City Council Votes to Send Elephants Away

Following on the heels of an earlier Zoo Board decision to shut down the elephant exhibit at the Toronto Zoo, Toronto’s City Council voted last night 31-4 to move the three remaining elephants to the PAWS Sanctuary in California (rather than another zoo).

Will you remember us?

Following the original Zoo Board decision, it was thought that the process of moving the magnificent beasts might take as long as a few years, but evidently it has been deemed a priority.

As I’ve previously written, I support this decision reluctantly.

Seeing wild animals directly, in the flesh, is a captivating, pleasurable, informative experience that pulls us out of our narrow urban awareness. It has the potential to awake our wonder at the natural world.

At the same time it’s almost certainly a positive decision for the future health of the elephants, as they will be moved to a location with a better climate and infrastructure. It was evident that the animals were suffering here (a consideration that has historically not always been viewed as important).

The loss of the elephants also raises broader questions regarding the future of the Zoo in Toronto. The elephants were a signature exhibition at the facility and always immensely popular, for obvious reasons. Do zoos still have a place in a modern world? Has their mission of conservancy and education been made obsolete?

Given our Zoo’s recent past of troubling management and fundraising issues, will this prove to be the first step towards the eventual shutting down or selling off the entire zoo? (Council has already voted to explore searching for third parties that might “purchase, lease or operate” the zoo.)

We shall see in years to come.

Goodbye Thika, Toka and Iringa! Thank you for your time with us. We’ll miss you.


Further reading
No More Elephants at the Toronto Zoo
What the Elephants Know (Toronto Life)

Update
Apparently the decision to select PAWS hasn’t been received well by the current zookeepers: Toronto Star-- Zoo Keepers Fuming over Vote
Dec: The issue still hasn’t been resolved: Councillors Blast Zoo over Elephant Move
April 2012: Toronto Zoo loses its accreditation over this decision
May 2012: Elephants here to stay for now
Oct 2012: Council could make a new elephant decision in next month
Nov 2012: Toronto Council votes to send elephants to California -- again
Jan 2013: Elephant Tug of War: The Story of the Toronto Zoo transfer

Grappling With Another Longboarding Death

This past Friday morning, a young man was killed at King and Spadina here in Toronto. Mr. Aaron Beamish, 25, was apparently skateboarding eastbound on King (on the wrong side), when a garbage truck made a right hand turn from Spadina and ran him over.

A terrible miscalculation 

He wasn’t wearing a helmet. According to TPS Sgt. Warren Stein, Beamish was also wearing dark clothing, which may have made it difficult to see him.

Events like this make me brood over the nature of skateboarding and its uneasy relationship with traffic.

It was only a year ago that we learned about the tragic death of Hilton Byrne, a good friend to many and a prominent member of our local skate community. We still grieve for him sorely.

In the commentary and tenor of the accident media coverage, I’ve seen a lot of dismissive judgment. What did you expect, goes the critique, skating the wrong way in traffic, and without a helmet? Skateboarders shouldn’t be on the road in the first place.

Questions of fault are inevitable when a fatality occurs. I’m just not convinced anything can -- or should -- be changed as a result.

The thing is, I can see it happening (the accident, I mean). I can easily visualize the chain of events. I can’t defend what happened, and who knows 100% what did, but it’s a sequence of decisions and factors that I can personally relate to.

I’ve been there. I’ve made similar calls.

Flowers at King/Spadina
Photo: Slow Motion Victory

At 6:30 in the morning, the city is still waking up. For hours the roads have been deserted. It’s dark. You’re hustling to get someplace, and there’s no one around so you cut across the street. But you miscalculate and suddenly a truck turns right when you didn’t expect there to be anyone and --

And consequences ensue.

Skateboarding on the road is already illegal in Toronto. But it’s not often enforced, thankfully. Skaters practice a kind of wilful disregard for traffic conventions and private property -- it’s a part of the culture, whether you approve of it or not. Where cyclists engage in an antagonistic dialogue about traffic rights of way, skaters ignore that conversation altogether.

Skating is about risk assessment -- that’s part of the appeal. You skate where you can. And sometimes, where you can’t.

Increasingly, many people use longboards for commuting. Not for tricks or daredevil feats, but simply to get around in a crowded urban environment. This will not be the last fatality from skateboarding. You can’t stop people from having accidents.

You can only educate, and set a good example for the groms, and encourage skaters to always be aware of their surroundings.

Friends have started a safety campaign...

In the last couple of years I’ve seen a growing local emphasis on safety. That’s something we should be proud of, and not shy from as a topic.

Historically skateboarders have frowned on the use of helmets, but that mindset is slowly changing, at least in the GTA.

Whether or not a helmet would have changed the outcome of Friday’s tragedy is moot; our culture is beginning to shift in the right direction. People won’t session with you if you’re not wearing a lid.

