the bloordale times vol. 3 issue 4 // june 2015

www.theblooordaletimes.wordpress.comJUNE 2015 VOLUME 3 ISSUE 5

Neighbourhood news worth repeating

INSIDEPAULINE & BLOOR SPOT OPEN

ONCE AGAINBurdock looks to revive the long-

time restaurant space Page 3

LOCAL CHIROPRACTOR OFFERS LESSON

Sonya Hamilton talks about ‘sciatica’ and its treatment

Page 9

NEW BAKERY FINDS HOME AT BLOOR AND LANSDOWNE European sweets ready for purchase at Fit & Sweets

Page 6

METROLINX BRIDGE PLANS

DISCUSSEDBY JUSTI N [email protected]

In an effort to consider public opinion, Metrolinx gathered the local community at the Daven-port Perth Neighbourhood Cen-tre on May 12 to discuss plans for the Davenport rail overpass, ex-pected to be rooted in 2017.

In the May 12 meeting, over 150 eager residents received the uncompromising news that an overpass bridge will be built in their neighbourhood. That bridge, estimated to cost roughly $120 Million, will stretch 1.6 km in length (from Bloor St. to Dav-enport Rd.) and will take up to two years to build.

The intent, said Metrolinx, is to eliminate the “Davenport Diamond”, one of the country’s busiest train intersections. As it stands today, the diamond has CP rail freight trains and GO passenger trains cross on ground level.

The news wasn’t taken particu-larly well among the community. The alternative solution, an un-derground corridor that would...

TIMES

THE

BLOORDALEB

see METROLINX page 2

DUNDAS WEST INVADED BY PARADE AND LOCAL FESTIVAL

Portugal Day Parade See Page 7 for Photos

Dundas West Fest See Page 7 for Photos

(top) Hundreds flooded Dundas St. W. to commemorate Portuguese culture on June 14. (bottom) On June 6, the third annual Dundas West Fest celebrated its biggest festival to date.

02

Opinon ~ News

The Bloordale Times June 2015

BY MICHAEL [email protected]

“Government policy has noth-ing to do with common sense.”

- Sir Humphry Applebee in the British television comedy Yes, Minister (1981).

Imagine one day you showed up for work, and your boss tells you there’s going to be a few changes. You’re still expected to perform, but without access to the Internet, or pen, or paper. You’d be certain to tell your boss that they are setting you up to fail.

This is the curious recent case between Jennifer Keesmaat, chief planner of the City of Toronto, and Mayor John Tory.

In recent weeks, there has been intense discussion about the fu-ture of the Gardiner Express-way’s eastern section – whether to keep it as is (through the de-ceptively misnamed “hybrid” op-tion) or to tear it down in order to create an urban boulevard, thereby improving access to the waterfront.

The trend in large cities across the world has been to remove elevated expressways in city cen-tres. In recent memory, urban

highways have been removed in places as diverse as San Fran-cisco, Seoul, Portland, Paris and New York, freeing up space to create new and vibrant districts for all to enjoy. Closer to home, Vancouver is currently debat-ing removing its Georgia St. and Dunsmuir St. Viaducts.

In this, Jennifer Keesmaat has been doing her job in an exem-plary fashion: building not only a case for the Eastern Gardiner’s removal, but also bringing that case to the public, often via so-cial media. At a recent planning conference, Ms. Keesmaat made this clear, stating “a planner is an expert. A planner brings exper-tise into the conversation.”

This is her job. And doing it earned her the wrath of the May-or.

Within the past weeks, Nick Kouvalis, John Tory’s confidant and campaign manager, took to Twitter to savagely attack her for her views, saying that her per-sonal (read: professional) opin-ions should be kept private. Af-ter a closed-door meeting with the mayor before Council’s vote, Ms. Keesmaat’s Twitter account went suspiciously silent.

Though I find him one of the most repugnant and vile politi-

cal operatives in Canada, I can agree with Mr. Kouvalis’ argu-ment that civil servants need to be politically neutral in order to serve the public faithfully. What Mr. Kouvalis fails to understand through his vicious partisanship is that planners occupy a unique and challenging position in the civil service: the very nature of their profession requires plan-ners to be both bureaucrat and activist at the same time.

Take the proposed McNicholl bus garage in Scarborough as an example. This project would al-low the TTC to significantly im-prove efficiency in the north-east sector of the city, an area that is chronically underserved by pub-lic transit. These efficiencies, in turn, can then be rolled into in-

creased service hours in Scarbor-ough.

