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Urban Planner: March 6, 2009
PARTY: Toronto celebrates the banner year of one hundred and seventy-five with a plethora of fun both inside and outside City Hall. Highlights include the Lit City activities (see below); “360-extended,” a huge interactive project of personal Toronto stories; and Toronto’s emergency personnel performing virile demonstrations such as rappelling and “auto extrication” (and if that isn’t a euphemism, we don’t know what is). Our favourite event by far is the pair of improvisations curated by R.H. Thomson: Eric Peterson (of Billy Bishop Goes to War fame) plays William Lyon McKenzie, first facing off with Toronto’s first council as played by students (12:30–2:30 p.m.), then later debating politics with current mayor David Miller (6:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.). The day’s festivities open and close with traditional First Nation ceremonies. Toronto City Hall and Nathan Phillips Square (100 Queen Street West), 12–9 p.m., FREE.
WORDS: Lit City launches in conjunction with Toronto’s birthday celebrations at noon by inviting writers Didier Leclair, Robert Rotenberg, Valerie Argue, and others to cover one hundred and seventy-five years of Toronto literature in two hours. Toronto’s poet laureate Pier Giorgio di Cicco also makes an appearance, as do Lillian Allen and Leah Lakshmi Peipsna-Samarasinha—both commissioned by Diaspora Dialogues to compose new poems about Toronto. The Bohemian Embassy, a landmark coffee house from Yorkville’s hippie days, gets the nod at 7 p.m. with contributions from Dennis Lee, Sylvia Tyson, and more. Not to be left out, Toronto’s commemorative birthday book, Toronto’s Visual Legacy: Official City Photography from 1856 to the Present, will be on sale all day in the rotunda and gets its own launch ceremony at 5 p.m. Toronto City Hall (100 Queen Street West), 12–9 p.m., FREE.
HISTORY: All of Toronto’s historic sites are in on the birthday celebrations, too, opening their doors to the public free of charge from now through Sunday. Check the official site for specific times and activities. Friday 12 p.m.–Sunday 5 p.m., FREE.
FUNDRAISER: Global food activists the Paradigm Shift Project host a fundraising benefit for their Peru initiative featuring DJs G Spot and Sonny Dunn. The current campaign aims to raise awareness in Peru about urban agriculture and issues of food safety. Good eating–themed door prizes include dinner for two at Fressen, Front Door Organics produce bins, and classes at Toronto Sprouts. Octopus Lounge (293 Palmerston Avenue), 6:30 p.m., $8 donation minimum.
FILM: Brett Gaylor’s new film, RiP: A Remix Manifesto, celebrates the act of “sharing” culture, a form of artistic expression seen as intellectual property theft by corporate brands. In the spirit of his subject, Gaylor has created the first ever open source documentary, inviting the audience to remix his footage and upload it back to the site. The University of Toronto Student Union hosts an advanced screening at the new Bahen Centre, inviting viewers to bring their own laptops and take part in the film. The screening is followed by a discussion with Brett Gaylor and others about copyright issues. The film’s official run starts at the Royal Cinema March 13. Bahen Centre (40 St. George Street), 2:30 p.m., FREE.
SEX: University of Toronto’s Sexual Diversity Studies Student Union presents “Sex for Sale: Prostitution, Government, and Regulation,” a daring conference examining the rights and safety of sex trade workers. The two-day event begins tonight with the keynote speech from international sex trade activist Carol Leigh. Gay rights activist and “part-time hooker” Gerald Hannon and Sex Professionals of Canada spokesperson Valerie Scott join Leigh for a panel discussion following her opening remarks. The conference continues Saturday with further insight from active sex trade workers and other professionals. Hart House Great Hall (7 Hart House Circle), 7 p.m., $25. ($20 for Saturday, $40 for both days.)