Online the skate reaction is muted and defensive -- because dealing with death is such a struggle. Is this going to change skating in Toronto? That’s the question we are faced with.

Just six weeks ago, a thousand of us rampaged through the city at the annual Board Meeting, a symbolic exercise in asserting our right to skate. Yet here we have learned once again, that the streets aren’t always ours to rule. It is a harsh lesson indeed.

I didn’t know Mr. Beamish personally -- but I’ve realized with sadness that I’ve skated with him in the past. I recognize his face. The above photo is from probably around five or six years ago, at the top of the SkyDome garage if I’m not mistaken. And I know I took part in many of those sessions...

The skate community’s addition to
the memorial -- nice job CIRCA

An impromptu memorial skate and vigil was held the night of the accident. If you want to pay your respects, the display is still up on the north-west corner of King and Spadina.

Friends of his have also started a safety campaign called Be Bright Wear Lights, encouraging cyclists and skateboarders to wear lights or reflectors when travelling at night.

My sincere condolences to the Beamish family and to all of his friends. For someone so young to have their life ended so abruptly -- it’s devastating.

Folks -- skate safe! Wear a helmet. Pay attention to traffic.

Take care frons, and shred with joy in your heart!

Photo via: Be Bright Wear Lights

Related articles
Our First Longboarding Tragedy
Is Skateboarding Illegal in Toronto?
We Are the Traffic
Longboarder dead after being struck by taxi

See also
Friends remember man killed by garbage truck (CTV)

The Toronto Subway Song

Notwithstanding our current mayor’s plans for Sheppard, I find this mid-century melody quite delightful:



“The Toronto Subway Song” was a 78 record released by Ozzie Williams and his band in 1950. The song was composed by Mel Hamill, with vocals by Betty Carr and Charles Baldour. [DOWNLOAD]

Vocals by Betty Carr and Charles Baldour

Mayor Ford might take comfort in the lyrics at about 1:50. Ahem!

See Transit Toronto for a detailed history of the Yonge Subway line’s construction. It’s a critical piece of infrastructure and I’m glad we had the wherewithal to build it back then.

Didn’t run today...

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to participate in today’s 2011 Toronto Waterfront Marathon. I was too weak-kneed. Literally -- I was sidelined by some kind of knee strain. On the heel-strike my left knee feels super-dubious. I decided to pass.

I had planned to run in the half. But sometimes you just have to wait it out. It’s frustrating, but I’d rather wait a few weeks than injure myself permanently -- knees are pretty important for running. There’s a never-ending shortage of races; it’s not like the Olympics or anything.

I miss running culture. Even though I knew I wasn’t going to run, I picked up my race kit yesterday since there was a “no refunds” policy -- might as well get the shirt I paid for, I figured.

An imposter hoists the trophy aloft...

Ed Whitlock was speaking, showing off some pictures of his early running career. He’s 80 years old -- and he set a world record for his age group at today’s event, finishing in 3:15:54.

3:15!! Ten years ago I aspired to hit 3:30 (never did). Sheesh.

Fauja Singh set a world record too -- for the 100+ age group. It took him over 8 hours. Can you imagine exerting yourself over 8 hours? That’s like an army march. Gruelling in a different way.

It’s inspiring. Though I didn’t run today, I will have to take their examples to heart and do at least another marathon eventually. A half in the spring, then we’ll see what happens... Happily there’s a major Toronto marathon in the spring now.

Opposition grows against Minto Freed condo project

BlogTO covered last night’s public meeting regarding the Minto Freed project at Front and Bathurst -- apparently the community isn’t too pleased about the development as currently proposed...

Opposition grows against Minto Freed condo project

Ah, the joys of municipal zoning!

For other posts on this subject, see also:

No, I’m not involved with StopMintoFreed

Farewell to Rock Oasis

Steve Jobs New Yorker Cover, Captioned by the Internet

Garish humour, a little too soon -- but some internet memes cannot be denied, and this one was practically obligatory.

Poignant -- because it’s true.

For those who don’t get the reference, or are otherwise unamused -- see here. And here. Thanks Charles Lavoie!

p.s. Yes I know Jobs was a Buddhist.

Thanks Steve!

Thank you Steve Jobs for everything you gave to our world. We have lost a visionary genius.

No, I'm not involved with StopMintoFreed

Quite a few people have asked me whether I’m involved with StopMintoFreedDevelopment [now defunct -N.], a union of two neighbourhood associations that have banded together against the current design of the Minto/Freed condo project at Front and Bathurst, in Toronto.

Their website links to my essay, Farewell to Rock Oasis, when discussing the colorful industrial history of the corner.

What do you think: Is the development too high/too dense,
relative to the Official Plan? (graphic via StopMintoFreed)

For the record, I am not connected with that organization (consisting of residents from the Wellington Place Neighbourhood Association and the Niagara Neighbourhood Now Association).

