A screenshot of the AGO's Daedalus And Icarus, by Anthony van Dyck, as it appears in the Google Art Project interface.

The Art Gallery of Ontario has become the first Canadian museum to be added to the Google Art Project, which is a kind of online gallery that allows visitors to view and zoom-in on high-resolution images of art objects. The AGO’s involvement in the project was announced earlier today. You can check out items from the gallery’s collection through the Google Art Project’s portal, here.

The Google Art Project has been in business for a little over a year, and has already logged almost 20 million visitors. The AGO was added as part of phase two of the project, during which Google is looking to add nearly 100 museums from 35 countries around the world. The AGO has provided 50 high-quality photos to the online collection, which currently consists of 30,000 images from 151 partners in 40 countries around the world.

Wendy Rozeluk, a Google spokesperson, says the company hopes to make fine art more accessible, both to enthusiasts and to teachers.

CORRECTION: April 3, 11:30 A.M. This article originally misspelled Wendy Rozeluk’s name, but has now been corrected.

A group gathers outside the ROM to protest the appearance of former Attorney General Michael Bryant.

A silent group gathered on Thursday night outside the ROM. They were there to mourn the loss of bike courier Darcy Allan Sheppard and to protest the former provincial politician, Michael Bryant, who was making a public appearance inside.

Sheppard was killed three years ago, in an incident involving Bryant, not far from the ROM, at Bloor Street and Avenue Road. The courier was riding his bike down Bloor Street when he got into an altercation with Bryant, who was driving a Saab convertible. Bryant’s wife was in the passenger seat. Things quickly escalated. Sheppard grabbed hold of the car, and Bryant sped away. In the ensuing chaos, Sheppard was killed.

Bryant was charged with criminal negligence causing death, and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death, but those charges were withdrawn by Vancouver Special Prosecutor Richard Peck, who explained he did not believe there was a reasonable prospect of conviction.

Bryant, a former St. Paul’s MPP and Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, who at one time served as Ontario’s attorney general, was appearing at the ROM to speak about policy options for Aboriginal self-governance and the Kelowna Accord, as part of a New Grit Network event.

One of the organizers of the demonstration, Benjamin Mueller-Heaslip, said the protestors were there to make sure Sheppard’s death was not brushed aside. Mueller-Heaslip was distributing flyers that said Bryant should not be in involved in setting public policy because of the incident. The flyers also questioned the efficacy of the Canadian legal system, saying that, in dismissing Bryant’s case, the courts had exposed an “inability to act independently.”

Photos by Geoffrey Mosher/Torontoist.

Caroline Larsen, Moho Beach (2011), oil and canvas on board.

Have you ever hoped to upgrade the art in your house from posters of Starry Night, the Mona Lisa, and bowls of fruit to something more contemporary and local?

The Art Gallery of Ontario’s Art Rental + Sales Gallery offers a surprisingly affordable way to do that. Located at 481 University Avenue, the gallery gives AGO members the opportunity to rent or buy pieces from a hand-picked fine-art collection, for as little as $20 to $50 per month.

The Art Rentals + Sales Gallery began in 1965 as way of raising funds for the AGO’s general operations. The works come from different Toronto dealers, galleries, and independent artists. The gallery has a rotating collection of about 500 works right now, with everything available for rental or sale. Danielle Forest, the gallery’s co-coordinator, says renting is a good way for novices to get into art collecting.

Manasie Akpaliapik, Untitled Face, whale bone vertebrae. Courtesy of Gallery Phillip.

“It’s a great program for new collectors and for new offices or spaces that want to try out artwork before they commit to acquiring any of it,” she said. “We have 30 volunteers who are all part of the program, and they have their ears to the ground in terms of contemporary art in the city.”

The gallery shows four exhibitions each year, including “MERGE,” which runs from March 8 to April 13 and features emerging local artists.

Craig Scott celebrates with supporters at the Opera House after winning a landslide victory in Toronto-Danforth.

With the NDP leadership race just five days away, many of the candidates showed up Monday night to celebrate what had been predicted to be a sure victory for Craig Scott in Toronto-Danforth, Jack Layton’s former riding. They weren’t disappointed. Scott was welcomed by chants of “NDP” from the energetic crowd that filled the Opera House, near Queen Street and Broadview Avenue.

Scott, a human rights activist and law professor at York University’s Osgoode Hall, won nearly 60 per cent of the vote, almost matching Jack Layton’s total from the previous federal election. Liberal Grant Gordon finished a distant second, with 29 per cent. Andrew Keyes of the Conservatives and Adriana Mugnatto-Hamu of the Green Party each collected about five per cent.

While there was a focus on the loss of Jack Layton at Scott’s victory, it did not put a damper on the evening. Brian Topp, one of the NDP leadership candidates, was one of the many to express a sense of optimism for the future.