However, area residents con-tinue their opposition to the garage, despite the TTC go-ing to great lengths to allay the concerns regarding the project, including noise, emissions, traf-fic impact and more. They even managed to get Jim Karygiannis – a largely undistinguished MP for over 25 years and now City Councillor for Ward 39 – on board with their short-sighted agenda.

Democracy is more than the loudest people getting their way. It involves a professional civil service that allows a certain continuity and ability for public bodies to act beyond the protes-tations of a curmudgeonly repre-

sentative. Their role is to propose sound public policy, and to com-municate it clearly to the public.

There will be those that dis-agree; any political decision makes winners and losers. But it is important to separate the wheat from the chaff, and those who demonize the professional civil service - be it by citizen or representative - should be sub-ject to the same scrutiny that they level at the experts whose opinions they criticize.

Michael Kushnir is a community engagement specialist that calls Wallace-Emerson home. As a matter of proactive disclosure, he wishes to mention that he works for an arms-length agency of the City of Toronto.

POLITICS: THE SPACE SEPARATING PUBLIC POLICY AND PUBLIC OPINION

...have an estimated cost of $650 Million, was dismissed by Metrolinx prior to public

consultation - the attribution of which being cost and community impact. According to Metrolinx, the timeline for underpass con-struction would take up to seven years.

“Why do we have to sit here and take this?” asked one resident amid many grunts of discontent.

Despite a passionate cry for reconsideration, the meeting even-tually forged several group discussions about construction ideas for the bridge overpass. Metrolinx has promised the City of To-ronto a substantial sum of money meant to go toward beautify-ing the structure. While no firm figure was disclosed, Metrolinx revealed that 1.5 per cent of the Eglinton Crosstown project was allocated for community benefit.

“The whole session felt very placated and felt like we were ad-hering to a PR handbook,” said one local resident in response to the meeting. “Saying this is what’s going forward, what kind of bells and whistles we can put on something.

After roughly 20 different round table discussions, a number of common suggestions and concerns were voiced and noted. Con-cerns about noise, community safety, property value and overall aesthetics were echoed among each group. Suggestions included a well lit environment, commercial zoned areas, a train stop at Bloor St. and Lansdowne Ave. and space allocated for art.

Metrolinx is awaiting an environmental assessment of the proj-ect before starting construction. The assessment will consider a number of factors including traffic implications, noise pollution, vibration levels and air quality as result of construction.

METROLINX from page 1

On a recent weekday evening, Damon Hankoff sat at Burdock’s pa-tio playing his accordion, the music forming a duet with the static rush of traffic and snatches of conversation heard on Bloor Street West.

He kept a half pint of Beau’s Or-ganic St Luke’s Verse, a lavender-fla-voured gruit, close at hand. Testing out the new Bloordale establish-ment’s rotating selection of brews was not what drew him here, how-ever. Later that night he was to play a show inside.

With the launch of Burdock (1184 Bloor St. W.), which opened April 3, co-owner Matt Park and the rest of his team are hoping to strike a chord with musicians like Hankoff, offer-ing not only a bar, restaurant, and soon-to-be-completed brewery, but a live music venue, too.

“We isolated the whole room from the rest of the world, basically, so it’s like a room within a room, so no sound gets in or out,” said Park, describing the concert hall just off the homey dining area adorned with all the potted greenery one might expect in a place named after a plant.

Rubber cinderblocks act as aural insulation, and shelves of different depths, widths, and heights affect how sound bounces off the room’s walls.

“The idea there is to break up

the sound randomly throughout the room, kind of like you would want in a studio so you don’t have any dead spots or amplified spots,” Park explained.Hankoff’s first impression of the

room suggests that effort wasn’t for naught.

“It seems to have a very good acoustic, and it’s just very beautiful. I mean, all the hardwood, it looks re-ally good, but it also sounds good,” he said.

Adrian Underhill, a musician him-self, handles event booking along-side Charlotte Cornfield. With the bookings, the focus will mostly be on “more intimate shows,” said Un-derhill, adding, “We’re not doing too many super-loud acts.”

Underhill’s making a concerted ef-fort to feature local musicians on the programming, but bigger touring acts will also be a part of the mix.

“There’s a lot of musicians right in this neighbourhood and that’s one of the pieces of feedback we’ve gotten is that if not for no other reason people are really stoked to just play shows closer to their homes and their neigh-bourhood,” he said.

