tDot Zamo

Another Stolen Bike

2021-11-21T12:01:00.007-05:00

My bicycle was (again!) stolen while parked on a City of Toronto property. It (had previously) survived previous thefts and recoveries and it's a story worth telling.

I will start this long story with the latest: the bicycle disappeared November 20, 2021 around noon while locked to a bike ring in front of Wellesley Community Centre, where I had gone swimming - it's probably the newest public swimming pool in Toronto. It's not the first bicycle I have stolen, and it's actually the second time this bike got stolen.

I had previously registered this bike with the police. The serial number is in the area of the green chain in the photo, close to the seat post latch (no need to flip it over): RP724915; I submitted through CORE a police report and it’s been registered as incident T21076913, though not yet approved. I also posted in a couple of Facebook groups, linked below.

As shown in the photo, it’s a Raleigh Burlington beach cruiser, with foot brakes and a back-up hand break on the front wheel. It's black with some white lines and the frame is rusty, with a vintage look, though the tires are (were) new. It has collapsible metallic baskets on the back. The frame is damaged and can no longer hold the seat post, so the seat post slid all the way down – there was a crack at the base which caused the seat post to bend backward; I took it to Ya Bikes and they just ripped it off. Just like my other bikes, the rusty, cheap look of this bicycle wasn't enough to protect it from theft.

The first photo was taken before the trip to Ya Bikes, on November 13, as I felt that the City of Toronto minivan gets parked way too close to the bike rings, making it difficult for people to use them.

This wasn't the whole story, and one day I might print it all.

LE:A bike theft story.. all over the place.

Sources / More info: fb-stlnbon, tps-core

tDot zamo, bike, bicycle, bike theft, bicycle theft, toronto, toronto police, policing, law enforcement, biking, biketo, cycling (Tags)

Oscars 2021

2021-04-24T11:02:00.004-04:00

The current crop of Oscars contenders is a bit depressing, but that's not a reason to avoid them.

Given the “heaviness” of this set, you might want to start with Bill Maher’s commentary The Debbies (“If your movie is woke, how come it put me to sleep?”) first, and then the highest-paid Oscar nominees list from Forbes.

As usual, I watched a few of the movies, and here's what I think about them.

7.5|60679 Nomadland LAs, C, BD, FE, BP, aSp: Rather slow and meditative, and much like The Father, not for everyone.
7.8|69109 Sound of Metal LA, SA, FE, BP, S, oSp
7.0|37319 Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom LA, LAs, CD, MH, PD
8.3|38105 The Father LA, SAs, FE, BP, PD, aSp: Great acting, I predict at least one of them will take the statuette, heavy subject.
6.9|55909 Mank LA, SAs, C, CD, BD, MH, Sc, BP, PD, S
7.6|34574 Minari LA, SAs, BD, Sc, BP, oSp: Touching story, well played
7.8|134846 The Trial of the Chicago 7 SA, C, FE, So, BP, oSp
7.6|39694 Judas and the Black Messiah SA, C, So, BP, oSp
7.2|24102 One Night in Miami… SA, So, aSp
6.3|7597 The United States vs Billie Holiday LAs: I had read the Wikipedia article on Billie Holiday long ago because I found her voice so unsettling and her biography is remarkably strange and sad. This is a good movie and a stellar performance from the lead actress, who sings herself.
7.1|36644 Pieces of a Woman LAs
7.5|79018 Promising Young Woman LAs, BP, oSp, BD, FE: This drama is another #MeToo echo, and I suspect viewers have equivalent positioning
6.7|119442 Borat Subsequent Moviefilm SAs, aSp
6.7|32884 Hillbilly Elegy SAs, MH
7.4|110838 Onward aF
6.4|16041 Over the Moon aF
6.8|11190 A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon aF
8.1|226308 Soul aF, Sc, S: Excellent, reminiscent of Inside Out
8.1|19760 Wolfwalkers aF
6.8|59164 News of the World C, Sc, PD, S
6.7|36347 Emma CD, MH
5.6|118893 Mulan CD, VE
6.2|8749 Pinocchio CD, MH
7.8|63024 Another Round BD, IF
8.2|7498 Collective Df, IF: This is a great documentary – it’s unusual for a documentary to have a dual nomination, so I’m hoping it wins
7.7|5437 Crip Camp Df
7.7|5405 The Mole Agent Df
8.2|27465 My Octopus Teacher Df
6.9|4378 Time Df
7.1|863 Colette Ds
6.9|989 A Concerto is a Conversation Ds
7.5|1092 Do Not Split Ds
7.1|447 Hunger Ward Ds
6.8|1685 A Love Song for Latasha Ds
7.5|5556 Better Days IF
7.0|1595 The Man Who Sold His Skin IF
7.8|13819 Quo Vadis, Aida? IF
6.5|44306 Da 5 Bloods Sc
6.5|77644 Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga So: The whole Iceland roots for it
6.8|11378 The Life Ahead So
7.4|334358 Tenet PD, VE: A distant, uninvolved treatment of time-travel paradox that failed to impress me.
7.4|4398 Burrow aS
6.1|871 Genius Loci aS
7.8|9733 If Anhything Happens I Love You aS
7.3|588 Opera aS
5.6|888 Yes-People aS
7.5|1243 Feeling Through LS
6.8|1558 The Letter Room LS
7.5|1715 The Present LS
6.9|6159 Two Distant Strangers LS
7.3|776 White Eye LS
7.0|74633 Greyhound S
7.0|65086 Love and Monsters VE
5.6|72273 The Midnight Sky VE
6.6|9956 The One and Only Ivan VE
7.1|44794 The White Tiger aSp: I enjoyed this movie and learned a lot about the Indian society.

I like to order movies as above because it helps deciding which to watch, since one doesn’t have the time and other resources to see them all.

Finally, there are quite a few movies worth watching above, but if you’re underwhelmed and still crave sheer entertainment, I’d recommend Nobody. Snyder’s Cut is boring and too dumb.

Sources / More info: osc-awrd,

tDot zamo, oscars, oscar, films, movies, movie, filmmaking, movie making, moviemaking, film making, awards, red carpet, acting, entertainment (Tags)

Oscars 2020

2020-02-11T20:00:00.004-05:00

I managed to watch almost all the Oscars 2020 (i.e., 2019 movies) nominees, and I am sharing my thoughts on them as well as how to watch the ceremonies.

What I like to do is list the movies and share my impression of that movie. Rather than group them together by awards, I like to list the movies with all their nominations and wins on the same line.

In USA, the awards were shown on ABC while in Canada, on CTV. The live audience size continued this year its descending trend.

Here is the full list of 2020 Oscar winners, with their repective IMDB rating and number of votes.

“Ford v Ferrari” 8.2|130613 BP, FE, SE, SM
“The Irishman” 8.0|235933 BP, SA, BD, aSp, C, FE, PD, VE, CD
“Jojo Rabbit” 8.0|104999 BP, SAs, aSp, FE, PD, CD
“Joker” 8.6|666811 BP, LA, BD, aSp, C, FE, SE, SM, Sc, MH, CD
“Little Women” 8.1|54597 BP, LAs, aSp, Sc, CD
“Marriage Story” 8.0|164023 BP, LA, LAs, SAs, Sc
“1917” 8.5|166010 BP, BD, C, SE, SM, PD, Sc, VE, MH
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” 7.7|376301 BP, SA, BD, C, SM, PD, CD
“Parasite” 8.6|216718 BP, BD, IF, FE, PD
“Pain and Glory” 7.6|32392 LA, IF
“The Two Popes” 7.6|70005 LA, SA, aSp
“Harriet” 6.3|9711 LAs
“Bombshell” 6.8|28806 LAs, SAs, MH
“Judy” 7.0|20865 LAs, MH
“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” 7.4|22450 SA
“Richard Jewell” 7.5|16275 SAs
“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World,” 7.5|86655 aF
“I Lost My Body,” 8.2|55689 aF
“Klaus,” 8.2|55689 aF
“Missing Link,” 6.7|15107 aF
“Toy Story 4,” 7.9|152638 aF, So
“Dcera,” aS
“Hair Love,” aS,
“Kitbull,” aS
“Memorable,” aS
“Sister,” aS
“Knives Out,” 8.0|157627 oSp,
“The Lighthouse,” 7.7|68873 C
“American Factory,” 7.4|8504 Df,
“The Cave,” 7.5|1156 Df
“The Edge of Democracy,” 7.1|10582 Df
“For Sama,” 8.5|3784 Df
“Honeyland,” 8.0|6249 Df, IF
“In the Absence,” Ds,
“Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone,” Ds,
“Life Overtakes Me,” 6.4|1172 Ds
“St. Louis Superman,” Ds
“Walk Run Cha-Cha,” Ds
“Brotherhood,” 6.8|13 LS
“Nefta Football Club,” LS
“The Neighbors’ Window,” LS,
“Saria,” LS
“A Sister,” LS
“Corpus Christi,” 7.8|2620 IF
“Les Miserables,” 7.7|4501 IF
“Ad Astra” 6.6|140689 SM
“Rocketman” 7.4|94514 So,
“Breakthrough” 6.1|6196 So
“Frozen 2” 7.1|66365 So
“Harriet” 6.3|9711 So
“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” 6.7|52000 MH
“Avengers Endgame” 8.5/663960 VE
“The Lion King” 6.9|163671 VE
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” 6.9|252611 VE, Sc

I used the following abbreviations:

Best Picture: BP
Best Director: BD
Cinematography: C
Documentary Feature: Df
Documentary Short: Ds
Leading Actor: LA
Leading Actress: LAs
Supporting Actor: SA
Supporting Actress: SAs
Animated Short: aS
Animated Feature: aF
Original Screenplay: oSp
Adapted Screenplay: aSp
Best International Feature Film: IF
Film Editing: FE
Sound Editing: SE
Sound Mixing: SM
Production Design: PD
Original Score: Sc
Original Song: So
Makeup and Hair: MH
Costume Design: CD
Visual Effects: VE
Best Live-Action Short Film: LS

*(*This article is unfinished – it was scheduled to appear in the hope that it will be finished before, but since this message is here and until it is removed, the article is to be considered work in progress*)*.

Sources / More info: osc-awrd, cnt-o20

tDot Zamo, movies, movie, oscars, oscar, awards, film, movie making, moviemaking, film making, films (Tags)

Best TIFF 2019 movies and a TV show

2019-09-08T10:45:00.000-04:00

This year we have a change of guard, but personally, I have stopped paying as much attention as I used to as the Festival is continuing its march to commercialism. For many Torontonians, a more relevant and authentic moment of triumph was Bianca Andreescu’s win over Serena Williams at the US Open, even though she is from Mississauga.

Whether this film festival is too commercial for its own good or not, we’re still going to mention the movies worth watching (if not within the festival, then perhaps later), rather than present a movie we happened to watch as we did in the past.

The buzz – and my curiosity – is centered on Jojo Rabbit (trailer, imdb; Nazi antisatire).

The big movies (which we’ll definitely see on the big screen) are Joker (Joaquin Phoenix 9.6/11234), A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood (Tom Hanks 7.5/118), Judy (Renee Zwellweger 6.9/69), Dolemite is My Name (Edie Murphy – 7.6/51).

Other buzz-worthy movies (which may or not be great, but interest me):

Jallikattu (t, i, 8.2/6) bull escapes in Hindu village
Marriage Story (t, i, 7.8/298) – Kramer v Kramer w/ Adam Driver & Scarlett Johansson
Parasite (t, i, 8.5/24777) – Korean movie on unemployed scamming family twist
Antigone (t, i, ?) – social realist adaptation of Greek tragedy
A Hidden Life (t, i, 7.1/343) – true story of conscientious objector in Nazi Germany
The Truth (t, i, 5.9/108) – Deneuve, Binoche – mother actress vs daughter/ Made in Japan
Wasp Network (t, i, 4.8/109) – controversial movie about Cuban political prisoners
White Lie (t, i, 8.7/12) – Canadian undergrad faking cancer
Anne at 13,000 ft (t, i, ?) – Canadian daycare worker existential drama
Color Out of Space (t, i, 7.4/56) – Nicholas Cage in another weird meteorite Sci-Fi
Pain and Glory (t, i, 7.8/10440) – Almodovar/Banderas director introspection
The Lighthouse (t, i, 7.9/883) – Willem Dafoe plays in a dark retro comedic horror.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (t, i, 8.4/658) – Brittany XVIII female painter forced to paint wedding portrait of a young woman
Beanpole (t, i, 7.2/745) – 2 women in post-WW2 Leningrad
It Must Be Heaven (t, i, 7.3/203) – travelling filmmaker finds parallels to his native Palestine
The Climb (t, i, 7.4/61) – 84 metascore – friendship + fiancee sogors
Bacurau (t, i, 8.3/1790) – 74 metascore – sci-fi Brazil village mobilization
Atlantics (t, i, 7.6/225) – Dakar workers
The Report (t, i, ) – Adam Driver, John Hamm

I used the TIFF recommendation engine two times, each with slightly different choices, but generally preferring European movies, weighting for World and Drama.

The first time I got (by email):

Beanpole Learn more
Synonyms - Learn more
Dogs Don't Wear Pants - Learn more
Maria's Paradise - Learn more
Disco - Learn more

The second time I pressed “Show More” a few times, getting, among others: The Painted Bird, A Hidden Life, The Moneychanger, The Sleepers, A Herdade, Heroic Losers, How to Build a Girl, The Laundromat, The Personal History of David Copperfield, The Two Popes, Waves, While at War, A White, White Day.

The TV series I’ve recently discovered is Undercover Billionaire (t, i, 6.6/103), which is about a billionaire who’s trying to emulate on Donald Trump’s success, but with a show that’s a bit smarter and more watchable (I could never watch Trump’s crap, but this one is better at helping you understand these guys).

I’m not interested in something like IT 2 (7.1/39177) either.

Sources / More info: yt-tifftrailers, yt-tifftalks, yt-tifforiginals, fb-tiff, tiff, tiff-recommend

tDot Zamo, toronto, tiff, filmfest, film festival, toronto international film festival (Tags)

posting photos and videos without permission

2019-07-17T21:00:00.001-04:00

A while back, I was contacted by a friend of mine from another country asking for my help regarding a former (or existing? can’t remember) colleague who had created a page on Facebook titled “the incompetent ~”, where ~ was her real name, and also using her photo. She had filed a request with Facebook to have it removed, but Facebook refused, citing free speech rights that did not exist in that country’s legislation. More recently, here in Canada, a friend of mine told me a story of similar blackmail and I decided to take a more serious look at what can you post and cannot post.

A few weeks back, I was sitting on a bench in a Toronto park, around the Pride days, playing Duolingo on my phone. Only meters away, on another bench, a man was staring at me behind what seemed to be highly magnifying glasses. Minutes passed, then he stood up, walked to me and asked me “are you taking photos of me?”. I said “no”. He replied “good, cuz it’s illegal to take photos of me”, then walked back to his bench.

I exiled the thought that he might be someone famous from my mind, but the thought persisted and, days later, produced a hypothesis: it could’ve been Mike Smith, but I wasn’t sure as I wasn’t a fan of the Trailer Boys and haven’t watched him much. I had only seen him in this version of Closer to the Heart long time ago, while trying to make sense of Rush.

Once that thought had evolved, it occurred to me that I don’t know much about this topic and need to research it. Prior to this, my thinking was that you have the right to take photos and videos in a public space of anyone (provided of course you don’t do something idiotic like “upskirt”, which is an invasion of privacy and would likely fall under the “voyeurism” C-46/162 section of the Criminal Code), but there may be restrictions in publishing it. In order to avoid the quagmire of differing copyright legislation around the world, I would use only CC-licensed content (as much as possible) and generally credit or link other works of art to the original.

I have also noticed that videos with identifying characteristics may occasionally be removed or censored even while showing illegal or criminal activity, suggesting that the right to privacy of a criminal or suspected criminal may override victims’ rights or prevention efforts or the right of the public to be informed.

It’s difficult to find information on the law in Canada and more specifically Ontario, as most of what is available freely online applies to the United States exclusively and/or it may be outdated. A number of websites provide advice that may seem common-sense but could be flawed (al-phpriv). Although it may seem that way, whatever I write here is not legal advice but rather a summary of information I was able to find online, as disclosed below; it’s no substitute for the advice of a licensed attorney at law who has the ability to offer advice specifically tailored to your situation.

NB: In USA, both the Feds and States can make differing criminal statutes, whereas in Canada there is only the federal Criminal Code.

ceaseNdesist

If you find yourself being stalked, harassed or having your copyright infringed upon, your first step in remedying this situation is to send a cease and desist letter, often abbreviated C&D. A number of websites provide a “step-by-step” form to create your own such letter, while collecting your personal information and possibly charging you for the service (cl-c&d). Aaron Hall offers freely a template (ahall-templ8) which I converted in an easy to use Google Doc (ahall-gdocs). A longer explanation on Cease and Desist letters as they relate to IP and interlocutory injunctions was posted on Aird & Berlis “Spotlight” blog in 2017 and I recommend it, as it clearly and almost exhaustively explains what such letters are and their purpose (ab-slc&d).

I interpret the above to mean that as long as you don’t use needlessly threatening language and you stay anchored in facts, sending a C&D letter should carry no adverse consequences.

injunctions

If a C&D letter fails to obtain the expected result, a case could take a long time to be heard, and until then, one can request a temporary remedy or injunction. In Canada, this is supposedly hard to get – until you do some digging. Start with a look at Interlocutory Injunctions – in Ontario under Rule 40 (wiki-ii, mcc-ii).

A very good explanation was written in 2014 by Matt Maurer (slaw-ci) who explains a Court of Appeal decision providing a quick overview on (almost) everything you wanted to know about civil injunctions.

An Interim Injunction: Can be requested with or without notice to the opposing party. Argument in front of the judge is usually quite limited. If the injunction is granted it is typically for a brief, specified period of time. When an interim injunction is granted without notice it usually requires the party seeking (and obtaining) the injunction to return to court (on notice to the opposing party) to have the interim injunction continued. In practice, interim injunctions are often used to preserve the status quo for a short period of time until an interlocutory injunction can be argued.
An Interlocutory Injunction: Like the interim injunction, the interlocutory injunction is a form of pre-trial relief. An interlocutory injunction is an order restraining the defendant from engaging in conduct for a limited period of time, such as until the trial or other disposition of the lawsuit. Argument in front of the judge is typically more thorough than that for an interim injunction and the duration is generally longer than that of an interim injunction.
A Mandatory Injunction: A type of injunction that requires the defendant to act positively. Mandatory injunctions are rarely ordered and must be contrasted with the usual type of injunctive relief, which prohibits certain specified acts as opposed to imposing an obligation to act positively. Due to their nature, mandatory injunctions are often permanent.
A Permanent Injunction: Interim and interlocutory injunctions are imposed in ongoing cases. Permanent injunctions are granted after a final adjudication of rights.
The Legal Tests: For lawyers, the legal test for interim and interlocutory injunctions is well known and was set out by the Supreme Court of Canada 20 years ago (the “RJR-Macdonald Test“). The court must decide (1) is there a serious issue to be tried; (2) would the moving party otherwise suffer irreparable (i.e. not compensable with $$$) harm; and (3) does the balance of convenience favour granting the injunction.
Justice Gillese clarified that the test for a permanent injunction is not the same as the RJR-Macdonald Test. The Ontario Court of Appeal adopted a test set out recently by the British Columbia Court of Appeal. In short, in order to obtain final injunctive relief, a party is required to establish its legal rights. The court must then determine whether an injunction is an appropriate remedy. Irreparable harm and balance of convenience are not, per se, relevant to the granting of a final injunction, although those issues may come into play.

An even more in-depth expose was written in 2017 (wf-iiprimer). This is not something you would attempt or defend on your own, but this information may be helpful when writing or responding to a C&D letter.

Despite the supposed difficulty of obtaining such injunctions in Federal Court, in a 2017 case of Sleep Country vs Sears FC148 an injunction was granted (fz-mattress) and SCC upheld a worldwide interlocutory injunction against Google, even though the latter was a 3rd party (pck-equggl).

cyberbullying

The Canadian Criminal Code gained a new offence in March, 2015, relating to the sharing of intimate images of a person without their consent.

A summary on a Public Safety government site (psgc-cyberb) summarized the possible punishment and related offences.

