Spacing Radio: Recent Episodes
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We've spoken a lot about community land trusts in this series, and it's been gaining momentum in cities and towns all over Canada. But there are some policy choices that are stalling some land trust projects. Here we bring you two cases from Vancouver, and how these barriers can be removed.First, we speak to Djaka Blais, executive director of the Hogan's Alley Society. There is a municipal plan in place to rehabilitate an historically Black community, which was ruined years ago when viaducts were built over top of it for an expressway that was never completed, but the plan can't move ahead while those unused viaducts still stand.And we speak to Andy Bond, executive director of the Downtown East Side Community Land Trust, speaks about his organizations success in acquiring property for affordable housing in this low-income neighbourhood. But the City has also changed zoning in the area that previously mandated 60% non-market housing.How can policy changes help community land trusts move forward?
The Balanced Supply of Housing research node was formed to imagine real, working solutions to the housing crisis in Canada. But the first step to solving a problem is understanding it.We've covered many issues with this special series, but the issue we keep returning to is security of tenure (or lack thereof). The BSH has completed various studies into evictions since its inception — why they happen, how, who they impact, and the outcomes — and now they've brought all their evidence, data, and recommendations together into a free book for anyone to access.University of British Columbia Professor Alexandra Flynn and BSH Research Manager Alina McKay return to The Overhead to tell us about the evictions book, a digital tool for comparing tenants' rights from province to province, and breaking the taboo of talking about evictions.
We've covered a lot of research about housing with out special series The Overhead. But on the main feed, we're bringing you two perspectives on renting in the city.Tony Irwin is President of the Federation of Rental Housing Providers of Ontario, and he has perspective on how to build more purpose-built rental housing. We also ask him about his support for the controversial provincial Bill 60.Then we talk to Bruno Dobrusin, organizer with the Toronto South-Weston Tenants Union, about renters' rights, rent strikes, and the creation of a new, city-wide union.
Golden Mile of Industry: How a recession, city planning, and an immigration wave (re)made a community.
set by the Province. If they want to raise the rent higher, they have to apply for an Above Guideline Increase (AGI), and their stated reasons have to meet certain criteria such as paying for expensive improvements to the building or hiring security.But researchers have been studying these increases to how and where they're applied, who is affected, if they're being used appropriately.Two of the researchers studying AGIs are University of Toronto Scarborough Professor Julie Mah and University of Waterloo Associate Professor Martine August. They worry these above guideline increases are being used by landlords as an extra revenue tool or even a means to push tenants out. To find out how these AGIs affect tenants, we spoke to Douglas Kwan, director of advocacy and legal services at Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario. He questions whether AGIs are even necessary in many cases, when the landlords make more than enough from current rents.Are rules around rent increases being exploited for profit?
A good news story in recent years is the amount of progress Community Land Trusts (CLTs) have made in communities across the country.New CLTs are being established, and existing ones are winning by-in from various levels of government, as well as buying up land to preserve as affordable housing in perpetuity, sheltering units from the runaway, unaffordable housing market.Often, CLTs preserve often overlooked and stigmatized housing such as rooming houses and single room occupancy hotels.Joshua Barndt is executive director of the Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust (PNLT) in Toronto, one of the first CLTs to rekindle this model in Canada. First, the PNLT was able to acquire property for affordable housing, then the City of Toronto created the Multi-Unit Residential Acquisition program (MURA) to help create CLTs across Toronto. We asked Joshua what is needed to scale up, and out, and replicate for other communities.Norm Leech is the president of the Downtown Eastside Community Land Trust. They're just begging their mission in Vancouver's famously impoverished downtown. Norm tells us how this CLT uses a decolonized governance structure, co-led by Indigenous peoples, and with tenant-led programming.How can we help communities secure affordable housing for their neighbours?
On previous episodes of this series, we've talked about the impact of an over-financialized housing market. It adds to the affordability crisis, and leads to eviction and displacement.In this episode, we ask two experts if it's possible to decommodify housing. To build housing that isn't simply a product to be bought, sold, and traded.We speak to David Wachsmuth, associate professor in the School of Urban Planning at McGill University, and Leila Ghaffari, assistant professor of geography, planning, and environment at Concordia University.Is it truly possible to decommodify housing when it's become one of the biggest industries in the country?
This year has been one of major change. But what doesn’t change here is talking about transit. It’s the return of Tricia Wood (York University urban geography professor and Spacing contributor) and Matt Elliott(Toronto Star columnist and publisher of the City Hall Watcher newsletter). They help us unpack the state of public transportation in Toronto and the surrounding region, warts and all.We talk about restoring faith in the TTC, the battle of competing transit projects, the Federal budget, and why cars still take priority over transit in Toronto.
THIS EPISODE: Indigenous-led HousingWhat does Indigenous housing look like? Are there special forms of housing needed by Indigenous communities in particular to address specific health and community needs? And what kind of housing can be built when Indigenous people in charge of the plans? In this episode, we try to address each of these questions.First we speak to Maggie Low, assistant professor at the School of Regional Planning at the University of British Columbia. She's been studying how municipal governments respond to Indigenous housing needs.Next, we speak to Alexandra Flynn, associate professor at the Peter A. Allard School of Law, UBC, about Indigenous zoning and housing developments in Metro Vancouver.Finally, we speak with Bailey Waukey, a youth policy analyst with the Aboriginal Housing Management Association, about the different housing models Indigenous youth have asked for themselves through a special engagement process.What does housing by Indigenous people, for Indigenous people look like in an increasingly urbanized world?
Change in cities is often slow, when using official channels. There is a desire to achieve the perfect plan, one that balances everyone's needs an preferences. But sometimes you need to get down and dirty.In this episode, we talk to three of the co-editors of the new book Messy Cities: why we can't plan everything. Spacing Executive Editor Dylan Reid, public interest designer Zahra Ebrahim, and CivicAction CEO Leslie Woo talk about this collection of essays that embraces the beautiful messiness of urban communities.And Danielle Goldfinger, executive director of The Laneway Project, tells us about a recent project aimed at helping communities make the most of their laneways.
In this episode we bring you the highlights from Global Placemaking Summit which took place in March at Evergreen in Toronto.First, we drill down into the meaning to the term with some of the event organizers: Placemaking Canada's Andrew Pask, Evergreen's T.J. Maguire, and Placemaking X's Ethan Kent.We speak to Melbourne Australia's Gilbert Rochecouste, founder of Village Well, about lessons Toronto can learn from his city's famous laneway network.Tim Tompkins of the Sustaining Places Initiative tells us how parts of Manhattan, NYC was pedestrianized, and how to keep momentum beyond pilate projects.And PlacemakingUS's Madeleine Spencer talks about placemaking in communities who are under assault from the current American government.
In the federal election just passed, we heard many big ideas about how to tackle the housing crisis. And we could sure use a major effort from our new federal government. But there is also a lot of research and advocacy done about smaller-scale approaches that would have outsized impact on housing affordability and availability. And we examine two of them.First, we speak to two people from the advocacy group Vivre En Ville: Director of Housing Adam Mongrain and housing advisor Ines Zerrouki about the role non-profit housing can play in this crisis. And we spoke to McGill University Associate Professor of Architecture and Urban Planning Nik Luka and LGA intern architect Conrad Speckert about how adding gentle density or missing middle hosing to existing neighbourhoods can increase supply, if we just allow it to be built (as many Canadian cities did in the past).How can small-scale housing fixes make big impact in Canada?
In this episode, with Prime Minister Mark Carney's pick of former Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson as Minister of Housing and Infrastructure, we reached out to longtime urban affairs writer Frances Bula to learn about Robertson's housing legacy, and how he might approach his new job.And we speak to Howard Tam, a city builder and founder of Eat More Scarborough food tours about the variety and quality of cuisine there, and how the people of Scarborough are taking back their own story.
We can learn a lot about evictions and the housing crisis from cities in other countries, all over the world. Often, we draw comparisons to our neighbour just south of the border: the United States. Just like us, renters in the States are dealing with soaring rent prices, a lack of security of tenure, and the threat of eviction. But they're also dealing with a second Trump presidency that threatens to remove protections for renters, scrap housing programs, and defund research into solving the housing crisisTim Thomas is Research Director of the Urban Displacement Project at University of California, Berkeley. He tells us about the hurdles renters in America face, the racial bias inherent in many of the laws governing evictions and displacement, and how housing advocates and academics are scrambling to come to terms with Trump 2.0.
Evictions are a problem for renters across the country. As we explored in the last episode: part of tackling the housing crisis requires improving "security of tenure" for the many people who rent their homes.But evictions are difficult to quantify. Many of them are not reported. And each province has different processes, legislations, and tribunals surrounding evictions and landlord/tenant disputes.How do we get a picture of evictions across the country?Alexandra Flynn is an assistant professor at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia. She's been tracking eviction data from province to province. We asked her about her findings.And David Wachsmuth an associate professor at McGill University's School of Urban Planning and Canadian Research Chair in Urban Governance. He's been conducting meta analysis and qualitative research on evictions in Canada. He tells us a startling fact about people who experience homelessness after an eviction.What can we learn about eviction policy by comparing provinces and municipalities?
In a snap election called ostensibly to decide which Ontario provincial party leader can take on Donald Trump, we sure have spent a lot of time talking about highways.In this episode, we speak to Emma McIntosh, reporter for The Narwhal, about the various election promises made about highways in Ontario. Do we expand them, remove their tolls, or simply tunnel them under ground at an unimaginable expense? We break down what the party leaders are saying about solving highway congestion.And, it's either the end of an era in Winnipeg, or the beginning of a new chapter. After over 45 years, the barriers preventing pedestrians from crossing the iconic downtown intersection of Portage and Main are coming down. We ask CBC Manitoba senior reporter Bartley Kives what led to this politically-charged change, and what it means for the future of Winnipeg's downtown.
For renters, security of tenure — the ability to stay in a home without fear of being destabilized by eviction — is essential. When you have that security, you can put down roots in your neigbhourhood for you and your family.But evictions occur all the time. They may be the result of lack of payment, but there are different legal avenues for landlords to pursue "no-fault evictions," such as renovations or moving in a family member. Sometimes these are simply loopholes being exploited, but that's difficult and costly to prove for the renter. Because housing is such big business, there is plenty of incentive to evict current tenants and name a new, higher price.Alina McKay is Research Manager for the Housing Research Collaborative the the University of British Columbia and Sean Grisdale is a PhD Candidate in Geography and Planning at the University of Toronto. They have both been conducting research on evictions and security of tenure.
With Justin Trudeau stepping down as Prime Minister and the very real possibility of an federal election, Premier Doug Ford mulling over a snap provincial election, and President-elect Trump threatening a trade war, it's almost impossible to predict what 2025 will hold.And yet, Toronto and other municipalities in Canada must muddle through as best they can and create an annual budget. That process has already started in Toronto.To rate Trudeau's legacy (for better or worse) in Toronto, and to identify possible pitfalls and goals for the megacity's newest budget, we've put together a panel discussion featuring CivicAction CEO Leslie Woo and Spacing Senior Editor John Lorinc.
This time of year, with the temperature below freezing, it feels appropriate to talk about housing. So, we're bringing you two conversations with two authors who have both recently written about that very topic.Carolyn Whitzman is the author of Home Truths: Fixing Canada's Housing Crisis.And Mitchell Cohen wrote Rhythms of Change: Reflections on the Regent Park Revitalization.The first book provides a macro view of housing in Canada, and the second provides a look at a specific development in Toronto.
Découvrez comment Montréal repousse les limites de l'innovation urbaine. Grâce aux témoignages de Maxime Thibault Vézina, Chef de division au Laboratoire d'innovation urbaine à la Ville de Montréal, et de Raphaël Guyard, conseiller sénior à la Maison de l'Innovation Sociale, explorez comment la technologie, des démarches participatives pour adapter la réglementation, et la collaboration entre acteurs publics, privés et citoyens s'unissent pour façonner une ville plus inclusive, durable et tournée vers l'avenir.
The City of Toronto has been named a "role model city" by the United Nations Environment Program for Supporting Urban Ecosystems. It's part of an initiative the UN calls "Generation Restoration," part of their Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.To find out why Toronto has been named a role model, and what that city can teach others across the world about fostering and protecting their urban ecosystems, we speak to Kim Statham, director of Toronto Urban Forestry, and Wendy Strickland, project manager for the Toronto Ravine Strategy.Listen to the episode to hear how cities can play a role in ecosystem restoration.