Like the homegrown musical tal-ent showcased within, Burdock also puts a local twist on dining. Its menu is bolstered by local produce sourced from the nearby FoodShare and farmers co-ops.

“We’re really just interested in showcasing local ingredients and get-ting our hands on whatever we can,” said Park.

The menu will change with the weather, evolving based on the season and what ingredients are available at any given time, said chef Jeremy Den-nis. So far, Dufferin Doubles ($5), a sour dough take on Trinidadian pat-ties, have been an early hit with cus-tomers, he said. Dennis also serves up snacks like the Charred Asparagus Salad, while Buckwheat Linguine ($16) and Braised Lamb Shoulder ($19) with barley and kidney beans are on the menu’s dinner section.

Burdock’s approach to the bar and forthcoming brewery – expected for late summer or early fall – mirrors its local-learning efforts found in the kitchen and on the stage. Bottles from Ontario vintners dominate the wine list, and a selection of craft brews and ciders from the province

and Quebec are on tap - though it’s tough to say which ones. “Our beer list changes every single night, some-times multiple times in a night,” said Park. “We’ll blow through a keg, and we’ll just throw something new on every time, so you never really know what’s gonna be on tap.” For an idea of what to expect, a recent version of the menu included Spirit Tree Dry-Hopped Cider and La Trou du Diable L’Apocalypso, described as a tropical strong beer.

Meanwhile, Park is already thinking of concoctions to brew up in the metallic kettles and fer-menters to the back of the bar.

“I really want to do some-thing with the guys from Food-Share, and they’re gonna have a big strawberry harvest this year, so we’re thinking about trying to incorporate that into a batch,” he said, hinting at a pos-sible wheat beer.

As for what drew Park and his business interests to the area, he said, “There’s so much going on here, there’s so many musicians in this neck of the woods, there’s so many unique businesses, too.” Now, with Bur-dock, there’s one more to add to that list.

03

New Business


PAULINE AND BLOOR HOME TO NEW MULTI-PURPOSE RESTAURANT

Once home to a long-standing portuguese restaurant, Burdock looks to make its mark. Photos by Joshua Sherman

BY JOSHUA [email protected]

BY ORHAN [email protected]

Twenty-two years after Jurassic Park (1993) opened its doors to visitors for the first time, some-thing we never got to see has fi-nally happened. The Park, for the first time, is open for business.

Appropriately named Juras-sic World this time around, the movie tells the story of Claire Deerling (Bryce Dallas Howard), opps manager of Jurassic World, whose two nieces visit the park the same day a genetically mutat-ed dinosaur is shown to investors for the first time. Of course things go wrong in an epic fashion, and the island once again becomes a war-ground for survival. Claire

attempts to get her nieces to safe-ty and ditches her high-heels in the process. Accompanying her is Owen (Chris Pratt of Guardians of Galaxy) an ex-military Raptor Trainer, who is Claire’s only hope of survival.

No character arc in Jurassic World is masterfully executed, and there is a lot that is left the-matically incomplete or under-developed. But it is all adequate enough for us to care about the story and the characters.

Jurassic World, despite its shortcomings, exudes a great deal of wonder. If there is one thing that this film delivers it’s a great time.

What is interesting about the Jurassic series is how meta its ex-

pression has been. Over two de-cades ago, Jurassic Park landed as a brilliant piece of filmmak-ing, an unforgettable larger than life family adventure. But to us, the appeal could be described as much more simple. It was the fact that the art of cinema was no lon-ger learning to walk. Everything imagined was now coming to life. It was the promise that we would see dinosaurs. Real. Alive. Walk-ing. Roaring. Terrorizing.

We walked into the theater to see dinosaurs alive in a film where people go to a tropical is-land to see dinosaurs alive. Juras-sic World, surviving the test of time, protects the meta approach. It is not interesting enough for people to see dinosaurs anymore,

says Claire, “people want bigger, better, scarier, cooler” just like the movie audience that was once amazed with a T-Rex stepping into a mud pile.

Jurassic World executes a rare feat. It manages to become a big-ger, not necessarily better, but a worthy version of the original. It delivers all the necessities of a summer movie while staying true to what made the first one great -- relatable characters, exciting scenes, family friendly violence, humor and danger.

Director Colin Trevorrow de-livers thrills through the emo-tions of his characters, focusing on worried faces instead of the action itself. He builds suspense rather than relying on an assault

of sound and visuals. He is no-where as good at it as Spielberg was, but good enough to keep you invested.

