NATUROPATHIC DOCTOR - DR. JENNIFER BAER

Dr. Jennifer Baer, Naturopathic Doctor.

SHORT STORY ‘REPEATED BEGINNINGS’ FROM LIANA RAMOSBY LIANA RAMOSlianaramos101@gmail.com

Much more than just a place to cozy up with a cup of tea and read a book, Good Times Bad Times (GTBT) has become what shop owners have called a “community hub” as the establishment contin-ues to evolve amid three years of operation.

What started as a variety store, GTBT (1421 Bloor St. W.) is now a place to go to for various commu-nity events, workshops, gatherings, friendly conversations, and per-haps a piece of delectable organic, lavender infused carrot walnut cake.

Several people within the neigh-borhood told café co-owner Juan Fernando Marin, that he would never make the business success-ful.

“People said this place is cursed, and that they’ve never seen this space occupied for more than a

year,” said Marin.Unsure of how the business

would blossom, Marin said that in the beginning, he felt it in his heart that somehow by getting to know each other on a human level would evoke creativity, intimate visualiza-tion, and the expansion of conver-sation beyond simple politics.

“Seeing the beauty of people acknowledging each other on the street, and seeing this more and more is our goal. To try to bring that humanness back, in a culture where we are overworked, isolated, indifferent and apathetic,” he said.

With such a unique display of artwork and décor, the space repre-sents various cultures, demograph-ics, communities and dreams. Mu-sic and open stages, poetry, comedy shows, singers and songwriters, story-telling, hip hop dances, live paintings and craft circles are just a

few of the many events show-cased at the café.

“It’s a live theatre installation.

Living, breathing, moving,” said co-owner and girlfriend of Marin, Tahirah Hoosman.

GTBT is identified as a “café by day, and a multidimensional art space by night,” which is nothing but the truth.

“I’m from a small town, so be-ing able to have customers come in and talk with each other, to engage with each other, it feels like home,” said Hoosman. “The playfulness and interaction is important.”

Ilyan Balicki, also of the café’s team, said “When you have that feeling of nourishment, that deep soul filling, mind propelling, mind opening feeling on the inside, it’s that joy that makes me happy.”

The space is open for all ages and demographics.

“Any race, colour or creed is welcome to be here, in a respect-ful way of each other,” said Balicki. “We’ve considered cats and dogs, too but that would just be too com-plicated.”

New In Business ~ Community Column

10 The Bloordale Times April 2014

LOCAL TEA SHOP OFFERS SPACE FOR COMMUNITY GROUPS/EVENTS

Open mic nights, art shows, craft workshops and many more events can now be enjoyed at GTBT. Photo by Chelsea Howard

BY KIM BETHKEdovercourtpark@gmail.com

Sitting across from local busi-ness, community, and govern-ment leaders last week as a part of the Dupont Street Study Working group, it became incredibly clear that our upcoming Community Audit – a group walk around the neighbourhood to evaluate our

surroundings on April 28 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. - could not have come at a better time.

Building a clear idea of the values of the Dovercourt Park community begins with lead-ing this assessment, a profile of the community completed by its residents with a clear future in mind. By engaging those that live in our community, we want to create a comprehensive picture

of the Dovercourt Park community, its needs, strengths, re-sources, and oppor-tunities, and assess what changes we want to see around us.

The main purpose of the audit, from the perspective of the Dovercourt Park Community Associa-tion (DPCA) is to:

Grow community involvement: we want you to contribute to improving your com-munity. Any and all are welcome to par-ticipate in the audit, from acting as a team lead, to support-ing data reconcilia-

tion. Inform DPCA action plan-

ning: over the course of the last year, your local community as-sociation has led several projects to support community building, and we’re looking to do more.

By using the audit as a tool from the community, the DPCA is looking to plan its future ac-tivities as they relate to safety concerns, infrastructure needs, environmental issues, transpor-tation opportunities, and arts and culture involvement. This pre-planning and clear under-standing of what the community feels about the community can help the DPCA advise on build-ing the future picture of our neighbourhood.

You can contribute by:Letting us know what you want

on our Community Audit Check-lists and Forms

Joining the Audit and record-ing your thoughts, feelings, and insights about our community – sign up at http://dovercourtpark.wordpress.com/projects/audit

Leading an audit team and helping others assess the area

Collecting and analyzing the data collected during the audit

Helping prepare the audit re-

portWe’ll be presenting the results

of the audit this year, and we want to involve the community in every stage. I deeply believe in the value of this audit, and know that the work we put in now can help us ensure that our commu-nity develops with our input, and reflect our hopes, dreams, and

visions of the future.If you’re interested in get-

ting involved in this or any of the projects that the Dovercourt Park Community Association is part of (including the Dupont Street Study Working Group), please visit our website at http://www.dovercourtpark.wordpress.com and get in touch.

Digital, meet Physical.

Toronto’s first coworking space of its

kind.

MakeWorks is 10,000 sq ft of shared workspace, private offices, 3D printing lab, Makerspace (ceramics, wood-working, metals) and event space all in a restored factory at College West. Our mission is to connect software and hardware companies under one roof, and provide them with the tools, mentorship and community to thrive.

1139 college street - 416.5469675

www.makeworks.com

NeedWorkspace?

NEIGHBOURHOOD ASSOCIATION CONTINUES COMMUNITY AUDIT

BY CHELSEA HOWARDc.howardd@gmail.com

11

Community Contributions

The Bloordale Times April 2014

WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE A CONTRIBUTOR? HAVE A HAND IN YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER? WE ARE NOW ACCEPTING PHOTOS, COMICS, POEMS, PUZZLES AND SHORT

STORIES FOR THIS PAGE. EMAIL US AT THEBLOORDALETIMES@GMAIL.COM

Comics...

Puzzles...

Fill in the grid with digits in such a

manner that every row, every column and every 3x3 box accommodates the digits 1-9, without

repeating any.

sudoku

The Legacy

Getting older is a legacyInherited by all living things, especiallyIn humans beings it’s noticed the mostAs the ravages of aging, our bodies play hostLooking in the mirror the face I see

It’s only a resemblance of what it used to beIt could be anybody staring back at me…Time passes by, our bodies less efficientMany things we did are now reminiscentI used to have to search for the linesNow they’re a gift brought to

me by timeIt’s a constant reminder that by and byEach and every one of us is going to dieAnd as each life comes to an endFor someone, somewhere a new one will begin G.W