news
Newsstand: May 22, 2010
lllustration by Clayton Hanmer/Torontoist.
DJ, artist, partier, activist, and community-builder Will Munro lost his fight with brain cancer yesterday morning. Munro made his Toronto scene debut in 1999 with his legendary monthly event Vaseline (Vazaleen) at the El Mocambo. He created a dance destination for local gays, which grew to beckon anyone looking to rock out in an uninhibited setting. He gave Torontonians early tastes of musicians like Peaches and Crystal Castles, and turned West Queen West into a hot spot. A memorial was held at Trinity Bellwoods Park last night. Munro was thirty-five. For much more, have a read of obits and tributes from Eye Weekly, NOW, the National Post, and Spacing Magazine.
It turns out the Gay Pride Parade isn’t all that inclusive. Pride Toronto’s board of directors voted to ban the term “Israeli Apartheid” from all events yesterday. Coincidentally, activist group Queers Against Israeli Apartheid happens to have the phrase in their name. The decision came before the group applied to participate. Pride’s executive director Tracey Sandilands said, “No group or person is banned from participating,” but this group isn’t swallowing it. Pride is set to release a statement this weekend and a news conference could take place early next week.
What do the three councillors-turned-mayoral-hopefuls have in common with a bunch of school children? Ah, nuts, OK, stop listing things off. As the wee ones either anxiously await (or fretfully dread) report card day at this time of year, Joe Pantalone (Ward 19, Trinity-Spadina), Rob Ford (Ward 2, Etobicoke North), and Giorgio Mammoliti (Ward 7, York West) likely find it easy to sympathize. The attendance record is out, and there haven’t been nearly enough “Presents!” in the role call. While Pantalone gets a gold star and Ford, perhaps, gets one of those lazy happy faces drawn on a test paper with a pencil, Mammoliti is getting a week of detention. It’s not just the hopefuls, though. Earlier this month, a vote on bike lanes on University Avenue never took place because not enough councillors, nor the mayor, showed up. This group needs a stern talking-to.
Art lovers and those in desperate need of last-minute date ideas can rest easy. The glass canoe and the AGO under it have reached a tentative deal with the union to avoid a strike. The union representing close to 450 employees was set to strike by lunchtime yesterday, but an agreement was reached as talks went on into the afternoon. Work hours and pay were (as per usual) some of the issues brought to the table. Ratification is scheduled for next week.
You’ve seen them hanging out, usually in pairs—aww, on the roof of your work building or lounging on grassy knolls between busy streets and on-ramps. Find an elevated space or a patch of greenery—or uh, pavement—and you’ll also find the Canada Goose. They crap everywhere, damage property with their pecking, and frighten passersby, but harming them in any way is against the law. The Goose’s numbers are up, and because of the baby-making time of year, wildlife control is warning to keep away from the feathered joy and call a professional if it absolutely must be removed. Says one animal control expert, “They are very aggressive creatures and you need an attack on all fronts.”