Where are you going little one?
On Monday evening This Is Not A Reading Series will celebrate the launch of the new collection of essays, Toronto: A City Becoming. The event will feature some of Toronto’s illustrious Globe and Mail columnists: John Barber, John Allemang and Sarah Milroy; along with photographer Michael Awad, author Linda McQuaig and the collection’s editor, David McFarlane, as they speculate with the guiding hand of CBC employee, Jian Ghomeshi, the complexities, and potential, and all the what-ifs of Toronto’s burgeoning future.
It promises to be an interesting night and Gadzooks! plans to be there and is eager to hear what these folks have to say.
In the meantime, Gadzooks! has been asking our own questions about the city and, in response to fury that suggested otherwise, what exactly is required to bring Toronto to become “world class”. Below are some of the answers we’ve received over the last couple of years:
1. KILL the car.
2. As far as I'm concerned, there is no need to have that label, and too much time is being spent on competing with other cities that are simply not as good as Toronto, so why bother?
3. Support the arts, keep the peace, encourage great acts of kindness
and think big.
4. Rename Chicago “Toronto”? Or sequins…lots and lots of sequins!
5. Stop using the adjective “world class”, especially in relation to ourselves.
6. Stop tearing down architecture that has even a REMOTE amount of history to it. What’s happening with this cityscape? Bring some culture back into it and get that "architorture" OFF the beachfront.
7. We can stop asking ourselves if we are “world class”.
8. Better transit both in the city and definitely for all those commuters. We also need to respect the history and architecture of neighbourhoods. Sticking another condo tower in the next up-and-coming trendy area isn’t “world class”.
9. More support for the artists.
10. Speed up global warming so that we get less winter.
11. Extend the subway and GO transit system. Make sure it reaches faaaaar out to the North end of the city, through Thornhill, into Richmond Hill, and out to the east and west. Take a look at the London Tube map for example. We need to sign-post our city landmarks for tourists, we need more off-leash parks for the dogs, less road rage, and these days, less gun violence.
12. We need to build some more subway lines, and put up tollbooths around the city to discourage car use.
13. We already are! Now turn off the computer and get out there!
14. Stop questioning. Toronto already is.
15. Appreciate it's people.
16. Maybe we should stop asking that question and just start doing it. That, and make sure there are more cabs around. World class cities have ubiquitous cabs – even if they are all always full.
17. Torontonians have to stop being shy of their culture and identity; something is happening here right now; I can feel it and I want to be part of it!
18. A thoughtfully developed waterfront would make Toronto a world-class city.
19. Each neighborhood should organize, clean and decorate. Bloor West Village is usually charming and the atmosphere in and around Church Street is always fun and inviting.
20. Be aware of the condition of the environment!! Take care of the Lakeshore and don't use Lake Ontario as a garbage can. Stop proliferation of condos. Reintroducing life in downtown Toronto like in major European metropolises has to be done. That means: controlling pollution, stopping proliferation of condos, and improving human life conditions.
21. “World class” city…is there a city that is not “world class”?
22. Add more Bingo halls, and have less Roots/LuLuLemon stores.
23. We are doing a pretty good job, but we could always invite and host more delegates from other countries to come and discuss globalization and its impact on the way we all interact.
24. Pray.
25. Next question!
26. I love Toronto and I love the people...it's just that the surroundings are pretty boring. I think to make it world-class we should pick it up (the downtown core) and smash it down in the middle of Vancouver, on top of all those nice condos they are building. And just because I am a kind soul, we will make sure to evacuate all its inhabitants before we do this. I'm sure they can all find another place to be elitist snobs.
27. Let’s start by asking the people that are setting the criteria and then do that!
28. Contribute more of the government’s money to helping the homeless, and the abused. We're using money to make the rest stops for truck drivers more modern and complex.
29. TO is great, but a few things; clean up the lakeshore, focus on solutions for the homeless and poverty, pay more positive attention to the elderly, adopt animals from shelters (or donate), say hi to people on the street and stop talking about god and baby jesus as a means of explaining our existence (seriously, you just sound crazy).
30. Eradicate prejudice, support the homeless and have a massive public transportation system to get rid of cars to ease pollution.
31. I really like that Toronto seems to be really, really pushing our arts here as of late. More of that. Also we need to stop wishing it was New York .
32. To make Toronto a world-class city we need to let it flourish in every way.
33. We can build a decent public transit system, stop cutting trees (at Cherry Beach, for example), stop building condos, and stop naming buildings of cultural significance after large corporations. Having said all that, I think that Toronto is a world-class city.
34. Stop trying so hard.
35. Write songs about it.
36. More sidewalk musicians, Pedestrian Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Fridays - more outdoor art festivals, more street festivals, more more more theatre in the park, more murals, less billboards. More words.
37. I already thought it was? Half the people in my neighbourhood don't really speak English.
38. We can take care of our vulnerable, honour Native land claims and stop treating women and children like shit.
39. Stop trying so hard. Hasn't everyone been to Sneaky Dee's. Duh! It already is one.
40. I would suggest installing an ocean...is that doable?
41. What does that mean “world-class city”? Are you talking about to live in, ‘cause I think just by having the kinds of winter we do, we are out of the running.