With Premier Doug Ford's repeated promises to rip up bike lanes in Toronto, and possibly even other Ontario cities and towns, we've decided to dive deep into why and what that might mean for the future or road safety and city planning.We have a panel discussion featuring Cycle Toronto Executive Director Michael Longfied and Toronto Today Editor Allison Smith. We talk about both the impact of removing cycling infrastructure and why Doug Ford has suddenly made a few kilometres of bike lanes in Toronto a provincial priority.And we speak to Deputy Mayor and City Councillor Amber Morley about she defends the new Bloor Street bike lanes in her ward, and how/if the City can move forward with safe street projects.
We're pleased to bring you another season of The Overhead, and we begin by checking back on a topic we've been tracking from the start: community land trusts.This time, we're focusing specifically on the "community" aspect of land trusts. We've spoken about the benefits of removing certain land from the market, preserving it as affordable housing in perpetuity. But how do land trusts help longstanding cultural communities so they can continue to call their neigbourhoods home?We see different communities turning to land trust model as a way to avoid displacement, or reassert cultural ownership over land they've traditionally called home: in the traditionally Black neighbourhoods of Hogan's Alley in Vancouver and Africville in Halifax, or in Toronto's Chinatown.To answer this, we spoke to Nat Pace, network director of the Canadian Network of Community Land Trusts, and Chiyi Tam, managing director of the Toronto Chinatown Land Trust. As Tam puts it, when we talk about the heritage of a place, we spend a lot of time speaking about the buildings or the character. We lose sight of what really makes a place:"Heritage is the people, it's not the buildings. And affordability is a core function to do heritage preservation work, in and amongst all of our communities — whether that's dragon dancing or whether that's the literal existence of Africville."How can ownership over land help preserve our diverse communities?
This month, we respond to Doug Ford's stated plan of banning new bike lanes in Ontario municipalities and building an underground highway from Markham to Scarborough.Then we speak to environmental lawyer and cycling advocate Albert Koehl about his book Wheeling Through Toronto: a history of the bicycle and its riders. We talk about how attitudes towards cyclists have changed over time, or even repeated themselves.Finally, we talk to transportation consultant and former TTC Chair Adam Giambrone about the need for a culture change at Toronto's transportation commission.
It's been a while since we had a good, old-fashioned transit talk with friends of the show Tricia Wood (York University urban geography professor and Spacing contributor) and Matt Elliott (Toronto Star columnist and publisher of the City Hall Watcher newsletter).We talk about returning TTC service levels to pre-pandemic levels, what we should look for in the next TTC CEO, what is even happening with the Eglinton Crosstown, and Doug Ford's transit expansion plans.
We heard a lot about drones at the Paris Olympics, but what about in our own backyard?In this episode, Spacing's John Lorinc tells us about a piece he wrote called Eyes in the Sky, which documents the stealthy creep of the Toronto Police Service's use of drones to keep tabs on residents.Next, author and green advocate Lorraine Johnson tells us about an open letter she co-signed urging Canadian municipalities to change their outdated bylaws which prohibit growing habit gardens and other helpful plant species in our lawns and backyards.Finaly, Ingrid Buday founded No More Noise Toronto out of frustration with the city's high-volume noise pollution, especially traffic sounds. The group advocates for new bylaws protecting residents' right to peace and quiet, and gathers its own data to make the case.
Toronto is often accused of being over-regulated. It's a fair criticism.For example, photographer and urbanist commentator Dan Seljak tells us how he stumbled upon the small Finch Store selling espresso, fighting to stay open in the face of City zoning laws.For more of the story, and how Finch Store was granted a reprieve, we speak to local City Councillor Alejandra Bravo.And we speak to Councillor Gord Perks, chair of the Planning and Housing Committee, about why Toronto works on complaints-based bylaw enforcement, and how we can improve the system for small businesses, special events, and more.
It's Bike Month! It's a time we celebrate cycle culture in Toronto and surrounding cities and towns. At least officially. Despite some significant gains in cycling infrastructure, there are still a lot of people and (more troubling) politicians who'd like to run riders off the road.To put this all into perspective, we spoke to Lanrick Bennett Jr., a cycling advocate who, for the last few years, has represented Toronto as the Bicycle Mayor.And, Spacing co-founder Shawn Micallef tells us about the new edition of his book Stroll: psychogeographic walking tours of Toronto. In 2010, Shawn wrote the book as a series of guided walks, with historic background and personal reflections, through different parts of the city. Now, 14 years later, he's retread those steps for a brand new version of the book.
Wildfire season has already begun in Canada. Due to climate change, we are seeing more frequent and devastating fires. They choke the air, the decimate the landscape, and they displace people from their homes. So we have to fight them with everything we've got.Neal McLoughlin is superintendent of the Predictive Services Unit at BC Wildfire Service. He tells us how AI and drone technology is helping to monitor, fight, and prevent forest fires.And Moulay Akhloufi is a professor at the University of Moncton, where he heads their Perception, Robotics and Intelligent Machines Lab. He tells us how his team has been exploring every avenue available to detect wildfires, and predict how they'll spread. That includes video games.
With the change of the seasons, we talk about different kinds of renewal.First, Senior Editor John Lorinc talks about the special Spacing investigation into the cyber attack on the Toronto Public Library that shut the service down for months. How did it happen, and how do we make sure our public institutions are hacker-proof?And, the latest Spacing Magazine issue is on shelves now. As a preview, we share the full conversation with Toronto Public Space Committee organizer Cara Chellew (available in the issue as a Q&A) about the need for new Toronto street furniture: garbage bins that work, bus shelters that actually provide shelter, and places for people to sit.
We all know access to clean water is vital. We also know that water quality and access is jeopardized by things like pollution and drought. On the other hand, the growing frequency of powerful downpours causes stormwater issues. All that to say, the state of the water we rely on for so many thing is in constant flux. What we need is good, local data, about the bodies of water that sustain us.That's where Mary Kruk, water data specialist with DataStream, and Steph Neufeld, watershed manager with Edmonton's water utility EPCOR, can help. With DataStream, Kruk helps compile water data from all over the country, and make it available and easily accessible to everyone who needs it. In Edmonton, Neufeld is using that data to inform the City about it's many important watersheds.
Dans cet épisode, nous sommes allés dans les coulisses de la planification urbaine de Victoriaville. Nous nous sommes intéressés à la manière dont les municipalités comme Victoriaville s’y prennent pour mettre en branle des projets urbanistiques en tenant compte à la fois des paramètres environnementaux, économiques et sociaux. Les entretiens avec Jean-François Morissette, Directeur des Services de la gestion du territoire et du développement durable, et Valérie Ebacher, urbaniste chez Vivre en Ville, soulignent l'importance des collaborations interdisciplinaires. Grâce à ces échanges, nous comprenons mieux la nécessité croissante d’inclure dans les projets urbains une diversité de compétences afin de relever les défis municipaux complexes auxquels les villes sont confrontées, notamment dans le contexte pressant des changements climatiques.
In 2005, Ontario passed the Accessibility of Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), which made accessibility for all public establishments a legal requirement by 2025. That goal won't be met, unfortunately.To tell us about the progress that was made because of the legislation, and what still needs to happen, we speak to AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky.And, as part of our 20th anniversary celebrations, we talk to Jeremy Hopkin, who has colourized a panoramic photo series of Toronto in the mid 1800s. We ask him about the project, and what these photos tell us about early Toronto life.
With the Toronto budget about to be voted on shortly, we talk to crisis worker and homelessness advocate Diana Chan McNally about what the City needs to invest to help refugees and other unhoused people, whey the federal government needs to step up, and why the police don't need another big budget increase.And, as part of the Spacing 20th Anniversary celebration, we talk to historian and author Adam Bunch, who recently won the 2023 Governor General's History Award for Popular Media, and who wrote our blog's most-read story, which he treats us to.
Spacing is celebrating it's 20th Anniversary.To celebrate, we talk to publisher Matthew Blackett and senior editor Dylan Reid about how the magazine came together, the latest issue and anniversary book The Big Book of Spacing, and our special exhibit at the Urbanspace Gallery.And, at the same time the magazine began, David Miller had just become mayor of Toronto on a platform of change and urbanist principles. We ask him about Spacing's impact at City Hall, and how urban thinking has changed in the city in two decades.
With climate change leading to more frequent and more extreme climate events, predicting the next disaster and planning for it is essential. In many areas of the country, that means using data to anticipate extreme heat events, and give communities time to prepare.Dr. Ryan Reynolds is the researcher behind Resilience Mapping Canada. Reynolds uses data and other tools to help communities prepare for climate events, extreme heat, flooding, and more. In determining who is most vulnerable in extreme heat, Reynolds says:"This includes the elderly (in B.C. we decided that was about 60 plus) that were most vulnerable... Another one is adults who live alone. They're not necessarily being checked in on on a regular basis, so if they are having problems they might not be able to get assistance with that particular issue... Small children, particularly if they're accidentally left in vehicles... Health factors: there are particular health and mental health conditions that are exacerbated by extreme heat." Barbara Roden is mayor Village of Ashcroft, British Columbia. Ashcroft is actually a designated desert, so the community must be especially prepared for extreme heat events. To that end, they developed the Heat Alert Response Plan. For a small town, this presents challenges, but the village is embracing it. As Roden says:"People like the fact that we're taking these steps, we are prepared. They just like to see their local government anticipating these things and being proactive, rather than reactive."Listen to the episode to hear more about planning for extreme heat.
Many people across the country struggle to make ends meet. In many cases, that means they experience energy poverty: they can't afford to use energy when they need to, if at all. At the same time, we are trying to address climate change and become more resilient. What if we could address both concerns at the same time?Energize Bridgewater was the winner of the 2019 Smart Cities Challenge. The program aims to identify where energy inefficiencies are in homes and find solutions to improve that efficiency, making the Town of Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, better prepared for our changing climate, and helping vulnerable residents who experience energy poverty and struggle to afford power.We talk to Bridgewater's Senior Energy Manager Asad Hussein and planner Meghan Doucette about the success of the program, and its future goals.
Women and children experiencing violence need housing options to be able to start a new life free of abuse, survive, and support themselves. But housing options that suit their particular situation and needs are often limited, due to the housing crisis, as well as a lack of appropriate services.For these reasons, Tanyss Knowles, director of programs at the BC Society of Supportive Houses, says there is a connection between women and children fleeing violence and homelessness:We know affordability is a growing issue across Canada and has been in B.C. for a long time. So women who come into temporary emergency services after leaving a violent home often can't move on to permanent housing because of the lack of affordable housing. And this has created a bottleneck in services, as more and more women and children are being denied access to services when they're seeking to leave a violent situation.Sometimes, the barrier to housing for women and children fleeing abuse is baked into the standards set by government. Alina McKay, research coordinator at the Housing Research Collaborative, and University of British Columbia grad student Victoria Barclay have been researching how the National Occupancy Standards can actually impede access to housing. Victoria explains:Because of the National Occupancy Standards, women who are fleeing violence with children are often actually denied housing because the family does not fit what that unit looks like. So if they need, according to their gender and the age of their children, four bedrooms when only two bedrooms are available, they're denied housing. Often that can mean they end up homeless.How do we ensure women and children fleeing violence have a place to flee to?
Dans cet épisode, on découvre comment la ville de Lac-Mégantic, après avoir vécu le pire, s’est reconstruite pour devenir une meilleure version d’elle-même.En juillet 2013, un train de cargaison qui transportait du pétrole a pris feu, déraillé et explosé en plein milieu de la ville de Lac-Mégantic. Six millions de litres de pétrole brut ont été déversés et la majeure partie du centre-ville a été détruite par l’incendie après que.Cette tragédie a laissé beaucoup de marques et de traumatismes chez les gens de Lac-Mégantic, mais elle a aussi permis à cette ville de se reconstruire de façon inouïe. Non seulement, les résidents et résidentes de Lac-Mégantic ont fait preuve de résilience, mais ils ont également réussi, avec les efforts des fonctionnaires et des acteurs communautaires, à repenser leur ville - qu’il fallait presque rebâtir à zéro - de façon à ce qu’une tragédie comme celle-ci ne puisse plus jamais se reproduire.Comment ont-ils fait? Comment le principe de résilience a-t-il pris forme dans la communauté de Lac-Mégantic? C’est ce que Danielle Maltais, professeure titulaire à l’Université du Québec à Chicoutimi et directrice de la Chaire de recherche Événements traumatiques, santé mentale et résilience, nous a expliqué dans cet épisode de Face au Futur.Et, après avoir mis sur papier les grandes lignes de ce à quoi la ville devrait ressembler à l’avenir, Lac-Mégantic s’est rebâti en harmonie avec la nature. Alors que le pétrole a été responsable de la pire des catastrophes, c’est désormais des modèles énergétiques écoresponsables qui font avancer la région. Mathieu Pepin, chargé de projet en transition énergétique pour la Ville de Lac-Mégantic, nous a notamment parlé de la manière dont le projet de micro-réseau, unique en son genre, a pris forme et comment il continue, jusqu’à aujourd’hui, à inspirer d’autres communautés.