Those with a good memory might find everything a little too familiar, as if it’s a reimagining rather than a sequel. Maybe that was exactly what the filmmak-ers were going for -- an updated version of a classic that can ap-peal to the kids of today and the franchise fans of yesteryear. In any case, it is hard to not to be impressed with the execution of Jurassic World. Unlike many ro-botic reboots and sequels of the present, Jurassic World has you on the edge of your seat again, joyfully humming along to its iconic theme music.

LOCAL FILM MAKER REVIEWS BLOCKBUSTER HIT JURASSIC WORLD

Running Time: 120 minutes (translation 2 hours)

Writer/Director: Paul Feig

Actors: Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne, Jude Law, Jason Statham, Allison Janney, Miranda Hart

The Review:We’ve all seen our fair share of

spy movies - the Bond franchis-es, the Mission Impossibles, the Bourne movies, and even Austin Powers. One could say that we’ve seen it all when it comes to the spy genre. But what SPY brings us is a fresh new perspective - the elusive female lead comedy spy.

Women and Hollywood have had an odd relationship since the beginning of motion picture. Men are paid more, given more speak-ing roles, and are marketed more; all due to the industry’s use of male driven demographics (prov-ing male spending and viewing is much higher than women at the box office). In a 2014 study by Martha M. Lauzen entitled It’s a Man’s (Celluloid) World: on Screen Representations of Female Characters in Top 100 Films of 2014, Lauzen points out some in-credibly disturbing facts:

Female characters remained dramatically under-represented as protagonists (15%), major characters (29%), and speaking (major and minor) characters

(30%) in the top grossing films of 2013.

Only 13% of the top 100 films featured equal numbers of ma-jor female and male charac-ters.

Female characters were young-er than their male counterparts and were more likely than males to have an identifiable marital sta-tus. Further, females characters were less likely than males to have clearly identifiable goals or be portrayed as leaders of any kind.

If you have watched the last two Academy Awards Shows you would have seen some pretty powerful acceptance speeches by winning actresses. Cate Blanchett started the ball rolling with her speech for Best Leading Actress, pointing to the 4 women in front of her who all drew big box of-fice grosses that year, equalling a whopping $533 million in ticket sales. Yet Patricia Arquette creat-ed an avalanche with her speech at this year’s 87th Academy Awards, pointing out the vast pay discrep-ancies between men and women not only in the movie industry, but around the world. These speeches seem to reflect the current state of affairs; however, sexism and age-ism has existed in Hollywood for years. In a 2011 interview with Vogue Magazine, Meryl Streep re-ported that once she turned 40 she was offered three roles that same year... all to play witches. “Some-how women past the childbearing age are seen as grotesque in some way” Streep went on to say.

But, times they are a chan-gin. In the last few years, women have proven that they can carry a box office by themselves, nullify-ing one of the age old arguments that Hollywood has used to ex-cuse themselves of making female driven films. Here are some recent box office numbers from female driven blockbusters:

Scarlet Johansson - Lucy: $126,663,600, Sandra Bullock - Gravity: $274,092,705, and Melissa McCarthy - Brides-maids: $169,106,725,Tam-my: $84,525,432, The Heat: $159,582,188.

The other argument: “that men go to the theatre and purchase more tickets than women” no longer exists. The 2013 and 2014 MPAA Theatrical Market Statis-tics blows up this old Hollywood argument. The 2014 report states: The gender composition of mov-iegoers (people who went to a movie at the cinema at least once in the year) in 2014 skewed slight-ly more towards women than the overall population, while tickets sold continued to be split evenly between both genders. Gender shares of population, moviegoers and tickets sold are identical to 2013.

And along comes SPY.Melissa McCarthy has proven

she can drive the box office all by herself, and with SPY, she is out to break down all of the sexist and ageist walls that have been stand-ing in Hollywood for decades. At 44, McCarthy, is just coming into

stride and SPY proves it.The Heat gave the audience a

taste of what a female driven cop movie looked like, and audiences responded well with the domes-tic box office gross hitting nearly $160 million. SPY has taken that momentum and has set out to shake the spy genre to its core. This hybrid dramedy is near per-fection, and Writer/Director Paul Feig (creator of Freaks and Geeks, Director of BridesMaids) is the mastermind behind this film - a would be offspring of a one night stand between James Bond and Mel Brooks. The film soars with sharp, vibrant and believable ac-tion, looking and sounding like a James Bond film, then makes a quick left turn with guttural co-medic scenes as if it were right out of a Mel Brooks script. This endearing mixture of action and comedy draws you in throughout the 2 hours.

