Photo by sevennine, from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.

It’s well below zero and the children of Blessed Sacrament elementary are being foxes, slinking gleefully along a frigid trail that coils through half-frozen ponds, pausing to scrutinize a log gnawed by beavers.

“Tomorrow’s the last day of school before winter break,” says Alexandra Adam, their teacher. She smiles expansively.

“This is the perfect thing to be doing.”

The Catholic school’s combined class of second and third graders is in the midst of a field trip at Evergreen Brick Works. Despite the cold, the students are spending a day almost exclusively on the sweeping outdoor grounds of the former industrial site turned community environmental centre.

Evergreen staff members introduce themselves as “Red Wing” and “Great Blue Heron.” They guide the students through wildlife exploration, storytelling, and outdoor shelter construction.

Adam brought her students to the Brick Works to complement work the class had done on animal habitats.

“My family is really interested in environmental stuff. You take your own experiences into the classroom,” she explains.

“What kids remember are the lessons where they’re actually touching things, looking at things, instead of me saying, ‘Turn to page 32 in the textbook.’”

Evergreen, a national charity that seeks to connect people and nature, also offers teachers online lesson plans that suggest ways of facilitating outdoor education.

The organization is one among a growing arsenal of resources available to Toronto teachers looking to become “eco-literate.”

And while environmental education isn’t new, in recent years there has been increasing interest—both from aspiring and existing teachers—in learning how to integrate eco-literacy into general class curricula.

Shannon Arnold, Evergreen’s children’s program manager, describes eco-literacy as something that goes beyond lessons about recycling, or any sort of “doomsday message.”

“It’s about curiosity,” she says. “The more we understand where something comes from, how its life cycle works, how energy changes and shifts, the more motivated we are.”

“We want to get kids interested in nature as young as possible, so they’ll want to take care of the planet—not because bad things will happen, but because it’s amazing, inspiring, beautiful.”

The Evergreen Brick Works. Photo by SeanHoward, from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.

At the teacher’s college level, Hilary Inwood, a lecturer at the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education program, is leading the charge to integrate environmental education into mainstream teacher training.

Three years ago, she introduced an environmental and sustainability elective to the program’s Bachelor of Education stream. She’s also part of an effort to lobby Ontario’s Ministry of Education to make the course mandatory.

She helped co-ordinate a voluntary Environmental Leadership Certificate, which OISE students can earn by spending a total of 35 hours engaging in an environmental education project.

“This year we had about 75 students do it,” she says. “It’s pretty impressive they were willing to sign up for extra work to deepen their knowledge of environmental education.”

In addition to her work at U of T, Inwood does community outreach, develops workshops, and helps run a summer institute for teachers, which was designed by Evergreen and the Toronto District School Board.

At that institute, Inwood says, “Teachers learn concepts of ‘ecosystems thinking’—the idea that every action we take as humans affects some other form of life on the planet. Then we demonstrate how this can play out in their classrooms.”

Rather than talking to Grade 1 students about climate change, teachers are encouraged to get them excited about picking up litter, or vermicomposting.

Teachers’ growing appetite for eco-education can be partially attributed to policy. In 2009, the Ontario Ministry of Education mandated that environmental education be delivered at every grade, in every subject—not just science.

“Theoretically, whether it’s a Grade 7 history class or Grade 3 science class, teachers should deliver some component of environmental and sustainability education,” Inwood says.

This might mean creating murals on biodiversity in art class, or writing stories about sustainability in English.

“But,” she notes, “teachers need help figuring out how to do this…I’d like to see more ministry support and more money behind this.”

On the environmental front generally, the Toronto District School Board has been something of a trailblazer. In 2003, they created EcoSchools, a multi-level certification program whose success inspired other Ontario boards to emulate it.

To qualify as a TDSB EcoSchool, a school has to create a “green team” and meet a host of criteria, from minimizing waste, to planting a food garden, to weaving environmental content into classroom subject matter.

