http://www.facebook.com/bloordaletimesNOVEMBER 2014 VOLUME 2 ISSUE 9

Neighbourhood news worth repeating

BY JUSTIN MILLERSONjustin.bdp@gmail.com

The imminent relocation of a methadone clinic just steps away from Lansdowne Station (1290 Bloor St. W.) prompted a spirited public meeting hosted by Dav-enport MPP Cristina Martins on November 13.

Roughly 60 people squeezed into a public meeting space at the Wallace Emerson Communi-ty Centre to hear a group of pan-

elists speak about the realities of methadone treatment and how it has become a viable aid for peo-ple with opioid dependency.

“We wanted to provide an in-formation session,” said Martins during her opening statement.

“We’re trying to destigmatize what this type of treatment is all about. Sometimes when people think about methadone mainte-nance treatment they have a vi-sion of what that person looks like, but unfortunately that per-son has now become classless.”

The information meeting was called in response to an outcry of public concern about the po-tential dangers of having such a clinic in an “otherwise prosper-ing neighbourhood.” The regur-gitated concern among those op-posing the location of the clinic was the notion that an establish-ment serving drug addicts would attract unfavourable activity, thus putting the community in a possible regression.

“What I find really interest-ing about this is that this clinic is placed right the middle of two [strip] clubs and shall we add that we have some halfway hous-es in the area?” said one resident in attendance.

The legitimacy of the clinic is confirmed by a squeaky-clean ten-year history at the corner of Dundas and Bloor streets. Dr. Eric Solway, one of two doctors on the panel who will be writ-

ing prescriptions for methadone, spoke with high belief that the clinic’s new location – about 500 meters away from the former space – will continue as a prob-lem-free establishment.

“We ran our practice for the last 10 years at the corner of Bloor St. And Dundas St. W. and we never heard a word from any of the businesses, local BIA com-mittees, local residents, politi-cians and police officers,” said Dr. Solway. “It came as a great surprise to hear all this interest and concern. To us, we are mov-ing from one subway stop to the next.”

The clinic has and will con-tinue to function as a fam-ily practice, debunking the idea from some that the new loca-tion will be exclusively serving people with opioid dependency.

see BAILAO page 3

INSIDELOCAL RESIDENT ENCOURAGES

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTResident targets Davenport as a great opportunity to join hands

Page 2

2014 NIGHT OF DREAD GALLERY

Clay and Paper Theatre prepares and executes a great event

Page 6

FILM WORKER BREAKS DOWN ‘INTERSTELLAR’ Orhan Sumen gives his

educated take on the hit film Page 3

BAILAO WINS CLOSE RACE

FOR WARD 18BY JUSTIN MILLERSONjustin.bdp@gmail.com

On October 27, Toronto swore in new blood at City Hall by elect-ing eight new faces into coun-cil including former Progressive Conservative John Tory as mayor. Widely regarded as the longest municipal election in Toronto’s amalgamated history, the 2014 campaign is sure to leave a lasting impression among Torontonians moving forward. From Rob Ford’s abrupt exit to the rise of Tory past early favourite Olivia Chow, the latest demonstration of democracy was no doubt eventful. But hidden among the chaos, an important election loomed in the trenches of West Toronto. The battle for Ward 18.

The growth of Ward 18 over the last municipal term has been sub-stantial, prompting many articles written on the subject of improve-ment in some of the city’s most popular publications (“Bloordale Takes Back the Future: Hume - To-ronto Star, “The Changing Face of Bloordale” - The Globe & Mail).

RELOCATED METHADONE CLINIC PROMPTS CONCERN

TIMES

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see CLINIC page 2

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Community Essay ~ News

The Bloordale Times November 2014

BY MICHAEL KUSHNIRmichael@ensemblesocial.ca

Building bridges in Davenport

Here in the west end, we live in some of the most vibrant neighbourhoods in Canada. Davenport is a great example of what happens when committed resi-dents come together. There is much to be proud of here; it is a model of communi-ty-building that serves as an inspiration to other places right across the country.

You’d be hard pressed to find a big city where small businesses still make credit for their customers. This city – the gritty, red-brick town whose streetcars still trundle down the same tracks they did a century ago – is the Toronto that I remember visiting as a kid, the city in which my great-grandfather settled down to open up a smokehouse on Harbord St..

A friend visiting from out of town once remarked to me how Toronto has a habit of simply building new things on top of old things. There’s no question that we live in a rapidly-changing area, and when residents are a part of the process of change, we end up building better com-munities.

