Untitled by Martinho on Flickr
Things have gotten interesting over at the Occupy Toronto camp in the last day or so– really interesting, in fact – especially for a political nerd like me. I love politics and law, and I especially love everything about constitutional law – I took a bunch of law-related classes in my undergrad (and actually had, for all purposes, intended to go to law school – I sort of “fell” into multimedia, journalism, and communications before writing the LSAT) and I took a few constitutional law classes as well.
I even have a t-shirt from my Political Science department that has a sports-jersey style to it:
NOTWITHSTANDING
33
Hilarious, right? If you got that, you’re as big of a nerd as I am.
Anyway, like I said – things are getting interesting. Specifically, in relation to legal developments surrounding the Occupy Toronto movement – and I’ll be watching the court system over the coming days very, very closely.
Untitled by -- brian cameron -- on Flickr
Yesterday morning, Mayor Rob Ford and the City of Toronto delivered eviction notices to the Occupy Toronto protesters (who have set up a tent city and have been camping in St. James Park downtown for the past 31 days) – basically saying “vacate the park by 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, please and thank you”. Well, that didn’t sit too well with the protesters – who thus planned a party (I wish I was kidding) and said “well, we’re not listening to the law, and we’re not leaving”. I’ve heard they’ve since removed (and burned) all eviction notices and have replaced them with signs reading something to the effect of, “The Charter is our permit!”
Now, I believe in the right to assemble and protest as much as the next person – but setting up a camp in public space does not sit well with me. The city wants the Occupy Toronto protest out for a number of reasons – bylaw violations, disrupting the neighbourhood residents enjoyment of the park, the effect on local businesses in the area… you get the idea.
Technically, the Occupy Toronto protest has been violating a number of city (park-related) by-laws since the occupation of St. James Park began over 30 days ago, including 608-3 conduct, 608-7 encroachment, 608-9 access, 608-10 campfires and barbecues, 608-13 camping and lodging, and 608-14 tents and structures.
To expand a list of the specific bylaws they’re violating (according to my interpretation) click here.
Basically, what happened next was this: while most protesters were planning a party (I wish I was kidding) and meeting to discuss “what now?”, a small group went to the courts to get an injunction – based on a Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms challenge – and succeeded.
The occupiers are arguing that evicting them from St. James Park (and other occupy movements across Canada from their respective locations) is a violation of our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which outlines our fundamental freedoms as Canadian citizens in section two:
2. Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:
(a) freedom of conscience and religion;
(b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication;
(c) freedom of peaceful assembly; and
(d) freedom of association.
Justice David Brown granted them a stay of eviction, meaning a) the City and police may not forcibly remove the protesters, tents, or other structures, and b) the protesters may not grow their operations by adding more bodies, tents, or structures.
The hearing is scheduled for Friday, when the Occupy Toronto lawyer and city lawyer will present their cases to the courts, and the Justice Brown has promised a decision by suppertime Saturday.
So, the question remains: is there really a valid Charter challenge here? And whose rights supersede whose? Do bylaws trump the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, or does the Charter trump the law?
Personally, I don’t think there’s a real Charter challenge, nor do I think the Charter trumps these particular bylaws.
Section one of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms is very clear:
1. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the rights and freedoms set out in it subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.
And, in my opinion – the bylaws outlined above are such reasonable limits. No one is telling the Occupy Toronto protesters they may not protest, and no one is saying they may not protest IN St. James Park – they are simply being told they can’t LIVE in the park.
As a sidebar, in other cities, there’s been issues with protesters overdosing on drugs (in fact, there was a non-fatal incident of a similar nature in Toronto) and in Vancouver, someone actually died at the protest. With the harsh Canadian winter fast approaching, it’s no wonder people are concerned about the well-being of the protesters on top of the other aforementioned issues.
But, on the flip side – it seems in Vancouver a group of homeless activitists won the right to sleep/camp in parks in 2008, though I’m unclear as to whether or not that is still the case.
Also, in terms of the American protests and their evictions – I’ve seen numerous tent cities set up in the USA, particularly across from the White House, and they’ve been there for decades (presumably) without issue. So, do they have some sort of special consideration, or permit – or does the government turn a blind eye? Or are they arrested, and then return to continue the protest? If anyone has any insight into this, I’d love to hear it.
Untitled by Martinho on Flickr
What makes me nervous about this is the fact it’s a challenge to the Charter – while I agree it’s time the protesters stop camping in St. James Park and look at other options, I also don’t like the fact it’s come this far. A successful Charter challenge by Occupy Toronto would open a whole other can of worms in terms of bylaws, citizen rights, and whether laws of the Charter – in other similar and non similar instances – supersede City laws.
One thing is for sure – like I said earlier – I’ll be watching very closely as this unfolds in the coming days.