But the true genius of SPY is the

feminist subplot, beautifully hid-den behind car chases and explo-sions. The film very obviously (if you are a woman) reinforces the typical weak and meek sexist roles played by women in traditional spy films, and suddenly (and seamlessly) flips the gender roles between strong male driven char-acters and weaker sexy or come-dic female characters. Feig’s use of Jason Statham in SPY as a counter argument to typecasting is both brilliant and hilarious.

Nevertheless, let’s put all of the gender equality and feminist sub-plots aside, and appreciate SPY for what it really is: a fun and en-joyable summer blockbuster film that gives you equal parts action to equal parts comedy, ensuring both women and men moviego-ers have a very entertaining time at the theatre.

Overall Grade: 4 1/2 stars*Scoring System is based on a 5

Star System

04

Feature


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*EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/ART....Justin Millerson*ASSOCIATE EDITOR....Melissa Millerson*COPY EDITORS....Rob Lamberti*ADVERTISING....Justin Millerson*CONTRIBUTORS.... Sonya Hamilton, Jessica Berry, Michael Kushnir, Jennifer Baer, Orhan Sumen, Britnei Bilhete, Joshua Sherman

**The Bloordale Times is published monthly and distibuted within Ward 18’s boundaries and neighbouring areas. 10,000 copies are de-livered door-to-door, to local businesses and areas of interest. Call or email us with your story ideas or to inquire about our advertising rates**

THE

TIMESBLOORDALEB

FILM BUFF APPLAUDS ‘SPY’ FOR USING FEMALE LEAD IN MALE DOMINATED INDUSTRYBY 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

June 12 marks a year since I was elected as your Member

of Provincial Parliament for Davenport, and what a year it has been! I am so proud to have the opportunity to repre-sent such an actively engaged and diverse community every day at Queen’s Park.

This month also marks eight months since I opened my new constituency office in Bloordale, and I am so happy to be a part of such a fantastic community here.

We have accomplished so much this year. On May 5, my first Private Member’s Bill, An Act to Proclaim the Month of October as Hispanic Heritage Month, received Royal Assent. With Hispanic Heritage Month, our province will finally recognize the rich contributions of Hispanic-Cana-dians to Ontario. October will serve as an opportunity to

remember, celebrate and educate future generations about the outstanding achievements and contributions of Hispanic-Canadians to our great province.

On April 24, I welcomed Minister of Finance Charles Sousa to Bellwoods Brewery to make the exciting announcement that the 2015 Ontario Budget removes the red tape which will allow this fine small brewer to move to Davenport! Since I was elected in June 2014 I worked on behalf of small brewers such as Bellwoods Brewery and Indie Ale House who were unable to expand to a second retail location due to a minimum production threshold. I actively met with the AGCO, the Ministry of Finance, the Attorney General’s Office as well as the Premier’s Office to discuss what I was as an archaic parameter which disadvantaged our small brewers here in Toronto. I’m so glad to see that this regulation change which I championed was included in our 2015 Budget.

In addition to my role as MPP, I also serve as the Parliamentary Assistant (PA) to the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and International Trade. On May 28, Bill 49 – The Ontario Immigra-tion Act, received Royal Assent. I worked very hard on this Bill and I am happy that Ontario is now the second province after Quebec that has its own immigration legislation.

I am also very proud of the work our government has done this past year. We have made significant progress in establishing the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan (ORPP). As well, we introduced a cap and trade system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This system will set a limit on the amount of greenhouse gas pollution that can be emitted, reward innovative compa-nies, provide certainty for industries, create more opportunities for investment in Ontario and improve our quality of life.

I’m excited by our province’s historic $31.5 billion investment in infrastructure. The significant investment in Regional Express Rail (RER) will benefit the Davenport community as funding has been allocated for the electrification of the Barrie and Kitchener GO lines and the Union-Pearson Express that run through our riding. As well, a new GO Station has been announced at Eglinton and Caledonia, connecting with the Crosstown LRT.

COUNCILLOR ANA BAILÃO 416-392-7012

Over the past month many of you have engaged directly with me over the phone, by email, in the community and through the survey that I posted on my website soliciting your feedback on what to do with the Gardiner East, located between Jarvis Street and the Don Valley Parkway.

