Toronto may be the new venue for the G20. The Globe and Mail is reporting that the Feds are now realizing that Muskoka may not have the resources to house and secure guests arriving for the G20. Oops. It should have been obvious that even a modest make over would fall short of delivering the necessary requirements.

The Conservatives have been trying to frantically upgrade Muskoka’s infrastructure via a $50 million G8 Legacy Infrastructure Fund founded in February, another $5 million in security upgrades for the North Bay airport and other funding initiatives under the Economic Action Plan. More fuel to critics fire on the current government’s priorities favouring Conservative jurisdictions. This of course is Tony Clement’s home riding.

The trough of course looked deep enough for locals, close to $450 million worth of applications were chasing $50 million worth of the gravy. On the upside some short term construction jobs have been created. It is hoped that local tourism would get a boost as thousands of officials and media types migrate up to the area. It’s more likely that when the summit kicks off next summer that rich government officials will be enjoying cottage land while high paid security police block off potential protesters, terrorists and cottage goers. At least the local communities will benefit by having new facilities to host future events along with improved infrastructure.

Sad that by trying to snub Toronto and move both the G8 and G20 events to cottage country they will have to put at one here anyway. All lot of added expense for nothing. No question there will be immense pain with such a move for Torontonians. Traffic and security for these events, a nightmare! Perhaps the Government were trying to minimize the numbers of protesters close to the meetings by moving the summit away from an urban area? Well a private web-chat or conference call would have been preferred to the mountain of wasteful deficit spending for this circus ride.

This Sunday is the 5th Annual Human River. A free event explores the natural history of our city incorporating art and education. Human River is a project of the Toronto Public Spacing Committee in partnership with Coach House Books, LEAF, Lost Rivers of the Toronto Green Community, RiverSides, vanishingpoint.ca and wade.

Put on some blue clothing and join the volunteers as they explore the history of the Garrison Creek, a creek that still flows beneath our homes and roads. The walk begins on Sunday at 1:00 pm, leaving from the Pavilion at Christie Pits Park and finishes at Historic Fort York Blue Barracks with a closing reception at 5:30 pm.

One need not walk the whole downhill route, but those who do will be rewarded with different perspectives of Toronto. You will learn how the city continues to be shaped by Garrison Creek even today. Organizers can let you know points along the route to catch up with the “blue parade” if you can’t make it to Christie Pits for 1pm. Just email them at contact@humanriver.ca. You can also go to Fort York at 5:30pm. All are welcome at the closing reception.

This a great family event put on by some excellent volunteers (donations are welcome). This year blue Human River T-shirts will be available for a $15 donation, 2 Human River buttons will be available with a $5 donation.

Human River – Sunday October 25th
Free
Donations are welcome ($5 will buy 2 commemorative buttons, $15 at T-Shirt)
Starts at Christie Pits Pavillion at 1pm
Closing Reception at Fort York, Blue Barricks at 5:30pm

It’s always a pleasure to see a well crafted photo in person. PIKTO is providing a special treat in time for the film fest. Head down to their space and see a collection of Karsh portraits showing until November 6th. If you missed the exhibit at the McMichael this will be a great opportunity to see a great collection of Karsh’s famous portraits.

Pleased to hear a track from Saint Dirt Elementary School on this month’s Zunior Music Sampler. Saint Dirt Elementary School are an interesting mix of lap steel and jazz best seen and heard live at the cozy Tranzac club. Their latest release, Ice Cream Man Dreams, is a solid album.

As always Zunior is a great place to get quality independent Canadian Music via download. A lot of out of print releases are available often at higher resolution than iTunes and cost less! Toronto bands and labels are well represented but it never hurts to browse and discover others. The monthly sampler is a great way to start!

Saint Dirt Elementary School @ The Tranzac
292 Brunswick Avenue
Tuesday August 18th
$5 or PWYC

Yesterday afternoon’s Guinness Book of World Records attempt at largest guitar ensemble attempt was astounding. In 2007 Leinfelden-Echterdingen, Germany brought together 1,802 guitarists to play Smoke on the Water. Neil Young’s Helpless was to be The Great Canadian Tune to rally Toronto guitarists and beat the record. We were close. “Just” 1,623 made it! While just shy of the record seeing a city block wrapped with a line up of guitar players was pretty cool.

This weekend is a mini celebration of Toronto itself and it’s called Doors Open. You can take in 175 buildings of architectural, historic, cultural and/or social significance as they open their doors to the public for free. The Toronto Star’s coverage is a good place to start planning your trip. The scope of this event gets bigger and better every year. It’s great way to learn about what’s right there in your backyard. Buildings with a green roof, Toronto’s first post office, the old floor of the Toronto Stock Exchange and many more.

A TTC day pass will also com in handy. The TTC is often the best way to get from venue to venue (sometimes it’s a destination like Saturday’s TTC Eglinton Garage/Division tour).

Door’s Open – 10th Anniversary
A showcase of 175 buildings of architectural, historic, cultural and/or social significance
May 23rd to May 24th
FREE!

The photographers have been assembled. Luis Mora, Take More Photos and others will be at the Drake Hotel for The People’s Paparazzi, a special event as part of the CONTACT Photography Festival. A creative experiment blending photography, performance art, fashion and a party vibe. Curator Vanessa Gronowski vision of bringing together Toronto photo bloggers, party goers and the creatively curious will take shape. Photos and flash bulbs will be popping all night and the 10 best photos of the night will be printed and exhibited for sale at the Drake General Store.

The Peoples Paparazzi @ The Drake Hotel
1150 Queen Street West
Thursday May 14
9PM in the Free Lounge

I had the pleasure of catching up with CONTRA magazine contributing photographer Luis Mora in Hamilton last night. This Toronto vet had just a couple of days to put together a huge show. Damn! The aptly named “Last Minute Art Show” was Luis Mora’s addition to the Hamilton Art Crawl at the Assembly. The volume and quality of the work was impressive and considering that he put it together in less than a week it’s amazing.

The pieces are due to come down just as fast, probably by the end of this week. If you can’t make it down to Hamilton don’t fret. Luis will be one of 10 area photographers shown at the Drake Hotel’s “The People’s Paparazzi curated by Vanessa Gronowski and Studio Gallery. An exhibition part of this month’s CONTACT photography festival.

Luis Mora's massive collection of spraypaint stencils, sewn images and photography as part of the LAST MINUTE ART SHOW at the Assembly in Hamilton May 8th.

Jane’s Walk kicks off May 2nd and 3rd, rain or shine. Jane’s Walk is simply a series of free neighbourhood walking tours. A great way for people to connect (or reconnect) with their environment and with each other. Since its inception back in 2007 Jane’s Walk has been all over Canada and selected partner cities in the United States. The event is a wonderful way to celebrate Jane Jacobs and great way to spend an afternoon. Check the schedule for a walk near you, or better yet learn about another neighbourhood in our great city.

Jane’s Walk
May 2nd and May 3rd
(Various Locations)

http://janeswalk.net/participating_cities/toronto

Beautiful weather, barbecue, and bikes? This Sunday’s Pedal The Don looks to be a great cap to the weekend. From about 1pm to 3pm all are welcome to make the 17km journey along paved trails from Yonge and Lawrence down to the mouth of the Don River. (People are urged to register for this free event). It’s also a family friendly and the suggested participating age is 7 and up.

Pedal The Don
Sunday May 3rd

At the end of the ride there will be a cash BBQ to help support the Toronto and Region Conservational Authority.