Click “read more” below to see the Toronto Municipal Code Parks by-law as it pertains to this protest.
Read more »
If you know me, you KNOW I love cupcakes (and baking cupcakes, for that matter). So, that being said – does my Halloween costume this year really come as a surprise?
Okay, maybe the cupcake costume was more of a surprise than the year I was Hannah Montana (because, come on, a Hannah Montana costume is way easier to put together ;) And yes, I most certainly did force nicely ask The Boy to dress up as a baker for me so we could be ubervom cute together.
My cupcake costume in all it's glory.
Basically, I doctored the heck out of some Value Village scores – including turning the bottom skirt part of a little girl’s dress (yup, all class) into a poofy, icing looking top. What? It was much easier than sewing one from scratch… especially considering I had to call in the troops (Hi Sister!) every 30 seconds (seriously) to unjam the sewing machine for me.
I also hot glued rolled up pipe cleaners all over it, because what’s a cupcake without sprinkles?
And, of course, I needed an icing “peak” – complete with a cherry on top – which (I swear) is what that funny looking thing on my head is.
I think it turned out pretty well – and these cute heels I stole inherited from my mom were a dead match with my small-children’s-dress-turned-shirt. Score.
I also made cupcakes to bring to my friend’s Halloween party (and devoured a few) which led to an, ahem, much later realization that I was, indeed, a Cannibal Cupcake. The horror.
I had baked for a wedding earlier that weekend (more on that later), and had leftover purple, green, and white (a TON of white) icing, which led to these little guys:
How cute, right? I can’t decide if I like the Mummy or Monster better – but when I see all the little Mummies together I just love it.
They were a huge hit, too.
Oh, and finally – what would a Halloween post be without a pumpkin?
Nothing, that’s what.
Too bad it wasn’t a cupcake pumpkin – which I JUST thought of right this second… maybe next year. Someone remind me, okay? ;)
I’m really excited about an event I’m planning with the Durham Photography Group called “Help-Portrait”. In fact, I’m so excited that I can’t contain my urge to blog about it any longer.
So, what exactly is Help-Portrait?
Help-Portrait is, in essence, a way for us photographers and volunteers alike to donate their time and give back to those less fortunate in our community by doing what we do best: making people feel beautiful, and capturing that moment on film. As photographers, we usually take photos; but this event is all about giving them. Giving them to orphans, single moms and dads, underprivileged families, the elderly, and anyone else who might not otherwise be able to have a professional portrait taken.
Help-Portrait is a worldwide event, and, on December 10th a huge number of communities will be taking part. And, thanks to a wonderful group of volunteers, I’m proud to say for the first time, Durham Region is on that list.
I’m thrilled to be involved as the group’s marketing and sponsorship lead; meaning I have the daunting task of raising the money we need to go ahead (approximately $2,000) and getting the word out to the community.
We have a solid core group of volunteers, but of course – can always use more hands.
If you’re local to the GTA, and are interested in getting involved (or you work for, or know, a company who may be interested in sponsoring us) please get in touch with me or join up with our local group.
And, for those of you who are visiting from other communities – consider checking the global list on the Help-Portrait site to see if there is an event running near you. We can always use more helping hands on these sort of events.
In the past, the portraits have strictly been given to participants – never shared online, in portfolios, or anywhere – but they’re looking at changing that this year (with photo releases, of course) and additionally allowing participants to, if they choose, become the photographer. The folk over at Help-Portrait did a mini event this past weekend, and the stories and photos shared on their blog are truly touching.
We’re still ironing out the final details of the Durham event (and which, if any, new aspects we’ll adopt in our virgin year) but so far I’m so impressed with the diverse group of people in Durham who have pulled together to make this happen: a number of photographers, a project manager, a few technical people, folk from the Salvation Army (who are graciously donating the most important thing – our space/location for this event), a graphic designer, and volunteer coordinator.
Together, we’re making this a reality and I’m so excited.
When I stepped inside the Theatrix Costume House – the site of the old Eaton Stables where horses were prepared for the Santa Claus Parade in the 1900′s – I immediately got the sense that I was in for an interesting night.
A Santa Claus Parade float leaving the Old Eaton Stables ~1925
One of the sales staff was in the midst of regaling the other participants with stories about how employees have felt “nuzzling” while working, heard whispering voices, and even the distant clomping of horse hooves in the now-metropolitan building.
No, I wasn’t privy to an off-the-wall conversation during store hours – I had signed on to do a “ghost investigation” of the allegedly haunted building with the Paranormal Investigation Society of Toronto. The organization runs a number of investigations at haunted sites all across North America.
Organizers explained to us newcomers – myself, my sister, and three ladies from out-of-town – that core members of this group are interested in finding answers to unexplained phenomenon, whether scientific or otherworldly.