Judges now have the authority to order the removal of intimate images from the Internet if the images were posted without the consent of the person or persons in the image.
Anyone convicted of distributing an intimate image without consent could face serious legal consequences. For example:

They could be imprisoned for up to five years;
Their computer, cell phone or other device used to share the image could be seized; and
They could be ordered to reimburse the victim for costs incurred in removing the intimate image from the Internet or elsewhere.

An “intimate image” is defined as an image that depicts a person engaged in explicit sexual activity or that depicts a sexual organ, anal region or breast. Furthermore, the image would have to be one where there person depicted had a reasonable expectation of privacy at the time of the recording and had not relinquished his or her privacy interest at the time of the offence.
Other laws related to cyberbullying

Several other Criminal Code offences also deal with bullying, including cyberbullying.
Depending on the exact nature of the behaviour, the following current offences could be charged:

Criminal harassment (C-46/264)
Uttering threats;
Intimidation;
Mischief in relation to data;
Unauthorized use of computer;
Identity fraud;
Extortion;
False messages, indecent or harassing telephone calls;
Counselling suicide;
Incitement of hatred; and,
Defamatory libel

All in all, the aforementioned website does a good job at summarizing the Criminal Code, even though it does not explicitly mention or link to the specific articles.

The changes to the Criminal Code were also covered by CBC (cbc-nl):

O'Shea, executive director of the Public Legal Information Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, says the amendments to s.162.1 of the Criminal Code change how cyberbullying can be fought. The amendments became law in March.
"It makes it a new offence to do a number of things with videos or photos of a person in an intimate setting without that person's consent — including publishing, distributing, transmitting those images," O'Shea said in an interview with Here & Now.

This addition is probably salutary.

In contrast, RCMP takes a more expansive approach, dealing with bullying in general, but focusing on youth and possible consequences.

Bullying can be a traumatic experience, and some forms of bullying can even be considered illegal. These include:

Criminal Harassment: Repeated tormenting online, with texts, phone calls, and/or emails causing the other person to fear for their safety
Child pornography: Sharing intimate photos and videos of minors (<18)
Uttering Threats and Extortion: Threatening to share someone's personal information to others if they don't do what you want them to do
Assault: Threats or acts of non-consensual force, violence, bodily harm, or destruction of personal property
Identity Theft/Fraud: Creating a fake online profile to ruin someone's reputation
Defamatory Libel: Spreading rumors about someone

For all of these criminal offences, it is important to notify your local police detachment or report it to CYBERTIP.CA. Based on the available information, police will decide if an investigation is warranted and whether charges may be laid.
what you can do

Report online bullying to the social media site and block the person responsible.

Facebook
YouTube - Safety Centre
Twitter
Instagram – block a user or report something
Tumblr – how to "ignore" (block) someone
KiK - Safety Centre
Snapchat
WhatsApp
Skype
Google - Safety Centre
Yahoo - Safety Guide
LinkedIn

However, for many of us, it’s not just intimate images of ourselves that we may want kept off the internet; as such, cyber-bullying does not apply if the images are not “intimate”, as defined by law.

The Federal justice ministry has also several pages on cyberbullying (jgc-cb).

tresspass

The right to privacy and one’s image varies with property rights of the surroundings.

When on someone else’s property, different rules apply, but tresspass is not automatic (ll-tresspass).

any person can go onto the private property of another during daylight hours if permission to do so is implied. For example, if there is a path up to the front door of a residence and there are no signs warning people to stay off the land, there is implied permission for people to enter, such as a letter carrier. This implied permission can, of course, be revoked instantly by the person in charge of the property. If you are told to leave, you must leave or you could be sued for trespass.

Work rules are also a bit counterintuitive (ll-workpl).

Generally speaking, Canadian courts have not looked favourably on employers who install surveillance cameras to spy on employees without good reason. (..) In Canada, surveillance cameras can only be used to record video, not audio communications.

The main rule (video without audio is less troublesome than audio) seems to hold above.

publicity

According to Wikipedia (wiki-pubpers),

The right of publicity, often called personality rights, is the right of an individual to control the commercial use of his or her name, image, likeness, or other unequivocal aspects of one's identity. It is generally considered a property right as opposed to a personal right, and as such, the validity of the right of publicity can survive the death of the individual (to varying degrees depending on the jurisdiction).

The aforementioned article further provides a few important distinctions for common law provinces such as Ontario (i.e., not Quebec), such as intentionality and profit.

Athans (1977) confirms that there is "a proprietary right in the exclusive marketing for gain of his personality, image and name"
There is always a requirement that the plaintiff be identifiable.
An action for appropriation of personality will have to be intentional for a plaintiff to recover at common law.
There is a requirement that the defendant must have acted for the purpose of commercial gain, but Gould suggests that this may be restricted to "endorsement-type situations".
It is a matter of uncertainty whether the common law tort of appropriation of personality is actionable per se or whether damages must be shown.
Privacy rights are extinguished upon death, but personality rights are inheritable.
A defendant will not be liable for an appropriation of personality at common law where: (i) he has consented to the use of his persona; (ii) the use made of his personality rights was merely incidental to another purpose; or (iii) the publication constituted a matter of public interest.

This is very relevant for the stated purpose of this article, so I strongly recommend not just the above, but also more in-depth articles: loyola-pdf, lx-berpar15, lx-berpar1710, lx-berpar1707.

elsewhere

Let’s start with a few issues in USA.

An excellent resource for legal issues surrounding photography in USA is Carolyn E. Wright, especially as summarized on KK blog (kk-photowright).
There is also the specific issue of photography at work (qu-usawork).
It’s copyright infringement even if you are in the photo (f8-cinfrg).
Clarification of social mediat (esp Fb) posting of photos (ch-fb).
Nolo offers 3 reasons to stop unauthorized use of a photo: right to privacy, to publicity or defamation (nl-stophoto) and clarifies defamation (nl-dfm)
a very basic, common-sense and short guide to basic issues regarding posting of videos on YouTube (isw-permyt)

Jessica Lake discusses the history of street photography as well as a few recent cases in Brisbane and London (lh-au & tc-stph).

fairdealing

In terms of intellectual property, USA has DMCA and “fair use” whereas Canada has “fair dealing”. Whichever “fair” we’re talking about, it basically refers to a set of exceptions to copyright (in Canada, an “integral part” of the law) which allows the public to use copyrighted works without permission from the owner.

In Canada, generally copyright lasts 50 years after death of the author. Find more info on Wikipedia (wiki-fd) or on YouTube, in no particular order:

Despite being published in Toronto, a 2016 article considers a Quebec case as if it applies everywhere (sk-socmed). In the main newspaper, while the right to take photos is recognized, it is counseled that “ethically” permission should be requested (tgm-isitok, tst-eth); on an answer 4 money website, “Tom Bullmer: there is no clear law” (ja-canpix).

Hope this helped.

Sources / More info: ahall-templ8, ahall-gdocs, cl-c&d, ab-slc&d, psgc-cyberb, rcmp-bullying, wiki-cchlsuc, cbc-creep, wiki-fd, wiki-ii, mcc-ii, slaw-ci, fz-mattress, wf-iiprimer, pck-equggl, wiki-pubpers, loyola-pdf, lx-berpar15, lx-berpar1710, lx-berpar1707, wiki-intpriv, wiki-privsoc, wiki-canphoto, tgm-isitok, cippic-photo, lh-au, kk-photowright, cbc-nl, qu-usawork, f8-cinfrng, ch-fb, nl-stophoto, nl-dfm, tc-stph, isw-permyt, al-phpriv, jgc-cb, sk-socmed, ja-canpix, tst-eth, ll-vdsm1, ll-tresspass, ont-tresspass, ll-workpl

tDot Zamo, photos, privacy, cyberbullying, cyber bullying, harassment, harass, harrass, harrassment, cyber-bullying, personal rights, right to publicity (Tags)

Best Toronto City Swimming Pools

2019-07-14T15:00:00.005-04:00

I used to go to Alexandra Park outdoor swimming pool (pictured below) every summer, starting with Canada Day weekend, when they open, and until the Labor Day weekend, when they close. There was also the occasional heat wave when outdoor swimming pools would be open at night. That won’t be happening this year, as there’s a different “heat warning” policy and my favorite swimming pool is closed, leaving me searching for another one.

I looked at a number of swimming pool tops and lists as it’s impractical to look at the 58 outdoor pools and a waterpark that Toronto has to offer, but for most of us, location / proximity beats all other criteria. While the season closure of my favorite swimming pool is an opportunity to try others, I will focus on the East End. Since I cannot swim regularly, this summer I will try to swim at as many swimming pools as I can, updating this article as I gather notes. I will also try to keep this list updated.

Alexandra Park Pool was a bit on the cool side, which is perfect if you’re looking to swim or cool off. Typically,

water temperature general range is 82F - 84F. This may fluctuate if heaters are turned off for maintenance. TDSB sites can be as low as 78F based on their operating policies.

New this year: there doesn’t seem to be any more lane swim for many, just leisure swim mostly 12-8pm.

Back when I lived in the West end of North York I went a few times to Domenico di Luca swimming pool as that was only 5 minutes away by bicycle. It’s been a good pool, though the staff was a bit odd. Lane: daily 12:15 - 12:55pm, 4 - 4:55pm, 7 - 7:30pm, except Tue & Thu when no 4-4:55.

I have also tried Sunnyside Gus Ryder Outdoor Pool and found it a little too busy for my liking. There are quite a few lines for swimming, but they are along the width, which makes lane swimming less enjoyable, as you have to a much shorter length of the lane than elsewhere, even at much smaller swimming pools. It’s also very hard to park a bicycle on busy days – lots of bike stands but they’re all taken usually. There is also too little space to sunbathe around the swimming pool. Lane & leisure swim daily (in parallel) from 10 am-3:45 pm, 5-8 pm.

I cannot remember if I managed to try the High Park swimming pool, but it has something separate for kids and lane swim: ~~Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays 1-5 pm, 7-7:55 pm;~~ Tuesdays and Thursdays additionally 9:30-10:15 am, otherwise daily 4-5 pm, 7-7:55 pm. (Leisure: 12-4, 5-6:55)

Located near Woodbine Beach, Donald D. Summerville Olympic Pools, is a group of three pools here: a 50-metre Olympic-sized pool, a 25-metre training pool and a diving pool with five and 10 metre platforms. ~~Lane swim: every day 7-8 pm~~ Leisure swim 10-4 & 5-8.

If “stadium-style seating” sounds appealing to you, you ought to try Giovanni Caboto Pool, located at St Clair W & Lansdowne. That’s quite far from me, but if you live in the West end, that might be your new sun-spot. Lane swim: Every day 7:45-8:45 and Mondays and Wednesdays 8:30-9:15 am. Leisure: 11:45-7:30pm

Another pool with dedicated space for kids (which means normal, unimpeded swimming for adults), Monarch Park, located inside a 5ha park at Danforth and Coxwell has ~~lane swim every day 7-8p~~ Leisure 12-8pm.

I would also like to try Riverdale Park East even though it sounds like it is too much kids-oriented. It’s at the northern tip of the 18ha Riverdale Park East. Leisure: 12-8 daily ~~Lane swim: Every day 7:45-8:45 and Mondays and Wednesdays 8:30-9:15 am~~.

Much like a swimming pool next to a beach, Greenwood Park is located next to a nice baseball diamond, and it’s also in the East End, which automatically places it on the list of pools I will try. Leisure: 12-8pm.

Other lesser mentioned swimming pools in the East End: Kiwanis (leisure 12-8 daily), Leaside (leisure 12-7:30 daily), Blantyre (leisure 12:30-8, lane Tue-Thu 9-10am).

Here’s a map of all the pools.

If you prefer to look at all the pools in list format and only map whichever seems closer, that’s also available.

I will be starting with a list of all Toronto Outdoor Pools and edit it as necessary.

Location	Address	Map It	Phone	Open Date	Close Date
Alex Duff Memorial Pool*	779 CRAWFORD ST	Map It	416 392-0910	June 15, 2019	September 2, 2019
Alexandra Park*	275 BATHURST ST	Map It	416-392-7686	Closed for the season.
Amesbury Sports Complex	155 CULFORD RD	Map It	416 395-0145	June 24, 2019	September 1, 2019
Amos Waites Park Outdoor Pool	2441 LAKE SHORE BLVD W	Map It	416 394-8484	June 24, 2019	September 1, 2019
Blantyre Park	180 FALLINGBROOK RD	Map It	416-396-4126	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Broadlands Community Centre	19 CASTLEGROVE BLVD	Map It	416 395-7966	July 10, 2019	September 1, 2019
Domenico Di Luca Community Recreation Centre	25 STANLEY RD	Map It	416 395-6673	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Donald D. Summerville Olympic Pools*	1867 LAKE SHORE BLVD E	Map It	416 392-7688	June 15, 2019	September 2, 2019
Driftwood Community Recreation Centre	4401 JANE ST	Map It	416 395-7944	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Eringate Park Outdoor Pool	121 WELLESWORTH DR	Map It	416 394-8485	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Fairbank Memorial Park	2213 DUFFERIN ST	Map It	416-394-2742	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Fairhaven Park Outdoor Pool	100 GOLFWOOD HTS	Map It	416 394-8486	June 23, 2019	September 1, 2019
Flagstaff Park Outdoor Pool	42 MERCURY RD	Map It	416 394-8487	June 24, 2019	September 1, 2019
Gihon Spring Park Outdoor Pool	75 GIHON SPRING DR	Map It	416 394-8488	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Giovanni Caboto Rink, Pool and Tennis Courts	1367 ST CLAIR AVE W	Map It	416 392-7762	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Glen Long Community Centre	35 GLEN LONG AVE	Map It	416 395-7921	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Gord and Irene Risk Community Centre	2650 FINCH AVE W	Map It	416 395-0355	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Goulding Community Centre	45 GOULDING AVE	Map It	416 395-0123	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Grandravine Community Recreation Centre	23 GRANDRAVINE DR	Map It	416 395-6171	June 15, 2019	September 2, 2019
Greenwood Park	150 GREENWOOD AVE	Map It	416-392-7804	June 15, 2019	September 1, 2019
Halbert Park	24 ROCKWOOD DR	Map It	416-396-4125	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Heron Park Community Centre	292 MANSE RD	Map It	416 396-4035	June 15, 2019	September 2, 2019
High Park	1873 BLOOR ST W	Map It	416-392-7807	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Irving W. Chapley Community Centre	205 WILMINGTON AVE	Map It	416 395-0453	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Kidstown - Water Park*	3159 BIRCHMOUNT RD	Map It	416-396-8325	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Kiwanis Outdoor Pool	375 CEDARVALE AVE	Map It	416 396-2847	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Knob Hill Park	625 BRIMLEY RD	Map It	416-396-4128	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Lambton - Kingsway Park Outdoor Pool	37 MARQUIS AVE	Map It	416 394-8489	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Lawrence Heights Community Centre	5 REPLIN RD	Map It	416 395-6118	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Leaside Outdoor Pool	5 LEASIDE PARK DR	Map It	416 396-2846	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Ledbury Park	160 LEDBURY ST	Map It	416-395-6688	June 29, 2019	September 1, 2019
Maryvale Park Outdoor Pool	5 TRESTLESIDE GRV	Map It	416 396-4127	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
McGregor Park Community Centre*	2231 LAWRENCE AVE E	Map It	416 396-4023	June 15, 2019	September 2, 2019
Mitchell Field Community Centre	89 CHURCH AVE	Map It	416 395-0265	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Monarch Park	115 FELSTEAD AVE	Map It	416-392-7831	Postponed
North Toronto Memorial Community Centre*	200 EGLINTON AVE W	Map It	416 392-6591	June 29, 2019	September 1, 2019
Northwood Community Centre	15 CLUBHOUSE CRT	Map It	416 395-7876	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Oakdale Community Centre	350 GRANDRAVINE DR	Map It	416 395-0484	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
O'Connor Community Centre	1386 VICTORIA PARK AVE	Map It	416 395-7957	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Oriole Community Centre	2975 DON MILLS RD W	Map It	416 395-6005	June 15, 2019	September 1, 2019
Ourland Park Outdoor Pool	36 OURLAND AVE	Map It	416 394-8490	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Park Lawn Park	330 PARK LAWN RD	Map It	416-394-8491	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Parkway Forest Outdoor Pool	59 Forest Manor RD	Map It	416-392-0945	June 22, 2019	September 2, 2019
Pine Point Park Outdoor Pool*	15 GRIERSON RD	Map It	416 394-8492	June 15, 2019	September 2, 2019
Pleasantview Community Centre	545 VAN HORNE AVE	Map It	416 395-6006	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Richmond Gardens Pool	44 STRATHDEE DR	Map It	416 394-8493	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Riverdale Park East	550 BROADVIEW AVE	Map It	416-392-7801	June 22, 2019	September 2, 2019
Roding Community Centre	600 RODING ST	Map It	416 395-7964	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Rotary Peace Park Outdoor Pool	25 ELEVENTH ST	Map It	416 394-8494	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Smithfield Park Outdoor Pool	175 MOUNT OLIVE DR	Map It	416 394-8495	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Smythe Park	61 BLACK CREEK BLVD	Map It	416-394-2741	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Stanley Park South - Toronto	700 WELLINGTON ST W	Map It	416-392-0703	June 24, 2019	September 1, 2019
Sunnyside Gus Ryder Outdoor Pool*	1755 LAKE SHORE BLVD W	Map It	416 392-7915	June 15, 2019	September 2, 2019
Wedgewood Park Outdoor Pool	15 SWAN AVE	Map It	416 394-8496	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
West Deane Park Outdoor Pool	19 SEDGEBROOK CRES	Map It	416 394-8497	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
West Mall Outdoor Pool	380 THE WEST MALL	Map It	416 394-8498	June 15, 2019	September 2, 2019
Westgrove Park Outdoor Pool	15 REDGRAVE DR	Map It	416 394-8500	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Westmount Park Outdoor Pool	22 ARCADE DR	Map It	416 394-8499	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019
Weston Lions Park	2125 LAWRENCE AVE W	Map It	416-394-2743	June 22, 2019	September 1, 2019

* these regional pools will stay open during cool weather (if the forecast high for the day is 19 degrees C or lower, leisure swims will not operate and the pool is to be closed; the pool is also closed if the temperature drops and there’s no attendance for 30 min) for regular scheduled hours.

Free centers located downtown with indoor pools I probably know and have used are:

Harrison Baths (15 Stephanie Street)
Scadding Court Community Centre (707 Dundas Street West)
Regent Park Community Centre (402 Shuter Street)
Pam McConnell Aquatic Centre (640 Dundas Street)

In case you didn’t know, all city-operated swimming pools used to be free until a couple of years ago (Rob Ford, as I recall); now indoor leisure swimming is free but lane swimming is $4/entry for adults, 1-year pass $248, etc (tdot-swimming). Meanwhile, Edmonton is making access to its swimming pools free for the 3rd consecutive year, with the first two opening at the end of May.

Other free centres, which I probably don’t know and haven’t used as of yet:

Jimmie Simpson Recreation Centre (870 Queen Street East) Lane: Sat/Sun 12-2, MWF 7-9_11:30-1:30_8-9pm, TuTh 11:30-1:30_7-8pm
John Innes Community Recreation Centre (150 Sherbourne Street) Lane: M-F 11:30-1:30 + MWF 6-7
Secord Community Centre (91 Barrington Avenue)
Wellesley Community Centre (495 Sherbourne Street)
Falstaff Community Recreation Centre (50 Falstaff Avenue)
Harrison Baths (15 Stephanie Street)
Masaryk-Cowan Community Recreation Centre (220 Cowan Avenue)
Rockcliffe Middle School (400 Rockcliffe Boulevard)
York Recreation Centre (115 Black Creek Drive) Lane: daily 12:05-1:15pm + Sat 4:30-5:30 + M-Th 7-8am(+25TuTh), 9-10pm

It's probably easier for me to just update the spreadsheet rather than this article, but I'll try to correct glaring mistakes.

Sources / More info: ig, tdot-dropingswmmng, nt-plvr, trnct-best, blgt-top10, dlhv-pblcost, tdt-plsmap, tdkb-swmpls, tdot-outdoorpoolslist, free, tdot-swimming

tDot Zamo, toronto, swimming, swimming pool, outdoor, outdoors, summer, outdoor swimming pool, sunbathing, lane swimming, public swimming, public pool, freebie, public swimming pool, freebies, heat wave, heat warning (Tags)

Justice in Toronto 1: quick LTB evictions and Ontario standard lease

2019-01-04T11:00:00.015-05:00

There has been a lot of talk about “access to justice” (or a2j), the SRL crisis and corruption / underperformance in Canadian courts. While increasingly case law can be found on CANLII, what is often missing is details, and for obvious reasons: getting the details wrong may result in libel lawsuits. However, we believe that making non-identifying details public - i.e., the “story” - can help shed some light on how the litigation industry works (or doesn’t) in our city.