“I think what we saw from Craig Scott and his voters was a real determination to carry on Jack’s work,” said Topp. “So I think there is an underlying passage here that we are having a by-election we wish we weren’t having, just like there is a leadership convention that we wish we weren’t having, but we will carry on and that is the best way to celebrate his memory.”

Parkdale-High Park MP Peggy Nash, who is also an NDP leadership candidate, likewise expressed a desire to build on the success, and laughed when asked if being a new MP would pose a challenge for Scott.

“Well, we were all rookie MPs at one point. You can be a rookie MP but still be a very strong MP,” she said. “Craig Scott is a longtime resident and has been very involved in this community. He has a strong professional record in his career, so I don’t think it will take him long to get up-to-speed in the house of, commons and he will be a terrific addition to our caucus.”

Thomas Mulcair, a Quebec MP and leadership candidate, was overjoyed. He described the victory as a continuation of the “orange wave” of the last election and a step towards greater success in 2015.

“It’s not just winning, it’s winning big. And with a great candidate like Craig Scott, we are going to ride this through to the weekend in Toronto,” he said.

Scott was also looking forward to the leadership convention and emphasized the responsibility they had to the people of their ridings.

“The next step is in five days when we will chose a new party leader who will keep moving this party and this country forward,” he said. “That responsibility is to fight tirelessly for equality and human rights, for environmental sanity, and for a green economy that promotes good jobs and decent lives for all.”

Stuart Duncan (fifth from left) poses with members of the D'Urbervilles, Forest City Lovers, Jenny Omnichord, and Timber Timbre at the second anniversary of Out of This Spark at the Tranzac. Photo by {a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/36251875@N02/"}Fil Zuzarte{/a}, photo from {a href="http://www.outofthisspark.com"}Out of this Spark{/a}

Out of this Spark 5th Anniversary
The Tranzac (292 Brunswick Avenue)
February 25, doors open at 8 p.m.
$15 in advance (at Soundscapes and Rotate This); $17 at the door

For many grassroots musicians, the music industry can be an intimidating environment. The daunting challenges of producing and releasing an album can discourage even the most committed artists. One has to wonder: is there a way to build a small, responsive music label that can support artists and allow creative freedom? Can a label be niche and independent while still being sustainable? Stuart Duncan founded his record label Out of This Spark in an attempt to provide that alternative. The company will be celebrating its fifth anniversary on February 25th.

Duncan moved to Toronto from Guelph in 2006. He had been working at the Guelph University radio station and promoting concerts around the area. In the process, he got to know a tight-knit community of musicians who, for the most part, burned their own CDs and bound them by hand.

Duncan noticed that these homemade efforts tended not to gain much mainstream traction. Some artists were reluctant to sign with larger labels, because they worried they’d need to cede artistic control.

Duncan figured he could start his own label as a middle ground between the do-it-yourself and those bigger labels that his friends had been frustrated with.

At the time, Duncan’s friends Jamie Bunton and Casey Mecija, of Ohbijou, were putting together a compilation called Friends In Bellwoods. Duncan thought of this as the perfect opportunity to start his label. Not only was the album a fundraiser for the Daily Bread Food Bank, but it was also meant to be a grassroots effort.

For that compilation, Duncan was able to get distribution through Sonic Unyon, and the project evolved from there. The label now supports eight bands, including Evening Hymns, Forest City Lovers, and Snowblink, among others.

Distribution wasn’t the only problem Duncan found facing small bands. He also recognized a need for a good, supportive venue. That was where the Tranzac came in.

“When I first came to Toronto it seemed everything was very niche, circles of people. So you would have this circle of musicians, but you wouldn’t really have much cross-pollination between,” he said. “The Tranzac was the first space in Toronto that I found was really a cross-pollination of all those different types, beyond ages, and types of music.”

Duncan and Out of this Spark have been actively involved with the Tranzac ever since. The label has hosted numerous events there, including the first Friends in Bellwoods release, and releases for the D’Urbervilles and Forest City Lovers. The Tranzac has also hosted several of the label’s anniversary celebrations, and will host the upcoming one.

Duncan anticipates a bright future for Out of this Spark. He hopes the company will continue to grow slowly, while maintaining its original focus: publishing music while allowing the musicians as much control and input as possible.

“We just have to stop pretending that we can become one of those larger labels and just find a way to have as much impact as we can in our own immediate community,” he said. “I think the future is a bit of a movement back towards where we were when we started. Smaller scale, still putting out music, but not so much worrying about the bottom line and trying to reach this arbitrary level of success that some of these large indie labels have had.”

