Nuthouse on Bloor St. is excellent, if you're looking for organic / health / specialty /bulk food. The family that runs the place is super-friendly too.
There are still a few of these houses around. With this neighbourhood changing so quickly and more families moving in I hope that this changes as well. The police can only do something when the neighbours notify them of what is going on.
On Saturday I visited Angel’s café and I love their breakfast. The service was wonderful.
On Sunday I tried their porcheta sandwich the best I ate in long time. I am so happy to have a beautiful and relaxing place like this in the neighbourhood.
Unconfirmed tweet say Kevin will be the new executive assistant to Kristyn Wong-Tam
the new councillor for Ward 27 Toronto Centre-Rosedale. Smart move and proof the big party machines pay back.
In one of the many surveys completed by candidates during the election, Ana said she would NOT do the Lansdowne bike lanes, but was generally in favoure of others...
What Adam Giambrone says now ... and probably since his self-implosion last February... reallyu doesn't matter now.
Just came upon details of an interesting-sounding book called Making Waves: The Portuguese Adventure by http://marysoderstrom.blogspot.com/. On a writers forum I belong to, the author calls it "an outgrowth of the traveling I've done in recent years for my non-fiction books about cities. Wherever I went, to make a long story short, the Portuguese had been there before other Europeans. Why wasn't that story better known, I asked myself." So on reading about Mary's book, I thought it might be of interest in the Junction Triangle, given the many Portuguese people who live here. And then I thought (being a writer and a reader!), why not start a new topic about books in general? Carmen and Anne at the local library have been running a book club for some time now, with an eclectic mix of fiction and non-fiction. It's open to all -- drop in at the branch for details. I'm curious to know what others in the JT are reading, or whether there are other book clubs up and running, or anything anyone wants to post about books.
Kristen
Thanks to Scott D who said I had the most suprising platform with detailed issues. I hope to keep up to that standard by reminding our new Cuty Councillor, Ana Bailao, of that.
There always seems to be a big deflation of civic engagement and interest just post election, probably due to the longggg campaign period. Voter fatigue? I also met a felloow candidate who was very negative about the results, effectively saying what's the point of running against the Portugese backed winner and why should we have bothered. I disagree. Losing while still being engaged and bringing up important issues is not a waste of time. We all provided the ward with a choice, and 75% of the ward is NOT Portugese.
Ana got 44% of the vote, meaning of those who did vote (53.7% turnout), 56% voted for someone else. And looking further, Ana got elected by only 23.5% of elgible voters... Yet over 12 THOUSAND people didn't even bother to vote. Sad, really.
Nonetheless, Ana is the duly elected City Councillor for our ward and we must ALL give her our support, no matter our ppartisan or personal ideologies. She has promised some good things and I hope she follows through starting December 1 when she is officially in office. (First City Council meeting is December 7 and 8: http://tinyurl.com/2ehy7qw
Good luck, Ana because we all know Davenport Deserves Better than what we had.
Sad to see it come down i worked there for 22 yrs.in the casting dept.at least there keeping the tower,so many happy memories for me there.Thanks John Castle ring4fing@yahoo.ca
Last year we had very good turnouts for Saturday pleasure-skating. If we have good turnouts on Sundays and Mondays this year, there may be room for a few more hours on the schedule. Also, we are giving serious consideration to the suggestion we move the Monday pleasure-skating period to Wednesday. On the one hand, we don't want to make too many mid-season changes, because consistency is important. On the other hand, we do want to respond to what the community wants. If anyone wants to offer comments and suggestions about the rink please send an email to mail@campbellpark.ca Also, I am available to meet with people one on one to talk about the rink. We can even do it over beer or coffee. Finally, Campbell staff get a lot of questions about the rink. Some of the questions are pretty basic because they come from people new to the neighbourhood or to the city. I have written an article about the rink where I try to include the information people usually ask me: A few words about the rink
Well now that the dust has settled it is time for the JT Awards based on satirical or sadly true aspects of the last election campaign. I am leaving out the two main contenders as there has been enough about them so instead some observations about the rest.