Back in January 2018, Felicity Conrad had published 8 “access to justice” predictions for 2018 (fc-8a2j) – but can we objectively claim that ANY has come true?! We learned that “Justice” was declared word of the year by Merriam-Webster (ange-justice18). Closer to home (nslrp-a2jru18), we get a short history lesson and a quick look at the defining events for 2018 SRL phenomenon.

There are many criticisms levelled on the “justice” system and many ideas re: what needs to change, but before going there, let us look at a few examples.

The first is a tenant who believes that he or she was unfairly accused of not paying rent and that the landlord has, so far, managed to get away with this false accusation to the point of eviction.

The Tenant responded to an ad posted on Kijiji and visited an apartment in Toronto’s hip & hippie Kensington Market that, confusingly, looked nothing like the ad photos. Additionally, the ad poster referred to the landlord by a name completely different than the Landlord’s official name, the Landlord took 30 minutes to answer the door (and it was answered by a kid), and the lease had to be signed at a different location.

A 6-month lease to rent a basement unit was signed on May 4, 2018 (p 1, 2, 3, 4) for $700/month. The Tenant claims to have requested a written copy of the standard lease on signing day and even showed the landlord where to get it from (mah-sl) on his or her laptop, as well as the foreign language guides (onca-stdls - ss-multilgds), but the landlord never bothered. On this lease, the Tenant used his or her CanadaPost Flex delivery address for “mailing address”.

References to the standard lease can presently be found on the LTB website as shown in the screenshots and links below (ss-slrules, ss-ltbslsrch, ltb-slsrch, ss-ltbsl02, ltb-linktomah).

If a landlord fails to provide the standard lease within 21 days after a renter has asked for it in writing, the renter may withhold one month's rent.
If the landlord fails to provide the standard lease within 30 days after the renter has begun withholding rent, the renter does not have to repay the one month's rent.

On moving in, the Tenant had paid “first and last” by [Interac] Email Money Transfer (aka e-transfer) and then the Landlord’s mother-in-law requested post-dated cheques, which the Tenant provided.

The Tenant sent a few letters asking for the standard lease, but there was no response. The Tenant also requested that the post-dated cheques be returned; they were not.

The Tenant then withheld one month rent starting on June 1. The Landlord verbally asked the Tenant to move out and threatened litigation. When the Tenant didn’t move out, the Landlord enlisted the other basement tenant, with whom the Tenant was sharing a kitchen, to engage in harassment by proxy. The other tenant was arrested and thus basement unit 1 became vacant.

The Tenant attempted to pay the next rent in time via Interac Email Transfer on July 1, but the Landlord started to make it more difficult and time consuming. When the Landlord entered the password for the email money transfer wrongly 3 times in a row, causing the transfer to be cancelled, the Tenant resent the payment, met the Landlord at the latter’s convenience store, discussed some outstanding issues and ensured that the Landlord had learned the password and was able to enter it. From then on, the Tenant sent each payment using this simple password, except for September rent, which was paid in cash with receipt.

The Tenant filed a T2 application with the LTB, which was withdrawn on consent on October 5, after Member Flynn indicated that he felt that he is required by precedent (Ball vs Metro Capital; PDF) to dismiss it and with the benefit of advice [also, weird fme conv with xlator] (order 1, 2).

Once again, the Tenant had used his or her CanadaPost Flex delivery address on their application.

The Landlord filed an L1 and L2 application, using the basement apartment address (NB: NOT the Tenant’s mailing address) which was scheduled for and heard on December 4. A recording was obtained and it is currently being transcribed.

At the hearing, the Tenant claimed that they had not been served with any documents and only learned of the hearing from the translator’s messages:

A message scribbled on a piece of paper ripped out of a Tenant's magazine was pushed under the Tenant’s door on or about November 20.
On November 20, the Tenant and the Landlord’s friend and translator exchanged SMS (text) messages; the Tenant requested to be contacted by email.
In a November 26 email, the translator announced to the Tenant the December 4 hearing without providing any document or official notice.

The Tenant attempted to list the reasons for an adjournment (lack of notice which resulted in lack of preparation, need for interpreter, need to obtain professional advice), but Member David Mungovan interrupted, commencing an examination of the Landlord.

Upon seeing that the Landlord required the use of a translator, Member David Mungovan asked how long has the Landlord been in Canada and was told 9 years. The Member asked, incredulously, “and you require a translator?”, followed by “pourquoi?”, presumably French for “why?”.

Under Member David Mungovan’s examination-in-chief, the Landlord admitted that the corresponding form (N12: 1, 2) for their L2 (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, A, B) had not been served as stated in the Certificate of Service and as such their L2 was (seemingly) dismissed. Given that the house in question is a rooming house with multiple units on the top floors and a vacant unit in the basement, very similar to the Tenant’s, the Landlord faced an uphill battle to convince a reasonable individual that their affidavits (landlord, spouse) were valid even if their application had been allowed to proceed. The Member still considered L1 (1, 2, 3, 4), choosing to believe the landlord’s version that N4 (1, 2) had been properly served. Member David Mungovan even allowed the Landlord to introduce their L1/9 Update (A, B) without requiring that a copy is provided to the Tenant. The L1 original application requested the June payment (which had been withheld due to standard lease rules, as shown above), and then the L1 Update requested the rent for October and December, but strangely, not for November.

The Tenant attempted to show proof of payment of rent on their phone. Member David Mungovan did not raise any objection to this proof and as such appeared to be satisfied. The Landlord claimed that they received the transfers but were unable to deposit it because they did not know the password. The Tenant showed proof that the rent payments were made on the first of each month and were deposited by the Landlord, and even offered to show video recordings of the password being set. Member David Mungovan asked “what kind of person makes such a recording?” and the Tenant explained that ever since having tried to assert their rights, (in violation of RTA) the Landlord has been trying to get the Tenant to move out, and part of it was to make rent payments more difficult. When the Tenant offered to show the aforementioned video recordings, Member Mungovan stopped them, saying several times “we’ve had enough fun today”.

An Order was issued on December 12 (1, 2, 3, 4, S1, S2). From Determinations:

2. (page 1/4): “(…) where the evidence between the Landlord and the Tenant conflicts, I prefer the evidence of the Landlord to that of the Tenant, generally.”
3. (page 2/4): “(…) charges of $12.00 (…) NSF and $15.00 related administration charges (…) I find the Landlord failed to prove this part of her claim which must be denied” yet in Schedule 1 it appears that the claim is allowed.
6. (page 3/4): “I have considered (…) the Tenant’s assertions he withheld June rent because he did not receive a standard lease, which is no excuse; he sent etransfers for rent for October and December using the same passwords but in circumstances where there was no good reason the Landlord would not accept rent payments if she could have”

The Tenant faxed in a Request for Review on December 25 (1, 2, 3, 4, hr) with an affidavit added on 27; it was rejected on December 28 under the signature of Vice-Chair Nancy Henderson (1, 2, 3). The Tenant thinks he or she may have previously appeared in front on the latter; additionally, on the 27, while swearing the affidavit, the Tenant overheard staff stating that there is no bilingual Member available, which may have played an undue role in the Vice-Chair’s decision.

The Tenant has encountered significant difficulties obtaining legal advice. Though a duty counsel is available, they stated they are understaffed and were changing their work hours repeatedly throughout December. At first, they were seeing tenants with same-day hearings in the morning and everybody else from 1-4, then, when the Tenant showed up before 3pm, they schedule had shifted to 3. Additionally, even while present, the duty counsel claimed to be closed and despite attending for several days in the time interval when they were supposed to be open, the Tenant could not talk to duty counsel. In the first week of January, duty counsel started seeing everybody in the morning as there were no hearings, but the Tenant still had no luck. On the hearing date, the duty counsel could not advise when and how the Tenant can move out.

The Tenant received this note from staff advising him to “google search Service Ontario” and in January picked up an eviction notice served via UPS.

The Tenant believes that the Divisional Court is the appeals court (ag-guide2a, oc-scj) where this statutory appeal may be heard, should the Tenant choose to do so. The process is started by “serving and filing one copy of a Notice of Appeal(Form 61A; example) and one copy of an Appellant's Certificate Respecting Evidence (Form 61C)” within 30 days of the order to be appealed. Once the notice is filed, the rest of the documents must be filed within 10 days.

We will be updating this article with documents as we receive and anonymize them.

Sources / More info: mw-justice18, ange-justice18, fc-8a2j, nslrp-a2jru18, mah-sl, onca-stdls, ss-slrules, ss-ltbslsrch, ltb-slsrch, ss-ltbsl02, ltb-linktomah, ott-otl, ag-guide2a, oc-scj, sjto-complaints, jud-complaint(ont), cjc-complaint(fed), tltbstry

tDot Zamo, justice, law, law reform, ltb, housing, renting, a2j, access to justice (Tags)

Ontario Provincial Elections 2018 (June 7)

2018-06-17T10:00:00.004-04:00

On June 6, Ontario elected a new premier and made the governing party unofficial. More importantly for me, it was the first election with “electronic polling”, in an act pioneered by the municipal government and soon to be followed by the feds.

Having had some experience working for Elections Canada in what seems to be its last paper-based election, I looked forward to what promised to be the first “electronic voting” experience, if we don’t count the municipal ones.

In the Canadian Federation, a lot of power is concentrated at the provincial level (I would argue that that’s MOST of it, with the Federal government being mostly general and the Municipal having low administrative duties).

As such, about a month before the elections, I set out to check and update my voting registration online. I had moved a lot in the past four years and there’s no way they had my registration current.

I was surprised to find that Elections Ontario checked for the Postal Code:

Even home owners move around. Checking the postal code from the start makes no sense, as it is unlikely that the information is current. A saner check would be to first identify a person by their name and DOB, then allow them to update their address. Checking for the name, address and postal code in one shot is likely to result in a “not found” error and, by forcing what could be a second registration, cause potential duplicates in the database.

Sorry, we could not find you on the Voters List with the following information:

Full Name
Date of Birth
Home Address
This address is used to determine your electoral district and voting location.
The online service to add or update your information on the Voters List is closed for the election. If you need to update or add your information to the Voters List, you can always do it in person when you go to vote.

Never mind, I thought. Why don’t I just apply for a job (elec-apply) with these guys and I’ll vote while helping others vote. At least that way, I can update my info with these guys and then voting should be easier.

I was easily able though to find my electoral district (elect-112) and a list of candidates.

BELL, JESSICA - Ontario NDP/NPD
CHRISTOFF, DARYL - The New People's Choice Party of Ontario
DAVIS, JO-ANN - Ontario Liberal Party
FIGUEIRAS, PAULO - Go Vegan
GRANT, TIM - Green Party of Ontario
MACLEOD, DOUG - Independent
MILAN, HILTON - Party for People with Special Needs
SMITH, GILLIAN - PC Party of Ontario
SWIM, RYAN – Libertarian

For my district, the Liberal (more or less incumbent) was projected (epred-112) to keep their seat, so there was an opportunity for strategic voting. I wrote “more or less” because this district was gerrymandered out of two Liberal districts: 68.73% of Trinity-Spadina, with Han Dong (L) and 31.27% of Toronto Centre, with Glen Murray (also Liberal). In the 2015 Federal election, Chrystia Freeland had gotten 50%, NDP’s Hollett’s got 28.60% and PC’s Jivraj got 17.50%. So despite Wynne’s bad name, I thought that this riding would stay Liberal.

I thus applied online (elec-jobs) and was called the next day by someone from Elections Ontario, whom I called back, and she went through the text of my online application, confirming everything, then telling me I’ll get a call from someone else. Somebody else called me, I called them back, then they assigned me as an RDRO, or “Revision DRO”. Unlike a DRO, who only checks someone’s ID and issues a ballot (read-only DB access), an RDRO can make direct changes in the voter database and add new voters.

I then went for training for a couple of hours (where I was given two well-designed guides) about 3 days before the election, I then met the SDRO (supervisor), the other RDRO and the scanning guy (poll clerk?) at the polling station, where we waited for our supplies. When they arrived, we connected the modem/hotspot and powered on the little laptops with touch-screens (they seemed overkill for what they were used for) as well as the printer, made sure everything , stored everything and then left (this also took 2-3h, mostly waiting for the EO van).

Then the election happened, and all the major networks ran specials – GN, CBC, P&P, CN – while printed media made videos: ml-emember, np-bestmmnt, oc-tech.

I will finish updating this shortly

Sources / More info: elec-faq, elec-jobs, elect-112, epred-112, cbc-irreg, cbc-prob, elec-scrut(PDF), elec-candd8(PDF), elect-hsehPDF, ford-compass, elec-empFAQ, elec-apply, eo-internal

tDot Zamo, canada, ontpoli (Tags)

2018 Oscars non-winning Nominees

2018-03-07T02:30:00.001-05:00

After having gone through the big winners of the 90th Academy Awards, I thought the non-winning nominees are also worth a look. Winning is tough and occasionally, it’s not the best movie that wins, but rather the one that makes the best Oscars marketing effort.

In less politically-correct times, the nominees who haven’t won anything would be called “losers” but that isn’t a word I’m willing to use in this context. The Academy voters most certainly do not reflect my own views in their entirety and they probably do not reflect your own, so among those who are not awarded there certainly are some who may very well have deserved more.

As in the winners list, I am presenting the movies ordered by IMDB rating, as shown today (date of publishing). It seems like action / hero movies are highest rated, such as Logan and Guardians.. 2 (Wonder being an exception) but least likely to get “serious” prizes.

“Logan” (adapted Scott Frank & James Mangold and Michael Green) 8.1-457614, n, a; In the near future, a weary Logan cares for an ailing Professor X, somewhere on the Mexican border. However, Logan's attempts to hide from the world, and his legacy, are upended when a young mutant arrives, pursued by dark forces.
“Wonder” (makeup and hairstyling) 8.0-55039, a; Based on the New York Times bestseller, WONDER tells the incredibly inspiring and heartwarming story of August Pullman, a boy with facial differences who enters 5th grade, attending a mainstream elementary school for the first time.
“The Greatest Showman (song “This Is Me”) 7.9-75634, a; Celebrates the birth of show business, and tells of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” (visual effects) 7.7-348053, n, a; The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill's true parentage.
“Baby Driver” (film editing, sound editing, sound mixing) 7.7-275278, a; After being coerced into working for a crime boss, a young getaway driver finds himself taking part in a heist doomed to fail.
“The Disaster Artist” (adapted Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber) 7.7-57869, a; When Greg Sestero, an aspiring film actor, meets the weird and mysterious Tommy Wiseau in an acting class, they form a unique friendship and travel to Hollywood to make their dreams come true.
“The Florida Project” (supporting actor Willem Dafoe) 7.7-33112, a; Set over one summer, the film follows precocious six-year-old Moonee as she courts mischief and adventure with her ragtag playmates and bonds with her rebellious but caring mother, all while living in the shadows of Walt Disney World.
“Lady Bird” (picture, actress Saoirse Ronan, director/screenplay Greta Gerwig, supporting actress Laurie Metcalf) 7.6-84688, trailer, review, a; In 2002, an artistically inclined seventeen-year-old girl comes of age in Sacramento, California.
“The Big Sick” (screenplay Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjani) 7.6-76492, a; Pakistan-born comedian Kumail Nanjiani and grad student Emily Gardner fall in love but struggle as their cultures clash. When Emily contracts a mysterious illness, Kumail finds himself forced to face her feisty parents, his family's expectations, and his true feelings.
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” (visual effects, sound editing) 7.5-321955, a; Rey develops her newly discovered abilities with the guidance of Luke Skywalker, who is unsettled by the strength of her powers. Meanwhile, the Resistance prepares for battle with the First Order.
“War for the Planet of the Apes” (visual effects) 7.5-159537, a; After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind.
“Molly’s Game (adapted Aaron Sorkin) 7.5-34666, a; The true story of Molly Bloom, an Olympic-class skier who ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game and became an FBI target.
“Mudbound” (cinematography, adapted Virgil Williams & Dee Rees, song Mighty River, supporting actress Mary J. Blige) 7.5-21321, n, a; Two men return home from World War II to work on a farm in rural Mississippi, where they struggle to deal with racism and adjusting to life after war.
“Beauty and the Beast” (production design, costume design) 7.3-200330, a; An adaptation of the fairy tale about a monstrous-looking prince and a young woman who fall in love.
“The Post” (picture, actress Meryl Streep) 7.3-50185, a; A cover-up that spanned four U.S. Presidents pushed the country's first female newspaper publisher and a hard-driving editor to join an unprecedented battle between the press and the government.
“Marshall” (song “Stand Up for Something”) 7.2-7438, a; The story of Thurgood Marshall, the crusading lawyer who would become the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, as he battles through one of his career-defining cases.
“All the Money in the World” (supporting actor Christopher Plummer) 7.1-16255, trailer, review, a; The true story of the kidnapping of J. Paul Getty & the kidnapping of his grandson.
“Victoria and Abdul” (costume design, makeup and hairstyling) 6.8-15990, a; Queen Victoria strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk named Abdul Karim.
“Kong: Skull Island” (visual effects) 6.7-196527, a; A team of scientists explore an uncharted island in the Pacific, venturing into the domain of the mighty Kong, and must fight to escape a primal Eden.
“Roman J. Israel, Esq” (actor Denzel Washington) 6.4-10527, a; a driven, idealistic defense attorney, finds himself in a tumultuous series of events that lead to a crisis and the necessity for extreme action.

It makes no sense to mix up the less popular categories with the rest of the movies, as they almost never get nominated for anything else outside their narrow spheres.

I further divided the “specials” into shorts and features.

First the “shorts”, some of which may be purchased via 2017 Shorts on Amazon. These are the live action shorts, the documentary shorts and the animated shorts.

live action short film

“DeKalb Elementary” (Reed Van Dyk) 7.6-531, trailer, review, a; Inspired by an actual 911 call placed during a school shooting incident in Atlanta, Georgia.
“The Eleven O’Clock” (Derin Seale and Josh Lawson) 7.6-509, trailer, y, a; The delusional patient of a psychiatrist believes he is actually the psychiatrist. As they each attempt to treat each other the session gets out of control.
“Watu Wote/All of Us” (Katja Benrath and Tobias Rosen) 7.4-517, trailer, review, a; For a decade Kenya has been targeted by terrorist attacks of the Al-Shabaab. An atmosphere of anxiety and mistrust between Muslims and Christians is growing. Until in December 2015, Muslim bus passengers showed that solidarity can prevail.
“My Nephew Emmett” (Kevin Wilson, Jr.) 6.9-457, trailer, review, a; Mississippi 1955 in the most racially divided state in the country, 64 year-old Mose Wright tries to protect his 14 year-old nephew Emmett Till from two racist killers.

documentary shorts

“Knife Skills” (Thomas Lennon), 7.2-320, trailer, review, tny, y, a; What does it take to build a world-class French restaurant? What if the staff is almost entirely men and women just out of prison? What if most have never cooked or served before, and have ...
“Edith+Eddie” (Laura Checkoway & Thomas Lee Wright), 7.0-434, trailer, review, topic; Edith and Eddie, ages 96 and 95, are America's oldest interracial newlyweds. Their love story is disrupted by a family feud that threatens to tear the couple apart.
“Heroin(e)” (Elaine McMillion & Kerrin Sheldon), 6.9-1166, trailer, review, n, a; Three women fight to break the cycle one life at a time.
“Traffic Stop” (Kate Davis & David Heilbroner), 5.6-461, trailer, review, a; HBO tells the story of Breaion King, a 26-year-old African-American school teacher from Austin, Texas, who was stopped for a routine traffic violation that escalated into a ...

animated shorts r

“Lou” (Dave Mullins and Dana Murray) 7.9-3706, trailer, review, y, a, lou; A Pixar short about a lost-and-found box and the unseen monster within.
“Revolting Rhymes” (Jakob Schuh and Jan Lachauer) I:7.7-1092, trailer, review, n, a, rerh; Two half-hour animated films based on the much-loved rhymes written by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake.
“Negative Space” (Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata) 7.4-910, trailer, review; Even though Sam's father is hardly ever home because he is often away on business trips, he is able to connect with his son by teaching him how to pack a suitcase.
“Garden Party” (Victor Caire and Gabriel Grapperon) 7.3-1043, trailer, a; In a deserted rich house, a couple of amphibians explore their surroundings and follow their primal instincts.