We meet Globe & Mail architecture critic Alex Bozikovic in the new Love Park on Toronto's waterfront, to talk about good public space design, bad maintenance practices, and the legacy of legendary landscape architect Claude Cormier.We talk to playwright Michael Healey about "The Master Plan," a play about the doomed futuristic neighbourhood Google and Waterfront Toronto tried to build on the lakeshore.And, as a preview of our latest Spacing issue "Once Upon a Time in Toronto," we talk to author/playwright/screenwriter Catherine Hernandez about why she writes about Scarborough, and the pain of having to leave the neighbourhood that inspires you.
Last season, we talked to a group of people from the Kensington Market Community Land Trust (KMCLT) in Toronto as part of a range of options for non-market housing. Over a year later, we check in with the state of land trusts across the country: where are they, what are their impact, and what do they need to succeed and even scale upward to other communities?Susannah Bunce, associate professor at the University of Toronto's Department of Human Geography, has been researching the KMCLT. She has insight into how land trusts can grow and succeed, and the role they play in combatting displacement:It removes land from the speculative market and holds land, in trust, by the non-profit organization for the purposes of keeping housing and land prices at a lower level for community benefit. That principle of community land trust organizing and the model itself is fundamental to combatting gentrification.Nat Pace is network director for the Canadian Network of Community Land Trusts, and provides a look at trusts across the country, in communities large and small, urban and remote, and the role they play in increasing equity:Right now in Canada, we have quite a few examples of equity-deserving communities using the model. There's a very interesting cluster in Nova Scotia of African-Nova Scotian communities who are looking to develop their own localized community land trusts as a way to create land bases for their communities, and also reclaim land titles that have been lost.What can land trusts do to provide affordable housing and increase equity in this country?
This Spring, Spacing Radio had the opportunity to take the show on the road to the International Transport Forum in Leipzig, Germany. Now that the whole "who will be the mayor of Toronto" thing is settled, we bring you some highlights from the Forum.
Heather Thompson, CEO of the Institute for Transportation and and Development Policy, talks about the importance of smaller-order, local transit like buses.
Ann Frye of consultant firm Ann Frye Ltd. talks about striking a balance between accessibility and rethinking mobility.
And ITF Secretary-General Young Tae Kim talks about tackling transport emissions and traffic congestion holistically.
Finally, Spacing contributors Heather Breeze and Conrad Speckert talk about their "Single Stair Solution," which is also found in the latest "Fire!" issue of the magazine.
The days of the "mom-and-pop" landlord are largely behind us. Now, housing units are being snapped up or developed by large corporate entities and private equity firms. It can be hard to figure out who actually owns a building. Homes being treated like major sources of capital, instead of places for people to live.
This is a major factor in the housing crisis, pushes people who are renting out of their homes and neighbourhoods, and changes the physical and social fabric of communities.
Erika Sagert, policy manager for the BC Non-Profit Housing Association, has been trying to identify just how many people are affected by this financialization of housing:
"It's really hard to be a renter in Canada. The numbers, in terms of sheer volume, really stand out. We talk a lot about proportion, so we're looking at one third of renter households in Canada are spending more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities. The number that stands out to me is 1.6 million rental households."
When it comes to the types of private equity shaping the rental market, and their effect on Black and other marginalized communities, Toronto Metropolitan University's Dr. Nemoy Lewis and research assistant Dimitri Panou have been tracking just that. As Dr. Lewis says:
"When we think about the term 'displacement,' it gives us the idea that we can just go down the street and move into the next apartment. But that next apartment might be owned by... a different financialized landlord who are also engaged in the same practice. So, as such, these landlords are causing folks to be expelled and banished from major urban centres."
Finally, Cloé St-Hilaire, PhD candidate at the University of Waterloo, is researching financialized rentals in Montreal, who owns what, and who is impacted the most:
"We saw there was a strong positive correlation between the percentage of financialized landlords and the percentage of households that were living in high-density areas, and there was also a strong correlation with renters' housing stress. So the more the renters were housing-stressed in the census tract, the more there was a propensity of having financialized landlords."
What do we do when big capital has taken over the landlord business?
The June 26th mayoral by-election is coming up fast. We've seen plenty of debate, a crowded field of candidates, and increased voter engagement. What's next?
Spacing senior editor John Lorinc, Toronto Star city hall reporter Alyshah Hasham, and Ontario reporter for The Narwhal Fatima Syed join us to talk about duelling housing platforms, the environment, the big, Doug Ford-shaped question mark, and more.
Evictions can completely upend your life. At best, you have to begin the search for a new home in an increasingly expensive and competitive housing market. At worst, you can't find an affordable replacement. It's a scary situation, even in the best circumstances.
In this episode, we get into why evictions happen, how frequently, tenant rights, and "bad faith" evictions.
First, we speak to Adam Mongrain, director of housing policy with the Quebec advocacy group Vivre en Ville about an online rental registry, which would provide renters and governments about changes in rental prices, and prevent unfair price hikes.
Next, Julie Mah is an assistant professor at the University of Toronto, Scarborough, who has done a lot of work on gentrification and urban displacement, and tells us about how that can cause evictions.
Finally, Alexandra Flynn, associate professor at the University of British Columbia's Allard School of Law talks about the high eviction rate in B.C. municipalities, changes to the provinces "Residential Tenancy Act," the housing as a human right, including for those living in encampments.
Why do evictions happen, and what can we do to prevent them? We get into it.
Now that John Tory has officially stepped down as mayor, the field of candidates hoping to replace him is a big one. With roughly 50 candidates on the ballot so far, there's a lot to make sense of.To help weigh the merits of some of the major candidates, and the ideas proposed so far, we talk to Spacing Senior Editor John Lorinc and Toronto Metropolitan University Associate Professor Cheryl Thompson about what stands out in the race so far.And the new Spacing Magazine is available now, and it's all about the Ontario Line — the new subway meant to connect the downtown to the northeast of the city. Civil engineer and University of Toronto Associate Professor Shoshanna Saxe tells us about her latest Spacing contribution about how to get the most value-for-money from the new subway line.
The term "Smart Cities" has been kicking around for about a decade now. When we began The Future Fix series, that term was headline news. Everyone, including multiple levels of governments, was being asked to imagine a new kind of urban space, where data and technology were woven into the very fabric of the neighbourhood. Since then, the Smart Cities conversation has evolved, important questions have been asked, a global pandemic happened, and we have more examples, from communities across Canada, about what works, and what to avoid.John Lorinc is a Spacing senior editor and author of the book "Dream States: Smart Cities, Technology, and the Pursuit of Urban Utopias." He's been researching data and tech as it relates to cities and urban politics and planning for years now, and his book earned the Writer's Trust of Canada Balsilie Prize for Public Policy.“Because of the pandemic and because so much of our lives had to go online for this period of time, and in many ways stay online, a lot of the ideas around Smart Cities and this hyperconnectivity and this use of big data became actually part of the way our cities our cities function. Except we stopped calling it 'Smart Cities'.”Martin Canning is executive director of government innovation at Evergreen. He tells us about what he's learned about data and technology projects in communities across the countries, through his work with the Community Solutions Network, and what makes a "Smart" project successful."There's a dark side and there's a light side, and I'll stick to the light side, when we're thinking about the future and where technology is often driving us, sometimes pulling us. But when it comes to cities, and public sector markets, and government innovation and community innovation in Canada and around the world, what I see [...] is not just an appetite, but a culture that is opening to allow for multi-sectoral partnership like we haven't seen before."Listen to the episode to hear more about the future of "future fixes."The Future Fix is a partnership between Spacing and Evergreen for the Community Solutions Network: a program of Future Cities Canada. As the program lead, Evergreen is working with Open North and partners to help communities of all sizes across Canada navigate the smart cities landscape. The Community Solutions Network is supported with funding provided by Infrastructure Canada.
Not all technology has to be disruptive, it may actually be most useful as an extension of our ways of life, instead of as a replacement. In the arctic, the Inuit have extensive traditional knowledge of traversing sea ice for hunting, gathering supplies, and travelling between communities. SmartICE is a social enterprise which uses technology to build on this traditional knowledge and map the ever-changing sea ice, so people can make informed decisions about how and where to travel.Andrew Arreak is SmartICE Regional Operations Lead for Qikiqtaaluk Region, and explains the benefit this technology provides to northern communities.“Every year the ice conditions are different... if we knew what was coming in terms of ice conditions, I don't think we would need a SmartICE at all up in the north. It is a great adapting tool that we are able to use so we can provide the information for our local people. Since I've started working there has been less people falling through the ice, less search and rescue callouts, and people are more confident on how long they should be out at certain times of year before the ice starts to break.”The Future Fix is a partnership between Spacing and Evergreen for the Community Solutions Network: a program of Future Cities Canada. As the program lead, Evergreen is working with Open North and partners to help communities of all sizes across Canada navigate the smart cities landscape. The Community Solutions Network is supported with funding provided by Infrastructure Canada.
We're back for 2023, and there is... a lot to catch up on.To begin, Emma McIntosh, Ontario reporter for The Narwhal, guides us through Doug Ford's Greenbelt plan. What will the long term effects be? Who stands to benefit? Did certain developers catch wind of the changes to land that was formerly protected? And, in a separate-but-related story, why doesn't the Doug Ford government believe in the well-documented transportation phenomenon known as induced demand?Then, Ontario Place for All co-founder Norm Di Pasquale tells us about the growing criticism of plans to turn Ontario Place into a privatized tourist destination.
We've had some time to make sense of the Toronto election, and what it might mean for the next four years in this city. Is there a silver lining to be found? Is Toronto due for another urbanist renaissance? We talk to Spacing co-founder and Star columnist Shawn Micallef.
And we talk to the co-editor of the new book "The Signs that Define Toronto" Kurt Kraler about how the project came together, and what signs mean to the look, feel, and culture of a city.
Spacing and Evergreen proudly present The Future Fix: Solutions for Communities Across Canada, a special podcast series.
THIS EPISODE: Digital Placemaking
Data and technology allow placemakers to experiment with new ways of measuring, designing, and most importantly engaging with the people they are designing public space for. Ideally, digital placemaking empowers everyone to shape the spaces they use, love, and rely on.
Farhaan Ladhani is co-founder and CEO of Digital Public Square, an organization who's ethos is "healthy communities enabled by good technology." Farhaan explains how digital placemaking can help create ideal public spaces for a wide variety of people:
“Thinking about the way in which these tools can be used to foster engagement in the community can be really useful for all sorts of things, from consultation, through to participation on decision making, through to the provision of information.”
As Toronto gets ready to vote, we are bringing you regular panel discussions with journalists and experts who will break down the candidates, platforms, and issues that will shape our city for the next four years.
Lorraine Lam is community organizer who works with unhoused people, John Lorinc is a Spacing senior editor, together, we try to make sense of the encampment evictions of last year, and how the next mayor and council must better serve people who are at risk in our communities.
Spacing and Evergreen proudly present The Future Fix: Solutions for Communities Across Canada, a special podcast series. This is a special, French-language edition.
Spacing et Evergreen présentent ensemble une nouvelle série de podcast, Face au futur : des solutions pour les communautés du Canada, d’une côte à l’autre.
CET ÉPISODE: Trois-Rivières : un virage intelligent
Face au futur est presenté en collaboration avec le magasin Spacing et Evergreen dans le cadre du programme Réseau de solutions pour les communautés. C'est une initiative de Villes d'avenir Canada.
Après la ville de Québec, Trois-Rivières est la deuxième ville la plus ancienne de la province. C’est aussi l’une des villes industrielles les plus anciennes au Canada. Comment une municipalité comme celle-ci gère-t-elle ses enjeux de mobilité? Vincent Turgeon et Samuel Laferrière qui œuvrent auprès de la municipalité de Trois-Rivières nous expliquent comment, alors qu’ils tentaient de renouveler les systèmes de préemption pour les véhicules d’incendie, ont décidé de prendre le virage de la mobilité indépendante.
As Toronto gets ready to vote, we are bringing you regular panel discussions with journalists and experts who will break down the candidates, platforms, and issues that will shape our city for the next four years.