Most Surprising Platform
Hands down this belongs to Ken Wood. His platform was the most detailed on municipal issues that relate to the average citizen. When Ken calms down and stops chaining himself to things he has some good ideas. I found that I agreed with almost all of his ideas to some extent and I encourage people to look again. If he stays focused on ideas then he has something to contribute via his blog. Special kudos for being basically the only candidate to state clearly that poverty is an issue and that not all ward residents have the relative luxury that I have. As well if we had a Hunter S. Thompson look a like award he would get it.
Angriest Candidate
With attack robo-call ads, attack flyers, and non-stop attacks during debates, Joe Macdonald may have attracted a few other angry souls with his “mad as hell” routine but everybody else backed away. “Tough. Direct. Experienced Leadership” Grrrrrrrrrrr.
Troll Award
RBMorra: If you are suddenly going to show up on a community blog pretending to be a concerned citizen at least pick a fake name so that we cant find your non-stop partisan attacks on your Twitter account of the same name. : )
Biggest Disappointment
Heyma Veyas is a smart cookie who cares about the community. Sadly, her platform was vaporware and platitudes. In some cases, such as her development platform, which completely left out the marketplace, industry and zoning, she showed that she really doesn’t understand how the process works. In a ward that features a lot of undeveloped land with savvy and funded developer lobbyists (and their candidate) it was clear that she has not been through the process nor did she understand it. With so many intelligent people backing her it is surprising that she had so little content. While her plank to improve the situation for pedestrians and seniors was refreshing, her “I know how to stretch a dollar” was a greeting card, not a platform.
Most Over Earnest Messaging Award
Kirk Russell: “The Kirk Russell Movement is about change; not just in the way politics is managed, but also in the way campaigns are run.” There is waaaaay more where that came from.
Think Globally Loose Locally Award
Frank de Jong is a great guy but why does he run? Is it to keep his profile alive for a future position in the Green Party (when they decide if they lean left or right) ? Is it to keep ideas in the public eye? A bit of both? De Jong had this local platform: “electric trains”, “stop people driving through our community”, “shut down the strip club near my house”. On his website de Jong had a lot to say but almost all of it were ideas and concepts that have no connection to municipal government except for his positions on municipal taxes. He says on his website that he “produced a good showing -- third place out of 12 candidates!” but that was just 6% of the vote. De Jong should stop running in municipal elections until he has a full platform that includes local bread and butter ideas for real working people instead of taking votes away from other candidates who would act green locally. Less big picture more little picture please.
The Pretzel Award
In the end it was Joe MacDonald who got the call to join Cirque du Soleil as a contortionist as he out-twisted himself trying to decide if he was an insider or an outsider or if he was happy or full of rage. His colour flyer had a happy side where the headline was “Building the community...Together” featuring Happy Joe in a bunch of shots standing in front of things. The other side was Angry Joe slamming other candidates and declaring “Who can we trust?” (Not the use of “we”). The icing on the Cake of Anger was a list of accusations against un-named candidates most importantly that they were political insiders, followed at the bottom 2 inches away, by Angry Joe boasting of being a provincial government insider! It was the best of Joes, it was the worst of Joes.
Worst Platitude Award
Its hard to pick one as there were so many that it disgusted me. Never mind “change” whatever that means but I will go nuts if I hear any more “I will make every dollar count”, “I will roll up my sleeves and go over the budget with a fine tooth comb”, “I will bring you to the table”, “My mother knew how to stretch a dollar”. Should Sarah Palin have run in our ward too ? You betcha.
Shooting Fish In A Barrel Award
Joanna Teliatnik: “There is a major amount of untapped talent in the Ward, some of which I am already aware of, and more that I need to find.” Maybe if you had lived in the ward in the last 20 years you might know more people here than at Kipling and 401 where you live.
I will Scare You Into Voting For Me Award
Joe MacDonald: “On October 25 you can vote out of fear...” I did, for somebody else.
I Can’t Stop Loving Me Award
Kirk Russell: “...Kirk exudes a distinct sense of confidence and energy, and embodies a strong work ethic and a passion for achievement. His assertiveness, however, is tempered by modesty, humility, and a deep awareness of the responsibilities that come with power; like being a role model to his son and daughter....”. There is more where this came from and it’s really funny.
