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Urban Planner: December 6, 2008
POLITICS: Canadian politics finally got juicy this week. Stephen Harper proved he didn’t understand how a Canadian parliament actually works, former NDP leader Ed Broadbent called him a liar, and Governor General Michaëlle Jean set in stone an alarming precedent. Canadian groups on both sides are holding rallies in Toronto this weekend. Try not to end up at the wrong one. Conservative supporters call theirs Rally for Canada. (Queen’s Park, 12–2 p.m., FREE.) Those supporting a collaborative majority of opposition parties will be at City Hall. (Toronto Rally for a Progressive Coalition, Nathan Phillips Square, 12–1:30 p.m., FREE.)
MEMORIAL: Today marks the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, declared by the federal government in 1991 and by David Miller this year. Women Won’t Forget hosts a candlelight vigil to remember the fourteen women killed at the École Polytechnique de Montréal. The vigil begins with a native healing ceremony and includes speakers, performers, and the laying of roses. (Philosopher’s Walk, 6 p.m., FREE.) The Female Eye Film Festival presents a series of film programs [PDF] focused on issues of violence. The one day festival includes panel discussions and a silent auction with proceeds going to two Toronto women’s shelters. (NFB Mediatheque [150 John Street], 11 a.m.–11 p.m., $10 suggested donation per program.)
MUSIC: It’s not often that albums are released on vinyl anymore, but when they are, we know it’s got to be something special. Hank throw a release party for their third album The Luck of the Singers. Fellow Blocks Recording Club artist Nifty joins the party, along with DJ The Robotic Kid. Vinyl copies of the album are packaged with a digital copy, too. Tranzac (292 Brunswick Avenue), 9 p.m., $10.
ART: There are three big art fairs happening today, and they all deserve a mention. The biggest is the OCAD Book Arts Fair, presented by the printmakers of OCAD. All hand-made or hand-printed, the works are heavenly for book-lovers and art-lovers alike. (Ontario College of Art and Design [100 McCaul Street] 10 a.m.–5 p.m., FREE.) Comrades in Crafts are having a Christmas sale of homemade goods of all sorts. (The Rhino, upstairs [1249 Queen Street West], 3 p.m.–10 p.m., FREE.) And the 7th Annual Little Art Show is a licensed fundraiser for the Artists’ Network of Riverdale, and tonight it offers a silent art auction as well as a performance from the Toronto Toy Piano Composers. (Mercedes-Benz [761 Dundas Street East], 7–11 p.m., $20).
ART: There are two gallery openings not far from each other, if you like to walk. Just Seeds presents an exhibition of political posters at the Whippersnapper Gallery. No, not the fresh new taste of Canadian (un)democracy—these posters portray the fight against prison injustice. (Whippersnapper Gallery [587A College Street], 7 p.m., FREE.) Methinks sent a bunch of artists to New York City on a field trip. The “NYC Retro Show” is a multi-media snapshot of their exploration, featuring music, video, photography, words, art, installation, and other fun stuff. (Project 165 [165 Augusta Avenue], 6:30 p.m., FREE.)
Photo by PDPhotography from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.