In this issue:
JUNE IS A MONTH OF SPECIAL EVENTS:
COMMUNITY BICYCLE FESTIVAL SUNDAY JUNE 6, 11a.m. to 4p.m.
There will be a big tent pitched on the rink surface, and it will have all sorts of maps and information displays about Toronto's ambitious new bike route plans. Outside the tent there will be an obstacle course set up for two fearless and skilful BMX trick riders. They'll be performing every hour. Pete Lilly of Cyclepath is sending over a mechanic to help you with basic tune-up and diagnostic problems. Park baker Jesse Archibald is making his special scones for people coming to this festival. And of course there will be the regular pizza day at the oven.
The city bike people have ambitious plans, which they want to let people know about:
- To double the number of bicycle trips made in the City of Toronto, and
- Reduce the number of bicycle collisions and injuries.
They wrote to us: "the city is developing a 1,000 km Bikeway Network that will ultimately link cyclists with neighbourhoods and destinations across the city. When completed, all Toronto residents will be within a five-minute bicycle ride to the Bikeway Network." The idea is that "when bikes and transit are integrated to form a ‘bike-and- ride‘ commute, they can rival the automobile's range, speed and convenience without the environmental impacts." The bike plan includes numbered bike lanes with signage everywhere, lots of places to tie up and "convenient access to shower and change facilities." Wow. This should be a really interesting display. Aron Dunn, our bike contact at city hall, says city bike staff will be at Dufferin Grove Park all day, and they want to talk to bike riders about the new plans.
A SPECIAL VISITOR
On Wednesday June 16 at 12.30 p.m., the Acting General Manager of Parks and Recreation, Brenda Librecz, will be visiting our park to see pizza day and the rest of the park. Ms. Librecz recently transferred over from being the Executive Director at Economic Development, so she went from having a staff of just over 80 people to having a staff of just over 3,500. The budget of Parks and Recreation is bigger than the budget of many small cities. So it's a big jump in responsibilities, and also in troubles. Ron Nash, another shinny hockey player, who works with Business Improvement Areas for Economic Development, told us Brenda is a really nice person. Perhaps she'll make a pizza.
Brenda took over from Claire Tucker Reid, who took early retirement at the end of last year, but who may have begun almost immediately working for Parks and Recreation as a consultant. (We're not sure of this —it's hard to find things out just now.)
THE COOKING FIRE THEATRE FESTIVAL, June 24 to 27.
Kids' preview June 23 at 10a.m.
Produced by The Cooking Fire Committee, a group of local artists with long-standing ties to Dufferin Grove Park. Between 6.30 and 9.30 every night, companies from Toronto, Halifax and New York City will perform plays for children and adults, offering work that combines storytelling, puppetry, singing and clowning. The performances range from a show performed in a tree, to political satire, retellings of old folktales, a new take on Victorian melodrama, and a very tiny piece about religious tolerance in medieval Europe.
Program One (family-oriented) 6.30p.m.: Great Small Works, New York King George and the Devil; Stranger Theatre, Toronto, East of the Sun, West of the Moon; Cardboard Heart, Toronto, The Trees of Memory. Program Two (adult-oriented) 8p.m.: Number 11 Theatre, Peter Schlemiel; Zuppa Circus Theatre, Halifax, Uncle Oscar's Experiment; Great Small Works, New York, Three Books in the Garden.
On Friday June 25 and Saturday June 26, live Cuban music with Poquito Grande, from 5.30.
DUSK DANCES TENTH ANNIVERSARY PERFORMANCE June 29 – July 4
Opening band: Poquito Grande. Hosted by Christian Laurin.
In honour of the tenth anniversary, the performance this year will have the "best of" some recent shows. The Toronto premiere of Julia Aplin's Nice Cuppa Tea, a work created for Company Blonde for Ottawa's Dusk Dances in 2002; Ayelen Liberona's 2002 aerial work, Falling; Danny Grossman Dance Company performing Grossman's classic work, Bella, which was first performed at Dusk Dances in 2000; Victor Quijada's Montreal hip hop Rubberbandance Group, returning with Mi Verano, the finish of last year's event; and an integrated modern dance commission for Spirit Synott, a dancer who uses a wheelchair, and Perry Augustine by choreographer Rachel Gorman. The five shows are performed all over the park. The band starts at 7:00pm, the dance starts at 7:30pm. Admission is PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN. And if you want to have a picnic in the park beforehand, you can either bring your own (there are many picnic tables in the park) or come to the bake-oven any time after six: dinner will be served straight from the oven, right up until showtime. Read more at corpus.ca.