I’m looking forward to watching all the animated shorts, The 11 O’clock and maybe Knife Skills.

Of the lesser loved features, we have documentaries and animations.

documentary features

“Faces Places” (Agnès Varda, JR & Rosalie Varda), 8.0-2696, trailer, review, a; Director Agnes Varda and photographer/muralist J.R. journey through rural France and form an unlikely friendship.
“Last Men in Aleppo” (Feras Fayyad, Kareem Abeed & Søren Steen Jespersen), 7.5-1452, n, a; Khaled, Mahmoud, and Subhi volunteered at the white helmets trying to save lives of hundreds of victims at besieged city during the Syrian civil war.
“Abacus: Small Enough to Jail” (Steve James, Mark Mitten & Julie Goldman), 7.2-1466, trailer, review, a; A small financial institution called Abacus becomes the only company criminally indicted in the wake of the United States' 2008 mortgage crisis.
“Strong Island” (Yance Ford and Joslyn Barnes) 6.4-2026, trailer, review, n;

animated feature film

“Loving Vincent” (Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman and Ivan Mactaggart) 7.9-21993, y, bbc, dw, oscars, a, lovi; In a story depicted in oil painted animation, a young man comes to the last hometown of painter Vincent van Gogh to deliver the troubled artist's final letter and ends up investigating his final days there.
“The Breadwinner” (Nora Twomey and Anthony Leo) 7.6-3382, trailer, review, a; A headstrong young girl in Afghanistan disguises herself as a boy in order to provide for her family.
“Ferdinand” (Carlos Saldanha and Lori Forte) 6.7-12831, trailer, review, a; After Ferdinand, a bull with a big heart, is mistaken for a dangerous beast, he is captured and torn from his home. Determined to return to his family, he rallies a misfit team on the ultimate adventure.
“The Boss Baby” (Tom McGrath and Ramsey Naito) 6.3-73401, trailer, review, n, a; A suit-wearing, briefcase-carrying baby pairs up with his 7-year old brother to stop the dastardly plot of the CEO of Puppy Co.

That’s pretty much all that 2017 had to offer in terms of movies worth trying to watch.

One way to save on watching all these movies is to watch them on Netflix, when they come up. If you’re logged in, the way to search for “the subject” is: https://www.netflix.com/search?q=the%20subject%20%282017%29. You may also follow the Netflix Channel on YouTube.

You can also search the Netflix (and other content providers) databases without a login through sites such as JustWatch, ReelGood and UNogs.

The latter keeps a database of the number of

“all videos”, “movies” and “series” available in each country. It’s no surprise that USA leads, but I was quite disappointed to find Canada on the 29th place, behind Mexico, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica and many others:

I bet you wouldn’t have guessed who’s on top behind USA.

Finally, you can browse Netflix by Genres and Alternative Genres.

We’ll meet again next year on this subject. Go watch Black Panther and be disappointed by its storyline!

Sources / More info: osc-complete

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2018 Oscar (90th Academy Awards) Winners

2018-03-05T15:13:00.001-05:00

I was with a bunch of friends on Oscars night, and though I suggested we watch it, they’d have none of it, so we ended up watching Elysium on Netflix instead. Still, curious as I am to see who won and what movies I should keep trying to watch, I’m publishing the winners list here, along with my comments.

If you missed the ceremonies, there are quite a few ways to catch up. It’s probably simplest to watch a briefing such as USA Today, 5 moments, 1:31, or Guardian News, 7 moments, 2:52. You may also check out host Jimmy Kimmel monologue or even his entire transcript (nyt-mono).

I will be presenting the movies in the following format: “movie title” (wins, nominations) imdb.rating-votes, trailer link on yt, highest views review link on yt; imdb synopsis. Hovering with the mouse over the links presents additional info, such as clip publisher, number of views and when it was published for YouTube clips as well as the subtitle (first line of movie descriptors) on IMDB. Any of my editorializing in the list will be in italics.

In general, by the time Oscars roll onto a TV screen near you (or, more accurately, broadcasted live on YouTube), I have watched all the Hollywood productions, but not all the Foreign ones. These are, consequently, the ones most interesting to me.

Of the Foreign Features in the run this year, I was able to find on Amazon only three: Una Mujer Fantástica (the winner), Nelyubov (the only one I had already watched) and the Swedish Square.

“The Insult” (Lebanon) 7.9-2464, trailer, review; After an emotional exchange between a Lebanese Christian and a Palestinian refugee escalates, the men end up in a court case that gets national attention.
“Loveless” (Russia) 7.8-12592, trailer, review, a, nlbv; A couple going through a divorce must team up to find their son who has disappeared during one of their bitter arguments.
“On Body and Soul (Hungary) 7.7-11068, trailer, review, n, obas; When slaughterhouse workers Endre and Mária discover they share the same dreams - where they meet in a forest as deer and fall in love - they decide to make their dreams come true but it's difficult in real life.
“The Square” (Sweden) 7.4-23415, trailer, review, a, thsq; A prestigious Stockholm museum's chief art curator finds himself in times of both professional and personal crisis as he attempts to set up a controversial new exhibit.
“A Fantastic Woman” (Chile) 7.4-5957, trailer, review, a, 1muf; Marina, a transgender woman who works as a waitress and moonlights as a nightclub singer, is bowled over by the death of her older boyfriend.

Of the above, I have only watched Loveless. It’s a heart-wrenching movie about parenting, divorce and to a lesser extent, how the economic shocks Russia has been going through have affected daily life. There’s a particularly shocking image in the beginning, while the parents are having a fight, that comes to mind whenever I think of this movie. I plan on watching all the others except for The Insult, which I cannot find anywhere else and does not sound too interesting to me either.

If you are confused about who does what in a film production, I recommend Crash Course Film Production, a series that started a few months back (intro-playlist). See also How a Film Wins.

For all the other movies, rather than presenting them as organized by the Academy or in the order of the announcement, I list them in decreasing order of their current IMDB rating. Coco leads with 8.5 while The Shape of Water is 9th with 7.7.

“Coco” (animated feature, song, ) 8.5-119362, trailer, review, a; Aspiring musician Miguel, confronted with his family's ancestral ban on music, enters the Land of the Dead to find his great-great-grandfather, a legendary singer.
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (actress Frances McDormand, supporting actor Sam Rockwell & Woody Harrelson, picture, screenplay Martin McDonagh, film editing) 8.3-158896, trailer, review, a; A mother personally challenges the local authorities to solve her daughter's murder when they fail to catch the culprit.
“Blade Runner 2049” (visual effects, cinematography, production design, sound editing) 8.2 – 256729, trailer, review, a; A young blade runner's discovery of a long-buried secret leads him to track down former blade runner Rick Deckard, who's been missing for thirty years. A lot of eye-candy in this movie. The visuals convey the ethical fog and moral quandaries haunting the protagonists. It’s great to see that what was originally a PKD short story continues to excite and be relevant, years after the passing of time transformed the SF predictions into anachronisms.
“Call Me By Your Name” (adapted screenplay, picture, actor Timothee Chalamet, song Mystery of Love) 8.1 – 74655, trailer, review, a; In 1980s Italy, a romance blossoms between a seventeen year-old student and the older man hired as his father's research assistant.
“Dunkirk” (film editing, sound editing, sound mixing, picture, director Christopher Nolan, cinematography, production design) 8.0-359966, trailer, review, a; Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Empire and France are surrounded by the German Army, and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II. This feels more like a documentary than a feature film and the feeling of authenticity is created through masterful use of tech.
“Icarus” (documentary feature) 8.0-13895, trailer, review, n; When Bryan Fogel sets out to uncover the truth about doping in sports, a chance meeting with a Russian scientist transforms his story from a personal experiment into a geopolitical thriller...
“Phantom Thread” (costume design, actor Daniel Day-Lewis, director Paul Thomas Anderson, supporting actress Lesley Manville) 7.8-36639, trailer, review, a; Set in 1950's London, Reynolds Woodcock is a renowned dressmaker whose fastidious life is disrupted by a young, strong-willed woman, Alma, who becomes his muse and lover.
“Get Out” (original screenplay Jordan Peele, picture, actor Daniel Kaluuya) 7.7-270777, trailer, review, a; A young African-American visits his white girlfriend's parents for the weekend, where his simmering uneasiness about their reception of him eventually reaches a boiling point. Excellent, thoroughly enjoyable commentary on racism, aging and societal stereotypes and the black (no, not African-American :D ) humour hanging over what may be considered a horror/thriller justifies its wins in the comedy section elsewhere.
“The Shape of Water” (picture, director Guillermo del Toro, score, production design, actress Sally Hawkins, cinematography, screenplay GdT & Vanessa Williams, film editing, supporting actress Octavia Spencer, sound editing, costume design, supporting actor Richard Jenkins) 7.7-123055, trailer, review, a; At a top secret research facility in the 1960s, a lonely janitor forms a unique relationship with an amphibious creature that is being held in captivity. I was invited by Sony at a sneak preview and though I had extra invites, much to my surprise, few of my friends were interested. I’ve been following del Toro since El Laberinto del Fauno, and this movie did not disappoint.
“I, Tonya” (supporting actress Allison Janney, actress Margot Robbie, film editing) 7.6-49976, trailer, review, a; Competitive ice skater Tonya Harding rises amongst the ranks at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, but her future in the activity is thrown into doubt when her ex-husband intervenes.
“The Silent Child” (live action short) 7.6-541, trailer, channel, full?, y; The Silent Child centres around a profoundly deaf four year old girl named Libby who is born into a middle class family and lives in a world of silence until a caring social worker teaches her the gift of communication.
“Darkest Hour” (actor Gary Oldman, makeup and hairstyling, picture, cinematography, production design, costume design) 7.4-67482, trailer, review, a; During the early days of World War II, the fate of Western Europe hangs on the newly-appointed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who must decide whether to negotiate with Adolf Hitler, or fight on against incredible odds. Gary Oldman does a great job as Churchill and since Hollywood loves method actors, his win was pretty much assured. Interestingly, the movie focuses only on the first days of Churchill as PM following Chamberlain.
“Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405” (documentary short) 7.4-493, trailer, 40:07, 1:25:54, 1:30:00; Mindy Alper is a tortured and brilliant 56 year old artist who is represented by one of Los Angeles' top galleries. Acute anxiety, mental disorder and devastating depression have caused her...
“Dear Basketball” (animated short) 7.0-1704, trailer, full; An animated telling of Kobe Bryant's poem 'Dear Basketball' directed by Glen Keane.

Interestingly, the most awarded movie in this edition, The Shape of Water, is only 9th on the list of awards sorted by IMDB ratings. It left me wanting more.

If you feel the same and can’t wait until the next del Toro creation, Jason Baily writing for the New York Times has a few recommendations for you, ranging from Amelie (2001) to Beauty and the Beast (1946) and even Swamp Thing (1982). The italics here are extracts from Mr Baily’s article (nyt-tsowrecs).

“Amélie” (2001) 8.3-605433, trailer, a; Amélie is an innocent and naïve girl in Paris with her own sense of justice. She decides to help those around her and, along the way, discovers love. If You Loved the Magical Look and Feel. In its playful tone, its green-hued cinematography and production design, and even in the physical appearance of its leading lady, “The Shape of Water” frequently recalls this whimsical 2001 smash from Jean-Pierre Jeunet.
“Beauty and the Beast” (1946) 8.0-20927, a; A beautiful young woman takes her father's place as the prisoner of a mysterious beast, who wishes to marry her. If You Were Moved by the Unlikely Romance. The basic story of “Beauty and the Beast”— a romance between a captivating young woman and a creature who is as monstrous on the outside as he is warm and loving within — is ubiquitous enough to be almost its own subgenre, and “The Shape of Water” certainly falls within it. This is old enough to likely be in public domain but a YouTube search turns out mostly fakes, either less than 1:36 or link ads, except for this Criterion Collection copy.
“Gods and Monsters” (1998) 7.5-26412, a; The last days of Frankenstein (1931) Director James Whale are explored. If You Felt for Giles. In an interview with The Playlist, del Toro divulges that he wrote the role of Giles, the closeted gay artist and best friend of the heroine, Elisa, for Ian McKellen — and was inspired to do so by McKellen’s performance as the filmmaker James Whale in this 1998 drama from writer-director Bill Condon. Whale directed two of cinema’s most iconic horror movies, “Frankenstein” and “Bride of Frankenstein,” but found himself unemployable in his later years, when he grew tired of hiding his sexuality.
“Starman” (1984) 7.0-36628, trailer, a; An alien takes the form of a young widow's husband and asks her to drive him from Wisconsin to Arizona. The government tries to stop them. If You Thrilled to the Star-Crossed Drama. Del Toro has made no secret of his affection for John Carpenter, the director of many classics in the horror (“Halloween”) and action (“Escape From New York”) genres. In one of his softer moods, Carpenter also directed this wonderful 1984 science-fiction romance, in which an alien visitor (who takes on the humanoid form of Jeff Bridges) visits our planet in response to the invitation from the Voyager 2probe, and falls in something like love with the kind widow who becomes his guide (Karen Allen).
“The Creature From The Black Lagoon” (1954) 7.0-20530, trailer, y, a; A strange prehistoric beast lurks in the depths of the Amazonian jungle. A group of scientists try to capture the animal and bring it back to civilization for study. If you loved the Fish Man. The most obvious influence on “The Shape of Water” is this 1954 monster movie (originally released in 3D), from which del Toro seems to borrow heaviest in creating the look of his aquatic monster — which his characters call the Asset (Doug Jones). (The filmmaker said this about the Gill Man: “I can only tell you I drew that monster all my childhood. It’s the most beautiful monster, one of the top three ever made.”) “Creature” also contains the seeds for the primary conflict in del Toro’s film: the question of whether to preserve and study the aquatic creature (in the interest of science), or kill it (in the interest of safety and survival).
“The Story of Ruth” (1960) 6.9-797, y, a; Inspired by the scriptural tale. Moabitess priestess Ruth is drawn both to a Judean man and to his talk of a forgiving God. After tragedy strikes, she begins a new life in Bethlehem. If You Wondered About That Marquee. In “The Shape of Water,” Elisa (Sally Hawkins) and Giles (Richard Jenkins) live above a classic movie theater, and throughout the film, that theater is running a double feature of the 1958 Pat Boone musical “Mardi Gras” and this 1960 biblical adaptation from director Henry Koster. “The Story of Ruth” is based upon the Book of Ruth, in which a young widow bonds herself to the mother of her departed husband; the most famous verse has the woman imploring her mother-in-law not to sever their familial tie, insisting, “Where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge” — a sentiment that reverberates throughout this gentle, yet seemingly impossible, love story.
“Swamp Thing” (1982) 5.4-10701, y, a; After a violent incident with a special chemical, a research scientist is turned into a swamp plant monster. If You Dug the Vintage Comic-Book Vibe. Like “Water,” Wes Craven’s 1982 adaptation of the “Swamp Thing” series from DC Comics gives us government scientists working on top-secret projects, a creature from the deep, the beautiful woman who loves him and a winking sense of homage and self-awareness.

Hopefully these lists were useful to you and will help you in deciding which movies are worthy of your [probably limited] time. If, however, you have enough time or you have already watched the above, you might want to have a look at the non-winning nominees.

Sources / More info: nyt-res, nyt-mono, nyt-tsowrecs

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Oscars 2017 On The Menu

2017-02-26T15:00:00.000-05:00

I usually watch the Oscars, but skipped last year and I haven’t yet decided whether to watch this year’s. But I’ll be sure to check out the nominees.

Of the nominees for Best Picture, it seems that the battle is between La La Land, a crowd pleaser, and Moonlight, a critics favorite. Having watched both, though I enjoyed La La Land, I’m hoping that Moonlight wins. I’d be surprised if Manchester by the Sea gets it – it is not so heavily praised by critics, but its subject matter is closer to mainstream than Moonlight.

Dramas have been favored over comedies and Hollywood is now, more than ever, aware of the bad hand dealt to African American entertainers, so Moonlight has a better chance than a similar movie would have ever had before in the history of this award; then again, La La Land is a story Hollywood finds itself in. Ideally, Emma (mon amour) gets Best Actress and Moonlight gets Best Picture, though Isabelle Huppert is strong competition.
We see Hollywood paying attention to African Americans with an actor of colour nominated in every acting category, while four of five best documentary nominees were made by black filmmakers.
I’m also hoping that Kubo wins Best Animated Feature Film (great combination of Japanese sensibilities and impeccable English culturally-congruent dialogues), while Piper gets the Best Animated Short one.
The ceremony airs live on American TV network ABC and Canadian network CTV, with the official Oscars red carpet broadcast to start at 7 p.m. ET and the awards show itself underway at 8:30 pm ET. 

For those online or on mobile, ABC will also stream the show at abc.com and via its app, while CTV will stream the show via its CTV Go app.

The Oscars: All Access live stream at oscar.com will carry the red carpet segment as well as backstage content from 7 p.m. ET onward. 

While  Toronto's S&P/TSX composite index registered its biggest one-day loss in five months this past Friday, plunging 247.73 points or 1.57 per cent to 15,533.47, with energy, consumer staples and consumer discretionary stocks bearing the brunt of the slump, Canadians are rising stars on the red carpet. Everybody recognized Ryan Gosling and Denis Villeneuve's bids for best actor (La La Land) and director (Arrival) respectively, but I doubt either one will win – and quite frankly, I was not particularly impressed by Arrival. “Canadians are also nominated across multiple Oscar categories, including best picture, animated short, production design, set design, sound mixing, sound editing and documentary feature” (cbc-osc). 

I always try to watch all the movies in the Foreign category. This year, we have

Land of Mine (Denmark) – young German POWs forced to clear beaches of land mines
A Man Called Ove (Sweden) - a grouchy old man who befriends the new family that moves in next door to him
The Salesman (Iran) – director stopped at border, previously won in 2012; the story of a couple whose relationship begins to turn sour during their performance of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman.
Tanna (Australia) – eyecandy on a remote Pacific island, enacted by the Yakel tribe
Toni Erdmann (Germany) - A practical joking father tries to reconnect with his hard working daughter by creating an outrageous alter ego and posing as her CEO's life coach.

According to Vox,

You’re supposed to see all five films nominated before voting — which typically favors older, retired voters — but in recent years, that requirement has switched to something more akin to the honor system, rather than having to attend Academy-sanctioned screenings, so its effect has been lessened.

.. which suggests that anyone could win. I once played in Miller’s play as Biff (or was I Happy? can’t remember, just remember practicing), so I’ll be watching The Salesman and it sounds like it has the right combination of familiar through foreign lenses to win. Also, I’ve always found German humour fascinating.

If you want to catch up on the nominated movies, (like I do), Vox has them ranked and they also have the less-talked-about nominees to watch.

If you are in Toronto, you have many free options to watch it live on a big screen!

Sources / More info: imdb-oscars, cbc-osc

tDot Zamo, films, movies, oscars, oscar, predictions

Canada’s March To Corporatist Fascism I - Fintrac

2016-12-24T01:00:00.002-05:00

I have been planning a series on Canadian fascism for a long time, and now events have far surpassed me.

I am often annoyed (sometimes mildly, often madly) by the news I read about the way the Canadian government and so-called “justice” system relates to white collar crime and corruption.

In the latest such episode, a Canadian bank colluded with a convicted felon to money launder a few million dollars. The bank was fined but not named.

A convicted felon attempted to move at least $12 million through a Canadian bank, which failed to report the transactions to authorities in a breach of anti-money-laundering law, new documents obtained by the Toronto Star and National Observer show.
For keeping the transactions secret, the bank, whose name has been removed from the documents, was fined $1.15 million — the first and only time a bank has been penalized for this kind of offence in Canada.
It committed the “very serious” offence of failing to report “a suspicious transaction related to the commission or attempted commission of a money laundering offence,” according to 109 pages of heavily censored documents obtained through an access to information request by the National Observer.
From early 2012 to the end of 2013, the unnamed bank processed 1,179 international electronic transfers of $10,000 or more from the mystery client, who used a “potential shell company” and operated out of an unnamed country associated with money laundering. It also accepted 45 cash deposits of $10,000 or more, all without ever reporting the transactions to Fintrac, Canada’s money laundering and terrorist financing enforcement agency, as required by law.
The vast number of unreported transactions is “shocking,” one financial expert said. Richard Leblanc, a professor of corporate governance at York University, said it pointed to the possibility of bank employees conspiring with the client.
“This is a remarkable failure of governance at a major financial institution,” Leblanc said. “It’s shocking that this would occur.”