As our neighbourhoods change, we need to protect the qualities that origi-nally drew us here. To live in such an ex-citing, dynamic community is a privilege for many of us, but for us to continue en-joying the things that make Davenport so special means that we who now call this place home also have responsibilities to those who came before.

For example, the Portuguese com-munity is a big part of the west end. Through waves of immigration, Daven-port has unquestionably benefited from the contributions of our luso neighbours.

The colours, smells and sounds that have come from across the ocean to the cafés, porches and sidewalks here have left an indelible mark on Toronto. However, as our neighbourhoods increasingly shift from old-world to new, it would be a great blow to lose this.

Over the past years, many new busi-nesses have set up shop here, from tiny, one-room espresso bars and un-derground art galleries, to work-share spaces and some of Toronto’s best night-life venues. This is great, but we’d also be wise to remember that there are too many tales of vibrant neighbourhoods across Canada losing their characters be-cause their original cultures faded away.

Successful cities engage their citizens, but this isn’t something that City Hall can do on its own. We need to make sure every single person in our community are being heard and engaged. We need to build bridges between the different communities that make up the Toronto we love.

Thankfully, building these bridges is not as hard as it may seem at first. All we have to do is reach out to our neighbours in a way we might not have before. Next time you’re out, meet a friend at a bakery for a coffee and a pastel de nata. Pick up your next round of groceries at one of the many Portuguese markets on Bloor Street. Pop in to a sports bar to watch a game of soccer. Say hello to the neigh-bours on your street that you’ve never said hello to before.

Toronto’s motto is “Diversity Our Strength”, and I see this as a call to ac-tion. In the coming years, let’s continue to build the most inclusive and diverse city that the world has ever known. It’s a challenge I know this city can be proud of.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST ENCOURAGES ‘BRIDGE BUILDING’

Councillor Ana Bailao, also on the panel, requested to become a patient at the clinic and received a “yes” without hesitation from Dr. Solway. The move by Bailao was meant to further pronounce the point that not all people using this clinic will identify as individuals with substance abuse issues.

“I just have one more question for the doctors. Can I become your patient at your clinic on Bloor?” asked Bailao.

“So keep in mind that I don’t have an addiction problem, I’m not on any medication. Keep that in mind when you see people going in and out of the clinic,” she said.

Of the roughly 60 community mem-bers in attendance, nearly half were in support of the inclusion of the metha-done clinic in the neighbourhood, a dy-namic that conceived a slew of bickering and banter among those in attendance.

“I live on Margaretta like the first person who spoke and I’d like to say welcome,” said a Bloordale resident of 16 years. “I have no issues, I think the fact that a legitimate business that has no legislated need to account for them-selves is being asked to go through this thing [is crazy]. I think it’s amazing that you came.”

“Hopefully some of the people here are going to take the literature provided and go back and read it and think about what the methadone clinic actually does,” the resident said.

CLINIC from page 1

Michael Kushnir is a community engagement specialist who calls Wallace-Emerson home. Photo courtesy Michael Kushnir

Over the last 15 years, the vibrant world of modern cinema has witnessed the un-stoppable rise of Christopher Nolan from a promising filmmaker who is keen on adapt-ing the techniques of English literature into film to a master of pop culture and a Hol-lywood legend.

Over the course of eight films, he has provided a style of narrative that is entirely original to the art of film (Memento, 2000), reinvented a superhero franchise in a way that inspired and defined an entire genera-tion of moody, gritty remakes (Batman Be-gins, 2005), briefly broke the record of James Cameron’s Titanic as the highest grossing movie ever made (Dark Knight, 2008), dis-sected the conventions of different genres into his own special blend (The Prestige, 2006) and managed to make one of the two original films of the decade that passed the 500 million threshold in summer blockbust-ers (Inception, 2008).

He is a director of much discussion and wonder, with every new movie he makes be-coming a topic among the film community. His style is experimental; manipulating time and perception both for the characters of his films and for the audiences, yet mainstream enough to become largely appealing escap-ist blockbusters. His protagonists are heroes in search of themselves, constantly self-ana-lyzing, trying to make sense of their world, whether it be a self-made super hero trying to avenge the death of his parents, a dream-thief trying to protect his grasp on reality, or a man with a serious mental condition using his own skin as a map of memories. His movies usually focus on the matters of the mind rather than the mind. His camera

is unassuming and calm, much like his de-meanor as a person. His films are very de-manding, especially in this age of dumbed down plots and mindless remakes, and they require the audience to work to find the an-swers as they navigate through brilliant plot twists or infamous plot holes. Basically, he is one of the few directors that deserve a two paragraph introduction before talking about his newest, and biggest yet, cinematic expe-rience.

