Each Tuesday, Spacing Montreal will share with you some posts from our sister blog, Spacing Toronto. We hope it will enable constructive dialogue on the urban issues faced by both cities, though we’ll settle for some witty jibes against la Ville reine in the comments.
TTC strike : In the early hours of Saturday, the TTC went on strike as workers rejected the contract recommended by their own union executive. Mayor David Miller, obviously vexed the TTC did not uphold its promise of giving Torontonians a 48 hours notice before closing down the transit system, was able to rapidly push a bill forward with the province that would force the workers back. The bill was passed on Sunday at Queen’s Park, with service resuming completely by Monday morning.
Art under bridges : Two murals painted on a North York underpass and a railway bridge change what could be dreary spaces into something much livelier. One of these even turns out to be part of a ward-wide endeavour to give the neighbourhood a face lift. In these situations, graffiti that is usually viewed by many city dwellers as a nuisance can turn into something quite acceptable and lovely. These leftover spaces do need all the attention they can get while still retaining their underground je ne sais quoi… It’s a win win situation.
Who is listening to the public’s petitions? : On Tuesday afternoon, as Torontonians were set to present several petitions to the Ontario Legislative Assembly, a majority of the politicians deserted the premises. Of the 85 who were present earlier, only 7 remained. Doesn’t this beg the question of the use and importance of petitions, asks Patricia Simcoes?