Another bearer of corruption often disguised as incompetence is IT projects where the taxpayer is always sure to get fleeced: msn-canadaca

Sources / More info: tst-fintrac

Tdot Zamo.ca, mussolini, fascism, economics, banking, white collar, fintrac, financial crime, corruption (Tags)

Favour Food Delivery Between Abundance And Scarcity

2016-12-11T01:00:00.001-05:00

I had to publish the previous installment in the Favor (or, more specifically, the now defunct Favour Delivery) before being done. I was stirred to finish this story by an article in The G&M on the subject, which chooses to go squarely against my title.

The service launched back in August 2015 to some bellicose headlines (mn-war).

Toronto’s online food ordering and delivery market is “like the Wild West” and later this week, a big, well-funded U.S. player will be strolling into town.
Favour, a venture-capital-backed delivery company, will launch on Thursday — entering a very crowded and competitive market that has delivery services locked in a literal food fight.
Favour employs more than 3,000 “Runners” in 10 American cities. They wear tuxedo-print T-shirts when they bring hot food — or anything else that can be picked up and delivered — to your door.
In the States, the service goes by Favor, without the Canadian “U.”
The company will specialize in restaurants that don’t currently offer delivery, including Khao San Road, Burrito Boyz and Pizzeria Libretto. But runners will pick up food from anywhere, said co-founder Ben Doherty.
(..)

Ben Doherty, a co-founder who used to be the CEO, was interviewed (cg-bd), but there is very little about Toronto specifically, the interview sounds much like a regurgitated press release (pr-fv).

In the interview, we learn that it had launched in 2013 and had just raised US$13 million in series A funding (cg-bd).

Favour [evolved] from an incubator program called Boost, where we just sold burritos and beer to college students at Cal Poly [California Polytechnic State University]. Users of this app could push a button for beer, a button for burritos or both, and await their deliveries.
The app was popular, but users wanted more. The beer and burrito service was an outgrowth of our original company, NeighborFavor, which gave people the chance to request favours, such as deliveries and rides, from each other.
Having started with a complex, high-concept model, then going to a stripped down food delivery service, the best of both worlds was found in between—today’s Favour app.
GrubHub CEO and co-founder Matt Maloney said in an interview with Closing Bell that the [U.S.] takeout market is worth $70 billion annually. They are the biggest player in the U.S., and on track to process $3 billion this year. It sounds like a big number [but] that’s only the existing takeout market. It’s significantly larger as traditional offline phone orders move online.
Approximately $600 million was invested in the delivery space in 2014, more than 13 times the amount invested in 2013. Rapid expansions are happening because the market is massive and largely untapped.
Over 250,000 customers have signed up to date [and] Favour completed more than 500,000 deliveries in the last year. We currently have over 3,000 part-time “runners” [the company’s name for its delivery people]. Our goal is to get to 100 cities, and we won’t stop until Tokyo.

A few problems cropped up immediately after launch. Some restaurants objected to such deliveries. There are a few reasons offered:

waiters and waitresses – waitstaff – not being tipped (rd-tip)
price gouging (prices in the app are higher than in restaurant)
poor communication (restaurants expected to be contacted first)

Sadly, food delivery companies do not tip because this is customary for food not consumed in an establishment, but communication could have been better.

On the other hand, it’s difficult to understand restaurants that refuse to get more customers.

Wan asked Favour to take down his menu and said he won’t accept any deliveries from Favour “due to their arrogant” management.
The move sparked a social media pile-on , as other restaurants, including Pizzeria Libretto and Porchetta and Co., quickly condemned Favour and asked for their menus to be removed from the app.
Keith Duncan, Favour’s senior vice president of sales, explained the company had added the restaurants menus to its app in order to attract customers.
“It is about building supply and demand in the marketplace, and making sure that we actually have consumers using our app,” he said. “We were just using content we found using services like Yelp, to find some of the key merchants in the marketplace that consumers potentially would be interested in.”
Duncan said the company did the same thing in all 13 American cities in launched in, and never had a problem.

Toronto has several food-delivery companies that partner with the restaurants in different ways. Some restaurants will typically choose to go with a few online ordering and delivery companies, but it is usually the restaurant's choice.
In a previous interview with Metro, Favour co-founder Ben Doherty said the company had chosen to partner with the three restaurants because they don’t currently offer delivery.
He didn’t mention that there was, in fact, no partnership.

Favor replaced Doherty as CEO in September 2015 (bj-ceo).

A Favor board member since May, Jag Bath was previously the senior vice president of product at RetailMeNot, an Austin supplier of online coupons, and held several executive positions at the Gilt Groupe Holdings Inc., a New York-based online retailer.

Doherty became COO (msm-newceo).

“This is an exciting time for our company and we are incredibly proud to have Jag join our team,” Doherty said. “He deeply cares about the product, the customer experience and shares a common vision of becoming the number one delivery company in the world. I’m proud of how far we have come, especially as we fast approach 1 million total deliveries.”
Bath said his goals include adding delivery service in more cities. In addition to Austin and Toronto, Favor already serves San Marcos, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Fort Worth, Houston, Miami, Nashville and San Antonio.
“Our plan is to accelerate the expansion of the service into new cities, both here in the U.S., as well as internationally,” he said. “As we do this, we will be heavily focused on perfecting our operations to ensure that we continue to deliver the level of service our customers have come to expect from us, at scale.”

Favor gets generally positive press in Toronto and not only, ranging from comparison reviews (nowt-compr, tlife-compr) to general presentations (billyytz, tl-persass, gu-app, js-fvhlp, tst-uberr) to review aggregators (gd-fvr, ind-fvr).

We get a few more numbers in May 2016.

The company runs different promotions for certain items, such as a $1 delivery fee for McDonald’s that is currently running.
Favour is prohibited from delivering alcohol, but it will buy cigarettes, though the customer must present identification to prove they are old enough to purchase tobacco. Boire remembers once picking up a $50 Cuban cigar for a customer.
Depending on how busy the service is, runners earn 40 to 70 per cent of the delivery fee, and keep whatever additional tips they get, said Katragadda. In Toronto, the 135 bike runners and 30 people in who are using cars are guaranteed a minimum $12 an hour if things are slow.

It is interesting to see how were accidents dealt with.

In May, a disgruntled blogger writes about a Favor Runner driver lack of insurance (zh-reckless).

My friend complained to favor’s corporate office about its driver’s illegal parking causing the accident, and also filed a claim with the runner’s personal auto insurance co. The initial communications by Favor seemed to think the driver’s insurance co. should cover this claim. Then the driver’s insurance company noted an “exclusion paragraph” that the personal policy does not cover “liability arising out of operation of a vehicle while it is being used for a fee” which includes delivery for profit.
My friend immediately communicated this “exclusion” and how the driver was actually working for Favor without proper insurance, and if Favor has a corporate policy to cover its drivers on the job. The subsequent communication from Favor simply denies any wrong doing, yet did not answer the very important question regarding its driver insurance coverage. (..)
Favor Delivery has no company fleet, and each runner makes delivery on the job using their personal vehicle without any company sign or logo.
A Huge Liability Issue for Uber-like Delivery Business
This means there could be a whole lot of pseudo delivery drivers operating in the United States with a gap in their insurance coverage, i.e., they may think their employees have proper insurance coverage, when in fact these drivers are not covered at all for operating in their role as an employee for these Delivery Companies (For a Business) as opposed to covering normal driving activities of a personal nature. Once you cross the line of going “professional”, insurers have clauses to exclude their liability - so how many delivery drivers are actually insured?

This sets up a huge liability for the Uber-like delivery business, i.e., if fatality is involved while driving and delivering and they are found negligible and have no insurance, the trial lawyers are going to have a field day with these delivery firms.

Uber has already failed pretty poorly in the courts so far. I think ultimately these delivery companies that are springing up almost daily have underestimated the standard business practices and costs associated with running a fully insured, corporate enterprise and most likely could go bankrupt or litigated into bankruptcy from a liability standpoint.

In short, the writer is making the point that insurance for auto drivers is not sufficient.

So perhaps this next incident, with a bicycle rider being purposely run over by a taxi cab is most likely not news (toist-yt).

The collision happens in a matter of seconds. A courier cyclist riding north on Bay Street motions at a taxi driver, and bangs on his window. Then the driver veers right into the cyclist, and knocks him onto the sidewalk, bending his front wheel.
It’s a scene few outside of Toronto would know about had it not been filmed and shared with the world by a famous YouTuber.
Roman Atwood, an Ohio-based YouTube star known best for his prank videos and vlogs, captured the collision during a trip to Toronto this week. The video later shows Atwood rushing to the aid of the 31-year-old cyclist, who claimed he was okay, while a group of bystanders converges.

It is all based on the video showing a guy with a Foodora bag walking right next to the fallen Favor Runner.

While it may seem like a lot of food delivery services, most of them employ people as “contractors”, allowing for part-time work with no benefits and no insurance whatsoever. People make $12/h, very close to minimum wage, and then have to cover car costs, insurance and data plans for their cell phones in one of the most expensive markets for such in the world. Nobody with basic arithmetic skills could think that you get rich this way.

Clearly, this “pauperization” applies to both drivers and the services themselves, suffering from supposed insufficient density.

Sources / More info: cbc-favclos, cbc-wages, fd-faq, mn-war, cg-bd, bfd-to, blogTo-launch, blogTO-upset, rd-tip, pr-fv, mn-angers, fb-fv, bj-ceo, msm-newceo, js-fvhlp, gu-app, tc-sh, nowt-compr, tlife-compr, billyytz, tl-persass, tst-uberr, gd-fvr, ind-fvr, zh-reckless, toist-yt, np-knocks, cm-rr

Tdot Zamo.ca, favor, food delivery, toronto, favour delivery, favor delivery, favour, bike courier, courier, bicycle courier (Tags)

The Pauperization Of Toronto Food Delivery Scene

2016-12-05T17:26:00.001-05:00

With news of Favor Delivery closing and Uber Toronto slashing the fees it pays its drivers, is there any future left for courier work or pleasant, cheap deliveries?

Unbeknownst to many of my friends, I have experimenting in the past few months with getting paid to exercise as a food delivery driver. I worked (as a contractor) for three companies, thus far: DoorDash, Uber(Eats) and Favor Delivery – actually, while in Canada, it seems that Favor got the Canadian spelling: it was FavourDelivery.

I have been planning a longer comparison of these services, but did not have time to finish it. However, today Favor has announced it’s closing down in Toronto with a terse message, texted to me and presumably all the other “runners” (favd-end):

12/5/2016
Toronto Runners,
Thank you for helping us delight thousands of customers across Toronto. We greatly appreciate all you’ve done to deliver joy and food to thousands of satisfied customers.
We regret to inform you that effective today Favour Toronto will be closed and you will be unable to clock in to the app to run Favours. We understand this may come as a surprise, but please know that this is a decision we did not take lightly.
We at Favor pride ourselves on excellent service, and it’s become increasingly clear that some of the operational dynamics of Toronto make it difficult for us to deliver on our brand promise.
I personally thank you and wish you the best of success in your future endeavors. If you have any questions, please reach out to Runner Success.
Sincerely,
Jag Bath, CEO

It’s a sad day, because Favor did quite a few things right.

Favor started in August 2015, with high hopes (fav-start), and went through a service interruption in Toronto over the summer of 2016.

"As a dense tier 1 city, Toronto does not fit the profile of our smart-scaling growth plan," said Favor's Uri Bogler in an emailed statement.
The shutdown leaves Favor's workers — known as "runners" — suddenly out of work. The Texas-based company was testing out Toronto as its first Canadian market.
"We will continue to evaluate expansion opportunities in tier 2 markets across Canada," Bogler's statement said.

In other words, Toronto was too dense (or too big and not dense enough?! – unclear.) for Favor.

Just before closing in Toronto, it “shuttered” service in five big other cities, citing the same tier-based argument (tc-sh).

Favor, the Postmates-esque on-demand logistics company that launched out of Austin in 2013, has today announced that it will shutter service in five U.S. cities: Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Miami and Washington, DC.
Before this announcement, Favor was operational in 23 cities, including Toronto, so this takes the company down to 18 markets.
Here’s what Jag Bath, Favor CEO, had to say in a prepared statement:

At Favor, we fully embrace learning about the communities we serve. After experimenting in cities of varying size, Favor is choosing to employ our smart-scaling growth plan in tier 2 markets. The company will be withdrawing operations in: Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Miami, and Washington DC.
At heart, Favor is a high-touch logistics business. That said, we’re a young startup – and startups need to experiment to confirm what works with our current technology and operations, as well as consider the unique dynamics within each market. Scaling a logistics company requires great attention to detail, and closing operations in these markets is a healthy thing for our business, as perfecting our service and delivering it at scale has always been our number one priority.
Moving forward, we’ll continue to invest in operations and technology so we can maintain our superior service levels in our current and future markets.

On-demand logistics businesses are already difficult to operate, both because of high competition and the general dynamics of delivering (usually restaurant-prepared food) in a timely fashion. That said, Bath told TechCrunch that the company consistently gets five-star ratings in tier-two markets like Austin and Dallas, and can ensure that the technology and service will work for both runners and consumers in those markets. (..)

Bath also said that at least part of the decision to focus on second-tier cities comes down to less competition.

Here’s a few more details (bk-abruptly).

Runners also received an email statement from the company, where CEO Jag Bath indicated that “operational dynamics” made it difficult for Favor to stay in Toronto. Former Toronto runners (who wished not to be named) said that there was no indication that the company was struggling in Toronto. In the last few weeks, Favour introduced an Uber-style surge model to delivery fees during peak hours and bad weather which runners suggest was too high. The regular delivery fee, which was $6, would be multiplied according to the surge, so if the surge was x2 it would be $12. The delivery fee could get as high as $18.
In a statement to BetaKit, Favour said that Toronto, as a dense tier 1 city (population of 100,000 and above), does not fit into Favour’s scaling plans of growing in tier 2 (50,000 and above) cities:
We do not differentiate tier 1 and tier 2 markets based on population, but rather on density, which drastically affects things like parking, traffic and restaurant wait-times. We will continue to evaluate expansion opportunities in tier 2 markets across Canada.

Favour notified all full-time employees in Toronto with ample notice before the market withdrawal. For on-demand contract Runners, who are not employees and work on their own schedule, we provided as much notice as possible, without compromising our ability to serve Torontonians while operational in the market.

The article gets a few things wrong, though. As I recall, the regular delivery fee was lower, but it increased slightly in the week-ends. Favour was competing with UberDelivery, DoorDash and others for Runners (or delivery people) as I am not the only one who was contracting for several companies.

A Runner made in the beginning $2000-$2400/month (toist-rnnr).

The Hours: Smithers works about 40 hours a week. Favour pays runners $12 per hour, which usually works out to $15 an hour or more with tips.
The Take-Home: $2,000 to $2,400 a month
I’m basically a personal assistant for someone new every day. I usually deliver food, but sometimes it’s random stuff. Once, I brought roses and fruit to a guy’s girlfriend who was having a bad day. Somebody forgot their keys at home, so I picked them up and delivered them to the office. I’ll never forget delivering $100 worth of McDonald’s for an office lunch. The manager of the store had to help me fill up all the fountain drinks.

Favor was rather small, but in the decimated gig economy of Toronto it may have occupied a disproportionately high place among young workers employment.

In a study released Monday that looks at changes in the youth labour market from 1976 to 2015, Statistics Canada said the unemployment rate for the 15 to 24 age group averaged 13.2 per cent in 2015, slightly higher than the rate of 12.4 per cent seen in 1976.
(..)
The overall result was that by 2015, young full-time male employees had median wages that were about 10 per cent lower than those of their counterparts in the early 1980s, while the difference was three per cent for females.

This is as far as I got before this postponed and scheduled article self-published.

That’s how many tabs I had on this topic.. Here’s the next installment.

Sources / More info: favd-end, tc-sh, bk-abruptly, fav-start, toist-rnnr

Tdot Zamo.ca, favor, food delivery, toronto, favour delivery, favor delivery, favour, bike courier, courier, bicycle courier (Tags)

my second bicycle stolen

2016-10-04T20:48:00.000-04:00

My first bicycle got stolen the moment I left it locked on College St with a crappy lock. I learned my lesson and only used the worst looking (but still functional) bike I could find. I thought it would never get stolen. But it did, and this is its story.

Let me start with the quick poster I made.

I had purchased my first stolen bicycle many years ago from Costco. It was an Infinity Telluridebike, like many others (Costco sold it for a few years in large quantities). Even at my uptown residence, somebody stole the seat post. I suspected some new neighbours and ended up replacing it.

This bicycle had been with me while I weaned myself off my car addiction. I managed to sell my last car, then gradually stop renting cars and rely solely on bicycle, TTC and an occasional taxi for transportation, but it took me a few years.

When I started to live downtown I used a U lock from a girlfriend. We then broke up and I returned the lock, buying a cheap one from Chinatown. The cheap lock was broken overnight on College St, on the S side, about 50m W of Augusta Ave, within hours of having been left there.

My next bike came as a gift from an acquaintance. It was a simple yellow bike and I used for a few months until he wanted it back. He asked me to bring it back for only a few days and then said it disappeared. I thought such an elaborate “return” was unnecessary. I wasn’t going to keep it if wanted back and tried to explain that to him, but perhaps he had a cautious nature.

I then came to rely on Bike Share. I hated the idea of having my bike stolen again and bike share was there when I needed it, even though its coverage area was quite limited at first. Bike Share worked fine, even though I couldn’t go for longer rides through High Park or Waterfront and I got the membership at a significant discount, via Groupon. Meanwhile, I kept looking around for my bicycle. I kept seeing it in all kinds of places, but did not have the certainty it’s mine.

So when a friend offered me her bike on account of leaving Toronto for Vancouver, I got her to sign documents and accepted it. I parked it at the College Backpackers Hostel, at 280 Augusta Ave, where it stayed a few months until my BikeShare membership was all used up.

Of all the bicycles similar to first stolen bicycle sightings, one stood out as the most likely to have been mine. I spotted it in the garage of the hostel where I had left my gifted bike. Its new owner was in fact working on it to change it. I emailed the hostel explaining that I suspected it to be mine, but they never replied. Despite all the uncanny similarities to my stolen bike, I still did not feel confident enough to call the police – and, besides, I knew they don’t care much about it. I hated the idea of having even a slight chance of being wrong, and I had lost the record of the bike serial number, so I let it go.

Year	Bike Thefts
2010	3411
2011	3271
2012	3623
2013	3685
2014	3053
2015->June 30	1202
Street	Totals
Yonge	367
Bay	296
Bloor St W	240
College	230
Queen St W	214

I parked the gifted bicycle in the hostel garage despite the theft issues, as I figured that it was still better off there, in the garage, where I let people know it’s mine and locked it with a U lock, than outside on the street.

When I went back to this hostel to take my bicycle, it had disappeared. It wasn’t the only thing that disappeared, but things like food and frying pans are perhaps no big deal. The bicycle was and the main owner called somebody and asked for the bicycle to be returned. A few hours later I had it, but without the lock, which had been sawed off. The owner would not tell me who had the bicycle, but I had my suspicions.

The bicycle was old enough (gphoto-album: https://goo.gl/photos/EpZt27KUGrAQZA7QA) for me to trust that the blue-vinyl combination lock was sufficient for it. And indeed, a few times I had forgotten to lock it and always found it where I had left it. I felt as if this bicycle could never be stolen!

Apart from “keeping it real” (i.e., rusty), I stayed away from anything flashy. I refrained from buying anything new. I also registered it with police (torpol-reg). Here’s the data:

Brand: Mongoose
Designed in Canada
Made in Indonesia
Serial: FSD10A00682 (not sure of the first character – letter or random markings?)
Model: 04MGG09A
Size: (21”) Medium
Color: Gray
Police report: T16017214

The most important 3 videos of it are:

an “intimate” look at it when I had just gotten it
random guy threatening to steal it a few days prior (I don't think he did, but the bicycle appears in the video)
The post-accident repair had introduced some strange noise and I filmed it to hear how audible really was

I will be getting a new bike soon. In the meantime, if your bike was stolen and would like to reuse my poster (change the text and background photo), it’s at go.zamo.ca/sbikead.