The program is rigorous—schools must undergo regular audits—yet popular: the number of certified TDSB schools has grown from 13 at inception to 425 (out of 558 in the district), with nearly half qualifying at the program’s gold or platinum levels.

Richard Christie, the TDSB’s senior manager of sustainability, attributes this to the fact that EcoSchool satisfies a long unmet need.

“By the time kids get to high school, the cynicism and despair among so many teenagers is shocking,” he says. “They’re not strangers to all the troubles in the world, including environmental. Instead of being passive and helpless, EcoSchools lets them do things to make a difference in their school, their world.”

Christie adds that the beauty of the program is that it takes the onus off teachers, and individuals generally. It necessitates a collaborative, school-wide effort, including students, caretakers, and administrators.

“A big thing we’ve done here is remove institutional barriers and flip the culture, so that the keen teacher or keen parent who wants to do tree planting or recycling are no longer ‘pains in the neck.’ Now we celebrate them, and put supports in place for them.”

Christie acknowledges that for teachers to change the way they do things isn’t without challenges, and that ongoing investment in professional development is key.

Inwood, the OISE lecturer, puts it differently.

“Teaching is an occupation that requires being a life-long learner,” she says. “We need supports in place for them to be life-long learners when it comes to environmental education. The more that’s offered to teachers, the more they’ll jump on the bandwagon.”

A view of "Intersection," by Felix Kalmenson.

“Intersection”
Xpace Cultural Centre (58 Ossington Avenue)
October 19–November 10
FREE

The sheer creepiness of Felix Kalmenson’s photo and sound–based installation piece, “Intersection,” is striking. Upon visiting, one is viscerally assaulted by its constricting, dungeon-like space in the dim bowels of Xpace Cultural Centre, a gallery on Ossington Avenue. A perilously low ceiling, exposed pipes, and a harsh concrete floor all add to the effect. The piece is intended as a critique of Toronto’s current condo boom.

“Intersection” seems a natural extension of its gloomy room: the installation consists of a narrow, walk-through maze of vinyl banner panels slung over steel frames. On each panel is printed an eerily lit, photographed image of stark condominium accoutrements: steep, concrete stairways flanked by metal railings; an institutional white-bricked wall; glass doors reflecting endless, monochromatic windows; grey facades; tightly drawn blinds. Accompanying the visuals is a track playing white, industrial noise—captured, the artist says, from Liberty Village.

“I wanted to create an alienating environment that’s really claustrophobic and uncomfortable,” explains Kalmenson, a former student of architecture and geography. “It relays the feelings I have, going through these spaces.”

While anti-condo tropes are an increasingly common part of the Torontonian vernacular, Kalmenson’s approach feels fresh. In playing on the senses and provoking a kind of instinctive dread, the installation puts viewers in a frame of mind conducive to contemplating a more intellectual kind of condo critique. “Intersection” evokes what Kalmenson calls an “increasing privatization of public life,” and “new geographies of exclusion.”

According to Kalmenson, the spread of condos and the attendant demolition of historic architecture threatens to erase our collective history and memory.

“When you demolish historical architecture…you are demolishing memory in that architecture. And a lot of that architecture reflects our history back to us in way that helps activate contemporary struggles,” he says. “It signals our industrial heritage, and with that, struggles we’ve had with things like labour rights…But [condos] represent this hyper-modern, late capitalist notion of us existing outside of, and beyond, history.”

“They are hyper-modern, ahistorical edifices.”

What Kalmenson finds most problematic about condos, though, is the way they draw sharp socio-economic borders within the city, segregating privileged communities from poorer ones.

“What ends up happening is these condo developments act as vertical gated communities,” he says, “where they demolish a whole block of the city and construct an inward-looking community that contains almost all the amenities necessary for life, and doesn’t necessitate meaningful interaction with surrounding communities.”

Photo by {a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndsayjobe/3545831187/"}Lyndsay Jobe{/a} from the {a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/torontoist"}Torontoist Flickr Pool{/a}.

