Occupy Toronto protesters ordered to leave St. James park by midnight

By David Sutherland

Update: Occupy Toronto protesters will not be evicted tonight after last-minute court injunction.
Check out the Star  for more information about the injunction. 


About 40 Toronto Police and by-law enforcement officers distributed eviction letters to Occupy Toronto protesters in St. James park this morning, demanding they vacate the park by midnight tonight.

The letter – signed by city manager Joseph P. Pennachetti – states, “the time has come to remove your tents, structures, equipment and personal belongings from the park.”

It continues, “if all tents and other structures, equipment and debris are not removed immediately, the City will take the necessary steps to itself remove the tents and other structures.”

The letters were quickly torn down by protesters and shouts of "we won't leave" filled the park.

At around noon, the protesters moved to the front of the St. James Cathedral to discuss the future of their almost five-week occupation of the park at Church and King.

Click the link below to read a copy of the letter.

New TTC streetcars at Hillcrest

By David Sutherland

Curious Torontonians and transit nerds gathered at the TTC’s Hillcrest facility to have the chance to hop aboard a mock up of the new streetcar the TTC hopes to have in service by 2014.

Neighbourhood Food Report – Sula Wine and Vegetable Thali in Bloordale Village

By David Sutherland

In a city with a massive South Asian community, you’d think there’d be a better selection of Indian beer, wine and spirits in Toronto’s liquor stores.

The LCBO imports four products from India: two whiskies, one seven-year-old rum called “Old Munk”, and a sauvignon blanc that runs for $9.55 (West Enders can grab a bottle at Royal York and Bloor, while East Enders need to go to Victoria Park and Danforth).

The Beer Store doesn’t sell any Indian brews, and until Maharashtra is annexed by Ontario, the Wine Rack won’t be importing South Asian pinot grigio any time soon.

I’ll be the first to admit I don’t know much about Indian culture and that I know even less about Indian food.

What I do know is that I can never seem to cram enough of the stuff into my fat Anglo-face, and nothing makes me happier than a styrofoam takeout container bursting at the seams with vegetable thali.

After living in Toronto’s West End for over a year, I decided to investigate who runs the thali takeout game in Bloordale Village and figure out why Toronto isn’t drowning in Indian hooch.

CANstruction at the Design Exchange

By David Sutherland

Over 20 Toronto-based architectural and design firms donated sculptures made out of canned goods for the twelfth-annual CANstruction event downtown at the Design Exchange.

The exhibit featured dozens of sculptures including an Angry Bird, Albert Einstein and a giant Toronto Blue Jays hat made entirely out of canned turkey, chicken and chickpeas.

All of the cans will be donated to the Daily Bread Food Bank, and CANstruction has helped raise almost 700,000 pounds of food since 1999.

Click the link below to see a photo collage of CANstruction from thedailyplanet.com.

Poorly Drawn Puns – Queen Street Zest

 
 
By David Sutherland

Get it?

They’re anthropomorphic hipster lemons!

Please do your part to support Movember.

Poorly Drawn Puns – Octopi Toronto

By David Sutherland

I’m well aware the standard English plural of octopus is octopuses.

‘Toronto Draws Tintin’ debuts at Steam Whistle Brewery

Courtesy Adrian Alphona

By David Sutherland

Thundering typhoons, Tintin’s in Toronto!

Hundreds of people crowded into the Steam Whistle Brewery on Wednesday to catch a glimpse of the young redheaded Belgian reporter who’s known more for his fist-fighting and pistol-popping than journalism.

Joined by his loyal white wire fox terrier, Snowy, the cantankerous Captain Haddock, and the charmingly inept Thompson twins, “Toronto Draws Tintin” showcased loads of Hergé inspired art from dozens of Toronto-based illustrators.

“I think the thing that’s excited me the most about this is the sheer variety of different approaches of both people sticking very close to Hergé’s clean-line style and people taking really dramatic departures,” event organizer Peter Birkemoe told MildManneredRetorter.com.

Birkemoe is the owner of the comic book shop “The Beguiling”, and was pleased with the variety of submissions for the event.

“What makes the show itself interesting is you see the single theme, the single character that we are all very familiar with approached from so many unique angles,” he added.