Other things to do: sign the petition, post in The Stolen Bike and Find My Bike on Facebook, . For the next bike, follow the IBikeTO and Bike Shepherd guides, check out City, reddit, gnews and YouTube for other similar happenings. And if you ever want to track your bike next time it’s stolen, check out Amazon.ca or .com, eBay, for GPS trackers; also: snagg, sherlock, spybike, portscapes, fieldtech, int.

Sources / More info: tst-stats, torpol-core, sbike-cl, sbike-kj, gphoto-album, torpol-reg, gphoto-poster, wiki-kenk, dm-revenge

Tdot Zamo.ca, bicycle, bike, police, theft, biking, cyclism, bike share, bicycle theft, toronto police

Randall Barrs shooting

2016-09-22T08:55:00.001-04:00

The shooting of a criminal lawyer in downtown Toronto in broad daylight has left many of us scratching our heads. Let’s try to add to the speculation, shall we?

Not since Michael Bryant killed a bicyclist in the posh Yorkville neighbourhood and left the scene has Toronto seen this unsavory intersection of law and crime.

To recap (tst), on Tuesday, September 20, Grayson Delong, 51, dressed as a construction worker, driving a stolen car with stolen license plates opened fire on criminal lawyer Randall Barrs, 66. As the victim was trying to get to safety, Grayson stopped to fire more on the lawyer. At that point, a plainclothes police officer from an outer region surrounded the attacker and shot him.

Both survived and are recovering, Randall from bullet wounds to his legs.

This story has caused Michele Mandel to ask in Toronto Sun (tsu) whether this was a contract killing.

My answer (based, obviously, on pure speculation and no additional information other than what I’ve read in the press) is NO.

Contract killers don’t get caught. Contract killers don’t need to fire so many bullets only to hit the lower body.

What has happened most likely is that the police officers conducting surveillance on Grayson Delong were there for a different reason, quite possibly investigating the report of stolen license plates or stolen car. They were taken by surprise by the shooting.

It is also difficult to ascertain why would someone go after a criminal lawyer. These guys try to defend criminals and keep the free. They get paid handsomely for this, but whether they manage to do their job by corrupting the justice process or by making sure that the prosecution and police are following the rules, they’re not blamed when they fail. Rather, I would think that convicted criminals end up blaming the system, police, prosecution or the judge.

I’m guessing Randall has been shot for a different reason, other than his profession, or the shooter had ties to law enforcement or may have been a cop himself. I suspect we will soon find out more.

Sources / More info: tst, tsu

Tdot Zamo.ca, randall barrs, contract killing, downtown toronto, crime

Loblaws tapas dim-sum smörgåsbord

2016-08-20T17:41:00.001-04:00

Noticing a sale at a local supermarket deli counter, I thought I make it my breakfast. I ended up with 7 small portions of various snacks, costing me, together with a 650g yogurt, $17.67

As you may or may not know Loblaws is generally more expensive than Metro but their sales are 50% off whereas Metro is usually 20 to 30% off. I’ve had some bad experiences with Metro, and watched people being mistreated, but they do offer 10% off on certain days to students at nearby institutions. For instance, the Bloor & Spadina Metro gives 10% off to students on Tuesday and Wednesday, but they are quite draconian in checking student ID to the point where some students are turned away because their ID is supposedly unreadable and they look older than 20. As such, buying items on sale at Loblaws makes more sense, as food is usually still fresh and cheaper than similarly discounted items at Metro, not to mention that you get superior customer service and avoid the mean-spirited arbitrary pettiness of Metro management.

Of all the above, the best bet was probably the “quinoa pilaf”. The other quinoa dish, the “sweet kale” was a little too sweet for me. The seafood vinaigrette was too acidic and had mostly imitation crab, and while not too bad, the Chicken Salad Bombay had just one fingernail-sized piece of chicken, while the potato and egg salad was swimming in mayo and its ingredients did not justify its price tag. Finally, the Salad Thai Chicken was quite alright – not extraordinary, but neither was it a major disappointment.

I also had a look at a recent NOW article on cheap eats in Toronto (nowt-e). Of their recommendations I like

Banh Mi Boys (392 Queen St W) $5.50 baguette with veggies and pulled pork/meatballs/grilled tofu
Emporium Latino (243 Augusta Ave) tamales, pupusas, empanadas for less than $5 each
Mystic Muffin (113 Jarvis) falafel wraps & deli-style sammies for $5
Ginger (546 Church) filling pho $6.95
Sky Blue Sky (605 Bloor W) $4.29 BLT
Patties Express (4 Elm St) $1.89 patties, $3.39 with coco bread
Upper Deck (20 College St) $5 snack menu: fried green beans, chicken or steak tacos
Dumpling House (328 Spadina Ave) $7.99 dumplings

To this list I’d add Paradise Garden Restaurant on Spadina with $5.99 lunch special (soup + choice of 20+ dishes) and Red Room/Lounge at 444 Spadina, a perennial fav, even though it gets occasional hygiene warnings and it’s cash only, but their Red Room Special is still an unbeatable value. Add to this their daily booze specials, which unfortunately I don’t remember, except that they were extremely cheap. See below for more on cheap booze (nowt-d).

Sources / More info: nowt-e, nowt-d

Tdot Zamo.ca, food, supermarket, diet, deli, delicacies, home meal replacement, chickpeas, lentils, health, healthy

Electric Toothbrush via Flex Delivery

2015-11-23T01:00:00.000-05:00

I purchased my first electric toothbrush a few years back, from Costco. It worked great and I even traveled with it. However, a few months back, while traveling, my charger was stolen, so I found myself forced to look for a new one.

As it happened, I had heard about FlexDelivery from Canada Post and, despite the rather negative comments on their announcement page (cp-flex), was curious to try it.

When I purchased my first electric toothbrush, Oral-B was pretty much the only option. Another strange contraption appeared not long thereafter, that used water jets to clean your teeth. I bought a WaterPik when it went on sale and it turns out it was a “water flosser” best used by people with implants, braces, crowns and veneers – not my case, so I returned it. I floss regularly with a waxed floss, and the water solution seems more complicated to me. However, you might want to give it a try.

Then Philips came out with their Sonicare product, but I never really considered it, because I was already invested in Braun’s. It turns out that Oral-B has even a page dedicated to the comparison, although in all fairness, their arguments are not very convincing (orb-vssb). Still, you will find YouTube videos, a six-month clinical comparison study (nih-6m), an 8-week evaluation (PDF), a SweetHome review (tswh-best) and most seem to recommend Oral-B for being cheaper to start with and having cheaper and easier to find replacement heads.

The one clear objective difference seems to be in noise, but that may also vary across product technologies for the same brand.

The conclusion (SweetHome) seems to be that electric toothbrushes are not all that much better.

One thing worth pointing out about electric toothbrushes is that they are not cheaper in the long run. Electric toothbrushes cost about 10 times as much as a manual toothbrushes, and you have to replace the brush heads at the same frequency (every 3 months), each for about the same cost as a manual brush. What you get for the higher cost is less friction in achieving good brushing habits, and, according to research, a significant reduction in plaque and gingivitis, even if that reduction may only come from having a brush that encourages good habits, like a full 2 minutes of brushing for each session. (..)

“Average folks brush 46 seconds. With timers people will go to at least the 2 minutes,” said Dr. Joan Gluch, an adjunct associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania Dental School. “Clinically, we see patients do better with powered toothbrushes.” Dr. Mark Wolff, DDS, Ph.D., a professor at NYU Dental School and chair of the Cariology and Comprehensive Care department, agreed: “It helps people that don’t brush well,” he said. “If you need the guidance, invest in the guidance.”

Currently, the lowest price for the Oral-B Pro 1000 is $40.97 – $20 MIR at Amazon. Costco has a double pack for around $90 (cstc-518760), which is not bad if you need two toothbrushes rather than one. Walmart has the “Oral-B Professional Deep Sweep Triaction 1000” for $49.97 (wlm-obds1k).

Note however that most reviewers note that manual brushing, apart from being significantly cheaper, may in fact be just as effective, as long as you manage to brush twice a day for two minutes.

Place your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to the gums.
Gently move the brush back and forth in short (tooth-wide) strokes.
Brush the outer surfaces, the inner surfaces, and the chewing surfaces of the teeth.
To clean the inside surfaces of the front teeth, tilt the brush vertically and make several up-and-down strokes.
Brush your tongue to remove bacteria and keep your breath fresh.

Researching this toothbrush convinced me that I do not really have to get the electrical one, the manual one I have is just fine. I have yet to order any, but if I did, I’d probably use Canada Post’s Flex Delivery, as I am seldom able to receive items during regular business hours.

I will update this article if and when I purchase.

Sources / More info: cp-flex, orb-pro, orb-1k5.5k, orb-vssb, cstc-518760, nih-6m, tswh-best, jodj-eff, ada-how2 (PDF), wlm-obds1k, cr-ttb, cr-prttb, ghi-ttb ,

Tdot Zamo, buy, shopping, toothbrush, oral-b, dentist, dentistry, brushing, review (Tags)

Toronto European Film Festival 2015

2015-11-16T11:11:00.001-05:00

#euff2015 With the recent bad news coming from the heart of Europe (the Paris Attacks), a film festival sponsored by the European Union is a welcome diversion. And Toronto is the perfect host, seeing that this city seems to have at least one film festival going on at any given time.

Indeed, around the same time as this festival, we have Rendez-Vous with Madness (edge, mental health & addiction) November 6-14, Toronto Polish Film Fest 11th-15th, and, though not really a film fest, Taste of Iceland, for those who like to travel with their palates rather than their eyes (12th to 15th).

I doubt I’ll be able to make it to the other festivals, but I always try to watch the European movies in this festival. They are all shown at theRoyal.to, 608 College St only once at 6:30pm and then 8pm.

Let me share my notes on the movies worth seeing: I’ll link the title to the main website, the country to the trailer, the IMDB rating (out of 10)-voters to that site and the time to alternative sources such as Amazon if available or magnet link if listed.

Alias Loner –LV, 4.8-5, 90min, Drama B&W, Nov 14 8:30pm. The movie is almost a documentary on a catholic priest hopelessly leading partisans against the Soviet / communist occupation in 1945 and the subsequent Stalinist repression. Directorial debut. *
Liza the Fox-Fairy – HU, 8-2463, 98min, RomCom, Nov 15 6pm. Amelie speaks Hungarian and understands Japanese. I enjoyed this movie. *
Sworn Virgin – IT, 6.4-260, 84min, Drama, Nov 15 8:30pm. I missed this movie due to lack of time and unfortunately I doubt I will ever see it. Nice introduction to the Albanian culture / society from an Italian viewpoint and framework.
Dark Horse – UK, 7.5-126, 85min, Documentary, Nov 16 6pm.
The Grump – FI, 7-973, 104min, Comedy/Drama, Nov 16 8:30pm.
Committed – CY, 6.1-429, 90min, RomCom, Nov 17 6pm.
The Sinking of Sozopol – BG, 7.1-51, 100min, Drama Mystery, Nov 17 8:30pm. *
Hostage – SK, 6.1-32, 97min, Comedy/Drama, Nov 18 6pm.
Offline – BE, 7.1-607, 110min, Drama, Nov 18 8:30pm. *
Cowboys – HR, 7.2-643, 105min, Comedy, Nov 19 6pm. *
The Enemy Within – GR, 6.9-349, 107min, Thriller, Nov 19 8:30pm. *
Saul and Paul Robbed Them All – LI, 7-83, 100min, Action/Comedy, Nov 20 6pm. *
Wild Life – FR, 6.5-307, 102min, Drama, Nov 20 8:30pm.
Eltern – DE, 6.7-274, 90min, Comedy, Nov 21 6pm. A newer movie also turned up while searching for Eltern: Dora oder Die Sexuellen Neurosen Unserer Eltern (2015).
The Keeper of Lost Causes – DK, 7.1-11126, 100min, Crime/Mystery/Thriller, Nov 21 8:30pm. Based on a book. *
Noble – IE, 6.5-391, 100min, Biography/Drama, Nov 22 6pm.
Cats Don’t Have Vertigo – PT, 7.4-677, 124min, Comedy/Drama, Nov 22 8:30pm. *
Fever – AT, 6.1-17, 87min, Drama, Nov 23 6pm.
Admiral – NL, 7.2-3559, 120min, Action/Adventure/Biography, Nov 23 8:30pm. *
To See the Sea – CZ, 7-176, 90min, Comedy/Drama/Family, Nov 24 6pm. *
1944 – EE, 7.4-1555, 100min, Drama/War, Nov 24 8:30pm. *
Hemma – SE, 6.8-207, 90min, Drama, Nov 25 6pm. *
Class Enemy – SI, 7.9-1319, 112min, Drama, Nov 25 8:30pm. *
A Love Story: Lindenfeld – RO, 7.4-12, 95min, Drama, Nov 26 6pm. *
Black Diamonds – ES, 6.3-179, 110min, Drama, Nov 26 8:30pm.
Simshar – MT, 7.1-109, 101min, Drama, Nov 27 6pm. *
Body – PO, 6.6-516, 90min, Comedy/Drama, Nov 27 8:30pm.
Baby(A)lone – LU, 6.2-12, 98min, Drama, Nov 28 6pm. *

I added a star (*) to the movies I have or will try to watch. Also, on the desktop, hovering with the mouse over movie links will reveal a summary, but it probably won’t work on mobile.

Sources / More info: EUFF, rvm, ToPoFF, IsNat

Tdot Zamo, film, film fest, movies, europe, european, indie films, indie film, tiff, sundance, filmfest (Tags)

Working for Elections Canada

2015-10-18T01:00:00.000-04:00

When I voted, I had good things to say about the people working at the polling station, as I was not sure whether they were volunteers or they were getting paid. It turns out that they were generally getting paid and that they were unnecessarily strict with my ID.

If you want to reform the voting process, like the people at LeadNow / VoteTogether, you might want to start with voting, and after voting, actually working for the level of government you are most interested in. In Canada, most power is concentrated at provincial level, while the feds tend to be the most professional and “easiest” spender. At municipal level corruption is often greatest and most obvious, though the feds probably dwarf it while being less visible.

One condition that might stand in your way is the requirement to hire incumbent recommendations first (ec-general).

Returning officers are responsible for recruiting election officers for their electoral district. They must abide by the Canada Elections Act(CEA), which states that priority consideration in each electoral district will be given to individuals on the following lists: for deputy returning officer positions, the list of names provided by the candidate of the registered party whose candidate finished first in the last election (ec-parties); for poll clerk positions, the list of names provided by the candidate of the registered party whose candidate finished second in the last election; and for registration officer positions, the lists of names provided by candidates of the registered parties whose candidates finished first and second in the last election.
During an electoral event, these candidates have until the 24th day before election day to recommend suitable persons for these positions to the returning officer (under section 36 and subsection 39(3) of the CEA). If returning officers do not receive enough names, they can hire people from other sources. Those interested in working as election officers must possess the necessary skills and qualifications, as listed under Available Positions for Employment on Polling Days (ec-positions).

That’s all fine and dandy, but it seems to me that incumbent-recommended hires are likely to be biased. This is particularly worrying within the context of a past election campaign that saw the record lowest voter participation in Canada’s history (ec-participation) and concerted efforts by the incumbent governing party campaigns to lower voter participation even further.

Here are the positions listed (3h training provided for which there is $50 payment).

Deputy Returning Officer – $238 / day (up to 14 hours)
DRO advance polling days – $680 / 4 days x 8 hours
Poll Clerk (PC) – $210 / day (up to 14 hours)
PC advance polling days – $600 / 4 days x 8 hours
Information Officer – $13.15/h (up to 14 h)
Registration Officer (RegO) – $15.00/h (up to 14 h)
Central Poll Supervisor (CPS) – $21.00/h (+ $50 for specific tasks)

While a $13-15 hourly rate may not sound so bad, but in Ontario the minimum wage is almost $12 and NDP’s Mulcair wants to make the federal minimum wage $15/h.

The training materials section (ec-drotraining) has quite a bit of info on what each position means and what they’re expected to do.

Despite the new law making the voting cards redundant (you still have to prove your identity, while before Harper’s law you could vote just with the card), it is sufficient to show proof of address and in some cases you could get away without showing your Photo ID. That however did not happen my case. When showing my photo ID and proof of Canadian citizenship together with bank statements showing my address, the DRO rejected my first letter because it was one year old (somehow I mistakenly took a letter dated October 2014 thinking it was October 2015); luckily, I also had a newer one, so I was fine. Still, I was annoyed that the DRO had to be unnecessarily strict in my case and had I not had a second letter, I would have been prevented from voting.

Not long after, I got to read about the exceptionally poor work conditions for Elections Canada temps, reports coming straight from the riding where I voted.

A couple of Elections Canada temporary workers are calling on the agency to overhaul its labour standards after describing their working conditions as "awful" and “intolerable" during advance polls in Toronto. "It was absolutely terrible,” said Kathy Friedman, who worked at a polling station in the University-Rosedale riding.
Workers say they were not allowed to take meal or washroom breaks during the four days of advance polling. There are also complaints that polls in Toronto were understaffed, and even ran out of ballots.
The complaints come after a crush of voters descended on polls across the country. Elections Canada says 71 per cent more ballots were cast compared to the 2011 advance polls.
Friedman says she was given no time to take breaks during shifts that lasted around 10 hours. She says her returning officer also threatened to withhold three days worth of pay after Friedman asked to take a break.
Another worker who spoke to CBC News on the condition of anonymity said her Toronto-St Paul’s station was so understaffed that the polls were forced to close when even a single worker left for a break.
“We were totally taken advantage of,” the worker said. “This is like what they do to people to make them want to quit.”
Friedman says she was surprised to learn her temporary employment with Elections Canada did not include the allowances for breaks and overtime pay that are required in other forms of employment.
“I would like to know why they’re not subject to the labour standards that I’m used to,” she said.
Unlike federal employees who work “under the legislative authority of the Parliament of Canada,” federal election workers are not covered by the labour standards section in the Canada Labour Code.

Unfortunately, this is not the only problem to ever occur with federal elections. In the last elections, there had been a concerted effort to send people to vote elsewhere and mislead them, the so-called Robocalls Scandal, but this time we seem to have understaffing, the usual sign vandals and pre-filled ballots, and even though such efforts come overwhelmingly from the governing party operatives, they will likely avoid the accusation of voter suppression.

Sources / More info: ec-general, ec-positions, ec-drotraining, ec-parties, ec-participation (PDF), eon-jobs, eto-jobs, eto-2014, VoteTogether, wiki-turnout

Tdot Zamo, voting, bureaucracy, democracy, voter participation, disenfranchisement, disenfranchised, apathy, voter apathy, election, elxn42, cdnpoli (Tags)

Voting in Toronto: Chrystia Freeland vs Jennifer Hollet

2015-10-09T18:51:00.001-04:00

#cdnpoli #elxn42 Advance voting for the October 19, 2015 Federal election is starting today, continuing throughout the Thanksgiving long weekend, and with that in mind, we'll be taking a brief look at our candidates and the issues of this election.

I have already voted. The advance polling station was conveniently served by a BikeShareToronto station and had free Wi-Fi, which is awesome. Even though I was there within 1h of opening, at around 12:30pm on the first day (Thanksgiving Friday), I waited through about 8 people who were ahead of me. The wait time was about 15 minutes. The Wolfond Centre had a secure door that had to be opened from the inside. The people manning the polling station were nice and efficient and even apologized for me having to wait, even though this was obviously not their fault. Though the Elections Canada website could not verify me, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself on the list. I verified myself in person with my citizenship card and several recent letters (bank statements) showing my address, then voted on a piece of paper (no machine); next to me, a student with papers from UVic.

I started with Elections Canada website and I suggest you do the same. Checking if my name was on the voters list was inconclusive when I first tried, about a month ago, so I registered online right away.

generalities

Before looking at the candidates, let us take a quick look at the political parties. The incumbent PM, the Conservative Party’s Stephen Harper, is universally despised by a majority of Canadians, whose vote is split between the Liberal Party and the NDP. Harper has a very loyal following in suburbia and farming communities as well as among predominantly Asian new immigration, who find themselves in his talk of family values, increased security and Islamophobia. The niqab “debate” which he shamelessly elevated to national prominence from Quebec’s rural armpit, is remarkably similar to the minarets affair in Switzerland, in that is similarly irrelevant (only 2 Muslim women have refused to remove their niqab during the citizenship ceremony in Canada, just like in Switzerland there were only 4 minarets). Still, that subject was enough to push out NDP out of electoral preferences and play on people’s fears, re-energizing the Conservative base. Incidentally, this is also what Trump has been doing in the USA.