Trade School Toronto
Multiple locations
September 29–October 3
Entry is by barter; items determined by each class’s teacher

If you like your learning alternative, accessible, and sans homework, you’d be wise to check out Trade School Toronto, a temporary school where tuition is paid the old-fashioned way: by barter. It will run in six different downtown locations for five days, starting this Saturday.

The program is modelled on the Trade School franchise (not to be confused with plain-old trade school, with a lowercase “t” and “s”), which operates in about 20 cities worldwide. Toronto’s version has been put together by a group of local artists and community organizers. It will feature 29 diverse public workshops, each two hours or less in length. Upon registering for a class online, participants choose from a list of the teacher’s requested barter items—ranging from food to furniture to a massage. They commit to providing one of those items or services in exchange for the education or skills they’ll receive.

Nico Koenig, a community organizer who is one of the event’s architects, said the series marks Canada’s first (official) Trade School. It got underway when the organizers of Trade School New York connected Koenig and a friend to two women from Toronto’s That’s Women’s Work Art Network, who were similarly interested in launching the event here.

“We kind of just banded together,” he said, explaining that the purpose of Trade School is threefold.

“It’s a way of building community…[and] also to show there are different, accessible ways people can learn that don’t result in a certificate or degree at the end. Thirdly, we’re offering an alternative way that people can exchange value. You’re still paying for the courses, in a sense, but with things you might already have around the house, or knowledge you already have.”

The classes run the gamut, from expected hippie staples (“Vegan Gluten-Free Cooking,” “Simplify Your Life with DIY Natural Body Products”), to the sensible (“Finances 101,” “Introduction to Excel”), to the political (“Tar Sands and Environmental Justice,” “Resisting Mentalism: Becoming an Ally to People and the Consumer/Surivivor Society”).

And while the organizers initially recruited teachers from among their friends, and friends of friends, Koenig said they were conscious of being as broad and inclusive as possible. “We were trying to make sure we weren’t just thinking about what classes somebody in their 20s or 30s would be interested in. We wanted to reach out to different groups; that’s why we have a course on seniors’ health, and one offered by a 13-year-old.”

Because the organizers aren’t willing to pay for space, their biggest challenge has been securing venues for the workshops. All their current locations were donated by owners who either liked the idea of Trade School or were interested in animating their spaces. (“For example, an art gallery that wouldn’t normally be open Monday nights gets an opportunity to open up and show off their artwork,” Koneig said.)

In keeping with the intended spirit of the event, he and his fellow organizers have been open to bartering in exchange for space—within reason. “Some places wanted, like, 20 hours of floor cleaning.”

This was not considered reasonable.

The hope is that Trade School Toronto will become a regular event, and Koenig believes the concept has serious potential. “It’s an accessible idea and it transfers pretty quickly; I wouldn’t be surprised if this caught on to a number of cities across Canada.”

It’s looking like misconduct charges may actually be faced by 45 police officers implicated in the allegedly shoddy and unlawful policing that went down during the G20. The Office of the Independent Police Review Director’s report pegs Supt. Mark Fenton, the supposed orchestrator of the infamous “kettling” fiasco, as being primarily responsible for the breakdown in operations. The report recommends that Police Chief Bill Blair charge Fenton with violating two counts of misconduct under the Police Services Act: unlawful exercise of authority and discreditable conduct.

Councillor James Pasternak (Ward 10, York Centre) likes universities better than casinos. Bold statement, yes, but Pasternak is pushing for the old North York City Hall building, and the various trappings around Mel Lastman Square to be turned into a new university campus, or at least a satellite campus of an existing uni. He suggested that this venture could be a more “creative” way to put money in city coffers than a house of gambling.

Speaking of houses of gambling (because when aren’t we? And who isn’t?), the prospective site of Toronto’s new casino has been narrowed down to four options—and four different municipalities. Will it be downtown along Lake Ontario, or in Mississauga, Markham, or Richmond Hill? Let’s roll the dice and find out.