Interstellar is a project that has been lin-gering for a few years, with Stephen Spiel-berg attached as a director for a time before dropping out. This allowed script writer Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan’s broth-er and writing partner, to offer the project to his brother.

Interstellar takes place in the near future where Earth can no longer sustain itself; the food is scarce and the humankind seems doomed to extinct. Cooper, (Matthew Mc-Conaughey) a former pilot, a farmer and the father of two (his wife is dead; a common trait for all Nolan protagonists) receives a message from an unknown intelligence, which sets him on path to a mission through a wormhole that appears in our galaxy to find a new, habitable planet and save the human race. He is mentored by Professor Brand (Michael Caine, his sixth collabora-tion with the director) and accompanied by the professor’s daughter (Anne Hathaway, with a performance that rivals Sandra Bull-ock in Gravity), but his most important rela-tionship remains to be with his pre-teenage daughter Murph, who, against much protest from her, he leaves on earth.

As the haunting image of a daughter who is left behind in a dusty farm closes the first act (a scene nailed by the brooding score of Hans Zimmer, which is so loud that it al-

ready broke some sound systems around the world, and rightfully blamed to drown out some crucial dialogue) Cooper finds him-self racing against time, resources, and most importantly; the unknown, to complete the mission. While his fellow scientists are fight-ing for the survival of humankind, he is con-flicted about putting his emotions into back seat. His longing to get back to his heartbro-ken daughter shapes his every decision.

The classic mind-bending Christopher Nolan moments that fans of Memento, Fol-lowing and Inception are looking for do present themselves in this dark, moody sto-ry, but Interstellar refuses to be a solely cerebral adventure like the previous works of the director. It rather builds itself around the relationship of a father and daughter; un-conventional of a director who mostly feeds his work from cold and emotionless world of Film Noir. It is an exciting, brainy ride which tackles a lot of subjects; our place on universe, our sur-vival instinct and the self-destructive nature, our desire to return to home, and most importantly, the importance of family and parenthood. It’s high concept science fiction elements such as black holes and the time relativity are in perfect balance with the emotional heart of the story.

Christopher Nolan once again provides a masterpiece and an instant classic with Interstellar, although his at-tempts to make his work ac-

cessible to all audiences are quite vis-ible this time around. Both the heart and the mind of the story can feel clumsy and un-derstated at times; and with an almost three hours running time, dedicated fans of the di-rector might be disappointed that the movie merely flirts with all its concepts, never re-ally engaging them in a way that matches the ambition of the production. Still, Interstellar is without a doubt one of the best movies of the year. It’s a thought provoking epic tale that will take you far away from home, and remind you how important it is to have one in the first place.

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Feature ~ News

The Bloordale Times November 2014

LOCAL FILM WORKER OFFERS TAKE ON HIT FILM ‘INTERSTELLAR’BY ORHAN SUMENorhansumen@hotmail.com

Sumen (left) on set during the making of indie film ‘Look Again’. Photo courtesy Orhan Sumen

Cultured coffee shops, specialty restaurants, community centres, park improvements, improved TTC service, all these things made quick entrance in the neighbour-hood, thus making Ward 18 a de-sired location in Toronto for the first time in perhaps decades. As the city heads into the next munic-ipal term, Ward 18 will continue to find its eventual landing point. A big influence on that point will be the ward’s representative in city council.

Ward 18 incumbent Ana Bailao garnered 45.8 per cent of the vote on October 27, margin-ally defeating lawyer Alex Mazer by a difference of just 806 votes. While Bailao largely lobbied for

improved transit infrastructure in the neighbourhood (the contin-ued revitalization of Dufferin and Lansdowne stations, making use of the Georgetown-South transit line for local and rapid use, deliv-ering streetcar service to Dundas St. W. And Queen St.), Mazer cam-paigned for “smart” investments in child care, transit and affordable housing. The Mazer campaigned proved intriguing as the first-time city council candidate captured 41.6 per cent of the Ward 18 vote.

The victory for the Bailao is her second in three tries in Ward 18 elections. Bailao fell to coun-cil playboy Adam Giambrone by 1,260 votes in her first bid for a city council seat, but followed up with a victory over Kevin Beaulieu in her second try in 2010 by a count of 1,366 tallies.