But the Big Smoke isn't the only municipality going to the polls October 24th. All across Ontario, people are choosing their mayor, their local councillor, even their regional chair in some cases. To get the story outside the Toronto bubble, and to speak to the future of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, we talk to The 905er podcast hosts Roland Tanner and Joel MacLeod. They break down races across the region surrounding Toronto, talk sprawl vs. tall, and how GTHA municipalities can band together to demand better regional transit.
As Toronto gets ready to vote, we are bringing you regular panel discussions with journalists and experts who will break down the candidates, platforms, and issues that will shape our city for the next four years.
In this episode, it's a classic transit panel with Matt Elliott (Toronto Star columnist and City Hall Watcher proprietor) and Tricia Wood (York University urban geography professor and Spacing urban affairs columnist). We talk about lessons we did (and didn't) learn from the pandemic, the need to restore TTC service levels and ridership, and we walk you some of the campaign promises made so far.
Spacing and Evergreen proudly present The Future Fix: Solutions for Communities Across Canada, a special podcast series.
THIS EPISODE: Experiments in Mobility
It can be hard to convince governments at any level to invest in a new idea. This is especially true with transportation, where breaking away from the status quo can sometimes seem an impossible dream. But when opportunity to explore potential new ways of moving people is granted, on a small scale, and for a brief period of time, that allows us to experiment — to see what works, and what's worth investing in more generally.
Camile Machado is project manager for New Mobility at TransLink, Metro Vancouver's transit network. She tells us about a range of pilot projects and research being to to find new tech and data-driven ways to solve transit issue and improve service.
“The mobility ecosystem is changing really fast, with all these trends of shared mobility, autonomous driving, connectivity, electrification — they're all changing the landscape. So, in response to that, TransLink created what we call TransLink Tomorrow, which is this strategy to really try out all this new technology, all these new concepts.”
Listen to the episode to hear more about TransLink's New Mobility projects.
As Toronto gets ready to vote, we’ll be bringing you regular panel discussions with journalists and experts who will break down the candidates, platforms, and issues that will shape our city for the next four years.
In this episode, we talk to Spacing senior editor Shawn Micallef and Spacing contributor and West End Phoenix associate editor Kunal Chaudhary about how it's too quiet out there, public space, and the divided city.
Spacing and Evergreen proudly present The Future Fix: Solutions for Communities Across Canada, a special podcast series. This is a special, French-language edition.
Spacing et Evergreen présentent ensemble une nouvelle série de podcast, Face au futur : des solutions pour les communautés du Canada, d’une côte à l’autre.
CET ÉPISODE: La culture de la bicyclette est-elle inclusive?
Si vous vivez à Montréal ou que vous y êtes déjà allé, vous avez certainement remarqué qu’il y a beaucoup de cyclistes. On peut même dire que c'est une ville où la culture de la bicyclette est bien établie. Comment fait-on pour maintenir le statut d'une ville agréable pour les cyclistes et à quels défis la municipalité est-elle confrontée? Marianne Giguère, conseillère à la Ville de Montréal, nous parle de gestion et d'inclusion tandis que Catherine Morency, professeure à Polytechnique Montréal, nous explique comment la technologie peut intervenir pour faciliter la vie des cyclistes, et même, des autres citoyens.
Another election, another surprise announcement from Premier Doug Ford that throws it all into disarray. Ford's proposal for "Strong Mayor" powers for Toronto and Ottawa's next mayors have left many wondering why the Premier is intervening in local-level governance.
One of these people is former Toronto Mayor David Miller. We speak to Miller — currently managing director of C40 Cities, advising municipalities on fighting climate change — about why a Strong Mayor system would be harmful to local democracy, as long as key issues for this elections such as housing, transit, active transportation, and the environment.
We're all used to headlines about impossibly soaring housing prices in Canadian cities: prices that leave many out of the market, and out in the cold. But this model of perpetually increasing home values is the dream for many owners. You buy a home, let it accumulate in value, and do whatever you can to insure that growing value isn't threatened. But this model is unsustainable and leaves many people without proper housing options.
Dr. Paul Kershaw is a University of British Columbia professor, founder of Generation Squeeze, and author of the paper "Wealth and the Problem of Housing Inequity Across Generations." He says these rising home values have changed what it means to be wealthy:
“We have to be cognizant of the fact that there is a cultural and political addiction to high and rising home prices for many in this country, because it makes us better off. And some people will resist that [...] I'll get angry emails: 'I'm not rich!' But what we need to have right now is more and more dialogue about who's affluent and who's not. And the rise in home values is so disrupting and transforming class dynamics.”
PARTNA is a Black-founded, Black-led organization working with multiple levels of government to let owners of detached and semi-detached houses add long-term, affordable units to their properties. Cheryll Case is the planning director and Jason Allen John is finance director. Cheryll says there are existing homeowners who are ready to break with the status quo and help make a change, and that's where PARTNA comes in:
“There's so many housing owners who are seeing the crisis of housing inaffordability who want to do something. They don't know what to do. No one is reaching out to help them. We come in to help them build affordable housing.”
Can we really change the way we see housing from an asset garnering increasingly high value to a human right everyone should have access to?
The Toronto municipal election is underway, and we'll be spending the summer bringing you coverage, all the way up to E-Day on October 24th.
But how do we get people engaged, and avoid the abysmally low voter turnout we saw in the Ontario provincial election? What does "Ford More Years" of Premier Doug mean for the municipal race, and the next council? What key items should be made election issues? And what does new police data which admits to systemic, racist overpolicing of minorities and use of force mean for the police reform movement?
To answer these and other questions, we've got panel guests John Lorinc (Spacing senior editor) and Jennifer Pagliaro (Toronto Star crime reporter focusing on youth justice, formerly of the City Hall bureau).
The race is on!
The housing market is one everyone's minds these days. It determines who can live where, who can afford to buy a home, or even afford rent. It keeps some people in poverty, while making a small few incredibly rich. Is there a way governments, at various levels, can help bring some stability to an unstable market?
To begin our discussion, we speak to University of British Columbia associate professor Thomas Davidoff, director of the Centre for Economics and Real Estate, who co-authored a revealing study about laneway houses in Vancouver:
“Neighbourhoods that have relatively low prices (and of course it's relative in the City of Vancouver), so the east side of Vancouver, there doesn't seem to be any adverse effect on neighbouring property values. But the effect is bigger on the order of 5 to 7% in the more affluent neighbourhoods.”
On the other side of the country, in Montreal, we talk to McGill University associate professor David Wachsmuth about the outsized influence short term rentals such as AirBnB have on rent prices, and what governments can do to rein thing in.
“AirBnb — now more so than in the past, thankfully — they have some interest in being regarded as a cooperative corporate citizen. So if particularly provinces where the real power here is, they've got a lot of carrots and they've got a lot of sticks, and it's simply just a question of deciding to make this a priority.”
What can these two examples teach us about shaping the housing market and improving affordability?
Spacing and the Balanced Supply of Housing research node proudly present The Overhead: Understanding Canada’s Affordable Housing Crisis, a special podcast series.
THIS EPISODE: Non-market housing solutions
For many housing advocates, part of the solution to providing affordable housing is removing housing from the volatile market. This means finding ways to secure housing ensuring it won't be sold, flipped, or inflated in price. It's something the Better Supply of Housing research node has been examining, as part of a holistic approach to the housing crisis.
Cliff Grant is director of strategic relations at the Aboriginal Housing Management Association in British Columbia, and says non-market housing is part of a that organization's recently published "Urban, Rural, and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy":
“We're working on both fronts. One, the strategy to maintain current assets, and two, then looking at the data — a lot of which comes out of the municipality's housing needs assessment.”
In Toronto, the Kensington Market Community Land Trust was able to buying a mixed-use building in that area, with the help of the City and donors, including a number of housing units, for the express purpose of maintaining them as affordable rental. Chiyi Tam, Dominique Russell, and Kevin Barrett all spoke on behalf of the land trust, explaining the significance of taking those units off the market. Dominique says:
“Ultimately, it is the best investment for our collective tax dollars to invest in affordability that is forever in the community. The alternative is to invest, short term, in the interest of a few.”
What is the role of non-market housing in addressing the housing crisis?
Listen here for The Overhead:
Urban designers and placemakers often struggle to create cities that work for everyone, including youth. But the youth themselves are often left out of planning and engagement, or aren't being invited to participate in a way they feel comfortable with or excited about.
How do we engage youth in building their cities? Federico Palacios is a graduate student at X University's (formally Ryerson) School of Urban and Regional Planning. He has developed the Cities for Youth Toolkit: a resource for people to better engage youth in city building.
To help establish the importance of youth engagement and participation, Federico speaks to Gladki Planning Associates planner Lindsay Toth, Urban Minds' outreach coordinator Enosh Chen, and Carizon Family and Community Services youth engagement in systems lead Joana Lincho.
Housing affordability and homelessness in Canada is a national disaster. And while there are many solutions proposed, the crisis likely requires a complete, holistic approach goes beyond just supply. That's the mission of the Balanced Supply of Housing research node, led by Principal Investigator Penny Gurstein. In this episode, we will meet some of the people working with the BSH, and ask them what they're doing to further the cause of a decent housing for all.
Marika Albert and Andrés Peñaloza, for example, provide policy for the BC Non-Profit Housing Association. As Marika says, non-market housing has been de-prioritized for decades:
"In the late '80s/early '90s, we saw a shift at the Federal level where, essentially, investment in social housing programming pretty much came to a grinding halt. And we didn't see investment really at the level that we needed to keep up with population and changing demographics. And so what we're seeing now is a need to catch up."
And McGill University's Nik Luka has both a short term fix for increasing housing supply, by changing restrictive building codes which discourage certain housing types from getting built, as well as tackling restrictive zoning laws in many cities' so-called "stable neighbourhoods."
"There's been such a cultural normalization of single-detached housing as a desirable and stable and good way in which we should be in the world, that there's fear that, if we open up these fabrics, these neighbourhoods, these contexts, everything will go to hell in a handbag."
How do we bring balance to a traditionally turbulent market? How do we make sure everyone has a roof over their head?
Those working with unhoused people in Toronto, like Sanctuary Toronto outreach worker Lorraine Lam, are warning about the total collapse of the City's shelter system: as COVID continues to sweep through those communities, and we experience extreme low temperatures.
Spacing contributing editor Perry King (author of the book Rebound: Sports, Community, and the Inclusive City) talks about what to do with the City's five publicly-owned golf courses.
And Neil Brochu talks about his contribution to Spacing's latest book, Souvenirs of Toronto Sports, all about how the queer community in the '60s formed the Rotator Curling League.
We end the year with a classic case of man vs. machine, as journalist and culture writer Graham Isador talks about tiny delivery robots taking over city sidewalks, and Toronto Council's decision to pause so-called micro-utility devices until sometime in 2022.
Next, we talk to journalist and author Stephen Dale about his new book, Shift Change: scenes from a post-industrial revolution, all about Hamilton, Ontario's struggle with a rapid gentrification and housing cost crisis.
Finally, with Spacing's latest "Growth" issue on shelves, Contributing Editor Sarah Hood tells us what we can find in those pages, and why it's always a good time to talk about plant life in the city.
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With many people still working from home, the future of Toronto's PATH system — the underground mall serving the financial towers above — is in question. Globe & Mail urban affairs reporter Oliver Moore, who wrote about this crisis, explains the situation.
And Spacing senior editor John Lorinc talks about the possible implications the City's new Inclusionary Zoning policy may have on Toronto's housing and affordability crisis.
Finally, as a preview of Spacing's upcoming book, Souvenirs of Toronto Sport, I talk to Ian Wolfe, archivist and member of the board of directors for the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame & Museum, about Toronto's skiing history, and the closing of one of the City's last two downhill ski facilities at Centennial Park.
In this episode, we follow up on the municipal elections in Edmonton and Calgary, with a bit of a rant about rooming houses.
Then, we talk to journalist and Spacing contributing editor Perry King about his new book Rebound: sports, community, and the inclusive city.
Finally, as a preview of our upcoming "Growing" issue of the magazine, we talk to Sundance Harvest farm director Cheyenne Sundance about urban farming, empowering marginalized and BIPOC communities, and food justice.
With the mayors of both Edmonton and Calgary stepping down, and Alberta municipal elections taking place October 18, we decided to bring you all out west.
But first, the City of Toronto released a detailed account of how much this summer's park encampment evictions cost. Matt Elliott wrote a Toronto Star column breaking down the cost, and we talk about how that money could have been better spent actually supporting people who live in encampments.