42. Take out an ad in all of the newspapers in the world and tell everyone why it is. You may actually convince them.
43. Why do we waste our time? What does it even mean to be world class? And who is judging? I've spent a lot of time in NYC and think it is a hole, but “they” say it is world class. I say screw anyone that wants to label a city “world class” if you like the city, go there, if not, we don't want you!
44. Bring in a world-class football (soccer) team so that those of us that find the need can really get behind them! Especially in the shower!!
45. Give David Miller a part on Degrassi. I've learned first hand that being on TV comes with a healthy amount of new-found popularity…and by "new found popularity" I mean to say "people who expect the money they lent you to be returned."
46. Legalize pot here and only here!
47. Make the roads less bumpy, and work on Transit
48. It's doing a really good job of it all by itself. Who am I to interfere with that momentum?
49. For Pete's sake I haven't been here long enough
50. Better access to beer and liquor, and more Starbucks!
51. Re-evaluate the Alcohol and Gaming Commission/Liquor Licensing Act's archaic almost Victorian rules and regulations. If we want to appear world class we have to stop acting like a country that allows our every step to be regimented and controlled. The country will not fall apart if we had greater access to alcohol. It would probably lower the chances of alcoholism by allowing people to make mature decisions all on their own.
52. If Toronto wanted to be world class they would educate the public rather than find ways of trying to entertain people, make the green bin program standard in all condos, enforce the green bin program everywhere, Replace the Gardiner Expressway with better public transit (I think electric cable buses are a great idea), add more green spaces, increase number of bike lanes and "pedestrian only" spaces, endorse community-building, tell the streetcar driver who thinks he's a lounge singer to not quit his day job, free hot chocolate for everyone!
53. Toronto is up there already it just needs to stop with the desire to be there and just exist! Too many times I've read about making Toronto World class, well I grew up in NYC and it in totally different then here, but totally the same in so many ways. It's just a much smaller scale.
54. Isn't it already?
55. Hmmm. Just self proclaim it. That's how I became an “expert” in my field.
56. Aren't we already? Domi and Stronach?! Only in Toronto.
57. Have a better public transit system. MONORAIL! Car-free days in the summer? I'd love it if more apartment buildings had composting. I don't have a lot of complaints really, except the summer smog. Oooh! in Manhattan they have the BEST Halloween, the whole city flocks down to the lower east side for the most massive unbelievable city parade. There’s a tranny parade too. If we had something like that, I wouldn't have to go down there every year.
58. Continue doing what you are doing. People will get the hint! Oh, and this... HEY EVERYBODY, THE T-DOT IS A WORLD CLASS CITY!!!
59. More historical buildings, less condos, more trees, less cars, more bikes!
60. Define "world class". In my own interpretation of the term, I think that we already are (our transit system, bicycle network, affordable housing shortage, and energy consumption could use a little help, of course). But taking all criteria into account, we're a pretty livable and tourism-worthy city, in my humble opinion. Consider the alternatives.
61. It already is, isn't it? Seriously, coming from Moncton, this is as world class as it gets in my eyes
62. Having lived in a few different places I think that Canadians and, in particular, Torontonians are word class people and Toronto is one of the best places anyone could come to and live in.
63. Stop all these namby-pamby NIMBYs from stopping good ideas like the Island Airport and the St. Clair right-of-way. And no, the two ideas aren’t at odds.
64. Invite the Queen, Hu Jintao (ruler of China ), the Pope, The Dalai lama, and Bush to come visit all at the same time.
65. Keep nuclear arms in the CN Tower. That will really catch a lot of attention and consolidate our identity in the community of the whole wide world. We can throw a charming and charismatic dictator in there too – it will bring about all sorts of tourists!
66. Perhaps lose the preoccupation with being "world class." And better food would help
67. The structure of Toronto is wrong. We have too many councillors, a mayor with no teeth, and a power imbalance between municipalities and the province…It is impossible to build a 'world class' city on property taxes, nor from money doled out by higher governments…Once we get people moving efficiently again the economy will accelerate and poverty will reduce. Once we eliminate the 400 series parking lots, air quality will improve and parents can spend more time with their children. Then we will convert Queen Street to a historic cultural strip with cobblestone paving, covered biking lanes, quiet walkways with manicured gardens. The restored 19th century buildings will house poets, musicians, artists, funky stores and creative foods. The lakeshore will be visible as much as possible, and will not be owned solely by towering glass condominiums. The Gardiner will be restored to a garden, Lakeshore Blvd. to a winding parkway, and museums, galleries and parks will encourage people to stroll around and find peace by the lake.
If you have made it this far, and have done a close reading of the list, you might have noticed that the majority of our contributors seem to think Toronto’s already doing OK. Maybe all this navel-gazing is killing a good thing? Gadzooks! will continue exploring this issue after we've heard from the panel of experts on Monday night.