If you thought everyone wanted to spend Victoria Day Monday in a soft haze of debauchery, you were only partly right. Markham’s Kennedy and Denison Shopping Centre has won the fight to stay open this holiday Monday. York Region Council’s approving of a motion to exempt the mall from the Retail Business Holidays Act has triggered city councillors to call into question the bylaw that keeps vendors of a certain size from working on specific holidays—often considered problematic because they are not universally celebrated.

There’s a new billionaire on the block, boys and girls. Well, he’s not actually new, but he is the latest well-endowed candidate to join the lofty ranks of prospective bidders for the Toronto casino. Larry Tanenbaum, who you may remember from such illustrious positions as chair of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment (his current position), has announced he’s partial to a waterfront site—such as Exhibition Place—for the casino that might be. Like two peas in a pod, that guy and Mayor Rob Ford (who also likes the idea of putting the casino at the Ex) are.

Byron Sonne, the man arrested days before the G20 summit for possessing explosives and “counselling mischief,” was found not guilty yesterday, and was cleared of all charges against him. The Ontario Superior Court Justice Nancy Spies ruled that the whack of chemicals found in Sonne’s home could have been kept for his budding rocketry interest. So basically, he’s the 16-year-old kid in the movie October Sky. Okay, no. It was also determined the chemicals may have been intended for camping or gardening.

In other G20-related news, Ontario’s independent police complaints watchdog, Ontario’s Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD), is releasing a 300-page report that explores complaints levelled against the Ontario and Toronto police during the summit.

In addition to the city’s $292 million surplus last year, Toronto’s solid waste department has announced a surplus of $37.2 million, partially attributed to the hefty $9 million brought in by the sale of recyclable materials. (Apparently, aluminum and polyethylene were in high demand last year. Go figure.)

The extra money from the waste division is slated to go into the waste management reserve fund, but no pretty penny will be seen by the city’s charities and nonprofits, who, since the budget, are responsible for new garbage pickup fees—a development many are hotly protesting.

If you like paying for stuff, today (and all days, really) is your lucky day. Unless you don’t read the Globe and Mail, and then you should feel positively smug. But don’t, because your day of reckoning will come. Um. Anyhow, the Globe and Mail has announced that it will soon be going the way of publications like the New York Times and charge for online content beyond a certain quota of free articles. When this change will be implemented and how much will be charged remains unknown at this point, but it’s coming. In an additional effort to pinch pennies, the paper will ask its staff to take unpaid leaves this summer. The sexy term being bandied about on the matter is “furlough,” though that probably doesn’t take the bite out of it.

The RCMP and CSIS are seeking approval. From children. Apparently, federal counterterrorism officers wish to arrange presentations at various TDSB schools, so as to, according to the Globe and Mail, “demystify detective work.” Some school officials are wary of the intentions of the Mounties, who have already been attempting to ingratiate themselves with immigrant communities. The hope, apparently, is to win over groups who have previously felt disenfranchised by the ‘po—not to recruit the wee ones.

While the Toronto lakeshore, and Waterfront Toronto’s plans for it, have lately been a matter of scrutiny, some residents of southern Etobicoke are complaining that more attention should be given to the western waterfront. Cries of poor planning and a glut of unwieldy, lake-concealing highrises are among their concerns.

Casa Loma may look like a million bucks, but apparently, it’s badly in need of $20 million to address a backlog of external repairs. At a community meeting held near the castle last night and attended by castle staff, Casa Loma Corporation members, castle neighbours, people who deal in business and entertainment, and city councillors, it was explained that revenue generated from entrance fees and special event rentals only came out to $1 million after expenses. The great grandniece of Casa Loma builder Sir Henry Pellatt is apparently disillusioned with the City’s handling of the site, and proposed revenue-generating attractions, like a “jazz supper club with a dance hall.” Whatever that is, it sounds great.