After researching the options, consulting with different stake-holders, going on a site visit and re-ceiving feedback from Ward 18 res-idents, I decided that I would vote to remove the Gardiner East and replace it with a street level boule-vard, much like University Avenue, which can facilitate both the move-ment of pedestrians and vehicles.

It is clear to me that removing the Gardiner East is the fiscally pru-dent thing for the City to do while still maintaining a link to the Don

Valley Parkway. It will save us from spending an additional $458 mil-lion on the capital, operating, and maintenance costs for the Hybrid option and allow us to redirect that money to other priorities.

More people are choosing to trav-el into the downtown core on public transit than ever before. I feel that it is important to spend your hard earned tax dollars on projects that will expand public transit options to make the Downtown Relief Line, Smart Track, and others, a priority.

By utilizing the additional 12 acres of City owned land that would be made available by removing the Gardiner East, we would be able to spur more development, more af-fordable housing, more jobs, and create $137 million in revenue for the City. By unlocking the value of this land, it will also help us further expand the property tax base and provide more revenue in order to address the fiscal challenges our city is facing.

By the time you are reading this, it is likely that Council will have made a decision on the Gardiner East and I am hopeful for a positive result. This is a once in a generation chance to open up the eastern wa-terfront for people and opportunity. I believe that we should seize that chance and build a city that we can be truly proud of for generations to come.

I am working hard to make sure the priorities that will serve our res-idents are well represented at City Hall. For more detailed information on my decision or to stay in touch, please visit my website at www.anabailao.com. As always, I will continue to work closely with you so we can build a great city where we can live, work and play.

Your neighbour,

Ana BailãoToronto City CouncillorWard 18, Davenport

MP ANDREW CASH 416-654-8048

When I was first elected in 2011 it was very unpopular to raise Toronto-specific issues in the House of Commons. I promised to change that and I’m proud to say that we’ve made a huge dif-ference over the last four years!

By working together we’ve won major cam-paigns, including saving Canadians $700 million/year by forcing the government to finally ban pay-to-pay fees on phone and internet bills. We saved a local post office from closure and ensured that the local GE Hitachi facility follows the rules of its license. And we were successful in forcing the government to back down from new fees that would hurt the local arts and culture economy.

Just in the last few weeks, we secured a huge win for unpaid interns, with the Con-servative government bowing to pressure to increase standard workplace protections for this group which is so often exploited.

Recently, we’ve made huge announcements on one of the big topics on everyone’s mind in Toronto: transit. In a speech in early June, NDP Leader Tom Mulcair an-nounced that we would commit to putting in place a system for long-term, predict-able, and stable funding for transit, with billions of extra dollars, so that cities have the security to make long-term transit investments.

TTC buses and trains are overcrowded, streetcars are in constant disrepair and our subway system has not kept pace with the city’s growth.

Toronto needs a robust and affordable transit system, and when Toronto’s transit is strong, gridlock decreases, billions of dollars are saved and vehicle emissions are cut back. We will make sure the city has the resources to make that happen.

Over these four short years I have put Toronto first in the House of Commons by advocating for Clean Trains and affordable public transit on the new Union-Pearson Express, standing up for our immigrant communities, and fighting to protect our civil liberties by opposing measures like Bill C-51.

I’ve championed issues facing urban workers in precarious work and the desperate need for affordable childcare and housing in Toronto.

I was elected to bring your concerns to Ottawa and together with the rest of the NDP’s Toronto team we have raised Toronto issues in the House of Commons more than any other MPs in recent history.

Together we can continue to deliver for Torontonians and ensure that the issues we face every day are the issues facing Parliament. I plan to keep fighting for Toronto both inside and outside the House of Commons.

05

Letters from your political representatives


Bloordale just got a whole lot sweeter.

Fit And Sweet Bakery lo-cated at 1298 Bloor St. W. will be having its grand opening today. The family owned shop will feature salad, sandwiches, organic gourmet coffee, loose leaf tea, and a selection of Ar-menian and European cakes, pastries, and cookies.

Owner Ella Bardanyan said the special ingredient in most of the house-baked sweets is honey.

“That’s why it’s ‘Fit and Sweet’... [it’s] much healthier,” she said.

Bardanyan and her family recently immigrated to Can-ada from Israel. Her husband Armen Bardanyan was work-ing construction on the top floor of the shop and became

a Bloordale business owner ‘by accident’ said store opera-tor Nana Solakian.