If you have the courage to vote for an unproven party, the Greens have all the good parts from the Liberals and the NDP platform and take it further – they truly respond to most of my and my friends’ ideas (see below the digital report card), but unfortunately have little chance of getting elected.

If you don’t find yourself in the Conservative desperate clusterfunk of security theatre, fears and hate, you may choose between Liberals and NDP. The Liberals have a bold plan to run deficits in order to combat weak growth and austerity policies through spending on infrastructure, but they have dithered on their commitment to restore civil liberties from Harper’s onslaught. NDP is more principled in terms of laws and personal freedoms, but Mulcair has moved them sharply to the right in terms of economic policies. They are sticking to a balanced budget and corporate taxes which also make some sense in the current climate.

Where the Conservatives lack in empathy or logic they make up in fanaticism, with one of the most dedicated and stubborn voter bases. Most Conservative voters do not have a second choice, which cannot be said about the other parties’ supporters. Here’s an Ekos Poll Sept 2-8; the NDP/Liberal numbers might fluctuate, but Conservatives will likely stay the same:

In terms of digital policies, the Greens are best, followed closely by NDP, the Liberals at distance, clustered with the Conservatives.

VoteTogether (v2g) has a pretty good summary of each party on Voting reform (end FPTP, replace with MMPR for NDP and commission for Liberals and Greens), Strong Democracy (Greens and NDP want C-51 repealed while Liberals would amend it), Fair Economy (NDP+Green would increase corporate tax rate, they’d all decrease for small business, Liberals would increase taxes on the 200K+, Greens would eliminate on $20k/year while Liberals would reduce on middle class, NDP – pharmacare, Greens: Guaranteed Liveable Income + abolish tuition fees), Clean Environment (as expected, Greens are best here, but NDP stands out with $1.3 billion/yr in public transit and cap-and-trade, Liberals would invest $6 billion / yr x 4 in green infrastructure and $20 billion over 10 years), Indigenous Rights (Liberals: $2.6 billion in education over 6 years; NDP: $1.8 billion over 4 years and $4.8 billion over 8 years; Greens: create Council & recognize land rights) and Migrant and Refugee Rights (Liberals: repeal parts of C-24, 25000 Syrian refugees; NDP: 46000 Syrian refugees, repeal parts of C-24; Greens: repeal C-24).

Most polls today indicate a Liberal lead: Nanos, Léger, EKOS, Mainstreet. All but Mainstreet show the Liberals ahead, and even that poll has the gap at one point after putting it at seven. (308)

specifics

The same Elections Canada website, after searching for my postal code, showed me all the candidates in my riding. Obviously, other ridings will have different candidates.

This complete list of confirmed candidates was issued on Wednesday, September 30, 2015 for University--Rosedale 35-110 (map, Wikipedia)

BERLIN, David | 416-659-8862 | The Bridge Party of Canada
FREELAND, Chrystia | 647-725-2019 | Liberal Party of Canada
GARVIE, Drew | 416-469-2446 | Communist Party of Canada
HOLLETT, Jennifer | 416-857-4139 | New Democratic Party
JIVRAJ, Karim | 844-527-4615 | Conservative Party of Canada
LUISI, Simon | 416-462-9541 | Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada
RUTCHINSKI, Steve | 416-253-4475 | Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada
WASLOWSKI, Jesse | 647-864-3591 | Libertarian Party of Canada
WRIGHT, Nick | 647-498-5626 | Green Party of Canada

There are a few more registered parties, such as the Pirate Party, Rhinoceros, Marijuana Party, Christian Heritage, but they fielded no candidates in my riding, so I will not worry about them.

The expenses limit for this riding was set at $206,261.82. See more on Political Financing documents at Elections Canada as well as the FAQ and ID requirement list.

The revamped riding of University-Rosedale combines parts of Trinity-Spadina and Toronto Centre, and includes neighbourhoods such as the Annex, Little Italy, Yorkville and most of Chinatown. A riding that includes both university students and some of Canada’s wealthiest families, the average income is $71,617, third in the country—but the median income is 124th highest, at $31,854 (according to the 2011 National Household Survey).

Back on September 30, a Forum Research telephone survey of 604 Toronto voters found that just fewer than four in 10 will vote for either NDP candidate Jennifer Hollett (39%) or Liberal candidate Chrystia Freeland (38%). “This riding looked like an easy move for the NDP a month ago when they were riding high in the polls, but now that they may be slipping across the country, we are seeing the effect locally as well,” Dr. Lorne Bozinoff, president of Forum Research, said in a release. Support for Hollett was strongest among young and middle-aged voters (18-34: 38 per cent, 35-44: 46 per cent, and 45-54: 42 per cent) and men (38 per cent). Freeland enjoyed support among voters 55 to 64 years old, and over 65 (43 per cent and 48 per cent, respectively) and with female respondents (41 per cent). Support for Conservative candidate Karim Jivraj stands at 20 per cent, with Green candidate Nick Wright at three per cent.

At the time of this writing, commentators see the outcome too close to call (TCTC), with early polls predicting a NDP win, but with a downward trend for NDP (epo-35110). The same website has a tally of 40 CP, 17 NDP, 35 Liberal and 29 TCTC (out of 121 total).

debate

In terms of platform and who is the best candidate, Rogers TV hosted debates among the candidates for most ridings, inviting them all. As far as I can tell, the Conservative candidates generally do not bother showing up where they have little chance and the same goes for the Animal Rights people. For my riding, the debate can be watched on YouTube or, if you have Rogers Cable, on their channel (10 if I’m not mistaken; rtv-locamp).

I watched and summarized this debate as follows.

1. childcare 65000 licensed childcare – what will you do about the shortage?

hollett – $15/day childcare – libs promised 4x 123000 2016-7 | tommy douglas they said the same thing, it takes time
freeland – child benefit by cutting income splitting – 315000 kids out of poverty right away not 3-4 ys from now – no money in ndp budget; $6400/year for parents immediately – ndp dissolves 40% from provinces mulcair said 8-9years/hollet “M did not say that”
wright – unrealistic budget; liberals didn’t; green party within our budget – guaranteed livable income
waslowsi – distortionary green better; poverty traps people below a certain level 4 libs; ndp – regressive without progressive tax | freeland retorts – no poverty trap for children
rutchinski – (ml) – tangential, austerity agenda
garvie – childcare – universal, public, free – must be a public system, would increase jobs among women, gender equality
berlin – maternity leave should be extended, grey economy monetized, pay stay-at-home mothers

2. municipal infrastructure deficit; traffic, overtaxed utilities

freeland – the heart of our agenda; historic infrastructure investment / $60billion/10yrs – 420million next yr ndp / 10 billion libs, ndp harper’s balanced budge
wright – 6.5/billion /yr, 1% of GST; 132 bill infrastructure
freeland - challenge the premise of the Q- local infrastructure isn’t a federal issues| ndp had a choice went for austerity + balanced; kevin page, former parliament budget officer praised ours, swiss cheese ndp, i’m chair of economic group| only 3 billion in cuts
rutchinski – ttc least supported in north america, yet when striking how many billion of dollars at stake | p3 partnerships are fleecing us | enforce the time limits
garvie – give cities wealth taxing power 50% of gas tax to cities, reverse downloading under mike harris | rehashing P3, enhancing public sector, create union jobs
hollett – almost skipped | 12.9billion in infrastructure | 3 counselors knocking on doors with me; 5.9 billion liberal cuts + history of cuts; freeland given a far longer time to respond; grows over time, long term, stable while libs after 3 yrs starts to peel out; hollett: r u honest about cuts and history of cuts under martin | andrew quinn in national post it doesn’t add up
waslowsi: how many priorities? we: trade, immigration, property of 1st nations + life, liberty, property

3. most pressing issue in your riding

wright – dupont rail line, volatile chemicals shipped right next to houses; end shipping, stabilize, redivert rail,
waslowsi – challenge the nature of the question – competition between ridings; important issues at federal level: foreign peace
rutchinski – curb monopolies, end austerity, antiwar, i work at u of t, highest conc of healthcare expertise; policies support monopolies | rebut democratic renewal (freeland laughs)
garvie – moved from guelph, social housing, abolish student loans
berlin – lived for 30 yrs, ran for ndp 2000, editor of walrus; riding assoc to expand its base to bring ppl together (what we relied on churches to do), open doors to refugees at neighb level
hollett – hard to pick – ppl feeling squeezed out, affordable housing cut by martin, childcare, pharmacare, opportunities for young ppl, cracking down on unpaid internships
freeland – great riding, working adam vaughan – one quick issue, join

4. student debt, youth unemployment – what can gov do to create jobs

waslowsi – what can governments stop doing; economy (free market) takes scarce resources and allocates them efficiently | 0 economic growth of greens \ blanket elimination of tariffs and free movement of people: no FT agreements, but engage in FT | housing costs are too high b/c of 0% interest rates, phase out gov control of the money supply
rutchinski – our economy’s been wrecked; that’s the key | break monopolies, take back economy
garvie – free trades, part of larger narrative, up protections, companies should be fined, cannot just pick up and leave | weakening of unionized labor expand workers’ rights | ndp not against tar sands, but against a majority of tar sands; jobs through environment – tar sands employ less people than green jobs
berlin – recent study from gallup most ppl disengaged from their jobs; we’re moving into a different kind of economy; robots will take jobs, we need to start planning ahead
hollett – we can’t just rely on commodities. we need a diverse economy. rise of precarious work. strengthen ei for p/t. andrew cash | connecting economy to the environment | opposed to all pipelines we take it case by case, env assessments
freeland – astrophysics; fast food. won’t be cut off | youth employment urgently, lost generation 1.3billion over 3 years, 40000 summer jobs, suspending EI payments for 1st yr for employments
wright – neverending growth to green economy; expanding public tuition incl skilled trades; freeze taxes for sme; green venture fund; no tpp secrecy | tar sands; [jobs here!] no to pipelines, ndp: line 9 N of Toronto, libs support keystone xl

For me, this debate was really between Hollett (NDP), Freeland (Liberal) and Wright (Green) as they are the only candidates I have really considered. In terms of style, Berlin was quite open about his low expectations, Rutchinski was often completely tangential on the subject in most of his answers but managed to mention that he works for U of T, the younger Garvie was in the same ballpark but made a more compelling effort to be relevant, despite living in Guelph, while Waslowsi would repeatedly challenge the premise of the questions addressed to him, emphasizing his trifecta: Life, Liberty, Property, even at the expense of coming across as completely disconnected from the electorate – he was there only for a fun debate and probably never knocked on any door. Wright was great on substance, and that includes his incredibly thick eyebrows (but seriously, Green policies correspond best to my views), but lacked in delivery and style; more precisely, his speaking style seemed almost demagogical. I colored him a misanthrope even before I had learned about his animal rights advocacy. Hollett maintained a positive, likeable tone even while she was cut short by the moderator, who seemed to favor Freeland, while Freeland went overtime and was cut off-guard when the moderator started to enforce time limits even for her.

For an intermezzo, watch this video on Hollett produced by Rudder.

The National Post has recently covered a Munk Debate on foreign policy without picking a winner (np-munk).

The front-runners, both award-winning journalists, were quick to tout their global credentials. Freeland, once a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford and a fluent Russian speaker, is proud to be on Vladmir Putin’s list of 13 Canadian MPs and officials banned from Russia. She spoke of foreign diplomats who sought her out in Ottawa and conversations with Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko. He asked her about bringing Ukrainian-Canadian judges to the country to help cut down on judicial corruption.
Hollett, perhaps best-known for her stint as a MuchMusic VJ, studied public administration at Harvard and was tear-gassed in the West Bank alongside the Shministim, a group of Israelis who object to their country’s military policies. She has reported on women’s rights in Afghanistan and on Dadaab, the world’s largest refugee camp, in addition to training journalists in Sierra Leone.
Regardless of their place-dropping, the most shots were fired not between the two leading candidates, but between each of them and Conservative candidate Karim Jivraj, a Sorbonne-educated lawyer who has 12 per cent of the decided vote.
What 28-year-old Jivraj lacked in experience, he made up for with dramatic flourish, a skill likely honed during his days as a high school debating champion, and by showing off his French to the English-speaking crowd. After likening the NDP to Orange Crush soda (“It’s fizzy for the first ten minutes and then it falls flat.”), weighing in on Trudeau (He “cannot stand up to Putin.”) and detailing the barbarities of ISIL, Jivraj concluded that none of the other leading parties have a “serious adult foreign policy agenda.”
Though he painted the Conservatives as Canada’s most courageous human rights defenders, it was Freeland and Hollett who drew the most applause from the crowd. Some of the loudest cheers came when Freeland likened the Conservatives’ policy on the niqab to opening Pandora’s box and expressed her optimism that the next prime minister representing Canada at a climate summit would not be Stephen Harper.
Hollett garnered loud claps when speaking on NDP support for the two-state solution in Israel and Palestine. “It’s about security for Israel, but it’s about justice for Palestine.” She also emphasized the NDP’s position on increasing foreign aid.
Both Freeland and Hollett reiterated party positions on Syria, refugees, the Islamic State and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, in addition to calling for Canada to take on a larger role in multilateral institutions. In stark contrast to Jivraj, their tone was hopeful.
“An ambitious, optimistic Canada can be one of the key voices at the table,” said Freeland in her concluding remarks.
“We are not a country driven by fear,” emphasized Hollett.

And there’s more media coverage:

Toronto Life has also a quick “personality” interview of the two main candidates (tl-head2head)
Maclean’s has an overview of the Freeland – McQuaig competition (ml-chw)
Ricochet profiles the fight with a claim that the Liberals will speculate Hollett’s lack of children (ri-battle), landing that campaign in a bit of hot water (oc-gg)
MetroNews covered them on September 27, 28: mn-discuss, mn-issues
iPolitics focuses on Hollett (ip-hollett)
Hollett is on TEDx, HH, Wikipedia, HuffPo, YouTube, nsb, Varsity, Broadbent, Facebook and her campaign launch was somewhat unexpected (tgm-hollett)
Freeland is on TED, Atlantic, Wikipedia, OpenParliament, HuffPo, Reuters, YouTube, Facebook and many (cbc-crash) covered her crashing of a men’s club speech

Although the Greens better represent my aspirations, I did not like Mr Nicholas dePencier’s style and preferred Hollett’s. However, I’ll be keeping an eye on the Greens, I was definitely impressed with their platform.

Sources / More info: epo-35110, rtv-locamp, pg-2056, v2g, 308, np-munk, rabble-fed, varsity-polact, tl-head2head, ml-chw, ri-battle, mn-discuss, mn-issues, oc-gg, ip-hollett, cbc-crash, tgm-hollett

Tdot Zamo, voting, politics, cdnpoli, elections, elxn42, vote, advance polling, advance voting, u of t, uoft (Tags)

Food and Booze Online in Toronto

2015-10-05T01:00:00.000-04:00

I recently tried to help a sick friend with some grocery purchases. She is renting and has some weird arrangements with her landlord and, long story short, I ended up knocking and messaging her for almost 1h before finally being able to get in. I want to help my friend, but I'd rather not repeat this experience, so I decided to investigate on her behalf the ways one can order food in Toronto, both groceries and cooked food.

Now that TasteAway.com just closed its doors after 3 years (and uEat.ca is not loading), I first looked at MenuPalace and UberEats. The latter offers a “curated menu” while the former has some interesting Top 10 lists compiled for when you need inspiration.

If you do not want to cook (who can blame you?) and want a larger selection than the above, the services below will deliver your favourite restaurant food at your door.

The stickers I notice most often when going out are Just-Eat (who even have an app, offering $20/30min) and OrderIt, both present in several large cities. The service is free (more like “included”, or up to $6.95 at OrderIt) for these guys, but not for Hurrier, a bike-courier for those who can afford it: $5.50 flat rate, $2/km for delivery leg of the trip. Hurrier is also limited in the delivery zone (S of Dupont, Keele to DVP) and hours (M-F 11am-9:30pm, SaSu 12pm-9:30pm).

Other options are So Hungry and Realeat.ca (reports of waiting in excess of 1h with no apologies for the latter).

However, not everybody (myself included) wants to eat cooked food. Some of us either cannot afford to pay someone to cook for us, or we feel that cooking for ourselves yields better outcomes in terms of health and taste.

grocery

Why is the grocery online shopping behind USA when some of the poster-boys of this growing industry are Canadians?

Here’s a quote from an article signed by Chris Powell (cb-cpcg).

Nilam Ganenthiran, Toronto-based vice-president of business development and strategy at Instacart, says the Canadian grocery shopper now looks much like the American consumer did when the company debuted, in 2012: increasingly comfortable with online ordering, and willing to trust people hired to fulfil a grocery order. While he won’t provide specifics, Ganenthiran says Instacart is poised to launch in Canada later this year or in early 2016.
“I really think Canada’s at a tipping point, because the consumer need is no less prevalent,” he says. “In fact, it’s potentially greater, especially in winter months. We are extremely bullish on Canada.”
University of Waterloo graduate Apoorva Mehta launched Instacart, in San Francisco, with zero marketing or PR. Within a year, says Ganenthiran, it was being used by 1.5% of San Francisco households. This despite the fact that he admits its initial selection and price “wasn’t great.”
“What it did have was the fact it was solving a very real pain point in the hearts and minds of consumers,” says Ganenthiran. “It was giving customers two hours of their life back for a pretty low cost.” That cost can come two ways: some delivery companies slightly inflate the price for grocery items (as Urbery does, plus a delivery fee) and/or charge delivery fees from $3.99 to $9.99 (as in Instacart’s case).

He says Instacart’s Canadian rollout will likely differ from the U.S. because three major chains–Loblaw, Sobeys and Metro–essentially control the entire industry. “The level of sophistication in Canada is really quite high,” he says. “Retailers understand [the business] intimately, and they’re ready to go at it aggressively.”

GroceryGateway has a $45 minimum order and adds a $9.95 delivery fee. It is currently owned by Longo’s and has possibly the biggest mindshare among potential consumers. Through a partnership with SteamWhistle, they can also deliver beer on a next day basis (9am-9pm), for $1.50 fee for a 12-pack of bottles or 6-pack of cans, or $0.50 for a single tallboy of pilsner.

The recently launched InstaBuggy is here to challenge all that. You can order from their website or their app and pick the store, with delivery within the hour, using both “crowdsourcing” and its own vehicles. They charge customers a $9.99 fee for orders from $10 to $39.99; a $5.99 fee for orders $40 to $59.99; and delivery will be free for orders $60 or more.

Another new startup, Urbery will deliver in 3 hours or less, buying from a variety of grocers. Apparently, they had a rather humiliating rejection at Dragons’ Den. Delivery is free for orders over $64.99, $5.99 for $40-$64.99, $9.99 under $39.99. For alcohol, they charge $10 flat fee for 3 bottles + $1/each additional bottle, or $2 for each case (plus flat fee). Additionally, they have a mark-up of about 15%.

Another lesser known service is RealFoodToronto, charging $9.99 for all orders less than $250 and a 12h delivery window.

MrCase delivers office supplies as well as a set number of fresh fruits and vegetable by the case. There does not appear to be a clear timely promise: “There is a delivery fee of $4.00 for orders of $75.00 or more. A $7.00 delivery fee will be applied to orders under $75.00. Any order placed before 11:30 am may be delivered the next business day or you may choose a future delivery date.”

Grocery Market has a rather difficult to parse website. There seems to be a $50 minimum order, with $9.99 for next-day orders, $5.99 discounted and $12.99 for same-day orders.

One criticism the aforementioned startups had to endure is that they are a copy of InstaCart, a US startup that has yet to expand to Canada, that does precisely that: crowdsourcing your grocery shopping list.

Other competitors: Loblaws click-and-collect ($30 minimum, p/u fee $3-5 + $10 no p/u) as well as Sobey/IGA.net currently delivering only in Quebec; Metro is experimenting with similar service consisting currently only of party trays.

Other future services may include Walmart-To-Go, Amazon Fresh, FreshRush, currently piloting on the West Coast. It is already possible to shop for groceries on Amazon.ca but the offer is poor, consisting mostly of coffee, cereals, coconut oil and chia seeds, while Walmart has a groceries pickup service of $50 minimum order with $3 pickup fee.

specialty

Cartly offers delivery of ethnic goods. The first two deliveries are free ($5.99 thereafter) and you get a credit of $10 to sign up, with a minimum order of $25.