Creepiest Promise Award
Kirk Russell: “My team and I will be on the streets of Davenport with little notebooks and cameras, listening to peoples’ concerns and getting a new and fresh perspective on our community; making sure to leave no stone unturned.”
The Nha Le Award
For attending the Junction Triangle meet and greet at Boo Radleys and spending the entire night at the bar drinking and watching baseball, this years winner is.....Nha Le! How does he do it election after election? If judging by past campaigns his goal to eventually get zero votes, he is on his way.
Lastly
The good news is that next time we will have an incumbent so we will have less nutbars so that more campaign time can be spent on people who are credible candidates than those living in a dream world although this year it was sometime hard to tell which was which.
Also the Pan Am Games (which everybody in the know says is really being done to prove that Toronto can run an Olympics) are supposed to be the greenest ever. How is this possible with A) Diesel and B) replacing everything again 10 years later?
There is not one thing about Metrolinx that is public except that Dalton signs the checks.
Nice article today on BlogTO about Wallace and Lansdowne:
http://www.blogto.com/city/2010/11/what_does_the_future_hold_for_wallace...
No mention of the bike lanes, but it's interesting to see and read about how this intersection has (and hasn't!) changed.
That's great news! Bulk food available within a 10 min. (or less) walk from the JT.
Nuthouse on Bloor St. is excellent, if you're looking for organic / health / specialty /bulk food. The family that runs the place is super-friendly too.
There are still a few of these houses around. With this neighbourhood changing so quickly and more families moving in I hope that this changes as well. The police can only do something when the neighbours notify them of what is going on.
The Nuthouse has opened on Bloor Street just east of Lansdowne. It is a bulk food store. You can't miss it, just look for the giant walnut.
I do know that a pilates studio will be moving in come January. There is also an osteopath who works out off the pilates studio.
I'm curious too. I keep walking by hoping to see something.
Also, "Your Shape Fitness Evolved" on XBox Kinect is awesome! Kudos to Ubisoft for their innovation. Happy to have them in the hood.
Any updates on what businesses will be moving into the lofts?
On Saturday I visited Angel’s café and I love their breakfast. The service was wonderful.
On Sunday I tried their porcheta sandwich the best I ate in long time. I am so happy to have a beautiful and relaxing place like this in the neighbourhood.
Wow, the audacity... they were fully approved. Now more cars and parking on Lansdowne, what a shame.
Kevin will be working there.
Unconfirmed tweet say Kevin will be the new executive assistant to Kristyn Wong-Tam
the new councillor for Ward 27 Toronto Centre-Rosedale. Smart move and proof the big party machines pay back.
For new on our own Ana Bailao justfollow my blog http://davenportdemocracy.blogspot.com/
In one of the many surveys completed by candidates during the election, Ana said she would NOT do the Lansdowne bike lanes, but was generally in favoure of others...
What Adam Giambrone says now ... and probably since his self-implosion last February... reallyu doesn't matter now.
There is a new sign on the door at this sporting complex saying that there will be drop in ball hockey on Sundays.
Info from their website:
SUNDAY MORNING PICK UP BALLHOCKEY
* 10am - 1pm
* $10/person
* Use your own sticks (no tape on blades)
* Aggressive players will be asked to leave
Sounds cool, always looking for something active to do in the winter months!
Wonder what happened... I thought they were supposed to be in for this year?
lol ... Just noticed I typed "Cuty Councillor" not "City Councillor"
Be advised, not intentional, I am a hunt and peck typist, no disrespect intended.
Just came upon details of an interesting-sounding book called Making Waves: The Portuguese Adventure by http://marysoderstrom.blogspot.com/. On a writers forum I belong to, the author calls it "an outgrowth of the traveling I've done in recent years for my non-fiction books about cities. Wherever I went, to make a long story short, the Portuguese had been there before other Europeans. Why wasn't that story better known, I asked myself." So on reading about Mary's book, I thought it might be of interest in the Junction Triangle, given the many Portuguese people who live here. And then I thought (being a writer and a reader!), why not start a new topic about books in general? Carmen and Anne at the local library have been running a book club for some time now, with an eclectic mix of fiction and non-fiction. It's open to all -- drop in at the branch for details. I'm curious to know what others in the JT are reading, or whether there are other book clubs up and running, or anything anyone wants to post about books.