Using various types of ghost-busting equipment you see the professionals using on TV:
- electromagnetic field readers (EMFs), which measure the electromagnetic activity in the air – ie, if it changes, your needle jumps, and that could be a sign of something else’s presence (we had K-II meters). These are the same type I used the previous weekend in Salem, MA with The Boy (but more on my Boston trip in another post :)
- four area cameras
- digital thermometers
- Ouiji board
- tarot cards
- a ghost box,which scans radio stations at a very quick frequency – the idea here is that ghosts can “talk” through it and you can pick up words and phrases
- electronic voice phenomena recorders (uh, a special digital recorder to record creepy otherworldly voices)
- a laser grid – you fire it, it makes crisscrossing lasers, and disruptions will block/move the light
Afterwards, they mainly left us to our own devices to borrow their equipment and conduct our own investigation, guiding us as needed. While the group doesn’t have any upcoming events listed at the moment, I do know they have some in the works they are planning on posting soon, including an overnight trip to an old hotel in Orangeville.
Armed with my trusty Maglight (they turned off all the lights during the investigation), Canon T2i (perfect for catching ghosts with), and a pen and notepad; my sister and I took off to begin our investigation.
At her request, we started with the Ouija board – I played for about 30 seconds before getting thoroughly creeped out and quitting.
I hate Ouija boards.
Next, we got to play with the ghost box – which honestly was probably one of the coolest points. We listened to the frequencies, and heard quite a few creepy whispers – including the name “Emily” and “Em” repeated by a raspy male voice and fluttery, quiet female voice. Turns out, the group before us also heard “Emily” a number of times.
The ghost box, and our notepad of things we heard coming through the static. Ghosts, or really creepy sounding radio announcers?
Coincidence? Rigged tool?
Either way, a shiver went down my spine when I found that out.
We played with Tarot cards – you ask a question to the ghosts out loud, draw a card, and write down which it is. The organizers planned to do a reading based on the drawn cards later. The weird thing here was that on the first page 7 people drew the same 2 cards, my sister included. I was the odd one out – I guess I just don’t have that “ghostly” connection, haha.
Kait recording her tarot card answers - please note the creepy mirror behind her.
The creepiest part of THIS one? The darkened changing room with a giant mirror. Did I mention I ALSO hate mirrors? This stems from thinking I saw shadowy figures in the mirror at my grandmother’s house when younger, and my older cousins then regaling me with stories of evil demons haunting the house.
Yeah, that would stick with a 7 year old!
Needless to say, I never saw the horror movie “Mirrors”!
Next was the best part – it was time to play with the EMF readers and digital thermometers in the costume room. We got mostly level 1′s (low), but in certain areas – like near a purple dress near the front – it did spike to a 3. Near the back corner of the shop, we were getting a flickering 2-3 by a duck hand thing; and it spiked to 4 a few times. The first time was when the subway went by underground (keep in mind this is a top floor of a building), so I’m not sure if the electrical spike from the subway had something to do with it or not – but it did keep flicking to 4 well after the roaring and shaking of the train had passed.
I took a few photos in the costumed area, but none showed anything interesting (besides the drool-worthy costumes, that is! ;) – not even the highly controversial orbs, which I thought I would get a lot of considering the amount of dust in that place!
Something interesting to note – every time our EMF would raise, the digital thermometer would drop – and drop steadily. The lowest it reached in that room was 67.9°F – though I never felt a temperature change personally. And, when the EMF frequency dropped to a 1, the thermometer would do a 180 and start to rise drastically back to “normal” (our starting temperature in that room was around 79°F I believe)
It was steadily dropping while in the back when the level spiked to 4 – we watched it drop for quite some time (it eventually hit 67.9°F), going up slightly every time the level faded to a 1. By the time it hit it’s lowest point, we decided to move on to another area. I’m fairly confident had we stayed, it would have continued to drop.
Scanning for electromagnetic fields - this was when we were getting the spikes to level 4 (out of 5)
Next, we continued our EMF/digital thermometer investigation in the back room – a large, blue, mostly empty room housing a few costumes that had seen a significant amount of activity by other groups (and in the past, as well).
Here’s where things get interesting. The EMF stayed mostly a 1, except for one major “hot spot” where it would spike to 5. It did flicker a little here, and move a bit, but we could typically find it again.
It is possible it could have been some sort of electrical interference, but we checked all our electronics (cameras, phones, lights) and nothing caused a spike. A quick visual investigation told us there were no obvious wires or poles potentially housing wires nearby.
The temperature remained steady, though I did feel a cold creeping up my legs while holding this EMF for the shot – and there were certainly no doors, windows, or drafts nearby. I had not been cold earlier in this room while we were setting up and getting instructions.
The EMF is spiked to 5 - the highest level of electromagnetic activity readable by the K-II.