“He was renovating the up-stairs and he got a good offer,” Solakian said, “So he bought it.”

With over 20 years of busi-ness experience, Solakian stepped in to help her friends at Fit And Sweet Bakery which has already gotten their first large order even before the doors officially opened. A man wandered in yesterday, tried a pastry then ordered 50 more.

“Imagine, we haven’t opened the doors and we made our first sale,” Solakian said.

The opening promotion is a lunch combo; a soup, sand-wich and drink for $5.99.

New In Business

EUROPEAN BAKERY OPENS UP SHOP AT LANSDOWNE CORNERBY BRITNIE [email protected]

Armen and Ella Bardanya. The bakery specializes in European treats made from scratch. Photo by Britnie Bilhete

06 The Bloordale Times June 2015

At New Horizons Tower we celebrate our vibrant community of seniors. Th anks to our residents who bring a lifetime of wisdom,

experience, honesty and integrity to every day living. For this we are truly grateful, every month is seniors’ month at NHT!

Every month is seniors’ month at NHT

Come Join the Action!

1140 Bloor Street West • NewHorizonsTower.com CALL 416-536-6111 TODAY

With more events planned than ever, we invite you to discover quality custom service and retirement care options.

We invite you to book a personal tour and see for yourself what NHT has to off er in the heart of Bloordale Village.

Financial planning services and investment advice are provided by Royal Mutual Funds Inc. (RMFI). RMFI, RBC Global Asset Management Inc., Royal Bank of Canada, Royal Trust Corporation of Canada and The Royal Trust Company are separate corporate entities which are affiliated. RMFI is licensed as a financial services firm in the province of Quebec.® / ™ Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. RBC and Royal Bank are registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. ©2011 Royal Bank of Canada. Used under licence. 46136 (09/2011)

Valdemar Alves, CFP, FMA, RRC Financial Planner Investing and Retirement Planning 647-287-6816 [email protected]

I can help you plan for tomorrow – today.

07

Gallery


DUNDAS WEST FEST

PORTUGAL DAY PARADE

This page is a joint effort between the Bloordale Times and the Bloordale BIA to showcase local businesses.

Your business name here...If your business is on Bloor St. between Dufferin St. and Lansdowne

Ave. and you would like to advertise on this page, please call 647-961-4516

1222 Bloor St. W.416.531.1028

EPHINSTORE.comEPHIN.comSTOMPDOWN.ca

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In my practice, one of the most com-mon issues I get asked about is ‘sciatica’. So what actually is sciatica anyway? Sciatica is a term used to refer to pain which radi-ates along the sciatic nerve. Sciatic nerve pain is a symptom an underlying muscu-loskeletal problem. The sciatic nerve is the largest single nerve in our body. It begins from your lower lumbar region (L3), and travels through the buttock region, down the back of your thigh before it branches below the knee. When it becomes irritat-ed, you may experience leg pain/tingling/numbness, lower limb weakness, burning or ‘electrical’ sensations down the back of your leg from the buttock to the ankle.

The length of the sciatic nerve, and the fact that it originates from the low back, makes it susceptible to irritation from a number of different sources. Most com-monly, sciatic nerve issues result from

lumbar disc injury or herniation, degen-erative disc disease, spinal stenosis, and low back muscle strains. Additionally, it can arise from piriformis syndrome, as the nerve passes through the muscles in the buttock region. Pregnancy and sacroiliac joint issues can also lead to sciatic nerve pain. Some may find the pain is made worse with sitting, and sometimes the pain may not travel beyond the buttock.

Treatment for sciatic nerve pain is in-dividualized for each patient, due to the fact that the pain may come from one of many sources. If you encounter sciatic nerve pain, you should work with your chiropractor and family physician to de-termine the cause of your pain, and the best route of treatment. Exercise and ac-tivity are important steps you can take to-wards improving your symptoms. Staying active will keep your muscles conditioned, and will encourage movement in the spine resulting in an improved flow of nutrients to your ligaments and joints. You should avoid high impact activities, and continue

with your regular tasks and light exercise. Contrary to common belief, bed rest is not appropriate and may lead to your symp-toms being prolonged or worsened. Bed rest is only appropriate in rare cases if your pain is so severe you cannot move, and should be limited to only a day or two.