Kristen
You're a real class act, Ken.
Things for Ana Bailao to take note of in #ward18 http://tinyurl.com/2g3vqrq
New hope, New Time ?
Thanks to Scott D who said I had the most suprising platform with detailed issues. I hope to keep up to that standard by reminding our new Cuty Councillor, Ana Bailao, of that.
There always seems to be a big deflation of civic engagement and interest just post election, probably due to the longggg campaign period. Voter fatigue? I also met a felloow candidate who was very negative about the results, effectively saying what's the point of running against the Portugese backed winner and why should we have bothered. I disagree. Losing while still being engaged and bringing up important issues is not a waste of time. We all provided the ward with a choice, and 75% of the ward is NOT Portugese.
Ana got 44% of the vote, meaning of those who did vote (53.7% turnout), 56% voted for someone else. And looking further, Ana got elected by only 23.5% of elgible voters... Yet over 12 THOUSAND people didn't even bother to vote. Sad, really.
Nonetheless, Ana is the duly elected City Councillor for our ward and we must ALL give her our support, no matter our ppartisan or personal ideologies. She has promised some good things and I hope she follows through starting December 1 when she is officially in office. (First City Council meeting is December 7 and 8: http://tinyurl.com/2ehy7qw
Good luck, Ana because we all know Davenport Deserves Better than what we had.
Sad to see it come down i worked there for 22 yrs.in the casting dept.at least there keeping the tower,so many happy memories for me there.Thanks John Castle ring4fing@yahoo.ca
Thank you Michael. We're looking forward to returning to Campbell Park for the upcoming skating season.
This should be an interesting discussion. Looking forward to it.
Last year we had very good turnouts for Saturday pleasure-skating. If we have good turnouts on Sundays and Mondays this year, there may be room for a few more hours on the schedule. Also, we are giving serious consideration to the suggestion we move the Monday pleasure-skating period to Wednesday. On the one hand, we don't want to make too many mid-season changes, because consistency is important. On the other hand, we do want to respond to what the community wants. If anyone wants to offer comments and suggestions about the rink please send an email to mail@campbellpark.ca Also, I am available to meet with people one on one to talk about the rink. We can even do it over beer or coffee. Finally, Campbell staff get a lot of questions about the rink. Some of the questions are pretty basic because they come from people new to the neighbourhood or to the city. I have written an article about the rink where I try to include the information people usually ask me: A few words about the rink
Well now that the dust has settled it is time for the JT Awards based on satirical or sadly true aspects of the last election campaign. I am leaving out the two main contenders as there has been enough about them so instead some observations about the rest.
Most Surprising Platform
Hands down this belongs to Ken Wood. His platform was the most detailed on municipal issues that relate to the average citizen. When Ken calms down and stops chaining himself to things he has some good ideas. I found that I agreed with almost all of his ideas to some extent and I encourage people to look again. If he stays focused on ideas then he has something to contribute via his blog. Special kudos for being basically the only candidate to state clearly that poverty is an issue and that not all ward residents have the relative luxury that I have. As well if we had a Hunter S. Thompson look a like award he would get it.
Angriest Candidate
With attack robo-call ads, attack flyers, and non-stop attacks during debates, Joe Macdonald may have attracted a few other angry souls with his “mad as hell” routine but everybody else backed away. “Tough. Direct. Experienced Leadership” Grrrrrrrrrrr.