CAN THE BIG DRUMS COME TO DUFFERIN GROVE PARK?
A couple of years ago, a samba drumming group started coming to the park every Sunday afternoon to practise for 3 hours. Although they were very nice, their three-hour boom-boom just about drove the neighbours crazy. So they had to go back indoors to a community centre to practise.
A few weeks ago, on the last Saturday in May, a new group showed up at the park: the Maracatu Nunca Antes or Maracatu Toronto. This is what they said in an e-mail they sent to our web site:
"we're an afro-brazilian percussion group dedicated to the study of afro-brazilian rhythms beyond samba. This summer we shall be parading and participating in numerous festivals including Harbourfront Ritmo Y Color, Hillside, Om, Celebrate Toronto, Muhtadi's iNt Drum Fest, Kensington Harvest Fest, among many more... We are looking for an outdoor space (a park especially) to hold rehearsals on Saturdays between 4 and 6pm. We thought that because many of our members live in the College and Dufferin area, and we all know Dufferin Grove well, we would see about the possibility of holding some rehearsals there. The dates we are looking at are May 29, June 12, July 3rd, July 31, and possibly two Saturdays in August. For more information, pictures, and video clips about our group please visit maracatutoronto.com Our group contains between 15-20 percussionists at a time and dancers with big colourful skirts."
Nunca Antes
On May 29, the group started off practising in the middle of the park, and you could hear them blocks away. We asked them to go down the hill toward the fountain and Dufferin Street, and so, without missing a beat (they're a parade band, of course), they all walked down the hill, drumming and swaying, and held the rest of their practise there.
The hillside was dotted with people watching and having a really good time. So maybe we should try it again. Most of the band's rehearsal times are at three week-intervals. Park neighbours, let us know how it is for you, by calling the park at 416 392-0913, or e-mailing samba@dufferinpark.ca. Maybe this time it will turn out that nobody is unhappy, and there will be a lively show at the park a few times this summer. Certainly it's obvious, watching the band, that they LOVE to play outside in the sunshine, the rhythms are exciting, and they look and sound beautiful.
IS PARK MAINTENANCE PULLING OUT OF ITS NOSEDIVE?
At the beginning of May, we were tickled to report that things were looking up for park maintenance: we got a half-time worker assigned to the park to pick litter and keep things repaired. It even looked like we might get a fence for the new kitchen garden, although the parks department was out of fence posts for the time being. But we heard they were getting some.
During May this didn't work out so well. By June 1 the fence had not materialized, neither had grass seed to fill in all those bald patches all over the park. Neither had the gaps in the playground fence been fixed. The sand in the playground was still unharrowed and hard, and there were still deep hollows at the bottom of the slide and under the swings (if anybody falls, they really get a jolt). The unpaved dirt track that runs through the park for all those hundreds and hundreds of park users to walk along/push strollers/ride bikes or wheelchairs — was still eroded in places and rutted and just as bumpy as last year (no grader had smoothed it yet). The crooked picnic tables and the benches that were missing slats from last year had stayed exactly that way. The grass was long in places, short in others, and in distress in the centre of the soccer field (already), with holes where the irrigation outlets were.
Our park was not a complete orphan. Park maintenance staff person (and former scout-master) Joe Eschweiler kept picking up the trash, so the park was still cleaner than we're used to from other years. Joe also took a run at the ruts in the Sri Lankan's grass "overball" court (overball is a variation of volleyball) beside the basketball court. He used a lawnmower and a weed-whipper in an ingenious way to even out the ground — and it worked, so hopefully there will be no more twisted ankles for a while. Also, our request for compost and wood chips for the garden volunteers turned up a couple of wheelbarrow-loads of each. We got the gift of a little round table and two stools, cast-offs from Riverdale Farm, and promises of more from a park furniture dump near there. That would be lovely.
But you can't run a park only on promises. On June 2, Roman (the park maintenance foreman) came and walked all around the park to make a to-do list. He said that, even though his crew are overwhelmed with city parks grass-cutting, we'll see some action in the next days and weeks. By the next day the playground fence had been fixed and a couple of broken tables removed (and one repaired). So let's see how this next round of promises work out. Maybe the Parks maintenance crew will follow through.
