Nice Day For A Visit...to PRISON!

The old Don Jail, around Broadview and Gerrard, has been rehabilitated (so to speak) into offices for the new Bridgepoint Health Centre.
I had been told some time ago that parts of the original building (cells, doors, walls, etc.) had been left intact as a public attraction. It's only open during business hours on weekdays, though; so, having a day off work, I thought I'd drop in.

They've done a lot of work on the grounds, demolishing the adjacent detention centre that had been there since the 1960s, and spiffing up the old building and grounds.
I took a few snaps during the demo, and Tweeted them, but here are a few "before and after" pics for this blog:

This is the detention centre being demolished last winter; you can see the old jail to its right.

After demolition, they worked on filling in basement levels, and leveling the grounds. The old jail is at left, and Bridgepoint Health Centre at right.

As it looks now. There's signage, and green space where the detention centre stood.

As you approach the front entrance (only the rear is shown in the above pictures), you can see what a foreboding place it must have been for someone being taken there to serve their sentence:

The doors are actually a combination of wood and metal, and though the sign simply says, "Push," it takes a bit of effort to get them open.


Above the door, and its single lamp, is this grim, stark face, thought to represent Father Time, a reminder of the hours, days or years the prisoner would be spending inside these walls:

Once in the main foyer area, and looking to the right (east), you can see the original structure of the different levels of cells and balconies, still preserved (though the railings are certainly new):

I can remember this view myself from some years ago, when I was briefly with an agency that hired out people as extras. I was to portray a convict in a prison for one of the "Heritage Minute" ads they used to run on TV. It was about female MP and prison reformer Agnes McPhail, and would show the terrible conditions in Canada's jails at the time (this jail was in transition when I was there, and was still a rather frightening place as it was).
I never got my "moment," though, as they wanted me to get my head shaved right down to the scalp (they did that at the time to distinguish prisoners from the general public in case of escape, as well as to keep fleas off their heads), but having a regular day job, I wasn't willing to do so. They paid me for the time I was there, anyway.

Well, back to the present...

Looking straight ahead, you can see three levels of doors (administrative offices at one time) in the north-facing wall, as well as the newer railings, and a banner with the Bridgepoint logo:

Obviously, it's much brighter and cleaner here now, though there was always natural light in this area, due to the large skylight in the roof, part of its original design:

There is also a glassed-in opening in the floor here of the same shape, and parallel to the roof, that was also part of the original building.


The wrought-iron balcony supports in this area are quite striking. On the foyer side, they have the shape of dragons (the guards?), and on the side where the cells and prisoners were, serpent shapes:

Here is a view of the dragon-shaped supports, looking toward the west cell block:

Visitors can go down the steps you see past the bars in the above picture to an area where they've preserved the vintage cells. Here is what the row of cells looks like; the flagstone floor, brickwork and iron cell doors are all original:

And lastly, one of the cells itself:

On the right of the doorway, you can see an opening where there was probably a large bolt slid into from these doors at one time. There are none on the doors now, but you can imagine them clanging shut as a prisoner was locked in.
The cot is probably not original, but it gives an idea of what kind of space a prisoner had in one of these cells. Of course, there would have been a thin mattress and blankets on the cot, and a "night bucket" (nice euphemism, eh?) under it.
Over time, they needed to house more prisoners in here, and two, or even three, men would be packed into these tiny spaces, probably using bunk beds.
It should be noted that the prisoners weren't in these cells all day, only at night; they were kept busy doing labour of various sorts during the day.

The Don Jail was intended as a "rehabilitation" facility, and was quite modern in its time, with useful labour for inmates, and plenty of natural light.
It looks awfully grim now, though.

Waterfront Festival, June 2015

I've always enjoyed walking along Toronto's waterfront, especially Queen's Quay, from Yonge to Spadina or Bathurst. Even when it wasn't particularly inviting, I still liked to get down to the lake.
They've spent the last few years tearing up that stretch and making improvements, so when it was officially opened on the weekend of June 19, I thought I'd get a look.

My plan was to start off at Sherbourne Common, which has seen lots of development recently also.
Starting my walk further east, around Commissioner's and Cherry Sts., I got a good view of Toronto's skyline from the southeast:

At the north end of Sherbourne Common, around Lower Sherbourne and Lake Shore, there is a striking-looking sort of "triple fountain," featuring fine mesh screens that water flows through into a shallow pool:

The water's patterns in the screens shift constantly, making them fascinating to watch.