I handed the K-II off to my sister, who did the same move around, lose the spot, find it again thing I had just been doing. Once she hit the sweet spot, I made her stand there with her arm in the air like an idiot for a good 5 minutes while I tried to get a good angle showing the 5 lit up lights (they were flicking) and her as well.
While this was going on, once we got a steady red she started to complain she was cold. Very cold. I felt absolutely fine and I was only standing a few feet away. Imagination? A draft? Or something otherworldly? I wasn’t positive either of us were actually feeling cold while holding the meter lit to red, but once I got home and looked through my photos I began to wonder.
Level 5 EMF, odd looking green dot to the right of Kait's hand
If you look to the right of Kait’s hand, there’s a small-ish, green-ish, round spot in the photo. The room was dark, other than the lights on the K-II and my flash, so there was no other light pollution. We had our flashlights turned off. Typically, dust spots in a photo – and after going to Burning Man, I’ve seen a LOT of them – are white. Not green.
As far as I can recall, there was no sequined dressed (and even if there were, would it not make more than one reflection?) or anything else reflective nearby. The green light was thus not angled at anything reflective, and the K-II is not angled in a way it could be creating that dot without a reflective surface in my opinion… and even if it WERE, would there not be other coloured dots as well?
Now, I am not saying this is necessarily anything spooky or evidence of a ghost – but it certainly is curious, and given the fact this photo was taken at the EXACT moment she was complaining of being cold (you can even see her lips slightly parted) it makes me wonder.
And, FWIW, I have other photos taken from a similar angle before, and after, this one – and neither has that mysterious, glowing dot:
- Similar (though not exact) angle, level 3 EMF, no green dot present
Post investigation in this room, we conducted a “seance” in the room – basically forming a circle, and asking the spirits present to light op the K-II in response to questions. It worked – as much as one can assume, at least. To say the very least, it was certainly interesting. The K-II would mostly rest at level 1, occasionally flicking to level 2, and when we asked a question the light would sometimes flick to level 3 in a positive response. A few things to come out of this – the spirit was a man, named Dick (or Richard – which, I should mention, is a name two other groups heard come through the ghost box) and was the original owner of Theatrix (back when it was the Old Eaton Stables).
Two members of the group say they heard a distinct, ghostly whisper coming from the back corner of the room (vacant) while this was going on. Sadly, no one was recording an EVP during this so we won’t ever know what – if anything – was said.
I can’t remember much else that we asked during this part – I was quite tired and half asleep by this time as it was nearly 2 a.m. (and, uh, Oktoberfest was the night before!) but I do recall it was interesting, and a little eerie.
So – was contact really made? I remain partly skeptical, but there was definitely some sort of presence in that room. Not heavy, but it was there. And with the various things that happened - and there were many – I have trouble believeing it was all a coincidence, or could be explained away 100% by science… and I’ll definitely be back on another investigation with this group (though in a different location) to see what happens there.
I should also note – a group went thought Theatrix two weekends before (on Oct 1) and did not have nearly as much activity as we did.
As for that elusive green dot – was it a reflection? Ghost? Dust?
I’ll let you be the judge – I’d love to hear your thoughts/opinions in the comments.
The theory is this: in 1998, the province downgraded Highway 7 from a provincial highway to a regional road for a number of reasons, including the opening of the 407 (aka my favourite thing ever, except for the cost).
More traffic lights were added, the speed limit was lowered – but the “highway” moniker was kept. Now, York Region is building a bunch of junk (okay, not junk – bus lanes, bike lanes, highrises, etc) along Highway 7, and officials think the word “highway” doesn’t match anymore.
So they’re holding a contest to rename it.
It’s going to cost more than $250,000.
Yes, a quarter of a million to rename a small piece of a long highway that runs through Richmond Hill, Markham, and Vaughan – but will still be called “Highway 7” in other areas.
And, honestly – who actually thinks people will refer to Highway 7– sorry, [INSERT NEW NAME HERE] as it’s new name? The Skydome became the Rogers Center in 2005, and really, who calls it the “Rogers Center” besides newscasters, sports officials and, uh, Rogers?
According to news reports, a few contenders include Avenue 7, Gridlock Way, and Bottleneck Boulevard.
Wait, Avenue 7?
Yes, there’s a good idea – lets waste TWO HUNDERD AND FIFTY THOUSAND dollars to change the word “highway” to “avenue”.
Face palm.
Oh, and did I mention it’s already been dubbed “York Regional Road 7″ by the region?
Double face palm.
So, why is this (apparently) a good idea?
Well, according to some guy who swims in hundred dollar bills Steven Kemp, director of traffic management with York Region, “Highway 7 will not be the road that people use to travel through the region. It’s the place that people will go.”
Which, obviously, warrants spending $250,000 on a name change.
Guess I’ll need to buy new road maps.