RINK CRACKS:
Cracks in Dufferin Grove Rink
As this newsletter was ready to print, City Councillor Adam Giambrone's assistant Kevin Beaulieu called to say that a concrete expert from CIMCO (the rink company) called him to say that he had dropped in at our rink on his way by and he's pleased to tell him that the many cracks in our rink are no problem at all. Also, Councillor Giambrone wrote to let us know that the technical services manager has assured him that all our concerns have been flagged for follow-up during the Dufferin Grove inspection, including the cracks in the cement, the reinforced sinking floor, the rust and the leaking of brine last season. He expects that a city-wide rink inspection will come to our rink in late summer.
In the meantime, Liz Rucker will be doing a special storytelling session at the June 4 Friday night supper about the rink cracks. It's an adventure story and an art project around the cracks in the rink, called "rivers of the world." Kids will get indelible markers so they can draw on the concrete around their favourite rink crack (lots and lots and lots of choices), and they'll get a sneak peak at the workings of the rink too. Starts right after supper, at about 6:45p.m. Read more about the rink problems here
CELOS: The CEntre for LOcal Research into Public Space.
Latest research from our park's follow-up research group: On our web site, we have posted a critical look at Parks and Recreation's strategic planners many plans. Here's an excerpt.
The work plan:
- calls for quite a few meetings, analyses, designs, and promotional campaigns
- is otherwise remarkably vague on details
- if taken literally would require a very large increase in the Parks and Recreation budget (double would be good)
- if taken only as an ideal standard for staff performance evaluations, would drive the Parks and Recreation staff mad with the chasm between their task list and what they could ever realistically accomplish.
Read more... "Map of the strategic planners' minds."
We've sent our analysis to the mayor's office, to the Economic Development and Parks Committee, to the stakeholder reference group, to parks and recreation supervisory staff, and to some parks activists, plus publishing it on the web. We are very alarmed about these plans, and the clock is ticking. On July 5, the city council committee will be asked to give approval to the latest plan.
CELOS has also asked for various consultants' reports, health and safety studies, and budget details. Some Parks and Recreation staff replied promptly but most ignored our requests and forced us to go to the city's Access to Information office. Sadly, Mayor Miller's inaugural promise that city hall would become open, has not materialized yet. One of our May requests has been for the cost of six recent consultants' reports. We plan to set up a betting pool in the middle of June. If your guess is within the nearest $1000, you get a dozen of park baker Jesse Archibald's muffins. Watch the park bulletin boards for details.
A LESSON IN THE LAW
In the middle of May, a park staff person saw that the police were questioning some young park users. The staff person went over to observe. One of the youth had been seen smoking a marijuana cigarette, and so he and his friends were i.d.'d and searched. Since there was no additional weed on any of them and none showed any charges on the police computer system, they were not arrested. (Possession of a small amount of marijuana does not currently result in a criminal conviction.)
However, the three police officers involved in questioning the youth were not happy that our staff person, and a few additional park users, stayed nearby to watch. They told the staff person to leave, and when he did not, one of the officers pushed him. The officer said that if the park staff did not go away, he would be charged with obstruction.
Since park staff generally make it their business to attend to any disturbance in the park, and since they also know a lot of the people who come here, ignoring visits from the police is not really an option. However, no one wants to be arrested for obstruction. What to do?
Once again, we found help among the hockey players. (Hockey players at the park seem to be an endless source of park friends.) Jane Price, president of the Friends of Dufferin Grove Park, had heard that one of the regular Wednesday night ball-hockey players was a criminal lawyer named Peter Bawden, who has published and article on the use of "obstruction" charges. Jane called him up and he agreed to come to the park early before one of the ball hockey games, to meet with the park staff. He told the staff how to behave to make sure they were not obstructing police. He said, "make sure you don't stand behind an officer — understandably, that makes them nervous. Don't get any closer than two meters. [Our park staff person was clear on both of those counts.] Reassure the officer, repeatedly if necessary, that you will not get in their way. Explain that it's the practice of park staff to attend at any difficulty, and take along your clipboard. Don't say much at all unless you're asked, and then be very polite. [Our park staff aced that one as well.] It is the legal right of any citizen and certainly of park staff, to observe any actions of police. The charge of obstruction can only be laid if a person actually gets in the way of police to prevent them from carrying out their investigation, or if a person counsels a suspect to resist arrest. As long as you're only observing, you are breaking no law. "
This was nice to hear. And over the years we have found that the presence of an observer, when police come to the park, seems to help, in reducing (slightly) the random requests for I.D. which are frowned on in our democratic country, and putting a lid on the escalation of incidents. In the case of our park staff, watching also allows them to keep tabs on people who might be a genuine danger in our park. Direct observation of arrests is important because if there IS, later on, a conviction for a crime and the sentence includes court order banning the person from the park, park staff are never informed of such an order. (One of the many bits of slippage in the justice system.)