Here are all three of them, going south along Lower Sherbourne, down to Queen's Quay:

At Sherbourne Common, there were a number of tents set up, from various vendors, but mostly from Parks Canada. The best part, though, is the view from the shore here.
We tend to forget that Toronto has always been a port city, and this enormous ship near the Keating Channel shows that it still is:

We should also bear in mind the beautiful islands we have, just a ferry ride away. This is, I believe, part of Algonquin Island, with Ward's Island at left:

And, looking west, the other end of this collection of several islands.
It was a perfect day for sailing and boating, clear and sunny, with a good breeze on the lake.

Continuing west, you come upon Redpath's Sugar Beach, with its white sand, permanent umbrellas, and terrific lake views. There were wine and beer tents here, and a live band playing to a small crowd, which I'm sure got much bigger as the day went on (wine and beer tents!):

And, speaking of Redpath, who, after all, sponsored the whole shebang, their plant, next door to Sugar Beach, can make for interesting photographs in its own right:

 

Continuing west, and nearing Yonge St., you see this remarkable-looking new condo development, Pier 27. I was struck by the bridge-like structures between the four main buildings, that possibly echo the channels in the Redpath plant:

Being virtually on the lake, it should be an interesting addition to Toronto's skyline when completed.


At the foot of Yonge St., we see all that's left of Captain John's floating restaurant (note the empty channel at right where it once lay).

At one time it was a major attraction in Toronto (and I can remember it as such), but fell into such disrepair - the owner couldn't keep up with fees and bills - that it frankly became a rusted, weather-beaten eyesore. It has been towed away in just the last few weeks, to be dismantled for scrap. Too bad; it was a nice idea. Perhaps someone new will take the initiative, and put another boat-restaurant in Toronto's harbour...


Continuing along Queen's Quay, you come to HTO Park, a relatively new area around the Queen's Quay Terminal building. There are more artificial beaches and umbrellas here, and people were taking advantage of the great weather to sun themselves (or sit in the shade):

The wave decks have been in this area for some time, and I always liked them. Now that there are separate paths for bicycles along this whole stretch, they're much safer for walking than they were (though you can understand why cyclists would enjoy them, too).
This is the view of one of the wave decks, looking east, with the Terminal building at the rear of the pic:

Sitting on one of the benches along here, you can see the different levels of the wave decks, and get a great view of the harbour (note the brave kayakers out in the choppy waves!) and the islands beyond:

And this pic will represent the idea of this whole waterfront renewal project in a nutshell:
Wide streets with right-of-ways for streetcars; clearly marked and separated bike lanes (with drainage channels on either side); broad pedestrian boulevards; and lots of greenery - the trees planted here have accommodation for strong roots, and they supposedly grow very quickly, so there will soon be full-size trees along here.

Finally, I had to include a pic of my favourite new thing to come to Toronto - these amazing-looking European-style streetcars. This one is at the corner of Spadina and Queen's Quay, preparing to head north on Spadina:

We only have a few of these vehicles so far, running along just two routes, Spadina and Queen's Quay. There will be more in the next few years, and they will eventually run on all our many streetcar routes. It can't be soon enough for me!


It sure was great to see the progress that's been made in the harbourfront area. There is so much development in this part of town that it's almost dizzying.

They say that the greatest cities are the ones that are never finished, and it's certainly thrilling to be in the midst of a "work in progress" like this one.

I hope to have more postings and pics in the future as different areas of Toronto are developed and completed. For instance, the area around Union Station is still under construction, and it should look awesome when done. That's for the future, though...

Doors Open T.O. 2015

Being fairly busy with other pursuits on May 23 this year, I just went to two places in Toronto that were handiest to where I was in the morning:

Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Queen's Park

This was a self-guided tour of the "Pink Palace," with interpreters at most points of interest to explain and describe where you were and what you were looking at.

Coming in the entrance, you go along the central hallway, and see the grand staircase that leads into the main building and upper areas. This was closed to the public, but you can get a picture of it anyway. Note the Ontario coat of arms, and the painting of the Fathers of Confederation above the doorway:

Also in the central hallway, the ceremonial maces used by the Speaker are on display. The original mace (at left), from the late 1700s, when the Legislature was moved to Toronto (then York) from Niagara Falls, is made from gilded wood. The newer one (at right), is still used, and is made from copper, and plated with gold:

The tour continues into the east wing, and the corridor is quite striking; three levels, all with dark wood paneling and pillars, and a brilliant stained-glass ceiling, perfect for a sunny day like this:

Each of the pillars has a wrap-around relief on it. In this area, they featured this "dragon" motif:

Then, it was up to the second level, where the premier's office is located, along with portraits of all the previous premiers.
It made me feel quite proud to live in a place advanced enough that gender and sexual orientation made no difference in our choice for premier:

From the second level, I could get a better picture of the stained-glass ceiling over the east wing, and it's pretty spectacular:

And, looking down, you can see the whole corridor where I had just been. Note the pillars, hardwood floor, and display cases along the sides, with artifacts, books and objects related to different aspects of Ontario's history:

Moving west, you come to the actual legislative assembly chamber, where the Parliament of Ontario sits. Each of the desks is assigned to one of the MPPs, with their name on it, and the order of business for the day set out. All around the chamber, at the upper level. are the public galleries, where citizens can sit and watch the proceedings:

I then got a closer shot of the speaker's chair at the end of the room.
The coat of arms is that of Great Britain (the lion and the unicorn), reflecting, I suppose, the origin of the parliamentary system of our country:

Then, it was on to the west wing. This area suffered a huge fire, I believe, early in the 20th century, and was completely rebuilt, this time with beautiful marble columns and balustrades:

There is also an amazing inlaid floor in this area. The guide said that each of these tiles was cut by hand:

Looking up in this area, you see another stained-glass ceiling, this one with the Ontario coat of arms, with the moose, elk and bear:

The walls along the corridor are lined with paintings by Canadian artists. As you see, they are mostly landscapes, seascapes, portraits and still lifes:

As you go along the corridor, you see that most of its north side is taken up by the huge caucus room, When I rounded the corner and looked out the window, I saw this enormous, probably original, chimney, and took a picture of it, to include the windows (below) of the caucus chamber:

 The next areas are for the use of the Governor-General of Ontario, and this music room, where guests are entertained, includes portraits of the various Governors-General over the years:

This is followed by the various reception rooms, where guests, eg., royalty, heads of state, and so on, are welcomed.
On this occasion, there was an exhibit of paintings by local artist Charles Pachter, titled "Lest We Forget/N'Oublions Pas," on the subject of the First World War. The picture below, taken in a mirror, shows two of his paintings; one, a simple poppy on a plain background, and the other, a portrait of John McRae, known worldwide for "In Flanders Fields":

At the doorways and in the halls in this area, more of the remarkable inlaid floors can be seen:

Finally, it's back out to the ground floor level of the west wing, where you get a great view of all four of its marble levels:

And that was it for the Legislative Building. I'm glad I got a chance to see what it looks like inside.
I tried to recall if I had been there on a school trip or something, many suns ago, but nothing rang a bell, so it seems this was my first time.
It was great to be able to see this place; all the guides and security people were very gracious and helpful.


Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, U of T

My first surprise was that this section of U of T's brutalist Robarts Library is actually contained in the "wings" of the thunderbird figure that faces the corner of St. George and Harbord:

The second level was where guests were allowed in on this occasion, and from there, you get great views of the stacks, in one direction:

And the other:

It's probably safe to assume that the lighting in this area is more subdued than in other parts of the Robarts so that the older paper of these volumes is at less risk of yellowing and fading.

Most of the display cases you see in the pictures contained objects and mementos from World War I.

There is also a central stack, above the entrance:

There are five levels in all, and there are some amazing things here, including, according to the guide, one of the original folios of Shakespeare's works!
Also on display was an 1895 illustrated edition of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

We were also allowed to visit the ground level, and the view of the stacks from here is even more breathtaking:

One feels awed in places like this. Much as it would be a blast to see an original Shakespeare folio, I'd feel awkward asking, though I don't suppose there's much stopping me. They said you can sign things out here, just like any library, and maybe one day, I'll give it a shot. Who knows?


I just love events like Doors Open. It's so great to be able to see places that aren't normally accessible, or as accessible, to the public. You gain a much better idea of the history, and future, of the place you live, and it helps you feel you belong. That's something we all could have a better sense of.

TWMVC Goes East!

I'm a member of the Toronto Welsh Male Voice Choir, and on the weekend of April 10 to 12, we embarked on a three-stop, three-concert "mini-tour" here in Ontario.

Our first stop was in Almonte (pronounced "Al-mont," though the town was named in honour of a Mexican general during a wave of anti-American sentiment after the War of 1812). It's about 45 minutes' drive directly west of Ottawa.
After arrival at the United Church on Friday afternoon, we were served soup, sandwiches and desserts, courtesy of the local UCW. We performed that night at the church, sharing the program with a fine folk/pop singer, Kelly Sloan.

There was enough of a crowd that extra seats had to be brought in, and we got an enthusiastic standing ovation, prompting an encore - always a good sign, and an indicator that the tour would be a good one.