Culiniste is somewhere between restaurant and grocery delivery. They craft recipes and deliver the ingredients for you to cook with. 3 meals/week x 2 persons will set you back $59, while 4/week is $78, taxes and shipping included. Prices may go as low as $8.75/person for larger families.

For alcohol delivery, apart from some of the aforementioned grocers (currently Grocery Gateway and Urbery, but more to come), you have The Beer Guy ($10 + $1.50/each 12-pack over 36 beers, /every additional liquor or wine bottle over 3, /stop at Beer Store or LCBO), Dial-A-Bottle ($8+10%), Always Dial a Bottle ($8+10% + $5 if hotel or set time), Home Delivery Canada ($10+$1.50 / stop + more), Liquor Delivery Boys of Ontario ($8 + 15% credit card + overages for more than 36 bottles of beer or 3 bottles of wine or liquor), and Finest Beer Delivery ($8+$1.50 if more than 3 cases of beer or 10 bottles of wine or liquor; no extra for cigarettes or convenience store items). Steam Whistle also supposedly delivers for free: email doortodoor at steamwhistle dot ca or call/text 647-992-BEER; however, I got no reply when testing on a Sunday.

As for organics, we have an even larger selection, although the aforementioned grocery delivery stores also have an organic section available. Organic produce requires a bit more of a commitment, as it operates on a subscription model: Good Food Box at Foodshare (non-profit, $13-$34 / box, delivered at set drop-off points), Wheelbarrow Farm (a season of 40 deliveries is $400; you may also get pork), Farms and Forks (delivery is free if you get a produce box starting at $32 or spend $75 or $6.99), Front Door Organics (box prices start at $30 with free delivery, $2 customization), Plan B Organic Farms ($30-$45/week CSA), Mama Earth Organics ($30-60 baskets, $2 customization), Wanigan ($25-45 baskets + other product delivered weekly on set day; fresh market store in Brampton), Zephyr Organics (CSA for some Toronto suburbs), Fresh City Farms (“roots in CSA”, farm in Downsview Park), OrganicsLive (small 1-2 people $37/week to large 4-6 people $57/week).

Sources / More info: cb-cpcg

Tdot Zamo, food, food delivery, restaurant delivery, going in, staying in, groceries (Tags)

Toronto Abortion and Sexual Health Information

2015-09-22T16:20:00.001-04:00

I was recently asked to help a friend with choosing whether to keep a foetus or to have an abortion. As a former sex and relationship counsellor, I am appalled at how bad and out-dated the advice she got was.

To my dismay, Women’s College Hospital lists RU-486 as unapproved even now, almost 4 months after its approval (cbc-ru486):

Turns out that this was much ado about nothing. While RU-486 has indeed been approved back in July, it will only be available starting 2016. I was unaware of that when I started writing this article, so I started a thread in the linked forum. I got the following reply on September 23:

Thank you for posting your concern about this page. Our website is quite large and our Health writer is currently updating several pages on the website and has not reached this page yet. We have forwarded your post to her to let her know your concern about it.
If you see other pages that need updating please sent an email to info at w—h—m—dot ca. The Forums are for starting discussions about health issues. We have deleted your post now that we are aware of the need to update the page.

Indeed, the page was updated with the following statement, replacing the one circled in red above:

Only the first combination is currently available in Canada. The second combination, mifepristone (RU 486) and misoprostol, was approved for use in Canada in July 2015, but will not be available until early 2016.

Why is this important?

Because abortion, a simple and routine medical procedure that allows women to safely control their biology and reproductive system, has become incredibly politicized. Witness the “war on women” taking place South of the border. Most of it is attributable to uterus envy, often rationalized with demographic doom ideas and the patriotic need to have babies – something that women had to hear from fascists everywhere, even (or especially) during the 3rd Reich.

A recent PEW Research Centre study (pewrsr.ch/1jaOyQg) found that abortion is regulated / restricted around the world, with 4% of countries forbidding abortion even when the mother’s life is at risk. This is mind-boggling. A foetus (fetus) has no rights any more than an un-fecundated egg or a spermatozoid in isolation. However, I’d rather not have that pseudo-“debate” here.

While abortion is not as politicized in Canada as it is South of its border, it still is far more than it should be.

Since my friend had already decided to have an abortion, and since her reasons were sound, my job was to reassure her and help her through this difficult time. I sent her the #shoutyourabortion story.

Apart from the largely inconsequential illustrated issue, the Women’s Health website linked above provides good information. Planned Parenthood Toronto as well as Hassle-Free (link below) also have some excellent information.

clinics

The City of Toronto provides sexual health services through several clinics. They all serve women, most of them serving men as well (sho-tph).

TORONTO SEXUAL HEALTH CLINICS

You do not need a referral or OHIP coverage to visit a clinic.
Sexual health clinic services include:

STI testing and free treatment
HIV testing
Birth control counselling
Low cost or free birth control
Free condoms
Emergency contraceptive pill (Plan B)
Pregnancy testing, counselling and referrals
Sexuality and relationship counselling

Check below for drop-in and appointment hours.
We do our best to see every client that comes to our clinics, but due to the high demand we may not be able to see everyone.
Birth Control and Sexual Health Centre
960 Lawrence Avenue West, Suite 403
Phone: (416) 789-4541
Hours (by appointment only): Monday 2-5 pm; Tuesday 4-7 pm; Wednesday 12-5 pm; Thursday 5-8 pm; Friday 12:30-4:30 pm
*Anonymous HIV testing, including rapid HIV test.
Black Creek Community Health Centre (Sheridan Mall site)
2202 Jane Street, Unit 5
Phone: (416) 249-8000
Hours (by appointment only): Tuesday 3-4 pm
Hours (drop-in only): Tuesday 4-6 pm
Black Creek Community Health Centre (Yorkgate Mall site)
1 Yorkgate Boulevard, Suite 202
Phone: (416) 246-2388
Hours (drop-in only): Wednesday 2-5:30 pm
*New clients arrive before 5 pm.
Crossways Clinic
2340 Dundas Street West
Phone: (416) 392-0999
Hours (drop-in only): Monday 9:30-12 pm and 2-6:30 pm; Tuesday 1-5:30 pm; Wednesday 9:30-11:30 am and 1-3:30 pm; Thursday 12-4 pm; Friday 9:30-12 pm
*Rapid HIV testing is available.
Flemingdon Health Centre (The Gate)
10 Gateway Boulevard
Phone: (416) 429-4991
Hours (drop-in only): Monday and Thursday 3-5 pm
*New clients arrive before 4:30 pm.
Hassle Free Clinic (Men/Trans Clinic)
66 Gerrard Street East, 2nd Floor
Phone: (416) 922-0566
Hours (drop-in only): Monday and Wednesday 4-8 pm; Tuesday and Thursday 10-3 pm; Friday 4-7 pm; Saturday 10-2 pm
*Anonymous HIV testing, including rapid HIV test. All anonymous HIV tests are done by appointment only.
Jane Street Clinic
662 Jane Street
Phone: (416) 338-7272
Hours (drop-in only): Wednesday 2-6:30 pm; Thursday 9:30-11:30 am and 1-4 pm
*Rapid HIV testing is available.
Rexdale Community Health Centre (John Garland site)
1701 Martin Grove Road
Phone: (416) 744-0066
Hours (by appointment only): Monday 1-4 pm
Rexdale Community Health Centre
8 Taber Road
Phone: (416) 744-0066
Hours (by appointment only): Wednesday 1-4 pm
*Anonymous HIV testing, including rapid HIV test.
Rexdale Youth Resource Centre
1530 Albion Road
Phone: (416) 741-8714
Hours (by appointment only): Thursday 2:45-5:30 pm
*Anonymous HIV testing, including rapid HIV test. Clients must be 28 years old or under.
Scarborough Sexual Health Clinic
160 Borough Drive
Phone: (416) 338-7438
Hours (by appointment only): Wednesday 9:30-12 pm; Thursday 9-11:30 am
Hours (drop-in only): Monday 9:30-12 pm and 2-6:30 pm; Tuesday and Thursday 1-3:30 pm; Wednesday 2-6:30 pm; Friday 9:30-12 pm
*Rapid HIV testing is available.
Special Treatment Clinic
790 Bay Street, 8th Floor
Phone: (416) 351-3800 x2207
Hours (drop-in only): Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 5-7 pm
Taibu Community Health Centre
27 Tapscott Road
Phone: (416) 644-3536
Hours (by appointment only): Tuesday 2:30-6:30 pm
The Talk Shop
5110 Yonge Street
Phone: (416) 338-7000
Hours (drop in only): Monday and Thursday 2-6:30 pm; Wednesday 9:30-11:30 am and 1-3:30 pm
*Rapid HIV testing is available.

Hassle-Free has women-only hours, but it also has men-only hours, which is why it appears in both lists.

The following are women-only (sec-wo).

Bay Centre for Birth Control

416-351-3700
790 Bay St, 8th floor, Toronto, Ontario, MRG 1N8
Description: Offers a range of sexual and reproductive health services for women. All services are confidential and include counselling and referral services as well as physical exams and care. More information at www.womenshealthmatters.ca/centres/sex/program.
Choice in Health Clinic

416-975-9300
1678 Bloor Street West, Suite 301, Toronto, Ontario, M6P 1A9
Description: Women-centered pregnancy and abortion clinic. Provides full range of services for women experiencing an unwanted pregnancy including the emergency contraceptive pill (ECP). Entry by appointment only. More information at http://www.choiceinhealth.ca.
Hassle Free Women’s Clinic

416-922-0566
66 Gerrard Street East (at Church), 2nd floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5B 1G3
Description: Sexual health clinic offering free services including check-ups and anonymous STI testing, with a focus on female health, including birth-control. Hours can be found at http://www.hasslefreeclinic.org/QuickFacts.html. More information at www.hasslefreeclinic.org.

Immigrant Women’s Health Centre

416-323-9986
489 College Street, Suite 200, Toronto, Ontario, M6G-1A5
Description: A community-based non-profit agency serving immigrant women, refugee women, and women of colour. Provides comprehensive clinical and counseling services; free of charge, no OHIP required. More information at http://www.immigranthealth.info.
Women’s Health in Women’s Hands

416-593-7655
2 Carlton Street, Suite 500, Toronto, ON, M5B 1J3
Description: Clinic is “committed to providing community, mental and clinical health promotion support from an inclusive feminist, pro-choice, anti-racist, anti-oppression, and multilingual participatory framework. We work with immigrant and/or refugee women, women with disabilities, young women and older women in Toronto. Within these groups, the Centre prioritizes low-income Black women and women of colour.” Offers testing and treatment for STIs, pap smears, HIV/AIDS services, and a wide array of pregnancy support services. http://www.whiwh.com/index.htm.

While providing free counselling, free condoms and free pregnancy tests, the clinics above provide other contraceptives at low prices, such as:

Alesse $8.00
Evra Patch $11.00
Marvelon 28 $19.00
Minovral $8.00
NuvaRing $15.00
Tri-Cyclen Lo $8.00
Liberte IUD $60.00
Mona Lisa 3 or 5 year IUD $60.00
Mona Lisa 10 year IUD $70.00
Plan B $12.00

Obviously, the prices might change and might vary between clinics, although as far as I can tell they all have the same prices. Some clinics will only accept cash.

Despite having been around for many decades, and having revolutionized society since its introduction, the pill is still not widely understood. Here are some advantages:

Your period is very regular. You might not bleed as much during your period.
The birth control pills that have estrogen and progesterone lower your chances of getting cancer of the ovaries and the endometrium. The endometrium is the lining of the uterus.
You may skip menstruation altogether.

..or you may tell your significant other the above..

While you can find a lot of information online, it is probably best to make an appointment – it’s free!

Sources / More info: wh-forum, cbc-ru486, inbo-abortion, sho-tph, sec-wo, TO-clinics

Tdot Zamo, abortion, pro life, prochoice, pregnancy, fetus, foetus, biology, bio-ethics (Tags)

Toronto and Niagara Falls deals for two

2015-04-13T13:17:00.001-04:00

Some of my friends are coming to visit Toronto and they might want to know what is the cost of a hotel room for two. I was happy to oblige and look at such deals for anyone who might be interested.

Toronto is an OK choice for a couple, but honeymooners and the leisure traveler has found the nearby Niagara Falls, the wine-growing region of Ontario, a much better choice. For this reason, we’ll include it here in our best deals review.

$65 – Howard Johnson Downtown Toronto Yorkville (Go)
- This Howard Johnson hotel is located in Old Toronto’s Yorkville corridor, one of the city’s best neighborhoods for shopping. From here, you can explore Chinatown, the Garden District, and Koreatown—they’re all within walking distance. If your feet get tired, hop on the YUS subway to the waterfront and to downtown Toronto (3 km south).
  - Stay for two in a king room or two-double room
  - Up to two kids 17 or younger stay free in a two-double room
$149 & up – Toronto Harbour Hotel (Tz)
$179 -- Luxe Niagara-on-the-Lake Mansion Escape, Reg. $375 (Tz)

An award-winning, Georgian-style brick mansion with "a hushed regal air to it" (Fodor's) is offering a Travelzoo-exclusive getaway for two, including select weekends, saving over 50% on regular rates.

Why we love it

Earns a CAA 4-Diamond rating and 4.5 stars from TripAdvisor reviewers
The on-site Tiara Restaurant features panoramic views of Niagara-on-the-Lake harbour and serves Canadian cuisine and Ontario wine
Amenities include a newly remodeled fitness and pool area, featuring a eucalyptus sauna and a 12-person infinity hot tub
96% of Travelzoo members who stayed at this hotel loved their experience
Free transportation to the award-winning spas at sister properties, Prince of Wales and Pillar and Post

$52 - Ramada Hotel Niagara Falls Fallsview - Niagara Falls, ON (Go)

Stay with Dining Vouchers and Wine-Tasting or Family Package at Ramada Hotel Niagara Falls Fallsview in Ontario
also, $66 Go and $47 Go

$95 – Marriott Gateway on the Falls in Niagara Falls, ON (Go)

As many as eight million visitors a year come to Niagara Falls—the water is a sight to behold. The AAA Four Diamond-winning Marriott Gateway on the Falls has gorgeous views of this natural wonder from Milestones Grill + Bar, which has some of the town’s best vistas. The Marriott takes full advantage of its proximity to the water wherever possible—there are 32 stories of picture windows, for example. Falls-view rooms provide close-up peeks of the Canadian Horseshoe and American Falls; city-view rooms face the town. Each room comes with 37-inch flat-screen TVs, and daily in-room WiFi is included with this deal.
$103 - Go

$45 - Ramada Jordan/Beacon Harbourside Resort - Jordan Station, ON (Go)

Ramada Jordan Beacon Harbourside Hotel & Suites welcomes guests into a sun-drenched lobby with large floor-to-ceiling windows, elegant tile, and enveloping views of the busy Jordan Harbour. In fact, almost everywhere you step in the hotel offers a chance to admire the scenery, from the lobby and the breakfast area to all 62 guest rooms. The hotel’s location in the heart of Ontario’s wine country invites lots of exploring.

Tastings for two at three wineries are included with this getaway. Choose from Trius Winery at Hillebrand, Peller Estates Winery, Konzelmann Estate Winery, Stoney Ridge Winery, and Flat Rock Cellars.
Chocolates and truffles: Learn how chocolate is made and enjoy samples during a tour of Chocolate FX (also included with your stay).
Grab a bite of steak or seafood at The Ramada Jordan Beacon Harbourside Restaurant while sitting on the patio. You’ll get a $20 dining credit with this getaway.
Don Cherry’s Sports Bar onsite offers an array of appetizers as well as burgers, wraps, pizzas, and more.
Distance from Niagara Falls: 18 miles (29 km)

$79 - The Oakes Hotel Overlooking the Falls – (Go)

The Oakes Hotel Overlooking the Falls has front-row seats to one of nature’s grandest spectacles. Located in the heart of the Fallsview tourist area, it’s one of the closest hotels in Canada to Niagara Falls. Guests are also within walking distance of local attractions such as the adjacent Fallsview Casino Resort, home to a Vegas-style theater, shopping arcades, and lively gaming areas (this deals includes a $25 slot play at the casino).
1-night stay for two in a traditional two-double room, valid for travel 3/24–4/30/15

Option 1: $79 to check in Sunday–Thursday; not valid for Friday or Saturday stays (up to a $199 value)
Option 2: $109 to check in Friday; not valid for Saturday–Thursday stays (up to a $257 value)
Option 3: $139 to check in Saturday; not valid for Sunday–Friday stays (up to a $271 value)

$75 - Four Points by Sheraton Niagara Falls Fallsview - Niagara Falls, ON (Go)

Four Points by Sheraton Niagara Falls Fallsview is located within walking distance of one of North America’s most famous natural wonders: the roaring Horseshoe Falls. The hotel also boasts easy access to one of the area’s most popular manmade attractions, thanks to an indoor walkway leading to Fallsview Casino Resort. Here you’ll find more than 100 gaming tables, 3,000 slots, an array of video-poker machines, and a performance venue that hosts music and comedy acts.

$70 Ruth’s Chris Steak House dining voucher
$20 Outback Steakhouse dining voucher
$10 IHOP dining voucher
$25 slot-play credit for Fallsview Casino or Casino Niagara

Stay for two in a standard double-queen or king room

$109 - Embassy Suites by Hilton Niagara Falls - Niagara Falls, ON (Go)

A never-ending deluge of water barrels over Horseshoe Falls, creating a thunderous roar and a constant spray of mist. As the largest waterfall at Niagara Falls, it’s one of the world’s most famous natural phenomena—and it’s just steps from the 42-story Embassy Suites by Hilton Niagara Falls. The four-star hotel’s falls-view suites offer stunning views of the cascade.

$30 dining voucher to the Keg Steakhouse + Bar
$20 dining voucher to TGI Fridays
$25 Fallsview Casino or Casino Niagara slot-play credit; see restrictions for slot-play credit
Wine-touring passes for two. Included with passes: Peller Estates Winery (tour of underground barrel cellar), Trius Winery at Hillebrand (tasting flight), Wine Country Vintners (tasting flight), Thirty Bench Wine Makers (tasting flight). Transportation to wineries not included.

$45 - Quality Inn & Suites - Niagara Falls, ON (Go)

Located a half mile from the falls, Quality Inn & Suites is close to many of Niagara Falls’ best attractions. Restaurants, shopping, and family-friendly entertainment are all within a 15-minute walk.
Included in the couples package (per night):

C$30 Outback Steakhouse and C$15 IHOP dining credits (cannot be combined)
Diamond Estates – The Winery tasting and tour for two
Chocolate FX tour and tasting for two

Wherever you go, tell them Zamo sent you :)

Sources / More info: nc-msn-cdatrvl, ta-to

Tdot Zamo, tourism, hotel (Tags)

MEC voting (that time of year)

2015-03-03T14:29:00.001-05:00

Voting is good. Most people don't bother voting for their representatives in elections. I go further: I vote for the non-profit where I bought my backpack for my first European tour (and my rock climbing gear etc).

Choosing is hard, as most if not all the candidates are accomplished and with strong credentials. I thought that detailing my selection process could be useful not only to me when looking back, but also to anybody else facing a choice they’d rather skip.

Daniel Blanche – “the incumbent”. I did not vote for him before and have no doubt about his suitability, but I’m biased against incumbents and prefer to always give a chance to someone new, so will pass this time as well.
David Rankin – “leisure hat Dave”. I really don’t like that hat. His profile talks about the necessity to do more against climate change, including political lobbying. I agree in general, yet there are already those who are upset about co-op’s tax privileges, would lobbying be sufficiently prudent?
Phil Arrata – “Kellogg guy”. Though Kellogg is on of the top business schools, for me that name is forever associated with the “antimasturbatory cereal” dude. Also, I never liked shopping at Future Shop (though, in all fairness, Best Buy is not that bad). Mr Arrata has, nonetheless, some interesting ideas about small town & kids, though would they be self-sustaining or just costly?
Judi Richardson – “sporty chick”. Big time skier in the 70s and 80s, consulting since ‘98, recommended. Her profile is quite short in new ideas, but perhaps board members are supposed to provide guidance more so than new ideas.
Michel Lamontagne – “philosopher king” With a this year not the time for me message, I find it hard to take him seriously and did not read his profile.
Dale Mills – Pretty strong resume, but wondering how well he plays with others?

Sources / More info: mec

Tdot Zamo, voting, nonprofit, mec, non-profit, coop, co-op, co-operative, cooperativism, cooperative movement, community, engagement, third way, 3rd way (Tags)