Then, Alberta-based journalist Tim Querenguesser tells us what the fourth wave of COVID is like in that promise, and about the power vacuum being left by Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson and Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi stepping down. As well, when Alberta municipalities this month, they will have to vote on some politically charged referendum issues at the same time.
For more insight on Alberta municipal politics, follow Tim's newsletter on Twitter: @RageMunicipal
Spacing and Evergreen proudly present The Future Fix: Solutions for Communities Across Canada, a special podcast series.
THIS EPISODE: Tech Lessons COVID Taught Us
Throughout the pandemic, we've seen people use technology and data in creative ways to help combat COVID-19. Even everyday people found ways to connect people to information about the disease, and even vaccinations.
In this episode, we begin by talking to Angelina Zhu and Deanna Hembruff, two volunteers for Vaccine Hunters Canada, about how they became involved in a national movement to help people find vaccine appointments:
“Everybody had that sort of sense that this was going to be a great community tool to get word spreading and get people vaccinated, especially with a few gaps that existed in delivering the vaccination services to people who needed them.”
And Dr. Tarun Katapally, professor at the University of Regina's Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, talks about how he and a team were able to work with Indigenous people in Saskatchewan to provide an app-based platform to curb the spread in smaller communities. It's called CO-Away:
“If you look at upstream, preventative healthcare, and downstream, emergency healthcare, we are a very reactive system. So we wanted to completely upend this. Use of technology and our digital platforms could potentially support and facilitate self-governance in remote Indigenous communities.”
A snap federal election in the face of a potential "fourth wave" of the COVID-19 pandemic means an emergency panel episode to discuss the urban issues that may (or should) come up before people go to the polls, September 20th.
Spacing Senior Editor John Lorinc and Spacing urban affairs columnist and York University Geography Professor Tricia Wood unpack urban issues such as housing, transit, and climate change that each party should be campaigning to address.
In this episode, we speak to Diana Chan McNally, community worker with the Toronto Drop-In Network, about A Path Forward. It's a document signed by 206 organizations, artists, and politicians calling for a safer, more humanitarian approach to housing encampment residents, where the residents themselves are heard.
And we speak to Kensington Market Community Land Trust Co-Chair Dominique Russell about a $3-million grant from the City of Toronto to secure affordable housing in the famous neighbourhood. You can also find the conversation in the next Spacing print issue.
And, to celebrate our "birthday," we found a great piece from the original, 2009 Spacing Radio with host David Michael Lamb. It's a beautiful soundscape featuring a flautist in an abandoned building and a great de-stressor.
Reliable access to the internet is an essential service in any community. But there are barriers to bridging the "digital divide," especially in northern and Indigenous communities. Beyond the technical challenges, every community must choose what sort of broadband service model will serve people the best.
In the aftermath of the Trinity Bellwoods Park encampment evictions, which saw a massive police presence, private security, and protests, we reached Sanctuary Toronto outreach worker Lorraine Lam, who was there with encampment residents, for an eyewitness account of what went on.
And we speak to Humber Professor and Indigenous writer Kerry Potts about her piece in Coach House Books' new essay collection, Indigenous Toronto: stories that carry this place.
This episode is all about plans: big and small, successful and dashed.
First, Toronto Star city hall reporter Jennifer Pagliaro takes us through the story of Rail Deck Park from its ambitious announcement to the recent Local Planning Appeal Tribunal decision that seems to have put an end to the City's hopes to build a new downtown park over the rail corridor.
Then Glyn goes on a brief rant about public washrooms.
Finally, Ontario municipalities have until July 2022 to update their Official Plans to conform with the provincial government's current growth plan. This means Toronto, still in a pandemic, must begin a public engagement process about how the city should grow and develop. To discuss what needs to change about Toronto's Official Plan, we spoke to CivicAction CEO Leslie Woo, and Ryerson Professor and Director of the School of Urban and Regional Planning Pamela Robinson.
Before the pandemic, the Toronto Transit Commission was actively looking for ways to grow its ridership. Now, after taking a hit in numbers during the pandemic, it's important to think about ways to recover, as we slowly vaccinate the city.
TTC Commissioner and Councillor Shelley Carroll speaks about a study she proposed to look at changing rider concerns, as well as the impact of ride-hailing services like Uber.
University of Toronto Professor Akawsi Owusu-Bempah talks about a study he co-authored, commissioned by the TTC, which shows Black and Indigenous people are disproportionately represented in interactions with fare enforcement and special constables, and what the service needs to do about it.
And, in celebration of Spacing's latest Public Health Issue, we talk to senior editor John Lorinc about his story "Valuable Crap," all about using sewage to detect community COVID-19 outbreaks.
Throughout this series, a common complaint from Canadian mayors is cities lack the money they need, and the authority to spend it on local priorities. Do cities need more money, more power to raise it (and spend it), or is it possible to establish cost-sharing partnerships between governments that feel like a win for everyone?
Brian Kelcey our expert guest: an urban politics and policy consultant who's worked as a senior advisor in both municipal and provincial governments. He sheds some insight on building those intergovernmental relationships, and how the same kind of relationships are required to win greater city power.
Mayor Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin is the mayor of Gatineau, Quebec, and says cities are responsible for more than they receive back from other levels of government.
“We manage 58% of public infrastructure, and we get 8% of taxes in general... you don't need a PhD to understand that that's what's bringing down the cities.”
Burlington, Ontario Mayor Marianne Meed Ward wants to see more reliable money for cities in the short term, but ultimately hopes for a charter solution.
“Each municipality will have its own needs and its own desires for what they would like to have in a charter. In my mind, it's probably the best tool we have available to have this conversation.”
Spacing and Evergreen proudly present The Future Fix: Solutions for Communities Across Canada, a special podcast series. This is a special, French-language edition.
Spacing et Evergreen présentent ensemble une nouvelle série de podcast, Face au futur : des solutions pour les communautés du Canada, d’une côte à l’autre.
CET ÉPISODE: Une transition énergétique intelligente
Les défis environnementaux sans précédent auxquels le monde est confronté, nous forcent à nous réinventer, surtout en période de crise sanitaire mondiale. Heureusement, le rythme de l’avancement technologique s’accélère et nous savons de plus en plus mettre à profit les données et les technologies au service des collectivités.
Dans cet épisode, nous avons été voir comment les données peuvent être utilisées pour faciliter la transition éco-énergétique de différentes communautés du Canada. Dans un premier temps, Eddie Oldfield, basé au Nouveau-Brunswick, nous présente un outil de référence mis en place par l’organisme Quest, qui permet de dresser un tableau de ce à quoi ressemble une collectivité éco-énergétique. Puis, Fabienne Joly, responsable de la transition énergétique à Lac-Mégantic, nous partage l’expérience de sa communauté avec le projet Micro-réseau développé avec Hydro-Québec. Un exemple très concret de la manière dont on peut faire coïncider les technologies, les ressources énergétiques et la participation citoyenne.
To celebrate Spacing's latest book, Packaged Toronto: a collection of the city's historic design, we go deep into the history of early, industrial Toronto, and the graphic design of the era.
Spacing Publisher and Creative Director Matthew Blackett talks about the inspiration for book he co-authored, and his experience putting it together.
Recently retired Chief Curator for Toronto History Museums Wayne Reeves, another Packaged co-author, talks about the special collection of Toronto artifacts the book is about, and the story they tell about the city from the mid-19th century to the end of the Second World War.
And brand consultant and Publisher of the Canadian Design Resource Todd Falkowsky talks about the history of graphic design in Canada, and the identity that emerged from it.
The Indigenous population in urban areas is growing fast. What are cities doing to provide for these populations, to build cities that reflect these communities, and to address the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission? Would greater autonomy for cities help achieve these goals? To find out, we speak to three Canadian mayors.
Mayor Brian Bowman is the mayor of Winnipeg, where the City has established a Human Rights Committee.
“I increasingly started seeing Reconciliation through a human rights lens. Because, ultimately, we are just talking about basic human rights for Canadians.”
Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark tells us about the Indigenous-led downtown safety pilot that was recently, unanimously approved by council, which would which would see matters of public safety, homelessness, and substance dependance addressed under the guidance of the Saskatoon Tribal Council.
“We know this is rooted in a longtime history of colonial thinking, and the impacts of trauma and residential schools... the trick is how do you rebuild a path that breaks those cycles and changes the way we work with people, and changes those outcomes.”
And Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty explains the nuances of governing a city under a territorial, as opposed to a provincial, jurisdiction. And, she explains the importance of addressing Indigenous land claims and sovereignty, before we can begin discussing the rights of municipalities within those regions.
Food security is a challenge everywhere, but especially for northern communities. The climate can make growing food difficult, and the distance and expense to ship food can mean long waits and exorbitant prices.
In Gjoa Haven, Nunavut, the Arctic Research Foundation, in consultation with local elders, has established a farm and research station, built out of two shipping containers, called Naurvik. We speak to Betty Kogvik, one of the local guardians of the farm, and Arctic Research Foundation CEO Adrian Schimnowski, who hopes the idea can help different communities, and help us learn about growing in extreme environments:
“We're looking at how to improve building research-type structures, how to utilize green energy, growing systems, and the other type of automated systems that assist with that. So within that there are so many different types of research possibilities.”
The neighbouring communities of Opaskwayak Cree Nation, the town of The Pas, and the municipality of Kelsey Manitoba joined together to establish an LED Smart Farm to provide the people of that area with fresh produce they might not otherwise have access to. Glen Ross, executive director of Opaskwayak Cree Nation Health Authority explains:
“We don't get get very good vegetables... by the time we get them, they're usually frozen a few times, kind of rubbery, and expensive.”
Listen to the podcast for more about LED smart farm technology.
The pandemic has been an existential threat to restaurants, cafés, and bars in cities across Canada. It's also been a financial blow to many, threatening their food security. In this episode, we look at the impact on the the business, ethics, and community of food in the city.
Wine expert Krysta Oben talks about starting a new business, just as the pandemic struck.
Writer, editor, and CBC Food Guide Suresh Doss talks about COVID's impact on the many different food-based communities across the GTA.
Toronto Association of BIAs Executive Director John Kiru talks about plans to bring back programs to help restaurants create socially distanced outdoor dining spaces next summer, following the largely successful CaféTO and CurbTO programs last year.
And Afri-Can FoodBasket Executive Director Anan Lololi talks about the legacy of food policy pioneer Wayne Roberts, as well as the need for food sovereignty in the pandemic for Black and racialized communities.
We began 2020 with a bit of optimism — how could we know? We had an episode about the public realm and its importance, and spoke to urban researcher/writer Cara Chellew about re-starting the Toronto Public Space Committee. Well, public space became a crucial issue throughout this pandemic and battle for civil rights, and we asked Cara what her Public Realm Resolutions are for 2021.
Staying with the public space theme, writer and artist Shari Kasman tells us all about Bloordale Beach: a barren, gravel lot where a school had recently stood that everyday people took upon themselves to transform into a "beach" for socially distant hangouts.
Finally, a year after the first PlazaPOPS experiment in activating strip mall parking lots as community space, we talk to "The Urban Geographer" Daniel Rotsztain and landscape architect and Guelph University Assistant Professor Brendan Stewart about the project, and their recently released report.
Dealing with COVID-19 has been a challenge for every level of government. And, in a country where government jurisdictions are often clearly delineated, and defended, the pandemic response has required a certain level of federal, provincial, and municipal harmony. How have municipalities navigated these complex relationships in the midst of a global crisis?
In this episode, we speak to TVO columnist and digital media producer John Michael McGrath about some of the political battles he's witnessed between governments, throughout the pandemic.
Stratford Mayor Dan Mathieson talks about how a city famous for its annual theatre festival has managed to stay afloat.
And Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens talks about how that city dealt with outbreaks among temporary foreign workers, and a population that sometimes relies on cross-border travel for employment.
In this episode, we look at the housing and homelessness crisis that has escalated into a full-blown disaster during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dania Majid, staff lawyer with Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario, tells us about people fighting to keep their homes, and the push for an eviction moratorium.
And street nurse Cathy Crowe, and harm reduction worker Zoë Dodd, give us some insight into the challenges Toronto's homeless population continues to experience, the uncertain future of tent encampments, and how the City's response is felt on the ground.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been an existential threat to local businesses all over the country. In an effort to help these shops keep their doors open, governments, organizations, and Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) have had to get creative.
In this episode, Canadian Urban Institute Senior Planner Ariana Holt talks about the Bring Back Main Street campaign.
We go to Belleville, Ontario, where the Digital Main Street initiative helped that town create the Downtown District Marketplace. Belleville Downtown Improvement Area Executive Director Marijo Cuerrier explains.
