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RIP Jack Layton: 1950-2011 4

RIP Jack Layton: 1950-2011
Photo of bike lane memorial for Jack Layton on College Street by Martin Reis I was deeply saddened this morning to wake up to the news that Jack Layton had succumbed to cancer. Layton gave me hope for Canada, and hope for the world. That politicians can work hard to make things better in our ...

Toronto’s New Anti-Bike Mayor 32

Photo of Mayor Rob Ford by Shaun Merritt A man once said, “I can’t support bike lanes. How many people are riding outside today? We don’t live in Florida. We don’t have 12 months a year to ride on the bikes. And what I compare bike lanes to, is swimming with the sharks. Sooner or ...

Oakville’s Grand Opportunity 1

Photo “Groningen: Colourful City” courtesy of Akbar Simonse The following is an excerpt from an article I contributed to Oakville.com that discusses using bicycles as transportation in Oakville, Ontario: So how exactly can Oakville improve its current state? The first thing Oakville needs is a master cycling plan. It needs a vision that encompasses active ...

Learning From September 11th

Photo by slagheap / Flickr Most people remember where they were on September 11th, 2001 – 9 years ago – when they heard the news about airliners crashing into the World Trade Center and subsequently collapsing. I was working in a skyscraper in downtown Toronto when I heard the news before we were evacuated (after ...

My Toronto Wish List 6

Earlier this evening I had a conversation with Ward 19 candidate and Rogers Sportsnet host Sean McCormick. He told me about his platform, and I briefly told him what would win over my vote. Unfortunately, it’s not very efficient for Mr. McCormick to have a 30 minute conversation with me about what I would like ...

G20: We Were Duped 8

Photo by James D. Schwartz / The Urban Country The G20 was a historic weekend where Toronto citizens were duped and our rights were stripped in the name of “terrorism”. Our city and our country failed us on so many different levels, and I can honestly say I’m not proud to be a Canadian right ...

G20 Saturday In Photos 1

All Photos by James D. Schwartz / The Urban Country  The G20 leaders are in town this weekend, and the protests are abundant. Although there were various causes that I sympathize with, I chose not to participate in the protest this weekend. Instead I jumped on my bike with a friend and set about Saturday ...

Flowers on a One-Way Street 6

The summer of 1967 sealed the fate for the future of Toronto. The city was on the verge of a revolution that would see the community reclaim the urban landscape to create a Mecca for the bohemians to hang out and relax – free from the toxic exhaust fumes that had smothered the city. It ...

Pragmatism Eludes Politicians 17

Photo courtesy of Dylan Passmore  Toronto Star urban affairs columnist Christopher Hume writes yesterday: “the fact remains we don’t have a choice; if we want Toronto and environs to prosper, there’s no alternative but transit”. Sorry Mr. Hume, but there is another alternative. A very viable alternative that most in the media and government choose ...

Leaders Should Learn from Copenhagen 7

Photo courtesy of Rob Inh00d  The 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen has ended – and not surprisingly it lacks a binding agreement between the parties. This conference was particularly significant because it was identified by the 2007 Bali Road Map as the point ...