“We want to make sure things are delivered to the community as soon as possible,” said Bailao in re-gard to slew of changes set to come to fruition in the coming term.

Those changes include the even-tual completion of revitalization projects at Dufferin and Lansd-owne subway stations. While Duf-ferin Station is in the final stages of completion, Lansdowne Station remains untouched, but Bailao as-sures the project will be completed within the next two years.

“Transit is a big important thing in the neighbourhood. We are fin-ishing up Dufferin Station, we are preparing to make Lansdowne Station fully accessible by 2016,” said Bailao.

Bailao also alluded to the need of improved transit on a broader scale and said she looks forward to

working with Tory and the rest of city council to explore viable, fis-cally responsible ideas to create a larger, more accessible transit net-work. Tory campaigned a solution to the city’s transit problems by in-troducing a “SmartTrack” transit blueprint. The idea, in short, looks to combine both TTC and Metro-linx rails to work in unison with each other.

“I think the principal is good, I think we need to be smarter about the use of our infrastructure,” said Bailao in regard to Tory’s transit plan.

“Our community has been talk-ing about using the [GO Transit] rail line for many, many years. If there’s been one neighbourhood that has been talking about better use of the rail line, it’s been us,” she said. “We’ve been calling for elec-

trification for the last ten years, we’ve been calling for more stops on that line for ten years.”

Aside from transit, Bailao wants to continue the growth and sustainability of small busi-nesses in the neighbourhood. She has a large handprint on Bloor St.’s streetscape project, a project meant to beautify a once rundown strip to make it more inviting for potential patrons. The streetscape project included resurfacing of sidewalks and roads, public art decoration and esthetically pleas-ing lounge areas. In addition to this, Bailao also plans to make use of vacant storefronts by working with local BIA committees to ini-tialize what she called a “pop-up store” program. The project will be further discussed in the new year, she said.

BAILAO from page 1

Nightcrawler

Running Time: 117 Minutes (translation 1 hour and 57 minutes)

Writer & Director: Dan GilroyActors: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene

Russo, Bill Paxton, Riz Ahmed

Nightcrawler refers to the earth dwelling worm that comes to the surface at night to capture the bloody, brutal and fear laden jour-nalism that not only leads, but dominates local news in America. This film is a brutally honest, mes-merizing and terrifying social com-mentary on the state of American Journalism and the American peo-ple.

Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) plays a slithering creep that seem-ingly appears in the night, who is not only a sociopath, but also serves as the antihero; providing countless prophetic soliloquies that are, Shakespearean in timing, brutally honest and spot on intel-ligent. You know what he is saying is true, but the way he says it is un-nerving. He’s everyone’s inner alter-ego, you know the part of you that wishes you would have said that perfect thing to your boss as you were negotiating your salary. Gyl-lenhaal’s portrayal of a crime video journalist with an insatiable appe-tite for blood and gore is spot on and I absolutely fell in love with his character, who if it wasn’t for Fran-cis Underwood (Kevin Spacey) a la

House of Cards might not have ever seen the light of day. There is just something about sociopaths that pulls you in, isn’t there? Perhaps it’s their flesh melting stare that make lions turn away from them, or their unwavering sense of logic, maybe it’s their lack of guilt, whatever it is they are hot, hot, hot in Hollywood right now.

Everything in Hollywood is cy-clical. One year Westerns are hot, another year saving the world from a cataclysmic meteor is the prevail-ing theme, this year is the year of the sociopath and if you’ve been to the movies lately you see the trend. The last time Hollywood became this enamored with sociopaths was in the late 80’s and early 90’s when filmgoers were introduced to some of the best sociopaths the world had ever seen: Alex Forrest (Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction-1987), Amon Goeth (Ralph Fiennes in Schindler’s List-1993), Max Cady (Robert De Niro in Cape Fear-1991), Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates in Misery-1990), John Doe (Kevin Spacey in Seven-1995), Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone in Basic In-stinct-1992), Verbal (Kevin Spacey in The Usual Suspects-1995), Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hop-kins in Silence of the Lambs-1991). And the Academy Award voters ap-parently love sociopaths as much as audiences do, for 6 of the 8 socio-paths aforementioned were either nominated for an Academy Award or won it for their portrayals.

