Category Archives: Toronto (a.k.a. Accordion City)

TTC Strike Update: Strike Monday, Unless There’s a Settlement This Weekend

Here’s the word from the folks at CP24:

TTC Union boss Bob Kinnear has laid out the terms of avoiding a TTC strike: land a deal by 4pm Sunday or his members will walk off the job at 4am Monday. A disruption would shut down all buses, streetcars and subway cars for 1.5 million riders.
He’s pleading [...]

TTC: Strike or No Strike?

If There’s to be a Strike, We’ll Hear About It Very Soon
The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113, the union of workers for the Toronto Transit Commission, is expected to make some kind of announcement today, and the current news reports say that it’s likely they will strike. The union promised 48 hours’ notice for a [...]

Globe and Mail: Transit Talks Described as Close to Boiling Point

According to a Globe and Mail written by Jeff Gray, my old editor at the Queen’s Journal, things aren’t looking good in the current labour negotiations with the TTC:

Talks between the Toronto Transit Commission and its largest union are about to reach a “boiling point,” one source says, as the union - which has promised [...]

My Commute

Most days, I commute to work via the Scorpion King, my trusty 2003-model Trek Calypso, a cruiser-style bicycle that provides a comfortable and “business casual” clothing-friendly ride thanks to its fat tires, comfortable seat, fenders and chainguard. The most efficient route I use is 6.3 kilometres (3.9 miles) in length and has only two hills, [...]

My Very First Impression After Reading “Baby Invasion”

My first impression after reading the Toronto Life article Baby Invasion (which I mentioned in this article) was: The people in this article seem to think that Stuff White People Like is some kind of instruction manual.
More later.

This Should Be Interesting Reading…

Perhaps it’s because the latest edition of Toronto Life has only been on the stands for a few days, but I’m surprised that there hasn’t yet been much lively debate over the cover story, titled Baby Invasion, which bears the subtitle They’re taking over our bars, restaurants and sidewalks, and further subtitled with The [...]

Walking Up “Roncey”

While walking up Roncesvalles Avenue to pick up my bike from the shop, I decided to take some pictures along the way. I posted my favourites in this Flickr set; you can also see the photos in the slideshow below:
Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

The OTHER Accordion Guy

Photo by Richard Lautens, Toronto Star.
I’m not the only accordion guy in town, and I’m glad to see some younger folks taking up the instrument. Here’s an excerpt from a Toronto Star article titled Squeezing Life Into His ‘Hood:

Ronen Segall uses his bright red accordion to inject life into his Huntley St. home near Bloor [...]

The TTC’s Announcement: No Strike — For Now

The missus has been watching the Toronto Transit Commission’s press conference on CP24 and took notes on Twitter. Here’s the scoop:

They say that they are not paid too much.
TTC fares have gone up at a rate double that of TTC employee wages.
The TTC is the least subsidized urban transit system in North America.
They are NOT [...]

Ooh! Free Chicken Legs! [Updated]

While biking eastbound on Dundas Street West to work this morning, I spotted a long line that stretched around the the corner of Dundas West and Rusholme. The reason? Free chicken legs!

The Portuguese butcher shop/grocery store O Nosso Talho (which Babelfish clumsily translates as “Ours I Cut”) was offering free chicken legs. I’d say that [...]

You Don’t See Bondage Pants Deals Like This Every Day

Seen on Queen Street West yesterday:

Metronauts!

Last year’s TransitCamp — an unconference where both citizens interested in Toronto transit as well as Toronto Transit Commission people could meet and discuss ideas and solutions — was not only a success; it also spawned a number of spin-offs, including similar conferences in San Francisco and Vancouver.
This year, TransitCamp returns under a new name, [...]

Ding Dong: Good Pastries, Unfortunate Name

The Ginger Ninja and I visited Ding Dong Pastries and Cafe (in Chinatown, at 321 Spadina Avenue, just south of Baldwin) this weekend and were stunned by the prices: most of the single-serving cakes and buns are priced between 60 and 80 cents. We picked up a sesame ball, two tall “paper cup cakes” (sponge [...]

Ed Force One!

If you haven’t yet seen these photos from the Iron Maiden Land in Toronto article in BlogTO, you’re in for a treat: here are photos of Ed Force One, the custom-painted Boeing 757 that Iron Maiden are flying about in their world tour, landing here in Accordion City:
Photos by Tom Podolec. Click the photo to [...]

Funniest Line About Bill Buckley I’ve Heard All Day

A wag who goes by “monobrau” said: “He was a douchebag, but the current crop of conservatives are colostomy bags.”
Second funniest line: “Gore Vidal Wins!”

DemoCamp 17 Covered in the National Post

I am extremely pleased with the way DemoCamp 17 went. We had some great demos and Ignite presentations at the Toronto Board of Trade dining room, followed by one of the best post-DemoCamp after-parties at the Duke of Westminster. My thanks to all the attendees, the presenters, Jay Goldman for doing a lot of the [...]