And Larry Burke, designer and board member of the Quinpool Road District Association in Halifax, New Brunswick tells us all about Shop Quinpool Online virtual shopping mall.
Canadian cities often struggle with their lack of autonomy. Their status as "creatures of the province" can be a source of frustration: higher orders of government can undermine local leadership, and cities themselves sometimes lack the ability to realize their goals.
In this episode, Massey College Principal Nathalie Des Rosiers lays out the issues with cities' low constitutional status.
Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps makes the case for a better, reliable share of funding for cities, and greater ability to enact laws around things like climate change.
And Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson, who chairs the Big City Mayors' Caucus, tells us why being a Canadian mayor can sometimes feel like sitting at the "kids' table."
It's been too long since we had a classic Toronto transit episode. And, with the City and province grappling with the pandemic, and the threat of a second wave, there's a lot to discuss.
We talk with Tricia Wood, professor of geography at York University and Spacing columnist, and Matt Elliott Toronto Star city columnist and author of the City Hall Watcher newsletter.
How has COVID affected the TTC, and what happens to the Doug Ford Ontario governments priority transit projects in Toronto? We get into it.
Spacing and Evergreen proudly present The Future Fix: Solutions for Communities Across Canada, a special podcast series. This is a special, French-language edition.
Spacing et Evergreen présentent ensemble une nouvelle série de podcast, Face au futur : des solutions pour les communautés du Canada, d’une côte à l’autre.
CET ÉPISODE: Internet devient un droit fondamental
Si internet a toujours été considéré comme un outil utile, l’avènement de la pandémie de la covid-19 l’a récemment propulsé au rang de bien de première nécessité.
Tout transite par internet : les cours en lignes, le télétravail, les rencontres virtuelles avec les médecins, les collègues et les amis.
Pourtant, cette transition vers un monde digital n’est possible qu’avec un accès à internet fiable et abordable. À l’heure actuelle, cet accès n’est pas encore garanti dans toutes les communautés au Canada, un fait notamment mis en évidence dans le contexte de la pandémie. De quelle manière les populations vulnérables peuvent-elles accéder à Internet et quel est le rôle que les gouvernements locaux ont à jouer pour en garantir l’accès?
Pour réfléchir à cette question plus en profondeur nous avons discuté avec Ismaël Seck un enseignant en adaptation scolaire dans une école située à Parc-Extension. Il nous a fait part de son expérience en tant qu’enseignant dans ce quartier montréalais dont le taux de revenu familial est l’un des plus faibles au pays et de la manière dont il a dû composer avec l’enseignement en temps de pandémie, alors que certains élèves n’avaient pas accès à du matériel technologique suffisamment efficace pour suivre les cours en ligne.
Edith Cloutier, lDirectrice générale du Centre d’amitié autochtone de Val d’Or, a quant elle partagé avec nous les objectifs de l’initiative “Branché Kijaté” qui vise à garantir un accès à internet à 24 familles autochtones de Val d’Or.
It's been a rough summer for everyone, but people have found ways to get outside and make the most of it.
In this episode, we speak to 8 80 Cities' Managing Director Lanrick Bennett Jr. about the ActiveTO bike lanes and CafeTO patio spaces on Danforth Avenue in Toronto: a response to the need for alternative transportation routes and socially-distant business during COVID.
And we talk to Park People's Adri Stark and Jake Tobin Garrett about their second annual Canadian Parks Report, and their national COVID-19 and Parks Survey.
And we speak to author and musician Jonny Dovercourt about his new book Any Night of the Week: A D.I.Y. history of Toronto music 1957-2001, the unsung legacy of the city's music scene, and our disappearing venues.
We hear a lot about Open Data these days. Researchers demand it, governments continue to promise more of it, and everyday people use it to innovate and advocate for their communities. But what are we really talking about when we say "Open Data," and can it be harnessed to address urgent community needs like housing, public health, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic?
Tracey Lauriault, associate professor at Carleton University, specializes in critical media and big data. She's been studying the theoretical framework around data and says Open Data without critical data thinking does not go deep enough.
“Who's not being accounted for? Who's invisible in the conversation, and who's overly visible in the conversation, and then how do we start bridging that gap to be more equitable when it comes to data?”
Listen to the podcast for more about Open Data and equity.
In Winnipeg, a number of community-based organizations partnered to produce "Peg," a simple, searchable resource that allows people to cross reference different community health indicators like basic needs, the natural environment, and education. Jodene Baker is the director of impact innovation and evaluation at United Way Winnipeg:
“You really need to have goals for yourself. You need to understand the wellbeing and the health of the community. That's what Peg was born out of: the idea that caring was great, but you need to also have action and be able to track progress toward your goals.”
Listen to the episode to hear more about "Peg."
In this episode, Natasha Henry, president of the Ontario Black History Society, tells us about the importance of August 1st: Canada's Emancipation Day.
And Edmonton City Councillor Andrew Knack tells us about a motion to cut a planned police budget increase by $11 million, and the establishment of a community-led safety and wellbeing task force to address systemic racism and the future of policing.
Finally, photographer Vik Pahwa tells us about Spacing's new book "Remnants of Mid-Century Toronto," and shows us how to appreciate a sometimes unloved architectural style.
For our second season, we wanted to begin with a challenge that faces many cities, large and small, that has been given a higher sense of urgency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That challenge is the need for safe streets and active transportation routes for pedestrians and cyclists. To create these spaces, you need to be able to communicate the problem, and pinpoint where an intervention can provide the most benefit. That's where data comes in.
In this episode, Walk Toronto co-founder Sean Marshall tells us how the advocacy group used things like Google Maps to crowd-source sidewalks too narrow to social distance, and help influence policy.
Shabnem Afzal, road safety manager for Surrey, British Columbia, overseas that city's Vision Zero program — a global effort to reduce the amount of road injury and death to zero. She explains how data was used to generate support for a safe streets program and to identify problem areas.
And Halifax City Councillor Waye Mason tells us about that city's mobility response, and an interactive map that lets citizens identify spots where safe street interventions for walk, cycling, and social distancing are needed.
The world is taking a hard look at their police forces, the violence they use, the deaths that result, and the systemic and anti-Black racism that even people like Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders admits exists within the service.
In this episode, we speak to Cheryl Thompson, assistant professor at Ryerson University's School of Creative Industries and frequent Spacing contributor, about the way Black people are portrayed in Canadian culture, and the need for more citizen control over police.
Deputy Mayor Michael Thompson tells us about the repercussions politicians face when trying to make changes to the police service.
And author, lawyer and legal team lead at the Black Legal Action Centre (BLAC), Nana Yanful, discusses the failed attempt at city council to cut the police budget, and what needs to happen next.
There have been two full, virtual City Council meetings since the COVID-19 outbreak in Toronto. Those meeting saw near-unanimous votes about building affordable and social housing, expanding the active transportation network across the city, and preparing for a post-lockdown Toronto.
In this episode, we speak to city councillors Gord Perks (Parkdale-High Park) and Kristyn Wong-Tam (Toronto Centre) about these crucial issues.
And Spacing Senior Editor Todd Harrison brings us an audio exploration of what the city sounds like in a pandemic.
In a time of snitch lines, and shuttered park space, we dive into what we're prioritizing in this pandemic, and what, and especially who, is ignored.
We talk to Spacing co-founder and Toronto Star columnist Shawn Micallef about what happens to the public realm, now we're in lockdown.
Former Toronto Police Services Board Chair Alok Mukherjee, co-author of "Excessive Force: Toronto's fight to reform city policing," critiques the new, extraordinary policing measures we're seeing.
And harm-reduction worker and Toronto Overdose Prevention Society co-organizer Zoë Dodd talks about what the City has done (or failed to) for people in the shelter system, substance users, and other vulnerable communities.
Plus, Glyn goes on a brief rant about all the cities making space for pedestrians to social distance that aren't Toronto.
In this episode, we try to gain some perspective on the Covid-19 virus from the safety of our own appartments.
We talk to Toronto City Councillor Josh Matlow about his experience in self-isolation, as well as tips from working at home and the importance or wearing pants.
Spacing senior editor John Lorinc talks about what this epidemic can teach us about a city's resilience, and where we need to improve.
Historian Adam Bunch tells us about past pandemics, how we dealt with them, and how they helped forge Toronto into the city it is today.
Finally, Zahra Ebrahim tells us about a growing resource for people dealing with life during Covid-19, how you can use it, and help populate it. You can find that resource here.
This is the third and final special French-language episodes of the Future Fix, or 'Face au Futur.'
Des appareils portables comme les montres intelligentes qui suivent nos pas et notre fréquence cardiaque, des dossiers de santé numérisés, des suivis à distance pour les maladies chroniques; les initiatives en santé intelligente ne cessent de se multiplier.
Pour avoir une idée plus claire de ce concept et de la forme que cela peut prendre, nous sommes entretenu avec Dida Berku la conseillère municipale de Côte-Saint-Luc. Elle nous explique en consiste le projet en santé intelligente « VillAGE », finaliste du défi des villes intelligentes d'Infrastructure Canada.
Et, afin de de réfléchir plus en profondeur l'avenir de la santé, Jonathan Veale du département de Santé et de Bien-Être de Nouvelle-Écosse nous a accordé une entrevue. Il témoigne de la nécessité de mettre les technologies numériques au profit de l'inclusion sociale et de l'accessibilité pour permettre un avenir de la santé plus prospère.
From portable smart watch technology that follows our heartbeat, to distance medical consultations for chronic illnesses, smart health initiatives are on the rise in communities across Canada.
On this episode of 'Face au Future,' host Katia Gaid is joined by Dida Berku, City Councillor in the City of Côte-Saint-Luc, Quebec, to explore VillAGE, the smart health initiative that made her city a finalist in the 2019 Smart Cities Challenge. Plus: Jonathan Veale, Chief Design Officer with the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness on new health technology, social inclusion and accessibility.
In this series, we've talked a lot about what digital technology can do for communities. Now, we find out how that same technology is being used to create communities.
We speak to Dan Alfano, manager of digital initiatives at the Edmonton Public Library, about adapting the libraries role as a community hub to teach new skills and provide opportunities to thrive in the digital age.
And, Pinngauq Association Director Ryan Oliver tells us how connecting communities across Nunavut to digital skills, and a chance for everyone to share their stories, is actually a mental health service.
There are few things as dramatic as a disaster. With climate change leading to greater and more frequent disasters in every part of the country, how we deal with them has become the focus of many communities.
For some people, the key to forecasting, mitigating, and potentially even preventing disaster lies in good data.
In this episode, Civic Tech Fredericton's Bernie Connors tells us how the River Watch app helps people in New Brunswick track annual flooding.
And Josh Bowen, manager of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology’s Centre for Applied Disaster and Emergency Management in Edmonton, explains how we "live and die by data."
In this episode, we talk about public space issues of the past, present, and future.
Spacing Publisher Matthew Blackett tells us how the magazine itself sprung out of conversations about the public realm in the early 2000s.
Longtime Toronto City Hall journalist and news editor at Canadaland Jonathan Goldsbie takes us through some of the activism around billboards, corporatizing street furniture, and surveillance cameras.
And researcher, activist, and Spacing contributor Cara Chellew talks about revitalizing the Toronto Public Space Committee, what's on the agenda now, and how to get involved in issues that affect the public realm.
A major component of "smart" cities is finding new ways to harvest data, and integrate it into ongoing urban planning.
Obviously, embedding sensors throughout the public realm creates multiple privacy concerns. This is something David Fewer, director of the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic at the University of Ottawa, advises municipalities on, regularly.
But, data is power, and Newmarket Ontario's Director of Innovation and Strategic Initiatives Susan Chase explains how Soofa benches throughout that town have helped government, businesses, and local events make the most of information how people move about the public realm.
This is the second of three special French-language episodes of Future Fix, or "Face au Futur."
Quand on pense à la mobilité dans le cadre des villes intelligentes, il nous arrive souvent de penser aux villes futuristes qui ont marqué notre imaginaire avec leurs voitures volantes ou les hyperloops. Pourtant, la mobilité intelligente est déjà présente dans nos quotidiens de manière plus organique et concrète. Dans cet épisode, nous nous sommes intéressés au projet de Tramway de la ville de Québec et avons voulu comprendre comment la mobilité intelligente s’intègre dans ces nouveaux projets de mobilité présents au Québec et à travers le pays.