Jake Gyllenhaal wills you to nominate him in this 2014 version

of a Hollywood archetype. Here is yet another actor who has shown range throughout his career (Don-nie Darko, The Good Girl, Jarhead, Zodiac, End of Watch, Prisoners and Enemy), yet has only garnered one Academy Award Nomination (Best Sup-porting Actor-Brokeback Mountain) until now. Gyllenhaal gives the phys-ical performance Cate Blanchett did a year ago in Blue Jasmine. And just like Blanchett, Jake had a little help. Rene Russo, plays a washed up, aging nightly news producer searching for ratings and the chance to make it big. Russo, now in her sixties, is as stunning (and real) as ever, and she gives one of the best performances of her career. Bringing real, savage emotion and fear to her role. When Russo and Gyllenhaal share scenes you wish they would never end. This of course is due to the writ-ing.

Dan Gilroy both wrote and directed the film; this is Gilroy’s first foray into the directing world and he hit it out of the park. The cinematography in this film is inspiring, beauti-ful, and haunting. Gil-roy’s setup shots made my heart beat, but it was the pace and editing of this

film that made my heart race. There is a car chase in this film that will rival the best cinematic car chases of all time including: The French Connection, Bullitt, The Matrix Re-loaded, Ronin, and anything Fast & Furious (insert a #) can muster up. I cannot remember the last time my heart raced in a movie theatre. I honestly thought I was having a problem until I conferred with a

fellow moviegoer, who admitted the same sensation.

Gilroy has clearly studied his craft for a while, bringing all of the key elements to the screen in this entertaining, intelligent and jarring film that challenges society to look deeper into “who we are” in 2014. Nightcrawler simply delivers.

Overall grade: 5 out of 5 stars

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Feature

The Bloordale Times November 2014

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LOCAL FILM BUFF JESSICA BERRY GIVESFANTASTIC REVIEW FOR ‘NIGHTCRAWLER’ BY JESSICA BERRYmyyearatthemovietheatre.tumblr.com

Local resident Jessica Berry completed an improbable challenge that saw her watch 365 films in 2013. The project inspired a monthly film review here in the Bloordale Times. Photo by Mutiara Samosir

MPP CRISTINA MARTINS416-535-3158

Exciting news, everyone: my constituency office is now open in Bloordale!

Since I was elected, I’ve been trying to find a new of-fice space on Bloor Street. The previous office location, which was west of Caledonia on St. Clair Avenue, was tucked away in the very corner of the riding. It was a lovely space, but I heard many times from constituents that it was too difficult to access for those who don’t live along St. Clair. The new office – located at 1199 Bloor Street West, at the corner of Bloor and Brock – is at the centre of the riding, and is easily accessible by TTC. It is within walking distance of Dufferin Sta-tion, Lansdowne Station, and both the Dufferin and

Lansdowne buses. I’m looking forward to serving the residents of Davenport at this new, central location, and I hope that you’ll drop by for an official office opening on Saturday, December 13th, from 1:00-5:00pm.

I also wanted to update you on some of my work at Queen’s Park. With the Legis-lature back in session, I had the opportunity to introduce my first Private Member’s Bill. On October 20th – the first day that the House was sitting – I brought forward An Act to Proclaim October as Hispanic Heritage Month. On October 30th, we debated the bill in the Legislature and I’m happy to report that it passed second reading with unanimous consent. That evening, it was my pleasure to host over one hundred lead-ers in the Hispanic community at Queen’s Park for a reception celebrating Hispanic culture in the province.

Ontario is an incredibly diverse province and this is particularly true of Davenport, which hosts a number of sizeable ethnic communities. Among those is a large His-panic population – approximately 10,000 residents of Davenport are Spanish speakers – and since I was elected in June, I’ve had the opportunity to represent the Premier and the Liberal Party at a number of Hispanic events in the riding and across the city.

But it’s easy to accept the province’s multiculturalism as a foregone conclusion – to take it for granted that Ontario is a diverse and open place. Multiculturalism, though, is about more than an acceptance of diversity. It’s also about celebrating that diversity, which is why I believe it’s important that we take the time to mark occasions like His-panic Heritage Month in the province. As an immigrant myself, I know the central role ethnic communities play in the lives of so many Ontarians. They provide a sup-port network, an extended family, and a group of new friends for immigrants who are just joining us in the province.

I see Hispanic Heritage Month as a chance to pay tribute to the culture that binds together Spanish speakers and to educate future generations about the hard work, sacrifices, and the important role the Hispanic community has played in the building of our province. I look forward to celebrating the occasion every year.

Cristina Martins, MPP Davenport

MP ANDREW CASH 416-654-8048

This past month the NDP announced our vision for a national child care plan. I highlighted the need for such a program in my Bloordale column back in August, but today I’m ready to give you the details of that plan.