Riding along the Lakeshore Path near the Beaches. Photo by {a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/torebelxtguy/"}TOrebelXTguy{/a} from the {a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/torontoist"}Torontoist Flickr Pool{/a}

For cyclists in Toronto, the future is a mixed bag. With the impending unveiling of the City’s new Multi-Use Trails Plan in March, Toronto could start accumulating new off-road bike paths at an unprecedented rate. But cycling advocates are worried that it won’t be enough to deliver an effective bike-lane network. Right now is the last window of opportunity for public input.

The expansion, if it goes off as planned, will add approximately 80 kilometres of new off-road bike trails to the existing network. Much of the work would focus on rail and hydro corridors throughout the city, and would be completed between 2012 and 2016. (See the map, below.)

There aren’t going to be any more public consultation meetings on the plan, but the City is still accepting feedback on the whole thing by email (reach them at bikeplan@toronto.ca) before they finalize their findings. The deadline for submissions is this Friday, February 24.

The proposal is expected to go to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee for approval on March 21, after which it will still need final clearance from council.

Andrea Garcia, director of advocacy and operations for the Toronto Cyclists Union, believes this is an exciting development that could see some important changes to the City’s infrastructure, but wonders how effective it will be at solving the existing network’s problems.

“I think the plan has the potential to drastically improve cycling in areas of the City that are completely underserved by cycling infrastructure,” she said. “There are still a lot of issues that need to be addressed around winter maintenance and lighting specifically, but I certainly think it is a good start.”

This updated map shows some of the key trails and on-street connections the City is exploring. Photo from the City of Toronto.

Garcia believes that the new trails, rather than serving only recreational riders, should allow cyclists who live in the suburbs to commute to work, run errands, or get around. For this reason she says it is important that off-road trails be functional at all times, no matter the time or the season. This would require plowing in winter, and lighting at night.

Another concern of Garcia’s is that the emphasis in bike infrastructure planning under Mayor Ford is on putting trails where they won’t impede auto traffic. This, she said, can tie City staff’s hands, making it impossible for them to address the ongoing need for on-street infrastructure to promote safety for cyclists.

Tammy Thorne, editor-in-chief of Dandyhorse magazine, is skeptical of the plan and shares Garcia’s concerns about maintenance. Thorne thinks the biggest problem is that the City lacks the political will to make better bike infrastructure. She points to Ford’s open disdain for cyclists as evidence that the City’s commitment to building new bike infrastructure isn’t as strong as it could be.

“My priority is to make [bike trails] interconnected,” she said. “It’s all piecemeal. The trails aren’t connected and that’s where we see accidents at intersections. We can’t leave cyclists in the soup.”

“If [Mayor Ford] is not interested in bike lanes and wants people off-road we need more work to create decent infrastructure,” she added.

Jennifer Hyland, a transportation planner for cycling infrastructure and planning at the City, explains that there has been some progress in connecting paths. Waterfront Toronto and the Toronto Region Conservation Authority, she said, are beginning work on filling in the gaps in the Martin Goodman Trail this year. Other work will include a boulevard trail along Queens Quay, between Bathurst and Bay streets. These projects are expected to get underway in 2013.

Hyland also pointed out that the West Toronto Railpath will undergo a feasibility study this year to examine a future extension north and south. In the meantime, cycling staff are investigating a better transition from the trail to the street network at Sterling Avenue.

Thorne and others are still not impressed with the progress being made on cycling infrastructure.

“These are paltry improvements to off-road infrastructure,” said Thorne. “We need better pavement, connection paths, and lighting.”

“People are starting to lose faith. And why would they have hope for infrastructure looking at the way they treat cyclists in the city?”

CORRECTION: February 22, 2011, 12:50 P.M. This post originally misstated details of the City’s plans for a boulevard trail on Queens Quay, omitted mention of Toronto Region Conservation Authority’s involvement in filling in gaps in the Martin Goodman Trail, and stated that those projects would be completed in 2013, when in fact 2013 is the year they are expected to commence. It also misstated Jennifer Hyland’s title and provided a link to an outdated version of the City’s trails plan. All of these errors have been corrected.

CORRECTION: February 22, 2011, 5:00 P.M. This post originally conflated the current proposed bike path expansions with an earlier round of expansions whose construction is now mostly complete. The text has been amended.

Ed Pottinger, owner of the Real Jerk, celebrates despite the looming last night for the iconic restaurant at Queen and Broadview.

Ed Pottinger’s uncle always told him that a knockdown is not a knockout, and he continues to live by those words. Pottinger is the owner of the much loved Riverside restaurant the Real Jerk, which was set to close today after almost 24 years. Not by choice though: the restaurant received an eviction notice Decemeber 30, giving them one month’s notice to leave. Pottinger hopes to delay the eviction to buy some time to find a new location amid an outpouring of community support.