Some of the common recommendations I make to patients include walking, gentle strengthening of core muscles, stretching of target muscles, low impact aerobics, and nerve flossing. It is important to seek out advice on which activities would help your specific cause of sciatic nerve pain, as the wrong exercises may in fact worsen your symptoms. Chiropractic care helps to decrease your symptoms, and your chi-ropractor can provide advice on how to prevent future sciatic nerve pain from re-occurring. For most, symptoms of sciatica should resolve with appropriate conserva-tive treatment.

Dr. Sonya Hamilton is a local chiroprac-tor with a special interest in helping oth-ers to regain control of their own physical

wellness through education, exercise, and rehabilitation. She practices at Bloor West Health Centre at Jane and Bloor- you can learn more at www.drhamilton.ca

09

Health & Wellness


BY DR. JENNIFER BAERGot a [email protected]

Deep Abdominal Breath Work to Energize or Relax

Abdominal (diaphragmatic) breathing improves the blood flow, which leads to improved stamina and athletic activity. It also aids the flow of lymph, a fluid rich in im-mune cells, which helps prevent infection of the lungs and other tis-sues. But most of all it is an excel-lent tool to stimulate the relaxation response that results in less tension and an overall sense of well being.

Deep Abdominal Breathing Technique For Relaxation

Try this whenever you feel anx-ious, stressed, upset, angry, or are experiencing pain.

Sit up tall in a comfortable po-sition, allow your shoulders to fall back, and your neck, jaw and fore-head to relax. Tilt your chin very slightly down, and allow your eyes to rest gently on a spot a few feet ahead of you on the floor (or close them).

Place one hand on your abdo-men. As you inhale, feel your hand move away.

Take a slow deep breath in

through your nose, gently hold your breath for 3-6 seconds, then slowly and completely exhale through your nose or pursed lips. Gently contract your abdominal muscles to completely evacuate the remaining air from the lungs.

Repeat 9 more times for a total of 10 deep breaths (= 1 cycle). Start with at least 3 x 10-breath cycles daily, and gradually work up to 10 cycles or 100 breaths daily.

Try to return to your normal breathing with a little more aware-ness. Attempt to become more mindful of when your breathing becomes shallow and quick, and take a few deep breaths to get back on track.

Bellows Breathing Technique to Increase Energy

Try this exercise before reaching for caffeine. Short, quick, rhythmic breaths are used to increase ener-gy, by recreating the adrenal stim-ulation that occurs with stress and results in the release of energizing chemicals such as epinephrine. As such, the exercise is appropriate for occasional use as a pick me up, but should not be overused.

The Bellows Breathing Tech-nique (The Stimulating Breath)

Sit in a comfortable up-right position. With your mouth gen-tly closed, take a normal inhale through your nose, then pull in your abdominal muscles like a bi-cycle pump (a bellows) to force air out. Continue to rapidly “pump” your abdominal muscles alternate-ly forcing air out and letting it in.

The upstroke is inspiration and the downstroke is exhalation and both are equal in length. The rate of breathing is rapid with as many as 2-3 cycles of inspiration/expira-tion per second.

When starting out, try this ex-ercise for a 15-20 second cycle (count 40-50 breaths). With prac-tice, slowly increase the length of the exercise by 5 seconds each time. Do it as long as you are com-fortably able, not exceeding one full minute.

At the end of a cycle, slow the breaths down and on your last exhale, fully evacuate all air from the lungs. Follow with 2-3 deep abdominal breaths as described above. You may repeat the cycle 2-3 times.

CAUTION: There is a risk for hyperventilation that can result in loss of consciousness if done incorrectly, or for too long. Prac-tice in a safe place such as a bed or

chair. Start slowly, and gradually increase the length of the cycle and the number of times you repeat it.

Jennifer Baer is a Naturopathic Doctor & Digestive Health Ex-pert, in your neighbourhood. Ad-ditionally a trained chef & holistic

nutritionist, Dr. Baer sees diet & digestion as key cornerstones of long-term health promotion & dis-ease prevention. For more informa-tion about her services, please visit: www.drjenniferbaer.com

ASK YOUR BLOORDALE NATUROPATHIC DOCTOR - DR. JENNIFER BAER

Dr. Jennifer Baer, Naturopathic Doctor.

LOCAL CHIROPRACTOR OFFERS LESSON ON COMMON NERVE ISSUEBY SONYA [email protected]

Dr. Sonya Hamilton, Chiropractor.

TwistedFrame.ca

2015

11

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the bloordale times vol. 3 issue 4 // june 2015

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