Mayor Rob Ford lost a city council vote yesterday. By a lot. And no, you are not reliving a day from the past. You are not Bill Murray. What happened this time is: at yesterday’s council meeting, the mayor attempted to quell the hiring of external, non-staff planners, brought on as consultants to the Ontario Municipal Board, the panel that reviews appeals of development disputes. Despite Ford supposedly getting real vocal about the so-called wastefulness of it all, councillors were quick to challenge him, defending the importance of using outside planners to protect residents’ interests. And challenge him they did, to the sad, sad tune of, for three votes, 34–4, 33–5, and 33–4. For the third item, the mayor apparently missed the vote. He ducked out to take a phone call. He’s serious about this issue, but, y’know, someone called, so.

Two city councillors have reached a fork in the road (don’t be mad!) regarding the future of Yonge Street. Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam (Ward 27, Toronto-Centre Rosedale) is proposing a one-month trial, from mid-August to mid-September, wherein traffic lanes are reduced and sidewalks widened from Gerrard Street to Richmond Street, to promote pedestrian traffic and sidewalk businesses. Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong (Ward 34, Don Valley East) wants both Yonge and Bay Street to become one-way south of Bloor Street, as a means of easing gridlock. He also suggested that this could create more space for designated bike lanes.

Councillor Peter Milczyn (Ward 5, Etobicoke-Lakeshore) is proposing that the city hire special prosecutors to specifically handle legal issues surrounding strip clubs, massage parlours and holistic centres…. Apparently, body-rub parlours and “holistics” are a big problem in his ward. So, like, yoga studios? ’Cause everyone knows how out of hand that shit can get.

Mayor Rob Ford will officially not be attending the flag-raising ceremony outside City Hall on May 17, held in honour of the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. And no, unlike the weekend of the Pride Parade, he will not be at his cottage on May 17. Actually, who knows, he might be, as his reasons for not attending have not been stated.

If yesterday’s media hooplah turned you off hearing the phrases “Rob Ford,” “parcel of land,” and “fists cocked” together in one sentence—my apologies. But in case your interest in the Ford vs. Toronto Star Urban Affairs reporter Daniel Dale debacle is still piqued: the Toronto Star has obtained phone records showing a phone call was made from Dale’s blackberry about 45 minutes after he’d abandoned it behind chez Ford. Apparently, a call was made to Robert Andreacchi, executive assistant to Councillor Maria Augimeri (Ward 9, York Centre).

In one account of the event, Dale juxtaposes the fear of being “cornered” by Mayor Rob Ford in the way of a “mano-a-mano physical confrontation” with his previous bold forays into hurricane territory in the slums of Jamaica and refugee camps in the West Bank. The latter, apparently, did not scare him. Basically, despite being referred to as “soft-spoken” and “mild-mannered” by “sources,” he wants you (that’s right, you!) to know he is not a “wuss.” Noted.

Also not a wuss, apparently (oh, boys), is the mayor himself, who supposedly asked his family if they wanted him to step down after the aforementioned scandal. His seven-year-old and his wife both agreed that he should not step down.

Toronto ombudsman Fiona Crean released a report calling for significant changes to the way the city provides services in the midst—or wake—of a crisis. Having investigated how city services dealt with a fire two years ago at 200 Wellesley Street East, a community housing complex, which forced 1,700 residents to flee the building, Crean says there was unnecessary confusion surrounding evacuation processes. Furthermore, post-fire, there was apparently a misunderstanding between the Emergency Planning Unit and Toronto Community Housing over who was calling the shots.

In elephant-related news, Toronto’s three, well, elephant matriarchs will have to wait a few more months before traveling to their new home/retirement residence at a California sanctuary. After a meeting in the mayor’s office yesterday, it has been decided that councillors Michelle Berardinetti (Ward 35, Scarborough Southwest) and Giorgio Mammoliti (Ward 7, York West) will be heading to California with senior zoo staff to talk out the differences between our zoo and the California facility. Honestly, who isn’t deferring their retirement these days?

Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam (Ward 27, Toronto Centre-Rosedale) wants Ontario, as Quebec, to go to bat against the feds on the issue of deleting data from the recently-nixed federal long-gun registry. Though the registry was successfully abolished by Prime Minister Stephen Harper after years of touting its insignificance (this, despite the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police claiming they used it regularly as a law-enforcement tool), its database could potentially be used on an unofficial basis by police, and even updated, should they choose. Wong-Tam will bring a motion to the next city council meeting that calls on the province to do everything in their power to keep the registry data from being purged.

Yesterday, we reported on the release of an internal TTC audit , which was apparently used as proof that the agency needs to restore public confidence. Turns out, the public is more confident than previously suspected. In fact, according to a new survey of 550 riders, conducted in February and March, they’re downright satisfied: 60 per cent thought they were getting good value (seriously?) and 81 per cent said they would recommend transit to a tourist (because…there’s no other alternative?).

TTC customer service chief Chris Upfold said the agency is looking into improving the method of purchase for Metropasses. (Really? ‘Cause I personally liked having to withdraw $126 in cash every single month, then standing in line for half an hour to give it in…just me, though.)

Also, in a seemingly arbitrary twist, the survey found that people think streetcar drivers are more helpful and “smartly presented” than bus drivers. Huh. A focus group will, naturally, be held.

Let it be known that Councillor Doug Ford (Ward 2, Etobicoke North) is still, in spite of Mayor Rob Ford’s apparent wavering on the subject, in favour of property-tax freezes. He’s also into eliminating the land-transfer tax, so the brothers Ford are united on that fun front.

If you were feeling bummed about Toronto never winning any awards, buck up, because the annual survey from the Canadian Automobile Association has found that five of the very worst roads in Ontario can be found in none other than our your beloved city and mine , Toronto! Fifty per cent: not too shabby. Dufferin St. (you know it), renowned for its scenic potholes and artfully crumbled pavement, earned the number one place as crappiest road in the province.

Following the Toronto police chief’s recent promise to review the force’s response to people with mental health issues and those in crisis, this week, a group for families of people shot by police will meet for the first time in an official capacity, to discuss constructive ways police can deescalate issues with those who have mental health problems.

In the wake of May Day, or International Workers’ Day, Occupy Toronto protesters marched to Simcoe Park last night, across from the Metro Convention Centre, to protest mining big shot Barrick Gold Corporation, who are meeting there this morning. Three protesters were escorted from the premises and slapped with tickets after attempting to pitch tents. Organizers have said the action marks a shift in approach, as protesters hope to start targeting specific companies.

Correction: May 2, 10:35AM – The actual price of a Metropass is $126, not $136 as previously stated. The above has been corrected.

In recent weeks, Mayor Rob Ford seems to have shifted his apparent mantra slightly, from the ever-popular “When in doubt, make noise about subways,” (that one was pretty cute), to “When in doubt, make noise about the upcoming 2014 election.” Similar, right? But subtle. It turns out he has been drafting a “budget guidance” letter to city manager Joe Pennachetti that lays out a three-year plan to freeze property taxes and garbage fees, plus build new arenas and pools using private sector dollars.

The letter, unfinished, has been obtained by the Globe and Mail, which forecasts a likely onslaught from a city council that worked so hard to overturn the conditions of this year’s budget. The article also cites municipal politics expert Myer Siemyaticki’s thoughts that Ford’s developing budget proposal indicates an early start on campaigning for the next election.

In a word, too soon.

Staff will wade into the dreaded bedbug issue at today’s Toronto Board of Health meeting. More specifically, they will address a staff report that warns the expiration of one-off provincial funding to combat the public health issue will probably increase bedbug infestations around the city. Yeah, that checks out. No money to combat bedbugs=more bedbugs. The funding largely aided the city’s most vulnerable, such as those living in poverty or people with mental health issues.

While the St. Lawrence Market seems an unlikely source of controversy (’cause it’s so goddamned pleasant there, is all), long-time vendors and customers were furious at this weekend’s news that Jorge Carvalho, the market’s manager for 16 years, has been moved to the city’s real estate services section. Mysteriously, the shift comes shortly after the market got a nod from National Geographic, which referred to it as the world’s best food market. There’s also the elaborate market re-design project (something something, glass, something something) slated to be finished in 2014.