Immediately after the concert, we left for Ottawa, where we stayed at a motel on Carling Avenue for the next two nights. There was a bit (OK, more than a bit) of eating and drinking at a local Boston Pizza before we got to bed, but eventually, we did.


The next day was mostly free for us, and I wanted to see the National Gallery of Canada. I hitched a ride downtown with a few of the other guys, where we went through the Byward Market area before getting to the Gallery, a striking-looking building on Sussex Drive.

The building was fascinating inside as well as outside. Looking at the picture above, the entrance is at the right, and then you go up a slight incline (the Colonnade) along the length of the building to get to the Great Hall, at left, and the gallery proper. Here is the Colonnade from inside, looking back from the Great Hall toward the entrance:

The ceiling of the Great Hall is really breathtaking; all glass, and apparently designed after the Parliamentary Library:

From the Great Hall, there are some terrific views of the surrounding area, like this panorama of the Ottawa River, with Gatineau/Hull on the other side:

Also, from here, you get a pretty good view of the Parliament buildings. There is construction going on there, as you can see:

We spent several hours in the National Gallery, and still didn't see everything they have. It looks like I may have to make another trip to Ottawa in the future!

Across Sussex Drive from the National Gallery is the gorgeous Notre Dame Basilica. It's part neo-Gothic and part neo-Classical in design, and was completed in 1846, with some renovations done as recently as the 1990s.
The day had gone from cloudy and blustery to brilliantly sunny, and I was able to get a good picture of the front of the church, with its two spires (covered in tin!) and gilded Madonna:

It looks fairly plain on the outside, but inside, the church is all neo-Gothic, with arches, columns, ribbed vaulting, stained-glass windows, and many carvings and statues of religious figures. Here is the view towards the altar and apse:

And this is the view in the opposite direction, looking toward the west window and the organ/choir loft. The organist was practising when we went in, and it made a very pleasant accompaniment to our visit.

I was struck by the "star" decoration, and blue-and-gold colour scheme in the ceiling here; it made me think of the ceiling in the lower part of Sainte-Chapelle in Paris.


After this, we made our way back to the motel, and from there to the Clock Tower Brewpub in Westboro for dinner (and local brews) with the Ottawa Celtic Choir, who would share that night's concert with us.
We sang at the All Saints Anglican Church in Westboro, to a capacity crowd, and another standing ovation. By way of an encore, the two choirs, and the audience, joined together for a rousing rendition of the well-known Welsh hymn, "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah."
Then it was back to the Clock Tower for more food (and more local brews), and a good hour's worth of more singing! We even belted out "Happy Birthday" to a gal who was there celebrating with friends. A good day, and a good night, altogether.


The next day, Sunday 12, we got out to breakfast, and then on the bus again (where many of us napped, for obvious reasons), for our last stop, Lindsay.
We enjoyed another light meal (thanks again, UCW!) of soup, sandwiches and desserts prior to the afternoon concert, at the Cambridge St. United Church.

The crowd here was rather subdued, but warmed up to us as the concert went by. We were the only attraction this time, so we had to work extra hard (with some not-so-great acoustics) to win their affection. Win we did, though, and there was another standing ovation and encore at the end. Many people (including an old friend of mine who lives not far from Lindsay) praised our performance afterward.


Then, it was back on to the bus, and we got back to Toronto in the late evening. It had been fun, and rewarding, but exhausting. Three concerts in three days can take its toll!

Weasel Words Part II

This one isn't just one word, but a phrase - as with the examples I mentioned before, you often see it in advertising: "Like no other."

The most popular example: "A (fill in the blank) experience like no other."
Once again, as before, a completely meaningless phrase. Every experience is "like no other" - you might brush your teeth every day, but you don't brush them the exact same way every time; you don't catch the bus at exactly the same time every day, or ride with the exact same people.
Every day - nay, every minute - is already "an experience like no other." Enjoy it!

The second part of this phrase is also meaningless: "no other" - no other WHAT?
"A vacation experience like no other" - no other...giraffe? desk? thunderbolt? They don't say.
Yes, yes, perhaps, "like no other vacation experience," is supposed to be understood, but it's much easier if they don't have to pin themselves down by making any actual claims. In this, the most litigious society in history, who wants to stick their neck out?

And while we're at it, there's another weasel word: "experience."
This is the go-to word for lazy advertising and marketing copywriters, because it's so universal (and, er, yes, meaningless). It can be used to describe nearly anything: "The experience of a lifetime;" "enhancing the movie-going experience;" "your customer experience."

Perhaps one day, we'll find better, more meaningful words than these to describe human activity and interaction. That would truly be "an experience like no other."