I’ve spoken to many par-ents in our community who have been telling me that they can’t find quality, afford-able child care in our city. Spaces in child care centres are sought after, and if you are lucky enough to find a space it can cost up to $2000 a month. That’s pretty hard on most family budgets in Toronto, especially consider-ing the other costs of living in this neighbourhood and the fact that so many Toron-tonians are Urban Workers who have multiple part-time jobs, are self-employed or work contract-to-contract.

I believe that we can have a high-quality, affordable national child care program in this country and that this program should not cost parents more than $15 per day.

Under our plan, the federal government would work with each province and territo-ry to develop a child care setup that would meet each province’s individual needs, and then provide the necessary funding to en-sure the cost remains no more than $15 per day. Our plan would provide 1 million affordable child care spaces over the next decade.

Not only is there a dire social need for expanded access to affordable child care, there’s also an economic need. In Quebec, where they’ve had an accessible child care program for nearly two decades now, every dollar invested in child care by the provin-cial government has resulted in a boost to the economy of $1.75 through increased productivity. The program has allowed 70,000 parents to return to the workforce.

The program there not only pays for itself, but is a huge economic contributor to the provincial economy. On a national scale, we anticipate the economic benefits to nearly double the government investment in the program.

This is something we can’t afford not to do. It’s time for a national child care plan that delivers quality and affordable care for all families.

This plan for $15 a day child care, along with our pledge to raise the federal mini-mum wage to $15 an hour, is part of our fight to make life better and more afford-able for people in Toronto.

If you support this initiative, we do have an electronic petition online at ndp.ca/childcare that I invite you to sign and share.

For more information on this or any oth-er issue, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me at my office at 1162 College St by phone at 416-654-8048 or by email at andrew.cash@parl.gc.ca

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Letters from your political representatives

The Bloordale Times November 2014

Gallery ~ Photo Caption

06 The Bloordale Times November 2014

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2014 NIGHT OF DREADPhotos by Justin Millerson

NEW HORIZONS TOWER 40th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

On October 14, roughly 100 people - including all three levels of government (Ana Bailao, Andrew Cash and Cristina Martins) - gathered at the New Horizons Tower to commemorate 40 years of operation at the corner of Bloor and Dufferin streets.

Originally opened in 1974, New Horizons Tower serves seniors over 70 years old by providing them quality resources to sustain a happy way of living. The tower includes several one-bedroom suites - built to resemble apartments, a spacious dining room, quality chefs preparing fresh food, an outdoor terrace and an oasis floor built to provide added resources for people suffering from memory loss.

For those interested in contacting New Horizons Tower for sign up, please contact Ian Anderson by email at Ian.Anderson@newhorizonstower.com

Photos courtesy Ian Anderson

Celebrating 40 years

Come Join the Action!1140 Bloor Street West • NewHorizonsTower.com

CALL 416-536-6111 TODAY

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of seniors since 1974

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“In Between Firm and Soft”

Where Route 141 meets the 11 between Bracebridge and Huntsville is a postbox called Utterson. West of Utterson is where I keep my stand. It’s to-matoes from spring until the corn comes in. The corn is my neighbour’s but I sell it and keep a piece. We don’t see much of the Muskoka crowd since the new filling station made ours look like dirt. It’s just as well to have less commotion around.

I was at the end of my long driveway one afternoon, think-ing of how the cars used to zip by like dogs out of hell, when a silver Mercedes turned in. There were two pretty girls in sunglasses up front. They sat

there forever, talking of Lord knows what. Kept the engine running. Finally they stepped out of the car and approached me at the stand.

The first one said, “How much for tomatoes?”

I pointed to the sign with all the prices. It was hard to miss. The second girl, not the one who asked, kissed her teeth and frowned up her face.

“Why don’t you answer her question, instead of acting like she’s supposed to know?” she pouted.

“The prices are all here for you,” I said.

“Do you want customers or not?” she asked.

“I’m happy to have custom-ers. So please, buy something,” I said.

It’s very easy to buy tomatoes from my stand. Sometimes,

I don’t know if it’s tomatoes these people are after.

“They don’t look good,” said the second girl at my tomatoes. “You picked them too late I think. Yeah, we’re not buying anything here.”

They hopped back into their silver Mercedes, engine idling all the while, and sped off. Was I bothered? Heck, I know when tomatoes need picking: in be-tween firm and soft.