As we mentioned last week, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health David McKeown thinks that pedestrians should get a leg-up (heh) on crossing the street, to potentially minimize accidents. Today, the good doctor will pitch to the Board of Health a proposal to reduce the city’s speed limit by 10 to 20 kilometres an hour.

Toronto budget committee chair Mike Del Grande (Ward 39, Scarborough-Agincourt) may get some dirty looks at the proverbial water cooler today, though from who and how many, it’s hard to say. In the spirit of fat-trimming, Del Grande says that at today’s budget committee meeting he’ll propose freezing pay levels for all City staff earning upward of $200,000. It’s not totally clear how many individuals occupy this lucky category, or how much “coin” (his words) would be saved by this measure. According to a provincial salary-disclosure list, however, the number of folk who earned this sum or more last year is in the neighbourhood of 30 (including those working at agencies, commissions and boards).

If you didn’t get the memo that the nine city councillors who dwell in the murky space between staunch Ford-ites and hard-and-fast lefties are no longer “mushy” but “mighty,” well, it’s probably in the mail. Headed by Councillor Josh Colle (Ward 15, Eglinton-Lawrence), said councillors held their first official get-together yesterday, with plans to meet again, apparently. Though they didn’t emerge with concrete policies, there was an agreement to defer talk of transit—because, enough already, am I right? (Not their words.)

And…we’re still talking about it. Councillor James Pasternak (Ward 10, York Centre) is proposing a North York Relief Line, with two new lines to carry suburbanites to the north and east ends of the city. Apparently, it’s a somewhat modified, somewhat scaled-back (and according to some transit experts, somewhat smarter) variation on Mayor Rob Ford’s never-realized darling: the Sheppard subway extension. Huh. After floating the idea, Pasternak hooked up with fellow mighty middles, but stayed mum on transportation specifics.

Lastly, Aren’t We Naughty—the Queensway sex shop—has triggered a debate about whether “adult” stores can be part of an area’s image cleanup, and whether condoms and lubricants can be conflated, morally speaking, with other, er, erotic aids.

Toronto police are reviewing their treatment of individuals with mental illness. At yesterday’s Toronto Police Services Board meeting, members of the public—some wearing blue hospital gowns to evoke a February incident wherein police shot dead a Toronto East General patient—got to make suggestions on how the evidently flawed system could be improved. Issues such as increased police training for conflict de-escalation techniques—y’know, techniques that don’t involve wielding tasers—were at the forefront of the discussion.

Toronto Catholic school students everywhere will be ruing the day they elected school board trustee Angela Kennedy (Ward 11). Of course, that never happened; children can’t vote! But rue the day they will. Why? Because Kennedy’s motion—put forward at last night’s board meeting—to mandate students to sing “O Canada” aloud rather than zone out to a pre-recorded version was passed 7–3.

Two comic convention empires are duking it out in a fateful real-life battle. While good and evil seem to be left out of it (for now), Toronto Comicon and Toronto Comic Con (seriously), both of which hold springtime conventions in the Metro Convention Centre, are coming to blows, legal-style, over, y’know, the fact that they have the exact same name. Or fine, “similar names.” Hobbystar Marketing, the local agency that runs (pay attention now) Toronto Comicon is taking New York–based Wizard World Inc. to court for using the name Comic Con. Looks like everybody would benefit from a name change, eh, Wizard World? But also, a chill pill.

Though prospects for Centre Island’s Far Enough Farm remain bleak, Councillor Pam McConnell (Ward 28, Toronto-Centre Rosedale), whose mandate includes the Islands, stressed that the the lack of formal bids to run the farm belies that there have been many informal expressions of interest (pretty sure she wasn’t referring to Ashley Madison). She suggested the one-year limit on taking it over has proved a significant deterrent.