However, I am interested in what they have to say.

Like many of my climbing friends, I am still distraught about the premature demolition of the old Doty Engine Works building and the Rock Oasis climbing gym located therein. I’m still trying to get over it. I have my own opinions regarding development on that corner, which are probably fairly predictable.

(The post I wrote -- The Transformation of King-Spadina -- dealing with changes in the area over the last decade, exposes my prejudices for any reader to infer.)

I do think that StopMintoFreed (hereafter SMF) is raising legitimate concerns which deserve consideration -- and further discussion. Specifically, is the proposed development consistent with the City of Toronto’s Official Plan and the medium-density, mixed-use character of the area?

According to SMF, the answer is no. They argue that the proposal:

“violates all planning principles and controls the City of Toronto has in place for the neighbourhood, without providing any clear or justifiable reason or public benefit for doing so.”

That’s a pretty substantial charge -- is it factual?

Let’s look at a particular detail of the proposal, just as an example. Freed and Minto, in a July 25, 2011 zoning amendment application, have asked the city to permit a building that “exceeds the maximum zoning height as permitted in the By-law, and does not comply with the required setback.”

The Reinvestment Area (RA) Zoning By-law 438-86 (under which the site is zoned), permits a maximum height of 26 meters along Bathurst (plus 5 meters for rooftop mechanical elements). The proposed SouthWest tower in the project is 81 meters.

That’s 50 meters of difference!

Perhaps it’s unfair to cite this one element out of context from the whole proposal. But it does tend to raise questions about whether the project is going to heed any of the planning guidelines for the area.

The Grid recently interviewed Lee Jacobson, treasurer of the Wellington Place Neighbourhood Association, and presumably a spokesperson for SMF.

Jacobson is keen to emphasize that SMF is

“not against development in the area. Our campaign is not to stop development and keep this site vacant. We simply want to work together with Minto Freed to build a sustainable community.”

In Jacobson’s view, the overly-dense proposal threatens to strain the existing transit infrastructure and to erode the community spirit of the area, with close to 1,000 new residential units being constructed. It is out of scale and out of proportion with everything else in the neighbourhood.

I’d love to hear Peter Freed (the developer)’s take on this. I haven’t tried to contact him, because I suspect he’s got more pressing priorities than to speak with a not-entirely-receptive blogger fixated on the history of the site. I can speculate, however, that as a developer, he doubtless needs to have a certain density in order to make it all economically profitable. It should not be surprising that the proposal is asking for significantly more density and height than the planning guidelines permit.

In the (somewhat developer-oriented) UrbanToronto.ca forum thread about the project, commentators have dismissed the SMF campaign with the derogatory ‘NIMBY’ label. This is an intellectually lazy stance which is just as unwarranted as painting Peter Freed as a ‘greedy developer’.

It’s reasonable to check whether a development proposal is consistent with the urban planning guidelines for the site location -- and when it deviates significantly from the guidelines, to ask whether the benefits outweigh the costs of that deviation.

Will the proposed development loom over Victoria Memorial Square?
graphic via The Daily Planet

The Wellington Place Neighbourhood Association has collaborated with Freed in the past, to help shape projects in the area which were within the generally accepted planning guidelines, so there’s plenty of hope that a compromise may still be worked out.

I don’t know whether I have the psychic energy to properly (and neutrally) assess the case made by SMF. The demolition of the Doty Machine Works was a depressing -- if inevitable -- event, and I’m not sure whether on a personal level it’s worth dwelling on.

I’m definitely curious about the eventual outcome of what happens on the corner, and I’ll probably attend some of the public meetings to see what goes on -- but I’m pretty sure I’m going to simply concentrate on completing my documentation of the history of the site. I’ll leave the future for someone else to battle over.

For those wishing to find out more, the next Community Consultation meeting about the development is taking place October 12, 2011 -- location and time to be determined. A prior meeting attracted “the biggest crowd we’ve had in four years”, according to Adam Vaughan, the local ward Councillor.

It’s critical to make a proper evaluation of how the proposed development will impact the surrounding neighbourhood, which has a rich historical legacy from the very beginning of Toronto. My prime concern would be over how the development affects the nearby Victoria Memorial Park.

The Front and Bathurst project is a significant and precedent-setting development. Whatever happens here will influence the character of the neighbourhood for the next fifty years. And we are about to see it take shape right before our eyes.


Further information and reading
The City of Toronto Staff Report about the project
The Daily Planet’s article about StopMintoFreed
BlogTO’s coverage of the Oct 12, 2011 public meeting
The OpenFile.ca [defunct] article on Minto Freed and the OMB
StopMintoFreedDevelopment’s website [defunct]
urbantoronto.ca’s (somewhat softball) interview with Peter Freed

and of course,

Farewell to Rock Oasis - my essay about the history of the corner and the climbing gym
What’s to Come at Front and Bathurst