Today, a judge bolstered that hope just a tiny bit: after hearing from the Real Jerk, its old landlord, and the new building owner, he said he will mull the case overnight and decide tomorrow whether to grant an injunction that would give the restaurant more time at its current location.

Monday night saw what could be the last night of service at the Real Jerk and while the first real snowfall of the season put a damper on the numbers, the scene inside was full of love and appreciation. With only about 30 diners and a steady line of take-out customers, they weren’t the high numbers seen last week, but patrons still enjoyed their Red Stripe, Ting, and plates of roti and jerk chicken.

The eviction notice has sparked an outpouring of support from the community, with some blaming the eviction on the increasing gentrification of the area. “The sale was completed December 29 and we received our eviction notice the next day. That amount of time is just completely unrealistic,” Pottinger told us last night. “A month or so ago I didn’t know what gentrification was. There is nothing wrong with improving an area, but it hurts to be the one kicked out.”

There weren’t many tears or visible signs of emotion last night, but there was a real sense of loss. Many held out hope for a temporary reprieve and no matter how the judge rules there is still hope for a resurrection of the Real Jerk at a new location. Pottinger says he had his doubts that he would try to re-open, but the public support has changed his mind. His first choice would be to stay in the area, and if not, possibly a new spot in Leslieville or the surrounding neighbourhood. He has nothing but thanks for his customers, family, staff, and fans, including Councillor Paula Fletcher (Ward 30, Toronto-Danforth). As of Monday evening, over 2,200 people had signed a petition urging Mayor Rob Ford and the city council to save the Real Jerk and protect family-run businesses in Toronto.

For now, he says, he is just looking for more time to manage the transition; he describes the eviction notice as a complete surprise. He told us that because he trusted the previous landlord, the Real Jerk does not have a current written lease. This has lead to confusion over whether it was a month-to-month or year-to-year tenancy. In the case of month-to-month agreements, one month notice is acceptable under the Commercial Tenancies Act.

As revealed in court today, the new landlord wants the next tenant, a pub, to be in by February 1 to be ready for St. Patrick’s Day, and had raised the rent from $6,300 per month to $12,000.

According to the Real Jerk’s bulletins, the judge has ruled that the termination of the lease may have been unlawful because the old landlord had an employee sign a document stating that the lease was month-to-month. Because of this and other technicalities to consider, the judge decided to take until tomorrow to consider his ruling. The Real Jerk has, at least, one more day, at Queen and Broadview.

A deputant and her baby at the two-day budget committee deputation session late last year.

After a long day of deliberations at City Hall, not much has changed with the proposed 2012 operating budget.

The committee saw plenty of hyperbole and vitriol on both sides, as councillors on the left invoked a “radical conservative agenda” and those on the right condemned them for creating a “dialogue of despair.” In the meantime, the battle to prevent cuts to libraries and community programs waged on, with very limited success.

One very silver lining: the budget committee voted to remove the proposed $400,000 cut to student nutrition programs, as well as cuts to 12 community centres in TDSB buildings throughout the city. Holding the line wasn’t enough to alleviate worries about those who need those services though: Councillor Joe Mihevc (Ward 21, St. Paul’s) argued that doing nothing—no decrease, but also not even an inflationary increase—would amount to a cut in service. “There are so many wins with this very small investment,” he said. “Minimally, let’s not go backwards, the right amount is about $570,000 to tread water. If we do have a duty as human beings it is first and foremost to our children, and our grandchildren.”

Saves for school nutrition and those community centres were expected; the surprise was a motion which saved two pools—picked to ensure that closures did not force people to go further than three kilometres to find a pool.

Those were the lone bright spots, however, as the budget committee voted 6-1 to proceed with a 10 per cent cut to the Toronto Public Library budget. The Library Board had proposed cutting their budget by 5.9 per cent—the most they said they could trim without cutting too deeply into services—but that wasn’t enough for the budget committee. Budget chief Mike Del Grande (Ward 39, Scarborough-Agincourt) contended that the library was in competition for funding with many other services, and that some services provided by the library, such as literacy programs, were also taken care of by schools. In his view, forcing the library budget down would, in essence, be a step towards eliminating redundancies and overlap.

Among the list of things still up for cuts: HIV prevention programs, TTC bus routes, some recreation programs, as well as several homeless shelters, daycares, and wading pools—the vast majority of the $88 million in cuts that was initially proposed. Among the list of proposed user fee increases: TTC fares and recreation programs (especially noteworthy are ones in priority neighbourhoods). The executive committee will meet this Thursday, which in theory could reverse some more of those cuts, but any major changes to the budget are more likely to come when the budget has its final hearing at a meeting of the full city council, during a three-day session scheduled for January 17–19.