*** I had the sense that the clock

was ticking on our friendship during that last week of work. Tiffany must have been feeling the same way when she invited me to her cottage for Labour Day. It was true that we hard-ly knew each other, but I per-ceived a mutual desire to inves-

tigate if anything would stick after my internship had ended.

Well, the weekend was fun. We swam, drank, did cottage things. I found out a lot about Tiffany and her family. It was on the drive home, after that blast of a weekend, that I was forced to confront my own fu-ture looming on the horizon. I was driving Tiffany’s car, when it occurred to me I might nev-er be able to afford a thing so nice. All sorts of feelings hit me at once, and I had to pull over.

I turned into a roadside fruit stand and stopped the car. Tif-fany knew what I was worried about and convinced me that great things were just around the corner.

“You’re going to be fine,” she assured me. “You’re one talent-ed motherfucker. Just give ev-

eryone my number, I’ll give you an amazing reference.”

I laughed, then noticed the fruit man was staring at us. “We should maybe buy some-thing,” I suggested.

We got out, and took a look at what the stand was offering: a few measly baskets of toma-toes.

“How much for tomatoes?” I asked, planning on pretending the amount was much.

The sunburnt attendant mo-tioned toward a hand-painted sign listing prices. Tiffany took offence to his careless cus-tomer service, something that was drilled into us all summer. They got into a little tiff, and she insulted his precious toma-toes.

It wasn’t about the tomatoes, of course. She was letting me know she had my back.

09

Short Story ~ Health & Wellness

The Bloordale Times November 2014

BY DR. JENNIFER BAERGot a question?health@drjenniferbaer.com

Gas, Bloating and Indigestion: IBS is a common cause

Bloating is one of the MOST common complaints I hear from patients. It is a feeling of fullness in the abdomen (rather than dis-tension, often associated with bloating, which is an enlarged ap-pearance of the abdomen), that is commonly related to intestinal gas. Intestinal gas itself, is charac-terized by abdominal discomfort, bloating and excess flatulence (farting) – all signs of dysbio-sis (an alteration in the normal make-up of microbes in your gut).

When all three are present to-gether, along with a change in frequency or quality of stool and/or abdominal pain or discomfort, IBS is the most common cause.

IBS, or Irritable Bowel Syn-drome, is defined as a chronic functional disorder of altered bowel habits and abdominal pain. Its cause is unknown, and IBS is considered to be a diagnosis of exclusion – meaning other diges-tive disorders like Celiac Disease, Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s

Disease, must be ruled out. There is no accepted biological marker or test that is useful in the diag-nosis of IBS – so a thorough case history should be taken, and pos-sibly some other tests to rule out any of the aforementioned con-ditions, if warranted. If there are no red flags (bloody diarrhea, sudden weight loss, family his-tory of colorectal cancer or IBD – Inflammatory Bowel Disease), IBS can be diagnosed using a set of criteria, and treated as such on a trial basis for 1-3 months before ruling it out.

It is considered the most com-mon digestive disorder in devel-oped countries – affecting up to 25 per cent of adults. IBS may be associated with dysbiosis, GERD, Celiac Disease or Gluten Sensi-tivity and/or Food Sensitivities. Many sufferers of Crohn’s Dis-ease will have IBS-like symptoms while in remission. This makes as-sessment and diagnosis especially important.

Symptoms of IBS typically in-clude: abdominal pain, bloating or abdominal distension, exces-sive flatulence, diarrhea (>3 bowel movements/day, possibly associ-ated with urgency), and/or con-stipation. Risk factors for the de-

velopment of IBS include: familial history of IBS, acute gastrointesti-nal tract infections, antibiotic use, stressful life events, anxi-ety and mood disorders.

A comprehensive natu-ropathic approach offers effective treatment op-tions. From a dietary per-spective, probiotic foods (naturally fermented live culture foods) are often beneficial – but can wors-en symptoms in a subset of IBS patients. These pa-tients may do well on a low FODMAPS diet – but this isn’t usually the place to start. More often, a low fat, moderate protein diet that emphasizes plant foods and whole grains, while avoiding sugar, flour, sul-phites/sulphates and artifi-cial sweeteners is a useful approach. Colonic foods like brown rice, carrots, almonds and green tea are often helpful. Choosing the right strain-specific probiotic is of utmost im-portance (a random pro-biotic from the health food store won’t cut it). Additionally I work with

patients to support the nervous system and adrenal glands (stress response) – often with herbs and lifestyle tools - which play a sig-nificant role in many cases of IBS.