Troll Award
RBMorra: If you are suddenly going to show up on a community blog pretending to be a concerned citizen at least pick a fake name so that we cant find your non-stop partisan attacks on your Twitter account of the same name. : )
Biggest Disappointment
Heyma Veyas is a smart cookie who cares about the community. Sadly, her platform was vaporware and platitudes. In some cases, such as her development platform, which completely left out the marketplace, industry and zoning, she showed that she really doesn’t understand how the process works. In a ward that features a lot of undeveloped land with savvy and funded developer lobbyists (and their candidate) it was clear that she has not been through the process nor did she understand it. With so many intelligent people backing her it is surprising that she had so little content. While her plank to improve the situation for pedestrians and seniors was refreshing, her “I know how to stretch a dollar” was a greeting card, not a platform.
Most Over Earnest Messaging Award
Kirk Russell: “The Kirk Russell Movement is about change; not just in the way politics is managed, but also in the way campaigns are run.” There is waaaaay more where that came from.
Think Globally Loose Locally Award
Frank de Jong is a great guy but why does he run? Is it to keep his profile alive for a future position in the Green Party (when they decide if they lean left or right) ? Is it to keep ideas in the public eye? A bit of both? De Jong had this local platform: “electric trains”, “stop people driving through our community”, “shut down the strip club near my house”. On his website de Jong had a lot to say but almost all of it were ideas and concepts that have no connection to municipal government except for his positions on municipal taxes. He says on his website that he “produced a good showing -- third place out of 12 candidates!” but that was just 6% of the vote. De Jong should stop running in municipal elections until he has a full platform that includes local bread and butter ideas for real working people instead of taking votes away from other candidates who would act green locally. Less big picture more little picture please.
The Pretzel Award
In the end it was Joe MacDonald who got the call to join Cirque du Soleil as a contortionist as he out-twisted himself trying to decide if he was an insider or an outsider or if he was happy or full of rage. His colour flyer had a happy side where the headline was “Building the community...Together” featuring Happy Joe in a bunch of shots standing in front of things. The other side was Angry Joe slamming other candidates and declaring “Who can we trust?” (Not the use of “we”). The icing on the Cake of Anger was a list of accusations against un-named candidates most importantly that they were political insiders, followed at the bottom 2 inches away, by Angry Joe boasting of being a provincial government insider! It was the best of Joes, it was the worst of Joes.
Worst Platitude Award
Its hard to pick one as there were so many that it disgusted me. Never mind “change” whatever that means but I will go nuts if I hear any more “I will make every dollar count”, “I will roll up my sleeves and go over the budget with a fine tooth comb”, “I will bring you to the table”, “My mother knew how to stretch a dollar”. Should Sarah Palin have run in our ward too ? You betcha.
Shooting Fish In A Barrel Award
Joanna Teliatnik: “There is a major amount of untapped talent in the Ward, some of which I am already aware of, and more that I need to find.” Maybe if you had lived in the ward in the last 20 years you might know more people here than at Kipling and 401 where you live.
I will Scare You Into Voting For Me Award
Joe MacDonald: “On October 25 you can vote out of fear...” I did, for somebody else.
I Can’t Stop Loving Me Award
Kirk Russell: “...Kirk exudes a distinct sense of confidence and energy, and embodies a strong work ethic and a passion for achievement. His assertiveness, however, is tempered by modesty, humility, and a deep awareness of the responsibilities that come with power; like being a role model to his son and daughter....”. There is more where this came from and it’s really funny.
Creepiest Promise Award
Kirk Russell: “My team and I will be on the streets of Davenport with little notebooks and cameras, listening to peoples’ concerns and getting a new and fresh perspective on our community; making sure to leave no stone unturned.”
The Nha Le Award
For attending the Junction Triangle meet and greet at Boo Radleys and spending the entire night at the bar drinking and watching baseball, this years winner is.....Nha Le! How does he do it election after election? If judging by past campaigns his goal to eventually get zero votes, he is on his way.
Lastly
The good news is that next time we will have an incumbent so we will have less nutbars so that more campaign time can be spent on people who are credible candidates than those living in a dream world although this year it was sometime hard to tell which was which.
Also the Pan Am Games (which everybody in the know says is really being done to prove that Toronto can run an Olympics) are supposed to be the greenest ever. How is this possible with A) Diesel and B) replacing everything again 10 years later?
There is not one thing about Metrolinx that is public except that Dalton signs the checks.