Le maire de Québec a annoncé en 2018 que le projet projet de renouvellement du transport en commun serait mis en place et prendrait la forme d’un Tramway. Etienne Grandmont, le porte parole et directeur général de Accès Transports Viables nous a permis de comprendre davantage le contexte qui entoure la création du Tramway, et tout ce qui concerne les enjeux de transports et de mobilité à dans la ville de Québec.
Pour aller un peu plus loin, nous nous sommes entretenus avec Thierry St-Cyr, le directeur du CIAMIL : le centre d’incubation et d’accélération en mobilité intelligente à Laval. Thierry St-Cyr nous explique en quoi consiste exactement la mobilité intelligente et quelles solutions cet organisme met en place pour améliorer le service d’un transport collectif plus efficient et d’une ville plus intelligente.
When we hear about mobility in the smart city we might think of hyperloops and flying cars, but ‘smart’ mobility can be as ordinary as our morning commute. On this episode of ‘Face au Future’, host Katia Gaid is joined by activist Etienne Grandmont (Accès transport viable) and engineer and manager Thierry St-Cyr (Centre d’Incubation et d’Accélération en Mobilité Intelligente à Laval) to explore Quebec City’s new Tramway project and the transition to smart and sustainable mobility.
This episode was a live panel discussion, moderated by our host in London, Ontario.
The "Heritage Matters in Conversation" event was put on by the Ontario Heritage Trust, to explore how to rethink, revitalize, and renew approaches to heritage in the province.
Guests included Alissa Golden, heritage project specialist with the City of Hamilton; Steve Cordes, executive director of Youth Opportunities Unlimited in London; Morag Kloeze, brewmaster at Mudtown station Brewery and Restaurant in Owen Sound; and Doran Ritchie, infrastructure and resources manager for the Saugeen Ojibway First Nation.
Many people across Canada live without reliable access to food. At the same time, much of the food we do have goes to waste — 2.2 million tonnes, according to advocates.
We need to change the way we produce food, as well as change the linear economy that leads to so much waste, and leaves many people without this basic necessity for life.
Barbara Swartzenruber, executive director of Guelph's Smart Cities Office, tells us about "Our Food Future," a Smart City Challenge-winning proposal to create a circular food economy, reduce waste, and connect local people and businesses with the ingredients they need.
And Thomas Rohner in Iqaluit speaks with Steven Lonsdale of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association who explains how new technology has been integrated into traditional Inuk hunting practices, and helped the people there navigate the changing landscape caused by climate change.
It's been a while since we delved into the always amusing world of Toronto transit. There have been major proposals from the province, major decisions made at council, and the TTC are going into arbitration with Metrolinx.
With so much to unpack, we assembled an expert panel to take us through the major transit news: columnist Matt Elliott, Toronto Star transit reporter Ben Spurr, and York University geography professor and Spacing urban affairs columnist Tricia Wood.
Believe it or not, it was a lot of fun!
This is one of three special French-language episode of Future Fix, or "Face au Futur."
Dans cet épisode, nous avons voulu réfléchir à la façon dont le monde académique pourrait s'insérer dans le concept de ville intelligente. Le nouveau Campus MIL de l'Université de Montréal, inauguré en septembre 2019, correspond bien à l'idée que l'on pourrait se faire d'un établissement universitaire intégré dans un contexte de ville intelligente.
Geneviève O'Meara, la porte-parole de l'Université de Montréal, explique comment le Campus MIL, en se réappropriant une friche industrielle, a su utiliser l'espace de façon inclusive et responsable. Les projets éphémères, les installations technologiques, la mise en place de pistes cyclables et de passerelles sécuritaires ont, entre autres, valu à ce campus l'obtention de la certification LEED.
Pourtant, Sasha Dyck, un résident de Parc-Extension, prend la venue du Campus MIL à quelques 500 mètres de chez lui avec plus de réserve. Alors que l'on parle d'innovation et de progrès technologiques, Sasha Dyck est préoccupé par des problèmes bien plus rudimentaires, qui sont accentués par l'installation du campus aux frontières d'un des quartiers les plus pauvres du Canada.
How do post-secondary institutions, and specifically their campuses, fit into the smart city landscape? The Université of Montréal's new Campus MIL gives us an idea. Geneviève O'Meara, Université of Montréal spokesperson talks to us about how Campus MIL inclusively and responsibly repurposed old industrial lands with temporary urban interventions, tech installations, bike lanes, safe walkways, and other features that even landed them a LEED certification. But Sasha Dyck, a resident of Parc-Extention, is wary of MIL Campus located some 500 metres from where he lives. This may be a story of innovation and technological progress for some, but Sasha tells us about the impact all of this can have on one of Canada's poorest neighbourhoods. As innovative, tech-enabled spaces make their way into our cities we have to ask ourselves: Who is being left behind?
Access to reliable internet has become an essential service, necessary for local businesses, education, and even healthcare. But there's a connectivity gap which has left over half of rural communities without this level of service.
While higher levels of government have been making some moves to expand service beyond major urban centres, it's been slow going.
Some communities are taking on the problem themselves. In this episode, Mayor Larry Oakden paints us a picture of Hamiota, Manitoba, and the co-operative solution the surrounding municipalities there came up with to bring everyone online. And Gary Wilson, Indigenous engagement and outreach lead for Connected Communities B.C. talks about consulting with Coastal First Nations communities in British Columbia to find modern broadband solutions that compliment their way of life.
It's easy to be excited by the promise of new technology, and bold, transformative "smart city" projects. Often that promise is made by companies who offer to pull municipalities into the future, at a speed that leaves local government and leadership behind.
But Pamela Robinson, director of Ryerson's School of Urban and Regional Planning, and Future Cities Canada Fellow, says local government still has a role to play in smart city projects.
And Jonathan Dewar, executive director of the First Nations Informations Governance Centre, says there's a price to pay when marginalized communities don't have access to the data being collected about them, or any say in how it's gathered.
Before Canada elects a new federal government, we thought we'd take a look at what the various parties are talking about, or neglecting to talk about, when it comes to Canadian cities and towns, and the urban agenda.
And we've put a great panel together for you: Spacing Senior Editor John Lorinc, Toronto Star city hall reporter Jennifer Pagliaro, and TVO urban affairs reporter John Michael McGrath.
We begin this month by tuning in to the Special Committee on Governance, which was created to find ways to adjust to the changes imposed on Toronto City Council in the middle of last year's election.
We catch up with journalist and Walkcast creator Tim Querengesser, as he explains the "MacKinnon Report" — a long list of recommendations commissioned by Alberta Premier Jason Kenney's United Conservative Party, which may mean belt-tightening for cities and towns in that province.
Chief Commissioner Renu Mandhane explains the Ontario Human Rights Commission's new policies regarding racial profiling in law enforcement, the collection of racial statistic in police stops, and even guidelines on artificial intelligence.
And Don Eady, lawyer and partner at Palaire Roland Barristers, helps explain the recent legal decisions regarding Toronto's legal challenge against Bill 5 and the slashing of local wards.
Spacing and Evergreen proudly present The Future Fix: Solutions for Communities Across Canada, a special podcast series.
In our first episode, we explore the unique relationship between the town of Innisfil, Ontario, and the controversial ride-hailing company Uber.
Jason Reynar, the town's chief administrative officer, explains this relationship, and how it has changed transit choices for the people there.
The Future Fix is a partnership between Spacing and Evergreen for the Community Solutions Network: a program of Future Cities Canada.
As the program lead, Evergreen is working with Open North and partners to help communities of all sizes across Canada navigate the smart cities landscape.
The Community Solutions Network is supported with funding provided by Infrastructure Canada.
Lanrick Bennett starts us off, talking about a pop-up pilot bike lane project on Toronto's Danforth Ave.
Jared Kolb is stepping down as executive director at Cycle Toronto. After nine years, he tells us what he's learned about safe streets advocacy.
Jamie Michaels tells us about his graphic novel "Christie Pits," all about a moment in Toronto history when everyday people stood up to racist hatred.
And Spacing publisher Matthew Blackett sits down with urban designer Mikael Colville-Andersen — host of TVO's "The Life-Sized City" — about how Canadian urbanism measures up, globally.
To celebrate three years of the Spacing Radio, we have an in-depth conversation with urban designer Ken Greenberg.
We talk about his new book "Toronto Reborn: Design Successes and Challenges," the growth of the modern city from its humble postwar roots, Sidewalk Labs, Doug Ford, and more...
This episode, we partnered with Park People to bring you highlights from their national Heart of the City conference: the first of it's kind in Canada.
We speak to Rena Soutar, the first Reconciliation Planner for the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation about decolonizing parks planning.
Skateboarder and documentary filmmaker David Boots takes us on a tour of Peace Park in Montreal.
And Park People's own Jake Tobin Garrett tells us what was uncovered in the inaugural Canadian City Parks Report, which included 23 participating municipalities across the country.
In this episode, activist/organizer Dave Meslin talks about his book "Teardown: rebuilding democracy from the ground up."
We join Thomas McKechnie, playwright and organizer with Foodsters United — a new union working for a fair deal for food delivery workers in precarious employment.
We speak to Urban Strategies Inc. partner Joe Berridge about his book "Perfect City: an urban fixer's global search for magic in the modern metropolis."
In conjunction with Spacing's upcoming Laneways issue, we speak to The Laneways Project's co-founder and executive director Michelle Senayah about how to activate these underused spaces.
This month we look at how major swings in provincial politics are affecting cities across Canada.
We talk to journalist and Walkcast host Tim Querengesser about the recent Alberta election, and how it impacts the city agenda in Edmonton and Calgary.
Spacing urban affairs columnist and York University geography professor Tricia Wood walks us through Doug Ford's most recent transit plan for Toronto and the surrounding region.
And McGill law dean Robert Leckey tells us about the push back from Montreal and the surrounding suburbs against the proposed Bill 21 secularism laws.
In this episode, we dive into a few Big Ideas.
First up is National Geographic explorer and geographer Daniel Raven-Ellison, who started a movement to have London, England declared a National Park City.
And, I speak to Charter City Toronto steering committee members Doug Earl and former mayor John Sewell about how to gain recognized autonomy for the City in the constitution.
In this episode, we look at housing from a number of angles.
Spacing Senior Editor John Lorinc and urban planner Cheryll Case give us the lay of the land, and a preview of their upcoming book, "House Divided."
Planner and consultant Sean Galbraith tells us how City bureaucracy can lead to fewer affordable homes.
And Councillor Gord Perks walks us through what "affordability" really means.
To celebrate Spacing‘s 15th anniversary, and the launch of “Toronto 2033: 10 short stories about the city’s future,” we speak to a variety of experts to try to imagine what the city will be like in the years ahead.
We speak to futurist Trevor Haldenby and Toronto Environmental Alliance Campaigns Director Heather Marshall, who were both consultants on the short story compilation. And technologist/journalist Bianca Wylie tells us about Google's Sidewalk Labs plan for the waterfront, data privacy, and the trade offs between public and private community design.
Visit toronto2033.com for the full multimedia experience.
To celebrate Spacing's 15th anniversary, and the launch of "Toronto 2033: 10 short stories about the city's future," we speak to the creative minds behind the book.
Featuring editor Jim Munroe, and authors Zainab Amadahy, Elan Mastai, and Karl Schroeder.
Visit toronto2033.com for the full multimedia experience.
In this episode, we talk to street nurse Cathy Crowe about the challenges facing street-involved Torontonians, as we dive into another winter.
Architect and urbanist Brent Bellamy helps us make sense of the Winnipeg election.
CodeRedTO co-founder Cameron MacLeod walks us through the advocacy group's latest transit report.
And Spacing senior editor Dylan Reid and author Adam Bunch tell us about "50 Hidden Gems and Curiousities."
As Toronto gets ready to vote, we’ll be bringing you regular panel discussions with journalists and experts who will help you wade through what is maybe the most confusing race in the city’s history.
In this, our final panel, we talk to Spacing publisher and editor-in-chief Matthew Blackett, and Spacing senior editor and weekly Toronto Star columnist Shawn Micallef.
As Toronto gets ready to vote, we’ll be bringing you regular panel discussions with journalists and experts who will help you wade through what is maybe the most confusing race in the city’s history.
This week we have Denise Balkissoon, weekly columnist for the Globe & Mail, and John Michael McGrath, digital media producer and bi-weekly columnist for TVO.
As Toronto gets ready to vote, we’ll be bringing you regular panel discussions with journalists and experts who will help you wade through what is maybe the most confusing race in the city’s history.
This week we have Spacing urban affairs columnist and York University geography professor Tricia Wood, and CBC city hall analyst and Humber professor Matt Elliott.