Jennifer Baer, is your local Na-turopathic Doctor, trained chef and Registered Holistic Nutri-

tionist. She enthusiastically pro-motes wellness and prevention through a nutritious diet, posi-tive attitude and active lifestyle. For more recipes and information about her training, programs and services, please visit: http://www.drjenniferbaer.com

ASK YOUR BLOORDALE NATUROPATHIC DOCTOR - DR. JENNIFER BAER

Dr. Jennifer Baer, Naturopathic Doctor.

LOCAL RESIDENT PRESENTS ‘IN BETWEEN FIRM AND SOFT’BY BRENT WELLSbrent.wells@gmail.com

Art Exhibitions

10 The Bloordale Times November 2014

Kristine Moran: Affairs and Ceremonies

“Like previous bod-ies of work, Kristine Moran’s latest, Affairs and Ceremonies, at Daniel Faria Gallery in Toronto, alludes to magical happenings, corporeal transfor-mations and spectral beings arrayed in various states. The guise of story telling is essential to Moran’s approach to painting. An elaborate narra-tive ruse launches each work but her irrepressible deploy-ment of style puts the stuff of paint at the center of the story. When one attempts to elicit a complete tale from the paint-ings, the viewer is confronted with what Winston Churchill coined ‘a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.’

“Moran’s hand gives equal weight to the dramatic chiaroscuro and voluptuous forms of Baroque painting and to Abstract Ex-pressionism’s imme-diacy of gesture and unabashed piling on of the paint. Borrow-ing Hilma Af Klint’s sense of visual orga-nization and Jasper Johns’ penchant for

repeating and re-producing imagery, Moran begins to give us some clues as to what she’s up to with her enigma machine: developing a highly personalized visual language for coding specific meaning.”

- Anna SchachteKristine Moran

lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. She received her MFA from Hunter College in New York after at-taining her BFA at the Ontario College of Art and Design in To-ronto. Moran has ex-hibited in solo shows at Nicelle Beauchene (New York) and Dan-iel Faria Gallery (To-ronto). Her work has been exhibited in nu-merous group shows, including Rogue Ele-ment at RH+ (Istan-bul), Power of Se-lections at Western Exhibitions (Chica-go) and The Big Gift: Calgary Celebrates Contemporary Art at Glenbow Museum (Calgary). Moran’s work was featured in Phaidon’s Vitamin P2, and her work has been acquired by several international public collections, including the Saatchi Collection (London, U.K.).

Circles and Sequences: Lis Rhodes and Elisabeth SubrinTaking its starting point from the name of the Women’s

film and video distribution organisation co-founded by Lis Rhodes in the 1970s, this sequence of screenings engages with questions of representation, politics, language and per-ception.

Friday 28 November – Saturday 13 December 2014Lis Rhodes Light Reading (1979)B &W, 16mm transferred to video, 20’A key experimental feminist filmmaker, Lis Rhodes fuses

political intent with material means to question the ideologi-cal underpinnings of the language of cinema, culture, society and politics. Breaking down formal cinematic structures, dis-connecting sound and image, narrative and conclusion, and alluding to photography, writing, performance, collage and political analysis, she explores the authority of language.

A Curious AssortmentElizabeth D’Agostino

A Curious Assortment is an ongoing series of multi-layered prints which illus-trate animal nature and the complexities of the chang-ing landscape. This series explores ideas surround-ing cohabitation, muta-tion and disappearance as they relate to the rapidly producing populations that continually alter the landscape. D’Agostino’s in-terests in biodiversity and naturalistic forms within architecture have evolved into invented environ-

ments merging elements both imagined and real.

D’Agostino holds a BFA from the University of Windsor and a MFA from Southern Illinois Univer-sity. Her work has been exhibited in Canada and internationally including Iziko: Museum of Cape Town, South Africa, Man-hattan Graphics Center, New York, and The Print Center, Philadelphia. D’Agostino is the recipi-ent of many awards and is the current recipient of the Hexagon Special Projects Fellowship at Open Studio, Toronto.

Daniel Faria Gallery

N O V E M B E R 0 8 – N O V E M B E R 3 0 , 2 0 1 4

188 St Helens Avenue1

231 2

x

x

N O V E M B E R 2 8 - J A N U A RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 4 / 1 5 MERCER UNION

31286 BLOOR Street West

x

N O V 1 3 - J A N U A R Y 1 0 , 2 0 1 4 / 1 5 LOOP GALLERY

1273 Dundas Street West

11

Community Contributions

The Bloordale Times November 2014

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