t.o.

I've been impressed with all the changes planned for Toronto. It seems like every week I read about some new major plan or design. A re-designed Nathan Phillips Square and a bold new transit plan are the most notable. Mayor David Miller's long-range plan to reduce greenhouse emissions also has the potential to radically alter the city landscape.

When we first moved to the area, I was impressed that two major museums were being renovated and expanded, both with designs by famous architects, but that's old news now. And of course this is in addition to the endless construction of condo towers, mirrored by the endless construction of townhouses in the suburbs.

Living in Mississauga, I don't feel as connected to these changes as I would if I lived in Toronto itself, but I like it anyway. Big plans like these avoid that small-time mindset that a city must attract an outside event, like the Olympics or an Expo, to revitalize it - as if there isn't reason enough already to create a great city.

It's the difference between needing outside approval to tell you you're all right, and standing up and saying, I am great. If Toronto is going to get over its well-publicized inferiority complex, these plans are the kind of therapy it needs. Even if the execution falls short, no one gets what they don't reach for.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

11 things you should know about u.s. presidential elections

Image
Here are some facts about US elections. There are mountains of evidence to support each of these. If you have doubts, do some homework. This is merely a summary of facts. 1. The Electoral College. Up to 50% of votes in any state are wiped out. Canada has first-past-the-post voting based on ridings (Parliamentary seats), but imagine if all of Ontario was one riding -- 51% and winner take all. 2. Partisan oversight. Elections are governed on the state level, and the person in charge of them represents a political party. There is no equivalent of Elections Canada. Imagine, for example, if Jason Kenney's party ran elections in Alberta, and oversaw vote-counting and potential recounts. 3. Voter suppression. This takes place on a dozen different fronts. In many states, registration is complex and very limited. There are onerous ID requirements. Voters can be and are disqualified based on any number of arcane laws. Voter list are "purged" -- hundreds of thousands of voters dro...
Read more

"at your library" column in the north island eagle: two columns suddenly without relevance, part 2

This ran after the library was closed... and it's about a resource that can only be accessed in our branches! Ancestry Library: Your Library Can Help You Discover Your Roots Many Canadians are interested in learning about their family background. After all, unless you're an Indigenous person, your ancestors were once newcomers to this land. Where did they come from, and what was life like there? Why did they decide to leave their original country, travel to a strange place, often on the other side of the globe? And where did they all go? You probably know some of their stories, but you may have family in Canada or elsewhere that you've never even heard of. For some people, genealogy becomes an absorbing fascination, even an obsession. Folks travel around the world to see what remains of a family village, or learn a new language so they can read original letters. For others, just a dip into the information now and again is enough – interesting and fun. Whatever your level of...
Read more