As Toronto gets ready to vote, we'll be bringing you regular panel discussions with journalists and experts who will help you wade through what is maybe the most confusing race in the city's history.
This week we have Spacing Senior Editor John Lorinc, and Toronto Star city hall reporter Jennifer Pagliaro.
Toronto's election was thrown into chaos this summer by an surprise announcement from Premier Doug Ford.
What's at stake, who are the stakeholders, and where do we stand as a city?
We break from format, and take you through a timeline of Bill 5, speaking with city councillors and candidates to get to the root of what recent developments mean to Toronto's ongoing election.
We're gearing up for the October 11th Green Building Festival!
We talk to celebrated architect Vivian Manasc about what makes a truly "green" building. WSP's senior facade specialist Scott Armstrong walk us through the process of giving a building a face lift.
And artist/urban designer Daan Roosegaarde tells us about scale-able interventions with the urban environment that encourage a sense of stewardship.
If you'd like to attend the Green Building Festival, register at gbf18.eventbrite.com.
This podcast was produced in partnership with Sustainable Buildings Canada.
In this episode, we speak with Cycle Toronto's Liz Sutherland for a Vision Zero update, and what the new Ontario government means to cycling infrastructure in municipalities across the province.
And architect Brian Kucharski gives us a tour a of a laneway house on Croft Street, and what recent approved guidelines for laneways mean to density in Toronto.
Finally, former parking enforcement officer Kyle Ashley is taking his love of cycling to city hall, challenging incumbent Jaye Robinson who chairs the public works committee. At least we think so? Doug Ford's proposal to cut Toronto wards from 47 to 25 may change all that, and we talk about that too!
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In this episode, we discuss the problems with policing in Toronto. Alok Mukherjee was Chair of the Toronto Police Services Board from 2005-2015. In that time, he wrestled with reforming the police, and struggled to navigate the complicated politics behind the force. He has written a book: "Excessive Force: Toronto's Fight to Reform City Policing."
And we talk to Gabriel Eidleman of the University of Toronto's Urban Policy Lab about a new online treasure trove for urban researchers, and anyone curious about Toronto's history.
Special guest: actor and writer Gavin Bowerman (yes, relation).
Election day is fast approaching, advanced polls are already open, so let's talk Ontario.
We're joined by TV Ontario's John Michael McGrath (provincial affairs columnist and host of The Agenda on Politics podcast), who helps break down what the election means for Ontario's cities, large and small, and gives us a sense of each of the three main parties' urban platforms.
If you can read this, the 2018 Toronto election has begun!
Toronto City Council has a problem when it comes to gender parity and diversity. Women Win Toronto is hoping to change that. We speak to co-chair Hema Vyas about the organization, and how to help women succeed in Toronto politics. And we speak to municipal candidates Chiara Padovani and Amber Morley, and provincial candidate Suze Morrison.
And we give you a little preview of Spacing's latest book "25 Toronto Transit Secrets."
In this episode, we talk about imaging what we want our city to be.
We speak to Jason Thorne, general manager of planning and economic development for the City of Hamilton, about a proposed plan for development, as well as recent anxiety about gentrification and affordability.
We speak to Graham Haines, research manager at Ryerson University's City Building Institute, about a new report called "Getting Intense," which offers strategy for intensification and development in the Greater Golden Horseshoe.
And we speak with Myseum of Toronto Executive Director Karen Carter about the push for a Toronto museum inside Old City Hall.
We're celebrating Black History Month with a special episode. Author and Place-maker Jay Pitter is our special guest host, and she introduces us to a number of exceptional Black urbanists in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal.
Habon Ali is an urban planner with urban strategies. Tura Cousins Wilson is an architect with Diamond Schmitt Architects. Stephanie Allen is a not-for-profit real estate developer. Anthonia Ogundele is a facility and environmental sustainability manager. Matthew Progress is a hip hop and electronic artist. Will Prosper is a journalist and documentarian involved with Hoodstock.
Each person has knowledge to share, and a story to tell, from grassroots organizing, to architecture and development.
"Pride & Place" was made possible with the generous support of OCAD University.
This episode, we follow up on some stories from last year.
We follow up on what became of the Ten Year Tent City in Vacouver with Ethel Whitty, director of homelessness services for the City.
We talk to Careers Eductation Empowerment Centre for Young Black Professionals Executive Director Kofi Hope, one of the 2017 Jane Jacobs Prize recipients.
And we have our full conversation with Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark, who tells us about the challenges of urbanism in a mid-sized Saskatchewan city.
In this episode, we speak to Toronto councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam about the desperate call to provide more shelter space this winter.
Park People's Jake Tobin Garrett about a new park space opening in the new year.
We speak to Anne Gloger and Zahra Ebrahim, about Anne's work with the East Scarborough Storefront, for which she recently earned the 2017 Jane Jacobs Prize.
And Senior Editor Dylan Reid tells us about Spacing's book series.
In this special episode, we devote our entire time to an issue that's plagued Winnipeg for nearly 40 years: pedestrians are not allowed to cross the major, iconic intersection of Portage and Main St.
To help tell this story, we have special guest co-host Oliver Moore, urban transportation reporter for the Globe & Mail. As well, you'll hear the voices of urbanist/architect Brent Bellamy, Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman, and Winnipeg city councillors Jeff Browaty and Janice Lukes, and Glyn's granny. For real.
Thank you to The Weakerthans for the use of their song "One Great City!" off of their album Reconstruction Site.
Bringing you the highlights from the Council for Canadian Urbanism's annual summit, held this year in Winnipeg.
We speak to CanU founding president Brent Toderian, Winnipeg architect and Free Press columnist Brent Bellamy, SVN's Barbara Myers, Halifax's Urban Design Program Manager Jacob Ritchie, and newly-named CanU Vice President Kalen Anderson, Edmonton's director of planning coordination.
In this episode, we speak to Toronto Dreams Project founder Adam Bunch, who took a tour this summer of Toronto's problematic landmarks. We also ask him about his latest work, the "Toronto Book of the Dead."
And we talk about cities' responsibilities towards Truth and Reconciliation with Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman and Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark.
Finally, we talk to Dr. Afua Cooper, associate professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax, and James Robinson Johnston chair of Black Canadian Studies, about the legacy of slavery and anti-black racism in this country.
Opening samples "Canada: a Centennial Song" by Bobby Gimby.
[Editor's note: Winnipeg is 2,222 kilometres from Toronto, not miles. Regret the error.]
We speak to Globe & Mail architecture critic Alex Bozikovic about Toronto Architecture: a city guide, a series of guided walking tours through Toronto's varied built landscape.
And we speak to Jane Farrow and Ed Jackson, two of the editors of Any Other Way: how Toronto got queer, in which a series of essays paints a broad picture of Toronto's LGBTQ2S community.
After speaking to Robin Leblanc and Jordan St. John, co-authors of the "Ontario Craft Beer Guide," our co-producers decide to take a tasting tour of some of Toronto's indie beer offerings.
Part One of our Summer Reading Series!
We speak to Toronto journalist Jackie Burns about her children's book "The Condo Kids: adventures with Bob the Barbary sheep," and about raising a family in the dense urban core.
And we speak to beer experts Robin Leblanc and Jordan St. John about the "Ontario Craft Beer Guide," and how Toronto can become a global leader in craft beer.
It's the one-year anniversary of the relaunch!
Last year, we took you to the celebration party for the approval of the Bloor bike lanes pilot. Now, we speak to Cycle Toronto Executive Director Jared Kolb about how to make the lanes permanent.
We speak to Jason Loo, creator of Toronto's own comic book superhero, The Pitiful Human-Lizard.
And we speak to ERA Architects' Michael McClelland about how to preserve Toronto's heritage.
Also, Engineer Neil speaks!
In this episode, we take you to the Ten Year Tent City in Vancouver, where residents are protesting the lack of affordable housing in that city. Andrew Walsh reports.
And we speak to recent Ryerson planning grad Cheryll Case and her mentor, planner/consultant Sean Galbraith, about a report Case co-authored which examines the declining household size of the inner suburbs and its impact.
Finally, we speak to Toronto City Councillor Joe Cressy, about how to balance priorities between the need for new greenspace in the downtown, with the sorry state of Toronto's community housing stock.
In this episode, we speak to musician/composer David Buchbinder about The Ward Musical. How a Toronto history book became a new work of musical theatre.
We ask FLAP executive director Michael Mesure, and the City planner Kelly Snow about the millions of migratory birds that die each year in Toronto, and what we can do to prevent these deaths.
And we speak to Ryerson associate proffessor Graham Hudson, who co-authored a report on how Toronto fares as a "Sanctuary City." Are we really protecting non-status residents, or do we have work to do?
Spacing Radio partners with Pressgang Theatre to bring you an evening of live storytelling. Co-hosted by Glyn Bowerman and Graham Isador (Vice/Hard Times), and featuring stories from Shawn Hogan (comedian, JFL 42), Siva Vijenthira (Spacing's cycling columnist), Perry King (The Ethnic Aisle), and DM St. Bernard (two-time Governor General's Award nominee).
City Stories was recorded live at The Garrison, in Toronto.
In this episode, we make the most of the winter months.
Janice Lukes is a Winnipeg city councillor, and cycling advocate, who tells us about plans to expand the cycling network in that city.
Susan Holdsworth is the program coordinator for Edmonton's WinterCity Strategy. She tells us about how good design, and the right attitude, can help bring out the best cities have to offer in winter.
And we check in with Spacing Publisher Matt Blackett about the new issue of the magazine, and a project a few years in the making.
In this episode, we talk about the changing face of the city, about what we preserve, and what gets left behind. We talk to Kaitlin Wainwright, director of programming for Heritage Toronto. We talk to Toronto For Everyone's Hima Batavia and Negin Sairafi, co-producers of the Honest Ed's farewell celebration. And we speak to the Storefront Theatre's Benjamin Blais, and Claire Burns, about the value of community arts hubs, and the challenges threatening their existence.
In part two, of our PopCanCrit special, we look at the role of the architecture critic, in a changing media landscape.
Our experts discuss who gets to be an architect critics, in a world where everyone has the ability to publish their opinions, and traditional media is on the decline.
We examine the opportunities, and the challenges presented by social media for publications publishing stories about urban architecture, and the built environment.
What began as a discussion about popular architecture becomes a broader discussion about new media, and new opportunities for civic engagement.
This October, some of the foremost authorities in Canadian architecture criticism convened in Ottawa for PopCanCrit, to discuss the future of popular criticism in architecture.
In this, Part One of a two-part series, we bring you the highlights of that conference.
We examine the role of the architecture critic, with the voices of Trevor Boddy, David Theodore, Sophie Gironnay, Marco Polo, and Shawn Micallef.
Next, we present a case study, where architecture critics Lisa Rochon, and Alex Bozikovic discuss the Mirvish+Gehry tower proposal, and their coverage of it.
This is the companion episode to the latest issue of Spacing Magazine, with a focus on celebrating women in city building.
We talk to Pamela Robinson, associate dean, graduate studies and special programs at Ryerson University, about striving for gender equality in the traditionally male-dominated world of city building, and urban planning.
We speak to Toronto Centre for Active Transportation Director Nancy Smith Lea about a recent report geared at tapping into untapped potential cycling demographics.
And urban planner Kyle Miller tells us about a personal study he's made of pedestrian and cyclist injuries and death, during what has been a dismal year for road safety in Toronto.
Thanks to special guest Melanie Hrymak of Toronto indie theatre company, Headstrong Collective!
In the wake of TIFF, we talk film and the city.
We talk to director-producer Matt Tyrnauer about his new Jane Jacobs documentary, Citizen Jane: Battle for the City.
Councillor Michael Thompson explains why Toronto's film industry is booming.
And Archaeological Services Inc. founder Ron Williamson walks us through the site of Toronto's first general hospital, (which just so happens to be where the TIFF Bell Lightbox now stands).
Our summer reading episode. We talk to the Toronto Youth Cabinet about their top 10 books about the city, a photographer who spent the early '90s chasing bands like Nirvana, and a criminal defense lawyer about democratic policing.
Spacing Magazine is proud to announce the winners of the 2016 Jane Jacobs Prize, and Spacing Radio has in depth interviews with this year's recipients.
Leslie Chudnovsky has devoted 16 years to the Supporting Our Youth mentorship program, guiding LGBTQ+ youth, and providing support across the diverse community. Luke Anderson is the founder of StopGap.ca, a foundation which provides custom made ramps to make businesses more accessible, and educates people about the language of inclusion when we talk about accessibility. Chudnovsky and Anderson perfectly embody the spirit of the award, and it was a pleasure chatting with them.
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