Peter Bawden also suggested it's always good to have a second person along when observing an incident (not more than that). That's because, when Jutta Mason made a complaint in May 2003 — she saw three bicycle police interrogating a black man near the rink house because he was talking on a cell phone a few days after some car thefts at the mall %#151; the police recall of the incident was very different than Jutta's recall. So if you are in the park and you see one of the staff, or a friend of the park, standing and watching such an incident, and you feel like coming over and watching too, that would be a help. When our staff person was pushed by the officer, there were several families watching with their children, and this resulted in some constructive conversation afterwards.
And if, despite all attempts to be respectful and careful, a staff person or a friend of the park is charged with obstruction for observing police incidents in the park, Peter Bawden says he'll defend them. For free. It seems that some lawyers get a little hot about citizens' rights in a democracy.
If you want to know more about our somewhat frustrating attempts to work constructively with Fourteen Division, go to the Police / Park Safety page
FRIDAY NIGHT SUPPER
Every Friday from 6 to 7p.m., at the bake oven. A community dinner cooked in the park bake ovens with farmers' market produce. $6 for the main plate unless you bring your own dishes ($1 off). The main plate is always a choice of meat or vegetarian, sometimes vegan. There's always park bread, a salad, soup, and dessert (they cost extra but it's hard to spend much more than $10 per meal). Booking ahead is necessary — call the park at 416 392-0913, specify the number of meals, and whether meat or vegetarian, and leave your phone number. Bookings are not confirmed until somebody calls you back. Note that if you don't get there before 6.45, your meal is not reserved anymore. No need to reserve kids' food (mini-pizzas, perogies, organic hot dogs). Sorry about the strict rules — this meal is very popular. If you want to make sure you get a spot, call early. If it's a cool night, there's a campfire to linger at with your friends.
FARMERS' MARKET: EVERY THURSDAY 3.30 TO 7 P.M.
The organic market has moved outside for the season. No more crowding! Most of the vendors have their stands along the path between the rink house and Dufferin Street, and a few (meats, some bread, market snacks) are located next to the west wall of the rink house. Anyone who wants to be on the weekly market news e-mail list can e-mail market@dufferinpark.ca and we'll put you on. (Please note: hotmail users may find that the market e-mails are often mis-identified as spam and rejected.)
SPECIAL KIDS' ART CLASS:
Floorcloth-painting for kids with Gillian Tremain and Jeannie Soley, Saturday June 19, 1-5 p.m.
Some of the kids' art course offerings in our neighbourhood are at such a high level, both in content and in teaching gifts. Who needs the AGO? Two wonderful neighbourhood artists are offering a kids' floorcloth-painting workshop at the rink house. They'll take 12 kids maximum, anywhere from 6 to 12 years old, cost will be $25.00 plus a $15.00 materials fee, with payment in full by cheque or cash the day of the class. The children will learn how to prime a piece of artist's canvas; they'll then discuss various aspects of surface design (textiles), and the kids will create their own "floor art" using acrylic paints. They should wear something they don't mind getting covered in non-washable paint. Juice and cookies are provided halfway through the afternoon, and if the weather is good, the class will be outdoors on the grass. To register, e-mail Gillian at : gabhangi@ca.inter.net or call 416-532-0773 and leave a message.
For ongoing updates on Dufferin Grove Park, and to share your views on community issues, join our Friends of Dufferin Grove email listserve. Just click here to join.
Newsletter prepared by: Jutta Mason; Illustrations: Jane LowBeer
Technical support: John Culbert
Webmasters: Joe Adelaars, Henrik Bechmann
Park phone: 416 392-0913; street address: 875 Dufferin Street
E-mail: dufferinpark@dufferinpark.ca
List Serve: Emily Visser, Bernard King
Park photographer: Wallie Seto